Please be my partner.

In the quiet room, Mellen sat cross-legged, quietly sensing the increase in his strength, his mind becoming increasingly clear.

Several hours later, the increase gradually slowed down and stopped. Based on the previous benchmark, Mellen concluded that his life field had surged to around 5.5.

Of course, this improvement was not entirely due to the boundary of the land; the treasures given by the senior brothers and sisters at the apprenticeship banquet also played a role.

For martial artists who have achieved a minor level of mastery in martial arts, the borderlands can be considered a treasure trove. Even just digging up a blade of grass and eating it can replenish their qi and blood. However, as their life field improves, the effects of various treasures will become weaker and weaker.

When the life field reaches 5 or higher, the effects of most treasures will be greatly reduced, and only those relatively precious treasures can still maintain a decent level of assistance.

Just like Mellen at this moment.

Mellen got up and left the quiet room, finding the person who had accompanied her earlier. The latter was somewhat surprised and asked, "What are you doing here...?"

"I have completed my training and am ready to leave," said Mellen.

"You're leaving already? You applied for a whole day." The accompanying staff were even more puzzled.

In the past, martial artists who applied to enter the border area always wanted to stay as long as possible because the spiritual energy here was abundant, and very few would suddenly leave before the time was up.

Mellen laughed and said, "I've gotten what I wanted, so naturally I'm leaving."

The accompanying person shrugged and said, "Alright then."

After Mellen left the valley boundary and returned to his temporary room, he saw Song Jiajing leisurely flipping through some documents. Upon seeing Mellen enter the room, she asked, "Is it finished?"

Mellen nodded slightly.

Song Jiajing didn't ask any more questions and quickly packed her things to leave.

They returned to the previous military base, boarded a private plane, and headed to their next destination.

Two days later, Murren entered the second border crossing, where only stars filled the sky, but there was no sun or moon; two days later, Murren arrived at the last border crossing of his journey, which was filled with ocean and only a few scattered islands for him to land on.

Thus ended Mellen's brief journey to the borderlands, and his life field reached 8.1, a terrifying increase in strength!

Although it becomes increasingly difficult to raise one's life field as one progresses, Mellen believes that if he were given at least two more, and at most three more, trips to different borderlands, he would be able to raise his life field to over 10 in one fell swoop.

Of course, even if he raises his life field to 10, Mellen doesn't think that's his limit. After all, his foundation is far superior to that of ordinary people. Perhaps he will reach 20, 30... or even higher before he can touch his limit.

This is naturally a good thing. Improving within the limits and expanding the limits of a race are two completely different kinds of difficulty.

Unfortunately, according to the formula Li Xunhuan provided, the calculation points to midnight two days later. If this specific time is missed, the next specific time will be five months later.

Of course, Mellen couldn't wait that long.

By this time, they had left Great Xia and were far away on an island in the sea. Their last border was located at the junction of several island nations.

It's not that the Great Xia Dynasty has no other border areas, but the other border areas are either being developed by other corporations, or their resources are quite valuable, or they are too dangerous. In short, they all have in common that it takes more time to apply for entry. Although the island border areas are farther away, they are actually faster to enter.

On the plane, Song Jiajing looked at Mellen, who was unable to perfectly contain his life field due to the massive increase in a short period of time, and couldn't help but sigh, "Junior Brother, although Master told me to help you as much as possible and not to ask too many questions, your improvement these past few days is a bit too exaggerated, isn't it?"

The so-called life field can actually reveal the quality and depth of a person's life. People with a strong life field will have a stronger sense of presence. If this were in a novel, it would be something like, "This child has the potential to be an emperor," or "This child is extraordinary and must not be allowed to live."

Mellen did not explain, because he did not understand it at the moment, and only had some vague guesses, but still needed to verify them.

Mellen said, "Senior sister, there are some things I only have a vague understanding of."

Song Jiajing pouted and said, "Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore!"

Mellen said, "Senior sister, please take me to Linjiang City."

Song Jiajing quickly realized the location after a moment's thought, and asked to confirm, "Linjiang City, Central China Province?"

Mellen nodded.

Linjiang City is a small city outside the third tier. Its only redeeming feature is that it has preserved a large number of ancient buildings, small bridges and flowing water, and is a land of fish and rice, with a gentle and graceful Jiangnan style. It was once popular for tourism promotion.

More than ten hours later, the plane landed in Cuilan City, and then Mellen boarded a pre-arranged business vehicle and headed straight for Linjiang City.

Throughout this journey, both domestically and internationally, every place we arrived at had pre-arranged transportation waiting for us, making the most of our time.

After traveling for several more hours, Mellen finally arrived in Linjiang City. It was only six o'clock in the morning, more than ten hours before midnight.

Looking out into the distance, Linjiang City was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, truly reminiscent of the misty, rainy Jiangnan region.

After saying goodbye to Song Jiajing, Mei Lun walked into Linjiang City. He walked up the steps, crossed the small bridge, and arrived at a house. He gently knocked on the door.

As the old wooden door creaked open, a man in his sixties opened it and looked at Mellen.

"Someone called me here," Mellen said.

The old man asked in confusion, "Who?"

"His last name is Lee," Mellen said.

“Li?” the old man murmured, a glimmer of light shining in his dim eyes. He gave Mellen a deep look and said, “You’re early.”

As he spoke, the old man stepped aside to make way and continued, "If you don't mind, please come in and wait."

Mellen nodded slightly and walked into the courtyard.

Mellen had already guessed that since there was a specific time, Li Xunhuan must not have simply placed the information he wanted here, but rather had other intentions.

This residence is a retro-style house with three rooms, a small courtyard, and a small pavilion in the courtyard.

Murren waited quietly in one of the rooms. Apart from preparing a simple meal for Murren at noon, the old man did not talk to him much.

Time passed quickly, and it soon came to midnight. The lights in the old man's room were already off, and soft snoring could be heard, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

When Murren entered the courtyard, he looked up at the sky and saw a full moon hanging high in the sky. Around the full moon, three stars formed an isosceles triangle, surrounding the full moon.

In Feng Shui, this has another name: ...Three Stars Locking the Moon.

As the hazy light gradually rises, the rays of the full moon converge, seemingly forming a beam of light that shines upon the pavilion, subtly revealing a different scene.

After observing for a moment, Mellen stepped into the pavilion.

Chapter 634 Time Travel?

As light and shadow intertwined, it was as if Mellen was walking in the torrent of time. The surrounding scenery was constantly distorting and expanding. He was only two or three steps away from the pavilion, but it took him a very long time.

As the illusory scene gradually solidified and the surrounding environment returned to normal, Mellen was already standing in the center of the pavilion.

Mellen looked around and keenly noticed that the environment had changed. The courtyard was still the same courtyard, and the houses were still the same houses, but they seemed to be different. They seemed to have become 'new'!

Looking up at the sky, the full moon still hangs high, surrounded by three stars. However, as time goes by, the stars gradually shift, and the auspicious feng shui pattern of three stars locking the moon has been missed.

Mellen looked around the room and could hear six breaths. Two of them were slightly weak, probably from children, while the other was intermittent and weak, seemingly from an elderly person.

He didn't act rashly, but nimbly flipped himself out of the courtyard and then knocked on the door.

At this time, the surroundings were already dark. As the knocking sounded, Mellen could clearly sense the change in breathing sounds from the nearby rooms. They were obviously awakened by his movements, but no one came out to check. At most, they would just open the window a crack to observe.

Taking this opportunity, Mellen also looked around and found that apart from the courtyard in front of him, most of the other houses were made of wood and looked rather simple, completely different from the previous Linjiang City.

After a series of rustling sounds, a strong male voice boomed from the small courtyard where Mellen had knocked on the door: "Who goes there?!"

Mellen said, "Excuse me, I am a traveler from afar who has lost my way and would like to ask some questions. Please do me a favor."

hushed conversations came from the courtyard. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a burly man shirtless, wearing only shorts, with a machete at his waist. He was warily eyeing Mellen. Not far behind the man, an old man leaned on a cane, his eyes somewhat cloudy. From the half-open room, several pairs of eyes were peeking at Mellen through the crack in the door.

Seeing that Mellen was fair-skinned and dressed rather strangely but quite appropriately, the man and the old man lowered their guard a little.

But the man didn't open the door. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "How did you get into Xiaojiang Village?"

"Xiaojiang Village? How do I get in?" Mellen asked, somewhat puzzled.

The man frowned and shouted, "Damn it, is Er Gouzi slacking off again?!"

Although he said that, the man still stared intently at Mellen, because there was a possibility that the man in front of him had knocked out the village guards on night watch and sneaked in.

Although Mellen hadn't quite figured out the specifics yet, he was starting to understand. Unlike Linjiang City, where there were no barriers and anyone could come and go freely, Xiaojiang Village clearly had a fence-like structure around it. Normal people would have to pass through the village entrance to enter, and the entrance was obviously guarded both day and night.

In that case, Mellen, who entered so quietly, would seem very suspicious.

However, Mellen didn't seem to care much. He said, "Sorry, it shouldn't be a problem with the guards. I climbed over myself. I just want to ask some questions, and I'll leave after I'm done."

Mellen's casual attitude made the man's expression change, but before he could say anything, the old man leaned on his cane and said, "Auntie, guests are guests, so don't be rude."

Ah Da turned around and glanced at the old man before saying, "Yes, Father."

The old man pushed Ah Da aside and said with a smile, "Guests from afar, if you don't mind, please come in and have some tea. If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability."

Mellen nodded and smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Judging from the people's clothing, mannerisms, and behavior, Mellen felt that he might have arrived in some ancient era, but whether this was a border region remained to be confirmed.

Since arriving here through the pavilion, Mellen once again sensed a strange increase in his strength. However, compared to the previous borderlands, the rate of increase was quite slow. Nevertheless, Mellen could still feel that this increase would be much greater than any of the previous ones.

To give an example, in the past, when I went to the bank to withdraw money, I used an ATM. As long as the card and password were correct, I could easily withdraw the money. But this time, there was no self-service and I could only go through manual processing, which involved going through multiple procedures.

More importantly, the 'bank' seemed unwilling to release the funds so easily, and kept making excuses and delaying the process.

In this situation, if Mellen's status were high enough, he could bypass these rules and regulations and forcefully "withdraw" the money. However, he is not even a Martial Saint now, and his spirit cannot communicate with heaven and earth. He can only squeeze it out little by little like toothpaste.

Fortunately, this power originally belonged to Mellen himself, so even if it was a little slow, he would eventually get his hands on it.

Mellen and the old man sat in the pavilion, while Ada stood to the side.

The old man called out, "Little girl, go and prepare some tea for the guests."

Before long, a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in coarse linen clothes, with delicate features and yellow hair, carefully came out carrying a plate with a pot of tea and two cups on it.

The old man poured tea for himself and Mellen, then took a small sip before asking, "Are the guests from out of town?"

Mellen nodded and said, "I come from a very far place. I don't know where this is?"

A-Da frowned, while the old man said calmly, "This is Qingzhou Prefecture. More than ten miles north of our Xiaojiang Village is Cuishi City, and to the west is Wudang Mountain."

"Qingzhou Prefecture, Wudang Mountain?" Mellen was lost in thought; these two names vaguely reminded him of something.

Soon, some memories flashed through Mellen's mind, and he showed a look of surprise. The Central China Province where he was before was the name of the Great Xia Dynasty, and in ancient times, the Central China Province was always called... Qingzhou Prefecture.

This Wudang Mountain doesn't quite match up. As far as Mellen knows, there is indeed a mountain west of Linjiang City, but that mountain is called Yunhai Mountain, and there is a small Taoist temple on the mountain called Yunhai Temple, which can be considered as part of the scenery that complements Linjiang City.

However, according to the ancient books that Mellen looked through at the pond, there was a small sect called Wudang Sect in Qingzhou Prefecture during the Middle Ages, but its exact location is unknown.

So, Mellen asked directly, "Are there any martial arts sects on Mount Wudang?"

The old man said, "That's for sure. The Wudang Sect on Wudang Mountain is a renowned martial arts sect within a hundred miles."

After thinking for a moment, Mellen asked, "Sir, have you ever heard of a martial arts sect called Shenlongliu?"

The old man stammered, "God...God Dragon...Flow?"

After a moment's thought, the old man smiled wryly and said, "I am but a humble old man with limited knowledge. In my entire life, I have only traveled to the surrounding villages and have never heard of the Divine Dragon Stream. If you wish to inquire about more detailed information, Emerald Stone City should be a good place to go."

"I've heard that the Wind Chime Pavilion in Emerald Stone City sells intelligence information."

Mellen nodded slightly, skipping over the topic, and began to ask for other information.

They talked for half an hour. The old man was listless, and his eyelids started to droop. Several times, Ah Da tried to interrupt their conversation, but the old man waved him off each time.

Finally, Mellen stopped talking and said, "Thank you for your explanation, sir. I will be richly rewarded for what I have done today. In that case, I will not disturb you any longer."

With that, Mellen got up to leave.

The old man smiled and said, “Guest, it is dark and the road is long today. It may be inconvenient to travel. If you don’t mind, you might as well rest here for the night and set off early tomorrow morning.”

"Moreover, the gates of Emerald Stone City are already closed at this hour, so even if guests go, they will have to sleep outside the city."

Upon hearing this, Mellen nodded slightly and did not refuse. Before long, a room was vacated.

The elderly man's family of six had three rooms. The elderly man usually lived alone in one room, his eldest son, Ah Da, shared a room with his wife, and his youngest daughter, Xiao Ya, shared a room with Ah Da's two children.

At this point, the old man vacated his room for Mellen to live in, while he shared a room with his son, and his daughter-in-law squeezed into the child's room.

It's clear that the old man is highly respected, and although his son and daughter-in-law are somewhat dissatisfied, they dare not say anything more.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Mellen saw Ah Da lecturing two men, saying things like they hadn't kept watch well the night before.

Breakfast was simple, at least in Mellen's opinion: cornbread, vegetable pancakes, porridge, and a few steamed sweet potatoes. But judging from the children's drooling, he knew that this was a rare treat for them.

This was also the first time that Mellen had met Ah Da's children. The girl was older, around seven or eight years old, and seemed very sensible. The boy was around five or six years old, and seemed a little shy. He looked noticeably fatter than the girl, and looked round and chubby.

After eating a simple meal, Mellen thanked the old man and left Xiaojiang Village.

After Mellen left, Ada asked incredulously, "Father, he just... left like that?"

The old man glanced at his son and said, "Of course he's gone."

Ah Da was still somewhat indignant, muttering, "Our family treated him so well, and Father answered every question, yet this person is so inconsiderate, just leaving like that?!"

The old man said, "You fool, you have no discernment at all. This stranger's origins are mysterious. It's already a great fortune that we were able to send him away safely. We didn't suffer any losses. What, do you want more?"