Chapter 3, The Choices of Great Figures

The older children stayed nearby for a long time, observing everything. Although they may not have fully understood the adults' words, the terms related to bathing, eating, and clothing were unmistakably clear and irresistibly enticing.

Gu Tuohai's eyes flashed with surprise as he praised, "At such a young age, you already possess such courage; quite interesting!"

Lin Xitang felt a gentle stir in her heart and slowly said: "To meet here is also a kind of fate. How about this, I will take you away, and as for where to go, you can choose for yourself"

Seeing the guards preparing to take Qianye away, the older children suddenly rushed over, shouting in high-pitched voices: "Take me with you! Take me along! I also want to bathe and eat!"

Lin Xitang did not require him to understand at this moment, and turned to instruct: "Take him back to 'Qingniao', give him a bath and treat his injuries, prepare some food, and change his clothes."

This kick contained a fierce hidden force, and after the large child flew into the air, he suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood mist

The shockwave also swept over the captain and the other guards, who remained completely still, all bearing it as if nothing had happened

On Qianye's emaciated chest, the ribs were visible, and there was a massive scar that extended half an inch below the heart down to the navel. Just by looking at this ugly, protruding mark, one could tell that it was originally a terrifying wound from a brutal disembowelment

It was not until Qianye's small face showed a look of pain from being pulled by the older child that the captain of the guard coldly said: "That's enough, even Mr. Takuya has nothing to say now"

Lin Xitang looked at the small Qianye, who gazed back at him. Perhaps the warmth in his palm had not yet completely faded, and in the boy's eyes was a dependence that he himself was not even aware of

Lin Xitang bent slightly at the waist, extending his hand, patiently waiting. Under his clear and calm gaze, Qian Ye finally found the courage to place her hand into that warm, dry, and strong hand.

Above the first rank, there exists the concept of the superlative rank. That is where truly gifted individuals, endowed with exceptional talent, emerge, manifesting extraordinary phenomena such as majestic mountains and rivers, or rare beasts and exquisite birds, vividly brought to life

I do not have a surname. My name is Qianye

After giving the instructions, Lin Xitang and Gu Tuohai slowly ascended, gradually accelerating as they flew towards the light boat hovering in the air

Qian Ye grasped the trigger with her small hand, watching the tiny figure stumbling and fleeing in the distance, knowing that with a simple pull back, blood would bloom from her body

He remained very quiet, his dark eyes gazing ahead, but in the end, Xiao Qianye still shook his head and released the trigger

These phenomena are divided into five levels. For instance, the faint glimmers of light on a garbage dump represent the lowest level, indicating only the potential to cultivate original force. The first level of talent manifests as various colored light pillars, surrounded by extraordinary phenomena, symbolizing the idea of numerous stars supporting the moon, and these phenomena also hint at the future direction of the individual's talent. The second level of talent features only light pillars without any extraordinary phenomena. The third level exhibits a blazing light, akin to a surging flame, while the fourth level shows no extraordinary phenomena, merely shining brightly. The first level of talent manifests as various colored light pillars, surrounded by extraordinary phenomena, symbolizing the idea of numerous stars supporting the moon, and these phenomena also hint at the future direction of the individual's talent. The second level of talent features only light pillars without any extraordinary phenomena. The third level exhibits a blazing light, akin to a surging flame, while the fourth level shows no extraordinary phenomena, merely shining brightly.

"Let's go back and take a look!" Without waiting for the boat to turn, Lin Xitang leaped directly from the cabin, plunging from several hundred meters in height.

The first thing the little boy saw upon regaining consciousness was the stern and resolute face of the silver-haired man

He stood up and said to Lin Xitang: "This child indeed originally possessed exceptional talent, but the injuries here are too severe, completely destroying the foundation. Moreover, I suspect that this child may have originally had a piece of primal energy crystal within him."

Gu Tuohai looked at Qianye, suddenly furrowing his brows, as if deep in thought

Lin Xitang followed the gaze of the little boy and saw the older children around, along with the fresh oil paper wrappers left on the ground, and understood why the little boy was injured in this manner. This was a very common occurrence in the garbage dump

The older children who had slowly gathered and huddled together displayed expressions of fear, but more than ten guards had blocked all the exits in this area, leaving them too afraid to even attempt to escape

Gu Tuohai sighed with deep regret

Gu Tuohai remained silent as he approached Qian Ye, disregarding the filth, and reached out to touch him all over. Wherever his large hands roamed, it felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were piercing into his body. However, Qian Ye gritted his teeth and did not utter a single sound.

More than ten fully armed guards on the flying boat also jumped down, closely following Lin Xitang. Gu Tuohai, filled with resentment, slapped the window frame but ultimately followed suit.

The several towering guards did not move, allowing the large child to make a fuss. The little girl watched and quietly moved closer.

The little girl stopped in shock, staring at the silver-haired man who had appeared she knew not when. She widened her beautiful and innocent eyes, displaying a naive and harmless expression, while quickly and quietly dropping the stone she held in her hand

A ripple suddenly arose on the ground, expanding rapidly outward from the point where he stepped. The group of older children were all affected, each one suddenly propelled into the air by a powerful force surging from the ground, spewing blood wildly, while their bones cracked and creaked, twisting into grotesque shapes in an instant

The military boots did not truly touch the ground, but instead floated a few centimeters above it, as an invisible force field quietly expanded, pushing away all dust, dirt, and debris.

The captain steadied the pistol, aimed at the little girl's back, and said to Qianye: "She has tried to kill you several times. Come, pull the trigger back, hard, and then she will go bang... dead"

But how old is Qianye? How did he survive?

After a moment of surprise, Lin Xitang straightened up and said, "Brother Tohai, you are well-versed in medicine; please come and take a look for me."

Lin Xitang immediately thought of a forbidden term, Force Plunder! He slightly narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Are you saying..."

Gu Tuohai said solemnly: "No, I am merely speculating. You know that such matters are a great taboo. However, this injury has been present for several years; he was likely not even three years old when he was injured. As for now, as you can see, his foundation has been severely damaged. Even if his innate talent for cultivation is stronger than that of the people here, it is no longer of the first rank."

Suddenly, a pair of thick-soled suede military boots appeared beside him

Lin Xitang smiled and encouraged, "It's alright, just give me your hand"

The guardians brought Qianye back to the airship. The airship slowly turned, ascended, and merged into the brilliance of the blood moon, gradually disappearing on the horizon

In this way, she miraculously escaped the range of the shockwave and survived.

He took out several smooth jade tablets, brushed his hand over them, and characters appeared on one side of the tablets. He held the side with the characters facing down in his hand and then extended it towards Qianye

The old wounds of a thousand nights are so heavy, yet they can still evoke the red primal energy pillar, indicating that his innate talent was originally so strong that it could even reach the extraordinary level. However, considering his current physical condition, being classified as a fourth rank is merely a struggle.

These azure raindrops contained immense primal energy, and the wounds on the boy's body began to heal at a visibly rapid pace. He let out a groan, slowly opened his eyes, and became fully awake.

As for this garbage dump, and the little girl who is still desperately trying to escape, they have been forgotten, just like this abandoned continent

Gu Tuohai sighed upon seeing this, then shook his head again

The transformation in the little boy was clearly frightening to the older children, but the little girl merely paused for a moment. After realizing that her strength had suddenly increased, she ran towards another larger rock and struggled to drag it over.

The little girl was radiating a glow that emanated from her entire being, so much so that she herself was unaware of it. The sweat that had filled her palms had completely evaporated. However, the silver-haired man did not even cast a glance in her direction.

Lin Xitang nodded gently and said, "Alright, if you return alive from that place in the future, you may take my surname, Lin!"

Regardless, he did not dare to place his hand into the immaculate hand of the silver-haired man. Although in Xiao Qianye's eyes, that hand laid out before him was the only place in the world at that moment where warmth could be felt

This talent, which is only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, holds no value at all for the prominent figures in the military of the two empires. Moreover, the severe injuries on Qianye's body have left hidden dangers, and it is uncertain whether he can endure the harsh training.

As soon as the captain's voice fell, the guard holding Qianye suddenly revealed a fierce expression on his previously expressionless face. With a powerful kick, he sent the large child soaring several dozen meters into the air.

The captain seemed to be listening intently, then nodded, embracing the motionless Qianye, who was only staring wide-eyed. He took out his pistol again and placed Qianye's small hand on the trigger.

Lin Xitang slightly lowered her gaze, then bent down and extended her hand towards the little boy, gently saying: "Come here, give me your hand. What is your name?"

Lin Xitang still wore a faint smile, her eyes calm and still as water from top to bottom, clear enough to reflect the myriad phenomena of the world, yet devoid of the essence itself

He did not immediately understand what had happened, but instinctively, he was unwilling to lie on the ground in a vulnerable state, so he struggled to stand up once more. He glanced to the left and right and saw those older children, which instantly reminded him of past events, causing his expression to change dramatically.

The injured older child forcefully dragged Qianye's leg with one hand while shouting, "This is my spot! What are you? You all come here and beat this little bastard! He actually dared to headbutt me! The food up there is all mine!"

This red beam of light struck like a slap, leaving Gu Tuohai's face burning.

That big child was even more ruthless this time, specifically targeting Qianye's wounds. The only rule of survival in the junkyard is to kill him to obtain everything he has.

Qian Ye did not understand what Lin Xitang was saying, but simply listened in a daze

The Da Yan Heavenly Mechanism Secret of Lin Xitang is infinitely profound, one of its effects being the ability to guide and stimulate the cultivation potential of humanity. Some individuals with truly exceptional talents often manifest extraordinary phenomena under the activation of the Da Yan Heavenly Mechanism Secret.

That little hand was dirty, covered in mud. Although the wound had stopped bleeding under the nurturing light of the rain, the blood and dirt remained.

At this moment, Gu Tuohai also descended from the sky. He usually presented a friendly demeanor, but upon seeing Qian Ye covered in wounds, his anger was clearly visible. Unable to contain himself, he let out a heavy snort and cast a cold glare at the older children around him

The little boy, in a daze, let out a moan and turned over.

He was unexpectedly evaded by a little girl, causing the guard's face to flush with embarrassment. He let out a heavy grunt and raised his foot to step down on the book again. Just now, he had only used a third of his strength. However, the captain suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from bringing his foot down.

Lin Xitang softly whispered to Qianye, "Huangquan." Then she took back the jade token from his hand, reached out to touch his head, and asked, "What is your surname?"

Qian Ye hesitated for a moment, took out a jade tablet from the middle, turned it over, and saw two characters on it, but he did not recognize them

The little boy was somewhat timid, and after much effort, he finally mustered the courage to softly say, "One... one thousand nights." However, his small hand reached halfway but he did not dare to extend it further.

On the flying boat, Gu Tuohai wore a broad smile and kept saying: "As I expected, haha! Lin, it's rare for you to lose! Come on, a bet is a bet; that 'Water Color Smoke Blossom' of yours is now mine! Hurry and take it out!"

However, the little girl miraculously remained unaffected. At the moment the captain uttered those words, some of the older children were still in a daze, while others had already foolishly rushed forward in response to the older child's command. She, however, turned and fled, running desperately without looking back

Lin Xitang let out a soft exclamation and opened his eyes. He looked up and down at Qian Ye, then reached out to lift the cloth covering the boy's upper body, instantly freezing his gaze.

Another guard stepped forward with a sneer, stomped his foot heavily, and said, "A bunch of little troublemakers, daring to disturb Commander Lin's affairs!"

Although the beam of light under the night sky is red and belongs to the lowest tier of first-class talent, even so, among the countless cultivators in the empire, those with first-class talent are still one in a hundred thousand. Each one that appears is worthy of the empire's meticulous cultivation, and in the future, they will become the backbone of the military.

He attempted to cling to the thighs of the guards, reaching out to pull Qianye, trying to drag Qianye down from the embrace of the guards

Lin Xitang frowned as he looked at the numerous wounds on the little boy's body, some of which were likely to have affected the internal organs, indicating that the injuries were more severe than he had anticipated. He waved his hand, and a mist of light appeared in the air, within which fell droplets of blue rain, landing on the little boy and merging with his skin

Lin Xitang gently held the small hand that was not even half the size of his own, closed his eyes, and silently sensed it