The place of his recent clash with the shadowclaw was but a stone's throw away from the campsite. Thus, it required only a few moments for Alex to traverse the distance.
This part of the voidland was no different from the rest – a barren landscape is strewn with rocks that made the land rough, some of which were large enough to serve as makeshift seats.
Although the comfort they provided was far from luxurious, they were nonetheless a more appealing option than the rough, uncaring earth.
Upon reaching the site, Alex didn't immediately seek out one of these rock chairs. Instead, he roamed the outskirts of the area, eventually coming upon a secluded corner.
It was just far enough from the main camp that he could enjoy a measure of solitude without being completely cut off from the group.
Having found a suitable rock with a surface smooth enough to serve as a seat, Alex planted himself down.
His position offered him a panoramic view of the camp and allowed him to observe the others who had already returned.
Xiao Se and Shen Hong were huddled together, their gazes flickering with residual fury.
Occasionally, they would cast a glance in his direction, their eyes like twin stars burning with hostility and murderous intent.
From what Alex could discern, the pair were rivals forced into an uneasy alliance to combat a common adversary.
They spent their time scheming, always in hushed conversation. But he was indifferent to their actions; their plots and plans were of no consequence to him.
His attention then shifted to Zhang Jie. Despite his haughty facade when he came to pick him up from the sect's armory, Zhang Jie was the most approachable among them.
He attempted to engage Xiao Se and Shen Hong in conversation, even extending his efforts to the other unnamed inner sect disciple and Wu Lina. Alas, his attempts at camaraderie were met with cold indifference.
As for Wu Lina, she was but a lamb in a den of wolves. In her naivety, she attempted to adopt a cold, aloof demeanor, but Alex knew better.
Her gullibility was all too evident, just like the time she had blindly accepted him as a Cloud Moon Sect disciple solely based on his ragged uniform the first time they encountered him.
The unnamed disciple was the one Alex was most wary of.
The man barely spoke and kept to himself, his every action suggesting a calculative mind. However, Alex's experience in the task force, where he had dealt with craftier drug cartels, prepared him well to handle such individuals.
Then there was Chen Wei, who could be summed up with two words, 'Chaff brain.'
Having assessed the characters of his companions, Alex leaned back and returned his attention inward.
His thoughts drifted to the dagger elder Liang had bestowed upon him. There was something uncanny about it, an odd force lurking within its metal heart.
This force, he noticed, held the power to manipulate luck.
Ever since Alex had obtained the dagger, his fate seemed to have been entwined with misfortune, a sequence of events so subtle yet relentless, that without scrutiny, it could have gone unnoticed.
It all began with his seemingly innocuous encounter with Zhang Jie outside the sect's armory.
To most, such an encounter was trivial, but Alex couldn't shake off a nagging feeling.
Something about that encounter had cast a pall over his luck, as if a coin had been flipped, landing on an ominous side.
On a normal day, Alex would have questioned Zhang Jie's reasons for summoning him, instead of blindly following him.
His nature was not so malleable as to fear an inner sect disciple and follow orders unquestioningly. Yet, that day, he had done just that.
The chain of misfortune that followed seemed endless. Tripping over stones and branches, stumbling and falling on the smoothest of paths... it was as if he had been cursed with clumsiness.
This was a stark contrast to his days on Earth when, even at the ripe age of seventy-three, he could walk for hours without so much as a misstep. Now, in this young and vigorous body of eighteen years, he found himself floundering like a toddler learning to walk.
But the misfortune didn't end there. Scarcely had he left the campsite to scout the surroundings, when he found himself face-to-face with a middle-stage lesser Qi beast, the shadowclaw.
As Alex drove his dagger into the shadowclaw's skull, a surge of invigorating energy coursed through him.
It was a faint, yet unmistakable sensation, one that had been too fleeting to truly register in the heat of the moment.
But now, as he reflected upon it in solitude, he couldn't shake off the feeling that the encounter had somehow turned his luck around.
Killing a Qi beast typically yielded EXP points, yet the shadowclaw's demise had unlocked a new skill for him.
Could it be that his fortunes were changing? Or was this just a result of the shadowclaw's superior strength?
He needed to consult Longwei before making any decisions.
However, just as he was about to summon Longwei, he was interrupted by a familiar, snide voice, "Good day, trash master. Scarcely have I taken a moment's respite, and you're already in trouble."
Alex barely flinched at Longwei's taunts. He had grown accustomed to Longwei's derision, and it no longer provoked him as it once did.
Longwei's tiny form materialized before him, fluttering around with an air of irritation.
Alex couldn't help but smile, "Oh, isn't it my favorite snake spirit?" he said, a friendly grin spreading across his face.
This immediately sent Longwei into a frenzy. Alex could almost feel the miniature eyes glaring at him, burning with anger.
It was a well-known fact that Longwei took pride in being a dragon spirit, and referring to him as a snake spirit was akin to poking a bear with a stick. Alex reveled in Longwei's annoyance.
As expected, Longwei exploded in indignation, "I am not a snake! I am a dragon spirit!" he said, his voice seething with anger.
Alex couldn't help but taunt him further, "Now our little snake spirit is angry," as he maintained his friendly demeanor towards Longwei.
Once again, Longwei's rage flared up upon hearing this, but this time, he dragged out his words, trying to make Alex understand his point. "I... Am... A... Dragon... Spirit, not a snake."