Don't say I didn't warn you, but things went exactly as Xiu Yi had predicted. Not long after they set out, the heavyset guy woke up. Still groggy, he shuffled along before suddenly stopping as though he realized something. "Holy shit, where the hell are we?" he blurted out, staring at the bottomless Abyss below, framed by the crowds of people bustling around them. For a moment, he looked totally bewildered.

Blade Warrior explained to him that they were already on the Immortal Mountain pathway, the essential route toward the Heavenly Way. However, they had only traveled a small fraction of it—barely one-tenth of the journey! Keep up the effort, he encouraged.

"One, one-tenth?" Chewing over Blade Warrior's explanation, the heavyset guy seemed lost in thought. Man, no kidding—this height really is intense! Sure, with someone like Sara's stamina, she'd probably manage to climb up, but she definitely wouldn't keep pace with the group. In other words, amid this trek, not only would everyone have to take in the views and climb the mountain, but they'd also need to wait for Sara at the same time.

Waiting was one thing, but for Sara to exhaust herself to the point where someone might have to carry her? That's a whole other story. Honestly, carrying her wouldn't be much of an issue, but Zhang Xiaobo wasn't that drunk anymore; he wasn't completely out of his mind, after all. He'd just been walking with his head down this whole time without paying attention to the surroundings. Now raising his gaze for the first time, he realized they had already covered a significant distance.

Looking down, the people below appeared smaller than ants. And yet, despite this extraordinary height, Blade Warrior claimed they hadn't even crossed one-tenth of the journey. Holy crap! How long would he have to keep carrying someone?! Even one thousand Frog Jumps or one thousand Frog Walks wouldn't compare to lugging a living, breathing person. For the first time, Zhang Xiaobo felt the crushing weight of this challenge. This was undoubtedly a climb saturated in pure malice.

Still, the surrounding scenery was every bit as stunning as they had hoped. The majestic Immortal Mountain, its iron chains stretching across the middle of the mountain and vanishing into the horizon—it was a sight to inspire a boundless sense of grandeur. The thought of conquering this mountain welled up with an irresistible surge of heroic ambition.

Their pace was swift enough as they traversed the path, all the while marveling at the unmissable sights along the way… Observing the countless travelers around them—men and women from all walks of life—they could see the happiness and excitement of adventuring clearly written across their faces. People laughed and chatted as they journeyed together, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere.

Not long after, maybe around ten minutes or so, the group came across a small rest stop nestled halfway up the mountain—a tea house catering to travelers looking to pause and refresh. A big sign displayed the character for tea, suggesting that this establishment was part of Jade Clear Sect's operations. If not, then someone must have shelled out a fortune to rent this plot of land temporarily.

"Should we take a break? Grabbing a cup of tea here sounds pretty good," Blade Warrior proposed.

"Great idea," Sara responded enthusiastically to his suggestion. Honestly, walking halfway up the mountain is enough to make you crave a pot of tea. Taking in the gorgeous landscapes, peering at the mist and rain suspended in the clouds—it would surely be a feast for the soul. "Though I wonder what time it is right now? Will we be able to make it back by tonight?"

"There's plenty of time left—it's 1:20," Blade Warrior explained to Sara and the group. He mentioned that the mountain was equipped with stairways, cable cars, and monorails, making both ascent and descent incredibly convenient. But to fully embrace the fun and beauty of the journey, it was better to enjoy the scenery on the way up. Of course, if they needed to travel at night, that wouldn't be a problem either, because this particular planet was quite unique compared to any they'd seen before.

What made it different, Blade Warrior added, was that at nighttime, three moons emerged—one green, one yellow, and one purple—each glowing because of reflected light. The nighttime views could rival those of the daytime, being supremely bright and dazzling. Interestingly, many visitors chose to experience it both during the day and again at night.

While talking, the group took seats at the tea house. Naturally, they weren't the only ones resting here; many travelers stopped for a brief respite, snapping photos or sharing moments on social media platforms.

This tea house clearly wasn't free. Complimentary refreshments were available further uphill, as noted by Jade Clear Sect's signs.

Still, the tea here wasn't expensive—only twenty yuan per cup, and quite a generous cup at that. Consider the manpower needed to transport supplies from the foot of the mountain; the price was hardly unreasonable for a tourist attraction.

Soon, the tea was served. Sara lifted her cup and took a gentle sniff, her eyes lighting up instantly. "Wow, smells amazing! I wonder how it tastes." The tea wasn't too hot, so she took a small sip directly, leisurely savoring its bittersweet notes...

"Pretty good, right? This tea is called Jasmine, one of Immortal Mountain's specialties," Blade Warrior said.

"Jasmine tea?"

"Correct. Jasmine plants were once abundant, but time and soil changes have rendered most regions in the world unsuitable for cultivating this tea. Even where it can still be grown, the flavor is incomparable to what it once was. Buy some packs to take home—you don't know when you'll have the chance again."

Blade Warrior offered his suggestion to Sara.

"Hmm, I've decided to buy plenty! Are there other varieties that are worth trying?"

"Of course! Aside from Jasmine, this region also produces Biluochun, Tieguanyin, black tea, green tea, and even the somewhat peculiar Brick Tea. Let me warn you—Brick Tea might be hard to stomach at first, but once you get used to it, you'll find it's truly unique."

Seriously, these women could talk about nothing but tea! Meanwhile, the heavyset guy thought back to something he'd been itching to do—play cards, specifically a round of landlord. Even in this brief break, he wanted to redeem himself from the last time he lost miserably. Dammit, he swore to reclaim what he'd lost, if not in one go, then at least a little.

It's funny how men and women can differ so much. While Blade Warrior, Yita, Sara, Xixi, and Red Ghost chatted away about scenery, life, and philosophy, the other three guys—Zhang Xiaobo, Kevin, and the heavyset guy—soon defaulted to their comfort zone. By now, their sleeves were rolled up, and they were deep into their card game.

To be honest, these three were pretty pitiful. One guy lost down to his boxers, another had only one pair of boxers left, and the third—thinking he could recoup some of his losses—decided to hit big and dip out fast.

A few minutes later, Xiu Yi suffered the greatest loss yet. Kevin and Zhang Xiaobo had both declared themselves landlords once, only to be countered, bombed, and pounded into oblivion. By the time calculations were made, the stakes had multiplied exponentially. Within moments, Xiu Yi wasn't winning anything back; instead, he lost everything, making him ready to transfer money through his phone.

Not that Zhang Xiaobo or Kevin were doing great either. The tiny bit they'd won couldn't compare to what they'd lost earlier.

As for Xiu Yi, although he didn't lose as much as the heavyset guy, he had reached the point where he was fighting with Kevin for second place—but only in the reverse sense. At this rate, if they multiplied the stakes ten or twenty times, who'd rank second would still be up in the air.

Xiu Yi felt utterly betrayed. His losses came from relentless farmer tactics bombarding him from all sides—losing one way, only to lose again the next. This wasn't even poker anymore; it was full-scale war, a battlefield where life and death were at stake with no room to compromise.

Five minutes later, Xiu Yi reluctantly whipped out his thunderous tablet to start transferring funds while occasionally letting out his signature enraged roars of frustration, which, as they joked, could only belong to someone born of nonhuman ancestry.

"How's the game going? Get yourselves ready to move forward soon," Blade Warrior said, stepping in with a reminder.

"Wait! Hold on—just one last round!" Xiu Yi glared at everyone furiously.

"Huh? Could it be that you're losing?"

Hearing Red Ghost's question, Xiu Yi admitted he was now battling the heavyset guy for the top loser position. He really shouldn't have lost so much, but fate had other plans. Just moments ago, he accidentally missed playing a key card—one that, had he noticed earlier, could have let him win the round. Instead, he kept it in his hand, which led him to lose thirtyfold. Worse still, he had picked the super-double option for that game.

Hello, disaster! Nearby women gasped audibly, each shuddering with unease. Super-double stakes?

Originally, Xiu Yi had been tied for runner-up with Kevin, but now he soared to a head-to-head competition with the heavyset guy for first loser.

Things started to even out a bit in the latest round, but Xiu Yi wasn't satisfied. Declaring his resolve, he announced, "One more game! Just this final game..."

One last game.

The absolute final game.

The super-duper, no-kidding-this-time final game.

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