Two days later, the towering, thick walls of Earth City finally appeared on the distant horizon, and only then did I feel a genuine sense of complete relaxation. I wondered how Long Xin and the others were doing. Thinking of them gave me an overwhelming urge to hurry. Furthermore, I hadn't sent a single letter home in this year and a half; Mom and Chen Feng must be terribly worried. The first thing I needed to do upon returning was to write to them, I mused as I walked along.

At the counter by the entrance stood the same proprietress in green, now in her mid-forties.

"Hello there, Madam!" For some inexplicable reason, the moment I saw the proprietress, I felt a long-lost sense of intimacy, as if I were meeting a familiar relative.

"It’s been a long time, Star-Ember kid!" Even just by the sound of my voice, the proprietress recognized me, even though I was wearing a skull helmet at the moment.

"Heh heh, after all this time, you still remember me?" I casually took off the skull helmet.

"Can't be helped, you’re just too distinctive-looking," the proprietress teased.

"Heh heh! That’s true." I couldn't help but touch my head. Honestly, after being in this world for so long, I hadn't seen anyone else with black hair and black eyes like mine. It was no wonder the proprietress had such a deep impression of me.

"Are my friends still staying here?"

"Your group of friends is currently grinding away in Pig Cave. I last saw her about a month ago," the proprietress said, seemingly recalling something. "Oh, right, she left a letter for you. Wait a moment, let me find it for you." As she spoke, the proprietress began flipping through a thick stack of letters in her drawer.

"Found it." After a while, she managed to locate one letter from the dense pile.

The envelope only had two characters written on it: "Star-Ember."

I quickly tore open the envelope.

"Pig Cave Fourth Level, southeast direction, District Three. Come immediately upon reading this!"

Long Xin.

Ugh, just a few words! That was certainly in line with Boss Long Xin’s style.

"She comes back once a month, leaves a letter, and then she’s gone!" the proprietress sighed with feeling. "They are truly a group of diligent youngsters, unwilling to waste even a moment of time."

"Heh heh!" I offered an awkward, dry chuckle.

"But you, kid, are still the most outstanding. I can't believe you managed to reach the level of an Advanced Warrior so quickly." The proprietress stared at me with an inquisitive look, making me feel uneasy for a good while.

"You look travel-worn; you must have walked a long way! Go upstairs and wash up first. When you come down, there will be food waiting." As she spoke, the proprietress turned and gave an order: "Qingzi, prepare a large bowl of beef noodles."

"Thanks!" Taking the key the proprietress handed me, I hurried up the stairs.

After a thorough washing and consuming a large bowl of beef noodles, I felt much more refreshed. I immediately wrote a letter to send home. Afterwards, I started thinking about whether I should head to the Ranger Guild to test for a professional rank qualification or something similar. However, I had no intention of testing for the Red Moon Warrior Ranger certificate; that would simply be too astonishing. I figured that once I registered as a Red Moon Warrior, the people from the Mad Dragon Gang would probably come knocking on my door anyway. After much deliberation, I decided it would be safer to first test for the Advanced Ranger certificate, as it would align better with my current appearance and be less likely to arouse suspicion.

I arrived at the Ranger Guild and, in the space of an hour, easily passed the qualification test for an Advanced Ranger. The test involved slaying twenty Black Ghouls, which was child's play for me. Although my weapon had been replaced with the Frost Condensing Sword, with my Dou Qi energy, I could have pulverized these creatures with a single punch even bare-handed. However, to avoid drawing too much attention, I deliberately acted as if I were struggling, finishing the test just within the one-hour limit. By then, my original Novice Ranger token now bore two large horizontal bars and four small ones, signifying a Level Twenty-Eight Advanced Ranger.

Although this didn't match my actual strength, it certainly lifted my spirits. Achieving the rank of Advanced Warrior at my young age was quite rare, I supposed.

After leaving the Ranger Guild, I headed straight for Pig Cave. I remembered being blocked at the entrance by the Great Saber Guards last time because I wasn't wearing a Middle-Grade Ranger mark. I also remembered the very arrogant and cool guard named Huan Kong.

But now, wearing the insignia of an Advanced Ranger, the four Great Saber Guards stationed by the stone steps didn't bother me at all, though I didn't see Huan Kong. This left me with a slight feeling of disappointment.

Following the stone steps down, I reached the base of the Bell Tower. Before me was a wide hall filled with many rangers, all busy with their own tasks. This was the first stop before entering Pig Cave, where all preparatory work had to be completed—meeting up with friends, or double-checking that all equipment was properly equipped. In short, the hall was filled with a chaotic din. The scene was akin to a large modern train transfer station. Being amidst it all gave off a feeling of annoyance and restlessness. In the very center of the hall was a wide stone staircase sloping downwards—the passage leading into Pig Cave.

Naturally, I didn't hesitate, proceeding directly down the steps into Pig Cave. Many others descended with me, perhaps over a hundred people. At the end of the staircase was a massive stone gate, also guarded by four Great Saber Guards. Every ranger passing through consciously displayed their Ranger tokens on their chests. The four guards merely glanced briefly before letting the rangers through. The same happened when it came to me.

Passing through the stone gate led into a long corridor resembling a tunnel. Walking along it, I soon heard muffled roars and sharp shouts—sounds that were all too familiar. There were the crackles of mages using Lightning Bolt, the shouts from warriors executing Assassination Sword Style, and that strange, dull bellowing, which must have been the roars of the mutated boars within Pig Cave.

I followed the larger group to the end of the corridor, where another staircase, sloping steeply downwards, appeared. The sounds were emanating from below, growing louder the closer I got. Descending the stairs, the view suddenly brightened, revealing an unexpectedly vast underground palace tomb. Ahead, several enormous red and black wild boars stood upright like men, actually possessing hands that held short, club-like objects resembling maces. They were viciously baring their teeth and claws, frantically attacking several Advanced Rangers. Those rangers, however, skillfully maneuvered around the beasts, engaging in skirmishes. After only a few rounds, the boars lay in a pool of blood. The group of rangers, clearly working together, didn't stop but swiftly headed southwest. It seemed their destination was deeper within Pig Cave.

Finally, I had arrived at the legendary Pig Cave. In my previous life's Legend of Mir, I was quite familiar with Pig Cave; I had leveled up there many times. However, I wasn't entirely sure what the differences were between the Pig Cave in Legend and this physical one. With that thought, I began to carefully survey the legendary Pig Cave. What met my eyes was a stretch of desolate, earthy yellow. The rough, uneven ground, combined with the earthy yellow walls surrounding me, made it look like an abandoned ancient city in the desert. The air was saturated with a stifling heat and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere, mingled with various foul smells—the stench of blood, the rank odor of the beasts, and the strong, distinctive smell of pig manure. In short, being here made me feel physically uncomfortable. This was even with the Skull Helmet on; I couldn't imagine how foul the stench would be if I took it off—it might actually suffocate a person to death. Pigs are pigs, I complained silently; pigs are smelly in any world.

On the walls, I could see numerous colossal human statues carved from a material resembling marble. The attire of these figures looked similar to that of Song Dynasty officials in ancient China: a square cap with two flat, extended plumes extending straight out, coupled with the official robes and belt, hands clasped together in front of the stomach, gazing solemnly straight ahead. This attire was completely different from the officials in the Fama world I knew in reality. Perhaps the civilization that built this subterranean palace was entirely separate from the current Fama civilization. Such statues appeared almost every ten meters, and they were almost all identical. At every corner stood a very large structure with a square base and what looked like a massive, round vessel on top. It resembled a furnace, but it was extraordinarily large; I couldn't be certain what it was. Approximately every fifteen meters, there was a thick stone pillar topped with fiercely burning torches, which provided all the light in the cave. Most of the layout seemed no different from that in Legend, but this place felt far larger than I had imagined.

Beneath the stone pillars, several wandering Red and Black Wild Boars quickly spotted a passing group of rangers and gave chase. After only a few exchanges, the boars fell screaming into pools of blood. There were countless similar corpses scattered about. Clearly, the boars on this level posed no real threat to the rangers, as those entering here all possessed at least Middle-Grade Ranger strength.

It seemed not many rangers were actually training on this floor; most were just passing through. I followed the main group deeper into the stone tomb. Along the way, many wild boars attempted to eliminate our band of intruders, but the outcome for the boars was always disastrously tragic.

About two hours later, the large group arrived at the stone steps leading down to the second level of Pig Cave.

Compared to the first level, there wasn't much change here, except for the addition of some familiar Black Ghouls, which resembled wheels. These mutated creatures, originally only found in Centipede Cave, were introduced here by the Ranger Guild over a thousand years ago to serve as important training targets for rangers. While Pig Cave today is still teeming with monsters, the situation is vastly different from a thousand years ago. Pig Cave has now become a training ground for rangers to hone their strength, and the mutated creatures within can no longer stir up any major turmoil. The military garrison stationed here is merely a traditional formality.

The monster density on the second level was much higher than on the first, and in some areas further from the main thoroughfare, groups of rangers had already claimed small areas and were busy fighting monsters to train.

Two hours later, I reached the third level. The monster density here was significantly higher than on the second level, and several new species of mutated creatures had been added: Crab Snakes and Poison Moths. These two creatures were far more insidious than the dull and clumsy wild boars. Crab Snakes possessed a pair of powerful pincers similar to those of a crab and were covered in hard armor plates akin to natural plating. It would take considerable strength to pierce their armor and kill them. Their defense was nearly comparable to the Pincer Worms in Centipede Cave, yet they moved with astonishing speed and unpredictable agility. If one reacted even slightly slowly, those incredibly strong pincers would surely cause unbearable pain. This was relative to warriors; if a mage were caught off guard by one snap of those pincers, it would certainly be fatal.

As for the Poison Moths, they were even harder to defend against. These detestable creatures, while not physically imposing or strong in physical attacks, possessed a terrifying weapon: their venom—a liquid possessing extremely potent paralyzing and corrosive properties. Once even a small amount touched someone, it was guaranteed to cause immense trouble. Without the corresponding antidote, the only option was to wait for death. These Poison Moths, possessing such terrifying venom, were about half a person's height, sported a pair of huge wings, and moved with incredible speed, seeming to appear and disappear at will. If one was even slightly careless, they would fall victim. It could be said that in Pig Cave, the Poison Moth was one of the monsters that caused the most headaches for all rangers.

To combat these insidious and cunning mutated creatures, countless ranger ancestors over thousands of years had devised countermeasures: one was using special detoxification potions to neutralize the poison, and the other was using equipment with higher magic defense to resist the toxicity. Generally, the magic-oriented gear worn by Taoists and Mages offered strong resistance to this poison. However, Warriors were easily ambushed by them because their defensive gear was generally biased towards physical protection. A single spray of venom from a Poison Moth could lead to absolute disaster if one wasn't careful. Because of this, warriors training here deliberately brought along Metal Bracelets that offered stronger magic defense. It was rumored that this type of armor was developed many years ago specifically to counteract mutated creatures like the Poison Moth. Wearing a Metal Bracelet could effectively prevent the Poison Moth's venomous attack.

Before entering Pig Cave, I had carefully read the Ranger Handbook's description of the area and equipped myself with the suggested gear. My spoils from the chaotic battle in First Heaven weren't just a few sets of ZUMA equipment; I had also acquired many spatial pouches. I hadn't fully inventoried what was inside those pouches yet, but I had several pairs of Metal Bracelets. Therefore, I could put them on immediately.

Although I myself possessed the rare Demon Devouring Constitution, rarely seen in a thousand years on the continent, legend held that the Demon Devouring Constitution was almost completely immune to all magical damage, including the venom of the Poison Moth. After all, Poison Moth venom could be categorized as a type of potent corrosive magic. But legends are legends, and I had no interest in testing the extent of my immunity to magical attacks with my own body. No one had ever seen what the magical immunity of a Demon Devouring Constitution truly looked like. This was also why I was driven to the brink by the mages of the Mad Dragon Gang back in First Heaven. Even under those circumstances, I had fortunately managed to dodge the mages' magical attacks.

It could be said that during this period of leaving home to train, I hadn't suffered any major injuries. This was certainly partly due to my agile footwork, but even more so, it was influenced by my lifelong habit of fearing pain from my previous life. In my past life, if I got sick, I would always take medicine and never get shots. Every time I saw a doctor in a white coat holding a syringe, I would feel a wave of dizziness and numbness wash over me.

However, apart from injections, I wasn't particularly afraid of other physical injuries—punches, kicks, or hard knocks. Of course, if I could manage it, I absolutely preferred not to get hurt. That should be true for any normal person.

It was a very strange psychological quirk. In medical terms, my condition was called needle phobia. Honestly, a grown man fearing needles to that extent was quite embarrassing.

But fortunately, since arriving in this world, I had remained largely unscathed. Apart from being bumped by a warhorse with Chen Feng in that inexplicable place, I had suffered almost no external injuries. For someone who had reached the Red Moon level, this was almost unimaginable.

In a sense, I was not yet a qualified warrior. At least I hadn't overcome the hurdle of pain.

Many members of the large group that descended with me had already left, each finding their respective training spots. It seemed this level was their destination. Fewer than twenty people continued toward the entrance of the fourth level.

Finally, after about two hours, I reached the entrance to the fourth level. I was surprised it took me six hours just to travel the paths; this illustrated just how vast this underground palace tomb was. Each level seemed to be as large as an entire Earth City. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that such a massive complex of underground palaces could exist.

Descending the stone steps, the fourth level of the stone tomb soon appeared before me. The monster density here was greater than all the previous three levels combined. All that met my eyes were incessantly moving figures of people and monsters. The sounds of killing, screams, the roar of magic, and the metallic clash of weapons turned the entire cavern into an extremely noisy, cacophonous world. Following the map's directions, I headed toward the southeast along the main thoroughfare. I paid attention to the road signs along the way. About half an hour later, I finally found a large sign reading "Stone Tomb Level Four, District Three."

I immediately turned in there.

This area was divided into many rooms, each roughly the size of a football field. Honestly, I hadn't expected that these areas off the main path, resembling football fields, would harbor such an astonishing density of monsters. Moreover, these areas extended forward in a very regular pattern along the side paths. With every field I passed, I carefully observed the people training within, trying to spot Long Xin and the others by their guild marks.

In such a dense swarm of people and monsters, accurately discerning familiar faces was not easy, so I had to rely on guild markings to search for Long Xin and the others.

Finally, after an hour, in one field packed with monsters, I spotted the large fellow, along with the familiar Dragon mark on his body. Beside him, I also noticed a few other familiar figures—it was indeed Long Xin and his group.