CHAPTER 42 RETURN TO THE BARREN WASTELAND

Receiving his assigned task, Darren returned to Sword Mountain to inform the school about it. He didn't

think that he should leave just like that.

In the hall, Cody seriously looked Darren in the eyes. "Darren, how dare you try to earn these kinds of

resources? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"

Being his senior, Cody tried to stop Darren from performing dangerous tasks.

"Darren, look, could you give up this task? I can lend you some of my superior spiritual herbs if you

need them. One hundred herbs are enough for me in a month, anyway." Cody, a senior disciple of the

School of Sword Skill, had gotten more resources than the other disciples.

"Thank you, bro! Actually, I was planning to find a method to resolve my problem of cultivating both

sword and blade skills." Darren had to tell a lie to him.

The task was to go into the Barren Wasteland. Darren's life had changed there after he learned the

ability of assimilation. He eagerly wanted to go there again, because he had made rapid progress in all

his skills.

It was known to all that the Barren Wasteland was a place more dangerous than hell itself, but in

Darren's point of view, it was a paradise. To other disciples, the beasts in there were the most fierce

monsters, but in Darren's eyes, they were the best resources.

"Enough!" Thomas said, walking out from the back of the hall. "Darren, I know that I shouldn't blame

you on your cultivating both sword and blade skills.

However, could you please not be so impulsive? No one cares if you die or not, but it would bring

shame to the School of Sword Skill." Thomas seemed to be very upset.

Hearing that, Darren didn't know what to say. He assumed that Elder Thomas might have changed his

opinion of him, but according to what he said just now, he was still the Elder Thomas.

"Thanks for your suggestion, Elder Thomas. I will keep that in mind." Darren replied unemotionally.

"I could have punished you for your selfishness, but you'll be dead soon anyway. You are free to leave."

Thomas felt angry at Darren, but he felt even more disappointed.

Why was that?

It began from when Thomas found Darren in the Chu Clan's residence. He tested Darren and found

that he had a special gift. He asked him if he was willing to join the School of Sword Skill, and Darren

said yes. Thomas was very pleased with this at the time. He knew it was difficult to find someone

special, and at last, he had found one. The School of Sword Skill would have a genius who had the gift

of the Black Degree.

And because of that genius, the School of Sword Skill would get a very good result in the future Five

Schools Competition. For many years, they had no opportunities to improve their reputation. This was

an unfortunate situation for the whole school. So now Darren was their newfound hope.

However, Thomas could not have expected Darren to be framed. He was so angry and disappointed.

Darren would waste a lot of the school's resources, and Elsa was also involved.

From then on, Darren swore that he would try his best to be strong. Especially when someone belittled

him, he would keep telling himself to work harder. He wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't a

loser.

Being the elder of the school, Thomas knew that he shouldn't be too unkind. He was aware that Darren

was just a victim. It was up to the School of Blade Skill to take responsibility. It wasn't Darren's fault.

"Darren, look, no one can prevent you from taking the task, but you have to be certain about what

you're going to do. Anyone who's going to take on a task like that needs to think twice before starting,

even the elders of the schools." said Thomas.

"Are those fiends in the Barren Wasteland planning on something? They've been quiet for so long, but

now..." Thomas murmured and left the hall.

Cody knew that he couldn't convince Darren not to take the task, so he told him to be careful.

Darren nodded and smiled at him.

The Barren Wasteland was about 3000 miles wide. It was 300 miles away from the north of Ilmen Sect.

Darren got everything prepared and departed.

He checked the road map on the task token. He had to get to the center of the Barren Wasteland.

It was said that there were lots of level nine beasts there.

Riding his horse, Darren spent half a day reaching the edge of the Barren Wasteland.

When he was about to enter the wasteland, he felt that it was different from the previous time.

The dark forest was like a monster opening its bloody mouth to swallow anything coming from outside.

There was also the incessant roaring of beasts coming from the forest, which sounded terrifying.

"Holy shit! A level nine beast!" Darren saw a beast from far away. He had never seen a beast like it

before. It had to be a ninth level one. He was fortunate to see it so quickly upon arriving in the

wasteland.

The rare beast looked like a dark green lizard, wandering around the edge of the wasteland.

Beasts of the ninth level were all very strong and fierce. They were hard to be subdued. Even a

beginner at the Spirit Realm couldn't defeat any of them easily.

Darren was already in the Spirit Realm. He could fight against this beast by using his internal force of

sword and blade skills. But he had not yet fully recovered, so it was impossible to subdue the beast

with so little internal force.

'I'd better find another way and avoid the beast, '

Darren thought. He planned to kill some lower level beasts to gain some internal force first.

When he was about to head out, several people came out of nowhere and rapidly killed the beast. They

were so fast that Darren couldn't see them clearly.

'So strong!' Darren thought as he hid.

He didn't know who these people were. In this wasteland, sometimes people were more dangerous

than the beasts. Beasts were never as cunning as human beings. Robberies were common here. They

would kill for some treasure or even for fun.

So it was better for Darren to avoid meeting them now.

To his surprise, the strangers were wearing the uniform of Ilmen Sect.

'These people must be at the fifth or sixth stage of the Spirit Realm. How about the young guy who

looks like the leader? It's hard to tell which stage he is in, '

Darren thought, but more and more questions came to his mind. These guys looked twenty-five or

twenty-six years old, and only the young guy looked eighteen or nineteen years old.

Darren was astonished by the young man who had reached the Spirit Realm at such a young age.

Anyone who reached the fifth or sixth stage of the Spirit Realm could be regarded as a master, such as

the Chief Elder of the Chu Family.

Darren's father reached the ninth stage of the Spirit Realm around forty. He was regarded as a local

master and a legend among the members of the Chu Family. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

But he was still much lower than the geniuses in sects. Some disciples of the sects had gotten unique

skills and gifts. They could receive as many resources as they needed, and so some Black Degree

talents could reach Mysterious Realm by the age of twenty.

Moreover, it was said that there were more gifted geniuses in the big fields and the Holy Lands, who

could have a talent at the Earth or the Heaven Degree. They would also be stronger at the same age

as others.

The disciples of Ilmen Sect killed the beast and took its cardiac core and fur. Then they walked on.

'They must be the ones who took the task of killing the beasts of the seventh level.' Darren was sure

that they were coming from Ilmen Sect. He was right to avoid meeting them.

One of them called Dalton was the son of the elder of the School of Blade Skill. He wouldn't be kind to

Darren if they met in the wasteland.

After they left, Darren came out from where he was hiding. He chose another path to get into the forest.

When he entered the forest, he could feel a dark, damp, and gloomy presence.

"Who's there?" Darren asked in a loud voice and turned around.

Form the moment he had arrived, Darren felt that someone was stalking him. He looked around but

saw nothing.