After walking for half a day, Lin Kai and Su Mei reached the edge of the Dark Forest.
A small road appeared.
Many merchants and low-level cultivators were traveling on it.
Suddenly, an old beggar sitting beside the road called out to them.
“Young man… you have a very strange fate. Come here for a second.”
Lin Kai looked at the old man carefully.
The beggar looked dirty and weak, but his eyes were sharp and deep.
Su Mei whispered, “Be careful. Some beggars are actually strong hidden experts.”
Lin Kai walked closer.
The old beggar smiled, showing his yellow teeth.
“My name is Old Ghost Mo. I can see that your soul is different from others. You carry the power of nothingness itself.”
Lin Kai was shocked inside but kept his face calm.
“What do you want, old man?”
Old Ghost Mo laughed.
“Nothing much. I just want to give you a small gift.”
He threw a small black ring to Lin Kai.
“This is a Storage Ring. It has ten cubic meters of space. Also, inside it, there is a basic cultivation manual for beginners. Your power is strong but very raw. You need techniques.”
Lin Kai caught the ring.
He checked it with his mind and found it was real.
“Why are you helping me?” he asked suspiciously.
Old Ghost Mo stood up slowly.
“Because I see my younger self in you. I was also called trash once. Just remember — the Void is not only for devouring. It can also create.”
After saying this, the old man disappeared into thin air like smoke.
Su Mei was stunned.
“He… he was at least a Saint Realm expert! We were lucky.”
Lin Kai put on the ring.
He felt happier now.
He finally had a place to store things.
But their peace didn’t last long.
A group of ten people came riding horses from the direction of Azure Cloud City.
The leader was a handsome young man wearing expensive blue clothes.
He had a long spear on his back.
When he saw Su Mei, his eyes lit up.
“Su Mei! I was looking for you. Why are you with this dirty boy?”
Su Mei’s face turned pale.
“Young Master Li Tian… I was just helping him out of the forest.”
This Li Tian was the second young master of the Li Clan — one of the three big clans.
He had been chasing Su Mei for a long time because of her beauty.
Li Tian looked at Lin Kai with disdain.
“A trash who came out of the Dark Forest? Su Mei, come here. I will take you back to the sect.”
Lin Kai stepped forward.
“She is with me now. Go away.”
Li Tian laughed loudly.
“A Stage 1 ant dares to talk to me like this? I am already Stage 5!”
He jumped from his horse and thrust his spear at Lin Kai’s chest.
Lin Kai used Shadow Step and dodged easily.
Then he used his new Dark Flame Palm.
Black flames covered his hand as he slapped Li Tian’s chest.
Boom!
Li Tian flew back ten meters and crashed on the ground.
Smoke came from his chest.
All his followers were shocked.
“Impossible!”
“Young Master!”
Li Tian stood up with difficulty.
His face was full of shock and anger.
“You… what kind of evil technique is that? Men, kill him!”
The ten followers attacked together.
Lin Kai’s eyes turned cold.
He released more power from his Void Core.
Black energy spread around him like tentacles.
In the next minute, screams filled the road.
Five of them had their cores devoured completely.
The other five ran away in terror.
Li Tian was now truly scared.
He took out a teleportation talisman and disappeared in a flash of light.
“This is not over, you bastard!” his voice echoed.
Su Mei looked at Lin Kai with both fear and admiration.
“You… you defeated Li Tian so easily.”
Lin Kai breathed out.
“I still need more power. The Li Clan and Lin Clan will come after me soon.”
He turned to Su Mei.
“Will you still follow me? It will be dangerous.”
Su Mei thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes. I want to become stronger too. And… I feel you are going to do great things.”