"Thank you, Teacher. I will definitely work hard," Jiang Chen said gratefully.
He was not someone indifferent to fame and fortune. He thirsted for great strength, and having authority would make it easier for him to become stronger.
"Also, the teacher has already spoken with the head instructor of the concentration camp. During your training period there, you can ask him for help once, but only once. This is the most the teacher can do to help you."
Jiang Chen felt somewhat moved. Bibi Dong's arrangement undoubtedly gave him an extra amulet, one more advantage than others had.
Bibi Dong looked at Jiang Chen. The expression on that peerlessly beautiful face suddenly became complicated.
"Little Chen, what happened last night must not be mentioned to anyone, understand?"
Jiang Chen nodded repeatedly. "I understand. This is a secret between me and Teacher. No third person will know."
He was afraid. If he dared say "no" right now, Bibi Dong would probably kill him on the spot to silence him.
"Mm. Go back now. The teacher looks forward to your performance."
...
Jiang Chen returned to his residence. Far from being afraid, he actually felt some anticipation for the upcoming life in the concentration camp.
When he first became Bibi Dong's disciple, he had submitted out of awe at her overwhelming strength; he was willing from the bottom of his heart.
Early morning, just as the sun rose, a stern-faced middle-aged man was already waiting downstairs for Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen didn't have much to pack, only some daily necessities.
The pink room still carried traces of Hu Liena's fragrance. Jiang Chen's gaze seemed to see again the scene of the two of them arduously training here a few days ago.
After taking one deep look, he closed the door and came to the side of the stern, middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man said nothing and simply walked outside. Jiang Chen hurriedly followed.
Until they left the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong did not appear.
Descending to the foot of the mountain, before getting into the carriage, Jiang Chen turned back and looked up.
At the entrance to the Pope's Palace, halfway up the mountain, stood a woman wearing a golden papal robe and a crown.
Jiang Chen waved forcefully, then climbed into the carriage.
Watching the carriage depart, a smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face, instantly causing the guards on both sides of the steps to lower their heads, not daring to look directly.
The carriage moved very quickly. The beasts pulling it were soul beasts similar to horses, but faster and with greater endurance.
It wasn't long before Jiang Chen realized the carriage had already left Spirit Hall City and was speeding toward a direction he did not know.
Jiang Chen suddenly felt a bit bored, so he turned his gaze to the stern middle-aged man driving the carriage.
"Uncle, where is the concentration camp?"
"Uncle, what is your cultivation level?"
"Uncle, how much longer until we arrive?"
To Jiang Chen's dismay, the middle-aged man seemed like a speechless puppet; even the expression on his face never changed.
From the moment he came to pick him up until now, the middle-aged man hadn't said a single word.
Helpless, Jiang Chen could only shut his mouth and focus on cultivating.
Although daytime cultivation was not as effective as at night, something was better than nothing, even a mosquito, no matter how small, is still meat.
The carriage pressed onward. Jiang Chen did not see a single town along the way, not even a small village. The entire journey was desolate and uninhabited.
However, the concentration camp should not be far from Spirit Hall City. After only traveling for one day, the carriage began to slow down.
Jiang Chen lifted the carriage curtain. Ahead, a black city appeared in his line of sight. Perhaps it could not even be called a city, because it was much smaller than any city Jiang Chen had ever seen.
Even the outer walls were only about twenty meters high. As the carriage drew closer, the black city walls gradually gave Jiang Chen a sense of oppression.
When he got nearer, he discovered there was no name above the city gate. Yet whether on top of the walls or at the gate, they were filled with powerful-looking black-armored soldiers.
These black-armored soldiers all carried an aura of slaughter. The hundreds of cold gazes shooting toward him gave Jiang Chen immense pressure.
These soldiers were definitely powerful soul masters, Jiang Chen judged in his heart.
The middle-aged coachman showed a token and smoothly entered the city.
Inside the city, there were all kinds of shops, as well as places to eat and enjoy entertainment, but the overall atmosphere of the city felt somewhat cold and cheerless; there were simply too few people.
Jiang Chen noticed that, whether on the streets or in those shops, aside from the shop owners, almost everyone was a child or teenager, each emitting soul power fluctuations of varying strength.
When these people saw the carriage approaching and Jiang Chen on it, they all showed interested expressions.
"These are all people participating in the concentration camp training just like you. In the future, they will all be your opponents," the coachman finally spoke.
"Where do these people come from?" Jiang Chen quickly asked. After finally getting the middle-aged man to speak, how could he not ask more?
The middle-aged man continued, "Some come from families affiliated with Spirit Hall, some from Spirit Hall Academy, and some are orphans raised by Spirit Hall."
As he spoke, the carriage arrived at the center of the city, where there was a huge square.
The middle-aged man stopped and said to Jiang Chen, "Get off."
Jiang Chen stepped down from the carriage and curiously surveyed the surroundings.
The middle-aged man took out a bag from his person and tossed it to Jiang Chen.
"My task is complete. I hope we meet again someday." With that, under Jiang Chen's stunned gaze, he drove the carriage away.
Just like that?
Jiang Chen was a little dazed. He still knew nothing about this place, yet that uncle had just left.
He opened the bag the other party had given him and found it filled with shiny gold soul coins.
Jiang Chen weighed it; there were at least several hundred.
Only then did he nod in satisfaction and store it in his storage ring.
With so much money, it should last him quite a while.
While he was still at a loss, a tall, thin young man quickly ran toward him.
"Little friend, are you also here to participate in the training?"
Jiang Chen nodded. Right now, he knew nothing about this place; perhaps he could learn something from this young man.
The young man took out a small booklet from his bosom. "You just arrived and don't know many of the rules here. You can buy a 'Concentration Camp Guidebook' from me; it will let you quickly adapt to life here."
"How much?" Jiang Chen asked.
The young man held up five fingers and grinned. "Not much, just five gold soul coins."
Jiang Chen turned and walked away. That booklet looked like only a few pages; it probably didn't contain much content, yet this young man was asking for five gold soul coins, an outrageous price.
"Four."
"Three."
"One."
Jiang Chen didn't even look back. This young man was clearly trying to take advantage of him because he looked young and easy to bully.
The young man's expression changed several times before he unwillingly left, muttering, "What a cunning little guy…"
There were many shops in the city. Jiang Chen planned to find a place to eat and ask around at the same time.
Along the way, he saw that all the children were between eight or nine and twelve years old. He didn't spot a single one his own age.