Chapter 002: Traveling Together in the Sea of Sand\------------------------\Mortal Realm - Nameless Desert\ Endless and boundless, the sea of sand stretches out, with sand and rocks ravaged by the wind, appearing lonely and monotonous amid the whistling hot wind.\ Not far away, a solitary figure strides along, steps steady and unhurried, but the displeasure in his brow clearly expresses his inner dissatisfaction.\ “That old man, saying he'd send me to the mortal realm, and ended up bringing me to this cursed place. At least I could've been dropped in the forest. Here, I barely see any ghostly shadows. How am I supposed to ask for directions…”\ Muttering complaints while fiercely cursing Ling Xuan in his heart, he never stopped along the way. It was evident how strong his prejudice against his father was.\ Moreover, Ling Xuan frustratingly discovered that in this mortal realm, his strength at the Seventh Rank, First Stage, was forcibly suppressed to the Sixth Rank, Eighth Stage.\ Being transported to this cursed place wasn't too bad, but having his strength suppressed was a hundred times more uncomfortable. It was like having a stubborn sneeze stuck in your nose, itching to burst out but unable to.\ Just as Ling Xuan was a hundred sorts of unhappy, he heard a crisp yet faint ringing sound coming from a distance. Were it not for his keen hearing, he would probably have missed it entirely.\ Overjoyed, Ling Xuan adjusted his restless mood, and immediately followed the sound of the bell through the air.\ The desert's harsh and ever-changing weather remains eternal. At the end of a distant sand dune, a camel's head appeared, and as they advanced, the entire caravan came into view on a slightly flat stretch of sand.\ It was a weary caravan. Judging from the chaotic formation, broken wooden crates, and the people trudging along with bowed heads, they had likely just encountered a sandstorm or some other trouble.\ Ling Xuan's figure appeared behind a wind-sheltered slope not far from the caravan, casually walking towards it.\ The lead camel paused for a moment, then continued forward in an orderly manner. The camel's reaction immediately drew the attention of the people, who instantly noticed the young man approaching the caravan.\ Seeing each person with a vigilant expression, Ling Xuan gave a helpless smile.He wore a smile he considered friendly. Before he could even get close to the caravan, he asked the elderly man at the seemingly front of the caravan, "Respected elder, may I ask..."\ "Whoosh—"\ The sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out, and a green arrow shadow left a long trail in the air, heading straight for Ling Xuan's head.\ The speed of the arrow was incredibly strange. Ling Xuan was startled, but lost a moment's time and could only awkwardly turn his head to dodge.\ Although he dodged, the airflow created by the arrow left a shallow red mark on his face.\ If he had been able to break into the void, he could have easily avoided it, but after all, he was facing a caravan mostly made up of ordinary people. If he showed too much strength, they probably wouldn't open their hearts to him, let alone answer his questions.\ The arrow's sudden appearance also stunned the people in the caravan. Before anyone could react, a burly middle-aged man, bare-chested with coiled, muscular arms, stepped out from the caravan. He watched Ling Xuan warily and said, "Don't come too close. My arrows don't have eyes."\ Ling Xuan became interested in this man. Only a third-rank, second-tier strength, yet able to shoot an arrow so fast? Despite the power being suppressed, Ling Xuan still had sixth-rank, eighth-tier strength, and had been momentarily caught off guard.\ Ling Xuan calmly said, "I mean no harm, I just want to ask for directions."\ "Hahaha!"\ The man suddenly laughed. Although the others didn't laugh, a certain sense of mockery could be seen.\ "That's ridiculous. If you're lying, at least come up with a better excuse. Who doesn't know this is the Chaotic Wind Desert? Don't think we're fools," the man said, his eyes growing angrier, "Step back, or don't blame my bow and arrows for being merciless!"\ Oh, so this is the Chaotic Wind Desert. Uh, Chaotic Wind Desert... where is this place again?\ Seeing that Ling Xuan had no intention of leaving, the man nocked an arrow with one hand and aimed at Ling Xuan. At the same time, around ten strong figures appeared from the caravan, each holding large knives and swords. They were ordinary people without any cultivation, but their aura was long-lasting and slightly stronger than normal.\ In fact, the man still felt a bit uneasy inside, because he hadn't been able to gauge Ling Xuan's strength at all. If he were unfathomable, he lacked the terrifying pressure typical of those in the higher ranks;Speaking of being mediocre in strength, that single arrow just now was enough to have killed him. Therefore, conservatively estimating, Ling Xuan has a cultivation level between three to four ranks. With that, taking care of Ling Xuan will likely require some effort.\
Looking at the crowd who would fight with real weapons at the slightest disagreement, Ling Xuan felt a bit helpless. There was no other way; when encountering such people, only strength could earn the right to speak.\
"Kill!"\
The soldiers let out a roar, charging at Ling Xuan fearlessly with their big knives and swords raised, ready to chop off his head. Meanwhile, the longbow-wielding man at the back, providing ranged suppression, nocked an arrow and shot at Ling Xuan without hesitation.\
"Ding——"\
Ling Xuan smashed the arrow away with a punch, moved forward several steps with an agile body, grabbed the foremost soldiers, and threw them aside.\
"Plop——"\
"Ah!"\
"Ouch!"\
With a few cries of pain, the scene immediately fell silent.\
They had walked the Sand Sea for many years and had never seen anyone capable of throwing these unusually strong soldiers with bare hands. Even those sand bandits couldn't do that. Getting close to the enemy and striking a few times could be done, but being thrown before even having time to react shows how terrifyingly fast the opponent was.\
The one most shocked was the longbow man; he smashed an arrow with a punch—how hard must that fist be!\
"If I were actually trying to kill, you wouldn't even be able to cry out in pain," Ling Xuan said calmly, looking at the soldiers he had thrown.\
The longbow man frowned and slowly said, "Just what are you planning to do?"\
He had completely given up; Ling Xuan wasn't even afraid of his bow and arrow, so there was simply no way to take him down.\
"Which city is closest from here? In what direction?" Ling Xuan asked.\
The man turned to look at the caravan and the direction it came from, then looked up at the sky, and finally pointed southwest. With a heavy expression, he said to Ling Xuan, "Yansha City, over there. But this chaotic wind-sand desert often has sandstorms, making it easy to lose your direction."\
"Easy to lose direction, yet how are you sure that Yansha City is in the southwest?" Ling Xuan asked expressionlessly. If this man lied to him, he wouldn't be lenient.\
The man was clearly taken aback for a moment, then smiled, and earnestly said, "Believe it or not, it's up to you."\
Having walked the Sand Sea for many years, he had always relied on his own experiences.Seeing someone doubt his judgment, the big man felt a bit displeased in his heart, but he showed no sign of it on the surface.
"I'll go with you." After saying this, Ling Xuan shifted his gaze toward the crowd to see their reactions.
Most of the people in the caravan were still wary of Ling Xuan, so it was naturally easy to see their reluctance.
"No problem." The big man and the leading elder exchanged a glance and replied in unison.
"But Steward Fan, who knows if he has bad intentions?"
"Yes, yes, let's think it over, Steward Fan."
"Anyway, I don't really want to..."
The bolder members of the caravan immediately showed their reluctance, but under Steward Fan's calm gaze, they still held back their complaints.
"In that case, many thanks to you, elder." Ling Xuan respectfully bowed to Steward Fan and said.
If Ling Xuan's old man saw this, he would probably be so angry he'd spit blood. After all, their own child had been raised for many years and had never behaved so politely toward them; Ling Xuan had never even bowed like this to Ling Xuan senior before...
Ling Xuan walked toward the wounded soldiers, formed hand signs with both hands, and cast the Holy Light Spell toward them.
"Huh, it doesn't hurt anymore."
One soldier murmured softly as he moved his limbs and stood up.
Seeing this, the others quickly discovered that their pain had also disappeared.
"Thank you!"
One soldier slightly gratefully cupped his fist toward Ling Xuan in thanks; the other wounded also expressed their gratitude to Ling Xuan.
Ling Xuan returned their salutations one by one.
This reduced the number of dissatisfied people in the caravan quite a lot. The big man with the longbow's eyes also brightened; having a healer in the caravan really saved a lot of trouble.
"Alright, let's reorganize the caravan and continue towards Yan Sha City." Steward Fan specifically indicated the destination, which also put Ling Xuan at ease.
Walking beside Ling Xuan at the front of the caravan, the big man took the initiative to start a conversation: "Little brother, my name is Ba Qian; I want to ask you some questions."
"My name is Ling Xuan; I also want to ask Brother Ba Qian some questions." Ling Xuan replied with a smile.
The big man laughed heartily, "Brother Ling, you ask first."
Seeing this, Ling Xuan did not refuse and asked, "Brother Ba Qian, your archery is remarkable. May I ask how your arrows can fly so fast?""Ya Qian took an arrow from the quiver on his back and introduced, 'These arrows are all enhanced with wind magic from a wind-type sorcerer, allowing them to blend better with nature and achieve faster shooting speed. This bow is the same.'
Ya Qian pointed to the bow on his body and spoke.
Ling Xuan looked closely and saw that the arrows indeed had a faint flow of wind-elemental energy.
'Really marvelous, hehe. Do you have any questions, Brother Ya Qian?' Ling Xuan smiled.
A gleam flashed in Ya Qian's eyes. He glanced at Ling Xuan's fists and said, 'Brother Ling, how did you train those fists? Even my arrows can't stop them? I always thought my fists were strong enough, but they can't withstand sharp weapons.'
Ling Xuan explained calmly, 'Brother Ya Qian, you have not reached the fourth stage yet, so it's normal that you don't know. When martial cultivators break through to the fourth stage, their physical toughness will reach its most perfect level, and they can withstand such weapons directly.'
A new door seemed to open in Ya Qian's mind as he murmured, 'First stage trains strength, second stage trains energy, third stage trains bones, and fourth stage is training the body?'
'Exactly. Third-stage martial cultivators train the bones, which slightly improves their physical fitness, mainly manifested in stronger resistance to blows. Then comes body training, aimed at consolidating physical fitness. Brother Ya Qian is currently still at the third stage. If you pay extra attention to physical training while training bones, it will be somewhat easier when breaking into the fourth stage,' Ling Xuan said.
After such a long explanation, it turned out he already knew his own level. And he was even a fourth-stage warrior.
Ya Qian thought to himself.
'Thank you for your guidance, Brother Ling!'
Ya Qian said gratefully; his address naturally changed from 'brother' to simply 'bro.' As for Ling Xuan's age, he completely ignored it. In matters of strength, there is only strong and weak, no age order.
'Hehe.'
Ling Xuan smiled and said no more.
'Giddy-up! Giddy-up!'
From afar came the sound of horses driving, dust swirling in the air, mixed with unrestrained laughter. The sand beneath their feet seemed to tremble in response.
The grateful expression on Ya Qian's face just moments ago instantly changed. He lowered his voice and shouted, 'Stop! Hide behind the dune, get covered!'}"
Although the caravan was a bit flustered, they retreated to the back of the dunes in an orderly fashion. Everyone hurriedly gathered the camels and cargo together, not daring to breathe. The look at Baqian was worried, but even more so fear.
Ling Xuan immediately became interested, his luck focused on his eyes. He sized up the group from afar and asked, "Who are they?" They seem very arrogant. Riding horses in the desert? What a bizarre ......"
Baqian forced himself to calm down and explained, "Brother Ling, you don't know. They're members of the Sandwolf Gang, so you don't know which person came out wandering around." The Sandwolf Gang is a notorious gang of villains in the Chaotic Desert, robbing passing caravans, killing to silence witnesses, committing adultery and plundering, committing every evil deed. Their cultivation is generally very high; they are wanted criminals in every city. With nowhere to go, they gather in the desert to commit evil. "
"Is there no one to take care of them?" Ling Xuan asked.
"It's not that no one cares, but that they can't! Their leader is said to have fifth-tier strength. Fifth-tier—just thinking about it is terrifying," Baqian unconsciously swallowed and continued, "Otherwise, if a bunch of villains gathered together, none would submit to the other, and there wouldn't be any Sandwolf Gang." It was precisely because of the Shalang Gang leader's strength, combined with the desert's unpredictable weather, that no one could completely wipe out the Shalang Gang. Think about it: most of the sect leaders of major sects are around the fifth rank, while those at the sixth rank have long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, which is why the Shalang Gang has stood firm in the Chaotic Wind Desert for a hundred years. Moreover, the strength of the leaders grows stronger with each generation; they all revere the strongest in the sect as the leader. "
While Baqian was introducing this, cold sweat broke out breaking out, but Ling Xuan secretly laughed. Here, a fifth-rank cult can be founded? Sixth rank, and they don't care about worldly affairs? No way.
Ling Xuan had forgotten one thing: this is a mortal realm with thin spiritual energy, not the True Immortal Realm where spiritual energy is so dense it can turn into liquid. "Oh no, they're coming this way!" Baqian cried out in shock, gripping the longbow even tighter. Meanwhile, the caravan's already trembling bodies began to tremble even more.
Little Blackboard: Here's an introduction to the book's leveling rules. It's very simple and easy to understand: there are nine levels in total. After breaking through the ninth level, you get the first tier, then the first and second levels...... In total, it's ninety-nine, which is max level. Other level rules will be introduced later.Also, any suggestions on writing methods are welcome. I'm still a beginner and will work hard to improve~
