Chapter 36: Growth

For a long time, the sugar melted.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tree canopy, and a single beam landed on Xu Qing's face, melting into his heart's depths, much like the sugar, soothing his sorrow.

After a moment, Xu Qing silently opened his eyes. He gazed at the beam of light, followed it to its source in the sky where the sun shone, then lowered his head to look at the elder's tombstone, letting out a soft sigh.

"Captain Lei," he murmured, "may you have a safe journey."

Xu Qing stood up and bowed deeply. As he turned, he forcefully suppressed all his vulnerability deep within his heart. He also buried the last trace of his youthful innocence here, alongside Captain Lei, ensuring it would never resurface.

Fate had offered him a glimmer of warmth, but now the world had cruelly snatched it away. This was the helplessness of the mortal realm, yet Xu Qing knew he had no choice but to continue on this path of life.

His eyes slowly regained their sharpness, acquiring a newfound depth. His aura gradually became sharper, imbued with a touch of maturity.

In a flash, bathed in the sunlight, Xu Qing sped towards the edge of the jungle. His figure was incredibly fast, darting through the patches of light. Yet, a closer look would reveal a lingering desolation about him, a gloom that even the sunlight could not quickly dispel. It had deepened into a profound loneliness, growing deeper and deeper, and colder and colder.

Like a wolf cub growing up in a cruel jungle, he had matured somewhat in his solitude, inching closer to becoming a true lone wolf.

Time flowed on, and soon a day had passed. Xu Qing's figure moved ceaselessly through the jungle until, as the twilight glow descended, he finally stepped out of the forbidden zone and back into the human world.

However, the area he emerged into was not the camp's vicinity, but another direction entirely. He had no intention of returning to the camp. The death of Captain Lei's enemy would inevitably have repercussions. The organization the enemy belonged to could operate throughout the Southern Phoenix Continent, indicating immense power. Even though only an insignificant person had died, there was a high probability that an investigation would still ensue. Xu Qing could not gamble on this.

Most importantly, there was the death of the camp leader. Xu Qing had heard Captain Lei speak of the Golden Steel Sect. While the enemy's organization might have been a "strong dragon" operating across the continent, the Golden Steel Sect was the undisputed "local snake" here. It was the most powerful force in this vast surrounding area. Dozens of cities and scavenger camps in this region were, to varying degrees, connected to the Golden Steel Sect, directly or indirectly under its control. Their sect's Old Ancestor had even reached the Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

To the people and scavengers living in this area, Foundation Establishment was akin to an immortal realm. Though few had truly witnessed it, the pressure and deterrence emanating from a Foundation Establishment cultivator instilled awe and reverence in everyone's hearts.

Therefore, Xu Qing understood clearly that having killed two Golden Steel Sect elders, he would inevitably face the sect's wrath first. The solution to this problem was also quite simple: he needed a more powerful force to deter the Golden Steel Sect, preventing them from acting rashly. This force was the Seven Blood Eyes. To the nearby cities and camps, the Golden Steel Sect was a behemoth. But to the Golden Steel Sect itself, the Seven Blood Eyes was the true towering presence. Even with a hundred times their courage, the Golden Steel Sect would not dare provoke the Seven Blood Eyes. So Xu Qing knew that as long as he became a disciple of the Seven Blood Eyes, the immediate danger could be temporarily averted.

Thus, as he emerged from the forbidden zone, he touched the Seven Blood Eyes token in his satchel, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes. He intended to journey to the Seven Blood Eyes!

The Seven Blood Eyes was extremely far from here. Ordinary people would often spend several years attempting the journey, during which they would have to cross mountains and brave numerous dangers. However, for someone holding a token, it was considerably simpler. The back of the token was engraved with a map of the Seven Blood Eyes, along with numerous raised points, each marking the location of a Seven Blood Eyes branch city. Possessing the token and entering any branch city granted one a single free teleportation. The closest such city was Antler City, which lay in the opposite direction from Pine Wave City.

Unlike Pine Wave City, gaining entry to Antler City not only required more spiritual coins but also a recommendation from a Seven Blood Eyes disciple. That was why Captain Lei had been unable to enter it before.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing turned back for a deep glance at the forbidden zone. After a moment, he spun around and sped off into the twilight, his destination Antler City.

"By my calculations, I can reach Antler City in at most three days," Xu Qing estimated silently. He had never visited Antler City, but its name was not unfamiliar, as it was located not far from the city where he had lived for six years, now a ruin. Under the cover of night, Xu Qing's speed in the wilderness grew steadily faster.

Time flowed on, and two days passed. Xu Qing's decision not to return to the camp was indeed correct. Currently, dozens of disciples from the Golden Steel Sect were coldly awaiting at the scavenger camp. Seven or eight of them had even ventured into the jungle to search. The reason they learned of this so quickly was the mixed nature of the scavengers; there were all sorts of people with different agendas. Unless everyone was killed, there was bound to be an informant.

Thus, when the news reached the Golden Steel Sect, the entire sect was enraged. For the Golden Steel Sect, the death of two elders was an immense matter, and a blatant challenge to their reputation. Therefore, they not only needed to resolve it quickly but also use it to assert their dominance. However, after a long wait, Xu Qing did not appear. The forbidden zone was too vast for them to be certain if he had entered it, and with the vast wilderness outside, the Golden Steel Sect's manpower was inevitably spread thin. Consequently, two days passed with no results. To make matters worse, the incident uncontrollably spread, reaching the ears of all cities and scavengers within the Golden Steel Sect's sphere of influence. This only fueled the Golden Steel Sect's fury further after their fruitless search.

At this moment, angry shouts emanated from the summit of the Golden Steel Sect's mountain. The Golden Steel Sect's mountain gate was not particularly far from Pine Wave City. Situated on a mountain peak, it was lavishly constructed, boasting hundreds of disciples and numerous powerful experts. The furious roar echoing throughout the entire sect originated from the grand hall at the summit.

"Still haven't found him?"

Inside the hall, a middle-aged man in a golden robe sat at the head of the table. His expression was stern, his eyes filled with rage. The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from his body spread outwards in his anger, imbued with immense pressure. Below him stood two figures. Both were middle-aged men, also clad in golden robes, their spiritual energy fluctuations notably strong, surpassing even those of a camp leader. They both frowned, and after a moment, one of them spoke in a low voice.

"Sect Leader," he began, "the wilderness is too vast. Why not mobilize the city guards and the scavengers from the camps to search together? That way, we could find him in three days at most."

"Aren't we enough of a laughingstock already?" the Golden Steel Sect Leader at the head roared. "Two elders killed by a mere child, a camp massacred – if we ask them for help, what face will our Golden Steel Sect have left?!"

The two below him fell silent, no longer speaking.

After a moment, the Golden Steel Sect Leader took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with killing intent. He pointed at the two figures below him. "Elder Li, Elder Chen," he commanded, "you are both at the peak of Qi Condensation Layer Nine. Either of you could easily slay that child. I have already petitioned the Old Ancestor. I intend to borrow two tracking talismans from him for you. Once he agrees, you will personally go out. No matter what method you use, I want that child's head within twelve hours!"

Upon hearing that the Old Ancestor was aware of this matter, the two elders below immediately assumed solemn expressions.

The Golden Steel Sect Leader's gaze was frigid. After speaking, he took out a jade slip, about to inquire with the Old Ancestor. But just then, a cold snort suddenly rumbled from outside the grand hall, like a peal of thunder. The sound was so immense that both elders felt their minds intensely tremble. Even the Sect Leader's expression changed, and he immediately rose. As he quickly descended, an elder clad in a golden-red long robe strode into view from outside the hall.

The elder was tall and ruddy-faced, his white hair disheveled. Within his eyes, lightning seemed to flicker, obscuring their inherent gloom. As he walked, a powerful spiritual energy, far surpassing that of Qi Condensation, boomed outwards in all directions. Wherever he passed, cracks appeared in the ground. The aura surrounding him formed a swirling storm. A closer look would even reveal that his feet were not touching the ground, but rather he was walking on air. His ability to walk on air was not a trick of wind manipulation, but true aerial traversal. Furthermore, faintly visible behind him, was an illusory image resembling an enraged Vajra, as if its full power, once unleashed, would be too much for the grand hall to bear.

His arrival immediately caused the three individuals inside the hall to kneel in unison. "Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

The Golden Steel Sect Old Ancestor said nothing. After walking to the head seat and sitting down, he coldly regarded the three figures below him, his lightning-like gaze finally settling on the Sect Leader. "Yun Wen, have you forgotten the Golden Steel Sect's creed?!"

Sweat beaded on the Sect Leader's forehead as he immediately responded. "Reporting to Old Ancestor, Yun Wen has not forgotten. Our Golden Steel Sect's consistent creed is to refrain from action unless necessary, but once we act, it must be with the sharp and unyielding power of gold, delivering a mighty blow. That is why I arranged for the two Grand Elders to go out simultaneously."

"Foolish!" the Golden Steel Sect Old Ancestor roared, glaring at the Sect Leader. "I have just carefully studied that child's background. This child rose from obscurity in a short time. He was originally a new member of the Thunder Squad, and upon his first entry into the forbidden zone, he caused countless killings. Not only did he defeat Blood Shadow with an inferior cultivation, but he also saved many scavengers! Moreover, he's skilled in the path of poison. With only a Qi Condensation Layer Six cultivation, he once again overcame superior strength to kill two of our sect elders and numerous disciples, yet managed to escape completely, leaving you all unable to find him now. And with so many people in the camp, only two scavengers reported him. This shows where the hearts of the people lie! For someone like this, based on my many years of experience studying countless ancient texts, you either resolve the conflict with him, or you go all out to eliminate him completely. Sending those two there, as you planned, is no different from sending them to their deaths, especially against someone who excels at overcoming the strong with the weak!" The Golden Steel Sect Old Ancestor concluded, almost roaring.

The three below him could only bow their heads and tremble in his fury.

The Golden Steel Sect Old Ancestor took a deep breath, let out a cold snort, and continued, his expression grim. "I can assert with certainty that if those two go there, and if they don't find him, then so be it. But once they do, they will undoubtedly be killed by him. Then you, in your anger, will choose to go personally, and you too will surely be killed. By that time, when I finally go, this child will surely have fled far away. And if he returns several years later, I fear he could kill this old man with a single palm strike."

Listening to the Old Ancestor's words, the Sect Leader was stunned, more sweat beading on his forehead. Although he still felt, to some extent, that events wouldn't unfold this way, he dared not refute the Old Ancestor to his face. So he could only lower his head and ask, "Please instruct us, Old Ancestor."

The Golden Steel Sect Old Ancestor raised his head, gazing out at the vast wilderness beyond the hall. His eyes held a profound depth, and after a long moment, he slowly spoke. "Disperse all disciples to search every area. Simultaneously, keep watch outside every city and scavenger camp, and likewise, patrol the surrounding borders. Give the two elders flying talismans and tracking talismans, and let each be responsible for half of the area. Furthermore, I will personally participate. Once anything is discovered, immediately inform me so I can go there. Only then can it be considered a truly mighty blow. This way, it will be foolproof, and we can re-establish our might and deter petty criminals!"

Moments later, the bell of the Golden Steel Sect resounded. A large number of disciples streamed out. Moreover, the Old Ancestor, accompanied by the two Grand Elders, suddenly soared into the sky. In front of him, three shining runes seemed to guide the way, carrying them as they plunged into the wilderness, splitting into three groups, and speeding off in separate directions.