Night deepened.
In the Dragon-Tiger Guard camp at Muddy Bay, torches burned along the wooden stakes, bathing the ground outside the tents in fiery red.
The distant river remained restless.
Waves crashed one after another. Now and then, the deep growls of water demons drifted from the darkness, as though something lay forever lurking on the riverbed, watching the human camp on the bank.
At the center of camp, several Dragon-Tiger Guards rested beside a fire.
Some chewed dried meat, some wiped down their sabers, and others held the first-level instructions for the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force, frowning as they puzzled over them again and again.
Li Tai sat cross-legged by the fire, booklet in hand, looking even more miserable than when the water demons had surrounded him that afternoon.
He stared at the text for a long time before snapping it shut.
"Damn it."
"Hard, hard, hard!"
Lu Chen sat on the other side of the fire.
His saber lay across his knees.
Firelight shone on his face, making his youthful features look especially composed.
Li Tai could not help asking, "Lu Chen, how's your cultivation of the Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force coming along?"
At those words, Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The next moment, the familiar translucent panel appeared before him:
[Fourfold Demon-Subduing True Force: not initiated] [Progress: 63/90]
Lu Chen's gaze shifted slightly.
Over the past few days, he had gradually approached the threshold of the Azure Dragon Demon-Suppressing Force. He still had roughly a third of the progress left before mastering the first level.
Lu Chen withdrew his attention from the panel and looked at Li Tai. "I've gained a few insights, but not many," he said modestly.
Li Tai lowered his head to the booklet in his hands, frustration written all over