"We need to quickly track down all the honors-class students from Sea Dragon Academy who were teleported into this zone, or a lot of people will be in danger. Right now, I'm most worried about Roxanne Lin and Jenny Sima." Evan Chu's gaze shifted from the two women to the distant horizon as he spoke calmly.
"No matter what you decide, I'll support you!" Rhea Yang said firmly, not bothering to hide her feelings from Lily Tang—she figured Lily would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Me too. I support you no matter how you treat me in the future—I'll never regret it. And Rhea, I hope you don't blame Evan too much. With a guy as outstanding as him, who wouldn't admire or fall for him?"
Lily Tang spoke with equal certainty. She believed happiness was something you had to fight for—even though Evan called her his woman, she couldn't rest easy until it really happened.
"Let's worry about the future when it comes. For now, everyone should focus on improving their cultivation—without strength, nothing else matters in a world ruled by martial power. I, Evan Chu, will take responsibility for each one of you. I hope you can all get along."
With these words, Evan openly acknowledged Rhea Yang's status. Given Lily Tang's fiery "mother tyrannosaurus" personality, it was better she knew sooner than later—but surprisingly, she stayed calm and showed no reaction at all.
Just then, the people who'd gone out hunting started returning one after another. Seeing Evan Chu with Rhea Yang and Lily Tang deep in conversation, they all instinctively kept their distance and didn't interrupt.
Gus Bullard and Sterling Yates came over. "Boss, we did pretty well this time: thirteen wild pheasants, sixteen rabbits, and one third-rank monster beast. We'll call you when the food's ready!"
"No need, you guys eat. I've got something to take care of—don't worry about my safety." Evan Chu finished speaking, activated Shifting Position, and vanished from sight in an instant.
Everyone found it strange to see Evan Chu leave so abruptly. Rhea Yang and Lily Tang wanted to chase after him and ask what was going on, but his speed was so great that neither of them stood a chance.
Evan Chu used Wave-Skimming Steps the entire way, the wind howling past his ears. After racing for about ten minutes, he finally stopped—someone was waiting for him.
"Goldwing, why did you call me here?" Evan asked right away. To send a sound transmission from miles away took real power—his longing for greater strength only deepened.
The man waiting was Goldwing, the Golden Demon Roc in his middle-aged human form, quietly standing there for Evan Chu.
"Boss, you'll see soon enough. Climb onto my back—I'll take you somewhere!" The man flashed with golden light, instantly revealing Goldwing's true roc form before Evan.
Suppressing his questions, Evan Chu leapt onto Goldwing's back. With a whoosh, Goldwing shot into the sky—Evan felt the wind roar past, their speed like a meteor streaking by, far outpacing his own Shifting Position technique.
It felt so unreal, like a dream—who would believe an eighth-rank flying Spirit Beast could be used as a mount? The shock was indescribable.
Watching the scenery flash past below, Evan couldn't help but ask, "Goldwing, where are you taking me? Is it your Guardian Ground?"
"Boss, that's exactly it. I'm taking you to my Guardian Ground because there's something extremely important there I have to watch over. If I leave, someone else could steal it—that's why I rushed back." Goldwing explained.
"Is it some rare treasure or a legendary spiritual herb? If it caught your eye, it must be extraordinary. I can't help but get excited—if only it were something like a Sacred Snow Lotus or Soul Snow Grass!" Evan thought, his heart racing.
"Boss, what I'm guarding is actually a medicinal herb, and it's about to mature. I don't want it to be discovered, so I chased after anyone who came near—and that's how I ran into you!" Goldwing said honestly.
"What kind of herb is worth your protection? You're an eighth-rank Spirit Beast—ordinary treasures shouldn't impress you!" Evan Chu teased, giving Goldwing a bit of flattery.
"It's a Thousand-Year Fire Lotus. In three days it'll be fully mature. The lotus has a seedpod with seven Fire Lotus Seeds, each packed with dense Fire Spiritual Qi—a truly priceless treasure."
"Fire Spiritual Qi? What's that? I've never heard of it before." Evan had a hunch it was related to the fire element—maybe with these Fire Lotus Seeds, he'd be able to master fire.
"Fire Spiritual Qi is just spiritual energy made of fire element. For human cultivators who've grasped fire, it's a rare tonic—but it's extremely hard to obtain."
The Fire Lotus has to grow where there's Earth-Fire, but it also needs water—and that's almost impossible unless you find a place with both Earth-Fire and Coldflame.
The place I guard is exactly like that—Earth-Fire and Coldflame coexist. The Coldflame lowers the temperature of the Earth-Fire, and the Earth-Fire warms the Coldflame, making it perfect for the Fire Lotus to grow.
But harvesting the Fire Lotus is tricky. After a thousand years of Earth-Fire and Coldflame tempering, it's tougher than most metals. Without a divine weapon, you can't cut it—and its surface is covered in Fire Poison and Cold Poison. If you get any on you, even an Emperor-rank Spirit Beast would be reduced to a pile of bones.
Goldwing told Evan everything he knew. It was as if he'd known all this since birth—and guarding the Thousand-Year Fire Lotus was his life's mission.
Sitting on Goldwing's back, Evan was stunned—Fire Poison and Cold Poison strong enough to kill Emperor-rank Spirit Beasts? Getting the lotus wouldn't be easy, but at least he had Frostbane Sword, a true divine weapon.
Soon, Goldwing lowered his altitude and landed atop a mountain peak.
"Is this your Guardian Ground?" Evan Chu looked around—there was nothing obvious, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Boss, the Guardian Ground is down below. It's not that I won't go down—it's that I can't. For some reason, entering it drops my strength drastically. If I'm peak eighth-rank out here, inside I'd barely be at third or fourth rank, and flying with you would be impossible."
"Seriously? How is that possible?" Evan Chu was shocked—losing strength just by entering a place sounded terrifying.
"Actually, your strength doesn't really drop—it's just that inside, it feels like you're carrying a thousand-pound boulder. Moving is exhausting and everything slows down."
"Gravity? Is there some kind of gravity field here?"