Chapter 254
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the valley, Xiao Li's figure flickered around Lu Qing.
From time to time, he would swipe his claw, tearing through the air, forming blade-like gusts, attacking Lu Qing.
Lu Qing held a thousand-folded treasured blade, his wrist moving slightly, easily shattering those wind blades.
Yes, Lu Qing was sparring with Xiao Li.
At the same time, to test Xiao Li's strength limit, he let him attack freely without worrying about causing any injury.
However, it seemed that the little guy was still holding back.
"Xiao Li, just relying on these wind blades won't do anything to me. Show me some real skills." Lu Qing said with a smile.
Whoosh!
As soon as he spoke, Xiao Li suddenly appeared on Lu Qing's left side, claws flashing with cold light, making Lu Qing's skin tingle slightly.Xiao Li's claws were about to reach Lu Qing's body.
At the critical moment, Lu Qing's sword traced a profound trajectory, intercepting Xiao Li's claws just in time.
Swish!
Without suspense, the thousand-folded treasured blade in Lu Qing's hand was instantly cut off by Xiao Li's incredibly sharp claws.
With this slight obstruction, Lu Qing swiftly retreated with agility.
But just as he thought he was out of Xiao Li's attack range, Xiao Li's figure flashed again, disappearing into thin air.
When he reappeared, he was within a foot of Lu Qing, lightly swiping at his neck, cutting off a strand of hair before retreating to perch on a branch, ceasing his attacks.
"Impressive!"
Lu Qing caught the falling strand of hair and couldn't help but praise.
Xiao Li's speed was truly astounding.
Combined with his elusive innate magical power, even Lu Qing was no match for him without using his trump cards.
"Ow~"
Xiao Li gave a light cry, puffing out his chest proudly.
"You…" Lu Qing shook his head and laughed, "But Xiao Li, although your speed and claws are formidable, they are not invincible. There are still some special techniques and methods in this world that can restrain you. You must not become too complacent."
"Ow?"
Xiao Li looked at Lu Qing in confusion, seemingly not believing him.
"You don't believe me? Well, attack me again." Lu Qing smiled.
Whoosh!
Xiao Li disappeared again, entering a stealth state and pouncing at Lu Qing.
Lu Qing's smile remained, but as Xiao Li disappeared, a yellow light flickered on his body.
The next moment, a claw appeared before him, slashing at his shoulder.
But just as it appeared, it was fixed in mid-air, unable to move forward.
Immediately, Xiao Li's figure also appeared, suspended in the air, eyes filled with shock and confusion.
He seemed unable to comprehend how Lu Qing had captured him.
"See?" Lu Qing tapped Xiao Li's head with his finger, "Your speed is fast, but your strength is lacking, only comparable to an average Precelestial Realm initial stage.
If you encounter truly powerful Precelestial experts, like me with special methods, or a master like my teacher who has comprehended the Precelestial Domain, by setting up a field around them, they wouldn't fear you and could even capture you.
Your claws, though incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through anything, are not yet powerful enough to tear through such invisible fields."
Lu Qing withdrew the geomagnetic field around him, letting Xiao Li's body gently fall, eyes still reflecting contemplation.
Seeing this, Lu Qing didn't disturb him.
Although Xiao Li was highly intelligent, his mind was simple and lacked combat experience.
This time was a small lesson for him, to prevent him from becoming arrogant as his strength grew.
After all, in these changing times, who knows what kind of monstrous beings might appear.
Necessary vigilance was essential.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Li suddenly raised his head and tugged at Lu Qing's pants.
Lu Qing understood the meaning in his eyes: "You want to spar with me more often to practice your combat skills?"
Xiao Li nodded.
"Alright, actually, Xiao Li, your innate magical power is extremely formidable. If used properly, even my geomagnetic field might not be able to restrain you."
Lu Qing agreed, encouraging Xiao Li.
But he wasn't just flattering Xiao Li.
Xiao Li's innate magical power indeed had limitless potential to be tapped.
After all, this was an ability involving space. In Lu Qing's understanding, anything related to space was never simple.
"Ow~"
Hearing Lu Qing's encouragement, the slightly disheartened Xiao Li cheered up, immediately jumping onto his shoulder.
"Alright, let's go back. Master Ma should have prepared breakfast. After eating, we need to set off again."
With Xiao Li, Lu Qing headed towards the carriage, deep in thought.
After sparring with Xiao Li, he had a clearer understanding of Xiao Li's current strength.
After evolving into a Precelestial Realm spirit beast, Xiao Li's strength had greatly improved.
Both speed and the sharpness of his claws had significantly enhanced.
Especially his evolved innate magical power, which was extremely mysterious. When activated, ordinary Precelestial Realm practitioners couldn't detect Xiao Li's movements.
Only someone like Lu Qing, who had condensed a Soul Rune with strong soul sensing ability and possessed an extraordinary treasure like the Earth Spirit Bead to guard his soul, could barely sense Xiao Li's spatial movements.
Otherwise, even a Precelestial Realm great master would find it hard to see through Xiao Li's power.
In conclusion, if Xiao Li mastered his innate magical power, he could become the most terrifying assassin in the world.
Even top-tier Precelestial Realm experts, without comprehending the Precelestial Domain, might not evade Xiao Li's stealth attacks.
So, in the coming days, Lu Qing planned to invest time and effort to help Xiao Li learn how to use his innate magical power.
When Lu Qing and Xiao Li returned to the woods, Mago had just finished preparing breakfast, and Xiaoyan had just finished her breathing exercises.
After breakfast, they packed up and set off again.
They were currently in an unfamiliar large state called Hongzhou.
As long as they crossed one more large state, they would officially enter Zhongzhou.
According to their map and the speed of the carriage, they estimated that in three days at most, they would reach the border of Zhongzhou.
With Xiao Li awake, everyone felt relieved and focused on their journey.
Along the way, they almost never interacted with others.
Because of the uniqueness of their carriage, they even chose to camp in the wild rather than staying in towns or villages.
However, they couldn't avoid encountering other travelers on the main roads.
When this happened, Mago would often whip the horses, making the carriage speed up with a blue aura, quickly overtaking the other travelers.
Those who witnessed this were left speechless.
Thus, the legend of a wind-riding divine carriage began to spread in the places they passed.
Naturally, Lu Qing and his group were unaware of what was happening behind them.
On this day, after continuous travel, they finally stopped, staring blankly at the scene before them.
In the distance, a towering, majestic mountain range, like a giant dragon, lay across the land.
Waterfalls hung from the mountains, cascading down, creating a magnificent sight.
"Master, is that Zhongzhou?"
Wei Zian asked, mouth agape in awe at the winding mountain range.
"How would I know? I've never been to Zhongzhou."
Mago was equally stunned, muttering.
He had been following the map, driving the carriage along the main road.
Who would have thought they'd see such a breathtaking scene?
"This must be the border of Zhongzhou."
The old doctor exhaled softly.
In his youth, he had wanted to travel to Zhongzhou.
But due to various reasons, he never fulfilled that wish.
Unexpectedly, in his old age, he was able to come to Zhongzhou.
Lu Qing, looking at the grand mountain range ahead, was also moved.
This mountain range was far more imposing than the Hundred Thousand Mountains behind Jiuli Village.
Standing here, Lu Qing could feel the spiritual energy in the surrounding air was much richer than in the large states they had passed through.
"No wonder it's the most prosperous and spiritually rich place in the world. Just nearing Zhongzhou, the density of spiritual energy has nearly doubled.
I can't imagine how rich the spiritual energy must be in the core of Zhongzhou."
Lu Qing felt fortunate.
Luckily, his master had the foresight to decide to come to Zhongzhou.
Otherwise, without experiencing it firsthand, he wouldn't have imagined the spiritual energy in Zhongzhou to be this rich.
Compared to this, the spiritual energy in the large states they had passed was almost barren.
With such rich spiritual energy, unimaginable talents and treasures would surely emerge.
The top martial artists here would also see rapid progress in their cultivation.
If they hadn't come, in a few days, they might have completely fallen behind the world's revival pace, becoming frogs at the bottom of a well.
The group stood there, savoring the grandeur and essence of the distant mountains.
Finally, Lu Qing was the first to snap out of it.
"Master, since we can see the giant mountain, according to the map, we should be at Azure Dragon Pass. If we continue, we will reach Azure Dragon City."
The map they had was given by Wei Shanhai.
In his youth, Wei Shanhai had traveled widely, including to Zhongzhou, and naturally had the corresponding map.
Lu Qing hadn't expected the pass marked on the map, Azure Dragon Pass, to be so grand and imposing.
"Then let's keep going, and reach Azure Dragon City as soon as possible." The old doctor nodded.
They got back on the carriage and continued their journey.
The saying "
seeing a mountain wears out the horse" proved true, as the majestic Azure Dragon Pass, though seemingly close, was actually a hundred miles away from Lu Qing and his group.
Even at the speed of their enchanted carriage, it took them half an hour to barely see the base of the mountain.
Simultaneously, they also saw the huge city at the foot of the mountain.
"That must be Azure Dragon City. Master Ma, slow down a bit."
Lu Qing said upon seeing the city.
He activated his mind, temporarily halting the carriage's formations.
The formations on the carriage were engraved by him, designed to activate automatically.
But he could control them with a thought.
The enchanted carriage was extraordinary and unique.
Azure Dragon City, as a checkpoint into Zhongzhou, must harbor many hidden experts.
Until they understood the situation inside, it was wise to be low-key.
After stopping the formations, the carriage became much heavier, and the horses neighed in discomfort.
But Mago had already slowed down, so they quickly adjusted, trotting forward.
Rumble, rumble…
As they neared Azure Dragon City, they heard faint roaring sounds.
Lifting the carriage curtain, a fresh, moist breeze greeted them.
It was the sound of the waterfalls they had seen earlier, crashing down from the mountains.
"There is a mighty river flowing at the foot of this giant dragon mountain range."
Lu Qing guessed as he listened to the water sounds.
Looking through the carriage window at the approaching Azure Dragon City, the soul power in his brow acupoint surged slightly.
He sensed many strong auras in Azure Dragon City.
Several of these auras were on par with the two Grand Elders of the Flowing Cloud Sect.
Whether there were even stronger presences, he couldn't tell.
Precelestial Realm experts, once reaching a certain level, could hide their auras.
Like his master, after comprehending the Precelestial Domain, could perfectly conceal his aura.
Even Lu Qing, with his soul sensing, had difficulty detecting his master's Precelestial essence.
Given the grandeur of Azure Dragon City, larger and more imposing than any state capital he had seen, it was likely to harbor such experts.
The carriage moved slowly, and soon they arrived at the gates of Azure Dragon City.
"Is this Azure Dragon City?"
Lu Qing and the others got off the carriage.
Looking at the grand city gate, the three stone-carved characters exuded a fierce and domineering aura.
Lu Qing felt a slight chill.
He could tell that the person who carved those characters was a top-tier master.
Stronger than any martial artist he had seen.
Even his master seemed inferior in comparison.
Curious, he activated his ability and gazed at the characters.
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