A One-Move Wager, the Unbreakable Black Tortoise

Deep within the mine, the light faded section by section.

Torches were set into iron rings on the rock walls, one every thirty feet. The flames were tugged crooked by the mountain wind blowing through the tunnels.

Shadows swayed wildly across the rough stone walls.

That Soul King walked at the front, his steps hurried and heavy, without saying a word.

The four behind him were boxed in by two rows of guards, looking no different from prisoners under escort.

Jiang Tieyi sniffed the air, his face full of enjoyment.

"This ore smell is really strong."

Mo Qianye glanced at him.

Jiang Tieyi scratched his head. "I used to work in a mine. The smell feels familiar."

No one responded.

The farther they went, the wider the space became.

The rock overhead had been carved into a dome, rising nearly a hundred feet at its highest point. The torches had been replaced by large Soul Guidance Lighting Stones set into grooves along the walls. White light shone down, illuminating the entire quarry.

In the center of the site, broken stones were piled into small hills.

Dozens of miners were scattered about, hammering away with their tools.

And at the very deepest point—

Hammering.

Once.

Then again.

The rhythm was slow, but every strike carried a Soul Power tremor audible to the naked ear.

The gravel beneath their feet bounced along with it.

It jumped once, stopped once, then jumped again.

Su Chen saw the man.

Bare-chested, with his back to the tunnel.

The muscles across his back twisted together in thick cords. They did not look grown; they looked like they had been hammered into shape blow by blow.

Niu Gao.

The massive hammer came down.

A gray ore block before him split cleanly in two, the crystals along the