Chapter 143: Safe Travels

The Xia family’s specialty is corpse manipulation, but my attacks were so relentless that they never had a chance to cast their spells, effectively neutralizing most of their offensive power. I pressed my advantage, striking their vital points repeatedly. Within two exchanges, I had slashed his throat, and he collapsed to the ground.

The battle on my great-uncle’s side was also nearing its end. I saw him execute a move called "Dragon Emerging from the Sea," which sent his opponent flying before he finished him off in mid-air.

"Overestimating your abilities." My great-uncle snorted coldly and burned their corpses with a flick of his wrist. Only after everything was cleared away did he sit back down on his stool to drink tea.

"Not bad. You’ve reached the Spirit Lotus Realm."

Truth be told, I wasn't even sure how it happened. I felt I was still some distance away; it must have been that white orb that gave me a helping hand.

"Just luck, I suppose." From the very beginning, I’ve never felt I had much talent; I’ve survived until now relying entirely on luck.

My great-uncle didn’t seem bothered by this; he remained calm, as if nothing had happened, continuing to sip his tea. I went back inside to change my clothes and returned to the courtyard to practice my blade work. Nangong Xi was still meditating, her eyes tightly shut. I skillfully began to perform the third chapter of the Wing Shadow Blade Technique. As I mentioned before, the technique has many chapters, and although this was only the third, its power was already formidable. It was hard to imagine what the effects would be once I had mastered the final chapter.

Nowadays, every time I summon the Snow Blade, the temperature of the surrounding air drops significantly. Though freezing, the blade’s power has become much more ferocious. It took only a few minutes to finish the twelve forms, yet as someone who had reached the Spirit Lotus Realm, I was still drenched in sweat. This alone proved that the difficulty of the Wing Shadow Blade Technique was unmatched by ordinary styles. After practicing the forms a few more times, I sheathed the Snow Blade and sat on a stone stool to rest.

Since it was a quiet day, I decided to ask my great-uncle a question. "Great-uncle, do you know any other moves from the Baji Fist?"

This question stumped him. He set down his book, thought for a moment, and replied, "I'm not a professional martial artist, so no."

"Tsk..." I barely use the Baji Fist anymore, but I didn't want to lose the skill, and I still wanted to learn more.

"Why don't you go take a look in Qulong Town? There are bound to be manuals there."

I slapped my thigh. Right! I had forgotten all about that during my last trip to Qulong Town, as I was too preoccupied with shopping with Chen Chen. "Alright, I’m going now."

My impatience was on full display, and my great-uncle couldn't help but offer a wry smile. "Come back early."

Just as I was about to head down the mountain, my phone rang. I pulled it out to see it was Chen Chen. "What’s up?"

"Do you have time? I'm heading to Qulong Town to pick up some things."

Hearing this, I exclaimed at the coincidence. "What a coincidence, I’m headed there too. Let’s meet at the usual spot."

After Chen Chen agreed, I reached the foot of the mountain. It was ten in the morning; if we drove fast, we could be back before nightfall. There were no cars on the road, so I ran toward the city to look for a taxi. Fortunately, after running for a few minutes, I spotted one speeding down the road. I hailed it and headed straight into the city.

Time passed quickly, and before long, I arrived. When I trotted into the park, Chen Chen was already waiting. "What are you buying again? Didn't you already buy weapons?"

Chen Chen didn't hide anything from me. "I want to buy some medicinal pills. They’re really useful."

I agreed; pills were versatile and easy to carry. I decided I would buy some too. Chen Chen wanted to call Li Zijian, but I stopped him. I explained what had happened that morning, and he understood, so we decided not to bring Li Zijian along this time. After some discussion, we decided to hire a car, as money wasn't an issue.

We flagged down a taxi driven by an elderly man. Surprisingly, although the car smelled of pipe tobacco, it was very clean. The old man was a skilled driver and drove exceptionally fast. Seeing him light a cigarette, I pulled a pack out of my ring and lit one as well.

I just hoped things would go smoothly this time... Every time I went out on business, I encountered accidents, some of which were incredibly dangerous. But man proposes, God disposes; whatever is coming will come, so I simply closed my eyes to rest.

Chen Chen’s cultivation had been climbing rapidly these past few days; he had reached the fourth grade of the Spirit Flower Realm, just two grades away from the Spirit Lotus. As the car roared along, I entered a state of meditation.

With the white orb gone from my body, I felt my speed of absorbing spiritual energy had actually increased. This must have been the orb's lingering effect. A vast amount of spiritual energy was being drawn into my body, but I remembered my great-uncle’s advice: one cannot focus only on absorption, one must also consolidate. Thus, I slowed my cultivation pace.

Time flew by, and when I opened my eyes again, it was past noon. The car was nearing Qulong Town. It seemed we hadn't encountered any danger this time. Chen Chen didn't seem to have cultivated at all, spending the whole journey staring blankly out the window.

A while later, the car entered Qulong. To avoid drawing attention, we got out near the outskirts of the town. The place hadn't changed much; apart from the absence of the old men sunbathing at the entrance, the only difference was the yellowing leaves.

Chen Chen and I walked quickly through the streets of Qulong Town, keeping a sharp lookout. Fortunately, we didn't sense any spiritual energy, and we arrived at the entrance of Qilin Hall. Chen Chen remembered the way, leading us around the hall toward the cliff behind it. He was still quite afraid of heights, but after hesitating for a long time, he jumped, and I followed closely behind.

After the familiar sensation of the descent, I landed on the ground. Chen Chen hadn't yet recovered from the jump and was standing there, gasping for air. "Let's go." After a moment, he regained his composure and took the lead.

Qulong Town was as beautiful as ever, with a steady stream of people on the streets. Business seemed to be booming at the various shops. We walked with familiarity toward Yu Yue's store. It was easy to find, and the guard at the door was still there; seeing me, he bowed. I nodded slightly and walked straight inside.

"Boss Yu!" Seeing no one at the counter on the first floor, I called out. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps on the stairs. Yu Yue was dressed simply in a pale blue robe, his long hair left loose, cascading over his shoulders.

"Oh, oh, oh! The little brother is here. Come, sit." Seeing it was me, Yu Yue specially brewed a pot of fine tea and led me to the reception room upstairs.

"It’s been a few days, and your cultivation has reached a new level. I am truly humbled." I took a sip of tea and waved my hand.