Six months went by, and as the seasons changed, so did Yanga. When he first arrived, he seemed like a stranger who didn't belong anywhere. Now, he looked healthier, younger, his body stronger and more developed.
He blended in with the locals so well it was as if he'd been born among them. His cultivation had also come a long way now, with seven meridians opened, reaching the seventh level of the meridian opening stage. But cultivation wasn't the only thing Yanga worked hard to improve.
Old Man Hancock's villa has a library, and for the past six months, Yanga had spent nearly all his free time there when not cultivating, absorbing everything he could about the world. His most important discovery concerned the great sage known as the Desolate Sage.
The Desolate Sage was a legendary figure who lived ages ago. Back then, cultivation was a privilege reserved for the few; only those lucky enough to be born into the right families or sects could access proper cultivation arts.
Determined to change this, the Desolate Sage created the Desolate Arts and worked to spread them to every corner of every world.
The Desolate Arts are straightforward yet powerful cultivation arts; their most important trait is that they build on a strong foundation, which is why they've spread worldwide and are practiced by nearly everyone.
Because the Boundless World art is rare and formidable, Old Man Hancock advised Yanga to train in the Desolate arts to hide it. Yanga also chose to cultivate a few specific ones: the Desolate Fist Art, a boxing style, and the Desolate Sword Art.
Old Man Hancock also gave Yanga two unexpected gifts—a storage ring, or space ring, explaining how Kristina could produce items so easily as if they appeared out of thin air.
The space ring Old Man Hancock gave Yanga is a modest four-cubic-meter capacity space ring, and the second gift is a speedboat, something entirely new and thrilling for Yanga to discover.
Speedboats are kind of like jet ski, but instead of skimming over water, they glide on thin air. Yanga has grown really fond of them; they're fast, agile, and an absolute blast to ride.
The most important thing Yanga has found in this world is the Jade Scroll, a bluesh, solid jade tablet he received when registering as a resident of Umhlanga village.
The Jade Scroll works a bit like a phone, allowing communication, but communication only works within certain areas like Umhlanga. Once outside, it loses signal and stops working, though that's not its primary purpose.
Its main purpose is to gather and recall information. You can store vast amounts of data and retrieve it when needed.
If you come across something unfamiliar, you can scan it to reveal all relevant details, provided that information is already stored on the jade scroll. Jade scrolls are also used to view maps, scan objects, or take pictures.
At first light at the entrance of Mhlanga village, a man stood at the entrance, glancing back at the village for a long time after six months there. Yanga felt conflicted about leaving for the first time but knew he had to. With a wave of his hand, a speedboat appeared, and he climbed aboard, racing toward the Infinite Basin.
Though it lay about 10,000 km from Umhlanga Village, the speedboat brought Yanga there quickly. He soon understood why the Infinite Basin left such a strong impression on people who saw it; it was breathtaking! Standing at its edge, he estimated its depth at around 10 kilometers, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Taking a deep breath, he stored his speeder away and began the descent into the basin.
The Infinite Basin is home to a mix of different habitats. Fortunately, the path Yanga took led to a savannah-like area. As Yanga descended into the basin, all that could be seen was an endless sea of tall grass, about 2 meters high, stretching as far as the eye could see.
This spot is called the Blood Bull entrance, named for the wild beasts that graze there. Blood Bulls may be among the weaker species of wild beasts, but their strength lies in their numbers, often gathering in packs of hundreds or even up to a thousand. If they see you as a threat, they'll all charge at once, which is why most people avoid them; they're far from easy prey.
The first thing Yanga did was take out a strange powder from his space ring and sprinkle it over himself. The powder helped mask scents. Then, he began moving cautiously, venturing deep into the Infinite Basin. Wild Beast cultivation differs slightly from human cultivation.
The Wild Beast stage has nine levels: Levels 1 to 4 correspond to the Meridian Opening Stage, Levels 5 to 8 correspond to the Spirit Gathering Stage, and Level 9 is the peak of the Spirit Gathering Stage.
Unlike humans, wild beasts gain wisdom at the Foundation Stage; beasts have an additional step or requirement to prepare to establish their foundation.
The Blood Bull may be weak among the wild beasts, but as is often the case, there are always a few level 2 wild beasts within the herd, which is somewhat manageable for Yanga, but among the wild bulls there is always a pack leader. In large herds, there were usually several leaders, all at wild beast level 3.
A level 3 wild beast would be a tough challenge for Yanga with his current strength, so he had to be extra careful not to be seen by the herd.
Moving slowly through the tall grass, he found it useful for staying hidden, though it also kept the herd out of his sight. He spotted the blood bull as he entered the basin.
Now, after some time had passed, he wasn't sure if they had stayed in place. If he somehow managed to wander right into the herd, his chances of survival would be nearly zero.
While he walked, something urged him to glance to the side, and when he did, he found himself face to face with a blood bull not just any blood bull, but a red blood bull, and the leader of the herd.
Blood Pools are born with black fur, pure and dark. As they grow older and stronger, red spots begin to appear.
By the time they break through to a level 3 wild beast, these spots spread until their entire coat is red, marking it as the height of their strength. That's how Yanga recognized what he was seeing and how she recognized him.
Without wasting a moment, Yanga took off running. As soon as he moved, the Blood Bull leader let out a loud moooooo, alerting the other blood bulls, and they sprang into action to warn the others nearby.
From what Yanga had learned about Blood Pools, they were powerful and incredibly fast, but their large size made sharp turns difficult.
So instead of sprinting in a straight line, Yanga zigzagged unpredictably, darting left and right, changing direction with each step as the leader cried out. The Blood Pools scattered in panic, and it turned into a frightening game of hide-and-seek, with Yanga running and hiding while the blood bulls searched for him. When they caught up to him, he would dash away again, resting only when he found a safe spot.
This cycle continued until late into the evening, when the darkness of night marked his escape from the territory of the Blood Bull.