I want to tread the heavens

Three days passed quickly. He sold all the items he didn't need for the time being, and the five spirit crystals he exchanged with Amu using mineral pills, for a total of sixteen spirit crystals. He registered at the "Immigration Department" and paid eleven ship management fees, leaving him with five spirit crystals. Looking at the five spirit crystals he had left, he felt secretly saddened and knew he had to earn money as soon as possible.

He looked up at the dim sky; the desolate night was beginning to awaken, and a restlessness more unrestrained and dangerous than during the day was spreading in the air. "I can't stay. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

To Falling Star City. According to the crude map on cheap animal hide that the impatient clerk from the "Immigration Department" threw at him, it would take several months to walk there. The map was pitifully rough, marking only a few large dots: Border Wasteland (a small black dot), Falling Star City (a slightly larger circle), connected by a crooked line, with a few simple sketches of mountains next to the line, a skull and crossbones symbol, and the words "bandits" and "beast tracks" scrawled next to it.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking and a damp, chilly mist still clung to the ground, Ling Xiao, accompanied by Fa Cai, arrived at "Old Cripple's" animal pen at the west end of the ferry crossing. The stench assaulted their nostrils from a distance. Dozens of "Wind-Walking Beasts" were tethered to sturdy wooden stakes. These creatures were larger than Ling Xiao had imagined, their shoulder height generally exceeding his chest. They resembled enlarged, more muscular lizards, covered in thick, rough, earthen-yellow hides, but their heads were more like horses, their snouts covered in hard horns, and their nostrils wide, exhaling white vapor. Their limbs were thick and their hooves large, adapted for running on various terrains. Simple leather saddles and cargo racks were fixed to their backs.

The old cripple, wrapped in a greasy fur coat, leaned against a pile of hay, sheltered from the wind. Seeing Ling Xiao approach, he gave a forced smile, a perfunctory greeting. "Thought it through? Rent or buy?"

"Rent it. To Falling Star City." Ling Xiao said succinctly.

"Falling Star City?" The old cripple rolled his one eye, giving him a look of disbelief. "Do you know how far that is? Even if this beast runs itself ragged, it'll take at least twenty days. The road is dangerous; if it dies or gets injured, your deposit will be forfeited. You'll have to provide your own feed. I have black bean cakes and dried alfalfa here, but they're not cheap. The rent is one low-grade spirit crystal per day for one animal, plus a deposit of ten crystals. For two animals, the deposit is twenty crystals. Pay ten days' rent upfront."

Ling Xiao silently calculated that the deposit plus ten days' rent amounted to thirty low-grade spirit crystals. That was five times all his possessions. He paused for a moment, then took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and poured out all the spirit crystals inside—four whole ones and some broken pieces. "That's all. But I have pills." He then took out the last bottle of Tranquilizing Pills.

The old cripple took the pill, uncorked it, sniffed it, and narrowed his one eye. "The quality is alright. But these days, life-saving pills are more valuable than spirit crystals. This bottle of yours is worth at most eight spirit crystals. Adding these odds and ends, let's say twelve. Still far from enough."

Ling Xiao didn't say anything. He put away the spirit crystals and pills, then turned and left.

"Wait." The old cripple's hoarse voice sounded from behind. Ling Xiao stopped but didn't turn around.

"...Seeing as you're not entirely without a plan. Here's the deal, Dan, I'll give you eight. Add the spirit crystal fragments, and it'll be twelve. The rent will be five days' worth, five. The deposit... that old leather armor you're wearing still looks sturdy, take it off and it'll be five. And write me an IOU for ten spirit crystals, to be paid back within a month of arriving in Falling Star City, with 30% interest. If you don't pay by the deadline, I'll find a way to get you. Got it?"

Ling Xiao slowly turned around. The old leather armor Guo Yun had given him offered some protection, but it provided limited help to his current physical training level. The IOU… He glanced at the old cripple's cloudy yet shrewd one eye. This old guy dared to lend money; he wasn't afraid of people defaulting. Those who operated in this area all had something to rely on.

"...Okay." Ling Xiao took off his fairly thick old leather armor and handed it over. He then took the charcoal pencil and dirty leather paper from the old cripple, wrote an IOU, and pressed his fingerprint on it.

The old cripple checked the IOU once, then tucked it into his pocket with satisfaction. He pointed to two relatively spirited but small-sized Windwalkers in the stable: "Those two, just reached adulthood, decent stamina, and not too wild. I'll prepare ten days' worth of feed for you, so feed them sparingly. Saddle, water bag, and reins are all included. Let me make this clear: if they die or get lost on the way, the deposit and leather armor won't be refunded, but the debt will still be repaid."

A moment later, Ling Xiao led two Windwalker Beasts, saddled and laden with a small amount of feed and water, snorting uneasily, away from the pen. Fa Cai followed at his feet, keeping a cautious distance from the two enormous creatures, occasionally barking softly, startling the Windwalker Beasts into agitation.

Without hesitation, Ling Xiao mounted one of the wind-riding beasts. The saddle was stiff and uncomfortable. He tested the reins, and the wind-riding beast obediently began to stride, more steadily than he had expected. Fa Cai, meanwhile, nimbly leaped onto the rack on the back of another wind-riding beast, lay down, and scanned the area ahead with his silver eyes.

They slowly made their way along the only dirt road leading to the ferry, as indicated by the "Immigration Officer." Piles of garbage and dilapidated shacks lined both sides of the road. Some early risers, or those who hadn't slept at all, cast their gazes from the shadows, sweeping over Ling Xiao, Fa Cai, and the two Wind Beasts with approving and indifferent eyes. Ling Xiao gripped the cloth-wrapped hilt of his knife tightly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Gradually, the dilapidated shantytown was left behind, and the dirt road stretched into a gray-yellow, gravelly wasteland. The wind picked up, whipping up sand and dust that stung the face. The murky stench in the air faded, replaced by a desolate, rough scent of earth and rock. The concentration of spiritual energy was slightly thinner than inside the border crossing, but still considerably richer than in the old earth.

Fa Cai stood up, facing the wind, took a deep breath, and twirled its ears, trying to catch the faint sounds carried on the wind. "Far away... there's something calling... behind the rock... small, not dangerous," it conveyed its thoughts.

Ling Xiao also became more vigilant. The dangers marked on the map were no joke. He controlled the Wind Beast, trying to move along relatively open areas with good visibility, avoiding ravines and piles of rocks where it might hide.

The first day passed peacefully. Aside from being harassed by a few fist-sized, hard-shelled, and incredibly fast sand scorpions (one was smashed by Fa Cai's claw, the rest burrowed back into the sand), they encountered no real threat. That night, they found a sheltered rocky hollow to rest. Ling Xiao dared not light a fire, sharing some hard black bean cakes and dried meat with Fa Cai, taking turns keeping watch. The night in the wasteland was silent and cold, but the starry sky was exceptionally clear and brilliant, a stark contrast to the perpetually dim sky of the border crossing. The vast outline of the Azure Profound Continent stretched across the horizon, radiating a faint azure halo, silently displaying its immensity.

The next day, they entered a slightly undulating area with sparse, low, twisted bushes whose leaves were an eerie grayish-blue and rough to the touch. Some small, unidentifiable birds with dull colors hopped among the bushes. Around noon, Fa Cai suddenly lowered his body, letting out a low, warning growl, and stared at a denser patch of bushes to his right.

Ling Xiao reined in the Windwalker Beast, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The bushes rustled, and three creatures emerged, resembling hyenas but larger, with hard bone spurs on their necks. They bared their yellowed fangs, drool dripping from their mouths, and their green eyes greedily stared at them and the Windwalker Beast.

Low-level demonic beast, "Spiky Hyena", is social, greedy, and highly aggressive.

"Get rich! Don't let them surround us!" Ling Xiao shouted, leaping off the back of the Wind Beast. His broken sword was drawn, its dark red blade not reflecting the dim sunlight. He charged towards the nearest one.

The battle was brief but intense. The hyenas were fast and ferocious, but lacked intelligence. Ling Xiao didn't use the Starfall Power, which consumed spiritual energy; relying solely on his physical strength and combat skills, combined with the resilience granted by the *Zhou Tian Xing Chen Body Refining Technique*, his blade flashed, precisely cleaving open the neck of a hyena. Fa Cai, like a silver lightning bolt, struck another hyena from the side as it lunged at the Windwalker, tearing its throat with his claws. The third hyena, sensing danger, whimpered and tucked its tail between its legs, fleeing back into the bushes.

The Windwalker was startled but unharmed. Ling Xiao, panting, wiped the blood splattered on his face and checked his broken knife—thankfully, it hadn't chipped. He quickly peeled off the toughest piece of skin from the back of the necks of the two hyenas (supposedly useful), took their longest canine teeth (maybe he could exchange them for some change), and urged the Windwalker to continue on its way. The smell of blood might attract something more troublesome.

The next few days were monotonous and exhausting. They traveled by day and sought relatively safe places to rest at night. They witnessed a corner of the desolate Qingxuan Continent: the "Spraying Flower" that could suddenly spew out corrosive venom; the "Rock-skinned Turtle" that disguised itself as a stone and only attacked when approached; and the "Ghost-faced Bat" that roamed in groups at night, with phosphorescent eyes, and fed on blood... Fa Cai's warnings and Ling Xiao's caution allowed them to avoid or quickly resolve trouble time and time again.

The Windwalker Beasts had good stamina, but they consumed a lot of food. Ling Xiao had to keep an eye out along the way and occasionally hunt some small, harmless Wasteland Beasts (a type of "Aardvark" that resembles a large rat) to supplement their diet. The water in their water sacs needed to be strictly controlled. Fortunately, they weren't too unlucky and found two muddy puddles that were about to dry up. After filtering the water with a cloth, it was barely drinkable.

They avoided the skull-marked areas on the map. Once, they saw intense flashes of spiritual light and faint rumbling in the sky, as if cultivators were fighting. They immediately changed direction and kept their distance.

Exposed to wind and sun, and choked by sand and dust, Ling Xiao's face quickly became rougher, and his lips cracked. Fa Cai's beautiful silver-gray fur was also covered in dust, turning a dull gray. But the eyes of this man and wolf, through day after day of trekking and vigilance, grew calmer and sharper.

On the afternoon of the tenth day after leaving the desolate border crossing, the terrain began to change. The grayish-yellow wasteland was gradually replaced by dark brown earth, the vegetation became slightly denser, and low trees appeared. The air, besides the dust and rocks, seemed to carry a faint... dampness, and the indistinct smell of smoke drifting from afar.

Ling Xiao reined in the Wind-Riding Beast, stood on a slightly higher earthen slope, shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked into the distance.

At the horizon, a vast, hazy shadow, like a colossal beast crouching on the earth, was barely discernible. Above the shadow, a wisp of cloud seemed to linger, its edge tinged with a blurred gold by the afterglow of the setting sun.

Is that the City of Falling Stars?

He took out the simple map, checked the directions, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Ten days of trekking, enduring wind and rain, sleeping in the open, and facing numerous dangers. But finally, the destination appeared on the horizon.

The road ahead may still be bumpy. But at least they have left the borderlands and truly stepped into the territory of the Azure Profound Continent.

"Soon, we'll be rich." Ling Xiao looked down and said to the gray wolf on the shelf, which was also looking into the distance with its head held high.

Fa Cai shook his head, shaking off some dust. His amber eyes reflected the giant shadow in the distance, and he made a low, unintelligible snort.

After resting for a while, and feeding the Windwalker Beast the last bit of bean cake and water, Ling Xiao climbed onto the beast.

"Let's go into town."