Chapter 10

The ultra-high-speed crystal rail train sped by with a "whoosh," like an egg cracking, and the mysterious old man was hit head-on, disintegrating into pieces in a thousandth of a second. Under the overwhelming surge of spiritual energy, his limbs and body parts instantly vaporized, leaving not even the most basic cells behind!

Li Yao only saw a flash of red light, and the mysterious old man vanished completely!

He sighed helplessly in his heart.

Growing up in the perilous and terrifying region of the Magic Treasure Graveyard, death was a common occurrence. Moreover, he had experienced death countless times in his strange dreams, so Li Yao did not have the extreme fear and discomfort that ordinary people felt towards death.

However, seeing a vibrant life extinguished so tragically before his eyes still left him feeling somewhat uneasy.

"This old man was probably a cultivator who went astray in his cultivation, went mad, and did such a bizarre thing," Li Yao mused to himself.

The crystal rail train was not disturbed by this minor incident and continued to speed away, soon disappearing from sight.

However, Li Yao knew that the guards on the train would definitely report this to the local police and even the military. Soon, a large number of military and police would arrive.

As a scavenger in the Magic Treasure Graveyard, his actions were often on the fringes of the law, and he always avoided dealing with the military and police. Not wanting to get into trouble, Li Yao tightened his clothes and quickened his pace, passing through the culvert.

What he didn't know was that on the crystal rail bridge, where the mysterious old man had stood, a transparent crystal figure identical to the old man appeared. It looked around with some confusion, then its eyes lit up as it locked onto the vibrant and lively Li Yao.

The transparent crystal figure suddenly shattered, turning into countless invisible crystal fragments. Reflecting the bright moonlight, they resembled thousands of colorful butterflies, fluttering high and silently merging into Li Yao's body!

"Damn, it's so cold!"

Li Yao felt a bone-chilling wind, as if something was whispering in his ear in an ancient and mysterious language, recounting indescribable horrors. He couldn't help but shiver.

It was bizarre, too bizarre. He felt a chill run down his spine, tightened his school uniform, and started jogging.

Logically, once a person starts running, their limbs should warm up, and their body should heat up. However, no matter how fast Li Yao ran, even when he pushed himself to the limit, almost to the point of vomiting, the bone-chilling cold followed him like a shadow, like a leech, inch by inch consuming him!

When he stumbled into his home, he was frozen solid, but from the outside, he looked flushed, drenched in sweat, with white mist swirling around him, emitting steam, which was incredibly eerie!

"Xiaohei, Xiaohei, I think I'm sick. Help me to bed and find some fever-reducing medicine and spirit talismans from the medicine box!" Li Yao mumbled, his vision going black, his eyelids drooping. Before the black-winged sword could fly over, his legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground, snoring loudly, completely unconscious.

It felt like he was sinking into a deep, dark swamp, his senses completely stripped away. In the absolute darkness, he kept struggling, fighting, endlessly struggling.

Finally, just as he was about to go mad and beg the countless gods and Buddhas of the universe for an end, the darkness receded like a tide, and he breathed in fresh air—air that was a hundred times fresher than anything he had ever breathed before!

"Where am I?" Li Yao looked around, somewhat bewildered.

Subconsciously, he knew he was trapped in a dangerous "nightmare," but this one was different from the "strange dreams" he had experienced before. This was a dream with a strong classical style.

He stood on an incredibly vast parade ground, surrounded by countless towering statues of weapons and magic treasures. The enormous parade ground, spanning over a hundred acres, was laid out on a floating mountain.

Below, an endless, turbulent black sea stretched as far as the eye could see!

The pungent smell of sweat and the masculine, blood-soaked air almost suffocated Li Yao. Around him stood thousands of muscular, burly men, each with bulging muscles and a fierce look on their face. Each man carried a massive hammer that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, working hard in their drills.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thousands of hammers hit the ground simultaneously, causing the entire floating mountain to tremble slightly.

Then, Li Yao was shocked to find that he had transformed into a towering, muscular giant, his appearance completely changed. He felt a rough, steel-like beard on his chin when he touched it.

In his hand, he held a massive iron hammer, the handle's rope soaked with the blood from his palms.

At the front of the parade ground, a "giant spirit" towered over all the burly men, its eyes as large as copper bells, bellowing like thunder, "You 3,527 useless wretches have officially joined the 'Hundred Refinements Sect' and become low-level servants. This is the good fortune you have accumulated over three lifetimes! Our Hundred Refinements Sect is the strongest alchemy sect in the 'Vast Wilderness World.' Our rules are strict, and even a low-level servant must train with all their might!"

"As a low-level servant, you must carry 3,000 pounds of water, cut down 50 trees, and hunt at least ten 'Spine Shark' in the 'Bottomless Sea' below. That will be your food!"

"However, the most important thing is to practice our sect's basic technique, the '108 Hands Cloak Chaos Hammer Technique'! Listen up, you useless wretches, you must swing your hammers 10,000 times a day, not a single time less. When you can create a one-foot-deep hole in the floor made of 'Golden Essence Stone,' you will be promoted to a 'Blacksmith Servant' and can practice more advanced techniques!"

"Train! Train! Train with all your might! Ouye Ming, why are you standing there like an idiot, not training?"

Before Li Yao could figure out what was happening, he noticed that all the burly men were looking at him with pity, which made him feel a chill. A fierce whirlwind rushed towards him, and the giant spirit, who was a hundred paces away, appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, towering over him and glaring fiercely.

"Ouye Ming, you were the one who rambled about becoming the 'Hundred Refinements Sect Master' during dinner yesterday. Do you think the 'Cloak Chaos Hammer Technique' is too low-level for you, the 'future sect master'? Fine, I'll show you the power of the 108 Hands Cloak Chaos Hammer Technique! Kill!"

The giant spirit spread his hands, and black energy condensed into a massive hammer larger than Li Yao's head. He swung it with a fierce wind, smashing down on Li Yao. Before Li Yao could react, he felt wings sprout from his ribs, lifting him into the air, and his head seemed to swell to ten times its size. He kept screaming in his heart, "What the hell is going on here!"