Chapter 106: The Mysterious Darkness Continent

The Darkness Continent was mysterious and unknown. Because the living environment there was different from the living environment in the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces, it had a lot of strange creatures that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Other than the creatures, the ‘spirit pressure’ of the Darkness Continent, the types of minerals, the laws of nature, etc, were all different from Middle-Earth.

Naturally, the most important thing was that there were many ancient abandoned ruins on this continent.

These ruins, to people of Middle-Earth, were unfathomable places. They completely had no idea how the ruins existed in the first place.

No, in fact, they couldn’t even read the language found in the ruins.

These ruins were like Atlantis, the disappeared Maya Civilization, and the destroyed El Dorado.

They were unsolved mysteries.

The people from Middle Earth would take the knowledge, technology, cultivation arts, corpses, antiques, and souvenirs dug out from that place as legacies and inheritances.

It was precisely because of these legacies that the cultivation of Middle-Earth reached its current height.

Several ten thousand years ago, the people of Middle-Earth were like the Tang People from ancient China. Their lives were difficult and their lifespans were short. But due to the unexpected discovery of Darkness Continent, legacies were brought back. Also, after they were solved, the civilization of Middle-Earth began to develop in a different way compared to ancient China.

This continent was named Darkness Continent by the Saint Gate because it was too dangerous. Even cultivators would still die if they were the slightest bit careless.

However, this continent was also a place of hope. Because it was mysterious and unknown, it contained countless possibilities.

It’s said that one could find the secret to eternal life here!

It’s said that one could shed their mortal bodies and become gods here!

It’s said that love exists between countless civilizations despite their differences!

Why were cultivators willing to suffer and endure hardships as they continued to cultivate unceasingly?

To become the champion among humans? To have a better life?

This would be the answer to many people. However, the ultimate pursuit was always for the power to control their own destinies.

And the Darkness Continent gave cultivators this possibility.

Although the Darkness Continent had been founded several tens of thousand years ago, to humans of the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces whose level of technology was low, the Darkness Continent was still a piece of undeveloped land that hadn’t been fully explored.

This meant that anyone could head there and excavate gold, gemstones, as well as their own destinies.

Since the Darkness Continent was so mysterious, how should one head there?

It was only accessible through teleportation gates!

…

This continent was first discovered by a group of young people. When they entered the Dragonsparrow Mountain to cultivate, they discovered ancient tribal ruins.

When they were exploring it, a few of them entered a building that seemed relatively undamaged as they wanted to see if there was anything valuable in it. In the end, the Darkness Continent appeared.

That building was actually a teleportation gate!

The story, later on, grew endlessly.

Naturally, it was also filled with the feel of a legendary story!

This group of young people took the risk and experienced the dangers of the Darkness Continent. They managed to survive and brought back many souvenirs, eventually building the Saint Gate.

Naturally, many people couldn’t see the difficulty of their experiences because all of this was recorded on sheepskin and stored in the great library of the Saint Gate.

It was classified as an ultimate secret.

The number of people on Middle-Earth who were qualified to read it could be counted on one hand.

…

The Saint Gate spent thousands of years and a huge amount of money. It was unknown how many cultivators they had lost before they finally gained the technique to control the teleportation gates.

Through these teleportation gates, cultivators could enter the Darkness Continent.

However, because the Darkness Continent was filled with dangers and death was ever-present, the Saint Gate had strict requirements for those who wanted to enter.

Why were schools in the Nine Provinces classified into five grades known as the supreme grade, ‘a’ grade, ‘b’ grade, ‘c’ grade, and ‘d’ grade?

The Saint Gate implemented this system because it wanted to maximize the nurturing of talents and research new strategies.

It made sense if one thought about it. If everyone entered the Darkness Continent, it was one thing if the lousy ones all died, but what if those geniuses with good aptitudes died as well? That would truly be too much of a pity.

Hence, this strategy was born.

The higher the grade of a school was, the more slots they would have.

These name slots were the available slots for people to enter the Darkness Continent.

To obtain more name slots, the various schools had always been working hard to upgrade their education facilities, the capabilities of teachers, and the talented students.

Under such an intense competitive environment, the education quality of the schools would become better and better. Hence, the students they taught would naturally become increasingly outstanding.

The Saint Gate used this school grading system to build a good ladder for students. Those qualified enough could enter the Darkness Continent. This system guaranteed the highest chances of survival for those who entered.

This control measure also guaranteed that talents of the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces wouldn’t all wither away and die out in one go in the event of a major accident, leading to huge gaps in the schools.

…

After hearing Zhang Wentao’s reason, Gao Ben could understand his motivations but also felt a little disappointed.

Honestly speaking, right at the start, he had thought that his students were here to find trouble with Sun Mo’s students because his public lecture was less successful than Sun Mo’s.

Now, it seemed that he was thinking too much.

“Teacher?”

Seeing Gao Ben not talking and lapsing into silence, Fu Chao felt a little worried and involuntarily called out.

“I can understand your feelings of wanting to head to the Darkness Continent as soon as possible. However, by taking matters into your own hands, do you guys still have any regards for me at all?” Gao Ben counter-asked.

“Teacher, it’s us that’s unfilial!”

The three students kowtowed once again to plead for forgiveness.

“Zhang Wentao, tell me more about your idea!”

Gao Ben didn’t continue berating them, but he didn’t allow them to get up. If he didn’t punish them a little, how would he still discipline them in the future?

“There’s a culture in the Central Province Academy. In three months, the top fifty new students would be given the right to enter the Darkness Continent.”

Zhang Wentao had already investigated this.

Three months was very short. In addition, the new students just joined the school and were still familiarizing themselves with the environment on campus. It was impossible to select the top fifty through combat duels.

Hence, these fifty name slots would go to students who were recommended by teachers.

The more outstanding the performance of a student, the higher the chance he or she would be recommended.

To students, how could they quickly increase their game and display outstanding performance?

Naturally, it was to challenge those famous students and defeat them.

The target chosen by Zhang Wentao was Sun Mo.

“In the recruitment meet and his first public lecture, Sun Mo was completely in the limelight, causing his reputation to be boosted greatly. In addition, given his identity as An Xinhui’s fiance, he is currently a new teacher that everyone in the Central Province Academy knows.

“If we can defeat the students he guides, our fame would immediately circulate in the entire school. This is the quickest way to become famous.”

Zhang Wentao stated fervently.

Gao Ben couldn’t help but nod. If he were in their shoes, he would do this as well. By stepping on famous people, it was easier to shoot to fame in a single battle.

“Since Liu Mubai regarded Xuanyuan Po highly when he first joined the school, he is pretty famous as well. However, I shall surpass him soon.”

Zhang Wulue interrupted, his words were full of confidence.

“Do you all have any trump cards that would allow you to win for sure?”

Gao Ben was no longer angry. As a teacher, one had to give encouragement with regard to the ambitions of students at appropriate moments.

The three students cast mutual glances at each other. In the end, Zhang Wentao spoke, “Does confidence in ourselves count as a trump card?”

Gao Ben shook his head, “No!”

“Hence, it will depend on your teaching abilities, teacher. We believe that you will allow our strength to rise greatly within a month!”

Zhang Wentao had a glib tongue and immediately gave Gao Ben a tall hat to wear.

“Haha!”

Gao Ben laughed. “I know you are praising me, but I still have to tell you all this. After all, I’m a graduate from the Westshore Military School, one of the Nine Greats. For me to impart my Mystic Ice Spear Art, the amount of time is too short, and you guys won’t be able to learn it for sure. Hence, I will impart my experiences and a trump card to you all.”

The eyes of Zhang Wentao and the other two brightened as they were staring at Gao Ben.

“I have a body-refinement art handed down from my family. Adding on some medical baths, it should be enough to allow you all to raise your cultivation bases by a level within a month!”

When Gao Ben said this, he felt very proud.

“For real?”

Fu Chao was extremely joyful.

“We would win for sure then!”

Zhang Wulue was very excited. He couldn’t wait to smash Xuanyuan Po’s head, making him kneel and concede.

Zhang Wentao’s expression had some hesitation.

“Don’t worry, this body-refinement art of mine is a massage technique. I wouldn’t use a secret art to overdraft your potential, so it wouldn’t create any hidden traumas for you all in the future. The medical baths are the same as well. They have been used by the cultivators of my family for hundreds of years.”

Gao Ben understood the reason for Zhang Wentao’s hesitation. Hence, he explained a little more.

“Sorry, I was thinking too much,” Zhang Wentao apologized.

“You guys are my students, as well as my future. I wouldn’t use you guys as jokes.”

Gao Ben’s tone was solemn. He didn’t lie to Zhang Wentao and the other two. Since they had taken him as their teacher, he would give it his all and do his best to nurture them.

Because they shared secrets, the atmosphere now was very harmonious.

After both parties chatted for a little while, the topic of discussion turned to the Darkness Continent again.

“Teacher, you are a graduate of the Westshore Military School. You must have visited the Darkness Continent before, right?”

After Fu Chao asked the question, the three of them stared at Gao Ben expectantly, wanting him to talk about stuff he had encountered on the Darkness Continent.

“How should I say this? That place is filled with the unknowns. It’s mysterious, and death is present everywhere. But at the same time, it is filled with opportunities. Everyone that headed to the Darkness Continent and managed to survive can all be counted as experts!”

Gao Ben considered for some time before he spoke.

“Honestly speaking, I’ve never considered competing for the name slots to the Darkness Continent. Because if you head there now, the risk of dying is too great.

“The Darkness Continent is a place where the weak is food for the strong. Over there, might makes right. The stronger you are, the more weight your words would have!

“You must know that the Darkness Continent is too vast. Even the light of the Saint Gate has no way to illuminate any place there. Hence, it’s a common sight to see people seizing legacies, secret treasures, valuable herbs and species, and even killing each other!

“On the Darkness Continent, there’s an iron rule all newbies must follow. And that’s never to travel alone, or you run an 80 to 90% risk of dying!”

The blood of youth would always be hot and never turn cold. They were filled with fighting spirit.

Zhang Wentao and the other two basically didn’t really bear in mind the dangers Gao Ben was talking about. They only heard the words ‘legacies, secret treasures, valuable souvenirs…’

They wished to explore the Darkness Continent and return after gaining a huge number of rewards!