Li Gang landed lightly on the forest floor, his senses expanding in all directions. The Central Continent — vast, boundless, and dangerous. Here, every step could decide life or death. He had no guide, no allies, but hesitation had no place in his heart. His new journey began now.
Li Gang started surveying the surroundings. He had already reached Rank 3 early stage, so moving a few miles within a minute wasn't a big deal.
As he began his journey, he soon realized that this wasn't a large forest like the one in the Small World. He found the way out not too long after arriving here.
Li Gang came out of the forest and entered a nearby city. He first started searching for an inn.
Li Gang stopped a middle-aged man. "Hello, I just arrived here and I'm not familiar with the area. Can you please show me the way to an inn?"
The man was wearing a thin robe due to the warm atmosphere. He looked at Li Gang, puzzled, and spoke, "#$%&**%^&T^&$^%R."
Li Gang immediately realized, 'Language barrier!'
But surprisingly, he could already understand what the man had said: 'What are you saying?' That was the reason he had focused on learning multiple languages since childhood. He knew that if he wanted to improve, he would have to travel to many places, and language barriers were something he needed to overcome.
Although he could understand the language, he wasn't very proficient in it. He had learned it from Wang Xueyao but never had enough time to practice properly.
Still, it was enough for basic communication. He said in their language, with an awkward accent, "I just arrived here and I am not aware of the situation. Can you tell me where to find an inn?"
The man looked more comfortable hearing his native language, even if it was broken. He replied, "Yes, but it's a bit far away. Go one mile straight ahead, then turn right and continue for another…"
After listening, Li Gang nodded. "Thank you, brother."
The man smiled. "If you have trouble finding it, you can ask someone along the way."
Li Gang nodded and continued in the directed path. After asking several people along the way, he finally reached the inn.
It was quite large. 'This place must be popular. Otherwise, they wouldn't build such a big inn. Is it because of the Sword Gate nearby?'
It made sense—if one of the top five sects of the Central Continent was here, people from different regions would come often. Having such a large inn was only logical.
Li Gang entered the inn and went straight to the counter. A middle-aged man sat there and greeted him politely, "Hello sir, welcome to our Silver Moon Inn. How may I help you? Do you need lodging, or perhaps a meal?"
Li Gang replied, "I want a place to stay temporarily."
The innkeeper nodded, took out a room key, and handed it to a worker. "Shaoqin, take this key and show him the room."
Then he turned to Li Gang. "It's 100 spirit stones per month."
Li Gang was surprised but still paid. 'It's quite costly', he thought.
He had already looted many warriors in the Small World and currently possessed over 10,000 spirit stones.
After resting for two days straight, he started exploring the town. After interacting with many locals, he came across a shop that sold various items.
He asked, "Do you have maps?"
The shopkeeper replied, "Yes. Which one do you want? We have all kinds—Central Continent, provinces, domains, and even this Bladehaven town."
Li Gang was surprised. "Give me all of them—the more detailed, the better."
The shopkeeper nodded.
After purchasing the maps, Li Gang returned to the inn and began studying them.
The Central Continent was larger than the Southern Continent by around 30 trillion square kilometers and divided into six regions: Ethereal Peak Territory, Golden Plains, Verdant Forest Territory, Crimson Peak Domain, Silver Frost Province, and Celestial Peak Domain—each headed by a Great Sect of the Central Continent.
Celestial Peak Domain: Led by the Celestial Sect, renowned as the strongest sect in the world. It is located at the center of the continent.
Ethereal Peak Territory: Situated in the northern part of the continent, filled with towering peaks and frequent rain. It is headed by the Ethereal Sect.
Golden Plains: Located in the western part, characterized by vast deserts. It is controlled by the Golden Dragon Sect.
Verdant Forest Territory: Found in the eastern part, this region is covered with dense forests—hence the name. It is headed by the Harmony Fang Sect, specialists in beast taming.
Crimson Peak Domain: Located in the southwestern region and headed by the demonic Heavenly Demon Sect.
Silver Frost Province: Present in the southeastern part of the continent. It is said that this province was established after destroying part of the Verdant Forest Territory, which remains a source of tension between the Harmony Fang Sect and the Sword Gate, the ruling sect here.
Li Gang was currently in the center of Silver Frost Province, within Bladehaven Town, near the Sword Gate.
The Sword Gate was a massive sect, covering about a billion square kilometers. It was understandable—one of the largest sects in the world, home to many Rank 6 and Rank 7 warriors. For warriors of that level, covering the entire sect took only minutes.
Li Gang had no plans to visit the Sword Gate. He studied the maps carefully and began considering his options.
'I wanted to join the Sword Gate since it's the weakest among the major sects of the Central Continent. But after learning from Huang Ling that those with stronger soul cultivation have faster thinking speed, I fear that old man Jiang might have left some tricks. I only have one life—I won't gamble with it.'
What Li Gang didn't know was that a person who had died long ago, even with strong soul cultivation, would only exist as an obsession, incapable of scheming. However, if Jiang had made preparations while still alive, that would be a different story.
Li Gang murmured, "It's better to go to the Heavenly Demon Sect first. Even though they're known as savages who'd do anything to achieve their goals, such a place suits my growth. They focus on combat, and I need to learn battle tactics. What I lack most is battle experience. Even in the inheritance trial, I could've destroyed more puppets if I'd had proper combat experience. And another weakness—my improper soul and body synchronization."
Although Li Gang had adapted to his new fighting style despite the imbalance, it undeniably held him back. His soul was powerful but unrefined—merely a vast quantity forcefully instilled within him. Unless he refined it properly, that power was wasted. One could gauge the inefficiency of his cultivation from the fact that even a Rank 4 Soul Cultivator could seriously injure him.
The Heavenly Demon Sect was about five million miles away. Given his speed, it would take him over a year to reach it.
He sighed inwardly. 'If only I had the ability to sense souls, I could've learned beast taming and traveled on something like a Whirlwind Eagle. But it's pointless to dwell on what I don't have.'
It would take around two months just to leave this city on foot. Even at full speed, he'd need a month of nonstop running—which was impossible. Human stamina was limited, even with cultivation.
That was why he went to a nearby Spirit Beast Market. Here, all kinds of Spirit Beasts were sold. Not everyone was talented in beast taming or able to cultivate the soul, so over time, many methods had been developed to control beasts for travel. Some people even rented beasts, and many beast tamers made their living through transportation services.
There were many ways to control Spirit Beasts: some tamed them from birth, some used coercion or pills, and others used more mysterious methods.
Li Gang entered the shop—it was even more luxurious than the inn he stayed at. He glanced around and thought, 'It seems this business is quite profitable. I might consider this field in the future.'
He approached the counter and asked directly, "I want to purchase Spirit Beasts."
A middle-aged man sitting at the counter looked up and nodded. He called out to one of the workers. "Hu Xin!"
A young man immediately came over.
The man said, "Show this gentleman our best Spirit Beasts."
Hu Xin nodded and said, "Hello sir, my name is Hu Xin. Please come with me."
Li Gang nodded. "I'm Li Gang. You can call me by name."
Soon, they reached the second floor. There, all kinds of beasts were gathered, each with a dark collar around its neck.
Seeing Li Gang's expression, Hu Xin explained, "These collars are used to control the beasts. We'll provide you with the token key for the collar."
Li Gang's eyes narrowed. "Does the shop keep a spare key?"
Hu Xin replied politely, "Sir, our shop is one of the most trusted in this region. You can see our reputation from the number of customers. We would never do something as dishonorable as cheating our clients."
Li Gang scoffed inwardly but kept a calm expression.