Clear stream water cut through a dense forest, curving between monstrous trees. Bird chirps echoed in the horizon as large groups flew in the sky, numbering in the thousands.
The grove was so extensive one lost sight in the profound green covering the earth all the way into the horizon.
Occasionally, wild beasts would roar from secluded lairs, defending their territories from uninvited trespassers.
It seemed like the whole forest was just one living entity. During the day, some denser regions were as dark as the twilight! The compact trees blocked all day light, causing the temperature to drop sharply.
Such places were filled with Yin energy, favorable for those who focused on cultivating extreme art. Therefore, it was not uncommon to stumble upon secluded daoists living in the forest.
Both mortals and cultivators call this vast domain the Great Wilderness of the Arcane Region!
Although it was so big, it only took up a fifth of the territory belonging to the Arcane Region, which was classified as one of the three regions of the Mortal Realm.
Given its imposing splendor, uncultured people believed it was a chaotic place, following the laws of the jungle. However, reality was surprisingly different.
Anyone could transverse those grounds at their own risk, both mortals and immortals!
That was because of a treaty established between powerful beings of the Human and the Demon Beast race.
Inside its borders, only beings in the same level could target each other. This rule was secured by a giant spirit formation set up along the forest area.
Even so, only cultivators dared to transverse the Great Wilderness.
Although it was a shortcut to bypass the neighboring mountain range, the disparity between normal humans and wild beasts was considerable.
Somewhere in the vast green domain, a bamboo grove shook by the side of a river. There were bamboo trees in all stages of development, varying from dry yellow to bright green. Some were so thick and tall one could suspect they were thousands of years old.
In the midst of the intertwined stalks, a man was currently searching through the younger samplings. It was a tricky task to select a proper tree.
It had to have the ideal thickness and flexibility. If too dry and rigid, it would easily break. If it was too green and tender, it would bend too much.
After some time, he finally found the proper one.
Cutting it at ground level, the figure rapidly dragged it to a nearby campfire.
Getting to the security of the fire, a long process began.
First, all the smaller buds were cut off the main body of the bamboo.
Next, the man began to slowly temper it through the burning ashes, certifying it maintained its flexibility.
Finally, he cut the excessive extremities, leaving behind a roughly three foot long rod.
Alexander was currently building himself a fishing rod!
On his way to the Great Wilderness a few months ago, he ended up befriending an old fisherman.
The old fella taught him many things, such as how to carve a canoe, set up fish traps, the best way to filet and so on. He even shared his secret recipe for the famous Stinky Shoyu Sauce!
People used to call him Stone Hand Joe.
The reason was the elderly man had the incredible ability to sit completely still while holding his trusty fish rod for hours! Some people believed he could go on with breathing to reduce the tremor of his body.
Although other fishing boats used more predatory techniques such as cast nets, Joe was the only one skilled enough to fish the Arcane Snapper! It was a special delicacy sold at much higher prices than the other commercially available fish.
However, Joe's friendly aptitude towards Alexander had a sad backstory to it.
While talking to other fishers and villagers along the river, he was told the old man had lost his only son while out on a fishing trip many years ago. They were caught by surprise in a violent flood in the middle of the night.
Some say it was the aftermath of a fierce battle between a River Spirit and a group of cultivators, stirring up great waves down the river.
Joe was lucky to get stuck on some old branches by the riverbed, while his son was taken by the water never to be seen again.
Alexander probably reminded him of his lost son.
As so, he did his best to keep the elder company while going down the water in his journey to the Great Wilderness.
Some time before embarking on this trip, Alex lived a few days among beggars of Arcane Capital City. The city was built on the side of a huge mountain, divided in many layers, with the Royal Palace at the very top.
Each tier followed intersect social norms, with the poorer population living in the bottom. They were only allowed to go up using special tokens used for work purposes.
Being a "commoner" himself and coming from distant lands, Alex could only access the ground-level city.
He was just passing by, roaming without a certain destiny.
However, everything changed one day while attending a blind patient. At close inspection, it appeared the old man had a white coating covering up both his eyes!
When questioned about his illness, he said the vision loss was gradual, with the white coating increasing over time.
Having never seen such wicked disease among cultivators, Alex was clueless on what to do. He could only provide the elder with words of comfort and pills for his lower back pain.
Just as he was about to continue on his way, a hand touched his shoulder from behind.
"This is what we call cataracts, young man! It might appear untreatable at first sight but there is a way!" spoke a middle aged man in a compassionate tone.
Alex was surprised by the man's sudden appearance to help.
Intrigued by the strange term mentioned by the stranger, he decided to strike up a conversation.
"I've never heard of such an illness sir, much less about its treatment, but I'm eager to learn more!" Alex stated intelligently
"My pleasure! It's rare to find young folks with your disposition these days!"
"By the way, you can call me Merlin! I'm a missionary of the Earthly Medicine Pavilion!"