Meeting Chang Li.
Alex sat on the ship's deck, waiting near the ocean's edge, not yet having ventured far into the Western Continent Outskirts. The Outskirts were a considerable distance away, and he hadn't reached them yet. He was in close proximity, though.
"I wonder when Elder Chang will finish absorbing all this energy and wake up," Alex pondered aloud, looking at Old Chang. The energy absorption was slow but significant. If it were quicker, it could easily attract attention.
"I hope Chang Li is safe," Alex murmured, closing his eyes to feel Chang Li's energy.
Using his energy, Alex ensured the ship was headed toward the city they had visited before embarking towards the Central Continent.
"This is intriguing. I expected the distance between continents to be vast, but it's surprisingly close. Quite fascinating, really. I wonder if there's some kind of meaning behind it," Alex mused, peering out of the window.
--
30 hours later.
Opening his eyes, Alex scanned the surroundings.
"We're here. Old man, how many more days are you going to sleep?" Alex gazed at Old Chang with a mix of amusement and impatience.
With a sigh, Alex leaped from the ship, making sure he was unobserved before descending toward the city.
"Feels like he's in... yeah, that inn." Alex pinpointed his location and guided the ship toward the city they had previously visited.
Remaining invisible, he landed in the city without drawing much attention.
--
Inside an inn.
Chang Li, absorbed in writing on rough papers with ink, mused about the return of his older brother.
"I wonder when Big Brother Li will return," he mused, gazing out of the window.
Earlier.
"BOOOO!!!" Alex's sudden appearance startled Chang Li.
"Aghghgh!!!" Chang Li jumped back, wide-eyed and sweating.
"Hey there, how's it going?" Alex emerged out of thin air, waving casually.
"BIG BROTHER LI!!!" Chang Li exclaimed, hugging Alex with enthusiasm.
"You're like a kid," Alex chuckled. "I came here to return with Elder Chang, but guess what? I sensed something about your energy."
"Wait... YOU REACHED THE SOUL AWAKENING REALM?" Alex's eyes widened, shocked by Chang Li's sudden growth.
"Well, my cultivation sped up. After that fight with the Magma Sovereign Molten, something awakened and my cultivation surged about 100 times faster. It's bewildering, really," Chang Li explained, equally surprised by his own rapid progress.
"I see... WHAT IS THIS?" Alex's attention shifted to an object on the table—a sheet of paper, something highly unusual in this world.
Not just any paper—modern-looking paper, slightly coarse but recognizable. It was an astonishing sight, considering how rare paper was here.
"Wha—" Alex was left speechless, the implications of Chang Li's discovery far greater than his own breakthrough.
Chang Li, while talented, sensed Alex's surprise. "Well, I had an interesting idea a while ago. I used a millstone—something they use to grind flour here—and experimented with small pieces of trees. Trees are fascinating. I soaked the wood, dried it, and got this paper. Isn't that cool?"
Stunned, Alex struggled to find words. Chang Li had essentially stumbled upon the ancient art of papermaking in a world devoid of such technology.
"An idea, you say?" Alex managed a question, amazed at the significance of Chang Li's creation. "This is ingenious, you know? It's a faster way to write with ink. Well done!"
Chang Li beamed with pride.
ALex said this "Now, let's return to the Eastern Continent. This place is boring."
"Agreed, let's go." With that, Chang Li soared out of the window.\
Alex looked behind his back and thought "Time after time my theory is being more and more completed, there is no way someone would just get the idea of making paper especially with a such a modern method..." Alex thought about this with cold eyes.
He went out.
--
"Wow, you took Grand Elder Chang's big ship?" Chang Li marveled, dashing onto the deck like a child with a new toy.
"Not really. Grand Elder Chang lent it to me. He's on the deck, resting. He had a tough fight and is recovering," Alex explained as he navigated the ship. he looked at the deck where Old Chang was, Alex was wondering just how much time it would require him to recover, Alex never thought wounds from that fight would be this deep, He was quite flabbergasted at this and wanted him to recover faster, much faster... it was quite a weird thought.
"You found your friend," a raspy voice came from the deck.
Old Chang emerged, still nursing injuries.
"Hello, Grand Elder Chang." Alex approached, ready to assist him.
"I'm fine." Old Chang's gaze shifted to Chang Li.
"Grand... Elder... Chang..." Chang Li bowed respectfully.
"Hahaha... no need to be so formal. Soul Awakening Realm? You're quite young. Seems you've got a talented friend, Zhi Li," Old Chang remarked to Alex. He looked at Chang Li and was shocked, another extremely talented disciple again. he was dumbfounded, in his generation there were quite many talented people but now he thought this generation was way lower in Talent, but he met someone like Alex who was extremely talented and now Chang Li that was quite as talented as him as well, this was inconceivable to him, very weird indeed. Old Chang wondered if this was because of the Star in the sky flashing so brightly, He was really thinking that star would have something to do with so many Talented people born in this Generation, Old Chang was quite curious right now. he wanted to find out the truth so he decided to research all the eras when Small Bright Star was shining in the sky... he would research every bit of this information. Old Chang thought this and looked at Alex.
"Indeed, he's very talented," Alex agreed his pride in Chang Li evident.
"I'm going to steer the ship to the Eastern Continent. I'll be back soon," Alex stated.
"No rush. Take the ship to the Eastern Continent," Old Chang responded, settling himself.
"Sure thing." Alex made his way to the deck, eager to set the ship's course for the Eastern Continent.
End Of Chapter.