After resting and making thorough preparations, Fang Yuan entered the Daotian dream realm once more.
Voices clamored all around. A marketplace had sprung up around the pond.
The Western Desert's resources were actually plentiful — at least more so than the Northern Plains. Beneath the sand lay abundant reserves: Gu insects, wild beasts. The only significant weakness was the extreme scarcity of vegetation.
As a result, the main goods traded in this marketplace were foodstuffs like milk and wine, along with beast skin, beast bones, and other Gu-fostering materials. Only three stalls sold actual Gu insects.
The young Daotian moved through the crowd, observing the trades around him as he gradually drew closer to the pond at the center of the tribe.
"Halt! No unauthorized persons beyond this point."
"Get lost, brat."
The moment the young Daotian edged a little nearer, the two guards stationed there reacted immediately, each delivering a curt command to block his path.
The young Daotian had no choice but to feign alarm, turning around in a hurry and retreating.
He sighed to himself: "The pond is the oasis's only water source. Guarding it is naturally strict — even with the marketplace running, the security is lax on the surface but tight within. There's no way to sneak in."
At the same time, Sha Xiao's sinister voice echoed in his mind: "Hmph. How you get in is your problem — figure it out. Don't forget, there's only a little over a month left before our deadline. Once that time comes and you've made no progress, that'll be the end of you."
The young Daotian's pupils contracted. He replied in his mind: "Aren't you incredibly powerful? Why don't you just storm in, or sneak in yourself? Why must someone as weak as me gather intelligence on your behalf?"
"Hmph, you're trying to provoke me. You think I'd fall for that? Besides, you understand nothing — heh, I have no patience to explain. Grandson! Do as your grandfather says. Ask less, do more, and you might live a little longer," Sha Xiao said.
The young Daotian was bound under another's control — the enemy was strong, he was weak. He fell silent, though his eyes flickered with a sharp, restless gleam.
Back in the dried-up well, he had been forced to submit to Sha Xiao in order to survive, to preserve the hope of returning home. But in his heart, he had never truly resigned himself.
"A great man can bend and stretch. Someday, I will find an opportunity — not only to break free from that old demon Sha Xiao's grip, but also to repay every ounce of suffering he has inflicted on me."
"For now, I will endure. Play along. Wait for the right moment."
Over the following days, the young Daotian exhausted every idea and effort, trying to get close to the oasis pond and gather intelligence.
Every attempt ended in failure.
The oasis pond was the tribe's most critical asset, and its defenses were naturally formidable.
The young Daotian's strength had only just reached the First Transformation, and his means were exceedingly limited.
Just when he could not find any way in, a piece of news began spreading among his peers.
"What? In half a month, the tribe will hold a minor competition, and the winner gets to choose a Gu insect from the pond as a reward?" The young Daotian heard the news as well.
He immediately understood — opportunity had arrived.
Moreover, this was the best chance he had of completing Sha Xiao's task!
"I'm going to enter the minor competition, and I'm going to win!" the young Daotian declared to Sha Xiao in his mind.
Sha Xiao chuckled coldly: "Brat, don't think I can't see right through you. You want to use this to boost your own strength, keep building up power, and eventually overthrow my control, don't you?"
The young Daotian sneered and answered outright: "And what if I am? Who doesn't desire freedom?"
"Ha! Good!" Sha Xiao was not offended at all. Rather, he sounded approving. "You're at least honest. Haha — call me 'Grandpa' and I'll help you win this competition."
"You—" The young Daotian's expression froze, fury blazing in his eyes.
"What, you won't? Think carefully. Without my help, with your strength and aptitude, how could you possibly win this minor competition?" Sha Xiao sneered again and again.
The young Daotian's face darkened.
"I am born of noble blood, carrying the honor of my family. To abase myself and beg? That is to forget my ancestors, to shame the Sun clan's reputation."
"But..."
"If I don't do it, there truly is no hope."
"My strength is too weak. The hope of returning home is already impossibly faint. If I can't even get past what's right in front of me, there's no point talking about the future."
"Damn it!"
The young Daotian clenched his fists, wracked with agonizing hesitation.
Before, he had called Sha Xiao "Grandpa" — but that had been at the brink of life and death. Now, separated from Sha Xiao, the external pressure was not nearly as overwhelming. This made the young Daotian waver, the weight of his choice pressing down on him with crushing heaviness and pain.
"Grandpa..." In the end, he chose to yield, forcing the two words through gritted teeth.
"Ha ha ha!" Sha Xiao's wild laughter immediately flooded the young Daotian's mind. "Good grandson! Now that you've called me Grandpa, I naturally won't let you lose. Here — this is the winning method Grandpa is handing you. Absorb it, make it your own strength, and you will surely triumph in the competition."
The moment Sha Xiao finished speaking, a massive torrent of information surged into the young Daotian's mind.
He let out a low cry, his face contorting. His hands instinctively clutched his head as the enormous volume of information hammered into his brain, inflicting excruciating pain — his entire skull felt as though it would burst open.