I Can Travel between Two Worlds-Chapter 184 - 125: Black Sand Ancient Country, Advancement to Martial Spirit! (2)
...
Moments later, most of the less powerful cultivators had left the square.
Immediately following, the Light Sect’s door closed.
That icy voice rang out once more.
"Next, we begin the second stage of the examination: Black Sand Country!"
"All cultivators taking part in the examination, please enter the teleportation array at the center of the square..."
As the voice faded, a purple glow rose from the blue stone floor of the square.
The purple light converged into mysterious patterns, seemingly ancient array markings.
Lin Chen squinted his eyes, somewhat uncertain, and said:
"Could this be... a large teleportation array?"
The surrounding cultivators began moving towards the center of the array, and after hesitating for a moment, Lin Chen stood atop the array.
At this time, Li Tianhan suddenly approached him, clasped his hands together, and said:
"Donor, would you consider traveling with this humble monk? It might be beneficial to have mutual assistance in the second stage of the examination..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen asked curiously:
"So in this second stage, are we all together? Can we actually decide to travel together?"
Upon hearing this, Li Tianhan was surprised in turn.
He scrutinized Lin Chen carefully, and then said:
"It seems the donor doesn’t hail from a major power in Qing State and knows very little about this Golden Yuan Sect relic examination!"
"The second stage of this relic examination means being teleported to a vast desert... This desert is enormous and within it are many demon beasts and threatening hazards. The examination’s goal is to exit this desert..."
"And as long as cultivators stand together, they can be teleported to a nearby location, allowing for mutual support..."
Hearing this, Lin Chen became intrigued.
It seems Li Tianhan has detailed intelligence on the relic!
Watching the surrounding cultivators, most of them indeed kept a tacit distance from each other.
However, some familiar cultivators held hands and stood together.
For instance, Li Zhenqian and Wan Xun.
Then he noticed Jiang Liqian standing alone in the array, and Lin Chen sighed quietly, thinking to himself:
"It seems Junior Sister Jiang’s previous invitation was to get through this second stage... After all, in this desert secret realm, the danger isn’t just the realm itself but also other cultivators..."
"Regrettably, I must keep my identity secret for now and repay Junior Sister Jiang’s kindness later."
With this in mind, Lin Chen stepped back two paces, creating some distance between him and Li Tianhan.
"Haha, Taoist Friend Li, we are strangers to each other... I think it’s best we each fight our own battles..."
Though Li Tianhan appeared to be quite strong, his intentions were unknown, and Lin Chen was reluctant to accompany him.
Li Tianhan felt somewhat regretful after hearing this, but he nodded and said:
"Fine, since the donor doesn’t wish to travel together, I won’t insist..."
The cultivators in the teleportation array had already taken their positions.
Yet the teleportation array had not been activated. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Lin Chen was eager to gather information about the relic, so he asked:
"Taoist Friend Li Tianhan, you seem to know quite a bit about this Golden Yuan Sect relic. Could you share some intelligence?"
Li Tianhan shook his head upon hearing this and said seriously:
"An ascetic places great importance on fate, and our fate is severed... This humble monk does not wish to disclose."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen said little more; after all, he had refused to team up first, and Li Tianhan’s refusal to share information was understandable.
"It appears I’ll have to explore information about this relic myself..."
However, to Lin Chen’s surprise, Li Tianhan spoke up again.
"Ahem, donor... Although the monk has no fate with you, fate can be pursued!"
While speaking, Li Tianhan rubbed his fingers together, gesturing the Spirit Stone sign.
Lin Chen twitched the corner of his mouth upon seeing this.
Well, fate is it? Waiting right here!
Though he was teasing inwardly, Lin Chen nodded and said:
"In that case, Taoist Friend Li, how much fate do you deem appropriate?"
Hearing this, Li Tianhan held up three fingers and gestured:
"This humble monk believes that three thousand fate is enough!"
Lin Chen didn’t hesitate upon hearing this, took out his storage bag, and tossed three thousand Spirit Stones over.
Li Tianhan received the Spirit Stones, clasped his hands together, and feigned sincerity:
"Blessings! The donor and I now share fate!"
"In that case, this humble monk will explain a thing or two..."
"To the best of this humble monk’s knowledge, this Golden Yuan Sect relic contains four stages."
"The first stage, which the donor has already experienced."
"And the second stage is the forthcoming Black Sand Country, a place said to be an Ancient Cultivator’s country. There it is hot during the day and cold at night, with a harsh environment, many demon beasts gathering, and of course... Perhaps treasures left by Ancient Cultivators can be found."
"As for the third stage, it’s named Puppet Forest. Only by passing through this forest can one enter the fourth stage of the ring challenges..."
"..."
Li Tianhan provided Lin Chen with a wealth of information about the Golden Yuan Sect relic.
Lin Chen tucked the information away mentally.
Just then, the teleportation array beneath his feet was activated.
Lin Chen felt his vision shift abruptly...
...
When he regained his senses, Lin Chen found himself in a vast desert.
This desert stretched endlessly, as far as his eyes could see with yellow sands everywhere.
The wind howled in the sky, sending clouds of sand swirling around his feet, making it almost impossible to keep his eyes open.
Lin Chen stood still for a moment before surveying his surroundings.
"Is this truly the Black Sand Ancient Country? It seems like an ordinary desert?"
Lin Chen mused inwardly, and his divine sense flowed out around him like a tide.
His expression changed slightly afterward.
"Hmm? In this second stage of the examination, it appears my divine sense is also affected, reduced to only half of its full strength..."
Lin Chen pondered for a moment and decided to release Long Ba and Feng Jiu.
"Record the path and information along the way... Our goal is to exit this desert."
Lin Chen instructed.
Afterward, he selected a direction and moved ahead.
The sand in the desert was particularly soft; with each step forward, Lin Chen’s legs sank into the sand up to his knees.
