Chapter 75 First Treasure Area

As Xuan stepped through the Qi barrier, he was immediately greeted by a refreshing breeze, along with the powerful smell of nature.

It was like heaven and hell.

Taking a deep breath in, Xuan just stood there, enjoying the change of scenery for a moment. The barrier served to keep the heat out and the coolness in, so this was the perfect opportunity to chill for a bit. He didn't want to dawdle for too long, however, so after just a few minutes of rest, he picked up the pace once more and began making his way through the first treasure area of the Flaming Sands Field.

This small world was circular, and split into multiple rings from the center. The closer to the midpoint the ring was, the better the rewards there would be—or the more dangerous it would be, depending on whether it was a heat area or a treasure area.

Following that logic, this treasure area would not be very good. If anything, it would serve more as a simple break from the heat than any actual treasure hunting. Still, it couldn't hurt to look around for a bit, so Xuan began scavenging.

The first thing he came across was some purple berries hanging from a bush. They didn't seem like anything too extravagant at first glance, but Xuan knew better.

"These are… Purple Mist Berries?"

Purple Mist Berries—a special fruit that could be used to poison others slowly, without them ever knowing about it until the day they suddenly die. These things tasted just like their counterparts, Blue Fog Berries, which were in fact beneficial to cultivators and could help with the comprehension of certain Laws. However, Purple Mist Berries were an incredibly rare and priceless poison, even though Blue Fog Berries were not.

The reason for that was simple. Blue Fog Berries turned into Purple Mist Berries if they're within a certain radius of a powerful entity with the power of Domain. Such beings were usually either the legendary Tenth-Order Magic Beasts, whom not many people even know exist, and cultivators in the Saint Realm or above.

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In other words, here in the Flaming Sands Field, there was either a Saint stage powerhouse, or a Tenth-Order Magic Beast.

Xuan would like to believe it was the former—because if it was the other option, then the chances of there being a powerful Phoenix or Dragon here would be even higher.

"…"

After thinking about it for a moment, he harvested the Purple Mist Berries carefully, and carried on towards the next layer of the Flaming Sands Field. Very soon, however, he came across a massive mountain in his way, with an entrance leading into a cave.

"… Seriously? Again?"

Xuan sighed. He'd had his share of caves recently. But seeing as how there was no other way to go if he wanted to reach the next layer, he had to go through here.

Upon entering through the entrance, however, he realized that it was not actually a cave, but simply a long tunnel. As he went deeper and deeper in, his Divine Sense began to pick up on the presence of other nearby cultivators—several, actually, all grouped up in the location in front of him.

Soon, Xuan discovered why that was. In a small chamber that the tunnel led to, several cultivators were working together in breaking a Qi barrier sealing a stone door. Xuan tilted his head, wondering what was behind it. His Traveler's Compass wasn't picking up on any Saint/Divine-Grade treasures, so that was out of the question.

When he finally reached the end of the tunnel, however, he realized why that was. There, a group of cultivators surrounded a pool of some sort, and they appeared to be discussing something. He recognized a few of them to be from major sects, though it didn't seem like anyone from the Eight Great Families were here.

Breezily, he waltzed into the room, and quickly attracted the attention of everyone present. His appearance changing artifact was off since he wanted Fu Mei to be able to recognize him, so his otherworldly handsomeness and unusual long and smooth white hair naturally attracted plenty of gazes.

"Who's this guy…"

"Did he just get here?"

"Great, another competitor…"

"He doesn't seem to be from some major force or anything, though, given his clothes… it should be fine."

"Greetings, this brother," a man with long black hair asked, tone polite yet not without an edge. "May I ask which sect you are from?"

"No sect," Xuan replied. "I am a lone cultivator."

At this, the crowd exploded into murmurs.

"What?! A lone cultivator was able to secure a spot to enter the Flaming Sands Field?!"

"He must be on good terms with a major force, in that case… we should be careful and treat him with respect."

Covertly, Xuan smirked. It was good to make these guys think he had a connection with some powerful force. This way, they wouldn't seek out trouble with him, and would act with caution.

"I see…" the man who'd initially asked Xuan the question rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, before we go any further, it is only polite for me to introduce myself."

Clearing his throat, the man continued.

"I am Li Youpeng, a member of the Thousand Swords Sect. This brother, do you know what this place is?"

Xuan frowned and analyzed the scene. "By the looks of it… this seems to be a rich cultivation point, correct?"

Li Youpeng nodded. "This brother is truly wise. However, as you can see, we have a small problem."

Saying this, he turned and gestured towards everyone else. Immediately, Xuan understood what the fuss was about.

"… Hm. I see."

It was simple, really. In any cultivation spot, there was only a limited amount of Qi to absorb and enjoy. As such, if there were multiple forces gathered at one location, naturally there would be qualms about who got to stay for the longest with respect to the force's power and size.

"Well, if this is the case, then I have a simple solution," Xuan proposed, smiling. "Every force here will send out a representative, and the chosen ones will then duel one another. Whoever wins will be allotted more time for their sect inside the pool."

It was a fair, old-fashioned method to solve disputes like this amongst cultivators. Judging by the way how everyone nodded in agreement, however, the strategy still worked even in today's times.

With that, the plan was decided.