Upon the vast ancient road, a carriage rolled over traces upon the yellow earth.
Drawn by three spirited horses, the carriage was accompanied by several riders on horseback, seemingly guarding its progress.
"Sigh..."
At this moment, the person driving the carriage pulled the reins, bringing it to a halt.
Meanwhile, the others approached a spot where a figure lay quietly on the ground, clad in armor, appearing to be a soldier.
"Master Fu, his breathing is normal, no signs of disorder, he's alive, but unconscious."
A man who had alighted from the carriage examined the situation and then reported to the driver.
"Move him to the roadside, we must continue our journey."
Master Fu, the carriage driver, calmly instructed, and the others prepared to comply. However, at that moment, a delicate hand extended from within the carriage curtains, followed by a face as exquisite as porcelain, belonging to a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with clear, flickering eyes.
"Master Fu, why is there a soldier lying in the middle of the road?"
The girl's crisp voice inquired, prompting Master Fu to shake his head. "I'm not sure, but our ordinary soldiers from Moya aren't usually very strong. This person's strength should be weak; perhaps he was abandoned on the way for some reason."
"Oh." The girl nodded slightly, her eyes shimmering. Then she said, "Bring him onto the carriage."
"Miss, that's not quite appropriate," Master Fu hesitated, remarking.
"It's alright, Master Fu." The girl smiled dismissively and instructed the man attending to the soldier, "Move him to my side."
The man glanced at Master Fu, who reluctantly nodded, and proceeded to move the prone figure into the carriage's interior.
As the convoy resumed its slow progress, within the carriage curtains, there were two women: besides the fair maiden, there was also a woman in her twenties, equally elegant.
"Purple Spirit, why did you bring a stranger aboard so casually?"
The woman in her twenties frowned as she watched the curious young man lying in the carriage, questioning.
"Purple Dress Sister, look, he seems quite young. How old do you think he is?"
The girl, seemingly oblivious to the other's concern, asked with a sparkle in her lively gaze.
Purple Dress sighed helplessly, casting a glance at the girl before turning her gaze to the youth lying there. In the next moment, her eyes also narrowed slightly.
"What a handsome youth."
Internally sighing, Purple Dress observed that although the young man was unconscious, his features were sharp, with jet-black eyebrows, and an overall exquisite countenance, possessing a refined air even in his stupor.
This kind of youth shouldn't be merely a common soldier; why would he be wearing armor?
"Purple Dress Sister, I think he's about your age, and quite dashing too. You two would make quite the pair."
The girl spoke to herself, as if discovering something novel.
"Nonsense."
Purple Dress scolded, a hint of displeasure in her voice.
"Purple Dress Sister, I'm just teasing you. I know your husband must be stronger than you, and you yourself are a talented martial artist at the third level of the Spiritual Warrior Realm. He's young and just a soldier; how could he possibly be stronger than you?"
Purple Spirit stuck out her tongue and grinned, causing Purple Dress to shake her head in resignation.
"Purple Spirit, don't just tease me; focus on finding your talented sword cultivator."
"Hehe." Purple Spirit chuckled, "Purple Dress Sister, what's the deal with Purple Qiong suddenly announcing a grand wedding? I've never heard of him fancying any girl before."
Hearing Purple Spirit's question, Purple Dress furrowed her brows, then replied, "The sacrificial day is approaching, and Purple Qiong should have married already to enter the Forbidden Grounds. Hence, the grand wedding is not unusual. As for the girl, I heard he only met her a few days ago; I'm not sure of the specifics."
Purple Spirit's eyes flickered with curiosity, then she shook her head in puzzlement.
However, just then, the figure on the ground moved his fingers suddenly, catching Purple Spirit's attention. "He's awake."
The young man lying on the ground fluttered his eyelashes, slowly opening his eyes.
They were clean and handsome eyes, large and bright. But at this moment, they were filled with confusion.
It turned out this young man was Lin Feng.
That day, after leaving Duan Xinye, he had walked some distance, feeling as if his body was undergoing some unfinished transformation. Then he collapsed on the ground, his mind blank.
He had no idea what happened next, not even knowing how many days had passed.
Both Purple Spirit and Purple Dress were taken aback by Lin Feng's eyes, now even more handsome as he opened them.
"Where am I?"
Lin Feng gazed at the two young women before him, questioning in bewilderment.
"You're awake. I'm Purple Spirit. We found you lying on a small road, and since we happened to pass by, we brought you onto the carriage." Purple Spirit's eyes darted around as she addressed Lin Feng. "By the way, why did you faint on the road, and are you a soldier? What's your rank? How strong are you?"
Purple Spirit bombarded Lin Feng with questions, making him feel a bit overwhelmed. "Can I get up first?"
"Oh." Purple Spirit felt slightly embarrassed, then helped Lin Feng up, letting him sit opposite her.
"I'm Lin Feng. I fainted due to injuries. I'm just an ordinary soldier. As for my strength..."
Lin Feng tried to mobilize the natural energy within his body, but in the next moment, his gaze froze. At this moment, he felt completely empty inside, devoid of any natural energy.
"What's going on?"
Lin Feng's heart trembled fiercely, his pupils contracting sharply. He clearly remembered his breakthrough in realm; his strength should have increased. Why was there no sign of natural energy movement within his body now? He couldn't mobilize any natural energy at all.
"What's wrong?" Purple Spirit noticed Lin Feng's changing complexion and asked, "You mentioned your strength earlier?"
Lin Feng glanced at Purple Spirit, then closed his eyes slightly, feeling everything around him vividly.
Even without releasing the first layer of his Sun-Moon Martial Spirit, he could already introspect his own body, even seeing his bones and muscles, feeling everything within him.
Everything within a radius of a kilometer was so clear to him. As long as he wanted to know, it would appear in his mind.
"Yes, my realm has indeed advanced. Moreover, the bones and muscles in my body seem more perfect than before."
Lin Feng opened his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, feeling powerful. Although there was no trace of natural energy, the strength in his hands now surpassed what he had when he didn't use natural energy, indicating that his physical qualities had improved.
But unfortunately, Lin Feng couldn't mobilize any natural energy. No, to be precise, the natural energy within him was completely depleted.
"What's going on?"
Lin Feng's brows furrowed tightly. His realm had indeed advanced, but his natural energy had dried up. What was happening?
Could it be that after reaching the pinnacle and stepping into the realm of unity between man and sword, something strange happened,leading to the depletion of his natural energy?
Lin Feng attempted to activate his Pure Yuan Technique, but even after performing the technique, there was still no natural energy entering his body. It was as if he had been cut off from the outside world, unable to connect with any natural energy regardless of how he called out for it.
This situation was beyond anything Lin Feng had encountered before. He had never heard of such a phenomenon happening to anyone else.
His brows furrowed tighter, and after a while, Lin Feng's expression relaxed. He decided to go with the flow. His realm had indeed advanced, and that was an indisputable fact. It was unlikely that he had become a waste overnight.
Perhaps, by some fortuitous encounter, he had entered a peculiar state.
Thinking of this, Lin Feng's complexion eased. At this moment, he lacked a powerful aura, nor did he exude any sickly presence. He appeared just like an ordinary person, albeit with some handsomeness and elegance.
"Why are you silent?"
Purple Spirit noticed Lin Feng's ever-changing expression and broke the silence once more.
Lin Feng raised his head, glanced at Purple Spirit, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "It seems... I have no strength."
"No strength?" Purple Spirit exclaimed, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.
"A waste?" Purple Dress, on the other hand, was more direct, her brows furrowing as she said, "Without strength, you're naturally useless. On the Martial Continent, you won't have a place and will be scorned, despite having a good appearance."
In her eyes, there was a hint of mockery and disdain, looking down on Lin Feng.