The Outside World

Only after complete silence had returned to the surroundings, without the slightest sound remaining, did the man in white slowly step out of the cabinet.

He walked up to Lin Qing, his gaze falling on his youthful face, and asked, "Just now, when I threatened you with a dagger, you were startled but not afraid. Why was that?"

Lin Qing's heart tightened. He knew that before this powerful outsider, too many lies would only invite greater danger. If he were found out, he might suffer an undeserved calamity.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to tell the truth. Carefully raising his head, he looked at the ring on the man's hand and asked in a low voice, "Senior... is that a Storage Ring?"

Although the man was not much older than Lin Qing, this was the world of cultivation, where the accomplished were revered. The man before him was clearly of the senior generation.

Hearing this, the man in white revealed an interested smile and looked Lin Qing up and down. "You actually recognize a Storage Ring? By all rights, your region should not have such things."

Lin Qing said awkwardly, "It can store things, and it looks like a ring."

This also confirmed some of his suspicions. During this period, he had learned that the Summer Kingdom was surrounded by endless dense forests and towering mountain ranges. Back then, he had suspected that the kingdom he lived in was a forgotten corner of the world, with a far broader world beyond it.

Of course, it was not as though the kingdom's experts had never tried exploring outward. Yet not a single person who ventured deep into the forests ever returned. They had all vanished completely into the vast mountains.

The man in white before him had reached Third-Tier Peak at eighteen or nineteen, and he possessed a Storage Ring that had never appeared in this region. Every one of these signs indicated that he was a visitor from the outside world.

The man said nothing further. He immediately took a set of coarse gray clothes from his Storage Ring and put them on, intending to leave directly after daybreak.

Seeing that the man had stopped speaking, Lin Qing felt uneasy as well. But he did not want to miss this chance to gather information. What if this land was a dead zone, one that required a special passage to enter and leave? In the future, when he could no longer improve his strength in this kingdom, would he have to venture into the unknown forests like everyone else and gamble on his luck?

Now, an outsider stood right before him. This was the perfect chance to learn about the outside world and seek a way out. Moreover, from what he had seen so far, the man did not seem to be someone who slaughtered innocents wantonly.

Thus, Lin Qing found an opening to strike up a conversation. "Senior, are you planning to swagger out after daybreak?"

First, he would show some concern and improve the man's impression of him, making it easier to ask questions afterward.

Yet the moment the man heard this, he immediately became rather smug.

"What do you know! My movement technique is Heaven Rank. Those people not only failed to see my face clearly, they probably did not even see my figure clearly. I only hid here for the night to be safe, to avoid the time when the uproar was at its height. By dawn, those martial artists will have searched all night and be exhausted. Once I change out of these white clothes, swaggering out will actually be much safer."

"So that's how it is. Thank you, Senior, for clearing up my confusion. However, there is something I wish to ask you." Lin Qing raised his head, his gaze fervent. Without waiting for the man's response, he continued, "How can one leave this kingdom?"

Hearing this, the man found the youth before him even more interesting. His strength was too weak to be worth mentioning, yet his ambition and courage were considerable. After thinking for a moment, he simply sat down and began explaining to Lin Qing.

"Your Summer Kingdom lies deep in the heartland of the Ten-Thousand Mountains, surrounded on all sides by the Fierce Beast Mountains and cut off from the world. This time, I had followed the elders of my clan into the Ten-Thousand Mountains to train and broaden my horizons. Unexpectedly, we encountered a Sixth-Tier demonic beast, and our party was scattered. I only survived by relying on my family's Heaven Rank movement technique, struggling and weaving through the mountains until I stumbled into this place by chance."

Lin Qing held his breath and listened intently, quietly waiting for what came next. The man continued.

"To leave the Ten-Thousand Mountains, it is simple enough. Pick a direction and keep walking forward. As long as you can survive the demonic beasts along the way, you will be able to get out."

Lin Qing knew the matter could not truly be so simple, and he immediately asked in confusion.

"As far as I know, people in this region have done just that, and quite a few at that. But I have never heard of anyone succeeding. Is there some hidden reason behind this? I hope Senior can tell me."

Looking at Lin Qing, the man spoke with a trace of regret in his voice.

"From the information I have gathered during this time, the cultivation path in your Summer Kingdom is still incomplete. Everyone is stuck at the Viscera Realm, which is what you call Fourth Tier. You have yet to find the path to break through into the Fifth Tier Meridian-Opening Realm.

"In these Ten-Thousand Mountains, Fourth-Tier beasts are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, Fifth-Tier ones can be found everywhere, and more than one Sixth-Tier demonic beast prowls within. For mere Fourth-Tier Martial Artists to dream of crossing it is nothing but the delusion of fools. Those people never returned because they simply became food for demonic beasts.

"Even I am currently trapped here, able only to wait for the elders of my clan to find me."

The path to the Fifth Tier was cut off? Could his system possibly force it open? Yet this was not the time to ask. If the method of breaking through to the Fifth Tier was some secret, asking so rashly would be rather impolite.

Seeing Lin Qing fall silent, the man understood what he was thinking. He shook his head and smiled.

"All right. In the outside world, this is no secret. I may as well tell you.

"After the Fourth Tier, if one wishes to break through, one must awaken Divine Sense. Use the power of Divine Sense to sense the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, then guide it to strike through the body's blocked meridians, opening channels for spiritual energy to circulate. That is the Fifth Tier, the Meridian-Opening Realm."

At this point, he paused slightly, and a hint of regret appeared on his face.

"However, awakening Divine Sense requires a special treasure: a Visualization Diagram. Ordinary Visualization Diagrams are nothing precious to me. But I am only at the Third Tier at present, so I did not bring one with me. Otherwise, I could have given one to an interesting lad like you and helped you open the gate of Divine Sense."

Lin Qing felt quite regretful upon hearing this.

Then the man casually took out a smooth, lustrous white jade bottle from his Storage Ring and tossed it to Lin Qing.

"This bottle of Earthheart Marrow was obtained by me in the Azure Sun Mountains. Those martial artists outside are searching for me because of this item. They only know that I obtained something, but they do not know exactly what it is.

"The martial artists of this land are truly short-sighted. A mountain range usually inhabited only by First- and Second-Tier savage beasts suddenly produced a Fourth-Tier Savage Beast. They actually thought that Fourth-Tier Savage Beast was the greatest opportunity, fighting it outside to the death, only for me to pluck the peach in the end.

"I find you interesting, so I will share some with you. This thing can clear the mind and nourish the spirit. Taking a drop while comprehending cultivation techniques can help you gain insight more quickly.

"Treasure must not be easily shown to others. This is ordinary to me, but to martial artists of your kingdom, it is already exceptionally precious."

Lin Qing hurriedly caught the jade bottle. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, while a faint fragrance seeped from within. He immediately cupped his hands in thanks.

"Thank you, Senior, for this generous gift. This junior is deeply grateful."

"All right, stop calling me Senior over and over. My name is Sun Shaoping, and I am only eighteen. You're making me sound old. Kid, if you truly manage to leave these mountains someday, come find me at the Sun Family in the Qi Kingdom."

With that, without waiting for Lin Qing to react further, he swaggered away beneath the gradually brightening sky.