The camp was alive with grim activity as the first light of dawn cast a dim, eerie glow over the valley.Guards moved about with stern expressions, dragging a line of boys and grown men from their tents.Their hands were bound, and their faces were etched with hopelessness as they were herded towards the nearby mine.The camp, it seemed, was not just a hideout for the bandits but a hub for forced labor, where the strong preyed on the weak to extract the valley's riches.The guards pushed and prodded the prisoners, who stumbled forward, their bodies already weakened from previous days of grueling work.The sound of chains clinking and the shuffling of feet filled the air, mingling with the distant clang of pickaxes striking rock from the depths of the mine.The mine's entrance loomed like a mouth ready to swallow them whole, its darkness a stark contrast to the cold morning light.In his tent, Vakar, the Vulture of the Valley, was engaged in a hushed conversation with a man dressed enti

As he spoke, something remarkable began to happen.The frailty in his voice started to fade, replaced by a strength that seemed to grow with every word.His posture straightened, his hands steadied, and his eyes, once dull, now gleamed with a sharp vitality.It was as if the very act of speaking his name had breathed new life into him.Before Oasis's eyes, Cedric transformed from a decrepit beggar into a robust man, his appearance now that of someone in their early forties.His once ragged clothes now seemed almost out of place on his revitalized frame.Oasis, caught off guard by Cedric's name and sudden transformation, felt his heart race and his body tremble.The name 'Cedric Sandborn' echoed in his mind like a thunderclap—Cedric Sandborn, known as the Sandstorm, 'The Disaster of the East.'The realization hit Oasis hard, causing him to choke on his food, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief. Memories and teachings flashed through Oasis's mind as he tried to process what was hap

As Oasis reviewed the materials, his mind drifted to the intense process that awaited him."I have a feeling this is going to be more painful than when I started the Phoenix cultivation," he thought, recalling the agony he had endured during that initial transformation.The words from the manual, with their poetic promise of strength and ascension, still echoed in his mind, tempting him with the power that lay within reach.Despite the allure, Oasis decided against starting the process immediately."Nah, I won't be doing it now. I'll do it sometime later," he reassured himself, pushing the materials and the manual aside for the time being.Yet, as he tried to settle his thoughts about his father, the verses from the manual kept replaying in his mind, like a haunting melody that refused to be forgotten.Oasis, after placing the first box's contents back into his storage bracelet, turned his attention to the second box—the gift Cedric had given him.With a deep breath, he opened it, his

"Damn, I can't shake him off," Oasis thought, gritting his teeth as he felt the figure gaining on him.His heart pounded with adrenaline.Damn it!Without a second thought, Oasis spun around just as he leaped onto a rock in the valley.His body radiated with blue flames as he reversed direction, heading straight back toward his pursuer.The flames danced around him, the embodiment of the Dancing Phoenix technique, a fiery aura that surged with power.As he moved, he reached into his storage bracelet, pulling out his sword, 'Kaze no Kagutsuchi'.The blade, imbued with his fiery mana, gleamed with a menacing light."Huh, fascinating," the shadowy figure smirked, a dark smile spreading across his concealed face as he noticed Oasis's sudden change in tactic.The figure was also moving at high speed, a blur of motion through the rocky terrain.The shadow's form seemed to meld with the darkness of the valley, swift and fluid, as if he were part of the shadows themselves.In one fluid motion,

"Brat, you dare try to run?" he shouted, his vision blurred as he tried to focus on Oasis.The pain in his head made it difficult to channel his spiritual energy, but he forced himself to pull out a large black bow, mounting a black steel arrow with a dark aura radiating from it."I will kill you, brat!" Rurik roared in pain, locking his bloodshot eyes on Oasis as he prepared to shoot."Damn it," Oasis thought as he realized he was being targeted again.He glanced back at Rurik, his eyes narrowing with concentration.In a blink, he tagged Rurik's conscious realm with his gaze.Rurik felt the tag instantly, a disruption in his focus that caused him to release the arrow without properly aiming.The arrow missed Oasis by a hair's breadth, instead striking a large, dry tree along the valley.The impact shattered the tree's truck, leaving a massive hole through it before the arrow buried itself deep into the valley wall.Rurik, still reeling from the pain in his head and the tag on his cons