Though Yang Kai was not old, he was still something of a veteran when it came to women. From a woman's bearing, temperament, and manner of speaking, he could generally deduce what kind of person she truly was — whether she was alluring, promiscuous, aloof and refined, or fiery-tempered.
The first time he had laid eyes on this young married woman, he had assumed she was the promiscuous type. Women born with peach-blossom eyes were rarely content to live in solitude; that sort of spring-like sensuality and seductive charm was the best reflection of their nature.
So during the early days, he had made a point of avoiding this woman entirely, afraid she might try to flirt with him.
But as he grew more familiar with her, Yang Kai discovered that this woman named Luo Yao was quite different from what he had imagined. She was nothing like Zi Xing's Bi Ya — beneath her bewitching exterior lay a hidden sense of propriety, and her personality was surprisingly composed.
This contradiction between outward appearance and inner character was exceptionally attractive. Yang Kai had noticed on multiple occasions that the tall, lean man trailed behind Luo Yao, his eyes glued to her millstone-sized buttocks and willowy waist without blinking.
Even Gui Che, when distributing the spoils, deliberately gave her a slightly larger share.
And Gan Ji — a man who clearly looked like a desperado who lived for battle and bloodlust — had been notably considerate of her during combat.
It was fair to say that Luo Yao had it the most comfortable out of everyone in the group.
"Young man, is there something you want to ask? If you have questions, just ask — why be so secretive about it?" Luo Yao finished washing her face and looked at Yang Kai with a beaming smile, a hint of playful teasing in her expression. She had clearly seen through his intention to get close to her.
"I just want to know — what exactly are you looking for here? And how did you discover that spatial formation?" Yang Kai saw that she had taken the initiative to speak, so he dropped the pretense as well.
The spot where the two of them talked was not far from the other three. If Gui Che and the others truly wanted to keep this information secret, they would have spoken up to shut the conversation down. But all three were still sitting in meditation, recovering their strength — which meant they didn't care. This emboldened Yang Kai considerably.
His days of hiding his strength and playing the weakling had finally paid off. This group had dropped its guard against him.
"We're looking for a place that can temper the body," Luo Yao said frankly, a faint glimmer of longing flickering through her beautiful eyes. "Once we find it, our physical bodies will become far stronger. You're an alchemist, but you're also a martial artist — you should understand the benefits of a powerful body, right?"
Yang Kai nodded. He certainly knew what advantages a strong body brought. In fact, he had more authority to speak on this matter than anyone among the four of them. Without a formidable physical body, Yang Kai would never have been able to store so much Saint Power, nor fight opponents far above his own level. A sturdy body was the foundation of every martial artist. No matter how profound a warrior's cultivation techniques and combat skills might be, or how extraordinary their Saint Power, without the support of a physical body, they were nothing but insignificant players.
"What kind of place can temper the body?" Yang Kai asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm not sure." Luo Yao shook her head. "This is our first time here too. You heard Gui Che mention it the other day — no one has entered this place for many years. The only reason we managed to find it was because of some ancient records and a map left behind by Ji Ping's ancestor."
"Ancient records?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
"My ancestor came here once before." Ji Ping — the tall, lean man — had fully recovered and walked over to the lakeside to join the conversation. "He obtained great benefits. He left behind some clues, and it was by following those clues that I was able to locate the spatial formation hidden within that meteorite sea!"
Luo Yao chuckled softly and looked at Yang Kai. "Young man, don't think that spatial formation was easy to find. You came through it yourself, so you should know it was placed on a single meteorite. That meteorite moves with the sea, shifting its position at every moment. Miss that window and finding it again would be nearly impossible. Fortunately, Ji Ping's ancestor managed to calculate certain information and determined that the meteorite sea would pass through a specific area during a set period. Even so, we searched that enormous region for almost a full year before finally pinpointing the target. The infuriating part is, Dicky and his lot somehow caught wind of it and came chasing after us, getting a lot of our people killed."
"This debt will be repaid!" Ji Ping snorted coldly, his gaunt face twisted with vicious intent. He looked at Yang Kai and said bluntly, "Kid, the only reason we're telling you all this is because you've been behaving yourself lately. You cooperate nicely, and when we find that place, there'll be a share for you too. You can temper your body properly and make it stronger."
"I understand. I'll stay in line." Yang Kai said with a serious expression.
Half an hour later, everyone had fully recovered. Ji Ping continued studying the beast-skin map in his hands, guiding the group onward, and they encountered no significant dangers along the way.
That day, Gui Che, who had been walking at the front, suddenly came to a stop, his expression grave as he gazed ahead.
Several dozen li ahead, vast clouds of yellow sand billowed through the sky like a colossal golden dragon, connecting heaven and earth and engulfing an enormous swath of the landscape. As far as the eye could see, the land ahead was desolate and barren, utterly devoid of life.
An inexplicable aura of danger emanated from that direction. Gui Che and the others released their spiritual senses to probe it, but found nothing. Their senses could not penetrate the sand at all — something on the other side was blocking them entirely.
Gui Che turned his gaze toward Yang Kai, signaling for him to go and investigate.
Yang Kai said nothing. He nodded and cautiously advanced toward the area shrouded in yellow sand.
Before long, he reached the edge of the swirling sandstorm. Channeling his power to shield his body, he stepped into the area.