Twenty-four thousand miles, with the speed of the White Jade Flying Ship, if we don't rest and don't count the cost of Spirit Stones, flying every moment at maximum speed, it would take about ten days.
But we need to rest and cultivate as normal, avoid marketplaces and sects along the way, try to steer clear of passing cultivators, plus considering supplies, weather, and sudden incidents, it might take us three months to arrive.
Jiang Qingfeng thought for a while and said, "Junior brother, spending several months in the wild seems too uncertain. Generally, Qi Cultivators travel across state commanderies by riding Wind-Controlling Giant Beasts. However, these beasts are only available in large marketplaces, and the bounty can't possibly spread too far. Why don't we find a large marketplace without a bounty first, then ride a Wind-Controlling Beast to Ningzhou?"
Lu Qian nodded in agreement, he compared it with the map, "Senior sister and I thought of the same plan. We don't need to look at other marketplaces, we are six thousand miles away from Cangzhou. During this period, we should conceal our tracks and find a Wind-Controlling Beast once we reach Cangzhou. I can't believe anyone in Cangzhou would bother with a bounty thousands of miles away."
They rekindled the campfire slightly, discussing the route in whispers over the map. Within a state, there are dozens of counties, yet this map only details Nujiang County in Qingzhou and some surrounding areas, while others only show place names.
After a moment of discussion, Jiang Qingfeng expressed some concern, "We've gone to great lengths to head to the Ningzhou Danxia Sect, do you really think Master Chi Yu will help us rebuild the mountain gate?"
Lu Qian chuckled helplessly, "Senior sister, you're being overly optimistic. This letter is nearly three hundred years old, we don't even know what Danxia Sect and Master Chi Yu are like now. To be blunt, what if this Zhenren has fallen? Even if we find him, though Grandmaster Ancestor did give him some Heavenly and Earthly Treasures back in the day, whether this favor holds value to Master Chi Yu today is hard to say."
"Over three hundred years ago, Master Yeyang Zhenren established the Yunshan Sect with great hardship at the Golden Core level, showing how difficult it is to establish a mountain gate. We haven't had any interaction for nearly three hundred years, and now the two of us juniors suddenly go to collect a debt, whether this Zhenren will help us, or how much help he'll offer, is a real unknown. This letter merely gives us a direction to try, ultimately we must rely on ourselves. Do you really expect him to gift us a Spirit Vein?"
Jiang Qingfeng sighed lowly. She raised her fair forehead, gently arched her brows, gazed at the vast sky. Seeing the galaxy overturned, moonlight flowing like water, she felt insignificant, and sighed, "The world is so vast, where is our resting place?"
Lu Qian also looked up at the night sky, although the bright moon is high, there are countless stars unwilling to fall behind, shining brightly, competing with the moon. A surge of passion arose in his heart, he said resolutely, "Fighting against the heavens, what boundless pleasure. If no one helps us, we'll find a chaotic place, start from a village or land, eventually we'll rise like a phoenix! Senior sister, everything depends on human effort, the world is so vast, why worry about finding no place to rest?"
Upon hearing this, Qingfeng turned back, her skin icy and bones jade-like, lotus powder dews hanging, she smiled brightly, her gaze as clear as autumn water, making the moonlight and starlight lose their color.
"Alright, I'll follow junior brother."
At this moment, Lu Qian felt his mind go blank, his heart filled with boundless tenderness.
Not a word was spoken all night.
The next day, the three set off once more. They lowered the flying height, traversing through desolate mountains and remote paths. Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng took turns controlling the flying ship and keeping watch, avoiding marketplaces from afar, concealing themselves with Invisibility Talismans when seeing cultivators' escape light, and descending to the ground to evade them briefly.
Once cultivators learn to fly with magical artifacts, they are no longer similar to mortals. The world is vast, where can't they fly? Where can they set up roadblocks to intercept people?
Even the most foolish wouldn't think of aimlessly going to the wilderness to catch someone. Therefore, though Lu Qian's bounty spread across marketplaces, no cultivators hunted him on the roads. They saw many escape lights from afar along the way, but they were merely passing by, without any incident.
Not having particularly high hopes for Master Chi Yu, after several days of travel, moving away from Nujiang County, Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng simply slowed down. They spent half the day traveling, and half cultivating, resting and meditating at night. When supplies ran low, they'd find a small marketplace for Jiang Qingfeng to purchase supplies.
Lu Qian simply took out the sect's secret store of Cultivation Technique Scriptures and studied them with Jiang Qingfeng. Jiang Qingfeng had Water, Wood, and Earth Three Spiritual Roots, measuring four inches long, better than ordinary cultivators' three-inch Spiritual Roots. Her original master was an Elder from Yunshan Sect, passed down a cultivation technique capable of reaching Foundation Establishment, so there's no immediate need to switch. She chose magic techniques suitable for her Spiritual Root and learned them, acquiring several more skills.
Although Jiang Baitao is young, energetic and lively, after experiencing so much, she's very sensible and well-behaved, diligent in cultivation. She has Water, Wood, and Gold Three Spiritual Roots, measuring four inches and five fen, even better than her sister. Her Spiritual Root Attribute only added Wood Attribute compared to Lu Qian, so Lu Qian straightforwardly taught her the Hidden Cloud Scripture he cultivates.
Initially, Qingfeng was quite surprised, even refusing at one point because Hidden Cloud Scripture is the sect's Fundamental Method, directly pointing towards the Golden Core Dao, traditionally only Sect Leader's Disciples are allowed to cultivate it.
However, Lu Qian didn't bother with these formalities, he said, "Cherishing a broom, how foolish. Our most urgent matter now is quickly increasing combat power. Previously only Sect Leader's Disciples were allowed to cultivate, merely to maintain the Sect Leader's faction's strength and status. Fearing competition is utterly cowardly and foolish. Of course, the law cannot be transmitted lightly, there is reason, but we're just three Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals now, what's there to discuss? Any Divine Skill Secret Manual, practice them all."
Qingfeng wanted to say something more, but Lu Qian simply laughed, "I am the Sect Leader, I decide."
Baitao got the cultivation technique and trained earnestly, and Lu Qian was never stingy with elixirs that assist cultivation. Although lacking a Spirit Vein, after a period her cultivation stabilized at the first stage of Qi Cultivation, estimating in another two months she could breakthrough to the second stage of Qi Cultivation.
With the little girl's current spiritual power, she can also throw out a few talismans, allowing her brief solitude without fearing ordinary wild beasts.
As for Lu Qian himself, he also pondered the mysteries of Divine Sense day and night. Cultivators require Divine Sense control to wield magical artifacts, to construct magic techniques with Divine Sense, and to cast talismans with Divine Sense activation, a strong and keen Divine Sense obviously has endless uses.
Yunshan Sect's exclusive secret technique "Wind Shadow Cloud Body" is also designated for Foundation Establishment cultivation due to its dual high requirements on Divine Sense and spiritual power. Given his Divine Sense Strength is no issue, perhaps when his Qi Cultivation reaches late-stage or perfection and spiritual power meets the threshold, he can practice it.
Currently Lu Qian's cultivation level is low, limited in spiritual power, while controlling three Starlight Needles, although his Divine Sense still has strength, spiritual power is already insufficient. After practicing for more than half a month, he could only simultaneously launch some talismans while controlling the Starlight Needles.
Yet even such a rudimentary technique surprised Jiang Qingfeng greatly.
During their sparring, Lu Qian's three Silver Needles flickered and threaded, attacking vital points from different angles, occasionally a talisman shot forth, making it hard to guard against. Jiang Qingfeng couldn't endure for even a cup of tea's time and had to admit defeat.
Losing the spar, Qingfeng instead delighted. Their Sect Leader is extraordinarily gifted, resourceful, and decisive, what could be better than that? Yunshan Sect will definitely revive, this thought grows firmer in her mind day by day.