2: Chapter 2 is still open? Are they sending all these people to their deaths?

Song Yiqing gave the system's notification a quick glance. His current first task required him to enter the Taklamakan Desert.

However, it didn't specify exactly where he needed to go. If it meant the edge, he might be able to complete it right now.

After all, the restricted area was guarded by official troops; one couldn't just enter whenever they wanted. There was a unified opening time, intended to protect the archaeological exploration teams as much as possible. With the authorities monitoring for severe weather, the safety level would certainly be much higher.

Subsequently, Song Yiqing headed toward the edge of the Taklamakan Desert.

...

Inside a noodle shop, Yan Zhanru quickly ate a few bites of noodles before setting down his bowl. Upon walking out of the shop, over a dozen people had already gathered around him.

"Brother Yan, did that tail not agree?"

"Heh," Yan Zhanru curled his lip in disdain.

"Just an ignorant brat who doesn't know life from death. If we run into him inside the restricted area, don't hold back. Remember, make it look like a very unfortunate accident, got it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present showed expressions of understanding. Then, the group set their sights on a young man on the road with side-swept bangs, wearing a black hood, and carrying an ancient sword on his back.

"Hehehe, young man, all by yourself? Come, come, join our team, we guarantee your safety!"

...

Meanwhile, Song Yiqing had already followed the direction to the edge of the desert.

[Challenge Task: Enter the Taklamakan Desert, Completed. Obtained A-rank reward: Feng Shui Secret Arts]

The so-called Xunlong Jue (Dragon Seeking Formula) was a type of Feng Shui Art, a skill specialized for observing mountains, water, and the starry sky. In "Ghost Blows Out the Light," this was Hu Bayi's signature ability.

For a moment, Song Yiqing wondered if he might encounter some characters from "Ghost Blows Out the Light" or "The Lost Tomb."

Immediately after the reward was distributed, Song Yiqing closed his eyes to digest it. All sorts of marvelous principles regarding Feng Shui began to pour into his body like a flowing stream.

It was as if, in that instant, he had become a Feng Shui Master with over sixty years of research experience. Everything that met his eyes, the sky and the celestial phenomena, gave him a sense of being completely in control.

If just an A-rank reward had such an effect, how powerful would an S-rank be? Song Yiqing secretly looked forward to it, then glanced at the task the system had just prompted.

[Challenge Task: Enter the outskirts of the Taklamakan Desert, obtain an S-rank reward]

The location where Song Yiqing currently stood could be considered the very edge of the Taklamakan Desert. To enter the true outskirts, he would at least have to wait for the restricted area to open, and then travel several dozen kilometers deeper.

In the past, wanting to penetrate that deep was already considered quite difficult. Just the journey from the edge to the outskirts held countless dangers.

Subsequently, Song Yiqing put away his thoughts, looked up at the sky, and silently activated his Feng Shui Secret Arts.

"Strange... truly strange..."

Just as Song Yiqing was muttering to himself, a sweet voice rang out behind him.

"Sir, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Hm?" Song Yiqing turned around in confusion, only to see that the person who had arrived was a girl wearing a casual short-sleeved shirt and hot pants. He knew who she was: Bai Yao, a currently very popular female celebrity in the Great Xia.

Upon seeing her arrive, Song Yiqing roughly understood why a big star like her would come to the desert. Every year, the authorities would hire celebrities to promote the restricted area exploration. When the time came, these celebrities would follow the official archaeological exploration teams inside and provide some educational explanations along the way.

Song Yiqing snapped back to reality and said, "It's nothing, I just came to check the weather."

"Oh?" Bai Yao listened to his words, gradually becoming a little interested. "Do you mean you also understand Feng Shui Art?"

"Hehehe, a little," Song Yiqing replied simply, not intending to linger here, but Bai Yao immediately called out to him.

"Then why don't you tell me what the weather will be like tomorrow? The restricted area is opening for entry tomorrow, you know!"

"Tomorrow? There will be a rare sandstorm tomorrow!" Song Yiqing offered a kind warning. This was the result he had deduced just now by observing the celestial phenomena.

Therefore, he planned to go back and wait. After this sandstorm ended, he would wait for the next opening time of the restricted area.

However, upon hearing his words, Bai Yao said in surprise, "No way, right? The authorities said the weather tomorrow will be quite good. How could there be a sandstorm? Did you misread it?"

"Believe it or not, that's up to you." Song Yiqing left without looking back. A kind reminder was enough. Respecting their fate was the right choice.

...

Watching Song Yiqing's receding figure, Bai Yao muttered to herself, "What a mysterious man."

She had come to the edge area today for a routine live broadcast of the teaser. When the conversation between Bai Yao and Song Yiqing was filmed and broadcasted to the live stream, the viewers burst into laughter.

[Pfft! Hahaha! Is this kid trying to act cool?]

[I'd say it's nine times out of ten exactly that. Because he saw Bai Yao, he wanted to show off, so he just spouted some nonsense.]

[I'm dying of laughter, how can this guy be such a clown? Directly refuting the official weather forecast? And claiming to be a Feng Shui Master?]

[It's hilarious! A Feng Shui Master should at least be forty or fifty years old to look the part! Someone so young is no Feng Shui Master at all; he's really good at faking it.]

[If you ask me, if he really thinks there will be a sandstorm tomorrow, he should just report it on the official Restricted Area Exploration website. He might even make a killing in points!]

[Pfft! Hahaha! The person above is talented!]

Bai Yao looked at the barrage of comments from the viewers on the live stream screen, but she didn't feel any mockery. Instead, she felt that Song Yiqing didn't seem like he was lying; his words were very sincere!

"Could there really be a sandstorm?"

...

On the other side, Song Yiqing went straight back to the hotel where he was staying. After entering his room, he locked the door immediately. Then, he hurriedly used his phone to log into the official Restricted Area Exploration website and submitted his judgment as a document.

In recent years, people from the martial arts world had gradually proven their abilities. Therefore, the authorities of the Restricted Area Exploration would often refer to information provided by these martial arts practitioners to make judgments. If the provided information was valuable, they could earn points.

However, Song Yiqing didn't hold too much hope. After all, many people submitted similar documents every day; perhaps someone had already noticed it beforehand.

Subsequently, Song Yiqing put away his phone, washed up briefly, and lay on the bed to rest. The night passed without incident, and he slept quite peacefully.

After waking up, Song Yiqing prepared to go out to find something to eat, only to hear the news that the restricted area was about to open.

"Hm? Still opening? Do they want to send all these people to their deaths?"