Chapter 1: Reoffering the Ritual to Break the Barrier (Part 2)

Guo Shier left the group and flew into the air. He left behind the coordinates of this place but would not use the portal for now. Using portals in another world was extremely dangerous—there was a 50% chance that the forces of that world could invade one’s soul. Therefore, he would only use the great interworld portal in extreme circumstances.

Flying toward the outskirts of the swamp, Guo Shier didn’t want to come into contact with the local natives. After using such a large amount of materials at once, he realized that even with plenty of talisman materials, they would eventually run out. Without alternative materials, further progress would be impossible.

Initially, Guo Shier had planned to give up on finding useful materials. But since he had used so much this time and didn’t know if more materials would be available in the future, he had to find substitutes. In the previous worlds, he had collected some materials and given them to the old man Shuai for research. The results were promising—many of the materials could be used, though they required significant rune enhancements. Their effectiveness was slightly lower than that of natural talisman materials from his own world, but they were still usable.

This result pleased Guo Shier, reigniting his desire to collect materials.

The old man Shuai noticed a phenomenon: runes could be applied to any material, but their effects varied. Some materials could only hold a very small amount of rune power, while others were natural carriers of runes capable of sustaining strong talismanic power. Through testing, he found many good materials. With these results, he could carry out material collection tasks in any unfamiliar place in the future.

Materials were everywhere—it just depended on whether one could find them. Guo Shier had several ways to collect materials: by searching in shops or by searching on his own. He preferred searching on his own, though it wasn’t as convenient or fast as buying from shops. No matter how skilled a person was, it was impossible to collect an enormous amount of materials alone.

Guo Shier quickly flew out of the swamp. The swamp covered a vast area, and beyond it lay sparse forests interspersed with bushes and wild grasses. There were many wild animals and herbivores here, making it a remote and uninhabited wasteland.

This time, Guo Shier didn’t fly in the air. He wandered aimlessly across the wasteland.

As they walked, Guo Shier chatted casually with the old man Shuai. He said, “Old man Shuai, once we reach the greater world, you should be able to reincarnate. Do you want me to help seal you?”

The handsome old man gave a bitter smile and said, “If you help me seal it, then who will help you seal it? Do you think you’re immortal?”
Guo Shier and the handsome old man had long become inseparable, unable to leave each other.
The handsome old man said, “It’s better to wait until you reach the greater world and are reborn… then consider my rebirth. Hehe, I hope… you’ll come to find me after rebirth. It’s a pity Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan didn’t come along. If they were here, I could feel a bit more at ease.”
A hint of bitterness appeared on Guo Shier’s face. Not only had he failed to bring Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan with him, but he had also lost forever the chance to search for Kuumu and Monier. This unexpected incident meant he could never return to the World of Spells. Only after truly leaving it did he realize how deeply attached he had become to it.
He sighed deeply and said, “Sigh, there’s no remedy for regret…” He knew it was because he had been too cautious that Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan stayed behind. Now, even though he regretted it deeply, there was no chance to make amends.
The handsome old man comforted him, “It might be better for them not to come. Don’t be sad, kid.”
Guo Shier said, “Forget it. It hurts my heart to talk about it. Handsome old man, should we look for the local natives here… to gather some materials? Um, we should stay low-key to avoid more conflicts. We’ll be staying here for a while—finding something to do would be good too.”
The handsome old man said, “It seems we’ve passed by many cities and villages along the way…”
Guo Shier replied, “We won’t look back. There’s a sea over there—it’s too strange. Let’s keep moving forward and see if there are any local natives.”
The handsome old man said, “That’s good. You decide.”
Guo Shier wasn’t in a hurry. He walked slowly across the wasteland, not deliberately searching for materials but instead leisurely enjoying the primitive landscape. There were herds of wild cattle, elk, antelopes, along with many rabbits and pheasants. As for predators, most were lions, leopards, and wolves—very similar to the African savannas of his past life. However, there were more species here, including many beasts he had never seen before. Of course, these beasts posed no threat to him at all.
The spiritual fluctuations emanating from Guo Shier might go unnoticed by humans, but the beasts could sense them clearly. They could feel the immense threat and naturally dared not approach. Moreover, when Guo Shier entered their territory, they would wisely back away, showing no arrogance or anger.

Watching the beast run away sobbing, Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh, “These beasts are quite clever, huh.”
The handsome old man said, “This small world seems quite peaceful; there are no particularly fierce wild beasts.”
Guo Shier had felt this since entering this world—a subtle sensation, as his soul sensed no threat at all, which was very rare. Professionals who cultivated their souls had an instinctive sense of threat, but in this world, the only time there was a threat wasn’t from intelligent beings but from nature; otherwise, he felt nothing.
“Perhaps this is why Brother Li Ran and Sister Zhen plan to redesign the ritual for breaking through boundaries here. If it were a place with great threats, they probably wouldn’t choose to conduct the ritual here.”
The handsome old man said, “I hope this is a quiet small world.”
Guo Shier walked slowly, stopping from time to time. Along the way, he hunted a wild ox and had a barbecue on the grassland. Although dozens of vultures descended around him, he still ate his meal leisurely. He only ate a small part of the wild ox; the rest was devoured by the wild beasts that gathered after he left.
As he traveled, Guo Shier casually tested the combat strength of the local wild beasts and found it insignificant—any beast couldn’t withstand a casual strike from him, so gradually he lost interest in testing them.
The handsome old man reminded him, “If you keep walking like this… you won’t get far at all. It’s better to fly; only then can you find the local natives.”
Guo Shier nodded and took off. This time, he successfully reached high altitudes before accelerating fully and flying forward. After crossing the grassland, he soon saw stretching mountains. It took about three days to fly over the continuous mountains and enter the plains—a vast expanse of primeval forest.
It took another five days to fly through this forest. In the distance, Guo Shier saw a small village with a few sparse stone houses by a stream, along with a winding stone path, but not a single person in sight.
As Guo Shier landed from the sky, before he could steady himself, he heard a scream. A small figure stumbled toward the stone houses—it was a child wearing a half-fur coat.

He walked slowly to the stone house and examined it curiously. It was a low stone building made of mountain rocks, with a roof constructed from logs—very simple and primitive. A fence made of logs about the thickness of a bowl surrounded it, forming a small courtyard. There were two tall trees beside the stone house, and several chickens were leisurely foraging in the courtyard.

Guo Shieru asked, “Is anyone here?”

An old man came out of the house, followed by a child who hid behind him out of fear, peeking at him secretly. The old man muttered a few words, and Guo Shieru couldn’t help but smile bitterly—he didn’t understand the local language.

However, Guo Shieru could sense that the old man had no ill intentions and was very gentle. Having met many people from other worlds, he could roughly guess what the old man was saying. The old man opened the small door tied to the fence and politely invited Guo Shieru inside.

Inside the stone house, it was cool and equally simple. The floor was paved with crushed stones, kept very clean. In the center was a small fire pit, with a clay pot hanging from a wooden frame over charcoal, emitting a faint red glow. In a corner of the house, there were several wooden planks covered with animal skins of various sizes—likely serving as beds.

Above the clay pot hung seven or eight pieces of smoked bacon. The old man brought over a straw mat, similar to a cushion, and asked Guo Shieru to sit down. The child stared at Guo Shieru curiously, with a hint of fear in her eyes. She was a delicate little girl; how could she not be afraid after seeing Guo Shieru fall from the sky?

Guo Shieru took out a bag of preserved fruits and waved at the little girl. He put one piece in his mouth first, then handed her the bag.

The girl hesitated for a moment, looking up at the old man, seemingly unsure what to do. She already understood that the small bag contained food. For a child, food is always tempting.

The old man smiled gently and nodded at the girl.

Only then did she slowly extend her small hand. As it approached the bag, she suddenly grabbed it and hid behind the old man again. Guo Shieru couldn’t help but laugh.

The girl put a piece of preserved fruit in her mouth, her face immediately showing surprise. She quickly took another piece and put it in the old man’s mouth. The old man smiled and nodded, reaching out to touch her little head affectionately.

Guo Shier felt a slight stir in his heart. The girl’s actions touched him, bringing a warm feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. His gaze softened. During the period when he had been striving hard to break through to other worlds, even though he wasn’t the team leader, the pressure had been immense, almost suffocating. The scene before him eased his mood.

Since communication was temporarily impossible, Guo Shier didn’t rush to say anything and simply sat quietly.

The old man said something and took the girl out of the room. Moments later, the sound of chickens crowing came from the courtyard. Guo Shier immediately understood that the old man was catching chickens to cook for him.

Soon, the old man came in carrying a clean chicken. He smiled, picked up a clay pot from the corner, filled it with water, replaced the pot on the rack, and placed the washed chicken inside, covering it with a wooden lid. The girl brought in a small bundle of firewood.

Guo Shier watched the busy grandfather and granddaughter with a smile, feeling peaceful inside.