Chapter 5: Little Hook (Part 1)

Eagle Demon said with a grin, “What do you mean I’m also twenty? I’ll always be twenty…” Guo Shier rarely saw Eagle Demon joke, so he said, “I’ve always called him Uncle Eagle Demon—well, an eternal uncle, an uncle who’ll always be twenty.”
Yu Lan seemed relieved and smiled, “That’s right! I also think Eagle Demon is much older than me! He looks so mature and steady.” As soon as she said that, she realized something was off, her face turning red. She said, “Little Hook, you two go ahead. I still need to distribute some food and water. Also, Captain Hu will come to check on today’s class tomorrow! Practice more when you get back tonight.”
Little Hook gave Guo Shier an admiring look, then turned around and replied crisply, “Brother Guo, Uncle, let me take you there.”
Guo Shier tilted his head, looking at Eagle Demon and then at Yu Lan, and said with a smile, “Hmm, okay!” The two of them felt uneasy under his gaze. The others couldn’t help but chuckle.
Eagle Demon said anxiously, “I’ll go out first.” He left the tent in a hurry. Guo Shier muttered softly, “Something’s wrong with Uncle. Little Hook, let’s go.” He called out and rushed out of the tent. Yu Lan’s face was completely red.
Guo Shier stared at Eagle Demon suspiciously.
Eagle Demon snapped, “What are you staring at? There’s something wrong with your eyes!”
Guo Shier grinned and said, “No… no! My eyes are fine. It’s you who’s got a problem!”
Eagle Demon argued, “I have no problems at all. I’m fine—extremely fine!”
Guo Shier burst into laughter, and Little Hook also covered his mouth, unable to hold back his giggles. Eagle Demon said, “Let’s go. I have no idea what’s going on in your head!”
Little Hook said, “Uncle must like Grandma!”
Guo Shier stumbled back a step. He wanted to laugh wildly, but seeing Eagle Demon on the verge of losing control, he held back his words and said, “Little Hook, you’re wrong. How could Uncle possibly like Grandma…” He finally couldn’t resist and started laughing loudly.
Little Hook realized he had said the wrong thing. His face turned red as he stuck out his tongue and said, “Let’s go. I’ll lead the way.” Eagle Demon said helplessly, “Shier, let’s go! Stop laughing, or you’ll drop your chin!”
Guo Shier rubbed his face vigorously and said seriously, “I’m not laughing. Let’s go!”
Along the way, Little Hook kept greeting people around them. It was clear she had many friends—almost everyone knew her.

Guo Shier followed behind, feeling relaxed. Xiao Gou walked briskly ahead, turning back from time to time to wave and signal them to keep up. Soon they arrived at a market where many people were setting up stalls.

Xiao Gou said with a smile, “This is the biggest market in our front camp. Hehe, you can buy anything here.”

The currency used here was points, though food and water could also be exchanged. Food and water were considered hard currency and could be used to get anything.

Guo Shier patiently examined each stall. There were also members from the back camp selling goods, mostly food and water, as their business was the best since they used it to exchange for materials. It was less advantageous to directly exchange points for materials from the Gu Xi Long family; it was more cost-effective to first exchange points for food and then use that to get materials.

Suddenly, Xiao Gou stopped in front of a stall, staring intently at a set of light blue leather armor hanging on the rack. Guo Shier laughed and said, “Xiao Gou, you like that set of armor?”

Xiao Gou nodded vigorously and said, “If I save a few more points, I’ll have enough to buy it. That set costs 100 points!”

The vendor was a spellmaster from the back camp. He smiled and said, “Xiao Gou, you still haven’t saved enough points. Come here every day and be quick, or someone else might buy it and there won’t be another set left!”

Xiao Gou pleaded, “Uncle, please keep it for me! I beg you!”

For some reason, Guo Shier felt a sense of bitterness. After thinking for a while, he said, “Xiao Gou, I have a task for you. Do you want to take it on?”

Xiao Gou immediately became excited—having a task meant getting points. She said repeatedly, “I’ll take it! I’ll take it!” Seeing her joyful expression, Guo Shier also felt happy.

Guo Shier said, “Help me organize a group of children, around your age, as many as there are. Have them come to the back camp every evening, and I’ll arrange for someone to teach them.”

Xiao Gou was stunned. After a long while, she said, “Brother Guo, you’re helping us here. This can’t really be considered a task.”

Guo Shier laughed and said, “If I say it’s a task, it is!”

Xiao Gou stubbornly shook her head, her little head bobbing like a rattle. Guo Shier gently held her head and said, “Stop shaking, or it might fall off.”

Ying Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

With her head held still, Xiao Gou looked at Guo Shier eagerly and said, “Brother Guo, I really can’t take it on. I can do everything else!”

Guo Shier sighed and said to the vendor, “I’ll buy that set of armor. I’m the captain of the tenth squad in the first brigade. Come to our camp later to settle the payment.”

That person was also a team member. Hearing this, he nodded and said, “Okay, no problem.”
Xiao Gou looked at the beautiful light blue leather armor with reluctance. She hadn’t expected Guo Shier to buy the armor she had long desired, and a hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes.
Guo Shier picked up the armor and handed it to Xiao Gou, saying, “Well, since that doesn’t count as a mission, but I’m asking you for a favor, I should at least thank you. I’ll give you this armor as a gift to show my gratitude. How about that?”
Xiao Gou looked incredulous. She pointed at herself, then at the armor, before asking after a long pause, “Give it to me?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “It’s not really a gift given, it’s a present!” He knew the girl was stubborn, so giving it to her directly might not work. Therefore, he framed it as a gift, hoping she would accept it.
Xiao Gou was deeply conflicted. She was a proud and stubborn child, but she really loved this armor. It was a complete set of armor—plates, greaves, bracers, and a pair of long leather boots—all made from the skin of cold-resistant mutated talisman beasts. Wearing them could protect one from the scorching heat here. Moreover, the set was extremely beautiful, highly attractive to girls.
Guo Shier didn’t say much more. He untied the talisman pouch from her belt, put the armor inside, and tied it back on for her, then said with a smile, “Take me over there…”
Xiao Gou sighed in relief. She firmly held the talisman pouch at her waist and said, “That place is for selling and exchanging materials.” After all, she was still a child, and she ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation of such a beautiful gift.
After browsing around, Guo Shier and Eagle Demon left. Before going, Guo Shier instructed Xiao Gou to take some children to the rear camp, where he would arrange for someone to teach them.
On the way back, Eagle Demon couldn’t help but sigh, “This child really has it tough. Her conditions are even worse than those of the apprentices in our North Talisman Sect, yet she was able to advance to a talisman caster. Her potential is high. Although it’s not as great as yours, a monster, it’s still much higher than most professionals.”
Guo Shier remained silent. He hadn’t expected professionals like Yu Lan to teach in the front camp, which deeply affected him. He said, “We’ll help for as long as we can… It’s a pity we can barely survive ourselves.”
The next evening, Xiao Gou brought over forty children to the camp of the Tenth Squad.

Guo Shier immediately arranged a large tent and brought the children in. He personally cooked broth, a big bucket of braised pork, and several baskets of flatbreads, feeding them a hearty meal. After that, he called together his team members to teach the children. He didn’t need to teach himself—these children already had master-level professionals to instruct them.

There were many professionals in the front camp. Seeing no hope of advancement, some of them simply got married and had children, so there were quite a few kids in the camp. Since their parents were professionals, most of the children had potential. Only a very small number lacked it and found it difficult to survive in such a harsh environment, almost all dying young.

The professionals here treated the children well. Even if they lacked food and clothing themselves, they would find ways to meet the children’s basic needs. The higher-level professionals would also use some of their points to exchange for food and water for the children. This moved Guo Shier deeply. Although the people here were brave and aggressive, they also had a kind side, which made him feel a sense of belonging to this world for the first time.

That night, when he returned to the Fu House, Guo Shier went upstairs and practiced casting spells, focusing on mastering the hand gestures as well as speed and finger dexterity. After practicing for two hours and taking a short break, he began to chant scriptures.

As soon as he started chanting, Guo Shier sensed something was wrong. Normally, chanting would cause his soul to fluctuate rhythmically, a feeling that was quite comfortable. But this time, the fluctuations in his soul were extremely intense. He immediately realized that he was about to advance. Unlike advancing at the altar, this time he clearly felt the changes in his soul.

His soul seemed to be boiling, and Guo Shier felt as though he were in boiling water. The pain in his soul was extraordinary, and he couldn’t help but let out a scream.

Hawk Demon rushed upstairs at the sound and saw a strange scene. Guo Shier was floating a meter in the air, surrounded by countless virtual talismans. It was evident that he was in extreme pain—his face was completely distorted, his body trembling violently, and sweat poured from his face.

Hawk Demon couldn’t tell whether he was advancing or due to some other reason. After taking one look, he broke into a sweat and became extremely anxious.

The intense pain lasted only about ten seconds, as if his soul could no longer bear it. Soon, Guo Shier’s pale complexion turned rosy, and his expression relaxed noticeably. He still kept his eyes closed, floating in the air with countless virtual talismans surrounding him. Then, his life talisman sphere flew out and stopped in front of his chest, rotating slowly.

Only then did Hawk Demon feel relieved. He knew Guo Shier was advancing.

The soul undergoes tremendous changes. Starting from an apprentice, if an apprentice’s soul is compared to a bucket of water, a spellcaster’s soul is like a tank of water; a master spellcaster’s soul is like a large pool, while a sage spellcaster’s soul is like a big pond. Reaching the level of a grand sage is entirely different—the soul of a grand sage is equivalent to a lake. Only those who reach the level of a grand sage can glimpse the Mirror of Ethereal Spirits, which represents a significant hurdle. Needless to say, in the lower-level spellcasting continents, even on the intermediate-level spellcasting continents, those who can reach the level of a grand sage are all exceptionally talented individuals. On the higher-level spellcasting continents, relying on the inheritance of soul altars, only some sages can barely advance to this level, and that’s as far as they can go. As a result, while there are many lower-level grand sages on these higher continents, higher-level grand sages are extremely rare. Losing one such grand sage would cause a stir among the higher echelons of the sect.