Chapter 4: Eagle Demon (Part 1)

The man devoured his food frantically. Strangely, not even Luo Jie or Qi Nan Shan spoke; everyone just watched him as he ate. Guo Shier even grilled a few extra skewers for him.
The man said, “Grill it a bit raw—preferably with some blood still in it…”
Guo Shier silently continued grilling the skewers, and everyone ate in silence. Before long, most of the wild ox was gone. Guo Shier said, “That’s enough for now. Xiao Hong, bring me a bowl of meat soup; I’m not full yet.”
Suddenly, the man laughed and said, “Interesting kid—turns out you’re a talisman master! Hehe, after eating your food, I’m giving you this spirit talisman. It’s of little use to me… I’ll come back for your grilled meat someday. It’s truly special and delicious… Ah, by the way, my name is Eagle Demon…” He threw a milky-white talisman and then turned to leave.
“Eagle Demon!”
Qin Lang walked over just in time to hear this and couldn’t help but call out.
Eagle Demon waved his hand and disappeared into the night.
Luo Jie said gravely, “A Grand Talisman Martial Artist! That man is a Grand Talisman Martial Artist!”
Qin Lang stepped forward and asked, “Did that man say he’s Eagle Demon?”
Guo Shier held the talisman and said, “Who is Eagle Demon? He just said he’s Eagle Demon—I didn’t hear wrong.”
Qin Lang said, “That guy is a famous lone wanderer who roams the grasslands. He’s extremely powerful and unpredictable… Uh, I didn’t expect to find him in South Fort.”
Luo Jie said, “Shier, you’re really lucky—your grilled meat even produced a talisman.” He took the talisman and examined it briefly. His expression changed instantly, and he said, “Shier, hide it quickly. This is indeed a spirit talisman… A storage talisman, which can be stored inside one’s life talisman book. Hehe, it’s extremely rare. Eagle Demon was right—holding it is of no use to him.”
Guo Shier was astonished. He knew about storage talismans—they were an essential type of talisman in a life talisman book. Storage talismans could hold items, though not many. But since they could be stored inside the life talisman book, it was the safest way to retrieve one’s life talisman sphere. With a light touch on the storage talisman, it was indeed sucked into the life talisman sphere.
Luo Jie shook his head and said, “You’re really a little monster—able to store spirit talismans so easily.”
This storage talisman had a space about the size of a cube, completely clean inside. It was completely different from a storage pouch. Guo Shier could clearly sense the space of the storage talisman. With just a thought, he could access items—very convenient.
“Master, how many storage talismans can a Grand Talisman Master have?”

Luo Jie smiled and said, “There can be many, but Spirit-Hiding Talismans are not easy to obtain. I only have a dozen or so so far.”
Guo Shier asked, “Can one make Spirit-Hiding Talismans by oneself?”
Luo Jie replied, “It’s very difficult… The materials needed are extremely expensive and rare. Although I know how to make them, I don’t want to use those materials on Spirit-Hiding Talismans. A talisman bag is sufficient.”
Guo Shier said, “Heh, I see, master.” He was quite satisfied to have obtained a Spirit-Hiding Talisman unexpectedly. He wondered who Eagle Demon had stolen it from and used it as an ordinary item to exchange for a meal of roasted meat, allowing him to get a good deal.
Qi Nanshan said, “Rest now. We need to set off early tomorrow.”
Huo Bao and the others quickly set up tents. Guo Shier practiced some basic movements outside the tent a few times before entering and sitting inside to recite scriptures over and over again. This was his daily routine—he had to recite for hours each day. With each recitation, his soul became more refined, and over time, his soul grew stronger.
Recently, Guo Shier had some doubts. He had never encountered any difficulties in advancing. Those barriers seemed to nonexist. For example, to advance from a Spellcrafter to a Sorcerer, one must possess their own Life Talisman. Advancing from a Spellcrafter to a Sorcerer was extremely difficult because integrating the Life Talisman into the soul was a tough and painful process. But for him, it posed almost no obstacle, and he completed this step effortlessly.
As for advancing to a Grand Sorcerer, he didn’t think it was very difficult either. He felt that as long as he had enough spirit talismans, he could advance. It was a strange kind of confidence, a strange feeling—could it be the benefit of a reincarnated soul?
It was good that he hadn’t encountered any barriers to advancement. As long as he had a certain number of spirit talismans, he could advance at any time. But the downside was obvious—his knowledge was insufficient. The foundation of a Sorcerer lies in creating and using talismans. Relying on his powerful soul, Guo Shier could quickly learn to use various advanced talismans, but his skills in creating talismans lagged behind. Improving talisman-making skills required practice and accumulation. Therefore, he was more like a caster rather than a Sorcerer at the moment.
Guo Shier lay on the thick animal skin, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the tent roof. He thought about the mysterious Li Ran he had met in the secret realm.

By his sense, Li Ran was extremely strong, far stronger than his master Luo Jie. Even the master was surprised by what was said about Li Ran, which showed that the master didn’t understand Li Ran’s world either. It was clear that Li Ran’s world was far more advanced than his own. By “advanced,” it meant their combat skills were far more formidable, and their standards for measuring strength were higher.

Guo Shier sighed slightly. He had already decided in his heart to keep his promise to Li Ran and go, no matter what awaited them there—it was worth exploring.

At night, the howls of various wild beasts echoed continuously. For those unaccustomed to it, it was a terrifying night. But those who dared to spend the night in South Fort were all professionals. With their strong abilities, they paid no attention to the wild beasts. Aside from those on duty, almost everyone slept soundly.

Just as dawn began to break, noisy voices arose.

Qin Lang got up the earliest. He woke up the team he led, first feeding all the horses and packing up their belongings. By the time Guo Shier and the others woke up, the warhorses had already been fed and watered. Qi Nan Shan patted Qin Lang’s shoulder in satisfaction and praised him. Everyone quickly finished their breakfast.

Wu Qing’s team was also ready. Since they were attached to Luo Jie’s group, they didn’t enjoy the services provided by Qin Lang and the others and had to prepare their own meals.

Luo Jie asked, “Qin Lang, how should we arrange today’s itinerary?”

Qin Lang replied, “Once we leave South Fort, we’ll officially enter the great grassland. Hehe, if we’re lucky, things will go smoothly. If not… if we encounter fierce wild beasts, then everyone will need to…”

Luo Jie said nonchalantly, “It’s fine. If we encounter fierce wild beasts, leave that to us. You just focus on leading the team to the next resting place.”

Qin Lang’s face turned slightly red. He was used to giving a motivational speech before entering the grassland, but who was Luo Jie? There were two master-level experts in this team, so there was no need to worry about attacks from wild beasts. This wasn’t a hunting team entering the grassland—they were an extremely powerful group.

“Hehe, yes! Yes! Our next stop is the Great Depression, where there’s a small camp set up by a wandering team. We can replenish water and food there.”

Luo Jie nodded. “Let’s hurry up and set off right away!”

Wu Qing led his team and stood quietly aside, waiting. It had to be said that this guy was sensible—he didn’t ask too many questions and simply waited for orders. Both Qin Lang and Luo Jie were satisfied with this.

Qi Nan Shan shouted, “On horseback! Let’s go!”

Qin Lang took the lead, galloping out of South Fort.

Over thirty people and a hundred warhorses rushed out of South Fort with a rumbling sound, resembling an army of thousands. Some members of the squad couldn’t help but mutter curses in envy. On the grasslands, such a large group of people and horses would attract wild beasts; only with great strength could one form such a force, yet only such a group could ensure safety and hunt more beasts.

Riding warhorses for long distances was extremely difficult without a strong physique and endurance. The five children, including Guo Shier, had it toughest as they had to keep up with the others. Fortunately, they were in excellent physical condition and, despite being tired, did not fall behind.

Luo Jie looked at the five children with admiration and emotion. They helped and encouraged each other. Though clearly exhausted, none of them complained, persevering silently so as not to hold back the entire group.

After seven days of continuous riding, even Luo Jie felt a bit tired. He asked, “Qin Lang, how much farther until we reach the next supply point?”

Qin Lang glanced around and said, “We’ve already covered half the distance. We’ve been fast today, so we should be able to reach the supply point ahead of schedule.”

Qi Nan Shan rode up to Qin Lang’s horse and shouted, “Since we still have time, let’s take a short rest. Eat some dry food, drink some water, and let the horses relax too. They’ve been running nonstop these past few days!”

Qin Lang nodded and said, “There’s a small hill not far ahead. Let’s rest there!”

Under normal circumstances, it took a whole day to find a resting spot—either established by nomadic squads, remnants of old ruins, or advantageous terrain—all of which made excellent supply points. Such spots were scattered across the grasslands, but only those who had spent years there could locate them.

Qi Nan Shan praised, “Good job, Qin Lang. You’re like a living map! Even knowing about small mounds along the way—amazing!”

A faint smile appeared on Qin Lang’s wrinkled face. Being praised by a master-level expert made him very happy. He humbly said, “I’ve just traveled a lot, so I’m more familiar with the area.”

Soon, a small hill came into view. It was low, covered in weeds and shrubs, resembling the protruding back of a giant whale on the grassland.

There were no big trees on top of the hill, only weeds. As they rode up and looked down, they could clearly see various wild beasts roaming the grassland.

After dismounting, everyone quickly fed the horses, then hurried to eat and drink—mostly marinated meat and water. Guo Shier found a green-stone and called his four companions over; they sat together on the rock. Holding a piece of marinated meat, he said while eating, “I heard from Uncle Qin that we can reach the resting place earlier today.”
Huo Bao replied, “If we get there early, we can rest sooner…”
Guo Shier said, “Today we’ll start the physical training for all of you… It’s about time. Once we arrive at the camp, don’t wander around. I’ll do my best to complete this training task for everyone.”
Chen Hong suddenly covered her mouth, her face turning red. Although she had undergone physical training many times before, she still found it uncomfortable, yet she had no choice but to go through it. Every time, it felt like being tortured—she had to stand still from start to finish, not even daring to open her eyes. Realizing it was time for training again, she felt panicked.