Chapter 5: The Black Fog Zone (Part 1)

There were clearly more people active at the edge of the Black Fog Zone than in the Blood Fog Zone. In just half an hour, Guo Shier saw two lone travelers. When they spotted Guo Shier and his group, they all left quickly without exception, avoiding any contact and showing extreme caution.
Although Guo Shier’s group wasn’t very strong, their numbers gave them courage. Zhou Xiaoling led the way, flying forward without stopping. Everyone could fly, but they dared not rise high, instead moving swiftly close to the ground.
The surroundings were still shrouded in thick fog; at most, they could see about a hundred meters ahead—anything further was invisible.
“We’re here!”
A dried-up riverbed appeared before them, covered densely with broken bones, which stood out sharply against the pitch-black soil. It was a small river bend, with the dried riverbed about three meters above the ground. Zhou Xiaoling said, “Let’s set up camp at the bend; it should be relatively safe here.”
Eagle Demon set Guo Shier down and said, “I’ll scout the area.” He flew around the camp quickly before gradually disappearing into the dense fog.
Sun Min’er loosened her grip, and Xuan Ai fell to the ground with a thud. He cursed loudly, “You bastard, big beard! Ouch, my back’s about to break!”
Sun Min’er said, “I’m not going to die. Hehe, don’t you like watching me train? You even applauded… This is the result of my training—carrying someone while running… It’s nothing serious, hehe. Let’s continue next time!”
Xuan Ai spat and said, “If I hadn’t messed up and not known how fast to fly, I would have flown by myself!” He had seen Guo Shier being carried and wanted to slack off too, but Sun Min’er grabbed him under her arm, making it impossible for him to get down. Sun Min’er, frustrated and unable to vent her anger, took her chance to punish Xuan Ai, though she was a bit too forceful, leaving him unable to speak.
Sun Min’er went off proudly to set up the tent. Having tasted the satisfaction of bullying someone, she felt much better.
As soon as Guo Shier got down, he began searching the ground for Blood Soul Stones.
Shortly after, Eagle Demon reappeared from the fog. He flew back and said, “This place is good. There are no signs of people or mutated beasts around.”
Zhou Xiaoling asked, “Shier, what are you doing?” She saw Guo Shier walking on the riverbed and rushed over to ask him.
Guo Shier replied, “I’m checking if there are any Blood Soul Stones here.”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled and said, “There should be few here…”

Guo Shier shook his head and said, “Since the Blood Soul Stones are scattered across this land, they should appear here as well. If we don’t search carefully, we might never find them.”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “I’ll go set up a tent first. I’ll come look for them in a bit.”
Guo Shier was very interested in the Blood Soul Stones. He knew this was a rare opportunity—he might not get another chance to obtain them in the future—so he searched thoroughly.
There were quite a few black threads emerging from the riverbed. After about ten minutes, he suddenly felt his soul trembling.
Guo Shier slowly sat down and began to meditate. Just then, Eagle Demon came over to call him and saw a stunning scene: countless threads swam toward Guo Shier like fish in water. At first, there weren’t many threads, but in moments, they gathered densely around him.
Guo Shier couldn’t help but moan—the feeling was incredible. His soul was growing rapidly, and the expanding soul brought him immense pleasure, both mentally and physically.
Eagle Demon immediately rushed back to the camp and whispered, “Sun Min’er, Wangwang, Xiao Lanzi, stay alert! No one should make a sound! Dingding, come with me!” Then he rushed back toward Guo Shier.
Zhou Xiaoling followed confusedly and also witnessed this spectacular sight.
Guo Shier was enveloped in a swirl of black mist. Upon closer inspection, strands of black threads wrapped around him, drifting rhythmically in the air with his breaths. Black threads rising from the ground in the distance also slowly drifted over, as if drawn by something.
Eagle Demon said, “Dingding, you guard this side; I’ll guard the other.”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded and said, “Okay, uncle. Go ahead. I’ll take care of this side.”
Guo Shier felt his soul was “full,” and it was a fascinating sensation. He immediately began chanting softly to refine his soul.
He didn’t know what these black threads were, but they seemed capable of strengthening the soul. Guo Shier could sense that his Life Talisman Ball was also beginning to grow, with the various talismans inside it becoming nourished. The Giant Nesting Dragon Talisman, the Ancient Flame Sparrow Talisman, the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion Talisman, and other talismans all saw an improvement in quality.
This was only at the edge of the black mist area, yet the benefits it brought to Guo Shier were beyond his imagination.

When his soul refined itself once again, Guo Shier finally reached the next level, successfully advancing to the rank of Junior Spell Master. In that moment, he clearly felt his own strength. Once he broke through to the master level and reached the rank of Junior Master, he would truly step into the world of spells.

Professionals at the Master level could access the realm of virtual spells. This was a huge transformation—for spellcasters, virtual spells were the goal they pursued, and their power was incomparable to that of real spells.

The Master level could be seen as a dividing line. On the Advanced Continent, being a Master meant reaching the basic standard of a sect. On the Intermediate Continent, Masters were the backbone of a sect. On the Lower Continent, Masters were among the elite, with many places not even having anyone reach that level.

From this moment on, Guo Shier surpassed the professional hierarchy of the North Spell Sect and stood at its highest rank. Among the professionals of the Chenxiao Sect, he was considered part of its core group.

Guo Shier suddenly opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing the black threads surrounding him into a thick mist and swallowing it. After holding it in for a while, he spat it out with a loud explosion, sending a jet of flame forth. It was waste fully refined by spellfire, expelled along with it.

Zhou Xiaoling stared in astonishment and couldn’t help asking, “What’s that?” She had never seen such a cultivation scene before—someone actually able to spew flames.

Eagle Demon narrowed his eyes, equally shocked. He could sense that Guo Shier had advanced. Advancing here was normal, but Guo Shier was only thirteen years old and had already reached the Master level. He was filled with envy—the boy’s potential was truly outstanding.

Guo Shier stood up and said, “Uncle, Dingding, thank you!”

Zhou Xiaoling asked, “You’ve advanced?”

Guo Shier nodded. “Yes, I finally reached the rank of Master.”

Zhou Xiaoling wondered, “You don’t seem very excited?” After the others advanced, they were so excited they almost lost their voices. Even Eagle Demon roared in excitement after advancing. In contrast, Guo Shier remained extremely calm. Though his eyes showed joy, his expression stayed peaceful.

Guo Shier smiled and said, “How should I show excitement? Dingding, we’ve only reached the Master level and haven’t received any inheritance yet. Our strength is only slightly higher than that of a master. We can’t get carried away; we still need to keep working hard… It’s just the Master level for now. We can celebrate when we reach the Saint level… roughly then.”

Zhou Xiaoling rolled her eyes and said, “If the others heard you, they’d be furious!”

Eagle Demon chuckled and said, “Ignore him. Guo Shier has such great potential that he doesn’t understand the pain of others.” He turned to look at Zhou Xiaoling and added, “You’re the same!”
Zhou Xiaoling replied, “I’m not!”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Dingding, as a key trainee in the sect, don’t you feel a lot of pressure?”
Zhou Xiaoling fell silent. She understood what Guo Shier meant and had experienced it firsthand. Disciples with great potential faced fierce competition within the sect, especially in those on the Advanced Continent. All resources were directed toward them, but they also had to meet the sect’s demands—rapid advancement. Those who failed would be eliminated. This invisible pressure was beyond what ordinary disciples could fathom.
Guo Shier himself didn’t feel much pressure, as he had lived three lifetimes and thus had some experience. Seeing Zhou Xiaoling silent, he comforted her, “Just work hard. Don’t overthink it.”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded and said, “Shier, I plan to advance to Advanced Mad Master before leaving.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Why not advance to Saint Master first? There are no such precious places outside.”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled bitterly. “If I get caught… the sect will be punished. I can’t bear the sect’s punishment…” She shook her head repeatedly.
Guo Shier asked in surprise, “What kind of punishment is that severe? Didn’t you say some people hide here… to train to become Advanced Saint Masters?”
Zhou Xiaoling replied, “That’s different. Some people aren’t valued in the sect and don’t have many resources, so they decide to train in the Bloody Secret Realm. As long as they stay hidden, they can keep training. If caught, they don’t care—usually, the sect abandons them… letting them face the punishment alone.”
Guo Shier asked, “What kind of punishments are there?”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled bitterly. “Two kinds. One is being killed, and the other is joining an exploration team—a life-or-death mission to extremely dangerous places. Without sufficient strength, survival is nearly impossible.”
Guo Shier was shocked. “Is it that dangerous?”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “Yes. But many have managed to escape. They leave right after reaching Saint Master level. If they’re greedy, they’re easily caught… Those who enforce the rules here are all advanced professionals, at least at the level of Advanced Saint Master, and sometimes even Great Saint Masters.”

Guo Shier nodded. Even if he advanced to Great Sage here, without any inheritance, he might still not be able to defeat a regular Sage. It was better for him to act according to the situation; if captured, the consequences would be severe. He had no sect to turn to for rescue, as he wasn’t even a professional from the higher realms. Yet the appeal of this place was extraordinary. Guo Shier guessed that once he left, he might never be able to return. He had never seen a place where one’s soul could grow so rapidly. He was deeply conflicted and truly reluctant to leave.