Live Streaming Academy

By noon, the dense canopy of the Whispering Wilds finally broke, giving way to the bright midday sun. They had successfully navigated the uncharted forest.

Only roughly twenty miles of open plains remained before they would reach the towering, craggy base of the mountain range bordering the Ruined Azure Kingdom.

By nightfall, the party arrived at the mountain pass. The towering cliffs stretched endlessly into the dark sky, completely impassable for the wooden carriage and the horses.

Gideon dismounted and began unbuckling his saddlebags. "We will set up camp here for the night and begin our ascent up the mountain at first light."

"We should just climb it right now," Solomon suggested immediately, resting his hands in his pockets.

Gideon paused and looked at the teenager. "While a night ascent is certainly possible, we should not rush blindly. A proper rest is tactically necessary before engaging a potential hostile zone."

Solomon mentally weighed his options. ’If I climb the mountain alone tonight and reach the ruined palace by morning, I can explore the treasury and find the crown entirely on my own,’ he plotted inwardly. ’That way, I won’t have to worry about Gideon or Yue getting suspicious of my actions. The weekly reset for the Stream Shop happens at dawn. I can simply buy two fresh Null Orbs, pause the broadcast, and eat the gemstone without anyone ever knowing.’

However, he also knew that suddenly abandoning the group in the middle of the night would trigger massive suspicion for no logical reason. He needed a valid excuse to force the entire party to move right now.

After Sir Kulbro and Commander Feng finished preparing a quick dinner of roasted rations, Solomon initiated his act.

"My chat just issued a massive challenge," Solomon lied smoothly, pointing at the hovering bronze owl. "They are offering a huge reward of points if we climb the mountain right now instead of waiting for the morning."

[Foodball: WE DID NOT DO THAT!]

[Nick: bro is literally making up challenges now.]

[Kaolafiedgamer: the gaslighting has reached peak levels.]

[GoonLord: I MEAN I WILL PAY HIM IF HE DOES IT!]

[Tyler_Klare: Solo Man manipulating the entire party for a night hike.]

[GoonLord has issued a live challenge! Message: Climb the mountain in 2 hours! Rewards: Gifts worth 10,000 Points!]

’The mountain is like three miles up!’

Gideon chuckled, entirely amused by the boy’s relentless drive. "I would actually love to join you on a night climb, Solomon. However, we must consider Pavilion Master Yue’s comfort."

Yue shrugged her shoulders and snapped her jade fan open. "I do not mind going right now either. I will not even have to physically climb the rocks. I can simply utilize my footwork arts and air-stepping techniques to reach the summit long before you two."

Gideon and Yue turned their attention to Sir Kulbro and Commander Feng. Both men looked utterly exhausted from the day’s travel, clearly displeased by the prospect of scaling a sheer cliff face in the pitch-black night.

"Would you two prefer to simply set up camp here and wait for our return?" Gideon asked his subordinates. "Or would you rather climb the mountain with us, even if we delay it until tomorrow?"

Feng looked up at the never-ending, jagged rock face and swallowed hard. "Is there no other route around?"

"There is no need for everyone to come anyway," Yue pointed out, turning to the paladin. "Since we are strictly here to locate Prince Ryu and King Shen, the three of us can easily retrieve them, settle the diplomatic disputes through your authority, and make our return. An entourage is unnecessary."

Sir Kulbro stepped forward and offered a crisp salute. "Commander Feng and I will establish a secure base camp here, Sir Gideon. This area is completely clear of threats, and we have natural resources available nearby. There will be no issues."

Gideon nodded in agreement. "Secure the perimeter and await our return."

With the logistics settled, Gideon, Yue, and Solomon turned toward the towering cliffs and began their moonlit ascent up the mountain.

As he climbed, Solomon’s mind raced, desperately trying to formulate another viable excuse to ditch the paladin and the pavilion master the moment they actually reached the ruined palace.

Yue scaled the mountain face without a single trace of exertion. Utilizing her mastery over internal energy, she simply walked vertically up the sheer rock, inclining her body slightly with her hands clasped elegantly behind her back.

Gideon, on the other hand, was having a significantly harder time. His heavy platinum armor and massive build fought against gravity with every step, and his age certainly didn’t help.

However, the seasoned paladin refused to slow down, hauling himself over the jagged rocks with sheer, stubborn strength.

Solomon utilized his newly awakened aura to climb. With both his shoulder and hip cores fully unlocked, his overall mobility and kinetic transfer had increased by twenty times.

He bounded up the cliff face, digging his boots into the stone and propelling himself upward with explosive bursts of silver energy.

Whenever Yue glanced down and saw him burning his aura so freely, she immediately lectured him. "You need to conserve your internal energy, Solomon! You will desperately need it later when your physical muscles fatigue. If you burn out your cores now, you will literally fall off this mountain. We are only halfway to the summit!"

Solomon grabbed a protruding root and hauled himself higher. "One of my viewers has issued a live challenge. If I reach the peak in exactly two hours, he will gift me ten thousand points."

Yue let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "You should not be risking your life on a treacherous mountain climb for a stupid internet challenge."

"Challenges are exactly what make this fun!" Solomon argued, vaulting over a wide gap. "They push my limits and force me to grow stronger!"

[GoonLord: I ONLY DID IT BECAUSE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!]

[1Fizzy: Solo Man gaslighting the teacher again.]

[James_hayes: bro will do anything for 10k points.]

[Mezz_3863: the grind never stops.]

[Nick: Yue is so tired of his excuses lol.]

Solomon checked the digital timer hovering on his blue interface. He only had exactly forty minutes left to clear the second half of the mountain.

Refusing to lose the massive payout, Solomon instantly increased his speed. He pushed a significantly denser flow of silver aura directly into his hip cores. The spiritual energy enhanced his leg strength exponentially.

Instead of climbing hand over hand, he began leaping violently from ledge to ledge, kicking his boots against the sheer rock face to propel himself upward and entirely skipping massive sections of the climb.

Yue watched him burn through his energy reserves like a madman. She was absolutely certain he would run completely dry, suffer a spiritual burnout, and eventually beg her to save him from plummeting into the valley below.

She accelerated her own pace, matching his rapid ascent just to ensure she could catch him when he inevitably slipped.

Down below, Gideon watched the two martial artists rapidly disappear into the darkness above. The paladin let out a heavy, tired breath, wiping sweat from his brow. "I am definitely getting too old for this," Gideon muttered, tightening his grip on the next rock.

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