By midnight—
the two had returned to Zhou Quan's tent.
After everything that had happened that day—the chaos, the fights, the sheer madness of Jian Long's actions—
Zhou Quan had decided it was safer to keep him close… at least for now.
The tent itself was small, barely enough for two people to sit comfortably.
A brief silence hung between them—
before Zhou Quan finally spoke, his tone dripping with sarcasm:
"So… you had six hundred primeval stones all along?"
He leaned slightly forward, eyes narrowing:
"Care to explain that… along with the many other 'surprises' today?"
Jian Long, sitting across from him, took a casual sip from the drink he had brought back from dinner with Fang Gong, then smirked:
"My brother… people have their ranks in life."
He gestured lazily at himself:
"As you can see, you and I are no longer on the same level."
Then added mockingly:
"I now possess the strength of Rank 3… while you're still—well, you."
He took another sip, unfazed.
"And honestly? That's a problem. You should learn from me… try improving yourself."
Zhou Quan's eye twitched.
Then he scoffed:
"A monkey remains a monkey, no matter how high it climbs."
He crossed his arms, glaring:
"You were either blessed with some lucky talent… or stumbled upon an inheritance by sheer accident."
His voice turned sharper:
"And now you're strutting around in front of me?"
Without warning—
he reached forward and snatched the cup from Jian Long's hand, taking a long drink.
"Hey—that's mine!"
"Share a little, you stingy bastard."
As a direct subordinate of the caravan leader, Zhou Quan had reported everything that had happened.
He explained Jian Long's strength in detail—how his primeval sea seemed almost inexhaustible, and how he was capable of reaching power comparable to Rank 3.
The caravan leader then asked:
"Does he have a preference for any particular path?"
Zhou Quan answered without hesitation:
"Yes, he seems determined to follow the lightning path."
But to his surprise—
the caravan leader showed no astonishment at all.
On the contrary, it seemed as if he understood everything immediately.
Then he said calmly, with a hint of regret:
"I see… what a waste of talent."
Curiosity flared within Zhou Quan:
"What do you mean?"
But the caravan leader did not answer.
He simply remained silent.
After a moment, Zhou Quan realized it wasn't something he should press further, so he let it go.
Even so—
the thought lingered in his mind.
Jian Long… was a mystery.
And the more time he spent with him—
the deeper that mystery became.
And for some reason…
it only drew Zhou Quan in even more.
—
"Hey, brother… I have a question."
Jian Long's voice cut through his thoughts.
Zhou Quan lifted his head slightly:
"What is it?"
Jian Long looked at him directly:
"You belong to one of the Southern Border clans, right?"
"Of course."
"And you're a Gu Master at Rank 2."
He paused briefly, then continued in a calm tone:
"That alone is enough to grant you a stable and comfortable life within your clan."
Then he added:
"Of course, I know that the life of a Gu Master is full of danger everywhere… but during my travels in the wilderness over the past few months I realized there's no comparison between life in a village… and life in the wild."
Then he looked at him more seriously:
"So Why go through all this trouble?Why risk your life like this?"
"Hmm… that's a good question."
Zhou Quan leaned back slightly, then added lazily:
"But before I answer—fill this cup for me."
He extended his hand, holding the cup toward Jian Long.
Jian Long gave him an annoyed look:
"Can't you speak without drinking? Does your tongue only work with alcohol or what?"
Zhou Quan shoved him lightly.
"You stingy bastard—you've got enough drink for five people. Give me some, or I'm not saying a word."
Jian Long sighed in resignation:
"Alright, alright… here."
He filled the cup.
Zhou Quan took a slow sip, savoring it, then began:
"Well… my story is pretty much the same as most of the Gu Masters working in this caravan."
He paused, taking another sip.
"So you can say I'm speaking for all of them."
Then he continued:
"My aptitude is C-grade."
He suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Hey… I can see you laughing over there."
He kicked Jian Long lightly again.
Jian Long raised both hands, pretending innocence while smiling:
"What are you talking about? You're imagining things."
Zhou Quan frowned slightly, then said with a hint of pride:
"Let me tell you—I was just one step away from B-grade aptitude during the awakening ceremony."
"That's actually very good."
Jian Long shrugged casually:
"Well… if you're satisfied with that, I won't argue."
Zhou Quan was slightly annoyed, but he didn't argue further and simply continued:
"Yes… C-grade aptitude—even B-grade—is limited. It doesn't satisfy my ambitions."
He paused for a moment, then added more seriously:
"Only A-grade… can do that."
He let out a deep sigh, as if the words weighed heavily on him:
"I won't hide it from you—I, and most people in this caravan, dream of raising our aptitude… beyond the limits of Rank 5, even reaching the legendary Rank 6."
A bitter smile appeared on his face:
"But we're bound… by our aptitude."
He fell silent briefly, then went on:
"Most people accept that… and live their lives as they are."
"But some—like me, and many others here—can't."
He took a sip from his cup, then said:
"So we set out… chasing opportunity."
"In this world, there are ways to increase aptitude… some are real, most are just myths."
He lifted his gaze slightly:
"And yet… we risk our lives, hoping to find one of them."
Silence fell between them.
Jian Long pondered his words for a moment, then said:
"Is that all?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly:
"This is what you risk your lives for?"
Zhou Quan looked at him with a mix of anger and disbelief, then let out a mocking laugh:
"Heh… how could someone born with A-grade aptitude… understand this?"
—
Jian Long had originally been an ordinary human, born into a family of mortals—slaves under the Bai clan.
For them, becoming a Gu Master… was a distant dream, almost a fantasy.
And that had been Jian Long's dream as well—
Until recently, he had only wished for one thing:
To become a Gu Master… and live a carefree life.
—
As for Zhou Quan—
He was born into a clan of Gu Masters.
Becoming a Gu Master wasn't a choice for him—it was a given.
The only question had always been:
How far could he go?
And so—
Since childhood, he had dreamed of becoming one of those legendary Rank 5 heroes… whose stories are told far and wide.
—
And so—
Each of them dreamed according to their circumstances.
And it was difficult… for either of them to truly understand the other.
—
Jian Long broke the silence.
He reached out, poured the drink into two cups,
then handed one to Zhou Quan and said with a faint smile:
"A toast… to dreams that never end."