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**
The sky was clear and bright, an endless expanse of azure with not a single cloud in sight.
A blazing sun hung high above, like a massive ball of fire ceaselessly radiating heat. The scorching sunlight poured down onto the golden desert, roasting the fine grains of sand until they glowed like tiny pieces of red-hot iron.
Waves of heat rose from the endless desert, distorting the air and making the space appear warped and illusory.
Occasionally, gusts of hot wind would blow through, whipping up sand and dust, sweeping across the face.
In the distance, two black silhouettes slowly emerged through the sandstorm. One was a young man in black clothing, carrying an enormous Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back.
The other was a tall and slender figure completely shrouded in a loose black cloak, their face obscured.
Judging from their travel-worn appearance, they had clearly been journeying through the desert for a long time.
The young man carrying the Heavy Xuan Ruler trudged heavily to the top of a tall sand dune, then looked out into the distance.
He took out a sheepskin map from his storage ring and began examining it carefully for the most accurate route.
"Brother Wei, judging by the route on this map, we should be getting pretty close to the heart of the Tagore Desert, right?"
Xiao Yan traced a line on the map with his finger, licking his dry lips. His voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke to the cloaked figure beside him.
These two were none other than Wei Yang and Xiao Yan.
Wei Yang merely let out a light "Mm" in response, neither agreeing nor denying.
Close to the heart?
Kid, you're still wandering around the outer edges.
...
"Sigh, this damned Tagore Desert is way too big. From Rock Desert City to here, we've been walking for half a month!" Xiao Yan unstrapped the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his back and slammed it into the sand with a dull thud. He let out a long sigh and smiled wryly with a bit of helplessness.
Wei Yang was a little speechless at his complaint.
After they left Rock Desert City, they had been following the route marked on Xiao Yan's map, heading toward the deeper regions of the Tagore Desert.
Due to the extremely harsh and unpredictable environment in the desert—plus the fact that Xiao Yan was only at Two-Star Dou Shi level and carrying the Heavy Xuan Ruler—their pace was actually quite slow.
Occasionally, Xiao Yan would use his Black Wings to glide, but most of the time he chose to travel on foot.
So even though they had been in the desert for half a month, truthfully, they hadn't gone very far.
For this distance, if Wei Yang flew at full speed, he could return to Rock Desert City in just half a day.
Wei Yang stood there with his hands behind his back. Most of the time, his thoughts were immersed in pondering alchemy techniques or he was in a cultivation state.
Of course, he wasn't circulating his cultivation technique at full power. If he truly activated his Heaven Grade technique, the energy within several kilometers would be drawn in, causing a terrifying disturbance.
His faint voice drifted out from under the cloak:
"I'm telling you, kid, quit whining. I, a Dou Wang, have been wandering this desert with you for half a month—what more do you want?"
"If not for your training, I could've carried you here in half a day."
"Now that I'm here helping you train, what else are you dissatisfied with?"
"Uh..." Xiao Yan choked a little, then could only smile bitterly and nod.
Alright, the distance he had been whining about could apparently be covered in half a day by Brother Wei.
"Keep moving. It's only noon—don't slack off."
"Ugh~" Xiao Yan pulled a long face but had no choice. He strapped the Heavy Xuan Ruler back onto his back and trudged forward once more.
...
In the Tagore Desert, aside from the occasional magical beasts hidden beneath the sand that needed to be avoided, the true threat to Xiao Yan was the presence of Snake-People within the desert.
After all, their methods of controlling venomous snakes and launching ambushes from the shadows were highly troublesome and difficult to guard against.
Fortunately, what would be a major issue for most people was not a problem for Xiao Yan. With a highly accurate map—and the assistance of Wei Yang and Yao Lao, two beings with powerful soul perception—he encountered no real obstacles.
Every time danger approached, Xiao Yan would receive an early warning, allowing him to easily avoid both Snake-People patrol squads and their hidden settlements.
Just like that, without making a sound, Xiao Yan—only a Two-Star Dou Shi—had managed to sneak deep into Snake-People territory.
For a mere Dou Shi, to be accompanied by such an elite team for training, there truly wasn't anything to complain about.
Of course, since this was training—
Sometimes, when they encountered enemies Xiao Yan was capable of handling, Wei Yang and Yao Lao would pretend not to see anything and let Xiao Yan deal with it himself.
Xiao Yan's performance was excellent. Each time, he launched swift and decisive attacks, using thunderous means to take down the enemies before they could raise any alarm, never showing mercy.
Clearly, Xiao Yan understood that provoking the Snake-People in the Tagore Desert would result in being hunted down relentlessly by swarms of them.
By then, he would only be able to rely on Wei Yang to step in and carry him away in defeat.
Night had fallen. At the base of a sand dune, on the leeward side, a campfire was lit, driving away the chill of the desert night.
Beside the fire—
Xiao Yan sat with a troubled expression, his gaze fixed on a red dot on the sheepskin map in his hand, a marker that represented danger.
There were eight of these red dots scattered across the map, each located in different directions, forming a circular pattern that encircled the true core of the Snake-People territory.
These eight red dots represented the Eight Great Tribes of the Snake-People Clan.
In the Tagore Desert, aside from the many small and medium-sized tribes, the Snake-People were mainly composed of these eight dominant tribes, each led by a powerful commander.
They were the strongest among all Snake-People tribes.
If Xiao Yan truly wished to enter the Snake-People Clan's core region and meet Queen Medusa, he would have to confront at least one of these major tribes.
Now, the main route drawn on the map was blocked by one of those red dots.
"What bad luck," Xiao Yan muttered, frowning as he looked at the crimson point on the map. He let out a helpless sigh.
"Looks like we'll have to take a detour!"
...
On the other side, Wei Yang was lounging comfortably on a stone chair, leaning back with ease, a jug of fine wine in his hand. Every now and then, he took a casual sip.
Seeing Xiao Yan's furrowed brow and bitter expression, he clicked his tongue and said,
"Come on, senior, give it a break. He's only a Two-Star Dou Shi, and you really expect him to break through the defenses of the Eight Great Tribes?"
"Even training needs its limits, no?"
"The Eight Great Tribes all have leaders at least at Dou Wang level, and the Snake-People Clan's defenses in this area are incredibly tight. For a Dou Shi, sneaking through would be nearly impossible."
Wei Yang stretched lazily and yawned.
"I've already wandered this desert with you two for half a month. I've got other business to take care of. Let's wrap this up, shall we?"
If it weren't for Yao Lao agreeing to answer half an hour's worth of alchemy questions for him every night, Wei Yang would've had no interest in playing this desert game of house with the old and the young duo.
Now, he felt it was just about enough. Many of the alchemy questions he had been pondering were answered, and the puzzles that had blocked his path were cleared. He had all but eliminated the final obstacle toward becoming a 6th-tier alchemist.
So, it was about time to end this journey.
...
Hearing that, Xiao Yan instantly perked up and gave Wei Yang a grateful glance, then lowered his head to look at the old ring on his finger.
He also wanted to wrap up this training quickly, trade with Medusa, obtain the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain, and proceed with the devouring and refining of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
"Sigh~" A soft sigh echoed out.
Yao Lao's aged, translucent figure floated out from the ring. He glanced at the two of them with a helpless look and said,
"Young people are always so impatient. Can't even last half a month, huh?"
He glanced at the map in Xiao Yan's hand, nodded slightly in approval, and said,
"Making it this far... this training trial can be considered a pass."
Xiao Yan twitched his mouth but finally let out a breath of relief.
"Alright then, this training ends here."
Yao Lao shook his head as his spirit returned to the ring, leaving only his voice behind:
"Tomorrow, Brat Wei, you'll take Xiao Yan to see Medusa."
"No problem," Wei Yang replied with a nod.
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