Castle of Black Iron

The Polar Light had entered the devil’s north wind area of the Oro Strait on the second day since it left Saint Herner Island. From then on, it started to cross the sea.

As a strait in the southernmost part of the Ice and Snow Wildness, the Oro Strait was the only route from the Ewentra Archipelago to the Ice and Snow Wildness in the north. Not until Zhang Tie came to Oro Strait did he understand why they could only enter the Ice and Snow Wildness by sea. The reason was that airships didn’t work in this region at all because of the terrifying devil’s north wind area in the Oro Strait.

During the past year in Hidden Dragon Palace, Zhang Tie had learned a lot. At least, he had read the creation of the devil’s north wind area in Oro Strait from the textbook titled "Continental Geography"——a powerful air convection and cyclone between the subpolar low pressure area of the Ice and Snow Wildness and subtropical high pressure area of the Ewentra Archipelago.

The terrifying north wind originated from the air convections between different pressure areas over this star. This convection would not come to an end, neither would the terrifying north wind above Oro Strait. Being pushed by such a powerful north wind, an ocean current with the greatest flowing speed across Waii Sub-Continent formed in the sea of Oro Strait——"Ocean Current in the Wildness". Because of the same constant north wind, the airspace above Oro Strait also became a forbidden region for airships.

In that age, no airship could fly across this devil’s north wind area. Perhaps the aircrafts before the catastrophe could do that, however, for an airship, although its huge body and great height, it was nothing different than a kite in the terrifying north wind area. The moment any airship drew close to this place, it would be blown away from the north wind and gradually fly towards the south instead of heading for the Ice and Snow Wildness.

Because of the devil’s north wind area in Oro Strait, this strait became the forbidden area of all the air traffic vehicles in this age. Additionally, even Zhang Tie’s passenger liner started to move forward slowly. The liner’s normal speed was 18 nautical miles per hour. Since it entered this area on the 2nd day, its speed instantly dropped to 10 nautical miles per hour facing the surging waves over 10 meters in height.

Zhang Tie was told on board that it would take them 7 days of bumpy travel on the sea to reach Eschyle City in the southernmost part of the Ice and Snow Wildness. Eschyle City was a window for the Ice and Snow Wildness to exchange with the Ewentra Archipelago and the rest of the world as the only city in the Ice and Snow Wildness. Compared to the vast Ice and Snow Wildness, Eschyle City was not even a seasame on a pie on the pionnering map.

Zhang Tie bought a tourist-class ticket. For people who had to sail across the sea for 7 days, of course, they would not just stay in their own cabins. Instead, they could also enjoy themselves in dining rooms, bars and gambling houses on board.

It was very boring on the ship. Besides polishing his surge points and cultivation in trouble-reappearance situations, Zhang Tie also went out of his own cabin sometimes and ate something in the dining room. Meanwhile, he would take a look at the Oro Strait.

During these days of travel over the sea, Zhang Tie had become acquainted with some new friends——Sam, Gerri and Isle.

Sam and Gerri were pioneers and bosom friends. After being told that pre-catastrophe relics and pieces of the star of god were discovered in the Ice and Snow Wildness, they had been heading for there to seek fortune. Isle was a businessman who specialized in trading furs and food between the Ice and Snow Wildness and the Ewentra Archipelago.

Zhang Tie’s cabin was linked to the other 3. Besides their own independent space, the 4 cabins shared the same narrow passage and a washroom. It felt like a dorm at school. After staying on board for 2 days, Zhang Tie had already acquainted with the other 3.

...

Under the impact of his powerful spiritual energy, the purple surge point uttered a booming sound in Zhang Tie’s mind like a collaspsing dam. Following that, the purple brilliance flew in all directions and gradually disappeared in Zhang Tie’s body. Then, a red spark started to appear at the surge point before turning into a blazing flame.

With the warmth radiated from this surging point, Zhang Tie felt that part of the darkness that covered his body had been driven away. At the same time, the joint of the 15th vertebrae uttered a crisp sound like an opened metal lock, causing a numb, cool sense that was similar to that of an orgasm. This sense spread from his nervus centralis all the way to his brain, making Zhang Tie hum out of control due to excitement.

The 15th surging point on his spine was finally broken through by Zhang Tie’s spiritual energy.

Not until that numb sense completely faded away did Zhang Tie let out a sigh before standing up from his bed. He stretched out his limbs before put the pyramid-based crystal into Castle of Black Iron.

Zhang Tie then felt that he had greater physical strength. Besides, he felt his limbs becoming more coordinated. Additionally, he felt something agile in the location of the qi sea where the soul fire entered and the shrine surge point as if some stones were moved away from a solid hinterland of a mountain.

Since the 14th surging point was lit, Zhang Tie had felt that slight changes would happen in the qi sea of his lower abdomen each time he lit a new surge point.

If it was in Blackhot City, Zhang Tie definitely didn’t know what such changes indicated. However, at this moment, Zhang Tie knew that it was the prelude of opening his qi sea. The greatest difference between a LV 9 fighter who had lit at least 34 surging points and a LV 10 strong fighter who had lit at least 55 surging points lay in the fact that a LV 10 strong fighter had also opened his or her qi sea besides lighting all the surge points on his or her spine.

Qi sea, sea of battle qi, was the source of the greatness of a fighter.

The difference between a LV 10 strong fighter who had opened his or her qi sea and a LV 9 fighter was decisive. Their great difference in fighting strength and physical quality could be identified from the different numbers of surge points that they had lit which was even greater than the total fighting strength from LV 1 to LV 8. That was to say, from LV 10, each level higher would be a chasm that could hardly be exceeded by the likes of commoners. At this moment, the value of some top ancestrial bloolines among the Chinese would gradually stand out.

Zhang Tie knew that he was still far away from opening his qi sea. It would take him about 2 years to open his qi sea.

He needed to lit another 40 surge points. Each surge point had 7 barriers in different colors which meant 280 barriers in total. Zhang Tie knew that one leakless fruit could break through 3 barriers. In this way, he needed to consume at least 93 leakless fruits before reaching LV 10.

It took 93 weeks for 93 leakless fruits to grow mature, namely 651 days or 22 months.

However, at this moment, Zhang Tie didn’t even know how to improve himself to reach LV 9 and LV 10 which were the most important stages. The cultivation knowledge after LV 9, especially the content on lighting surge points was the top secret knowledge. People had to spend a lot of clan contribution points and reach LV 9. Besides this, they had to pass a strict examination before being qualified to learn it. By now, Zhang Tie had not even reached any condition, of course, he was not qualified to learn it.

To improve from LV 7 to LV 10 in 2 years, which was a rocketing speed for commoners; however, for Zhang Tie, it was still too slow. His master Zhao Yuan told him that in many real powerhouses’ eyes, LV 9 and LV 10 were only the beginning of the cultivation process.

Zhang Tie knew clearly that in the later stages, each level would require an exponential increase in the number of surge points to be lit. By contrast, the function of the leakless fruit would gradually become less observable. Additionally, the Third Holy War was drawing near. After the event in Heavens Cold City, Zhang Tie faintly felt that this holy war might be more miserable while demons might have greater power than the people could imagine.

After thinking for a second, Zhang Tie realized that he had not entered the Castle of Black Iron for over 2 weeks. After 2 weeks accumulation, there should be 2 more leakless fruits on the small tree.

Zhang Tie was slightly stretching his limbs in his cabin and intending to eat the 2 leakless fruits in the Castle of Black Iron so as to break through the 6 barriers of the 16th surge point on the spine when his hatch door boomed.

"Bang, bang, bang, Peter, are you in there..."

The moment Zhang Tie heard this voice, he had given up his thoughts of entering the Castle of Black Iron. With a helpless smile, he then opened the hatch door.

2 pioneers who looked a bit older than Zhang Tie were standing outside the hatch door. The one on the left looked a bit fatter with observable purplish hair while the one on the right looked thinner and taller. Besides brown skin, he had black hair, tall nose and gleaming eyes.

"Oh, hi, Peter!" At sight of Zhang Tie opening the door, the fatter one shouted.

"What’s up, Sam?" Zhang Tie still asked kindly. He didn’t feel unhappy about being disturbed at all.

"I haven’t seen you step foot out of your door since yesterday afternoon. Don’t you feel bored inside? Gerri and I are going for supper, therefore, we are here to call you out to head there together." After saying this, Sam gazed at Zhang Tie. "You look red, are you sick?"

"Argh, no, I was just sleeping!" Zhang Tie told a lie. Having lit a surge point, his qi and blood were all activated, causing his face to become a bit red in a short period as if he was exercising. However, Zhang Tie didn’t think it necessary to tell the truth.

Sam was only LV 4 while Gerri was only LV 5. They had been extremely excellent among pioneers of the same age.

"Were you sleeping?" Gerri stealthily glanced at that narrow room which could only hold a bed and a desk with a weird smile. "Were you there doing something weird? I know, you feel bored all alone. When you do that, you would always be excited. I know, I know, but don’t always do that, it’s not good for your health!"

"What are you talking about it?" Zhang Tie asked out of doubt.

Gerri then held nothing in the air with a hand before moved up and down, which was familiar to almost every man. "If you are too bored, why not take a look in the gambling house after supper. I was told that many beauties were inside. Isle had won more than 2 gold coins in the gambling house yesterday, which was almost equal to half of his ticket price. He went there early this morning again and hasn’t come back even now!"

Zhang Tie revealed a smile as he scratched his hair. He had not imagined that it had even arisen others’ misunderstanding after cultivating for so long in his room. ’It truly is a bit weird. I will take a walk outside to get some fresh air. No matter what, the leakless fruits will not run away by themselves. I can eat them this evening.’

"Fine, let’s go!" Saying this, Zhang Tie locked his door before walking out of the narrow passage which was paved with an anti-slip corrugated steel plate.

"I was told that the VIP cabins upstairs were much better than ours. They are like chartered rooms in high-end hotels. Besides, their passages are paved with carpets. There is also a club in the VIP area. I met a female blonde bartender there yesterday with a pair of ears of a bunny girl..." Sam said with an admirable look/ "When we become rich, we will also try the VIP cabins! If so, we will not feel tired of traveling here and there anymore!"

Gerri burst into laughter. "When you become rich and can afford 20 gold coins for a shipping ticket, will you still travel here and there for pioneering work?

"That’s it! When we have money, why would we look for pioneering work?" Sam also realized that as he patted his head. "Gerri, tell me about your ideal life after becoming rich."

"When I have money, of course I will raise a great number of beauties in my castle. I will create a great clan by sowing seeds everyday like a seeder!"

Hearing this answer, Zhang Tie also smiled. ’Cut it out guys.’

"Peter, what about you?"

"Me?" Zhang Tie pointed at his own nose.

"Yea, even if we are pioneers, we should also have dreams!"

’Dreams?’ Zhang Tie recalled that dream——Lying on a pile of gold coins at an old age and watching a number of beauties dropping off tears in front of him. He then shook his head. Every man wishes for that life but in this motherf*cking age, they should be able to survive first.’

"If I can live safely and steadily, I almost have the same dream as Gerri!" Zhang Tie told them honestly.

"Ha, you’re too pessimistic. Do you only want to survive by yourself? The death and injury rate of pioneers are not too high, additionally, if there are truly urban relics in the Ice and Snow Wildness, we will just follow the greater part of people there and share a bit. It should be safe." Sam comforted Zhang Tie.

"Trust me, you have me!" Gerri patted his own chest.

"Thanks!" Zhang Tie smiled.

"We’re friends!"

...

The fact was that Zhang Tie’s thought about "living safely and steadily" was not useless, especially in this age, on this mystical sea.

Soon after they finished their very average supper in the average dining room, they had heard a specific, rapid and transient frequency which was very jarring like a warning. None of them knew what this indicated.

However, before they asked others, an extremely terriying sound screamed in the dining room.

"Class I warning. A super large dangerous creature is drawing close to our ship. Please hold fast to anything that is bolted down and stationary!."

Right after this voice, the ship quivered heavily, shaking off many tablewares from the tables onto the ground...