Crane took a sip of wine before speaking. "As we agreed, I can grant you one request."


    One request?


    My mindset hadpletely shifted from before.


    Originally, I just wanted to trick Crane into giving me something, but now my gains had been so enormous that I didn''t even know how to ask.


    "Forget it, I''ve already gained plenty during this time." I waved my hands repeatedly.


    Crane looked at me and said, "I never leave debts unpaid, and I never break my promises."


    This put me in a tough spot.


    I scratched my head. "How about this - let''s save this request forter, and I''lle find you when I need it."


    Crane looked surprised, then nodded. "Fine."


    After that, I turned and walked away.


    When I got back to my ce, I gathered my things. "Time for us to go."


    "Go? Where?" the man with the mustache grumbled.


    I said, "We''ve been here long enough. Can''t stay forever - time to head back."


    The man with the mustache got up from the ground, muttering, "What''s wrong with this ce? It''s safe andfy."


    I rolled my eyes. "Then stay. I''m leaving first."


    After saying that, I turned to go.


    The man with the mustache rolled his eyes too. "You''ve gotten plenty out of this time, but I''ve wasted almost a month."


    Even though heined, the man with the mustache still hurried after me out of the room.


    Then I brought the man with the mustache to see Crane.


    "We''re nning to leave." I cupped my hands toward Crane.


    Crane said coolly, "There''s nothing worth hanging around for in the human world. Better to stay here."


    I smiled bitterly. "I still have lots to do."


    Seeing this, Crane didn''t push it.


    He waved his hand, and a big guy walked over.


    "Oxen, escort them out," Crane said.


    The big man called Oxen quickly cupped his hands toward Crane. "Yes, Sir Crane."


    After saying goodbye to Crane, I followed Oxen and left the city.


    Those twenty-plus days of training had brought me huge progress.


    My strength, speed, and fighting skills had all improved dramatically.


    Though my realm hadn''t advanced, my power was nothing like before.


    The desert stretched endlessly, and even with Oxen guiding us, the three of us moved incredibly slowly.


    At night, we found a spot to sit and rest.


    "Oxen, how many Martial Saints are in that city?" I made casual conversation during our downtime.


    Oxen nced at me. "Counting me and Sir Crane, four total."


    "Oh, and what stage is Crane at in his Martial Saint training?" I kept asking.


    "Early Stage Martial Saint," Oxen said.


    I couldn''t help but suck in air.


    That kind of strength at Early Stage Martial Saint was truly scary!


    I even felt his power wasn''t weaker than Star''s!


    "How old is he?" I asked like a chatterbox.


    Oxen said, "One hundred and forty-three years old."


    My eyes went wide, and even the man with the mustache gasped.


    One hundred and forty-three years old?


    Was Crane really that young?


    Based on the man with the mustache''s guess, this Crane had to be at least over a thousand years old!


    "It''s terrifying that he has such strength at 143," the man with the mustache said in amazement.


    "This Crane is an absolute genius!"


    "Of course! Though Lord Crane is young, his talent is unmatched in this world," Oxen said proudly.


    Whenever Crane came up, Oxen couldn''t help looking proud.


    I also sighed a bit. "True, even little Leticia is older than Crane."


    Plus, Leticia could only be human with the help of that shape-shifting pill.


    "You''re not demonic beasts, so you don''t get how powerful Lord Crane is," Oxen muttered.


    "Being able to resist Divine Dragon Power''s bloodline pressure through sheer willpower - I''m afraid he''s the only one in the whole world who can do that."


    I nodded. "Yeah, his willpower and mental state are really something to admire."


    After more than twenty days, Crane and I had gotten pretty close.


    "Alright, let''s sleep early. We''ve got a long way tomorrow," Oxen turned over and dozed off.


    But I wasn''t in the mood for sleep.


    Staring at the night sky, I couldn''t help whispering, "I wonder how she''s doing now, whether she''s started cultivating, what realm she''s reached..."


    "Stop thinking about it. She has theplete Sean family bloodline. Even if she went to the Sean family, they''d treat her like a princess," the man with the mustache yawned.


    I sighed, unable to hold back my longing for Mabel Sean.


    ——


    At this time, within Pyro''s borders.


    Iris Darren''s actions had grown more and more outrageous, pushing countless people past their breaking point.


    But Iris''s strength seemed bottomless, and nobody dared make a move.


    Until one day, the hot-headed Be Tad challenged Iris to a fight.


    After their battle, it came out that Iris was only at Half-step Martial Sage realm and lost narrowly to Be!


    From then on, everyone realized why Iris acted so arrogant - it was because of his white bone army!


    As long as the white bone army existed, nobody could beat Iris!


    At the same time, more and more young disciples kept emerging from the Mystic Realm, all seemingly looking for chances to break into Martial Saint Realm in this world.


    ——


    After another day, the man with the mustache and I still couldn''t find our way out of the desert.


    "Oxen, how much longer do you think?" I couldn''t help asking.


    Oxen pointed ahead. "At most one more day, and we''ll reach Pyro."


    "Phew."


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help breathing easier.


    Another day went by.


    Finally, the three of us reached Pyro''s border.


    "I''ll take you this far," Oxen said.


    Just as I was about to say goodbye, the man with the mustache grabbed Oxen''s arm. "Oxen, you can''t leave yet. You''ve been with us so long - we have to at least buy you a meal, right?"


    Oxen frowned slightly and snorted. "I''m not interested in the human world."


    "Hey, don''t be like that. I never owe anyone anything. I insist on treating you to a meal!" the man with the mustache patted his chest.


    Oxen furrowed his brow and finally agreed, finding it hard to refuse.


    I couldn''t help pulling the man with the mustache aside and whispering, "What are you up to?"


    The man with the mustache said seriously, "I''ve figured we might run into trouble in the next couple days, so I need to find a way to have him protect us."


    "With a Martial Saint beside us, we won''t have anything to fear."


    I thought about it, and it made sense.


    After all, we were entering Pyro territory. Having Oxen with us for a while would be safer.