Chapter 108: The Desert

Several days later.

To the east of Fry-Pan Mountain, the lush green scenery gradually disappeared, as barren land took its place, spreading farther and farther. The climate became increasingly dry, with green vegetation dwindling at a visible pace. The landscape was filled with cracked yellow earth and scattered, porous, gray-white pillar-shaped rocks.

The wind blew across the desolate land, and a small figure moved slowly forward.

During his time at Fry-Pan Mountain, Yamiru had gained a lot.

Besides feeling like he could take more punishment, he had also strengthened his resolve to master the Turtle School's martial arts.

Before this, Yamiru had wanted to learn martial arts and become stronger, but to put it more bluntly, it was because he "didn't want to remain so weak". His desire had stemmed from the admiration he felt for powerful characters, like the Super Saiyans.

However, after meeting the Ox-king and especially after their conversation the night before parting ways, Yamiru felt that his pursuit of martial arts had gained a new sense of purpose.

Compared to someone like the Ox-king, who had failed to achieve his goal...

"If I don't move forward, isn't that a waste? If I were the Ox-king, and I had a lazy and unambitious Yamiru in front of me—someone with far greater potential than me, but who is wasting it—I'd probably feel frustrated and say: "If you don't want that incredible talent, why not give it to me? Why waste such great potential when you could strive for greatness? I also want to become the strongest!""

It was this realization that spurred Yamiru on.

With his physical strength, his awakening golden eyes, and the advantages of being a transmigrator—able to seize opportunities others might not even notice—if he didn't make the effort now, he'd definitely regret it in the future. He might even laugh at himself for not taking advantage of his potential!

The person he was now was vastly different from the one who had been rejected by Master Roshi at the Martial Arts Temple over half a year ago.

He was now more determined, more composed.

As he walked through the barren wilderness, the world suddenly seemed incredibly quiet. The sound of sand and stones moving was sharp and clear.

The wind picked up.

Yamiru, with his bag slung over his back, stopped in his tracks and looked ahead. A massive dust storm was rolling in, like a tsunami sweeping toward him, covering the sky.

Whoooosh!

The sound of the wind howling and the sand swirling filled the air.

At once, animals from the wilderness began emerging, scrambling in every direction.

Snakes, scorpions, and lizards, among other creatures, were frantically burrowing into the ground or crawling into holes. A strange creature, resembling an ostrich, ran past Yamiru, making an odd squawking noise. It even glanced back at Yamiru, almost as if mocking him, thinking the human was too scared to move and had been frozen in place by the storm.

Yamiru exhaled, knowing that there was no way forward for now.

His eyes glowed with a golden light as he scanned his surroundings. Soon, he found a suitable spot: a columnar gray-white rock with a cave facing away from the dust storm. It seemed like a perfect place to take shelter.

He tightened the bundle on his back, ready to step forward, but then hesitated and turned around, running in the opposite direction.

The sandstorm was moving at high speed, rampaging across the barren land. Just before it engulfed the cave he had been eyeing, Yamiru grabbed the body of the mutated ostrich that had run past him earlier and, like a shadow, dashed toward the cave. With a leap, he threw himself into the entrance.

Whoooo, whoooo...

In an instant, the world turned dark. Outside the cave, the wind howled, and the air was filled with flying sand and stones, as if the heavens and earth themselves had changed color. The screeching noises continued for hours without respite.

Inside the cave, there were just enough rocks for Yamiru to struggle and move them, blocking the entrance. Though he couldn't seal it completely, at least not much sand and wind were able to rush inside. However, as the entrance became narrower, the sound of the storm outside grew sharper and more grating, transforming from the low wailing of the wind to the shrill, piercing screams, like a vengeful ghost's cry.

"My brain is shaking..." Yamiru could only endure.

To distract himself, he looked around at the prey he had caught earlier. Well, since he had it, he might as well cook it. Without wasting any time, Yamiru skillfully plucked the feathers, skinned the creature, and tossed the entrails out of the narrow opening—almost getting them blown back into his face by the storm, but luckily, his swift movements allowed him to duck just in time.

There was no suitable wood for a fire, but fortunately, Yamiru had brought several spare lighters from Fry-Pan Mountain...

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Soon, the cave was illuminated by the light of the campfire.

Outside, the storm continued to wail like a ghost, howling and shrieking through the wind. But inside the cave, the boy was munching on roasted meat, his mouth greasy. After finishing, he patted his belly, unconcerned that the storm had yet to subside. He started performing all sorts of exercises—walking on his hands, doing one-handed push-ups, high knee sprints, jumping up to touch the top of the cave, sprinting and climbing the walls of the cave... His boundless energy was quickly drained, and he collapsed into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, the world was quiet. The storm had stopped.

Yamiru moved the rocks blocking most of the cave entrance. Bright light poured in, and he squinted against the sunlight. The sky was clear, and the barren land outside seemed even more desolate than before.

"Phew, another new day!"

Yamiru grinned.

Right outside the cave entrance, he started his morning workout. Breathing heavily, he got his body moving, and with enthusiasm, began running laps around the cave. But before he had gone very far, he noticed that the sky had once again changed. Black clouds gathered, covering the sky and approaching rapidly. Yamiru couldn't help but sigh—this unpredictable weather was truly something else. He turned around and jogged back to the cave.

Along the way, Yamiru tripped and fell. From the corner of his eye, he saw a ghostly face pass by, but before he could react, the apparition was swept away by a beam of light...

Later, Yamiru tripped again. He saw a dark shadow approaching from the front, so he quickly tilted his head to dodge it, reaching out to grab the shadow. It turned out to be a colorful python that had wrapped around his ankle and was climbing up to bite his throat. Yamiru gripped it tightly, and with a single squeeze, he crushed a section of the snake's body. He muttered, "Is it poisonous? Can I eat it...?"

He glanced behind him. The black clouds were closer now. Quickly, he returned to the cave, pushed the rocks back into place, and sealed himself in again.

After hiding for another day and a half, he finally moved the rocks aside and stepped out. His condition wasn't great, but he figured he could continue his journey. He packed up his things and, thinking for a moment, went back into the cave. He found a piece of mud, hardened and blackened from the blood, and chipped it off. He climbed up the wall, stood at the top, and carved the words "Tempered by a Thousand Strikes" into the wall.

With a hop, he landed back on the ground, clapped his hands, and admired his own calligraphy, nodding in satisfaction.

"Go!"

Yamiru turned and walked off.

However, he quickly regretted it. Seeing a trio approaching from the edge of the desert in his direction, Yamiru cursed the weather, wishing that the bad weather would come again so that he could hide in the cave for a few more days!

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