Over the next several days, Chen Tian followed the caravan and gathered what spiritual materials he could. The small farms and villages along their path contained nothing truly valuable, even for the Qi Condensation stage of cultivation, much less Foundation Establishment materials or beyond. But considering he had nothing and would need significant materials to establish himself, it was worthwhile.
His most valuable find was actually given freely instead of stolen. Their caravan passed a village with a dying Heart Tree, and before the villagers planted the new sapling, they cut down the old and distributed the wood. Though the local Earth Guards took first choice, they had more than enough, so they shared the remainder with some of the cultivating guests.
Chen Tian received several planks of the dark wood, which would be plenty once converted in his cultivation base. He was one of the few who couldn't use them immediately, so he added them to his sack and slept on it just in case anyone had theft in mind. The Earth Guards seemed to have taken his suggestion to heart, however, and shepherded the new generation of potential cultivators.
Their caravan stopped at a larger village where it was entirely reshuffled. Most of the Silver Moon travelers headed down a separate road toward the gate back to their realm, but their numbers were replaced by new groups. It seemed that people had been falling into the Peaceful Earth Realm over a large area, so they were being gathered before heading to a larger city.
Most of the new arrivals were the usual mix of normal people, though there was one resident of the Ancient Wood Realm. Though Chen Tian briefly thought of Ancient Mu, they were entirely different species, so he soon set them aside. Instead, he focused his attention on a young man who was... wrong somehow.
Something about the way he leaned against the wall with his hands stuck in his belt was distinctly mortal-realm-like. Or perhaps it was the way he stared over everything without the slightest surprise. Though he didn't seem to be a cultivator, he moved with confidence and immediately began gathering spiritual materials.
In other words, they were exactly the same.
Though Chen Tian considered keeping his distance out of caution, he decided he couldn't overlook this opportunity. He had heard of other realm travelers from beyond the Nine Sacred Realms, and even suspected one or two might have been from his mortal world, but he had never been able to talk to any of them at length. His ultimate goal was to learn the truth, so this was an excellent chance.
"Greetings." Chen Tian picked a quiet evening to approach him, polite smile fixed on his face. "This is quite remarkable, is it not? I am Zhang Kai."
"I am called Thunder Dragon Emperor." The other traveler fixed him with an imperious look, but Chen Tian just kept smiling.
"Greetings, Thunder Dragon Emperor. Where do you hail from?"
"My home is a realm very far from here, one you would likely not have heard of. So I have a long jour, "
"You sound like you are from New York."
Instantly Thunder Dragon Emperor, though that was obviously not his name, shifted his stance. One hand clenched as if expecting a weapon, but neither were cultivators and they had nothing but their fists. Chen Tian just stared at him with the same polite smile, not yielding an inch. Eventually Thunder Dragon Emperor glanced around them and spoke in a lower voice.
"Don't draw attention to us, idiot. We'll have enough trouble as it is."
"Trouble?" Chen Tian asked. The other traveler gave a strange shrug.
"I'm guessing this is your second time? You're too calm for it to be your first, and you're not terrified enough for it to be your third." Thunder Dragon Emperor stepped closer, voice dropping to an even lower growl. "I'm not going to be your friend, and you're on your own after this. But you need to know this isn't going to be easy, even if you get an Artifact of Heaven. When you return here, you have a target on your back."
"Hmm." Though that was troubling, Chen Tian decided to play it cool. He wasn't certain if the crimson ring had been one of these "artifacts" but he could pretend it was. "The first time I arrived, I was given an artifact. You?"
"Yeah, that's how it usually goes. A man named Immortal Wei, right? It took me all the way to Soul Formation, but I got overconfident and one of those high-stage demons got me."
"Pretty much the same for me." He kept his expression neutral, though Thunder Dragon Emperor had just casually mentioned he had attained a higher cultivation level than Chen Tian ever had.
"I thought I was dead, but it turned out I had just gone into a coma back in the mortal world. From what I have been able to tell, that is pretty rare. It took me almost a year to find a way back to the Nine Sacred Realms."
Chen Tian listened quietly, realizing he might actually have the advantage in knowledge. It was possible Thunder Dragon Emperor was withholding information, but the other man had said nothing about the pale realm beyond the Nine Sacred Realms and he hadn't met Immortal Wei again. But the fact that the mysterious man was intentionally meeting visitors from other worlds justified the conversation, plus Thunder Dragon Emperor had implied he was on his third visit.