Chaotic World of Martial Arts: I Have a Spirit Pearl of Desire

In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves and scattered across the muddy path.

Chen You cracked his whip and drove the carriage slowly away from the village.

Tang Yan sat side by side in the carriage, while the carriage behind was filled with all kinds of dried food, cured meat and fresh food generously given by the villagers.

A gentle breeze swept by, dispelling the lingering smell of blood in the air.

Tang Yan turned her head, her clear gaze falling on Chen You's chiseled profile. She broke the silence with a touch of emotion: "Chen You, you're so young, yet you've already reached the fourth rank. Have you thought about how you'll develop in the future? In my opinion, the Luo family's small temple can't contain you."

"How so?" Chen You asked calmly, looking straight ahead.

"The Luo family is too small. Once a martial artist reaches the fourth rank, the cultivation resources and high-grade pills required are simply beyond their means! Even their top patriarch or family head is only at the fourth rank. They don't even have enough resources for themselves, so how can they possibly nurture you?"

Tang Yan paused, her eyes filled with seriousness and fervor: "So, you need to develop in a bigger place. Of course, you can choose not to go and live a peaceful life as a retainer in the Luo family. However, with your talent and strength, it would be a real pity not to go. Because with your strength, if you have enough resources to support you, you could easily reach the sixth or even seventh rank in the future, let alone the fifth rank."

"Is that so?" Chen You nodded slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "Do you have any good suggestions?"

"For example, my Falling Moon Manor recruits disciples and guest elders from outside the area. If you are interested, you can come with me. With your talent, you will definitely be able to obtain core resources." Tang Yan smiled and winked, extending an olive branch.

"Anything else?" Chen You asked again.

"Aside from prestigious sects like our Falling Moon Manor, it's either the government or other top sects."

Tang Yan cleared her throat and patiently explained to him, "The Imperial Guard's Zhenwu Division is an excellent place to go. As long as you have the strength and can make meritorious contributions, the government's martial arts manuals and elixirs are all available. You can even be granted official titles and ranks and have your own power. However, the government has many rules and the casualty rate is also high."

"As for the major sects, such as the Great Yuan Sect in the north and the Green Wood Sword Sect in the south, they are behemoths with hundreds of years of history. They have profound foundations and possess spiritual veins and secret realms, but they are extremely strict in their background checks for recruiting disciples."

"Furthermore, there are black market guilds or mercenary alliances where independent martial artists gather. There is a high degree of freedom there. As long as you have money or strength, you can buy any resources you want. But the risks are also the greatest, and the fighting never stops."

Hearing this, Chen You gripped the horsewhip in his hand thoughtfully, gaining a clearer understanding of this vast world of martial arts.

"I'll give it serious consideration when I get back from Black Serpent Island," Chen You said.

Chen You actually agreed with what Tang Yan said.

Indeed, the Luo family temple is too small.

While he could certainly cultivate his skills through desire points, to be honest, in the entire Qinghe County, the Overlord Blade Technique was already a top-tier skill.

Even if one cultivates the Overlord Blade Technique for hundreds of years using Desire Points, there is no further progress!

Because the upper limit is locked.

Unless one cultivates a more advanced technique.

More advanced techniques are only available to major sects or powerful forces.

Therefore, the only way to continue becoming stronger is to venture into more expansive regions.

With that thought in mind, the vehicle drove further and further away.

Before they knew it, three days had passed.

That day, as soon as it was light, Chen You and Tang Yan began studying the map.

According to the map, we should arrive at Black Snake Island in about two days.

Black Snake Island is said to be an island, but it is not.

It is called an island because it is isolated by several volcanoes.

It was a remote, primeval forest where every tree was as thick as an adult.

Because of the complex terrain, there was no map there.

Finding a guide is almost impossible because there are no residents nearby.

So here, Chen You silently recited in his mind: "Investigate information about me in the vicinity."

[Information 1: On your route to Snake Island, there is a Salt Gang of over forty members who are resting. Their leader is named Gao He, and he possesses the strength of a third-rank expert.]

[Gao He had previously obtained a map by chance, revealing that Snake Island contained a great treasure. He had sent people to investigate early on, and thus they were very familiar with the terrain.]

[Information 2: Cheng Changyin and his men are resting at the entrance to the ruins. Unfortunately, the entrance is guarded by a mysterious ancient formation and mechanical puppets, and his men have suffered heavy casualties and are still unable to enter!! Therefore, he sent a message to Cheng Daqi via carrier pigeon, hoping for his support!! Unfortunately, Cheng Daqi died at your hands.]

[Information 3: The government's Zhenwu Division also entered Snake Island, but suffered heavy losses yesterday after being attacked by the island's man-eating trees.]

[Information 4: And the mysterious ancient formation at the entrance. The way to break it is to kill the weakest puppet, which controls all the puppets and is hiding inside puppet number eight.]

…………

Each of the four pieces of information caught Chen You's eye!

"I was just wondering why I didn't have a map of Snake Island, and then I ran into the Salt Gang!"

Chen You laughed out loud.

However, of these four pieces of intelligence, the most important is the fourth one.

With the method to break the ancient formation, everything becomes simple.

"Chen You, what are you laughing at?" Tang Yan asked, somewhat puzzled, noticing the faint smile playing on his lips.

"It's alright, let's speed up." Chen You's smile faded, and the whip in his hand cracked in the air.

"Look ahead, there seems to be smoke rising from a chimney. It looks like there are people on this road ahead." Tang Yan pointed her slender finger forward and gestured with her lips, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"I know, let's go." Chen You's expression was calm, his tone as even as if he were discussing the weather.

"Alright."

Seeing Chen You's confidence, Tang Yan shrugged, showing little concern.

In fact, she was quite confident.

Everyone thought she was just a weak woman who needed protection, but in reality, she held an unparalleled trump card that could turn the tide!

This trump card is a top-secret weapon—the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles—that her mother, knowing she was going out to explore on her own, risked great danger to secretly steal from the depths of her father's secret room!

This thing is incredibly powerful; once activated, countless points of cold light will arrive in an instant.

Even a master of the seventh rank wouldn't have time to dodge at such close range; a single strike would be fatal!

Although this life-saving needle can only be used once, it is enough to make her invincible in desperate situations.

Because her greatest strength is speed.

As long as you run fast, the enemy won't be able to catch you!

That's why she dared to come here.

The carriage was moving very fast, and after a short while, the scene ahead came into clear view of the two of them.

It was a large group of about forty people.

Five heavy horse-drawn carriages were linked end to end to form a defensive circle, inside which several blazing campfires were burning.

Dozens of burly men were sitting together resting, tearing into roasted meat, the air filled with the aroma of grease and charred firewood.

In the very center of the crowd, surrounded by admirers, sat a middle-aged man with a fierce face and a scar on his face.

Chen You's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

According to intelligence, this person is none other than Gao He, the leader of the Salt Gang!

"Boss, there's a carriage coming."

At this moment, the scouts from the Salt Gang also noticed the approaching carriage and immediately reported to Gao He.

Gao He stopped tearing at the roasted meat and looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing.

When he discovered it was just a lone carriage, his weathered brow furrowed sharply.

"Boss, it's just a carriage, nothing to worry about," one of his men grinned and said nonchalantly.

"Are you an idiot?"

Unexpectedly, Gao He's face darkened, and he launched into a tirade of abuse.

"Uh... Boss, what are you worried about?" The subordinate was stunned by the scolding and scratched his head, somewhat confused.

"Hmph, the fewer the number of people, the stronger the opponent. Don't you all understand that???" Gao He sneered, a hint of seasoned wariness flashing in his eyes. "Otherwise, are they idiots? Daring to wander alone in the wilderness?"

"The boss is right, the boss is wise!"

"The boss was right; we almost misjudged him."

Seeing this, several of his men quickly smiled and began to flatter him.

"Alright, everyone be nice to each other from now on! When you're out and about, you're here to make money, not to make enemies." Gao He waved his hand and gave a stern order.

"Yes, boss!" The men all suppressed their fierce expressions.