Chu Feng smiled faintly, reached out and grabbed another handful of sand.
Then he stuffed the sand into Ling Xiao's hand.
"Take a look. The complete clue is actually hidden within this sand," Chu Feng said.
"Sand?" Ling Xiao suddenly realized — not only had Chu Feng grabbed the sand to examine it first, but Xiaoyuer had also grabbed a handful afterward to study.
Still, he couldn't quite understand.
How could such a randomly grabbed handful of sand contain such complete clues about this desert?
Seeing how hard it was for Ling Xiao to grasp, Chu Feng continued: "Observing from a broad perspective and searching for clues through the terrain — that's the conventional approach."
"But sometimes, unconventional methods can be far more effective."
"Didn't you also notice that every grain of sand here contains a formation?"
"If it contains a formation, then naturally it also contains clues," Chu Feng said.
"There's nothing wrong with your powers of observation. If I used your method, I'd only see what you see."
"So the problem lies in your approach," Chu Feng said.
By now, Ling Xiao had fallen silent, carefully studying the sand in his hand.
In truth, he was somewhat shaken.
A simple method had shattered years of his established understanding.
It was too simple — so simple he thought it impossible.
But the more he examined it, the more frustrated he became, because this method actually worked.
Although he couldn't spot the clues as quickly as Chu Feng, given enough time, he could uncover all of them.
And that only proved that Chu Feng's approach was correct — a shortcut that broke through everything he thought he knew.
"Let's set off."
"Everyone, be careful."
"We don't fear failure, but safety must always come first."
After finishing his instructions, Chu Feng set off immediately.
"Okay, big brother. You be careful too." Xiaoyuer waved her small hand to say goodbye to Chu Feng.
Only after he disappeared did she turn to face the group.
"Let's move out."
The moment she spoke, everyone's expressions froze.
She may have looked adorable and delicate, like a little fairy who needed protecting.
But now that she spoke again, though her tone hadn't changed much, the entire aura she gave off was completely different.
She no longer seemed like the mischievous, endlessly endearing little girl who made everyone want to protect her.
Instead, she was like a born leader — extraordinary in bearing, so commanding that even these typically arrogant geniuses found themselves without a shred of defiance, almost awestruck.
Seeing Xiaoyuer like this, everyone found it incredible and gained an entirely new understanding of her.
Some things truly were inborn.
Like Xiaoyuer's leadership presence — the moment she got serious, it surfaced, and no one else could ever replicate it.
While the others marveled at how smoothly Xiaoyuer's transformation after leaving Chu Feng had played out, Jie Baobao flew alongside Ling Xiao.
"What's wrong? Got rattled?" Jie Baobao asked privately.
During the flight, Ling Xiao was still holding the handful of sand Chu Feng had given him, continuing to study it.
"The gap is enormous — not just in observation, but in thinking too."
"Methods and approaches can be learned, and observation skills can be trained. But this thing between the ears… sigh…" Ling Xiao sighed.