Grey Rock Training Ground

The afternoon sun slanted slightly, illuminating the flagstone streets of the inner city until they shone clean and bright.

When Matthew stepped out of the Stone Oak Inn and passed through the inner city gates, the guards took one look at the Fiery Lion badge he handed over and hastily moved the barricades aside.

As he walked toward the outer city, the surrounding scenery gradually lost the orderliness and refinement of the inner city.

The streets grew narrower, the buildings on both sides became low and cluttered, and the air carried the scent of cooking smoke, dust, and a faint, distinct odor.

The pedestrians wore simple clothes, their expressions lacking the ease of those in the inner city, replaced by the hurried anxiety of people rushing to make a living.

This was the outer city—noisy, rough, yet filled with a certain raw, authentic vitality.

After a few days, Matthew had adapted to it.

His destination today was a place called the “Grey Rock Training Ground” on the west side of the outer city.

The reason he chose to travel so far from the inner city to the outer city was simple: it was cheap.

The training facilities in the inner city were well-equipped and quiet, but the prices were prohibitive—even the most ordinary private training room cost a whopping five gold coins a month to rent.

In contrast, a room of the same specifications at the Grey Rock Training Ground in the outer city only cost fifty silver coins a month. The price difference was tenfold!

Yet the journey was only a half-hour walk...

For the current Matthew, he had to budget carefully.

Coming to the county seat had indeed brought many benefits, such as richer intelligence, more concentrated resources, and more networking opportunities.

But at the same time, his living and cultivation expenses had also increased significantly.

Take prime magical beast meat as an example—this kind of ingredient, which could continuously nourish the body and consolidate life energy, was expensive. However, due to its crucial role in stabilizing his cultivation and promoting the absorption of life energy, it had become an indispensable part of Matthew's daily diet.

After all, with his advancement to the Silver Rank imminent, a daily ration of prime magical beast meat was a necessary investment to support his breakthrough.

Additionally, while the Stone Oak Inn was not luxurious, its three hearty meals a day and clean, safe environment added up to a significant fixed expense over time.

With gold coins flowing out like water, he had to make sure every copper coin was spent wisely.

A training ground was merely a place to familiarize himself with his strength and hone his combat techniques. It didn't need to be luxurious, as long as it had basic facilities and provided an independent space.

The training ground in the outer city was crude, but it perfectly met his current practical needs.

After passing through several noisy streets, the sign for the “Grey Rock Training Ground” came into view—an unpolished grey stone slab with its name crudely painted in black, hanging over the lintel of an old two-story building.

Pushing open the door and entering the lobby, the interior furnishings were very simple:

The plaster walls showed various patches of repairs, the floor consisted of uneven flagstones, a few wooden tables and benches were scattered about, and a pile of worn training gear sat in the corner.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat, dust, and rust. Behind the counter sat a white-haired old man, head down, wiping an old sword. When someone walked in, he merely raised his eyes.

At the far end of the lobby was a wide, open door leading to a spacious outdoor training field.

Looking out from the doorway, dozens of people were scattered across the sandy ground. Some were slashing at wooden posts, while others were sparring in pairs. Shouts, the clashing of metal, and heavy panting intertwined into a chaotic yet powerful background noise.

There was none of the orderly grandeur of the inner city training grounds here, but it possessed a raw, wild vitality of its own.

Matthew walked straight to the counter and gently handed over his wooden token.

The old man took the token, squinting to make out the numbers on it. Only after a moment did he return the room key and the wooden token to Matthew.

“You really get what you pay for...” Matthew couldn't help but think. “The receptionist here is an elderly man, while the Horn Chamber of Commerce had young women.”

Matthew couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.

Just as he was about to turn toward the corridor, the conversation of two men at a nearby wooden table drifted into his ears.

“Have you heard? Ronan, who used to come here all the time, got in touch with the Blood Hand Gang recently. He managed to get some kind of ‘Blood-Burning Potion.’ Within two days of drinking it, his strength surged tremendously! Yesterday, when I sparred with him, I couldn't even take three of his punches...”

The speaker was a black-haired youth with white calluses on his knuckles. His voice carried a trace of resentment, mixed with a hint of envy.

The other man, a tall and thin fellow, shook his head upon hearing this and lowered his voice.

“Your information is inaccurate. My cousin works for the gang, and he told me that the potion isn't given for free. First, you have to pass the gang's ‘test’—which is basically doing a few dirty jobs for them to prove you're ruthless and obedient enough. Besides, the potion has terrible side effects. My cousin saw someone seize up completely after drinking it, and within half a month, the guy was crippled. He warned me specifically never to touch it.”

Hearing this, the black-haired youth fell silent. A heavy shadow flickered in his eyes. He didn't argue further, only taking a sullen, deep gulp of ale from the skin at his waist.

Matthew didn't stop, but his interest was slightly piqued.

Gangs... he was no stranger to them.

The underlying order of the outer city was not fundamentally different from that of Anda Town. It was merely the same oppression under a different guise—here, it was these gangs, big and small, that controlled the streets, extorted the people, and monopolized certain illicit resources.

They held no appeal for Matthew; they were simply another quagmire to be avoided.

What caught his attention was the potion they mentioned.

In the Class Holders Guild's catalog, potions were often priced extremely high, and most required noble points to exchange.

Potions that could truly boost one's strength in a short time with a controllable cost were definitely not things that low-level gangs could easily acquire and distribute.

If the Blood Hand Gang could actually get their hands on such potions, even if the side effects were horrifying, it suggested they might have some unusual channels behind them, or... the potion itself was problematic.

However, these thoughts only flashed through his mind for a brief moment. He had no intention of investigating for now, merely storing this piece of information away in his heart like any other street rumor.

The key slid into the keyhole with a soft click.

Matthew pushed open the wooden door of the private training room, shutting out the noise and conversations of the outside world.

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