The Martial Unity

From what little research Rui had done, it was said that the Thundering Valley was used by Martial Artists from across the continent to test their Martial prowess. One thing Rui was relieved by was the fact that the Thundering Valley was not as densely populated as the Umiana Trench.

The latter necessarily needed a huge number of Martial Artists in it at any point in time. However, that made it more unpleasant for Martial Artists like himself. Most Martial Artists preferred to train in solitude, thus mass training was something most of them had not done in a long time; since before they even became Martial Artists in the first place.

Rui had to admit that the fact that training in the Thundering Valley was not regulated by some organization was quite relieving. He knew that there wasn't as much of an issue just entering and doing as he pleased without some Valley Surveillance Force getting on his back for every little thing.

Part of the reason for this, of course, was the fact that the Thundering Valley did not pose an existential threat to the surrounding nations. It was true that the prospect of entering the Thundering Valley was an extremely dangerous one, but it was true that the danger was almost entirely contained to the valley.

The Umiana Trench, on the other hand, threatened to ruin the coastal nations a second time if it was allowed to be consumed by the raging ocean. The coastal nations had actively put an immense amount of effort into advertising it to draw Martial Artists from all over. This was one of the reasons that even Kane had heard of it despite living a great distance away in the Kandrian Empire.

The same was not true of the Thundering Valley. There was no great sustained effort to promote and spread it. Thus it was far less popular than Umiana Trench.

In fact, the only reason he had come to be aware of it was because of the information that he had gotten from Guildmaster Bradt who had thoroughly covered his bases, as expected of someone with his information network.

"It seems that there isn't as much of a rush of Martial Artists looking to get in, I see most of your customers are not Martial Artists after all," Rui remarked as the innkeeper served them some food.

"We get Martial Artists…" She replied. "But most people who come here are tourists who wish to observe the spectacle from afar. Martial Artists are scarce, so even if many of them come running, ordinary tourists outnumber them greatly."

Rui nodded. This made sense. Ordinary people were essentially banned from entering the Umiana Trench. Reaching the place through ordinary means was impossible as no ship or fisherman would be willing to take anybody anywhere near the Umiana Trench.

It was too dangerous after all. The edge of the Umiana Trench was subject to an unfathomable amount of forces clashing against each other. On one side, of course, was the ocean itself. The pressure that the ocean exerted on the water drove it forward with an unfathomable amount of momentum.

On the other side were tremendously powerful Martial Squires who, at least from the perspectives of ordinary humans, were nothing short of calamities in human form. It didn't take a genius to figure out that going anywhere near the edge of the Umiana Trench was courting death. That was why even getting anywhere near the Umiana Trench was essentially impossible for normal people.

The Thundering Valley, on the other hand, did not have such perils. Ordinary humans could spectate and even observe it from a distance with some safety precautions. Thus it made more sense that the many surroundings inns around the Thundering Valley welcomed more normal people visiting the Thundering Valley from afar.

"Are you two Martial Artists?" She asked warmly, turning towards them.

"Ah… We aspire to be," Rui smiled.

The two of them had changed their Martial attire before leaving, while also suppressing their Squire-level aura with their respective techniques. Furthermore, they made sure that no one saw them, thus it was impossible for anyone in their current surroundings to know their identity.

"Be careful what you wish for," The elderly lady sighed. "Martial Artists lead a perilous life fighting against other Martial Artists. It is true that they have power that transcends human limits. But it is also true that they are the most likely to die in conflict. The Martial World is a ruthless and dangerous world. I would hate to see two young men like yourselves get hurt."

"We will take your words into consideration," Rui lied. Now he felt guilty for being a Martial Squire, which was a strange sensation. "Can you tell us more about the Thundering Valley?"

"There is not much I can say beyond what you probably already know…" She spoke slowly. "The Thundering Valley is not a place I have dared gone anywhere near, after all. However… I have heard that the valley houses powerful beast species… The raijus. Martial Artists who have visited the Thundering Valley have mentioned it from time to time. Apparently… the Thundering Valley is a place where creatures that can harness the power of lightning reside."

Rui's eyes narrowed as he considered that piece of information. "I see…"

Considering everything that he had seen, it didn't even sound all that crazy. It was entirely possible for there to exist beasts and monsters that could harness the power of lightning.

It also made sense that they would reside in a place like the Thundering Valley where they would most likely best be able to advantage of their surroundings and environment when creating lightning.

"You must go anywhere near the actual valley…" She warned them with a serious tone. I know of people who have ventured close and never returned. No one knows what happened to them, they either fell victim to the lightning or fell victim to the beasts that reside in the valley."