Above the river, Sparrow had also got to his feet. He started to fly along its banks again. He was laughing. He was alive and well and a tiny rock had tried to befriend him. It was the start of a good day.

For a week he raced eagles and vultures through the skies above the desert, he learnt how to spot thermal currents and use them to propel himself upwards. He used the desert winds to skim across the dunes and ended up with long grazes along his arms from where he’d come in too fast.

And as he travelled, the mountain range in front of him grew bigger. It was on his final day in the desert that he spotted a cloud of sand being kicked up by four figures on the ground.

Fire and lightning kicked up around them and Sparrow swooped down to watch.

It was three vs one - and instantly Sparrow could see it wasn’t a fair matchup. Two cultivators dressed in black and a giant mountain wolf were attacking a cultivator dressed all in white.

And the three were getting their asses kicked.

In a swirl of sand the white cultivator could teleport around the battlefield. He appeared next to one of the black-clad cultivators, brought his hands up and two giant walls of sand rose up and squished the black-clad cultivator.

The walls of sand broke apart, leaving a patch of blood, sand and hair on the dune.

The wolf raced at the cultivator in white and clamped its massive teeth down on his arm. But the wolf’s teeth just landed on sand.

The white cultivator appeared behind the second black-clad cultivator, reached his hand back, and sand flew up into it. In an instant, the cultivator in white was holding a sword that he pushed through the other cultivator’s chest.

Sparrow’s jaw dropped. The cultivator was amazing!

But the cultivator was also distracted. The cultivator pulled something from his pocket, threw it on the dune in front of him, and blasted it with a stream of lightning and fire. The cultivator was screaming at the thing.

That gave the 500 kg wolf a chance to pounce on the cultivator. Its weight threw the cultivator through two sand dunes and before the cultivator had a chance to recover the wolf had the cultivator’s head in it’s mouth.

But that hardly seemed to phase the cultivator. He prised open the wolf’s jaws with his hands and then climbed further into the wolf’s mouth until he’d disappeared inside the wolf.

The giant wolf made a whining sound, like a hurt puppy - only 1000 times louder. Sparrow winced and covered his ears.

The wolf started to glow - first yellow, then a bright red.

There was a sound like a bomb going off and a flash of light so bright Sparrow had to turn away. Heat seared the back of his head.

When he turned back he saw the wolf had been vaporized. The only sign it had ever existed were four paw-shaped scorch marks on the sand.

The cultivator in white took something out of his pocket and threw it at a stone nearby.

Sparrow let out a shaky breath and hovered down to the sand. He slowly approached the cultivator, showing his open palms to let the man know that he wasn't a threat.

As he approached, he saw the cultivator was stomping a small, circular device into the stones.

'Great master,' Sparrow said, 'That was an impressive display.'

The cultivator turned slowly to look at Sparrow. He had grey shaggy hair and massive eyebrows. As Sparrow spoke one of those eyebrows curled upward. 'What do you want? 'The cultivator said, 'I'm kind of in the middle of something.'

Sparrow looked from the man's foot to the circular, almost clock-like device that was being crushed underneath it. Despite the force of the cultivator's blows, the clock remained undamaged.

'I just wanted to say,' Sparrow swallowed. 'I just wanted to say I haven't seen such power in a very long time.' He got on his hands and knees, 'Would you teach me Master?'

The master cultivator eyed him up and down, ‘No.’

'But I will do anything,' Sparrow said, 'Anything to prove to you that I am worthy of being your student.'

A smile started to grow on the cultivator’s face, 'I will not teach you.' and as Sparrow opened his mouth the master cut him off, 'I will not teach you. But I will give you something that is the secret to my ability to defend myself.'

Sparrow was shaking, 'Yes, master.' The cultivator gave a grin. He picked up the object he'd been kicking into the ground. It was small, circular with a pane of glass on the front of it.

'Do you know what this is?' The Master said.

Sparrow shook his head, 'A clock?'

The master’s eyebrows drew upward, 'This is an alarm clock of great power. This is an indestructible warning device. It tells you when enemies are near. That way you don't get caught out by surprise. So, for example...' the old master gestured to the mountain range behind them.

'Imagine you're walking along the valley. Your mind is wandering to perhaps previous battles or cultivation techniques that you are pondering. And all of a sudden 10 bandits jump out from behind a boulder and slice your throat open.'

Sparrow’s hands reached for his neck, 'That's not a very nice picture.'

'No, it isn't,' The Master said. 'But say you have this clock. You walk through the same valley. Your head is up in the clouds. All of a sudden you get a beep from this alarm clock.' The Master made his voice squeaky, ‘Ten men are approaching from the right, two swordsmen, three archers and five spearmen.’

The man chuckled before continuing, 'You know ahead of time what's coming at you and you can make decisions about whether to fight or to flee.' The alarm clock began to speak but the cultivator wrapped part of his jacket around it, muffling the clock’s words before continuing, 'I think it could be very useful to a young, inexperienced cultivator such as yourself. Because I feel bad about being unable to train you. I will give this alarm clock to you for two golden coins.'

Two golden coins. Sparrow reached into his pockets - all he had in them was fluff.

‘I don’t have two golden coins,’ Sparrow said, ‘I haven’t got anything.’

The cultivator’s eyebrows twisted, ‘Okay… that doesn’t matter.’ he pulled the alarm clock from his cloak and handed it to Sparrow.

'Right now the alarm clock is still in my name,' The cultivator said, 'All you need to do to seal the deal is say I claim ownership of the Automatic Warner 3000 X.'

'I claim ownership of the Automatic Warner 3000' Sparrow repeated and the alarm clock gave a ding, 'Ownership transferred. It's nice to meet you Master Sparrow.'

'Master Sparrow,' The cultivator grinned, 'Take care young one. You'll need it.'

Sparrow held up the alarm clock, ‘Not anymore.’

The cultivator just laughed as he swept his hands around him, creating a sand storm so thick Sparrow couldn’t see him. When the sand settled the cultivator was gone and Sparrow was left holding his new treasure. He gently tucked it into one of his pockets making sure it didn't touch anything metal to stop the glass from being scratched.

'No more sneak attacks,' Sparrow grinned, 'Perfect.'