Chapter Forty-Three: The Sea of Purple Herbs

Beyond the portal of light lay an expansive violet prairie. The ground beneath their feet was covered with a kind of violet grass, stretching endlessly like a purple ocean. Tang Tian and Amory gaped in awe at the breathtaking sea of violet grass before them.

“Wow! It's so beautiful!” Amory stared, almost unable to believe his eyes.

“It truly is stunning!” Tang Tian’s face was filled with shock.

Old Wei was the first to regain his composure. He plucked a blade of violet grass from the ground. Somehow, a small round tube had appeared in his hand. Old Wei shone the tube over the violet grass and breathed a sigh of relief. “No poison.”

“What’s that?” Tang Tian pointed at the tube in Old Wei’s hand.

“The ‘True Eye Tube,’ a Star Secret Treasure from the Microscope constellation. Black Iron grade.” Old Wei passed it to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian took it, feeling its weight in his palm. Inside the tube was a piece of glass. Mimicking Old Wei, Tang Tian placed a blade of violet grass beneath the tube, and after a moment, small characters appeared on the glass.

“Violet Cloud Grass, non-toxic, use: unknown.”

“Wow, this is amazing!” Tang Tian exclaimed.

“Let me see!” Amory snatched the tube away.

“This is a Star Secret Treasure!” Old Wei said proudly. “A trophy from my youth. Impressive, isn’t it? By the way, your Black Iron martial skills from the Furnace constellation, though not Secret Treasures, are quite powerful if used well.”

The two immediately perked up.

“The Furnace constellation is quite unique—it’s the only constellation without a Star Secret Treasure. People of the Furnace are skilled at forging, using fragments of the Furnace in their craft to create unique Furnace weapons.” Old Wei spoke with authority. “The grading of Furnace weapons is much like the Star Secret Treasures. Try channeling true force into your weapons and then call to them.”

“That sounds a little silly…” Tang Tian muttered, but he still infused his Black Iron gauntlets with true force and looked up. “How do I call them?”

“Uh… I wouldn’t know.” Old Wei shrugged, utterly unconcerned.

Tang Tian: …

Just as Tang Tian wondered if Old Wei were bluffing, he suddenly felt a faint connection to his Black Iron gauntlets. Could Old Wei have been serious?

Tang Tian attempted to summon them, and as inspiration struck, he softly called out, “Furnace—”

Whoosh!

Scarlet flames suddenly burst from the gauntlets, enveloping Tang Tian's fists in fire. He felt no heat, but the violet cloud grass beneath him quickly withered and dried.

Tang Tian stared dumbfounded at his flame-wreathed gauntlets.

He truly lives up to his reputation…

A flicker of surprise flashed in Old Wei’s eyes.

Amory copied Tang Tian, calling to his Black Iron saber, “Furnace!”

Whoosh, flames erupted from the blade, turning it into a fiery sword. Amory was fascinated. “Wow! Incredible!”

These two...

Old Wei’s eye twitched.

He cleared his throat. “This is called Black Iron Fire—a property unique to Furnace Black Iron weapons. Few know of it. In the future, you’ll encounter all sorts of weapons and Secret Treasures. Remember, only if you gain their recognition can you unlock their power. I used to worry you’d become too reliant on their strength, but now…”

Old Wei looked out across the vast violet prairie, his voice grave. “You must be careful.”

Across the prairie, many figures could be seen; those skilled in lightness could only be spotted as tiny black dots.

“Shouldn’t we hurry?” Amory asked.

“Hurry? Remember, in unfamiliar territory, never rush blindly ahead.” Old Wei spoke with seasoned expertise. He glanced up at the sky. “The time difference here is about seven hours from Starwind City. Night is falling soon; we need to find a safe place to camp.”

With a magician’s flourish, Old Wei produced a miniature, exquisite boat from his hand. It was smaller than a palm, but strikingly detailed, especially the brightly colored sail. Infusing it with true force, Old Wei watched as the sail spun and finally pointed in a direction.

“The ‘Water-Seeking Sail,’ a Secret Treasure from the Sail constellation, Black Iron grade,” Old Wei explained. “Its sole function is to seek water sources within two hundred miles.”

Tang Tian and Amory were dazzled by Old Wei’s endless array of Star Secret Treasures.

Old Wei put away the Water-Seeking Sail and took the lead. “As an old bird, let me tell you two fledglings: sometimes, those low-level, unremarkable Star Secret Treasures will save your life.”

“You show-off! Claiming you’re poor!” Tang Tian’s face darkened.

Amory hefted his Black Iron saber, murderous intent in his eyes. “And you tricked me here with a single silver card…”

“Uh…” Old Wei realized he’d slipped, chuckling awkwardly. “Actually, I borrowed these from a friend…”

“Tell that to the ghosts…”

“Deceiving children…”

Amid their bickering, the three sped forward. Old Wei's lightness skill was best, swift and seemingly effortless. Tang Tian was not slow; his third-tier ‘Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada’ wasn’t ideal for travel, but his energy channels were long, keeping up a steady pace. Amory’s lightness was a different beast—he thundered along, each stride sinking deep into the earth, covering yards with every step, rumbling impressively.

“Tang, have you made progress with your Second Crane Form?” Old Wei asked as they advanced, the surroundings now devoid of other people.

“No,” Tang Tian replied helplessly. “No matter how I try, the Second Crane Form won’t budge. I’ll leave it for now. But I’ve made some breakthroughs with my Small Collapse Fist.”

“Basic Tang, let’s have a good fight…” Amory said instinctively.

“Careful!” Old Wei cried suddenly.

Amory was about to set his foot down when a sudden premonition struck him, coinciding with Old Wei’s shout, and he instinctively withdrew his foot.

Whoosh!

A violet shadow shot up from the ground.

Amory curled his body, and his Black Iron saber flashed, slicing toward the shadow.

The violet shape split in two, falling into the violet cloud grass.

Using the force of his swing, Amory leapt toward Tang Tian, who caught him. Amory’s face was pale; his reaction had been pure instinct, and now, realizing what had happened, he looked even more frightened.

Old Wei’s expression was grave as he cautiously approached the fallen violet shadow and prodded it with his blade.

Tang Tian and Amory finally saw clearly: the shadow was a cluster of violet vines, tangled into a circular net. Inside the net were sharp, serrated barbs—just looking at it made their skin crawl. If it had caught them…

Amory was ashen.

Old Wei took out the True Eye Tube and examined the half-vine. “Be careful. It’s called the Violet Net Trap, very dangerous. The barbs contain a narcotic toxin, and this thick tube here holds corrosive digestive fluids. Its roots are useful, but they’re buried too deep to dig up easily.”

Tang Tian and Amory were pale as ghosts. The Violet Net Trap was the same color as the Violet Cloud Grass, blending seamlessly into the prairie—nearly impossible to distinguish. The vast sea of violet grass now seemed filled with hidden danger.

“To deal with things like this, I have a special trick.” Old Wei grinned, producing a fishing rod with a frog tied to the end.

The frog croaked loudly. Tang Tian and Amory exchanged confused glances, unsure what Old Wei was up to.

Old Wei took a few steps forward, sweeping the rod sideways. Suddenly, a violet shadow shot out from the grass.

“Ha!” Without even drawing his blade, Old Wei flicked his wrist, splitting the shadow in two, sending it tumbling into the grass.

Tang Tian and Amory were dumbfounded—so this was possible?

Moments later—

Tang Tian held seven or eight fishing rods, fanned out, each with a croaking frog attached, looking impressively fierce. Amory followed at his side, saber at the ready, while Old Wei strode calmly behind.

A violet shadow leapt from the grass; Amory moved, saber drawn.

“Behold my Wild Bull Slash!”

Another violet shadow.

“Wind Slash incoming!”

“And Frog Slash!”

The two worked in perfect harmony, advancing rapidly.

After roughly two hours, they finally found a water source—a vast lake, shimmering like a sapphire. At the lakeshore, the wildlife increased: winged monkeys flitted about, fish-shaped lizards swam, and brightly colored birds skimmed the surface.

By the lake, many snowy white stones lay scattered. Old Wei examined them with the True Eye Tube—they were called Snowflake Stones, a high-grade stone, though worthless to the trio.

Old Wei decided to camp here. The abundance of beasts meant no large predators, making it relatively safe.

He was well prepared, setting up tents swiftly.

By now, dusk had fallen. Here, twilight was not the usual orange, but a rare spectrum of color.

Straight bands of color streaked across the sky, like the keys of a rainbow piano, breathtakingly beautiful.

Old Wei took out several black stones and lit them; the stones burned brightly, producing vivid flames. He called them Travel Camp Stones—they could burn all night.

The three sat around the fire, chatting.

Tang Tian suddenly asked, “Hey, old man, how can we take first place?”

Old Wei was surprised. “You want to win first?”

Tang Tian nodded, serious.

Amory looked at Tang Tian. “I support Basic Tang! Let's take first place!”

“If you want first place…” Old Wei pondered. “Unless we can obtain a Star Language Soul Stone.”