With the spring breeze at his back, his horse's hooves flew; holding his head high felt wonderful

"Um?"

"So you've been hiding it all along?!"

As he watched Gu De disappear quickly from the edge of the map, Chu Ping'an's expression immediately changed.

The next moment, he glanced at the ground in front of him again, and then said softly.

"Oh well, I'll have to go in eventually anyway, so it doesn't matter if it's a little earlier or later."

After saying that, Chu Ping'an stepped inside.

After sensing the direction briefly, he quickly followed in the direction Gu De had gone.

Swish swish swish --

In the distance, Gu De strode forward.

Behind them, Chu Ping'an chose the same method, also moving forward quickly.

This scene immediately attracted the attention of those who had chosen to sit cross-legged and meditate.

After glancing at Chu Ping'an, one of them spoke to the other.

"Being weaker has its advantages; at least their drive is something we can't match."

"If it were us, I'm afraid we wouldn't dare to use that speed."

"Judging from the way this kid is striding towards us, his strength probably doesn't even qualify him as a typical genius."

After all, in this place, the stronger you are, the less likely you are to go.

As the two were talking, Chu Ping'an suddenly stopped abruptly.

He then stood there, his expression slightly grim.

"Damn it, system, what's going on?"

Chu Ping'an asked the system, his voice tinged with urgency.

It wasn't that he encountered any obstacle or was unable to move forward, but rather that as he walked rapidly, he clearly felt an extremely unpleasant sensation with every step he took.

This feeling is not an illusion, but rather a sense of fundamental harm to oneself that arises from a clear understanding and control over oneself.

In other words, this place was able to damage his very foundation.

This is rather outrageous.

Whether it's reversible or not, he doesn't know, but judging from this feeling and the rate of increase with each step he takes...

Let alone catching up with Gu De, even taking a few more steps forward would make one doubt whether their body could handle it.

That's a bit strange.

You have to understand, Gu De, who's already run an unknown distance, and only started striding forward with ease after he'd gone quite far.

On the contrary, he had only gone a short distance, yet he was already like this.

Not far away, the two people who had been talking earlier glanced at Chu Ping'an, who had stopped.

One of them laughed.

"Could it be that he overheard our conversation and that's why we stopped?"

One person shook their head slightly, puzzled.

"But what's the point? Just to appear strong in our eyes? Even if someone is a genius at this age, how strong can they really be?"

"Yes."

The man nodded, glanced at Chu Ping'an, then looked away, and sighed.

"Young people like this are always too vain, always trying to prove something."

The stronger the power in a place, the shorter the distance they can travel.

But that's under the condition of giving it your all. If you deliberately stop and don't move forward, there are too many people who can do that. They stop as soon as they step into this area.

"Strength and weakness are nothing but empty titles."

"It would be more important to have the opportunity to go deeper inside."

"Unfortunately, young man, you don't understand these things yet."

During their conversation, Chu Ping'an also received a reply from the system.

At this moment, he looked up into the distance, and Gu De's figure had moved forward countless miles in the meantime.

"System, if you're saying it's because I'm strong, then what about Gu De?"

"Putting aside strength, even in terms of cultivation level, he's far superior to me. How could he possibly be unharmed?"

After a moment of silence, the system responded.

"Host, perhaps it's because Gu De is the protagonist."

"Because of the protagonist's halo?"

Chu Ping'an's face showed a hint of realization, and then he said...

"That's understandable."

"That makes sense."

After a pause, Chu Ping'an continued.

"To be honest, Gu De, the protagonist, is having a really fun time."

I know the benefits of being reborn in that Land of Contemplation. Now that I've ventured outside of that Land of Contemplation, the world has become even bigger, and yet my protagonist aura is still just as strong.

As he spoke, Chu Ping'an glanced in the direction where Gu De was currently located and frowned.

"Could this actually be something he benefits from here?"

"His current strength is already considerable; if he were to acquire Land That Cannot Be Controlled, it would be difficult to seize it unless another force wanted to take it."

"But someone like that might also be protected by powerful forces."

Upon realizing this, Chu Ping'an immediately became somewhat anxious.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at how this situation is unfolding, it's definitely not going to benefit them at all.

This protagonist's halo is huge, but if such a huge protagonist's halo can't benefit him, then it's just too frustrating.

Especially after trying so many times and still failing.

If we're really talking about it, now is the best opportunity.

If Gu De is protected, studied, or killed because of this incident, it will not be a good thing for him.

The problem right now is that he simply can't move forward.

Even if Gu De encountered some danger ahead, giving him an opportunity, he couldn't get past this.

Thinking about all this, Chu Ping'an, who was stuck in place and finding it difficult to move, felt a bit agitated.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Gu De, like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins, or a sheepdog running joyfully across the grassland, is galloping rapidly into the distance.

As the saying goes, "Riding the spring breeze, the horse's hooves are swift; it's truly exhilarating to be triumphant."

At this moment, even after so many lifetimes and so many years, Gu De couldn't help but feel excited.

Ever since those gold coins in his possession shattered without warning, nothing good has happened since.

Especially after leaving this place, each time what seemed like an opportunity turned out to be a bad one.

They watched helplessly as Li Baimei rose to such a position.

Such a contrast would certainly affect one's state of mind; that would be a lie.

But now, unexpectedly, things have turned out this way. Having arrived at this so-called place where Power That Cannot Be Controlled converge, I find myself thriving.

"It seems this is the place that suits me best."

"Let me see what benefits I can gain from this trip."

After Gu De finished speaking, in the far distance, a person in the void looked at Gu De with great interest and said softly.

"Hopefully you'll get something out of this place, otherwise, you're really of no value."