The black speck grew larger and larger, clearer and clearer.
It was an island.
The island was not large. From a distance, it looked like a gray-black rock, bare and barren, with no trees, no grass, only a dull gray color. Several wisps of black smoke rose from the island in different directions, scattered by the sea wind, and mingled with the mist.
Lin Taichu flew closer and made out the island's appearance.
The terrain of the island was very flat, with almost no rises or dips. Pitted mine shafts were everywhere across the ground, with broken stones and waste slag piled beside them. On the eastern side of the island was a relatively level stretch of land, where dozens of low houses had been built. The houses were put together from stone and wooden planks, and looked very crude.
Several tall poles stood between the houses, with flags hanging from them.
Lin Taichu recognized one of the flags. It had a purple background, embroidered with the pattern of a sun. That was the flag of the Zixia Sect. Fang Ping had been right—the Zixia Sect's Forging Workshop was the largest, and the flag at its entrance was the largest as well. It could be seen from far away.
There were a few other flags beside it. Lin Taichu could not recognize them all, but he saw the Profound Heaven Sect's flag, with a gray background and an embroidered sword on it.
Lin Taichu found a flat rock at the edge of the island and landed on it.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he smelled a pungent odor. It was the scorched stink left after ore had been burned, mixed with the salty fishiness of seawater, and also an indescribable sour stench. Several smells churned together, making it