The Second Elder's voice wasn't loud. After she finished speaking, she simply gazed calmly at the pavilion.
Even though the pavilion was empty.
At that moment, the wind stopped.
"I've heard about it too." A hollow yet even voice rang out from the pond.
The voice was clearly male, but it was impossible to tell whether it belonged to someone old or young.
The Second Elder continued looking toward the pavilion. She said nothing, simply gazing that way.
After a long while, a helpless voice came from the pond:
"There is no need to look at me like that."
Only then did the Second Elder look away. The breeze rose once more.
When the wind died down, the Second Elder turned and left.
"Young master, we'll reach the Barren Grassland by noon. Our main destination this time is the Heavenly Pool River, so you'll stay at the Barren Grassland for no more than a week.
"After that, we'll have to hurry to the Heavenly Pool River." Zhen Wu spoke to Lu Shui aboard the train.
Lu Shui merely nodded without saying anything.
A week was enough time for him. The Lu Family didn't care whether he got any results, but he did.
He wanted a definite answer.
As for the Heavenly Pool River, he wasn't interested in it. It was just a place where people could achieve enlightenment. Enlightenment was for leveling up, and he had no worries about leveling up.
He had already entered Third Tier Comprehension.
His strength had increased by a great deal, but he still wasn't powerful.
As for advancing, the process had been utterly uneventful; it had happened as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
But after reaching the Third Tier, his advancement had begun to slow. It took about three days to absorb the power of a single attribute.
Overall, it would take nearly a month.
"It was a little faster than in my previous life, but it still feels slow.
"At this rate, it'll take two or three years just to reach the Sixth Tier. What's the point?" Lu Shui sighed inwardly. The Active Method was really too slow.
He was going to marry Mu Xue in three years. With only Sixth Tier strength, how could he break off the engagement?
By risking his life?
Only if he was powerful could he do whatever he wanted to Mu Xue.
"Looks like I need to find a way to break through Mu Xue's Primordial Qi." Lu Shui began to mull it over.
But he would have to wait until after the Heavenly Pool River to make any concrete plans.
After all, once he was done with the Heavenly Pool River, he should have plenty of free time.
For now, he had to deal with the threat of Pollution.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Shui asked:
"By the way, has anything happened over at the Barren Grassland?"
"A few things. I heard there were two earthquakes, possibly man-made, but no one has found their source.
"They happened over half a month ago.
"Some people suspect a precious treasure may have appeared." Zhen Wu explained.
"What about the Pollution?" Lu Shui asked again.
As for the precious treasure, there was no need to concern himself with it. The chances were slim. If it really were a precious treasure, his family wouldn't have sent him there.
After all, when a precious treasure appeared, it was always the older generation who fought over it. What sense would it make for young people to try and snatch it?
What was the difference between Second or Third Tier strength and a death wish?
"There are some traces of Pollution on the Barren Grassland, but it hasn't caused any major effects.
"The current theory is that it's due to the environment. They've conducted some tests on the Barren Grassland, and it seems the place can stop Pollution from spreading." Zhen Wu said.
Lu Shui nodded. That was probably why the Lu Family cared even less.
What could they do about a natural disaster?
Noon.
Lu Shui and the others got off the train by a stretch of coastline. The Barren Grassland had no official train station.
As for why the train could stop on the coast, it was because although it was called a train, it could travel across the sea.
Not just the sea—even snowfields, deserts, swamps, and forests were all within its reach.
If necessary, it could even fly.
That was cultivation for you.
Lu Shui got off the train and started walking inland.
Though it was called the Barren Grassland, it was actually a huge island.
Of course, there was hardly any grassland here. Trees were far more common, and they weren't withered or dead.
On the surface, the environment seemed quite pleasant, with lush trees and lush flora.
But in reality, the place lacked a certain "vitality." It was something impossible to describe. Without it, the island had none of the Spiritual Energy that nourished all things.
So there were no Spirit Beasts here, nor any ordinary animals.
Across the entire Barren Grassland, there were no ordinary living creatures apart from plants.
The Chiu Ling Birds were the exception. They were the only ones suited to this place—or perhaps they simply liked it because they had no natural enemies here.
Lu Shui wandered along the road without any particular destination. He was just planning to walk around.
Perhaps if he kept walking, he would stumble upon a clue.
As for the people from the Lu Family stationed there, he had no intention of meeting them. After all, they had made no new discoveries.
He hadn't walked far when something suddenly came flying toward him. Lu Shui took a glance. It looked like a person, probably a woman.
If he reached out to help, he should be able to catch her.
Then Lu Shui took a big step backward, deliberately clearing some space so she could fall without worry.
With a thud, the person crashed to the ground right in front of Lu Shui.
She even rolled twice.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
Despite her cries, she quickly got back up. But when she was about to run, she suddenly spotted Lu Shui and the other two and jumped in fright, instinctively retreating a few steps.
When she saw that they weren't reacting, she decided to leave.
But before going, she kindly called out:
"There's someone up ahead blocking the road and attacking people. I suggest you turn back right away."
With that, she left without another word.
Lu Shui was a little surprised. Mostly, he thought the girl looked familiar. She was young, probably not yet an adult.
Cultivation: 2.3. Good talent.
But he couldn't remember who she was.
There was no helping it. Aside from a few people in his family, he'd forgotten most people.
It had been far, far too long.
He'd have to think carefully before he could remember.
But he didn't feel like trying.
Lu Shui had only just thought about it when he suddenly heard the sounds of countless bugs.
He turned to look. A great swarm of Spirit Insects came flying from ahead, surrounding them. Some of them also rushed after the girl who had just fled.
It wasn't long before the girl was driven back.
Zhen Wu and Zhen Ling had already come to Lu Shui's side:
"Young master, be careful. They may be from Insect Valley."
Insect Valley was a place where people specialized in raising insects.
Some of the people in Insect Valley who had reached a high level of cultivation looked human, but might actually be made entirely of insects.
While other people had blood flowing through their veins, they might have larvae crawling through theirs.
In short, they were pretty disgusting.
But they were also pretty hard to deal with.
Mm.
That was what his father thought.
Soon, another woman was forced back toward them. She landed unsteadily on the ground, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
As soon as she was driven back, she called to the girl from earlier:
"Miss, come behind me."
The girl obeyed, darting behind the maid in an instant.
"Third Tier Peak. Decent cultivation, and good talent too. Looks like she's a maid.
"Do maids have such good talent?" Lu Shui wondered.
But he really had never checked the talent of the maid beside his mother. He hadn't even checked her cultivation. Give it a few more days, and he might forget what she looked like.
Then Lu Shui stopped thinking about it and looked toward the air ahead.
A young man was hovering in mid-air on a sword, his face dark as he looked at Lu Shui and the others.
Then a voice full of authority rang out:
"I, Liu Huo, Young Sect Master of the Hidden Heaven Sect, am handling business here. Who gave you permission to approach?
"Get out of here!"
Before you continue