Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

The thick night enveloped the entire forest. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li stood back to back, watching the surroundings vigilantly. The breakout battle three days ago was still vivid in their minds. Now there were only two of them left out of the 300 elite soldiers. The isolated and helpless situation made Gao Xingchen's heart seem to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and his breathing became heavy.

"Xingchen, don't worry, we will get out." Nanli's voice was particularly clear in the silent forest, like a stream of clear water pouring into Gao Xingchen's anxious heart. He turned his head to look at Nanli. Under the moonlight, that usually cold face was now full of determination, which calmed his originally shaken mind a little.

"Well, we can definitely get out!" Gao Xingchen nodded, and looked around. The dense branches and leaves blocked the moonlight, and only small patches of mottled light and shadow could be seen, which made it look even more eerie. To make matters worse, their dry food and water bags were lost during the breakout. Hunger and thirst were like two invisible beasts, constantly gnawing at their will.

Nan Li seemed to see Gao Xingchen's anxiety. She frowned slightly and said softly, "Let's find a safe place to rest first, and then think of a solution tomorrow morning."

Gao Xingchen looked around, and apart from the towering trees and dense bushes, he could hardly see any place to hide. Just when he was at a loss, Nan Li suddenly took his hand and walked in one direction.

"Follow me." Nan Li's voice was soft, but it was filled with unquestionable firmness.

Although Gao Xingchen was confused, he still chose to believe Nan Li and followed her closely. They passed through a thorn bush, and suddenly the view in front of them opened up to a relatively empty clearing in the forest.

Nan Li pointed to a tall tree not far away and said, "Let's go there. The crown of that tree is dense and can protect us from wind and rain. The trunk is thick and strong, so it is easy to defend but difficult to attack."

Gao Xingchen followed Nan Li's gaze and found that the tree's crown was much denser than the surrounding trees, and the trunk was thick with luxuriant branches and leaves. It was indeed an ideal hiding place.

The two of them quickly came under the tree. Nan Li climbed up the tree nimbly and carefully observed the surrounding environment, while Gao Xingchen was responsible for vigilance.

"How is it? Any findings?" Gao Xingchen asked in a low voice.

"We haven't found any traces of the enemy yet, but we can't let our guard down." Nan Li jumped down from the tree, took out some herbs from the package he was carrying, and handed them to Gao Xingchen, "Apply this to the wound, it can stop bleeding and reduce inflammation."

Gao Xingchen took the herb and a fresh fragrance came to his nose. Then he remembered that he had several knife wounds on his body. The battle just now was so intense that he completely forgot the pain.

After Nanli treated her wound, she began to look for food and water nearby. With her rich experience in surviving in the wild, she quickly found some edible wild fruits and tree roots, and also collected some morning dew with leaves.

"Let's eat something first." Nan Li handed the food and water she found to Gao Xingchen.

Gao Xingchen took the food and devoured it voraciously. These simple foods tasted as delicious as delicacies from the mountains and sea. After filling his stomach, Gao Xingchen looked at the busy Nan Li, his heart filled with gratitude and admiration.

"Nanli, thank you."

Nan Li smiled faintly, "We are companions, we should help each other." She looked up at the sky, "It's getting late, we should take this time to rest and get well. We still have to find a way to contact the family tomorrow."

Gao Xingchen nodded. He knew that the current predicament was only temporary. As long as they did not give up hope, they would definitely find a way out. He looked at the strong and brave woman in front of him and swore in his heart that no matter what, he would protect her and walk out of the forest alive with her.

The first rays of dawn penetrated the dense branches and leaves, and fell on this quiet forest. Gao Xingchen woke up from a light sleep. He felt his face was a little wet. He reached out and touched it. It was dew. Last night, he and Nanli snuggled together and spent an uneasy night under this towering tree.

"Awake?" Nan Li's voice sounded in his ears, soft but with a hint of hoarseness.

Gao Xingchen sat up and looked at Nan Li who was packing her backpack with branches, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He knew that Nan Li had almost stayed up all night to take care of him.

"What should we do today?" Gao Xingchen asked, with a hint of confusion in his tone. They were trapped in this dangerous forest, with no food, no water, and no reinforcements.

"Let's find a way out of this forest first." Nan Li handed the packed backpack to Gao Xingchen, "I remember the family's classics recorded that there is a river in the southeast of this forest. As long as we find the river, we can find a way out."

Gao Xingchen took the backpack and nodded. He knew that now was not the time to be sad and desperate. Only by staying calm and rational could he find hope for survival.

"Wait." Gao Xingchen suddenly seemed to remember something and took out a piece of black metal from his arms. "This is the leftover meteorite iron from my previous refining. Although it's not much, it should be able to make some simple tools."

Nan Li looked at the meteorite in Gao Xingchen's hand, with a hint of surprise in her eyes: "You want to..."

"Yes, we can use meteorite iron to make some tools for clearing roads and defense." Gao Xingchen explained. His family has been famous for refining tools for generations, and he has been influenced by them since he was a child and has mastered some basic refining skills.

Gao Xingchen did his job right away. Relying on the weapon refining techniques he remembered and the few pieces of flint that Nanli found in the package, he quickly melted the meteorite iron into a sharp dagger and a sturdy shield.

"With these tools, our chances of survival are greater." Gao Xingchen waved the dagger in his hand, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

The two of them headed southeast. Along the way, Gao Xingchen used a dagger to cut off the thorns that blocked the road and used a shield to resist sudden dangers. They supported and encouraged each other and moved forward with difficulty in this dangerous forest.

"Wait!" Nan Li suddenly grabbed Gao Xingchen and pointed to a bush not far ahead. "Look there, there seems to be something?"

Gao Xingchen looked in the direction of Nan Li's finger and saw a dark cave entrance behind the bushes. The area around the cave entrance was covered with moss. It was obvious that no one had been there for a long time.

"Could it be a wild beast's lair?" Gao Xingchen asked vigilantly.

"Let's go in carefully and take a look, and we'll know." Nan Li said, and took the lead in pushing aside the bushes and walking towards the cave entrance.

Gao Xingchen followed Nan Li closely, and the two of them walked into the cave carefully. It was pitch black inside the cave, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Only a faint light coming from the cave entrance allowed one to vaguely see the scene inside the cave.

"It seems... very deep here..." Gao Xingchen's voice echoed in the empty cave, sounding particularly strange.

They continued to walk deeper into the cave. Suddenly, Gao Xingchen stepped on a hard object. He bent down and felt around and found that it was a square stone slab.

"There's something here!" Gao Xingchen shouted excitedly.

The two of them worked together to lift the stone slab, and found a secret compartment underneath, inside which was an antique wooden box.

Nanli opened the wooden box and found a yellowed ancient book inside.

"What is this?" Gao Xingchen asked curiously.

Nanli picked up the ancient book and gently blew away the dust on it. With the faint light, she could clearly see a few ancient characters on the cover of the book: "Nine Star Secrets".

"Could this... be the legendary..." A hint of disbelief flashed in Nanli's eyes.

"What's in the legend?" Gao Xingchen became even more curious.

Nan Li took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Legend has it that there is an ancient secret hidden in this forest, and this secret is hidden in a secret book called "Nine Star Secrets"..."

Nan Li's voice trembled slightly, and it was obvious that this book "Nine Stars Art" was of great significance to her. "Legend has it that practicing the "Nine Stars Art" requires extremely high talent and perseverance. Once you succeed in practicing it, you can control the power of the stars and have the power to destroy the world."

Gao Xingchen took a breath of cold air. This secret book was so powerful! He looked at Nan Li, his eyes full of expectation: "Can we practice it?"

Nan Li pondered for a moment, opened the secret book, and read it carefully. The words on the secret book were simple and difficult to understand, but Nan Li seemed to understand them quite well. While reading, she explained the contents of the secret book to Gao Xingchen.

"The Nine Star Secret is divided into nine levels, each level corresponds to a star. Practitioners need to absorb the power of the stars to break through bottlenecks and improve their cultivation." Nan Li pointed to a star map on the secret book and said, "Look, these nine stars correspond to the nine major acupuncture points in the human body. Only by introducing the power of the stars into the acupuncture points can we truly control the power of the stars."

Gao Xingchen listened attentively. He seemed to see himself controlling the power of the stars and soaring into the sky.

"Let's practice now!" Gao Xingchen said impatiently.

Nan Li nodded, and the two of them sat cross-legged and began to practice according to the records in the secret book. The cave was suddenly filled with powerful energy fluctuations, and faint starlight appeared around Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's bodies, which was a sign that the power of the stars was absorbed into their bodies.

As time went by, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's cultivation gradually improved. They were already able to absorb the power of the stars skillfully and transform it into their own power.

However, at the critical moment of their practice, footsteps suddenly came from outside the cave.

"Someone is coming!" Gao Xingchen suddenly opened his eyes, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

Nan Li also stopped practicing. She signaled Gao Xingchen to remain quiet. The two held their breath and listened carefully to the movements outside the cave.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and it seemed that many people were walking towards the cave.

"Who are they? How did they find this place?" Gao Xingchen asked in a low voice, his heart full of doubts.

Nan Li shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. She clenched the dagger in her hand and prepared for a fight.

Outside the cave, the footsteps stopped, and then a cold voice sounded outside the cave: "Search carefully, they must be hiding nearby!"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and saw a solemn look in each other's eyes.

The person is not good!