Chapter 81: "The Threshold of the Eighth Cave"

As the morning approached and the sun rose outside, Arya opened his eyes, ending his meditation. He hadn't slept at all—not in this place, not under this unbearable aura pressure that filled every inch of the cave. Sleeping here would have been impossible. Instead, he had chosen to cultivate through the night, using every moment to refine his energy and sharpen his mind.

The moment he was fully awake, he pushed himself to his feet. There was no time to waste. He had already spent nearly ten days inside this cave, and the longer he stayed, the more restless he became. It wasn't just the cave's pressure—it was the fact that it had almost been a month since he left his village with Kane. Others who had begun their journey with him had already reached their academies, where they were improving their cultivation at an accelerated pace, receiving constant resources and guidance.

Arya knew that his journey hadn't been without gains. He had encountered valuable opportunities, and his cultivation had advanced by one full level in this short period. For most, this would be an incredible achievement—but for those in academies, who had access to endless resources, it was barely average.

And that was why he was so eager to reach the Eighth Cave. Whatever this small beast—Fang, as it called itself—had planned for him there, it was supposed to increase his strength drastically.

With that thought pushing him forward, he resumed his journey.

Fang had already reduced some of the aura pressure for him, which was the only reason he was even able to stand and walk. Yet, as he moved toward the Seventh Gate's exit, the pressure intensified with every step.

The exit was now visible in the distance, but reaching it was an entirely different challenge. Every inch forward felt like dragging a mountain along with him. His movements slowed to a snail's pace, like an old man walking with the help of a cane.

Had this been the Sixth Cave, he would have reached the gate in five minutes at most. But here, he had already been walking for an hour, yet when he looked ahead, the exit seemed just as far as before, as if he had barely moved at all.

A curse slipped past his lips. "Damn it…" Frustrated, he turned to Fang. "Tell me I'm not trapped in some kind of hallucination or spatial lock that's keeping me in place."

But the beast's response was simple. "No, you're moving forward… just very, very slowly."

Arya let out a breath, nodding. "Alright. If anything unusual happens, let me know." He gritted his teeth and kept walking, even as his body felt like it was on the verge of collapse.

Hours passed, and the struggle continued.

It wasn't until 4 PM that he finally reached the Seventh Gate's exit. But by then, his legs had turned to jelly, trembling even as he stood still. His muscles refused to respond, and his breath came in ragged gasps. The exhaustion was beyond anything he had ever felt. His body shook involuntarily, a clear sign that he had pushed himself to the absolute limit.

But despite his drained state, his eyes remained fixed ahead—on the Eighth Cave's gate.

Unlike the previous gates, where he could clearly see into the next area, this gate was completely blocked by a black-colored energy wall. It was a strange sight—the wall looked fragile, almost like a thin sheet of mist. But Arya knew better.

Nothing here was as it seemed.

If even Level 50 cultivators couldn't reach this point, then a mere energy wall wouldn't be so simple.

"What is that?" Arya finally asked, his voice hoarse. "How am I supposed to go in? Is that thing even safe?"

Fang, as usual, answered with a chuckle. "I wouldn't advise you to step inside in your current state. And no, it's not safe at all. But only for others. I'm the one who placed it here."

Arya blinked in surprise. "You created this barrier?"

"Yep," Fang replied casually. "I made it when I left that place. It was meant to protect what's inside… and to reduce the aura pressure beyond this point. Hehe."

Arya's expression hardened. "Wait… you're saying that even with your help, the pressure I'm feeling now is already weakened?"

"Exactly," Fang confirmed. "The true pressure is on the other side. You'll find out soon enough."

Hearing this, Arya no longer wasted time on questions. He sat down immediately, closing his eyes to recover his strength.

Fang was right—he needed to be in peak condition before stepping inside.

Normally, it would have taken him an hour to fully recover. But the harsh environment of this place made everything more difficult. In the end, he had to spend almost two full hours just to restore his energy to its peak.

Once he felt his strength fully return, Arya stood up, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. He exhaled sharply. "Alright. Now should I head in?"

Fang's tone grew serious. "Yes. But be careful. The moment you step inside, the entire environment will shift. Be prepared."

With those final words, the beast fell silent.

Arya took a deep breath, then reached out to touch the black energy wall.

The moment his hand made contact, the area around his fingers changed color, shifting from black to red. Suddenly, a thread of red energy surged forward, flowing into his body.

His instincts screamed at him to stop, but before he could react, the energy rushed out just as quickly as it had entered.

Arya narrowed his eyes. He could already guess why—it was because of Fang.

With the barrier now allowing his passage, his hand easily slipped through the wall, feeling like he was passing through a layer of water.

Steeling himself, he took a step forward—and entered the Eighth Cave.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a thunderous roar erupted, shaking the entire space. It was a roar unlike anything he had ever heard—a sound that pierced through his very soul.

Arya's ears rang violently, and before he could even brace himself, a crushing force slammed into him, pinning him to the ground.

It was as if an entire mountain had collapsed on his back. His bones groaned under the sheer weight, and in a split second, his vision blurred. His consciousness teetered on the edge of fading completely.

He was about to black out.

But just before his mind could slip away, another roar sounded—this one coming from inside him.

It was Fang.

And unlike before, this roar wasn't restrained.

The moment it echoed through his body, the suffocating pressure was repelled, as if an invisible force had shoved it away.

Arya gasped, his vision clearing in an instant. Just moments ago, he had been on the brink of collapse, but now—he had been snatched back from the abyss.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears as realization hit him.

Whatever was inside this cave… was far beyond anything he had ever encountered.