Why Is No One Talking?

On the way down the mountain, Lu Bian kept communicating with Shi Tianwu in his mind, sharing stories about Mr. Bruce Wayne.

When Lu Bian first watched the movie Batman as a child, he knew nothing about the various settings surrounding the character; he was simply drawn in by the plot. By the time he was in middle school, the new The Dark Knight trilogy was released, and the style had shifted drastically, leaving behind the witty humor he remembered.

As he grew older and the era of information explosion arrived, Lu Bian gradually gained a deeper understanding of the existence known as "Batman."

An absolute ordinary human who reached the limits of human strength through grueling, arduous training, using his own power and wisdom to sweep away evil and uphold justice.

All of Lu Bian's memories regarding Batman were "seen" by Shi Tianwu during their mental exchange.

Bruce Wayne was, indeed, a man worthy of Shi Tianwu's respect.

They reached the foot of the mountain.

A lush bamboo forest appeared in their shared field of vision.

"The Yin energy is heavy," Lu Bian remarked.

Even though it was broad daylight, not a single ray of sunlight touched the bamboo grove; stepping into its shadows felt like walking into the bleak, chilling depths of late autumn.

However, this deep, secluded bamboo forest was the only path out of the wilderness, and one could faintly see a trail paved by predecessors winding through the trees.

"Let's go. Do not hesitate." Shi Tianwu took control of the body and strode forward.

Shi Tianwu sensed that something malevolent lurked within this bamboo forest.

"Huh? Is that... will-o'-the-wisp?" Lu Bian spotted something in the periphery of their vision.

Flickering green flames drifted eerily through the gloomy bamboo grove, and among the withered yellow leaves on the ground, something bone-white seemed to lie.

Lu Bian and Shi Tianwu only communicated mentally; within the bamboo forest, there was only the sound of footsteps crunching on dry, fallen leaves.

"Click..."

"Click-clack..."

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, the ghastly white bones "awakened," individual bones reassembling themselves as they stood up.

Even Shi Tianwu widened his eyes to examine the reanimated dead.

"Hurry, Brother Tianwu!"

"The bones have become spirits!"

"..., do not fear. I sense that it is not particularly strong."

Shi Tianwu walked straight toward the skeletal spirit.

"Brother Lu Bian, you have also mastered the techniques of the Ultimate Boundless Qigong. Use this to practice your skills. I will grant you control of the body."

"..."

With a momentary mental blur, Lu Bian realized he was now in control of his own body.

He was thin as a rail, and his opponent was nothing but white bone.

Both of them looked as though they could be blown over by a gust of wind.

"Fine, let's do this!"

Lu Bian gathered his courage, planted his feet firmly, and raised his hands into a fighting stance.

"Ultimate Arhat Fist: Left Thrusting Elbow!"

The skeletal spirit seemed to possess no intelligence, attacking the living solely based on some primitive instinct.

With a single elbow strike, Lu Bian shattered the skeleton, scattering its bones across the ground.

"Click-clack..."

The pale bones shivered on the ground, attempting to reassemble once more.

Having dismantled his opponent in a single blow, Lu Bian felt his fear vanish.

"So, it was just that."

Lu Bian kicked the skull of the skeletal spirit, sending it flying away. The headless creature wandered aimlessly in circles, unable to focus on attacking the living man before it.

"Pat-pat!"

The skull of the skeletal spirit rolled far into the bamboo forest, and this disturbance alerted more of its kind.

"Eh?"

"Brother Lu Bian, you seem to have rejoiced too soon," Shi Tianwu noted.

The first skeletal spirit he had dealt with was merely human bones animated, but the ones rising in the deeper parts of the bamboo forest looked far less human.

"Is that... snake bone? Combined with human bone?"

Regardless, the skull atop the neck of the newly risen skeletal spirit was definitely not human; Lu Bian could only classify it as a monster.

The upper half of the body featured a serpentine skeletal structure, while the lower half was human; these half-snake, half-human skeletal spirits each stood over two meters tall.

"Be careful. These fellows are much harder to deal with than the first."

"I can see that, obviously."

The human-bone skeletal spirit had no green will-o'-the-wisps around it, but these half-snake, half-human creatures were surrounded by drifting flames, and faint green mist could be seen between their serpentine skull bones.

"Time to run~!"

"Who would want to fight you lot?"

Lu Bian held his breath, gathering all his strength to dash through the entire bamboo forest.

The skeleton monsters only had skeletal joints, so their mobility couldn't compare to that of the living. As Lu Bian ran, they wobbled whenever they tried to give chase, their bodies looking as if they might fall apart at any moment.

The Deep Bamboo Forest wasn't particularly large, but it was easy for people to lose their way and become trapped within it.

This bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain was a maze. Living people who entered this maze couldn't find their way out, and even after death, their souls remained trapped inside.

As for Lu Bian, he had Shi Tianwu with him. Shi Tianwu's powerful spirit allowed Lu Bian to easily see through the illusions of the bamboo forest, enabling him to charge out of it smoothly.

"That was close, that was close!"

Standing under the sunlight, Lu Bian felt his body warm up again.

Back in the bamboo forest, he had felt as if he were half-dead.

"What a miserable ordeal."

Lu Bian found a large rock and sat down to rest. The soles of his feet were throbbing with pain; he didn't know what had cut several small gashes into them.

Because he wasn't wearing shoes, he had been sprinting through the bamboo forest on his tiptoes the entire time.

[Edward Newgate has joined the chat group]

"Huh? At this time?"

Lu Bian cradled his feet, looking for something to stop the bleeding from the small wounds on his soles.

Lu Bian (focused on his feet): [Welcome, newcomer...]

Shi Tianwu: [Welcome, newcomer!!]

The vast sea...

Aboard the Moby Dick, with its whale-shaped prow, Edward Newgate, the old man known as Whitebeard, furrowed his brows.

This old man, Whitebeard, truly couldn't figure out the interface and functions of the chat group.

Having sailed the seas for so many years, when the chat group's information appeared in his mind, he had initially thought some Devil Fruit user was launching a new challenge against him.

After agreeing to join the chat group, he first frowned, and then his entire face crinkled up.

How was he supposed to talk and communicate with the others in this chat group?

As Whitebeard pondered while staring at the chat box, his thoughts transformed into text and appeared within it.

Edward Newgate: [How do I speak?]

Edward Newgate: [So this is how you speak!]

Edward Newgate: [Guhahahaha~! It's been many years since anyone called me a newcomer!]

Edward Newgate: [Hmm, only four members? That's really a bit too few~!!]

Edward Newgate: [Why is no one talking?]