Leaving

"Bang."

The Old Patriarch slapped Su Ye on the head and scolded him, "Do you know what you've missed? Holding a Talisman Token doesn't just exempt you from the examination; it also lets you obtain a wealth of cultivation resources. And you just gave it up!"

Su Ye rubbed his head and looked at the Old Patriarch, pouting. "Do you really think I'm not strong enough to become a genius disciple of the Heaven Mending Pavilion?"

"This..."

The Old Patriarch froze for a moment. It was true: with Su Ye's strength, he could easily join any major power and receive their full support. "Even if you don't need it, you could give it to someone else. That Talisman Token is extremely precious. You could get a hefty price for it if you sold it."

What a waste! He'd actually given up something so important.

"The Heaven Mending Pavilion gave it to me as proof that they recognize my strength. If I casually sold it, wouldn't that be a slap in their face?"

Su Ye shook his head. He didn't tell the Old Patriarch what he'd seen. Instead, rubbing his hands together with a broad smile, he said, "Old man, I'm leaving. Does the clan have any treasures? Hurry up and hand them over."

"Get lost. You're not a disciple of my Wind Clan, so even if we had treasures, we wouldn't give them to you. Of course, if you're willing to marry my granddaughter, give me a chubby grandson, and then leave, I could give you a treasure."

"Forget it, then."

"Don't reject me so quickly. Why not think it over? A woman three years older than you is like a gold brick. I'll give you three gold bricks as her dowry!"

Outside the Wind Clan.

"Is he turning us down politely?"

A disciple of the Heaven Mending Pavilion spoke up. He was astonished by Su Ye's refusal. The Talisman Token was incredibly precious; even the major powers would struggle to get one. Yet someone had actually turned it down.

"Probably not."

Xia Youyu shook her head slightly. Su Ye's innocent smile rose in her mind. "That boy's eyes are very unusual. When he looked at the Talisman Token in my hand, it seemed as if runes appeared in them. But he was half a head shorter than me, and he had his head lowered, so I couldn't get a clear look.

"Still, I suspect Su Ye has a special talent that allows him to see certain threads of Karma."

She recalled his words: that before long, they would meet someone—a person unlike anyone else.

"Karma?"

The old woman beside her pondered for a moment, then said, "Speaking of Karma, I'm reminded of someone. They say the Rain Clan has two outstanding prodigies in this generation, known as the Rain Clan Twin Prodigies. One of them possesses Spirit-Connecting Divine Sense and can discern a stretch of Karma. Could this boy have a similar talent?"

Spirit-Connecting Divine Sense was a special talent. Though it couldn't compare with Double Pupil or the Supreme Bone, it still had extraordinary uses. It could sense danger in advance and even predict the future.

"It doesn't matter whether he does or not. I'm curious now—who is this person destined to cross our path?"

A smile touched Xia Youyu's lips, her bearing captivating, like a blooming Immortal Flower. She had a feeling this journey to the Western Frontier would bring great rewards.

"You're really just leaving like this?"

"What else should I do? Hold some kind of ceremony?"

Su Ye looked at the Old Patriarch, then thought of something. His face filled with anticipation. "Does the clan have some enormous treasure trove for me to inherit?"

"Where would we get an enormous treasure trove?"

The Old Patriarch was so annoyed he smacked Su Ye on the back of the head. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Why didn't you go with the people from the Heaven Mending Pavilion just now?"

"I want to cross the Great Wilderness alone and temper myself."

Su Ye spoke with determination. Little One and Qing Feng could cross the Great Wilderness, so there was no reason he couldn't make it across on his own.

The Old Patriarch looked at Su Ye's fired-up expression and asked helplessly, "Which direction is the Heaven Mending Pavilion?"

"..."

Su Ye blinked at the Old Patriarch, looking a little embarrassed. He gave an awkward chuckle. "Um, where is the Heaven Mending Pavilion?"

Though he was a transmigrator who knew plenty of things, he really didn't know where the Heaven Mending Pavilion was. What he knew of the future was only an outline of Destiny, like having read a history book; it didn't mean he knew everything about the past.

Besides, he'd never traveled far in his life. The farthest he'd ever gone was only a few thousand miles from the tribe.

The Old Patriarch was exhausted. The boy knew nothing and still wanted to run off. "I don't know exactly where the Heaven Mending Pavilion is, but I do know roughly which way it lies."

"Which way?"

"East."

The Old Patriarch replied. A glimmer of light flashed in his hand, and an ancient map appeared. It was drawn on animal hide and looked like it had seen countless years. Wormholes pocked many parts of it. He spread it out, pointed to a spot, and said, "Our Wind Clan is here. Head east from here...

"You'll need to go around this area. It's the site of an ancient battlefield. Countless years have passed, but it's still very dangerous. Go around it, and then...

"Forget it. If you get stuck, just grab a Fierce Beast and ask for directions. The Heaven Mending Pavilion isn't some tiny place. Even those Fierce Beasts know about it."

"..."

Su Ye stared at the Old Patriarch speechlessly. Was this really how he was giving directions? That was utterly irresponsible!

"Ahem."

The Old Patriarch coughed, looking a little embarrassed. "Um, don't look at me like that. I've never traveled far either. This map was handed down by our ancestors."

The Great Wilderness was vast, filled with endless mountain ranges, and those mountains were home to countless terrifying Fierce Beasts. That was why the tribes in the Great Wilderness almost never traveled far. Many people never left the territory around their tribe their entire lives.

Su Ye didn't hesitate. He put the map away, then looked at the old man before him. His expression grew serious. He bowed to the old man, then smiled and said, "Grandpa Patriarch, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

"Get going."

The Old Patriarch waved him off, as if shooing him away.

Su Ye turned and left.

The Old Patriarch watched Su Ye's departing back and sighed inwardly. After this farewell, would they ever see each other again?

Still, the boy was no pushover. He probably wouldn't die out there easily.

A hidden dragon emerging from the depths would surely soar to the ninth heaven.

Half a month later.

The world was shrouded in gray, steeped in an eerie aura.

Su Ye furrowed his brows as he looked at the deserted village before him. It didn't look as though it had been attacked, yet not a soul remained in the settlement.

Had they gone out?

Had they evacuated?

Su Ye dismissed the idea at once. Some houses still had cured meat hanging inside. If the villagers had evacuated, they wouldn't have left their food behind. Some tables still held meals that had barely been touched. And this wasn't the first deserted village he'd come across.

If they hadn't evacuated, where had everyone gone?

It couldn't be that they'd simply vanished into thin air!

Su Ye fell into thought. This couldn't have been the work of bandits or Fierce Beasts. Bandits would have taken the children and women and stolen the food.

As for Fierce Beasts?

The entire village would have been reduced to ruins, with blood everywhere. It wouldn't have been so clean and tidy. The scene before him made it seem as though the villagers had simply walked out of their homes and left.

"The world beyond really is full of strange things."

Su Ye sighed inwardly. Growing up, he'd heard the Old Patriarch tell him all about how terrifying and strange the outside world was, but he'd never taken it seriously.

All those strange and mysterious phenomena, he'd thought, were just Divine Abilities wielded by powerful beings. As long as he was strong enough, nothing would seem strange.

But now, Su Ye felt he'd been arrogant, underestimating this world. He'd thought that knowing the future meant he could do whatever he pleased.

Knowing was only knowing.

It didn't mean he could take anything lightly.

To thrive in this world, he didn't need knowledge of the future. He needed overwhelming strength. Strength was the foundation of everything.

Su Ye took a deep breath. Just as he was about to leave the Land of The Weird, a voice suddenly called to him from within his mind.

Soon, Su Ye's eyes lost their light. He stood there in a daze, then, his expression blank, began walking forward.