After leaving the tribe, Shan Qi led Lin Yun and Zou Dongsheng forward on foot.
Lin Yun secretly hoped that, within Mu Li’s Golden Wolf tribe territory, he would finally locate a Source Heart.
The beastman lands had a far harsher environment and climate than human territories.
Human domains occupied the more liveable ancestral regions, blessed with beautiful scenery and pleasant weather.
“Walking through beastman territory really is a completely different experience,” Zou Dongsheng sighed.
“If it weren’t for the chieftain, I would never bring humans here,” Shan Qi said in an icy tone.
It was clear he was far from willing.
Or rather, he harboured hostility toward Lin Yun and Zou Dongsheng simply because they were human. The only reason he held back was that they were guests personally invited by Mu Li.
Hearing Shan Qi speak this way, Lin Yun and Zou Dongsheng exchanged a glance and gave a helpless, wry smile.
“We should quicken our pace,” Lin Yun said.
…
Three days later.
The three of them were passing by another tribe, naturally one under the Golden Wolf clan.
When the tribal sentries spotted them, a large number of beastmen immediately rushed out and surrounded the group.
“Humans from who knows where, daring to set foot on beastman land!”
They closed in tightly, clearly ready to attack.
“I am Shan Qi of the Golden Wolf clan. These two are guests personally invited by Chieftain Mu Li. Here is the chieftain’s token,” Shan Qi declared, producing the token.
“So it is Commander Shan Qi. Our apologies.”
“Stand down, all of you.”
The beastman leader quickly ordered his warriors to withdraw.
As the trio continued their journey, similar incidents kept occurring. With Shan Qi present, however, each time they were easily resolved.
Of course, Shan Qi himself was quite reluctant; he only complied because he had direct orders.
…
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Over these six months, Lin Yun had travelled through many parts of the Golden Wolf territory, yet the Source Tree inside his body remained completely silent.
At this moment, Lin Yun, Zou Dongsheng, and the beastman Shan Qi stood above a vast canyon.
The canyon was utterly barren, the environment brutal. Fierce astral winds screamed through it, echoing with sounds resembling human weeping.
“What a peculiar place,” Lin Yun murmured as he stood at the canyon rim, eyes closed, quietly feeling the surroundings.
The next instant, he sat cross-legged on the ground and began to meditate.
This unique environment gave him fresh insights.
Many areas in beastman lands possessed extraordinary natural landscapes, as though carved by divine hands.
During the past six months, Lin Yun had already encountered several such places that sparked inspiration, and each time he had stopped to meditate for a while.
These meditations would undoubtedly aid him when he eventually attempted to step into the Harmony stage.
Moreover, such wondrous natural spectacles simply did not exist in human territories, making them especially precious.
Naturally, to beastmen these places held no value. They could not cultivate inner energy and had no need to comprehend realms.
Five days later, Lin Yun opened his eyes.
“Young Master, there is something at the bottom of the canyon. I already scanned it earlier with divine sense,” Zou Dongsheng suddenly transmitted through the communication bracelet.
“Oh? What is it?” Lin Yun immediately asked.
“It may be a rare ore, but if we tell Shan Qi, it will no longer be ours. After all, this is Mu Li’s territory,” Zou Dongsheng replied.
He continued transmitting, “Young Master, just say you wish to descend to the canyon floor for further meditation, and that Shan Qi and I should wait here. Then you can investigate alone.”
“Good.” Lin Yun sent back a brief acknowledgement.
He turned to Shan Qi and said aloud, “Commander Shan Qi, I still need to go down to the canyon floor for deeper meditation. It may take some time. You and my companion can wait here.”
“Go quickly, then,” Shan Qi replied, sounding rather impatient.
Lin Yun had already meditated many times along the way, so Shan Qi thought nothing more of it.
With that, Lin Yun flew straight down toward the canyon bottom.
Once there, he released his divine sense.
Under its probing, he soon discovered something.
“It’s over there.”
Lin Yun fixed his gaze on a stone grotto at the base of the canyon.
It was a naturally formed cave.
The entrance was barely over a metre high, forcing Lin Yun to crouch and squeeze inside.
After wriggling forward for some distance, he found the interior gradually widening.
