4: Set off

Inside the guest room.

When Shen Xi opened his eyes again, his entire demeanor had subtly changed.

If before he was like a sharp, exposed blade, now the blade was sheathed, becoming more steady and reserved.

After a hundred years, he had finally stepped into the Yuánqì Realm.

This was the price an ordinary person paid to Breakthrough from Blood Refinement to Yuánqì Realm without the aid of resources like potions or food, but in reality, how many people could live to be a hundred years old?

Thinking of this, a bitter smile touched Shen Xi's lips.

But what surprised him was that he hadn't expected the improvement in his Martial Arts Realm to extend his lifespan.

Although not by much, it at least gave him some hope.

It seemed that to survive, he would have to kill more Yao Beasts.

“Benlei Eight Styles?”

Shen Xi could clearly feel that his comprehension of Martial Arts had reached an entirely new Realm.

It was no longer confined to the Move itself, but involved that mysterious and unusual Qi within his body!

Almost instinctively, Shen Xi wanted to find a place to properly test his new Martial Arts, but thankfully, reason ultimately triumphed over impulse.

He was no longer the student protected by the school.

With dangers lurking all around him, he decided to conceal his true strength.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would still present himself as a Transcendent Blood Refinement practitioner.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Little brother, it’s almost time… we can set off.”

Along with the knocking, Boss Wang’s voice also rang out from outside the door… Night fell.

Outside the tavern, a modified off-road vehicle was parked by the roadside, and the biting night wind carried not only cold but also a hint of danger.

Wang Xiangui stood by the car, his face now devoid of smiles, instead showing a sense of solemnity: “Little brother, let’s hit the road quickly.”

Shen Xi didn’t Move, speaking coldly: “The wilderness isn’t suitable for driving.”

“Damn it, I asked you to be a guide, not a leader. Can you fucking Move? A commoner from the Outer City, where do you get so many demanding requests? If you don’t Move, do you believe I’ll finish you off right now!” Suddenly, a burly man got out of the car, and one of his arms, in particular, was a prosthetic limb made entirely of alloy machinery.

In today’s world, the limits of physical Blood Refinement could no longer meet the demands of Martial Arts, so mechanical modification became the first choice for many people.

Of course, the cost was something ordinary people couldn’t afford.

Hearing the mechanical man’s words, Shen Xi’s expression grew a little colder.

Wang Xiangui quickly laughed and smoothed things over: “It’s alright, we’ll just drive for a bit. We’ll get out and walk before entering the dangerous zone. Zhang Meng has been living in Ninth City for a while, his temper is just like that, don’t take it to heart.”

Ninth City?

Shen Xi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

There were a total of forty-seven safe cities under the Federation’s jurisdiction, and Ninth City was the most special among them.

It was inhabited by exiled criminals and various entrenched gangs, a notorious city of crime, and he hadn’t expected this Zhang Meng to come from that place.

“My name is Shi Long. On this trip, you are only responsible for leading the way. For other actions, you just need to follow instructions.” Just then, a sinister man sitting in the driver’s seat spoke.

From just now until then, his gaze had been fixed on Shen Xi.

He didn’t know why, but ever since Shen Xi came out of the guest room, he felt that his demeanor seemed to have changed. Although he no longer had that aggressive dominance, and even seemed more ordinary, it subtly gave him a more dangerous feeling.

But then, he shook his head.

Ultimately, he was just an ordinary Transcendent Blood Refinement practitioner, nothing to worry about.

“Let me make one thing clear: although I agreed to be your guide, if you disregard my warnings and plan to do something foolish midway, I will withdraw early.”

Shen Xi could feel the varying degrees of contempt from the two men, but after saying this, he ignored them and sat in the back seat of the car.

“Damn it…”

Zhang Meng’s expression clearly changed, and he was about to erupt but was stopped by Wang Xiangui’s waving hand.

Wang Xiangui hadn’t lied. After the off-road vehicle drove more than ten kilometers out of the Outer City, the group stopped the vehicle, preparing to continue on foot.

What greeted their eyes was a vast expanse of desolation, and the air carried a fishy smell.

Without a word, Shen Xi grabbed a handful of swamp mud and smeared it on his body. Seeing the others’ confusion, he then explained: “Yao Beasts have incredible senses of smell. Doing this will conceal yourselves to the greatest extent. If you don’t want to fight your way through, it’s best to do as I say.”

A hint of disdain flashed in Zhang Meng’s eyes, then he pulled out an alloy test tube and drank the liquid inside directly.

“Commoner, times have changed.”

The other two made the same Move.

Wang Xiangui suppressed a smile and handed over a test tube: “After drinking this, our aura will be hidden. This is a newly developed stealth agent.”

“No need.”

Shen Xi waved his hand to refuse. Compared to this unknown agent, he trusted his years of wilderness survival methods more.

Afterward, led by Shen Xi, the group took a winding path southwest. After passing through a dense forest, Shen Xi changed direction again, leading them directly south.

Seeing this, Zhang Meng, who was following behind, couldn’t help but angrily ask: “Kid, do you even know the way? Are you trying to fool me?”

“Ahead is a wild hyena den. If you want to die, you don’t need to detour, you can go straight through.” Shen Xi said without looking back.

Zhang Meng was rebuffed, and obvious killing intent surged in his eyes.

At this moment, Shi Long next to him shook his head, and only then did he restrain himself from acting out.

Shen Xi had his back to the group, and although he didn’t see their movements clearly, he had already guessed their reactions for the most part.

After entering the Yuánqì Realm, he found that his night vision had improved significantly. Even with the dim ambient light, he could still see the complex surrounding terrain clearly.

Just like this, a few hours later.

When the soil beneath their feet became soft, and the air gained a hint of decaying dampness.

Shen Xi stopped, pointing to a huge mine pit in front of them, with a diameter of two to three kilometers: “We’re here. This is the Demon Swamp Mining Area.”

Demon Swamp Mining Area.

As the name suggested, before the catastrophe, this place was a huge mine.

After the catastrophe, large amounts of poisonous miasma would appear in the surrounding swamp during the day, hence it was called the Demon Swamp Mining Area.

Shi Long took out a tester and inserted it directly into the ground. When the red indicator light on it began to flash, he nodded: “That’s right, this is it!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangui’s face was filled with undisguised joy: “Good! Excellent!”

As his voice fell.

Zhang Meng, who was behind Shen Xi, suddenly erupted, pulling out a short axe from his waist and, without warning, swung it towards Shen Xi’s head.

Almost at the same time, Shen Xi felt a cold wind from behind and quickly dodged to the side.

Bang —

The rock where Shen Xi had been standing was instantly split, sending rock fragments flying, and a two-foot-long gully appeared.

“Boss Wang, what does this mean?”

Shen Xi’s face was grim as he looked coldly at the group.

Zhang Meng was clearly stunned. He had just launched a sneak attack, how did this kid react so quickly? Did he have eyes in the back of his head?

Wang Xiangui didn’t speak, silently retreating behind the two men.

Shi Long, however, smiled insincerely and stepped forward: “Your reaction is quite sharp, you do have some skill. Thank you for leading the way for us, but what we are about to do next cannot be known by anyone.”

“So, we can only trouble you to stay here!”