Lonely smoke rises straight into the vast desert; The setting sun sinks round over the long river.
Across the boundless, rolling sands, a lone figure in black robes streaked forward, her silhouette swift and fluid as the desert winds themselves. It was Su Min. After entering the harsh desert, one of her first acts had been to use her spiritual power to blast out a deep, sheltered hollow in the lee of a large dune, where she had taken a rare, luxurious, and much needed bath.
The black robe she now wore was not a finished spiritual artifact, but one she had personally woven from the silk of rare spirit silkworms. It was a humble garment with a single, practical enchantment, one designed to ward off wind and sand. With her current cultivation firmly at the Qi Refining Stage, no ordinary environment could truly threaten her. The discomfort she had initially felt was now little more than a minor irritation. With the stinging sandstorms barred from her person and the brutal shifts between scorching days and freezing nights rendered moot, the desert posed no more danger to her than a shallow stream.
Her logistical resources were also plentiful beyond any mortal understanding. She carried what amounted to an entire swimming pool's worth of clean water, along with tons of grain, dried meat, and preserved vegetables, all perfectly sealed within her storage ring where time itself stood still. Though she traveled without a single visible escort or pack animal, her true retinue was a mobile, impregnable fortress of supplies.
"Here it is," she thought, gazing at the low, sand colored walls in the distance. The largest city on the edge of the grasslands, Carl City. A pity.
The networks of the Fuding Merchant Guild could not extend their reach this far, so no help or pre arranged information was to be found from them. She glanced down at the weathered, hand drawn map in her hand and sighed. Her safe arrival owed much to her superior cultivation and meticulous preparation. Ordinary travelers, even well equipped caravans, stood little chance in this unforgiving landscape. Behind her stretched the so called Death Desert, a veritable graveyard for the unwary. Even the boldest merchants now dared not venture there.
They were so close to the spiritual lands of Lingxi Prefecture, yet still utterly cut off by the impenetrable Boundary Formations. She recalled that in the first chapter of the game, even players rarely came to this region. The reason was simple, the land was barren of resources. There were few valuable alchemical ingredients, sparse populations of monsters that dropped worthwhile loot, and scarce quest rewards. Only those chasing specific, rare opportunities, as Su Min was now, had any reason to brave these desolate wastelands. Worse still, there were no clear, reliable maps marking the locations of such rare creatures.
"Tch. Poor mountains and fierce waters truly birth only rogues and outlaws. The old saying holds true."
Upon stepping through the gate into Carl City, Su Min immediately pressed a hand to her brow, more in exasperation than fatigue. Though she was swathed from head to toe in flowing black gauze, her slender, well proportioned form could not be entirely hidden. Not an inch of flesh was exposed, yet the ethereal, otherworldly grace she exuded, a presence now faintly tinged with a divine aura after mastering the foundational layer of the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra, could not be concealed by mere cloth.
The moment she passed through the humble, sun baked city gate, every gaze in the dusty street turned toward her. The looks were a familiar mix. Lust. Greed. A desperate, hungry yearning. She had long grown numb to such attention.
"Hmph!"
Su Min's reaction was simple and violently effective. A cold snort, laced with the spiritual resonance of powerful Buddhist mantras, thundered through the air around her. The sonic and spiritual blast struck directly at the souls of the onlookers, leaving many staggering back, clutching their heads, a few even bleeding slightly from their ears. She had no wish to stain this city with blood on her first day, but she would remind them clearly, and painfully, that she was no docile prey to be hunted.
As expected, the prying, aggressive eyes withdrew at once, replaced by fear and wariness. Satisfied, Su Min gave a slight nod. Understanding one's limits spared everyone a great deal of suffering. Besides, she needed information, and who would come forward to speak if she frightened the entire population into catatonia?
"Hmm? Even this backwater has a Qi Refining cultivator?"
Her sharp spiritual senses pricked instantly. An unfamiliar aura, unmistakably that of a cultivator, was approaching from within the city at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before her in the street, his arrival stirring up a small cloud of dust.
"Amitābha." The man pressed his palms together in a Buddhist salute. "Just now, I sensed a fellow practitioner arriving from afar. Judging by your unique aura, you too must walk the Buddhist path?"
The newcomer appeared to be a man in his thirties. His long, unkempt beard made him look older; without it, he might have seemed quite young. His robes were simple and worn, but his eyes held a clear, sharp light.
"I recently parted ways with a monk after exchanging teachings for several days," Su Min replied, her voice neutral. "I have learned a few Buddhist sutras. I bear no ill intent toward this place. I have come only to slay a specific demon."
Before Su Min could even finish her explanation, the man's face lit up with recognition and excitement.
"You have met my master?!"
"As expected," Su Min smirked inwardly. The connection was obvious. "This monk was indeed that man's disciple. Without such a direct and powerful connection, he would never have advanced to the Qi Refining stage so swiftly in such a resource poor place."
"We parted ways," she confirmed aloud. "He was only a projected incarnation and could not grow stronger here. He has gone to pursue his grand cause of saving the world. I have come here to find and destroy a certain metal attributed demon."
Su Min spoke calmly, her eyes half closed as she assessed the man, concealing her innate wariness. One must not harbor ill intent without cause, yet carelessness in the face of the unknown was just as dangerous. Even if she meant no harm to others, vigilance was essential for survival.
But then
"You mean... you seek to confront that demon?"
At once, the monk's face paled visibly. The few townsfolk still within earshot also turned their heads toward the distant, western horizon with pure terror in their eyes, as if the mere memory of the thing sent chills down their spines.
"Huh?"
Su Min frowned. This reaction was far more pronounced than she had anticipated. Clearly, this was no ordinary foe.
"Please, you must come with me at once," the monk implored, his voice carrying a sharp urgency but no discernible deceit. Instead of greed or cunning, his eyes showed only a desperate, rekindled hope. "Let us seek an audience with His Majesty the King. With your help, Master, surely we can prevail against it!"
"Is it truly so formidable?" Su Min's expression grew solemn. "You are a Qi Refining cultivator yourself, and a Buddhist disciple at that. Surely you know many powerful defensive and purifying methods?"
The clam spirit she had fought before had been troublesome only because its aquatic nature limited her options and it could flee into the deep sea. Its actual combat power had been mediocre. If not for its defensive shell and the environment, she could have slain it easily with a direct assault. Yet now, even this monk, and by the look of it the entire city, trembled at the mere mention of this desert demon.
Clearly, this was not going to be a simple hunt. But so be it. Whether her goal was the metal element treasure or the merit from slaying a great evil, power had to be earned through trial by steel. She nodded at the monk.
"Lead the way."