Xu Yi looked closely. Of the four cultivators riding fierce birds, two were at the Liquid Condensation Realm, while the other two were only at the Qi Sea Realm. All four were dressed like laborers, in short shirts that left their arms and thighs bare.
From a distance, he heard the four discussing some place where a massive warship was due to arrive. They were hurrying there to haul cargo and earn some extra money.
Xu Yi was overjoyed. He had been worried that, unfamiliar with the area, he might blunder into danger. He had not even dared approach any powerful cultivators, lest he provoke a dispute. The four men's arrival had come at just the right time to resolve his predicament.
At once, Xu Yi brought the Mechanical Bird down and blocked their path.
The four men turned pale with fright. The two Qi Sea Realm youths were so startled that they lost control of their fierce birds, which wobbled beneath them and nearly threw them off.
Then Xu Yi heard the youth with a ponytail transmit, "Why are there Soul Sensing experts around today? Is this some kind of nightmare?"
No one answered him. The short-haired man at the front hurriedly cupped his fists. "Greetings, Senior. We didn't know you were coming. What instructions do you have for us? If you need anything, we brothers won't hesitate to help."
The four brothers were among the lowest of the low around here, scraping by on manual labor. In ordinary times, they would never have ridden fierce birds out to sea. They would rather cross the mountains or take a small boat, since either option at least let them avoid powerful cultivators.
But news had arrived that a massive warship was coming to the western shore, and the brothers were