Wind and Sand Tower (1)

"Sigh, it's been two years. I've taught you everything I should, and you've grown stronger. As long as someone at my level doesn't make a move, you should have no trouble escaping with your lives."

Grandpa Nick looked at Fanxin, Ren Fang, and the Little Black Cat. "But there's no end to cultivation. Don't think you're all that strong. In the wider world, there are plenty of people with your level of strength. Understand?"

He spoke from experience. When he was young, he had been arrogant, believing that he was capable enough to go anywhere under heaven. But when he experienced it for himself, he discovered just how ignorant he had been.

If a kind person hadn't stepped in to help him, he might have turned to dust long ago. How could he have survived until now?

That was why he didn't want Fanxin to become like him. Fanxin had a heavier task: he had to shoulder the fate of his entire clan.

Nothing could happen to him. Once he made a move, the Soul Clan would be finished.

"I understand, Grandpa Nick. Don't worry, I won't act recklessly. If I run into a powerful opponent, I'll definitely run away," Fanxin said with a nod.

"Good. But if a friend is captured by an opponent, you absolutely must not run away, understand? Abandoning your friends on a whim makes you no better than a beast. That's the kind of person I hate most. If you do that, don't call yourself my grandson," Grandpa Nick said solemnly.

"I understand. I know," Fanxin said, immediately nodding.

"Good. All right, when you leave this place is up to you," Grandpa Nick said with a slight nod.

Fanxin wanted to leave, and he couldn't stop him. Now that Fanxin knew what had happened to his clan, even if Grandpa Nick stopped him, he would still sneak away in the end. So he had no intention of stopping him.

"We'll be leaving in the next few days. We're getting ready now," Fanxin said.

"All right. Little Black, Ren Fang, you two leave us for a moment. Fanxin and I have something to discuss in private," Grandpa Nick said with a nod.

Ren Fang immediately nodded, picked up the Little Black Cat, and left.

"What is it, Grandpa Nick? Why all the mystery?" Fanxin asked curiously. Grandpa Nick had never kept things from them before, but today he had sent the Little Black Cat and Ren Fang away. It was very strange.

"Of course I called you over because it's important." Grandpa Nick took a golden tower from deep underground. It had 108 levels, and its entire body shone with a dazzling golden light.

"What's this?" Fanxin asked curiously.

"This is the Wind and Sand Tower. Your father left it to you. He said that if you remained ordinary forever, I was to bury it deep underground and have it buried with me when I died. But you're no longer ordinary. You know everything now, and I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to. So it's time to return the Wind and Sand Tower to its rightful owner," Grandpa Nick said with a sigh.

To tell the truth, he still hoped Fanxin wouldn't go looking for his parents. It was too dangerous, and he might even lose his life there.

But he knew he couldn't stop Fanxin. Even if he tried, Fanxin would still find a way out. He didn't want to spend his whole life watching over Fanxin like a jailer.

"The Wind and Sand Tower? What does it do?" Fanxin asked.

"The Wind and Sand Tower is a very special weapon. I don't know who made it, but it has the ability to release wind and sand and create sandstorms. Your parents used it to escape their pursuers many times back then," Grandpa Nick said. "If not for the Wind and Sand Tower, your parents would have died long ago, and naturally, you would have too."

"Oh. How do I use it?" Fanxin asked with a slight nod.

"Bite your fingertip and drip a drop of blood onto it to claim the Wind and Sand Tower as your own. Then place it inside your body."

"When you want to use it," Grandpa Nick said, "you only need to focus your spiritual power on one of its levels, and the Wind and Sand Tower will create a sandstorm that spreads out from you. The levels correspond to the strength of the sandstorm. The first is the weakest, and the 108th is the strongest, with each level in between growing progressively stronger."

"So that's how it works." Fanxin hesitated no longer. He immediately bit his fingertip and dripped blood onto the top of the tower. The golden tower absorbed the blood as soon as it landed. A moment later, the tower began to glow and flew over to him of its own accord.

He could clearly sense a mysterious connection between himself and the golden tower. Then Fanxin took the Wind and Sand Tower into his body.

"First level." Fanxin focused his mind on the first level. A moment later, he found that a sandstorm had appeared around him, but it was so faint that it posed no threat to anyone.

"Hehe, so it's this easy to control," Fanxin said with a smile.

"That's right. But this thing is also very dangerous. Once you activate it, it won't disappear for several hours, even if you move your spiritual power away from the Wind and Sand Tower."

"So when you use it," Grandpa Nick said, "make sure your friends are either beside you or far enough away. Otherwise, they might get caught up in it and be unable to escape for hours."

"I understand," Fanxin said with a nod.

"Also, your parents had another reason for leaving you the Wind and Sand Tower. You must remember it."

Seeing Fanxin's puzzled look, Grandpa Nick continued, "Your parents hoped you would avoid killing whenever possible. The Soul Clan is a peace-loving race that keeps out of the world's conflicts. He didn't want you to become a bloodthirsty killing maniac for the sake of the clan. Every life is precious, so don't take another person's life lightly."

"And the Wind and Sand Tower can help you do that. It can drive away those pesky flies, so if you run into anyone difficult to deal with, use the Wind and Sand Tower to blow them away whenever possible. Don't kill them, understand?"

"I understand," Fanxin replied with a nod. It was his parents' wish, so naturally he would remember it.

"All right, go attend to your business. I won't see you off on the day you leave. Take care of yourself," Grandpa Nick said.

With that, he didn't wait for Fanxin to say anything. He immediately vanished underground. No matter how Fanxin called out, he refused to come out.

Fanxin felt utterly helpless and could only leave.

After returning to their residence, he began building a boat with Ren Fang and the Little Black Cat.

They needed a boat to leave this place. They didn't build it out of wood, but out of steel. A steel boat would be sturdier and more durable, and if anything went wrong, the Little Black Cat could inspect and repair it whenever needed.