Chapter 3: Returning to the Fire Sect (Part 1)

Guo Shier said, “I need to find my master and master wife. I’ve lost contact with them, so I have to go to the Fire Sect first. Maybe I can find some clues.”
Li Ran was surprised. “Your master? Isn’t it Luo Jie?”
Guo Shier replied, “No, it’s another master. He’s also very kind to me. If not for him, I wouldn’t have advanced so quickly. There’s also Master Wife Monier. If I can’t find them… I’ll feel uneasy.”
Li Ran laughed. “You do have quite a few masters, huh? Well, I have no problem. I still have time, so I’ll go with you.”
Guo Shier asked, “Brother Li Ran, tell me about the outside world… I mean, the situation of worshipping the stars.” He was really curious. In his past life on Earth, although he had come into contact with the concept of the universe, people back then didn’t understand it at all. They couldn’t even leave the solar system, let alone figure out what existed in the greater universe.
Li Ran smiled. “Won’t you know once you go out? Why rush?”
Guo Shier said, “It’s not that I’m in a hurry, but I’m curious. Are there humans there? Or other races? Are they hostile to us?” A series of questions spilled out of him.
Li Ran laughed. “Humans? Of course. In the greater universe, humans are the main force, the dominators, the most active race there.”
Guo Shier sighed in relief. “That’s good. I really don’t want to see only strange races once I go out.”
Li Ran said, “There are indeed strange races, but they’re confined to small regions of the starry sky. Most of them are hostile to humans. Well, if they encounter humans, their first reaction is to kill them. So, although humans are powerful in the greater universe, they have many enemies.”
Guo Shier wondered, “Why?”
Li Ran laughed. “Because of human nature… Human nature is greed and expansion. You’ll understand once you go out why humans are so powerful. It’s all because of killing.”
Guo Shier said, “In that case, the greater world… is even more chaotic than here?”
Li Ran replied, “You think this world isn’t big enough? Haha, this world is far inferior to the greater world. Well, you’ve received education on Earth, but that’s far from enough. There’s still so much you don’t know. If you can go out this time, you’ll get to see it.”

Guo Shier was a bit uneasy, feeling fear of the unknown world. He said, “If I can retain the abilities I had in the small world, I think… I should be able to survive in the large world.”
Li Ran smiled and said, “Of course. As far as I know, although the small world isn’t as great as the large world, its combat strength is by no means inferior—it’s even more distinctive and powerful… But it’s almost impossible for people from the small world to enter the large world, as it’s extremely difficult.”
At that moment, a servant came in, bringing over a dozen pouches filled with items, and said, “These are the supplies ordered by the two elders.”
Guo Shier took a look. Most of them were various food seasonings, as well as different kinds of fabrics, furs, and daily necessities from the local area. He realized these were prepared by Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan for him on the journey. With his current strength, he still needed various foods. Although he didn’t eat as much as before, he still had to eat.
Li Ran smiled and said, “Bring as many specialties as possible. The products from the small world, especially the furs of mutated and altered magical beasts, are considered top-quality items in the large world—rare treasures that are hard to come by.”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Actually, there are many things in our world that don’t exist on Earth, and many species are somewhat similar, or even identical, to those on Earth.”
Li Ran said, “Of course. Similar environments give rise to similar species. Well, I hope we can return smoothly this time.” His tone was uncertain.
Guo Shier smiled bitterly and asked, “You’re not confident either?”
Li Ran replied, “Of course not. I’m just taking a gamble… The small world and the large world are two completely different worlds. It’s very difficult to enter forcibly. Even if we have the strength to surpass the ninth-tier altar, it’s still not easy to get through.”
Guo Shier asked, “What if we get through but want to come back… is that possible?”
Li Ran said, “That’s absolutely impossible, unless your luck is extremely bad and you’re reborn in this world again. Hehe… that would be unfortunate.”
Guo Shier said, “I don’t think I’ll come back. I’m sure of it!”
Li Ran asked, “Why?”
Guo Shier replied, “With my current soul strength, even if I die, I can still control my soul. I have an altar, and my soul is much stronger than in my previous life.”
Li Ran said, “Maybe. Nothing is certain until we try.”
The two chatted casually for a while before going back to rest separately.

Guo Shieru went upstairs and saw Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan sitting there practicing. Without saying anything, he sat down and silently chanted scriptures.
…
Fire Sect.
Guo Shieru, Li Ran, Eagle Demon, and Luo Zhan hovered above the city of the Fire Sect.
Li Ran said, “This is just an ordinary sect. How could your master be here? Hmm, there are no top experts… Wait? There’s one with fairly decent strength by the lake… Is this the strongest altar-level expert in the Fire Sect? Only at the fourth level of the altar.”
Eagle Demon said, “That’s already quite good. If our North Talisman Sect had such an ancestor leading us, we wouldn’t have been so easily destroyed.”
Li Ran nodded. He knew this was true—having an altar-level professional in charge made a huge difference. If a sect had an ancestor-level expert, other sects or families, even if they were far stronger, wouldn’t dare press too hard, as no one could be sure what connections this ancestor might have with external experts.
Guo Shieru had a token as a guest elder of the Fire Sect, so he went straight to ask around.
After a while, Guo Shieru returned with a gloomy expression. Eagle Demon asked, “How did it go?”
Guo Shieru replied, “He didn’t come back. Master Kumu went to the outer continents and left no information. He went there with his wife.”
Li Ran said, “That makes it hard to find. There are countless continents and secret realms in this world. Without any clues, it’s impossible to start searching.”
Luo Zhan comforted him, “Shieru, don’t worry. Luo and I… will go ask around again.”
Guo Shieru and Li Ran found an inn and sat at a table by the window on the second floor, ordering some food and drinks. Li Ran asked, “Shieru, what’s your master Kumu’s strength like?” He thought Guo Shieru’s master, Luo Jie, was amazing—having risen to a top-level professional in such a short time. He assumed his other master must be equally strong.
Guo Shieru shook his head. “I don’t know. When I left, my master was just a Great Sage. Now he should be at the altar level. He’s different from Master Luo Jie. Master Luo Jie practices the Black Talisman lineage, which allows for rapid advancement.”
Li Ran nodded. Now he understood that Guo Shieru didn’t care about his master Kumu’s professional rank. Their bond must be very deep, otherwise he wouldn’t have come here specifically to look for him.
Guo Shieru took out a bottle of wine and said, “The ingredients here are excellent for making wine. Last time I got a Soul Spring. I used its water to make wine. Brother Li Ran, why don’t you give it a try?”

Li Ran picked up the wine bottle, which was made from crystal refined to perfection. Only the size of a palm, it was extremely delicate and beautiful, with glowing runes that clearly indicated it was blessed with hidden talismans. The color of the wine was clearly visible—light golden. He asked, “Is there ten jin in here?”
Guo Shier nodded. “Twelve jin. I haven’t had any of it myself yet.” He took out another bottle, whose color was slightly different—light golden with specks of golden light floating within. “In this bottle… I added a few drops of Soul Spring essence. I’m not sure what the effect will be.”
Li Ran touched the bottle mouth to remove the seal. Guo Shier took out two small jade bowls and said, “Use these. I specially crafted them for drinking.”
The fist-sized jade bowls were as smooth and white as if naturally formed. Li Ran picked one up and examined it briefly before praising, “It’s so beautiful. You still had the time to focus on this?” With that, he poured the wine from the crystal bottle out. A stream of light golden liquid slid down like a thin thread.
A strong aroma spread out. Li Ran exclaimed in surprise, “Damn, what did you use to brew this? It’s so fragrant!” He inhaled deeply, then added, “With such a pure and intense wine aroma, if taken to the greater world, it would definitely be among the finest… Heh, with such brewing skills, you’ll never lack food or clothing.”
Guo Shier said, “This wine isn’t easy to brew. I’ve tried many times—there’s vegetarian wine and meat wine.”
Li Ran was surprised. “Vegetarian wine? Meat wine? I’ve never heard of those before.”
Guo Shier explained, “Wine made from grains or fruits is vegetarian wine, while wine made by refining the blood of mutated or alienated talisman beasts is meat wine. I find that meat wine is the truly excellent kind—rich in vitality, a hundred times stronger than vegetarian wine. It can be used as a talisman pill or even considered soul wine.”
Li Ran took a sip, closed his eyes, and swallowed it slowly, savoring it carefully. After a while, he praised, “Good, excellent wine!”
Guo Shier also picked up a jade bowl and took a sip. The alcohol content of this wine was probably only fifty to sixty degrees. In his past life, such a strength would have made it strong liquor, but now it had no effect on him at all. Savoring the pure and intense aroma, he knew this batch of wine had been brewed very successfully—far better than any he had made before.
Li Ran said, “Show me the meat wine too.”