Chapter 4

Lin Xitang's Dàyǎn Tianjī Jue was profound and boundless, one of its effects being the ability to guide and stimulate the potential for human cultivation. Those with truly outstanding talent would often exhibit unusual phenomena when stimulated by the Dàyǎn Tianjī Jue.

These phenomena are divided into five levels. The weak starlight seen on the garbage field is the lowest level, indicating only the potential to cultivate original energy. The first level of talent would manifest in various colored light pillars, with unusual phenomena surrounding the light pillars, symbolizing the gathering of stars around the moon, and these phenomena also predict the future direction of the person's talent. The second level of talent would only have light pillars without unusual phenomena. The third level would have intense, fiery light. The fourth level would have no unusual phenomena, only bright light.

Above the first level, there is also the concept of a super level. These are truly outstanding talents, whose unusual phenomena might be mountains, rivers, or exotic beasts and birds, vividly depicted.

The red light pillar under the night sky, although it belonged to the lowest level of the first rank, was still one in ten thousand among the countless cultivators in the empire. Each one that appeared was worth the empire's careful cultivation and would become a pillar of the military in the future.

This red light pillar was like a slap, making Gu Tuo Hai's face burn.

"Go and take a look!" Lin Xitang did not wait for the flying boat to turn; he left the cabin and leaped from a height of several hundred meters.

More than ten fully armed guards on the flying boat also leaped down, closely following Lin Xitang. Gu Tuo Hai angrily slapped the window frame but ultimately followed.

The little boy's transformation clearly frightened the older children, but the little girl was only momentarily stunned. Upon discovering her suddenly increased strength, she ran to another larger rock and dragged it over with great effort.

The little boy was dazed, groaning and turning over.

Suddenly, a pair of suede thick-soled military boots appeared beside him.

The boots did not truly touch the ground but floated a few centimeters above it. An invisible force field quietly spread, pushing all the dust, dirt, and garbage far away.

The little girl was startled to a stop, looking at the silver-haired man who had appeared. She opened her beautiful, innocent eyes, showing a naive and harmless expression, and quickly and quietly dropped the stone in her hand.

A light emanated from the little girl's body, which she herself did not notice. The sweat in her palms had completely evaporated. However, the silver-haired man did not even glance at her.

Lin Xitang frowned at the numerous bruises on the little boy's body, some of which had likely affected his internal organs, making his injuries even more severe than expected. He waved his hand, and a mist of light appeared in the air, with green raindrops falling onto the little boy's body and merging into his skin.

These green raindrops contained vast amounts of original energy, and the little boy's injuries began to heal visibly. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, fully regaining consciousness.

The first thing the little boy saw upon regaining consciousness was the stern and resolute face of the silver-haired man.

He did not immediately understand what had happened, but instinctively did not want to lie helplessly on the ground. He struggled to stand up again. Looking around, he saw the older children and immediately remembered what had happened, his face changing drastically.

Lin Xitang followed the little boy's gaze and saw the surrounding older children and the fresh oil paper packaging on the ground, understanding why the little boy was so injured. This was a common occurrence in the garbage field.

Lin Xitang slightly lowered his eyes, then bent down and extended his hand, saying gently, "Come, give me your hand. What's your name?"

The little boy was somewhat timid, but finally mustered the courage to say softly, "Qi... Qiye." However, his hand stopped halfway, not daring to reach out further.

The little hand was dirty, covered in mud. Although the wounds had stopped bleeding under the nourishment of the light rain, the blood and dirt were still there.

No matter what, he did not dare to put his hand in the silver-haired man's spotless large hand. In little Qiye's eyes, that large hand was the only place in the world that felt warm at that moment.

Lin Xitang smiled and encouraged, "It's okay, give me your hand."

At this moment, Gu Tuo Hai also landed from the sky. He usually presented a kind face, but seeing Qiye's injuries, his anger was evident, and he could not help but snort and glare coldly at the surrounding older children.

The older children, who had gathered and huddled together, showed signs of fear. However, with over ten guards blocking all the exits, they did not dare to run.

Lin Xitang bent slightly, extended his hand, and waited patiently. Under his clear and calm gaze, Qiye finally found the courage to put his hand into the warm, dry, and strong large hand.

Lin Xitang gently held the small hand, which was less than half the size of his own, closed his eyes, and silently sensed.

Gu Tuo Hai looked at Qiye and suddenly frowned, deep in thought.

Lin Xitang exclaimed and opened his eyes. He examined Qiye from head to toe, then lifted the cloth covering the little boy's upper body, his gaze immediately focusing.

On Qiye's thin chest, which showed his ribs, there was a large scar, running from just below his heart to his navel. Just looking at the ugly, raised scar, one could tell it was a terrifying wound that had split his abdomen!

But how old was Qiye? How did he survive?

After a moment, Lin Xitang straightened up and said, "Brother Tuo Hai, you are skilled in medicine. Come and help me take a look."

Gu Tuo Hai said nothing, coming to Qiye's side. He did not mind the dirt and ran his large hands over Qiye's body. Wherever his hands went, it felt like red-hot needles piercing the skin. But Qiye clenched his teeth and did not make a sound.

Surprise flashed in Gu Tuo Hai's eyes, and he praised, "To have such courage at such a young age, that's quite something!"

He stood up and said to Lin Xitang, "This child was indeed a first-rank talent, but the injury here is too severe, destroying his foundation. Not only that, I suspect there might have been an original energy crystal in his body."

Lin Xitang immediately thought of a taboo term, original energy plundering! He narrowed his eyes and said sternly, "You mean..."

Gu Tuo Hai said solemnly, "No, it's just a guess. You know, that kind of thing is a major taboo. However, this injury has been there for several years, and he was probably not even three years old when it happened. As for now, as you can see, his foundation has been severely damaged. Even if his talent is stronger than the people here, it is no longer a first-rank talent."

Qiye's old injury was so severe, yet he could still stimulate a red original energy pillar, indicating that his original talent might have been super-level. However, now, considering his physical condition, he could barely be classified as a fourth-rank talent.

This level of talent, only slightly stronger than ordinary people, was of no value to the two high-ranking military officials. Moreover, the severe injury left a hidden danger, and whether he could survive the harsh cultivation was uncertain.

Gu Tuo Hai sighed with great regret.

Lin Xitang looked at the small Qiye, who looked up at him. Perhaps the warmth in his palm had not completely dissipated, and there was a hint of dependence in the little boy's eyes that he himself did not realize.

Lin Xitang's heart stirred slightly, and he said slowly, "Meeting you here can be considered fate. Let's do this: I'll take you away, and you can choose where to go."

He took out several smooth jade tokens, touched them, and words appeared on the upper side. He placed the side with the words face down in his hand and extended it to Qiye.

Qiye hesitated, then pulled out the middle jade token, flipped it over, and saw two characters he did not recognize.

Gu Tuo Hai sighed and shook his head.

Lin Xitang read the characters to Qiye, "Huangquan." He took the jade token back from Qiye, patted his head, and asked, "What's your surname?"

"I... I don't have a surname. I'm called Qiye."

Lin Xitang nodded and said gently, "Good. If you can return alive from that place, you can use my surname, Lin!"

Qiye did not understand what Lin Xitang meant, just listening in confusion.

Lin Xitang did not need him to understand now, turned, and instructed, "Take him back to the 'Qingniao,' give him a bath, treat his injuries, get him some food, and change his clothes."

After giving the instructions, Lin Xitang and Gu Tuo Hai slowly rose, gradually accelerating, and flew toward the light boat hovering in the air.

The older children had been watching for a long time. Although they might not have fully understood the adults' conversation, the words "bath," "food," and "clothes" were clear and highly tempting.

Seeing the guards preparing to take Qiye away, the leader of the older children suddenly rushed over, shouting, "Take me too! Take me! I want to bathe and eat!"

He tried to grab the guards' legs and pull Qiye, attempting to drag him away from the guards' arms.

The injured leader of the older children, while pulling Qiye's leg, shouted, "This is my spot! What are you? Come on, everyone, beat this little bastard to death! He dared to headbutt me just now! All the food up there is mine!"

This time, the leader of the older children was even more vicious, specifically targeting Qiye's wounds. The survival rule in the garbage field was simple: kill him, and you get everything he has.

The several guards, towering like mountains, did not move, allowing the leader of the older children to cause a commotion. The little girl, seeing this, quietly moved closer.

Only when Qiye's face showed signs of pain did the captain of the guards coldly say, "That's enough. Now even Mr. Tuo Hai has nothing to say."

As soon as the captain spoke, the guard holding Qiye, whose face had been expressionless, suddenly showed a fierce expression and kicked the leader of the older children dozens of meters into the air!

This kick contained a fierce force, and as the leader of the older children flew into the air, he suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood!

Another guard stepped forward with a sinister smile, stomped heavily, and said, "A bunch of little brats, daring to disturb General Lin's affairs!"

A ripple suddenly appeared on the ground, centered around where he stomped, quickly spreading outward. The group of older children were all affected, suddenly being pushed into the air by a powerful force, spewing blood, and their bones cracking and twisting grotesquely!

The shockwave also swept over the captain and the other guards, but they did not move, all calmly enduring it.

The little girl, however, was miraculously not affected. When the captain spoke, some of the other older children were still dazed, while others had foolishly followed the leader's command and rushed over. She, however, turned and ran away without looking back!

Thus, she managed to escape the range of the shockwave and miraculously survived.

Seeing that a little girl had escaped, the guard's face turned red with embarrassment, and he snorted, lifting his foot to stomp down again! He had only used a third of his strength the first time. However, the captain suddenly reached out and held his shoulder, preventing him from stomping down.

The captain seemed to be listening to something, then nodded, picked up Qiye, who had been motionless and wide-eyed, and took out a gun, placing Qiye's small hand on the trigger.

The captain steadied the gun, aimed at the little girl's back, and said to Qiye, "She has tried to kill you several times. Come, pull the trigger back, use force, and she will go 'bang'... and die!"

Qiye grabbed the trigger with his entire small hand, looking at the small figure staggering away in the distance, knowing that just one pull would make her body bloom with blood.

He remained very quiet, his dark eyes looking ahead, but in the end, little Qiye shook his head and released the trigger.

On the flying boat, Gu Tuo Hai was smiling, saying repeatedly, "As I expected, hahaha! Lin, it's rare for you to lose! Come on, you lost the bet, so 'Shuiseyanhua' is mine! Hand it over!"

Lin Xitang still smiled faintly, his eyes calm and clear, as if reflecting the myriad phenomena of the world, but not the object itself.

The guards brought Qiye back to the flying boat. The boat slowly turned, ascended, and merged into the light of the blood moon, gradually disappearing into the horizon.

As for the garbage field and the little girl still desperately running, they were thus forgotten, just like this abandoned continent.