He opened the Great Vehicle Talisman Seal and walked out from the secret chamber. Reaching the surface, he went out the door and walked all the way to the riverside.

In the Seven Realms of the Dark Sea, there was no shortage of peerless experts who could tear the heavens and earth apart in a single battle, but most of the environment remained perfectly preserved. What was considered a “small river” by this world’s standards was actually deeper than a person’s height, with rapid currents.

Andrew Carter jumped into the river without hesitation.

With the end of the year approaching, the river water was icy cold. However, Weiyuan County was in the south, so the river hadn’t frozen.

He took a deep breath and began walking along the riverbed.

But without circulating his cultivation technique, he didn’t sense anything special. So he slowly activated the Xuanhuang Qi-Guiding Art, but refrained from cultivating to avoid going astray.

By maintaining the vortex of his cultivation technique, he could clearly sense a large number of vital energy bubbles drifting with the current in the river, with a density far greater than that of the air outside.

His curiosity piqued, he followed the river upstream.

Half an hour later, he entered a mountain valley. The further he went, the denser the vital energy of heaven and earth became. Finally, he reached a pool, with a waterfall thundering down ahead, and here the vital energy was at its peak.

He emerged from the water, and it seemed as if he could see countless strands of vital energy being born and dispersing within the valley, most of which merged into the pool and then flowed out along the river.

He wiped the water from his face, overjoyed. “What a great place! I’ll come here to cultivate from now on.”

Although the secret chamber was good, the concentration of vital energy here was half again as high as in the chamber!

Jason Carter would emerge from seclusion in seven days. If he cultivated in the secret chamber, in seven days he could at most reach the peak of Six Meridians Power, but here, he was confident he could reach Seven Meridians Power!

But there wasn’t enough time today—Andrew Carter was already so hungry his stomach was growling. He decided to eat first.

He leapt out of the pool, vital energy surging around him. A flash of flame-like spiritual light swept over him, and in an instant his clothes were dry—the secret of the Fire Ox Cannon Fist’s power was put to flexible use.

……

It was noon, and a long line had formed outside the dining hall.

On the other side, however, there was an empty staircase leading straight to the second floor. Suddenly, a lithe figure leapt out from the woods several hundred yards away, and with a few bounds arrived at the entrance of the dining hall.

He suddenly halted his momentum, shifting from movement to stillness in an instant, so abruptly that it was clear he had reached a level where he could overcome inertia. Then he shook out his clothes and strode up to the second floor with effortless grace.

“It’s the True Martial disciple Ian Carter!” The people in line below whispered among themselves, their tones and expressions filled with unconcealed envy and admiration.

Andrew Carter was also among the crowd. News spread quickly in the ancestral land—his defeat of Harry Carter and move into Courtyard No. 9 of the Yellow Section was already common knowledge. Still, no one was optimistic about him, for one simple reason: his opponent was Jason Carter.

When Jason Carter emerged from seclusion this time, he would definitely have Seven Meridians Power and become a True Martial disciple, and would then be eligible to dine on the second floor.

Even if Andrew Carter had suddenly made a breakthrough, Jason Carter was even stronger—he had almost no chance of turning the tables.

One after another, True Martial disciples went upstairs to eat, and the aroma of savage beast meat wafted over, making everyone’s mouths water.

Standing among the crowd, Andrew Carter was practically drooling.

The rich blood and energy of savage beast meat, after being cooked, released a fragrance that was an irresistible temptation to him.

The “gluttony” among the seven deadly sins and eight sufferings of the Immortal Emperor’s inner demons was triggered. He felt as if hundreds or thousands of voices were urging him by his ear: Go up, go up, go up…

He forced himself to resist.

He was not yet qualified to go up to the second floor. True Martial disciples had at least Seven Meridians Power, and even the Ian Carter who had just gone up had been a True Martial disciple for half a year, with at least Eight Meridians Power.

If he dared to go upstairs without permission, it would be seen as a challenge to all the True Martial disciples, and he would surely be besieged by them. Although Andrew Carter was confident, he knew he was no match for a True Martial disciple right now.

Fortunately, the ordeal was finally over. A fat cook came out of the dining hall, banging an empty pot with a big ladle: “Time’s up, get ready—begin!”

With a buzz, the disciples rushed into the dining hall.

No matter how many ordinary disciples there were in the ancestral land, there were always only three hundred seats in the dining hall. Those who didn’t get a seat would have to go hungry.

If a disciple came from a wealthy family, they could use jade coins to buy food from the cooks at an exorbitant price.

Those without money could only make do with ordinary food.

Although the food on the first floor was far inferior to that on the second, it still included some savage beast meat, spiritual vegetables, and spiritual fruits, cooked according to special recipes, which were very beneficial for cultivation.

Andrew Carter squeezed in with the crowd, jostling with everyone else. There were more than 460 ordinary disciples in this cohort, which meant over 160 people wouldn’t get a seat.

So everyone scrambled to grab a seat first.

Of course, even if you managed to get a seat, you might be challenged and pulled off your chair.