Riding the plane, Shun had once again crossed nearly half of Shenzhou to reach his destination: Ali in Tibet.
Among the regions of Shenzhou, Tibet undoubtedly had the most say when it came to vast territory and sparse population. Xinjiang, on the other hand, lagged behind Tibet in terms of comfort due to its harsh natural environment.
Of course, this was all assuming one could adapt to the plateau climate. But Shun was no longer in his former sub-healthy state. With the enhancement of Imaginary energy, his physical condition had reached the standard of a C-rank Valkyrie.
In an urban novel, ten special forces king would be no match for him. That was just how magical Honkai energy (Imaginary energy) could be.
After getting off the plane, Shun asked Gray Serpent, "Gray Serpent, is the feather rabbit here?" To be honest, his guess that the one training him would be the legendary feather rabbit was pure speculation this character really hid themselves too deeply in the plot.
"Correct, Lord Shun." Although Gray Serpent was surprised at how Shun had guessed the truth, his deep reverence and trust in Shun instead gave Gray Serpent a feeling of "As expected of Lord Shun, to so easily deduce something with zero clues."
One could only say that "Di Hua" thinking had taken deep root. Shun had no desire to complain anymore. Gray Serpent had lowered his own posture too far, leaving Shun with little urge to exchange words with him.
"We've arrived." Gray Serpent led Shun to a stop in front of a two-story wooden cabin. It seemed this was the place where that feather rabbit resided…
But one thing struck Shun as odd. Although the Tibetan plateau was quite cold, why did the layout and style of this wooden cabin resemble those in Siberia, built mainly to withstand the cold…
Was there some deeper meaning? Before Shun could ponder further, the world before his eyes suddenly changed completely. Gray Serpent, who had been standing beside him, vanished without a trace.
It seemed this was all the feather rabbit's doing. But wasn't the other party even going to say hello?
Though the event was sudden, Shun felt no panic. In this world full of bizarre powers and chaotic gods, how could one accomplish anything great if they freaked out over every little thing?
Besides, Gray Serpent wouldn't harm him, and as a World Serpent executive, the feather rabbit had no reason to harm this guy she had just met.
Shun's gaze fixed on the mysterious space before him, thick with dense purple aura, as if drawn in by an invisible force. He widened his eyes, trying to pierce through the layers upon layers of purple mist to uncover the secrets hidden within.
The space was filled with a strange and profound atmosphere that instinctively inspired awe. Purple light drifted in the air like sheer gauze sometimes gathering into clusters of purple clouds, other times flowing slowly like water.
Shun waited for the feather rabbit hidden in the shadows to make her move, but right now he had no weapon in hand. If the opponent attacked, what could he do?
It was well known that for a terrifying upright ape, having a weapon in hand or not made all the difference. Without a weapon, one could at best fight small to medium-sized animals; with a weapon, one could even hunt elephants.
As if reading Shun's inner thoughts, sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out from the sky ahead of him like ten thousand arrows fired at once. All sorts of weapons rained down and embedded themselves into the ground right in front of him.
Here, Shun saw weapons of every kind, but he didn't linger on them one by one. Instead, his eyes immediately locked onto the longest spear.
One inch longer meant one inch stronger the lower limit of long-hafted weapons was something flashy short weapons couldn't compare to. Shun had no combat experience or weapon-handling skills yet; the most lethal weapon he had ever touched in his first half of life was just a kitchen knife at home. Right now, a long-hafted weapon was the most suitable for him.
Just like Isshin Ashina, the Sword Saint from Sekiro though called a sword saint, when it really came down to fighting, he wished his spear could be longer and longer, not to mention the endless Ashina style sword techniques. Shun still couldn't forget the shock he felt when he first witnessed the Ashina swordsmanship.
Gripping the long spear, Shun observed the surroundings, nerves taut, wary of anyone sneaking up behind him.
But the opponent didn't seem as sinister as Shun had imagined. In front of him, the other weapons stuck in the ground vanished in an instant like smoke. The purple mist parted, revealing a hooded figure holding a purple-white dart. If one could even call it a person…
Shun realized this was likely the enemy of his first battle. It looked quite intimidating this had to be another of the feather rabbit's creations. This was probably one of her abilities too.
Of course Shun wasn't naive enough to think this guy in front of him was the feather rabbit herself. Though it looked pretty cool, the unmistakable minion vibe was impossible to hide.
Most importantly, the opponent wasn't a beautiful girl! How could an executive with the title "feather rabbit" possibly not be a beautiful girl!
Just as Shun's thoughts ran wild like a horse off the reins, galloping boundlessly, he suddenly snapped back to reality the mysterious and noble purple figure ahead had begun to move! It gripped a long spear gleaming with cold light in its hand, like a coiled dragon ready to strike, charging straight toward Shun with unmatched ferocity! The sudden change jolted Shun back to his senses, a wave of shock surging in his heart.
No helping it this was his first real fight. Fortunately, Shun quickly adjusted, raising his long spear to block the unexpected strike.
The two long spears clashed together, but strangely, Shun felt no overwhelming, unblockable force. It was as if everything was perfectly balanced just using his full strength was exactly enough to parry it.
Sure enough, this was the first trial. Shun felt more confident now. None of this could be mere coincidence, so there was no need to hold back.
Since he had the desire to become stronger, he had to give it everything he had.
"Pfft." The sound of a spear piercing flesh rang out. Shun had lasted four minutes before being skewered like a kebab. It seemed the classic novel trope of the protagonist powering up in a pinch wasn't going to happen here after all, this was his first true life-or-death battle.
But the excruciating pain he had imagined being stabbed to the point of agony never came. So Shun didn't stop attacking. Following along the opponent's spear, he pushed his body forward and drove his own spear straight into the opponent's head.
After the long spear pierced the opponent's head, as if some condition had been satisfied, the world before him changed once again.
Suddenly, as though a mysterious curtain had been lifted, the world in front of Shun underwent a earth-shaking transformation.
The familiar scenery vanished in an instant, replaced by a breathtaking purple palace. The palace seemed like something out of a dream, exuding an enchanting and mysterious aura. It towered into the clouds, majestic and grand, as if it had stepped straight out of a myth. The palace walls shimmered with faint purple light, like flowing galaxies, inspiring endless imagination and longing.
Every brick and stone was exquisitely carved, covered in strange runes and patterns that seemed to contain boundless power and wisdom. The main gate was tightly shut, yet it radiated a powerful attraction that made one itch to explore inside. Surrounding it was a brilliant, colorful garden where all kinds of exotic flowers and plants vied for beauty, releasing waves of fragrance. Flocks of multicolored butterflies danced lightly among the blooms, as if welcoming this uninvited guest. Purple clouds drifted in the sky, occasionally streaked by lightning, adding even more mystery to the atmosphere. The entire scene felt like a dream.
Damn, it's actually pretty nice-looking. Shun offered no further commentary. In a dream-like world like this, nothing would surprise him anymore.
Shun walked forward and tried pushing the giant door in front of him at least thirty meters tall. The door opened easily, as if it had no weight at all.
Entering the palace, what met his eyes was a short flight of steps. Shun decisively climbed up. Reaching the raised platform, he saw a white-haired figure holding a banner, standing with their back to him ahead.