[Panshui Town]

"Backed by an oasis, with a lake before it. The wind and sand hold no fear here—a fine place."

Wu Dao strode like a dragon and tiger toward the setting sun. Feeling the cool moisture in the air, he used the fading light to take in Panshui Town.

Crescent Isle was vast.

Mountain peaks towered into the clouds, and endless forests stretched farther than the eye could see. Nestled at the foot of the mountains, Panshui Town lay embraced by the broad, crystal-clear waters of Crescent Lake.

Like a green jewel in an immense world of yellow sand, it had something of Shangri-La about it. In peaceful times, it would have been enough to make anyone linger.

But these were not peaceful times.

And he had not come to admire the scenery.

Gurgle~

Hunger burned in his belly like fire.

After racing at his limit for seventy or eighty li, Wu Dao had long since drained every last bit of energy from his body.

He was exhausted and starving, coated in dust from head to toe.

At that moment, all he wanted was to find somewhere to feast, wash up, and recover before looking into the Strange Treasure.

Driven by hunger,

Wu Dao strode forward. Though he still seemed to be at the far end of the road, after just a few blinks, his imposing figure had reached the gatehouse.

Seeing two quivering bean sprouts guarding the entrance with wooden spears, he instinctively furrowed his brow, thinking they meant to question him.

Little did he know, that simple frown made Li San's legs go weak. He felt like a bear from the old forest had fixed its gaze on him, and nearly dropped to his knees.

"Sir, you've traveled far, and your honored arrival is—er—a blessing beyond a lifetime. Your presence brings glory to our humble establishment... Please, come in."

Li San trembled as he rattled off every welcoming phrase he knew, bowing and scraping like some rare breed of fool inviting an enemy into his home.

"Sir, you must be tired and hungry. The Fragrant Pavilion in town offers first-rate food and lodging. We guarantee you'll feel right at home. All the heroes who've come lately are staying there, and the reviews have been fantastic."

Zhao Si didn't hold back either. He smiled obsequiously and carefully directed Wu Dao, even giving him detailed directions to the Fragrant Pavilion in case he couldn't find it.

Am I really that scary?

Wu Dao was somewhat baffled by the two men's groveling, but Zhao Si's last words made his expression change.

The heroes who've come lately...

They're all staying there...

Does everyone know about the Strange Treasure?

Could someone have already beaten me to it?

"Enough! Tell me everything important that's happened in Panshui Town recently."

Feeling a little annoyed,

Wu Dao's voice rang like thunder as he sharply rebuked the two men, who were still babbling and flattering him.

"Yes, yes, of course. Your humble servant will tell you everything."

The two jolted in fright and immediately recounted everything that had happened in Panshui Town, like schoolchildren being called to account.

The Bone-Melting incident at Canyun Mountain... treasure seekers from all directions... strange entities wreaking havoc in town...

One incident after another.

They explained every last detail, leaving nothing out.

What interested Wu Dao most was that no one had yet seen the so-called "Strange Treasure" in Canyun Mountain, nor could anyone say whether it was alive or inanimate!

Over the past few days, one martial artist after another had combed through Canyun Mountain, all to no avail. Quite a few had already decided it was just a rumor that had grown in the telling, and left cursing.

Canyun Mountain?

Wu Dao glanced toward the mountain deep in the oasis and made a note of it. He had little doubt in his mind, though; after resting and recovering, he planned to investigate Canyun Mountain himself that night.

As for the strange entities that might be lurking in town...

Honestly, he wasn't interested, and he didn't ask any more about them.

He had dealt with that sort of thing at the Red Fire Mine. It was invisible and intangible, and brute force was useless; it could only be killed with spiritual force. If it didn't come after him, he couldn't even eat it.

Having gotten the information he wanted,

Wu Dao didn't linger at the town gate. With his bundle on his back, he strode into Panshui Town as Li San and Zhao Si watched him go with relieved expressions.

Dusk had fallen.

Shadows blurred through Panshui Town, and its depths had already faded from view. Water trickled by his ears through the channels drawn from Crescent Lake.

Wu Dao strode down the road.

The doors and windows of nearly every house along the way were shut tight. The residents he saw looked listless and fearful, hurrying along. The whole town was shrouded in a stifling, deathly quiet.

It made sense.

Never mind the strange goings-on inside Canyun Mountain, which made people blanch at the mere mention of them. Panshui Town itself was now packed with all sorts of people, and strange entities were secretly at work, claiming lives.

In such circumstances,

there weren't many ordinary people who could remain calm. Staying put instead of fleeing with their families already spoke of deep roots in their hometown.

Such was the humility of the common folk.

Faced with oppression by the powerful, threats of violence, or fear of the unknown, they had no choice but to keep silent and leave their fate to heaven.

"'My fate is mine to command, not heaven's' may sound like a tired old cliché, but the spirit of self-reliance it expresses never goes out of date. No matter the world we live in, only by possessing strength of our own can we take control of our lives."

Wu Dao's expression was indifferent as he looked away from the desolate, suffering scene around him. Hunger drove him to quicken his pace toward the Fragrant Pavilion.

The joys and sorrows, kindness and cruelty, love and hate of the human world—he had seen far too much of them over the sixty years of his previous life. He had witnessed them and lived through them, yet he had never once stopped or been moved.

Because he had understood one thing long ago—

Without eternity, all things were empty.

Things fated to vanish were no more than reflections of flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, whether they left one's heart troubled or fulfilled, stirred one's blood or passed unnoticed.

If he let himself feel pity and empathy, linger and grow attached, then before the merciless laws of nature and the vast torrent of time, he would be swept away and shattered in an instant.

Only by swimming against the current and constantly surpassing himself, until he became immovable and imperishable, could he find the true meaning of life!

Following the aroma of food and wine,

he turned down several streets, finally hearing the bustle of voices and catching sight of some liveliness.

Wu Dao lifted his eyes.

Both sides of the deep street were lined with inns and taverns, their flags fluttering. Martial artists carrying sabers and swords and exuding confidence came and went in scattered groups.

Small vendors were dotted along the street as well, hawking their wares in the dusk. Most of the things they sold seemed related to cultivation, though who knew if they were genuine.

Listening closely,

he could hear the clatter of woks in the inns' kitchens, the waiters' ingratiating greetings, and the hearty calls of men playing drinking games. Their voices intertwined and echoed, creating a world entirely different from the deathly silence outside.

The jarring contrast made him feel as though he had passed through time and space.

Looking at the vivid figures on the street, each brimming with the air of the martial world, and taking in the human warmth of this otherworld,

Wu Dao's soul finally broke free from the ordinary, frigid Steel Jungle and gradually blended into this brand-new world, so vast and magnificent, so full of wonders and upheaval.

Novelty, curiosity, anticipation...

After three months of suppressing them,

they surged up like water from a burst dam. He could hardly resist throwing back his head and shouting to the sky.

But Wu Dao's mind was exceptionally resolute. He quickly reined in his surging emotions, kept his eyes straight ahead, and walked directly toward the liveliest spot of all—the Fragrant Pavilion.

"Whoa, what a mighty warrior! He doesn't look like he's from the Southern Frontier, does he?"

"Look at those arms—good heavens, they're thicker than my waist! How many kids can he eat in one sitting?"

"Keep your voice down. He might slap your head right into your belly."

"Probably another big shot fooled by the rumor. There isn't a damn Strange Treasure here."

Exclamations, wary murmurs, whispered comments...

As he passed, people talked in hushed voices.

Wu Dao heard them, but kept his face impassive and treated them as if they were nothing.

He knew that his current savage appearance was enough to make hearts quake. Wherever he went, he was bound to draw everyone's attention.

If he took every idle remark to heart and started shouting threats or killing people at the drop of a hat, he might as well hide in the mountains—otherwise, he'd be driven mad in a single day.

So,

he simply let their words blow past like wind in his ears.

At the entrance to the three-story Fragrant Pavilion,

the young waiter greeting guests felt the light dim. He looked up and saw Wu Dao, who resembled a savage bear of a beast, and was instantly scared pale.

"Sir, are you... here to eat... or to stay the night?"

But professional training made him force a smile and greet Wu Dao, even as his legs trembled.

"Food, drink, lodging, and sleep."

Wu Dao answered flatly with four words. With the waiter bowing and scraping as he led the way, he entered the Fragrant Pavilion's bright, spacious hall.

"One honored guest!"

The waiter called toward the inner hall in a trembling voice, then hurriedly retreated.

His towering shadow spilled into the hall in the evening sun, and his blazing, masculine presence swept through like a surging tide—as if a King of Ten Thousand Beasts had charged into a pack of stray dogs.

The bustling hall fell silent at once. Men and women alike stiffened and turned to study Wu Dao.

When they saw his physique, like some primeval beast, their eyes all trembled and their legs went weak. A few who overreacted had even clutched the knives and swords on their tables.

Wu Dao met the frightened, darting gazes and calmly swept his eyes around the room. Seeing that not a single seat was empty, he couldn't help frowning.

But then,

he spotted a group of "acquaintances," and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

In the corner,

four burly men with a wild air sat with their chests and arms bare. Curved sabers hung at their waists, and scarves wrapped their heads, giving them an exotic look.

Ever since Wu Dao entered the Fragrant Pavilion, the four had kept their heads lowered and trembled, looking as if they were terrified he'd notice them.

These four

were the four lucky stragglers who had escaped from the band of "sand bandits" earlier.

"Um... heh heh, waiter, the bill, please."

Perhaps Wu Dao's gaze was too frightening.

The four "sand bandits" finally couldn't take it anymore. They swallowed, forced an awkward laugh, and hurried to get up and vacate the table.

They paid in a rush and practically fled the Fragrant Pavilion.

The psychological shadow Wu Dao had left them with was too great. They could still feel a bone-deep chill whenever they recalled the severed limbs flying everywhere, torn off by hand.

They had thought they'd finally escaped the nightmare.

But the fiend had actually "chased" them here. At the first sight of him, they had nearly wet themselves. They only wanted to get as far away as possible and had no thought of revenge whatsoever.

Wu Dao glanced at the four "sand bandits" fleeing in terror, but didn't stop them or think of chasing after them.

In the end,

the four were simply too weak.

They weren't worth his notice and weren't even in the same food chain as him.

Powerful predators in nature never needed to take the lives of weak creatures outside their diet to prove their own strength.

With no stake in it, unless the four went looking for death, they couldn't affect Wu Dao's mood in the slightest. Killing them would only waste his energy and give him no sense of accomplishment.

The waiter was quick on his feet.

He swiftly cleared away the leftover food from the table.

After wiping it clean, he poured Wu Dao some tea.

The waiter presented two pages of menu and asked carefully, "Sir, what would you like? We can't make any claims about anything else, but we always have plenty of fish and meat."

Wu Dao casually glanced over the two thin pages of the menu. Most of the dishes were indeed fish, probably because the place faced Crescent Lake.

His stomach burned with hunger.

He had no interest in picking and choosing. Tossing the menu aside, he rumbled, "Bring me one of every meat dish on here. No wine."

"Uh..."

The waiter was startled. There were at least twenty dishes with meat on the menu, big and small. Could anyone really finish all that?

But then he thought better of it. Martial artists naturally had enormous appetites, and Wu Dao was even bigger than most.

"Sir, please wait a moment."

After refilling Wu Dao's tea, the waiter quickly took the menu and hurried off to notify the kitchen.

While he waited for the food to arrive,

Wu Dao formally surveyed the diners in the hall.

His Beast King Limit Physique had greatly enhanced his senses. He could easily judge a person's strength from their Vitality and Spirit.

After looking around, he felt slightly disappointed.

Though most of the diners looked strong and vigorous, he estimated that they were only at the Nurturing Strength stage, the first realm of Foundation Establishment.

Even the few with unusual auras weren't beyond the Inner Strengthening Realm.

Then again, it made sense.

After all, Guangqing Prefecture was just a small place. Learning to write was for the poor, while learning martial arts was for the rich. Add in the constraints of one's innate qualities, and cultivation had always been a luxury.

Most people could spend their entire lives and exhaust their family fortunes, yet still only struggle within the Foundation Establishment Realm.

In circumstances like these,

the Divine Strength Realm was more than enough to make someone a local big shot, with the pride and restraint to match. They wouldn't mingle and laugh with this bunch of "peasants" in the main hall.