As Shan Shayuan left the Oasis, time passed quickly, and another two months went by.
Inside a spacious pavilion of the Family, a crystal wall illuminated by Shadow Gu displayed dense lines of text, constantly flickering and changing. The hall was crowded, with Gu Masters gathered in groups at different tables, some drinking and boasting loudly, others speaking in low voices, while people came and went without pause. This was the Family's mission hall.
Lin Qingyao was already accustomed to this rough atmosphere, her expression calm and unchanged. Around her sat several female Gu Masters of the Family, all tall and graceful. They occupied one table, while several nearby tables remained empty. No one dared approach, and even those tempted by their beauty only glanced from a distance.
At this moment, Lin Qingyao watched her clan sisters from her grandfather's lineage chatting and smiling, but she felt a trace of fatigue. In the past three months, she had completed many missions, which had even delayed her cultivation, leaving her still at mid-stage Rank 2, not yet breaking through to Upper-stage.
But this was necessary. She needed to accumulate resources and establish prestige. The small group before her would likely become her core team in the future.
"Still… I should reach Upper-stage soon," she thought, her gaze shifting slightly. "I wonder what Lin Yan has been doing these past three months… he hasn't joined any mission groups."
Lin Qingyao frowned slightly but didn't bother thinking further. Taking on missions was itself a way to accumulate combat experience. If time were to turn back, she was confident she could defeat Lin Yan with ease.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the mission hall. Someone rushed in from outside, shouting, "Is there a healing Gu Master? Save my brother!"
The man was burly, carrying a mutilated body, blood pouring from it without restraint. Not only was his body soaked red, but a trail of blood stretched across the ground behind him.
Faced with such a scene, Lin Qingyao's expression did not change. Her mental endurance had long since hardened. She had witnessed the deaths of teammates before, going from guilt and grief to anger, and finally to a calm indifference.
It wasn't that the sorrow had disappeared. She had simply learned to bury it deep within herself.
In the mission hall, a young Gu Master stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "I am a healing Gu Master." The surrounding crowd fell silent, making way for him as they watched, some with sympathy in their eyes.
Soon, the young man took out a Rank 2 Earth Milk Gu, a common Earth Path Gu in the Western Desert. It gathered Earth Qi to produce milky liquid used for healing. However, when a few drops fell onto the mangled body in the burly man's arms, the effect was minimal, only barely slowing the bleeding.
Sweat covered the young Gu Master's face as he said with difficulty, "With injuries like this… even a Rank 3 Family Elder skilled in healing wouldn't be able to save him."
As for Rank 4 healing experts, they were already renowned physicians, rare even among large forces. The Huang Family had none, and Flame Path combined with Earth Path was not particularly suited for healing.
The burly man's lips trembled, but no words came out. Grief had already reached its peak. When he carried the injured man back, he had already expected this outcome. Still, he could only try and leave the rest to fate.
After several failed attempts, the injured man's life aura completely faded. The burly man stood there blankly for a moment, then slowly turned and left, as if his soul had been hollowed out.
Only then did the hall regain its noise, the Gu Masters lowering their voices as they began to discuss.
"How did he get injured?"
An experienced Gu Master took a glance and said, "Looks like wounds from an earth bear. With the new year just beginning, it's their breeding season, and a beast tide is likely forming."
"Not just that…" another person lowered his voice, revealing more, "An elite reconnaissance team detected movement from Zen Crossing Hill a thousand miles away. Most likely, the once-in-a-decade crossing is about to happen again."
"I heard the same. This year's caravan stopped after passing more than a dozen Oases and is preparing to coordinate joint defenses with nearby Oases."
"Shajing Oasis is relatively far, with other Oases acting as a buffer, but even so, casualties are inevitable."
The Gu Masters felt a trace of unease. Missions were already exhausting—reconnaissance, combat, guarding resource points—each one slowly building their foundation. If a beast disaster arrived, everything could be wiped out overnight, forcing them to start over. That was still the better outcome; losing one's life was the real fear.
Someone sighed, "If only I were a direct Huang Family disciple, I wouldn't have to deal with these tasks and could safely stay behind the beast tide."