Chapter 56: This Young Master Finds Water

Chapter 56: This Young Master Finds Water

The columns were actual columns. The largest features of the Spa Cavern were artificial. What did that mean for the cavern itself? Was the whole place built by someone else as well?

It was a question that plagued Chen Haoran as he journeyed further. He had assumed the cavern was natural and explained away its bizarreness as this new worlds magical fuckery. What did he really know though? Besides the columns, the cavern didnt look like it had been built, it lacked that artificiality that came when people tried to mimic nature. Could he really tell though? Perhaps the whole cavern was engineered to look natural with qi techniques he had yet to understand. Or maybe the man-made portions were like the columns, worn down and obscured by the passage of time. Just the thought that there was a guiding hand behind the design of the subterranean world filled him with dread. What would he find when he reached the source of the cold snaps? Would something be waiting for him there?

A second cold snap hit during his subterranean progress. Chen Haoran took Phelps and dived into another pool to avoid it. Luck hadnt been on his side however and the pool he sheltered in had a Qi realm salamander of the Eighth-Layer lurking at the bottom. He was forced to wrestle with it underwater while the pool froze over before finally using the Canyon Carving Sword and slicing both the salamander and pool in half.

It had been a waste of his precious lightning-refined qi, especially since he couldnt find another conductive stalagmite like before. It didnt affect his cultivation given how the deeper reaches of the cavern proved to be a wealth of resources. Phelps, the little glutton, ate everything he could get his hands on besides the Monk Flower vines. It had been a bit of a disappointment but seeing as how he had no idea when he would be in a position to actually grow the plants himself it wasnt too much of a loss.

With more resources came more danger. Mostly in the form of sloths and salamanders. Hed seen huge examples of both species that sat squarely in the Liquid Meridian realm. It was a blessing that the sloths werent predatory and the salamanders were loath to go too far from their pools. He could probably outrun them if they really gave chase but the odds werent anything he was willing to bet his life on. The real luck was that he had yet to see a cricket higher than the Qi Realm Ninth-Layer. Hed be well and truly screwed the day he met one stronger than that.

Not that strength mattered in the face of the cold snaps. The third cold snap hit and every living thing in the caverns from the meanest cricket to the strongest Liquid Meridian salamander did their best to avoid it in their own ways. The crickets scrambled for their burrows and the sloths fell from the ceiling to submerge themselves in the pools where they became vulnerable to lurking salamanders. The creatures that lived here were clearly long used to the cavern's strange weather. It was an understanding that could only come from time. It left Chen Haoran once again questioning the scale of the Spa Caverns. How long ago had it been created? How long have the beasts been living and dying underground? Was their ecosystem something natural or was it as artificial as the pillars around them?

Questions upon questions upon questions. Every step he took since entering this new world only revealed more things he didnt know and didnt understand. So much he couldnt admit to not knowing because he was constantly unsure how much his predecessor was meant to know. Except now he didnt have anyone to answer him even if he wanted to ask.

Do you think you can learn how to speak if your level gets high enough? he asked Phelps.

Phelps squealed at him and went back to devouring a pile of Water Monk Flowers, he could sense Phelpss Sixth-Layer cultivation fluctuate before settling at a higher level than before.New novel chapters are published on

You would only know about eating anyway.

Sometimes he wondered if he hadnt accidentally fallen into yet another world. There were supposed to be mountains above him after all. Was this place really far enough down into the earth that such a massive hollow wouldnt cause any collapse in the land above? Had the river really swept him down that far? It couldnt have, he would have drowned even with qi.

Phelps yawned over his shoulder. He had been curious at first of all the new sights but had quickly grown bored of them it seemed. Now the only thing that could rouse his interest was the next meal and which of Chen Haorans shoulders felt the most comfortable today. The left, currently.

Chen Haoran scratched the sloths chin and received an annoyed huff in return.

How do you get tired when Im the one carrying you?

Phelps yawned again and his eyes drooped. Chen Haoran chuckled and shook his head. You should carry me too

He frowned and turned to face the distance. It had been some time since the last cold snap so a curtain of steam blocked his view. He cycled qi to his ears and concentrated. There was quite a bit of ambient noise in the cavern at any given time, bubbling pools, the harsh chirping of the crickets, the high-up squeals of sloth snuggles. Chen Haoran took in all of it and proceeded to tune out the extraneous noise. He had heard something, just a wisp of it, but now that he was looking he could hear it. A faint, constant roaring beneath all other sounds.

He cycled qi to his legs and took off. Phelps squealed in anger at the sudden acceleration but Chen Haoran ignored him and rushed as quickly as he could through the pools and steam. The roar became louder as he approached, never stopping. The closer Chen Haoran came the more he was sure of what the source of it was. A familiar rumbling and churning that never ceased. The roaring became no less loud than the thunder that dominated the cavern after every cold snap and the sound of it beat in his chest just the same. Chen Haoran broke through the wall of steam and stopped cold.

Before him was a river. A single, massive snake of water ceaselessly flowed across the cavern as far as the eye could see, splitting it in half.

And on that river

A boat.