17: Chapter 17 The Outside World

The man in white slowly stepped out from the cabinet only when the surroundings had completely returned to silence, without the slightest sound.

He walked up to Lin Qing, his gaze falling on the youth's youthful face, and asked, "Earlier, when I threatened you with a dagger, you were surprised rather than afraid. Why exactly was that?"

Lin Qing's heart tightened. He knew that in front of this powerful outsider, excessive lies would only increase the danger; once detected, he might suffer some unprovoked disaster.

He pondered for a moment and decided to tell the truth. Carefully lifting his head, he looked at the ring on the man in white's hand and asked in a low voice, "Senior, is that... a Storage Ring on your hand?"

Although the man was not many years older than Lin Qing, in the world of cultivation, the accomplished are respected. The man before him was clearly at the Senior realm.

Hearing this, the man in white showed an interested smile and looked Lin Qing up and down. "You actually recognize a Storage Ring? Logically speaking, your region shouldn't have such a thing."

Lin Qing sheepishly replied, "It can store things, and it looks like a ring."

At the same time, it confirmed some of the guesses in his heart. During this time, he had also learned that the State of Xia was surrounded by endless dense jungles and towering mountain ranges. At that time, he suspected that the kingdom he was in was a corner forgotten by the world, and outside was a broader world.

Of course, the experts of this country had not failed to explore outward, but none of those who ventured deep into the jungle ever returned, completely disappearing into the vast mountains.

The man in white before him had already reached the third-stage Peak at the age of eighteen or nineteen, and he held a Storage Ring that had never appeared in this region. These characteristics all indicated that the person before him was a visitor from the outside world.

The man said no more. He immediately took out a set of gray coarse cloth clothes from the Storage Ring and put them on, planning to leave directly after dawn.

Seeing that the man had stopped speaking, Lin Qing's heart was also pounding. But he was unwilling to miss this Opportunity to inquire for information. What if this region was a dead end, and entering or leaving required a special passage? In the future, when his strength could no longer improve in this country, would he have to risk entering the unknown mountains and forests like others, gambling on his luck?

Now, a visitor from the outside world was right before his eyes; this was a perfect Opportunity for him to understand the outside world and find a way out. Moreover, the person before him did not seem like someone who killed innocents indiscriminately.

So Lin Qing found an Opportunity to strike up a conversation: "Senior, do you plan to just walk out openly after dawn?"

First, show some concern to increase favorability, making it easier to ask questions next.

Hearing this, the man immediately became haughty:

"What do you know! My Movement Technique is Heaven Rank. Those people, let alone seeing my face, probably haven't even seen my form clearly. Hiding here for a night is just a precaution to avoid the Peak of the commotion. By dawn, those Martial Artists will have searched all night and will be exhausted. If I change out of my white clothes and walk out openly then, there won't be any danger."

"So that's how it is. Thank you for clearing my doubts, Senior. However, there is one matter in my heart I would like to ask Senior about." Lin Qing looked up with an enthusiastic gaze, and without waiting for the man to react, he continued, "How can one leave this country?"

Hearing this, the man felt more and more that the youth before him was interesting. His strength was not worth mentioning, but his ambition and courage were quite significant. After pondering for a moment, he simply sat down and began to explain to Lin Qing:

"Your State of Xia is located deep in the heart of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, surrounded on all sides by the Vicious Beast mountain ranges, isolated from the world. I originally followed the Seniors of my clan into these Hundred Thousand Mountains for training to see the world. Unexpectedly, we encountered a sixth-stage Yao Beast, and the team was scattered. I also relied on my family's Heaven Rank Movement Technique to survive in the mountain range and stumbled here by mistake."

Lin Qing held his breath and quietly waited for the rest. The man continued:

"To walk out of these Hundred Thousand Mountains is simple to say: pick a direction and keep walking forward. As long as you can survive the mouths of the Yao Beasts along the way, you can walk out."

Lin Qing knew things were probably not that simple and immediately asked in confusion:

"As far as I know, people in this region have done this before, and quite a few of them. But I haven't heard of anyone succeeding. Is there any hidden information? Please tell me, Senior."

He looked at Lin Qing, his tone carrying a hint of regret:

"Based on the information I've gathered during this time, the path of cultivation in your State of Xia is not yet complete. Everyone is stuck at the Five Viscera Realm, which is what you call the fourth stage, and has not yet found the way to Breakthrough to the fifth-stage Pulse Opening Realm."

"In these Hundred Thousand Mountains, fourth-stage experts are as common as ox hairs, fifth-stage ones are everywhere, and more than one sixth-stage Yao Beast lingers. For a mere fourth-stage Martial Artist to want to cross is undoubtedly a pipe dream. Those people who didn't return simply became Yao Beast fodder. Even I am currently trapped here, only able to wait for the Seniors of my clan to find me."

"Even I am currently trapped here, only able to wait for the Seniors of my clan to find me."

The path to the fifth stage is cut off? He wondered if it was possible to force a path through with his System. At this time, it was not good to ask further; if the method to Breakthrough to the fifth stage was a secret, asking abruptly would be a bit impolite.

Seeing Lin Qing silent, the man knew what he was thinking, shook his head, and laughed:

"Alright, this is not a secret in the outside world; I'll just tell you.

"After the fourth stage, if you want to Breakthrough, you must open your Divine Sense. Use the power of Divine Sense to feel the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, and guide it to impact the blocked Meridians in your body, providing a channel for the circulation of Spiritual Qi. This is the fifth stage, the Pulse Opening Realm."

At this point, he paused slightly, a hint of pity appearing on his face:

"However, opening the Divine Sense requires a specialized treasure called a visualization map. Ordinary visualization maps are not valuable to me. But I am currently only at the third stage, so I didn't prepare a visualization map to carry with me. Otherwise, I could have given one to you, an interesting kid, to help you open the door to Divine Sense."

Lin Qing also felt quite a bit of regret upon hearing this.

Then, the man casually took out a lustrous white jade bottle from his Storage Ring and threw it to Lin Qing:

"This bottle of earth core milk is what I obtained in the Qingyang Mountains. Those Martial Artists outside are looking for me because of this. However, they only know I got something; they don't know exactly what it is.

"The Martial Artists here are truly short-sighted. A mountain range where only first and second-stage Vicious Beasts usually reside suddenly produced a fourth-stage Vicious Beast. They actually thought the fourth-stage Vicious Beast was the greatest Opportunity and were fighting to the death with it outside, allowing me to pluck the fruit instead.

"Since you're an interesting kid, I'll share some with you. This item has the effect of clearing the heart and nourishing the spirit. Taking a drop while comprehending a Cultivation Technique can help you understand it faster."

Lin Qing hurriedly caught the jade bottle, feeling its warmth in his hand. A faint fragrance seeped from the bottle. He immediately cupped his hands in thanks:

"Thank you for the generous gift, Senior. This Junior is immensely grateful."

"Alright, stop calling me Senior. My name is Sun Shaoping, and I'm only eighteen. You're making me sound old. Kid, if you can really walk out of these mountains in the future, come find me at the Sun Family in the State of Qi."

After saying that, without waiting for Lin Qing to react, he left openly as the sky gradually brightened.