Early the next morning, Lu Yaoyao and her group gathered at the sect’s entrance gate. Her four senior brothers were there as well, ready to see her off. As she looked at their worried faces, Lu Yaoyao couldn’t help but wonder—was she really that unreliable?
“Yaoyao, how about I go with you?” Her third senior brother Mo Ziwan suggested. Since Lu Yaoyao and her group decided to go out for training, her senior brothers couldn’t stop worrying. They preferred to have one of them accompany the group, but with Yan Zihui already joining, Lu Yaoyao felt that having too many high-level members would defeat the purpose of the training. Being protected the whole time would make the trip nothing more than a sightseeing tour. So, she politely declined her senior brothers’ offer.
Now, hearing Third Senior Brother bring it up again, Lu Yaoyao confidently patted her chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Senior Brothers. We can definitely take care of ourselves. This isn’t our first time taking a mission!”
“This is only the second time,” Mo Ziwan replied, still uneasy. The previous trip was just a simple foraging, not a true training experience, though they were unlucky enough to meet a danger. But the mission this time was a real one!
“Relax! We will be alright.” Lu Yaoyao reassured, “I am quite experienced!”
Lu Junyang, who had just finished speaking with Chao Muxue, walked over. Hearing Lu Yaoyao’s confident yet childish voice, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Then we’ll wait for Yaoyao to come back from training and share your enriched experiences.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded earnestly.
Yan Zihui stood next to them, holding his sword with a nonchalant demeanor, “Don’t worry, I’m with them. I’ll bring them all back in one piece. Anyway, we should get going.” Any more delays and the sun would set.
Thus, Lu Yaoyao and her group bid farewell to their senior brothers, who appeared like worried parents sending their children off into the harsh outside world. The group turned and descended the long steps until they reached the foot of the mountain, where they switched to flying with their swords directly to the outskirts of Tianyan City. A minimum cultivation level of the Foundation Establishment stage was needed to travel with flying swords, so Wen Zixing rode with Lu Yaoyao while Yan Zihui carried Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan. The city gate was bustling with activity as people came and went, and their group blended into the crowd to enter the city.
Tianyan City, as the nearest major city to Guiyuan Sect, was always bustling. In fact, the city was still quite a novelty to Lu Yaoyao and the others, as they had rarely left the mountain in the past three years. They entered through the east gate and needed to cross the entire city to exit through the west gate and continue their journey to Yanhuo Mountain. However, since they were not in a hurry, they traversed the streets in a leisurely manner, buying a lot of things that caught their attention.
When they reached the city center, a towering pagoda stood prominently in the square. Noticing his junior brothers and sisters looking up at the pagoda, Yan Zihui asked, “Shall we take a look inside?”
This ninety-nine-story pagoda was a divine-level artifact placed in Tianyan City by Dao Venerable Hengwu. Now serving as a training ground for cultivators, each floor was filled with challenges and contained what was said to be the most comprehensive cultivation methods in the world. Cultivators of various cultivation paths could discover the most suitable methods for themselves in this pagoda. Additionally, it was rumored that the ninety-ninth floor held a sword intent left by Dao Venerable Hengwu himself. It was no wonder that the pagoda attracted cultivators from all over the Cultivation Realm, from wandering cultivators1 to disciples from prestigious sects, all eager to explore it.
Du Qianshan watched the cultivators coming and going, his face full of longing, but he sighed regretfully, “No, we can’t go in now anyway.”
The pagoda did not refuse entry to anyone, but there was one condition: the cultivator’s level must be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage. Unfortunately, their cultivation was still too low to enter; each time they passed by here, they would look up at the pagoda, which further fueled their motivation to make progress.
Lu Yaoyao’s cultivation level was sufficient, though she had only been inside once or twice. On both occasions, she was on an outing with her friends, so she had only gone in purely to look around, casually exploring the first five floors without truly pushing herself.
Du Qianshan solemnly swore, “Next year, we will reach the Foundation Establishment stage!”
Chao Muxue followed, “We will definitely achieve it!”
They did not stay long under the pagoda before continuing on their way. An hour later, they left Tianyan City through the west gate. Yan Zihui, who had gone on countless training journeys, was very experienced, “Yanhuo Mountain is far from Tianyan City; we need to take a flying horse carriage.”
The inexperienced newbies had no objections. Soon, they saw the flying horses. Two magnificent and robust horses stood before them, their coats pure white, and their four hooves adorned with beautiful cloud patterns.
The group booked a double-seat flying horse carriage according to their numbers. Lu Yaoyao, Chao Muxue, and Wen Zixing sat in the front row, while Du Qianshan and Yan Zihui sat in the back row. The flying horses lifted their front hooves simultaneously, and the carriage started moving smoothly. After traveling on the ground for a while, the horses suddenly soared into the sky, their hooves rotating with the wind and clouds, carrying the carriage high into the sky.
“Wow!”
“Woo-hoo!”
Lu Yaoyao and Wen Zixing exclaimed, “They really are flying!”
“Of course, they are flying horses!” Yan Zihui leaned back lazily, laughing, “Traveling on the ground is too slow since we have to take detours. Flying is more convenient.”
Moreover, the distance was too far, and flying with swords consumed too much spiritual aura. It was best to use spiritual beasts for such long distances. The carriage they rented had only a canopy on top for shade, with open sides and red tassels hanging on either side. Despite being up high, the passengers didn’t feel any wind hitting them, as if they were enveloped by an invisible wall.
Wen Zixing watched the carriage run through the sky and thought to himself: It looks like Santa Claus’s reindeer sleigh, and they seem like a Santa Claus team ready to deliver gifts!
Sitting between Chao Muxue and Wen Zixing, Lu Yaoyao tried to look outside but was too short to see clearly. Seeing Chao Muxue and Wen Zixing leaning out for a better view, she finally got up, walked over to Chao Muxue’s side, and stood on tiptoe while holding onto the wooden railing to look out.
Both Chao Muxue and Wen Zixing didn’t have many experiences flying, so they fond everything fascinating. The pair of horses carried the carriage through layers of clouds, their hooves running steadily as if treading on solid ground. Pure white clouds drifted by as the carriage flew through, tempting Chao Muxue to reach out and grab them, only to slip through her fingers.
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she raised her hand to point into the distance, “Look over there!”
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