Chapter 360: Fallen Sun Cave
Chapter 360: Fallen Sun Cave
After the mid-month gathering, Chen Chuan spent his free time practicing the newly learned techniques with his aunt's family. Once he felt proficient, he sought further guidance from Instructor Wen.
Initially, he could only maintain his Divine Thoughts for three hours, but gradually, he extended it to over four hours and showed signs of further improvement.
Even before the end of the month, he had mastered all the required techniques for this training session, completing it a third faster than planned.
However, many of the subsequent techniques were beyond his current grasp, as they required the coordination of Essence Blood and Divine Spirit, a foundation he had yet to solidify.
On this day, after another resonance transmission, Instructor Wen said, "I've taught you all the basic application techniques, but you're still some distance from complete mastery. This has nothing to do with talent; it's because you've just entered the Third Limit. You need more accumulation. Once you've accumulated enough, you'll gradually be able to use them with ease."
He smiled and said, "Now, I'll teach you some special training methods. Pay close attention..."
As they were still in a state of Divine Thought resonance, Chen Chuan could sense the mutated tissues within Instructor Wen's body moving in a unique rhythm.
Instructor Wen then raised his hand and lightly flicked it towards the sky. A thunderous roar echoed in Chen Chuan's ears, reverberating through the air, and a cloud-like mist seemed to form on the back of his hand, only to dissipate quickly.
"This move is called Cloud Burst Hand. It's simple and practical, but because it requires a certain build-up before striking, it's rarely used in actual combat. It's usually just for training the coordination of mutated tissues throughout the body and enhancing one's ability to integrate them."
Instructor Wen slowly brought his hand back, saying, "Under the premise of maintaining its power, the shorter the time it takes to execute this move, the stronger your integration ability will naturally be. Did you see my demonstration clearly?"
Chen Chuan nodded, "Yes, I did."
Instructor Wen said, "Then you can go back and try it out slowly. My guidance for you ends here."
"Thank you, Instructor Wen," said Chen Chuan.
"There's no need to thank me. I'm doing this at the request of Elder He," Instructor Wen smiled. "But I'm glad to have met such an outstanding junior like you. Farewell, young man. We may meet again in the future."
Chen Chuan nodded, raised his hand, and bowed respectfully to Instructor Wen. He then turned and left. When he reached his vehicle, he looked back, but Instructor Wen was no longer there. Chen Chuan got into the car and drove away.
Upon returning home, Chen Chuan practiced the new techniques he had learned, occasionally going out for entertainment with Ding Jiao and others. One day, towards the end of the month, during a gathering, one of his classmates suddenly made a suggestion.
"How about we go to Fallen Sun Cave for some fun?"
But his suggestion met with opposition from the others.
"Are you crazy? You know how many people have gone there and never returned," someone said.
"But we have Xiao Chuan! Xiao Chuan can protect us," the classmate argued.
Chen Chuan shook his head, "I don't recommend going there. Even with my skills, I can only ensure my safety, not everyone's."
Fallen Sun Cave was quite famous in Yangzhi City. It was an underground cave, and countless people had entered and never returned. Despite warnings, many locals still ventured there, and disappearances occurred every year.
About twelve years ago, a foreign exploration team had entered, but none of them came out.
Since the victims were foreigners, the Dashi government ignored the incident. However, this incident gained notoriety abroad, attracting foreign tourists and explorers to the cave. Some returned, while others remained trapped inside.
Due to this, a small tourism industry emerged around the cave, offering accommodations and related services.
"Are you nuts, Face Gourd?" Ding Jiao retorted. "How could you come up with such a lousy idea?"
The classmate called Face Gourd explained, "A few days ago, the newspaper reported that a team of over ten explorers entered the cave and came back out. They even said they'd go again tomorrow and could take people inside near the entrance."
"I think since they went in and came back, we might as well follow them and take a look. It's not like we're going deep inside anyway. We can just watch the show," Face Gourd added.
"It's too dangerous. Let's not go," someone said.
"Yeah, who knows what's in there?" another agreed.
"My mom is saving money for my future marriage. If I go missing, it'll be like saving for my brother," someone joked.
Despite the opposition, another classmate spoke up, "We'll just watch from the outside. I've never been there, and I'm curious to see the spectacle."
Ding Jiao was tempted by this idea. She turned to Chen Chuan and said, "If we're just watching, it's fine. I haven't been there either."
Chen Chuan considered it and replied, "If it's just watching, then it's okay. I haven't been there either." He couldn't save those who entered, but preventing people from going in was easy.
"Alright, let's make it clear. We won't go into the cave, just watch from the outside," Ding Jiao confirmed.
The next day, Chen Chuan drove with five classmates, while Ding Jiao and four others rode their two-wheeled motor vehicles towards the southwest, heading for the mountain range.
Jia Shan is one of the three legendary mountains of San Shan, and Luo Yang Cave is located on its western foothills. Originally, this was a remote area that wasn't well-developed during the great expansion period. There was only a garrison point here, which was later abandoned. It wasn't until foreign expedition teams frequently visited this area over the past decade that a market gradually formed.
This place rarely experienced ghost stories or similar occurrences, and even if they did happen, they wouldn't affect the outside world.
When they arrived at the entrance of Luo Yang Cave, they found that it wasn't as narrow and small as they had imagined. Instead, it was a vast opening, over twenty meters wide and more than ten meters tall.
There were many people and stalls gathered at the cave entrance, and people were constantly going in and out.
Chen Chuan took a closer look and noticed signs of artificial excavation at the cave's edge. It seemed that the cave wasn't entirely natural, but no one had studied it before.
Coincidentally, when they arrived, an expedition team was preparing to descend, surrounded by a large crowd pointing and discussing. They were likely all there to watch the commotion.
The expedition team members were all equipped with professional gear, wearing protective helmets and headlamps for illumination. They had hooks and ropes attached to their waists and bulky backpacks on their backs. From their appearance, they were all foreigners, around twelve of them, a considerable number.
Listening to the surrounding conversations, Chen Chuan learned that these people were hired by a wealthy merchant.
This was a good sign, as one of them was surrounded by the crowd, being repeatedly reminded and instructed by his companions. Two fighters were also responsible for their security.
After preparing for more than half a day, the team checked their equipment once more and entered the cave amidst the onlookers. Some people even followed them in voluntarily.
One classmate eagerly suggested, "Should we just watch? Why don't we follow them in and take a look? We can just walk for a while and then come out?"
Chen Chuan noticed that there was always someone guiding people in and out, indicating those areas were safe. He went to check it out himself, confirming there was no danger. In the end, he only ventured about a hundred meters into the cave before turning back. Even if he went deeper, the guides wouldn't be willing to accompany him.
Even so, the classmates were quite satisfied and had plenty to boast about when they returned.
After exiting the cave, since they were already there, they decided to climb the mountain.
The south side of Jia Shan was very suitable for hiking, and there was an old temple on top with a large peach orchard. From there, they could see the distant Xiao Qing Shan and the lake, making for a beautiful view.
It was the season for ripe peaches, and they could pick as many as they wanted for a small fee. The classmates enjoyed a feast of peaches, and it wasn't until the afternoon that they started their descent home.
After returning, Chen Chuan put this matter behind him. A few days passed, and there were only five days left of the vacation. He had already started preparing to return to Central City.
But on this day, Ren Su suddenly called.
"Mr. Chen, we have received a request from the Government Hall. It seems to be a ghost story, but we can't confirm it, so we'd like to seek your advice."
They were well aware of their capabilities and usually wouldn't accept unclear requests. However, this time, it was a request from the Government Hall, and coincidentally, Chen Chuan was in the area. So, they decided to ask him for a solution.
Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Ren, please tell me the specific situation."
"Okay, a few days ago, there was an expedition team..."
Chen Chuan's heart skipped a beat. "You mean the Luo Yang Cave?"
"Mr. Chen has heard about it too? Yes, that's the case. The expedition team conducted two explorations. The first time, everything was fine, but this time, there was a problem, and only three people came out."
"That's not unusual; it's common there. But then, a strange incident occurred..."
He paused, "Twelve years ago, a foreign expedition team was trapped inside. Have you heard about it, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I know about this incident. Although I was young at the time, people were talking about it everywhere, but I'm not clear about the details."
Ren Su said, "These two incidents are related. Someone discovered that the three people who returned weren't from the team that entered a few days ago. They were from the team that entered twelve years ago."
"The team that entered twelve years ago?" Chen Chuan became more attentive.
"Yes, these three people were part of the team that went missing twelve years ago. And when asked, they had no idea that twelve years had passed outside. They only remembered entering the cave three days ago."
Chen Chuan asked, "Is there more?" If it was just this, it wouldn't have prompted Ren Su to call. There must be another reason.
Ren Su continued, "When the three who returned learned of the situation, they were also shocked. They even said they wanted to find their families. But that very night, they all died, and their flesh was gone, leaving only bones. Even the equipment they wore became tattered and rusty..."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll come and take a look."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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