Xiao Chen nodded and returned to the volcano's crater above.
The place was utterly desolate—not a person, not even a bird, in sight. All he could do was stare blankly at the plumes of smoke in the distance.
Xiao Chen diligently stood guard for four hours, growing quite bored. "Junior Brother Lin, are you done yet?"
"Xiao, it's a bit tricky. I need a little more time."
...
The last time, in the Flame Pool Secret Realm, Lin Ping'an had also taken longer than expected to crack open that great gate.
'Is this restriction just too difficult, or is he just not skilled enough?'
'Then again, things like this fall under the Array Dao, which is admittedly the most difficult of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.'
Out of sheer boredom, Xiao Chen scanned his surroundings.
Suddenly, a streak of Sword Light tore across the distant sky, heading in his direction.
?
'Who'd have thought I'd run into someone in a godforsaken place like this?'
