Qing Lin

In the endless yellow sand, a boy carrying a huge Black Ruler on his back, shirtless and wearing only shorts, was slowly walking, leaving a long string of deep footprints in the sand beneath his feet.

"Alright, that's about it for today's training." At that moment, an aged voice rang in the boy's ears.

Upon hearing this, the boy felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and collapsed into the scorching sand, panting heavily.

"Ah! I'm too lazy to even move a finger!" The boy was enjoying his time after surviving the ordeal. Even in such a harsh environment, he felt quite content.

"Look at you, you can't even handle a little hardship." The old man was somewhat displeased with the boy's dejected appearance.

At this moment, the boy suddenly stood up and complained, "Teacher, is this just a little bit of hardship? It's been a month already!"

The two speaking were naturally Xiao Yan and Elder Yao, who had been in the Tagor Desert for nearly a month.

Xiao Yan could have easily made his way out of the desert, but Elder Yao insisted on keeping him in this godforsaken place for a while longer.

This is especially true when they occasionally encounter small groups of the Snake-People Tribe, which they euphemistically call "training."

However, the effect was quite good. Xiao Yan's cultivation level had successfully advanced from a two- Dou Shi in the Magical Beast Mountain Range to a three-star Dou Shi.

"Teacher, how much longer do we have to stay in this desert? It's so boring here!" Xiao Yan asked, slightly bored, as he smeared some kind of red liquid on his body and felt the pain on his skin.

He had been in the Tagor Desert for a long time, and Xiao Yan really couldn't stand this training ground, which was even more uncomfortable than the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

As far as the eye can see, there are endless sand dunes, with occasional glimpses of wrecked remains buried beneath the yellow sand. Compared to the perilous Magical Beast Mountain Range, the most distinctive feature of the Tagor Desert is its desolation.

If it weren't for the occasional encounter with some unlucky Snake-People Tribe "friends," Xiao Yan would have given up long ago.

"If you can't even endure a little loneliness, how can you become a strong person!" The Elder Yao reprimanded him first, then added...

"Don't worry, I'll give you a day off today. Just a hundred miles ahead is Stone Desert City, where your elder brother lives."

Under Xiao Yan's expectant gaze, Elder Yao said, "You don't need to carry the Profound Heavy Ruler; just arrive before sunset."

"Thank you, teacher!" Xiao Yan said excitedly.

He then unleashed his Dou Qi and ran at full speed like a frolicking dog, finally entering the city before sunset.

"Humans! I've finally seen a human!" Looking at the bipedal creature walking in front of him, Xiao Yan's eyes filled with tears. He hadn't seen a single human in the Tagor Desert.

For humans, who are social animals, cities better meet Xiao Yan's needs.

Xiao HuoHuo, on the other hand, wandered around the city like a country bumpkin, ignoring the stares from the outside world, simply enjoying the presence of living people and marveling at the beauty of the world!

"Alright, now it's time to go find my older brother." After calming himself down, Xiao Yan got down to business. He was very concerned about accurate information about the Exotic Fire.

Even though he had searched for a lot of low-level Beast Fire in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and put in a lot of effort, he still managed to raise the Burning Flame Art to the middle level of the Yellow Rank.

In the end, Xiao Yan also gave up on this path. According to Elder Yao's estimate, if he wanted to advance the Burning Flame Art to the Beast Fire Black Rank, only those top-tier eighth-rank Beast Fire would have a slight chance.

Therefore, it would be more practical to find Exotic Fire.

"Mo Tie Mercenary Group... Where is the Mo Tie Mercenary Group?" Xiao Yan kept repeating the name of the mercenary group Xiao Ding belonged to, while looking around.

"Excuse me... are you looking for the Mo Tie Mercenary Group?" Just then, a clear voice rang in Xiao Yan's ears.

The latter looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw a girl dressed in light green, with delicate features, emerald green eyes, and carrying a vegetable basket in her hand.

"Yes!" Xiao Yan suddenly came to his senses and politely asked, "Excuse me, young lady, do you know the location of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group?"

"What do you want with the Mo Tie Mercenary Group?" The girl stared intently at Xiao Yan with her bright green eyes, not blinking.

"I was just visiting my family." Xiao Yan was also a little puzzled. Was the other party checking his household registration? Why did they have to ask him everything?

"Then please come with me, young master!" the girl said, turning and leaving.

"Could this young lady be a member of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group?" Xiao Yan asked, puzzled, as he quickly followed after her.

"What, doesn't it look like it?" The girl seemed to understand Xiao Yan's meaning, and turned around with a smile.

"The young lady is indeed a bit different from the mercenaries I had in mind, haha~" Xiao Yan scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled dryly.

The girl seemed to be slightly younger than him, and was as delicate as a porcelain doll, completely different from the burly mercenary men and wild mercenary women in his mind.

Moreover, they didn't seem to possess such cultivation, and considering the vegetable basket in their hand...

"She's probably just a maid!" Xiao Yan guessed to himself.

"May I ask how this young lady is addressed?" Xiao Yan asked, trying to make conversation.

"Qing Lin!" the girl said without turning her head.

"My name is Xiao Yan. I greet Miss Qing Lin," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Just as Xiao Yan uttered his name, Qing Lin suddenly turned around, three small dots appearing in her emerald eyes as she stared at him in surprise, making Xiao Yan feel a little uneasy.

"Your name is Xiao Yan?"

"That's right!" Xiao Yan asked, puzzled. "Is there a problem?"

"You're not here to see your older brother, are you?" Qing Lin suddenly said, a cute yet slightly sly smile playing on her lips.

"Hmm, how did you know?" Xiao Yan was surprised and tricked into revealing his knowledge. He then realized something was wrong and immediately shut his mouth.

"Oh, you're still trying to keep this a secret from me?" Qing Lin said with interest.

"Don't worry, you'll come looking for me soon. Follow me!" Qing Lin smiled mysteriously and turned to lead the way.

"Hmm, what a strange person!" Xiao Yan was quite puzzled by Qing Lin's unusual behavior.

However, he wasn't worried; a girl younger than himself wasn't a threat enough.

"Little Yanzi, I advise you not to underestimate this girl; she is very dangerous." Just as Xiao Yan relaxed his guard, Elder Yao suddenly spoke up to remind him.

"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xiao Yan asked, his expression faltering, but his steps remained unchanged.

"This girl's strength is at the Dou Ling Peak. If you face her, you're doomed," Elder Yao said solemnly.

"Dou Ling Peak?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in astonishment. "Teacher, how is this possible? She's not even fifteen years old yet, how can she be so strong?"

"The power of the number one extraordinary eye on the continent— the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils— is beyond your comprehension," Elder Yao mocked Xiao Yan.

He then exclaimed in admiration, "I never expected that such a small Stone Desert City would produce someone with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and one who can even cultivate it! Truly amazing!"