Gray Gray flew swiftly, its four hooves treading the air as the wind it stirred up howled past their ears.
Si Chen sat on its back, watching the land race backward below.
The scenery had barely changed.
There were quite a few villages, though, with another coming into view every so often.
Mud-brick houses, fenced yards.
Whenever Si Chen passed one, he would habitually sweep it with his divine sense.
Then he discovered something even more noteworthy.
In quite a few villages, there were youngsters with spiritual roots.
By the Lower Realm's standards, their aptitudes were actually quite good.
One little girl washing clothes by a river had a clear, pure water spirit root and a natural affinity for water.
Another boy squatting at a village entrance playing with mud actually had a rare mutated wind spirit root.
If these children were in the Eastern Region, nourished by abundant spiritual energy from childhood and guided by renowned teachers, they might have been able to compete for a place on the Azure Profound Ranking after a few decades of diligent cultivation.
But here, without spiritual energy, they could only remain mortals their entire lives.
They would farm all their lives, draw water all their lives, then grow old and die.
Those gifts, that potential, were like seeds buried in the wrong soil, never given the chance to break through the earth.
His spiritual root, the grand and eventful life he should have had, would silently rot away in this barren land just like that.
At most, he would be a little healthier than ordinary people, a little stronger, and live a little longer.
That was all.
Gray Gray seemed to notice the gaze of the person on its back and turned its head with a bray.
Si Chen patted its neck.