After Yang Qianrou and the others obtained the inheritance jade stones, they were all elated and came to thank Ning Beichen one by one.
In their eyes, Ning Beichen was selfless, handing over the inheritance jade stones to them without hesitation. Even those who had not been very respectful of Ning Beichen before were now devoted to him.
Strength could inspire fear, but not necessarily respect.
However, they had no idea that what they saw as a treasure was nothing more than useless chicken ribs to Ning Beichen, tasteless to eat and a pity to discard.
With everyone having obtained their inheritance jade stones, there was nothing else of value left in the palace. Ning Beichen led them out.
Although the time was not up, in a sense, their trial in the ancestral land was complete, as the most important thing was to obtain the ancestors' inheritance.
However, since the time was not yet up, they could not leave the ancestral land. Ning Beichen decided to let them cultivate in the desert for a while.
The reason for choosing the desert over an oasis was that Ning Beichen possessed the heart of the Sand Demon, and the entire desert was under his control, so no danger would arise.
While everyone was cultivating, Ning Beichen was not idle. He was practicing the Sand Demon's abilities.
With the Sand Demon's heart, Ning Beichen found that he could manipulate the sand in the desert just like the Sand Demon, turning ordinary sand into sharp weapons. He was having a great time.
At this moment, a vulture spotted Yang Qianrou and the others on the ground. It revealed its sharp claws and swooped down towards them in the desert.
Ning Beichen, who was meditating on the sand, flicked his finger. The sand in the desert surged upwards, forming a massive sand blade in the air. With a single slash, it cut the swooping vulture into two pieces.
Ning Beichen also controlled a smaller sand blade to meticulously dissect and carve the vulture's corpse.
Before long, the vulture's body was transformed into an exquisite sculpture, falling onto the sand. No one could tell that it had once been a vulture.
After carving the vulture, Ning Beichen felt somewhat unsatisfied. He searched and discovered a sand worm hiding underground.
Ning Beichen controlled the sand, instantly forcing the sand worm out. Then, the sand condensed into a killing sword, and he used the Qing Shuang Sword Technique he had learned on the sand worm.
Although the Qing Shuang Sword Technique was far inferior to his Song Shan Sword Technique, for the current Ning Beichen, any move he employed became extraordinary.
Moreover, Ning Beichen was not aiming for a devastating attack but for precise control.
The difference between a transcender's strength and that of an ordinary person lay in their attack frame rate. A transcender's attack frame rate surpassed the visible range of ordinary people.
What ordinary people saw as a single sword strike was, in fact, hundreds of strikes from a transcender. This was the distinction between transcending and not transcending.
Ning Beichen realized that Yang Qianrou and the others had not transcended, but they were slightly stronger than the grandmasters in his previous world, existing in the realm between transcending and not transcending.
However, it was rumored that the people of the central continent were incredibly powerful, which made Ning Beichen incredibly eager.
He did not fear defeat. Only by being defeated could one improve and understand one's weaknesses and shortcomings.
After carving the sand worm, Ning Beichen killed a few more scorpions before allowing Yang Qianrou and the others to end their cultivation.
While they could coast to victory, their ability to travel to the central continent was not determined by the trial in the ancestral land but by the visitors from the central continent.
Therefore, it was not a guarantee that one could travel to the central continent simply by entering the ancestral land trial.
However, based on past experience, those who could survive the trial in the ancestral land could generally travel to the central continent.
Thus, Ning Beichen was willing to give Yang Qianrou and the others more opportunities for trial.
Next, they would leave the desert and head towards the oasis.
Ning Beichen also told them that during their time in the oasis, he would not intervene unless they encountered enemies they could not handle.
Those who had entered this place were all carefully selected powerhouses. They naturally would not flinch; in fact, they were all eager to prove themselves.
Not long after they entered the oasis, they encountered a strange ferocious beast. This beast resembled a bull and was covered in spiky red fur, appearing like a burning flame from a distance.
These beasts were extremely ferocious. Unlike other beasts that would assess the situation, this beast immediately launched a fierce attack on Ning Beichen and his group the moment they were spotted, as if they were sworn enemies.
This time, Ning Beichen did not intervene, merely observing from the side.
Yang Qianrou and the others first engaged the beast in individual duels. After realizing they couldn't defeat it alone, they attacked together. Several of them were injured, but ultimately, through their combined efforts, they managed to kill the beast.
It was only then that everyone understood how powerful Ning Beichen was, having killed so many monsters and beasts previously.
It took them such great effort to defeat a single beast, and that too, through teamwork. If Ning Beichen had not been there before, they would not have reached this point.
Even if they had reached this point, how many of them would have survived?
It was no wonder that of the many who entered the ancestral land trial each time, fewer than a tenth survived.
Ning Beichen was also not idle. He provided guidance to each of them individually, tailored to their specific situations.
Although he did not involve himself in their cultivation techniques, the weaknesses he pointed out, along with his own experiences, were invaluable to them.
Unknowingly, these individuals had become loyal, seeing Ning Beichen not just as their leader but also as their mentor.
Before long, they encountered members of other teams. However, the other teams were in a dire state. Of the dozens of carefully selected powerhouses who had entered, fewer than five remained.
Seeing Ning Beichen's large group, those five should have avoided them.
However, these individuals were arrogant. They assumed that Ning Beichen's group still had so many members because they had not encountered any beasts or strong enemies. Instead of avoiding them, they came to provoke them.
As a result, they met their doom. Yang Qianrou and the others, having received Ning Beichen's guidance, had become much stronger than before, even if the changes were not earth-shattering.
Furthermore, with the inheritance jade stones they had obtained, their strength had increased significantly.
Soon, the five individuals were severely taught a lesson by Yang Qianrou and the others. If they had not begged for mercy, they might have lost their lives.
Moreover, they also learned from these five individuals.
The situation for the participants of this ancestral land trial was similar to theirs.
Some were even more tragic, with an entire team reduced to just one or two people.