The convoy moved on, and everyone sighed in relief. The journey had been treacherous, and there was no telling what lay ahead. So far, they'd only faced natural obstacles. The real challenges, especially from adversaries, were yet to come.

"Damn it! I wish I hadn’t come," someone grumbled.

"Complaining at this little difficulty? You might as well stay in the base. The outside world has always been like this," Miao Miao glared at the older man who spoke. If this were the army, he'd have been disciplined for such remarks.

"How dare you, a woman, leave the base where you should be having children and mix with a group of men? Have you no shame?" The man's fragile nerve snapped instantly.

Miao Mie focused on driving and remained calm, having heard such comments many times before. She replied indifferently, "It's precisely because of men like you that competent women like us have to take risks. What choice do we have?"

Unexpectedly, the female teacher sitting next to the man suddenly punched him in the face. With a razor blade held between her fingers, she made a precise cut on his chin, breaking the skin but not drawing blood. "Shut up," she warned, "or I'll slit your throat."

"You...”

The female teacher moved the blade to his neck. Instantly, the man fell silent, his eyes a mix of fear and resentment.

Miao Mie glanced in the rear-view mirror, a silent smile on her face. It seemed this female teacher was quite the formidable character, and she admired that.

Dawn broke, revealing a rare clear day with sunlight illuminating everything. However, the group's mood wasn't as bright: an armored vehicle got stuck in the marshy mud. Despite their combined efforts, the passengers couldn't push it out.

Cheng Suyan revved the engine, shouting, "Put your backs into it, we're almost there!"

"Cheng, the wheels are stuck in the mire, we can't get it out!"

Hesitant to leave the vehicle for fear of worsening the situation, Cheng was pondering the next step when Zhou You walked up. He pointed at the vehicle's rear, saying, "On my count of three, hit the gas."

"Alright."

Doubting Zhou You's strength due to his slender build, the group watched in astonishment as he gave a powerful shove right after counting to three. With the engine roaring, the vehicle easily rolled out of the pit. Zhou You then placed planks over the mud, allowing the following cars to pass safely.

As the convoy moved on, the remaining few exchanged stunned glances, thinking: No wonder he could compete with Shao Qi; he truly had skills.

"Damn, look at all this mud on our legs. How are we supposed to board the vehicle without water to wash? Do we just climb in like this?" All of them were wearing black armor, hesitant to remove, but without cleaning, they'd stink up the interior.

"Hey, how come Zhou... how are you..." While everyone else was mired in the mud, Zhou You seemed to be standing on solid ground.

Looking down at themselves, they struggled even to move their mud-caked legs.

All eyes turned to Zhou You's feet. He cast them a brief glance and simply said, "Get in." He then rushed to his vehicle, leaving not a single footprint in his wake.

The group mirrored their earlier astonishment, mouths agape. They'd always coveted the skill of light-footedness, but none had seen it mastered to such a degree. Perhaps he could even walk on walls and roofs effortlessly?

The last vehicle's passenger, Xuan Wei, tossed them some old clothes, advising, "Wipe yourselves down and stop gawking. When traveling, we do what we must."

Though it seemed wasteful, it was the best option.

Once aboard their respective vehicles, they wiped their shoes with damp cloths to mitigate the stench. Then, they collectively turned to Cheng Suyan, asking, "Cheng, are you close with Captain Zhou?"

"Of course," Cheng Suyan responded proudly.

"Do you know what martial arts he practices, which school he comes from, and how skilled he is?"

Cheng Suyan shot them a glance, "Why so curious?"

"It's just mind-blowing how he stood atop the mire without even leaving a footprint. Even the soles of his shoes were spotless!"

"Ignorance," Cheng Suyan smirked, "With sufficient internal energy cultivation, you too can achieve such feats."

"Could Master Cheng possibly possess such skills?"

Cheng Yuran's smile froze for a moment, then he scoffed, "Do you think profound inner strength is as common as cabbage, easily learned? Our Ten Thousand Sword Sect practices both internal and external techniques. Yet, even our sect leader may not have the inner strength to match Zhou You."

"He's incredibly powerful, but why hasn't he undergone a second growth? He looks just like an ordinary person."

"There isn't just one path to evolution. You're simply lacking in experience."

The crowd pondered and realized it made sense. There were indeed some older martial artists who, after evolution, showed little physical change. Experts explained that the bones of these older individuals had degenerated, making significant change difficult. However, they appeared more robust than before, and their lifespan would undoubtedly increase.

"What's with this freakish weather? Are these looming dark clouds about to bring snow?" Moments ago, the sky was clear, but now, oppressive dark clouds gathered overhead.

A voice from the earpiece, Shao Qi, directed, "Increase the speed to fifty. We need to get out of this marshland quickly. If it starts snowing, our journey will become much harder."

A chilling realization struck the group. The impending snow would make the mud muddier, and if the path was covered in snow, they wouldn't discern the terrain. It would be a certain death trap.