Chapter 488: Chapter 485: Sure Enough, Fifth Brother is All-Powerful

The ordeal continued until nightfall. When Feng Hao and the others emerged from the training room, they were so exhausted they could barely stand.

This was partly due to sheer exhaustion, and partly because they weren’t used to normal gravity.

"AHHH—! I don’t want to fucking live anymore!" Wang Tongqian roared at the sky as he collapsed onto the ground.

Kang Shuai scrambled over to a mirror. Staring at his bruised and swollen face, he had a complete breakdown. "If this keeps up, I won’t be handsome anymore! Thief Master, I swear we are mortal enemies!"

"What’s with all the noise? Can’t you just lie down quietly for a bit?" Mei Meimei said, her chest heaving.

"What the hell do you know? If my mom saw me like this, her heart would break! Hiss—!" Kang Shuai whined, rubbing a swollen lump on his face.

To be fair, if anyone in the group had the right to complain, it was Kang Shuai.

As a Mage who practiced both Literary Magic and Dancing Magic, he was in no way suited for such high-intensity physical training. Unfortunately for him, he also held the title of a Thief’s Disciple, which meant he was destined not to live the suave, carefree life of an ordinary Literary or Dancing Magic Master.

"Boss, tell me, what’s the point of me being a Thief’s Disciple?" Kang Shuai lamented with a lost look on his face.

"What’s the use of asking me? Isn’t this the path you chose for yourself?" Lin Luo retorted.

"You’re right, I did choose this path," Kang Shuai said with a look of regret. "But I never imagined being a Thief’s Disciple would be this miserable! I thought I’d be like the successor disciples from other sects—living a glorious life, admired by all."

Hearing this, Lin Luo snapped, "Then why didn’t you just join one of the five major sects?"

"Well, actually, I did try to join the five major sects," Kang Shuai boasted. "It’s just a shame they don’t accept Literary or Dancing Magic Masters. In the end, after wandering around for ages, I found my way to the Thief God Hall."

"Then why not just be a regular thief? Why did you have to compete for the title of Thief’s Disciple?"

"Sigh, I was too young back then. I just thought it would be fun. I never expected to somehow take first place. Now that I think about it, it was a single misstep that led to a lifetime of regret."

Listening to his endless bragging, the other four all shot him looks of disdain.

"Look at you, so full of yourself," Lin Luo said, rolling his eyes at him. "Hurry up and get cleaned up for bed. We have to go through this all over again tomorrow."

"I’m begging you, Boss, could you please do me a favor and not say that out loud?" Kang Shuai pleaded, his face a mask of misery.

"Tch, and here I was about to say we have to suffer like this for the next month," Lin Luo teased.

"..." Kang Shuai’s face instantly went pale as a sheet, drawing a burst of laughter from the others.

Feng Hao watched them joke and roughhouse from the side, a faint smile creeping onto his lips.

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’in my memory, Second Brother Kang Shuai always had the image of a refined scholar. Now it seems that was all a damn act. The Kang Shuai before me is a total clown.’

At some point, the Thief Master had quietly appeared to the side. Watching them all joke and mess around, a look of nostalgia and gratification filled his eyes.

"From the looks of it, you all still have some energy to spare. How about another two hours of training?" the Thief Master said with a grin, walking over.

"What?"

The moment they heard this, everyone stopped messing around and, as if on cue, collapsed onto the floor, feigning utter exhaustion.

The Thief Master shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, stop pretending," he said, pursing his lips. "You all did well today. I’ve prepared some Body Refining Nutrient Liquid for you in the bathroom. Hurry up and go for a soak."

"For real? There’s actually a reward?" Wang Tongqian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Believe it or not," the Thief Master retorted.

At his words, the group didn’t hesitate for another second. They shot to their feet and dashed toward the bathroom, leaving only a hesitant Mei Meimei behind.

The Thief Master, of course, knew what she was hesitating about. He stepped forward, patted her on the head, and said with a gentle smile, "Go on, don’t worry. There’s a private stall prepared just for you in the bathroom."

"Hee hee, I knew you doted on me the most, Thief Master," Mei Meimei said with a sweet smile before cheerfully dashing into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Feng Hao and the other three were already stripped bare and soaking in the tubs, enjoying the blissful sensation.

When Mei Meimei came in, she shot a glance at the guys next to her and walked haughtily toward her stall. "None of you are allowed to peek, you hear me?"

"Tch, it’s not like we haven’t seen you naked before," Lin Luo said scornfully.

"You...!" Mei Meimei huffed, slamming the stall door shut behind her.

’For the normally bold and carefree Mei Meimei to show a hint of shyness was incredibly surprising to Feng Hao. Combined with the steam filling the bathroom, it was enough to make one’s imagination run wild.’

"Big Brother, you haven’t actually seen Fourth Sister naked, have you?" Feng Hao asked curiously.

"What’s so strange about it?" Lin Luo said dismissively. "When Sanmei first came to the Thief God Hall, she was still wearing split-crotch pants. I even changed her diapers for her."

Feng Hao was stunned. He hadn’t expected that to be the case, and he felt a little disappointed.

"Forget about the Boss. When Third Brother and I got here, Sanmei was only a teenager," Kang Shuai chimed in teasingly.

Wang Tongqian nodded in agreement. "That’s right. I remember when I first got here, Sanmei was just a slip of a girl. I never thought she’d develop like this in just a few years. To be honest, for a while I thought her breasts were fake."

"Huh? You thought so too?" Kang Shuai’s eyes lit up, his interest piqued.

The words had barely left his mouth when a furious, humiliated roar echoed from the private stall: "ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP—!"

At this, the four of them froze. They exchanged stunned glances and wisely shut their mouths.

The atmosphere in the bathroom instantly became incredibly awkward.

After a long silence, Lin Luo broke the tension, feeling the medicinal power in the tub. "Speaking of which," he said, clicking his tongue in amazement, "the Thief Master really spared no expense this time. I have no idea where he got so much high-grade nutrient liquid."

"Tell me about it," Kang Shuai agreed with a nod. "In just this short time, my Qi Blood and strength have already increased quite a bit."

Feng Hao chuckled and said dismissively, "If you ask me, this nutrient liquid is mediocre at best. It’s barely crossed the threshold into high-grade. Compared to a truly high-grade nutrient liquid, it’s a world apart."

"Uh..." The other three, Lin Luo included, were taken aback for a moment before they remembered Feng Hao’s status as a Ninth-level Alchemist.

"Fifth Brother, from the sound of it, does that mean you can concoct high-grade nutrient liquid too?" Wang Tongqian asked, his eyes gleaming.

"Of course," Feng Hao said with a smile. ’If the Master had mentioned it to me beforehand, there’s no way we’d be using this inferior stuff.’

"Haha! Fifth Brother really can do anything!" the others roared with excited laughter.

...

「Ghost Realm, Wanglao City.」

As the headquarters of the Ghost Realm, one of the five major sects, it was different from the others. While other sects were established in the mountains, the Ghost Realm was established within a city.

The Ghost Realm was also the only sect in the Ancient Cang Realm to merge national governance with its own structure.

Wanglao City served as both the Imperial Capital and the Sect Headquarters. Therefore, each generation’s City Lord of Wanglao City not only managed the sect but also shouldered the great responsibility of governing the entire Ghost Realm.

The reason for this unique structure was closely tied to the Ghost Realm’s geographical location.

The Ghost Realm was situated on a high plateau in the westernmost part of the continent, with an average elevation exceeding four thousand meters. Very few people could adapt to the environment there.

It wasn’t until after a cosmic cataclysm that a contingent of allied forces from the Inner Ring Star Realm remained behind, gradually evolving into the present-day people of the Ghost Realm.

Due to this geographical isolation, the people of the Ghost Realm were largely cut off from mixing with outside bloodlines, thus forming the only ethno-state and sect of its kind in the Ancient Cang Realm.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.