"Yun-jie, we've been set up!" Lin Xiaoya said angrily. "This barren wasteland? Someone clearly arranged this just for our team!"
Lin Yun didn't need her to point it out—she had already come to the same conclusion. But Endymion suspected the scheme wasn't aimed at him—it was targeted at Lin Yun.
"Forget it for now. Let's get moving." Lin Yun calmed herself quickly. "We'll split into three teams to search for food and water. I'll divide our rations into six equal parts—one per person. You'll need to pace yourselves; don't eat it all at once. Same goes for water. And stay in contact."
"Okay, Yun-jie! I'll go with you!" Lin Xiaoya offered quickly.
Lin Yun frowned and shook her head. "Xiaoya, you'll team up with Lin Bai. Xiaopang and Xiaozhuang, you two go together. Your combat skills are a bit weaker, but you fight best as a pair. As for me, I'll go with Endymion."
"You don't have to treat him so well," Lin Bai grumbled—he had clearly hoped to be paired with Lin Yun.
"I'm the team leader. I make the calls," Lin Yun snapped. "This is for balance. If danger arises, we'll be better equipped to handle it."
"Tch, just my luck to get saddled with dead weight," Lin Bai muttered under his breath.
"That's enough. You think he's a burden? I think you are!" Lin Yun shot back. "And no one asked you to babysit him!"
Chastened, Lin Bai fell silent.
Once rations and water were distributed, the six of them activated their mechs and entered their cockpits.
While mechs could technically fly, air travel consumed enormous energy reserves. If the mech's core ran dry, it would become nothing more than a hunk of useless metal. For that reason, mech warriors typically avoided sustained flight.
But deserts were far from ideal for ground travel. Lin Yun's mech was top-grade, and her control was superb, allowing her to glide smoothly across the dunes. Endymion, on the other hand, had little experience piloting, and his mech's poor quality didn't help. His movements were clumsy, uneven.
Before long, Lin Yun had pulled far ahead. By the time she realized how far, she could barely see his silhouette on the horizon.
She had no choice but to stop and wait for him—an arrangement that significantly slowed their pace.
"You don't have to wait for me," Endymion said awkwardly after the third time she paused. "I'm slowing you down."
He was frustrated. Lin Bai wasn't wrong—he was a burden.
"I won't abandon you," Lin Yun said, her tone calm but resolute.
"Can I ask you something?" Endymion hesitated.
"Just ask. Don't beat around the bush," she replied, mildly irritated.
"I just want to know… why are you helping me?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. In a family where being ignored was the best he could usually hope for, Lin Yun's concern felt completely out of place.
"I'm not helping you. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to," she said coolly. "I intend to complete this trial and bring everyone back safely. That includes you."
Endymion fell silent for a while, then said quietly, "Whatever the reason, I'll remember your kindness."
Lin Yun gave no response. She simply continued onward in her mech.
—
By nightfall, they had found nothing. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see.
After contacting the other teams, Lin Yun confirmed that none of them had found any life either.
Endymion couldn't help but wonder—was this a lifeless desert? If so, they were in serious trouble. According to the crude map, it would take at least half a month to reach the desert's edge. Even with no interference, their rations wouldn't last that long. It could very well be a death sentence.
"Eat something and rest. We'll move again at dawn," Lin Yun said, pulling out her dry rations and sipping a bit of water.
The so-called rations were just condensed nutrient bars—dry, flavorless, and barely edible. Still, after a full day of grueling travel, Endymion was too exhausted to care.
He devoured the bar quickly and sat down in the sand, channeling his aura. While nighttime aura cultivation wasn't especially effective, it was useful for physical recovery.
Lin Yun cast him a curious glance. Everyone in the Lin family "knew" Endymion couldn't train in martial arts. But judging by his posture and breathing… were the rumors wrong?
She was tempted to ask but held back. After finishing her meal, she too began meditating. As one of the Lin family's top young talents, she had already reached the sixth level of the Star-Moon Heart Technique and was on the verge of another breakthrough.
She sat cross-legged, her breath soon growing deep and steady.
Endymion, however, had opened his eyes.
With his stamina recovered, he began training in magic. To his surprise, the magical energy here was dense, rivaling the concentrations found on the continent of Auro.
This discovery thrilled him. He forgot all about the desolate wasteland and focused solely on absorbing as much magic as he could. His current magic reserves were critically low—so low, in fact, that he couldn't even cast many spells.
Now, however, the magic surged into him joyfully, as if it too had been waiting for someone to claim it. It filled his body and refused to leave, saturating his every cell.
His power grew rapidly. By the time he stopped, the ambient magical energy had noticeably thinned. He exhaled deeply, a smile playing at his lips. Just a single night of training here had equaled a month's worth of accumulation. By Auro standards, he was now solidly a mid-tier Intermediate Mage. At this rate, he could reach Advanced Mage level in no time.
That milestone mattered greatly. Even the simplest spatial magic required Advanced-level reserves. As someone who had devoted himself to spatial studies, Endymion's favorite spells were, unsurprisingly, space-related—though he had proficiency in many other disciplines as well.
Suddenly, he felt an odd ripple in the atmosphere. His eyes narrowed.
"Watch out!" Lin Yun's warning came at that exact moment. "Get in your mech—now! Prepare for battle!"