Lord Shenxiu
Chapter 103: A Mouthful of Pure Spiritual Energy, A Thousand Miles of Joyful Breeze (200 Extra, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: A Mouthful of Pure Spiritual Energy, A Thousand Miles of Joyful Breeze (200 Extra, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Leaving the Fufeng Protectorate and heading east, after passing Sky Locking Pass, lies the territory of Luo State.

Luo State is truly considered the Central Earth region, free from war and long-cherished peace, bustling and prosperous.

Even foreign tribes are extremely rare here, mostly populated by the Yan Han people. Compared to the mixed living in Fufeng City, it gives Zhong Shenxiu an even more authentic feeling of ancient life.

Whoosh!

Hundreds of feet in the air, his sleeves billowed as he faced the wind with elegance and ease, riding the convenience of the six energies, he soared through the void.

In an instant, he had traveled tens of miles.

At this moment, feeling his mana somewhat insufficient, he landed on a mountain peak and began to sit in meditation to recover his mana.

He was on a smooth piece of Qingshi, next to which a small stream babbled by, carrying fallen flowers and leaves into its waters, like little boats floating away into the distance.

Gazing at this scene, Zhong Shenxiu’s thoughts began to drift away.

A few days ago, after bidding farewell to his two dogs and arranging his household affairs, he asked Feng Xixi for leave.

Feng Xixi was quite astonished at the speed of ’Su Daoshi’s’ breakthrough and approved his request for a long journey.

Of course, being a Daoist Official had its conveniences, but it wasn’t so random; perhaps a Primordial Pill Great Cultivator could do so, but a mere Gang Sha was not enough.

In addition to this, Daoist Officials indeed have the right to take an extended leave every time they make a major breakthrough, so Feng Xixi wasn’t mixing personal matters with public duties.

However, if Zhong Shenxiu wanted to keep his official skin, he had to pick up a mission and go through the motions.

He casually chose a long-term mission, responsible for investigating a case that originally occurred in the Fufeng Protectorate and later led to chasing clues to Luo State; a very troublesome matter that other Daoist Officials avoided, but Zhong Shenxiu accepted with pleasure.

Even though the mission reward wasn’t high, the time frame was long and allowed travel to other states, which was the biggest benefit.

After all, within the Second Yan Han Empire, the law was strictly enforced and not particularly friendly towards Loose Cultivators.

Having the shell of a Daoist Official made traveling much easier.

"Speaking of which... I seem to have promised Lu Huolong to deliver something to Yixin Temple... That man is a Sword Cultivator, and Yixin Temple might have some swordsmanship inheritance that can complement the Poison Dragon Sword..."

He pondered carefully.

Zhong Shenxiu was the type to leave at a moment’s notice, but he didn’t have a specific destination in mind for his travels.

At this time, he thought about touring Luo State first while also seeking the Mixed Evil Beast King Body to cultivate the Ten Thousand Beasts True Body Technique.

As for joining the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect? That was a long-term goal, and currently, he saw no hope for it.

’When traveling, for convenience, I chose the Carefree Wind Escape as my first spell, and the Ten Thousand Beasts True Body Technique must be the second... It’s better to lay the foundation as early as possible.’

Carefree Wind Escape is one of the six basic spells of the Five Elements Heavenly Escape, allowing one to ride the wind with extraordinary speed.

Although due to the insufficiency of mana as a Gang Sha Cultivator, the highest he could rise was three hundred feet and needed to rest after a hundred miles, it was still far better than any mundane thousand-li horse.

This technique was a True Inheritor from the Dragon Tiger Pill Book, touted as ’a breath of clear spiritual energy, a thousand miles of joyful wind,’ and needed to be cultivated with Clear Wind Evil.

Zhong Shenxiu chose this spell to refine because it was relatively easy for him to obtain this evil Qi.

This Clear Wind Evil was situated tens of thousands of feet high in the sky, occasionally appearing in wisps that required divine skills to collect.

For a Gang Sha Cultivator like Feng Xixi, flying up a mere hundred feet at most, they could only stare helplessly at the sky.

But Zhong Shenxiu was different!

He possessed the equivalent of a Divine Power Realm laborer, gaining many conveniences in collecting evil Qi.

The same was true with the previous Xuanyin Evil, and now with the Clear Wind Evil.

Within the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect, for a Gang Sha Cultivator to refine this Carefree Wind Escape, they also needed to ask for assistance from a Superpower Expert in the sect to collect evil Qi from above the Ninth Heaven.

These disciples are merely juniors, how could they possibly command a Superpower Expert?

Therefore, they may either stimulate interest with great rewards or plead earnestly, the best scenario is to have their own blood relatives and elders to help.

Yet, Zhong Shenxiu was essentially raising a Superpower slave, who would do whatever was asked without a trace of complaint.

Feng Xixi still needed to painstakingly exchange for Gang Sha Qi, but his rate of collecting Gang Sha Qi was much faster.

The only trouble was with some special Gang Sha Qi.

For instance, the Mixed Evil Qi of dragon and tiger necessary for cultivating the Ten Thousand Beasts True Body Technique. This type of Evil Qi could only occasionally arise from the death place of demon beasts like dragons and tigers when, by chance, the underground energy of earth veins emitted and formed a den of evil, making it extremely precious.

’This Evil Qi is hard to find... Perhaps I should step back and use the Ten Thousand Beasts True Evil Qi To establish my foundation? This type of Evil Qi’s requirements are lower; where many demon beasts have died, there might be earth veins, but the effect is weakened by thirty percent...’

As for any incomplete version of the Mixed Evil Beast King Body, Zhong Shenxiu wouldn’t even consider it.

"Better to look for some Loose Cultivator gatherings nearby to gather information... Now that I’m inland, there are lots of advanced practitioners; the fewer abilities like the Headless Earl I use, the better. Otherwise, if my powers were to be exposed, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter..."

That’s why, usually, even when rushing on his journey, he would use the Carefree Wind Escape instead of his Divine Skills.

After meditating to recover his mana, Zhong Shenxiu opened the map.

This map was produced by the government, but it wasn’t very clear. It simply outlined the six prefectures and thirty-two counties of Luo State, as well as the situation of some famous mountains and rivers.

To truly find a Loose Cultivator gathering, one still had to visit the government.

"The closest place from here is Xuanyu City. I can go there and conveniently find some information about Loose Cultivators under the guise of an investigation..."

For ordinary people and even Loose Cultivators, finding clues about immortals was exceedingly difficult, but for Zhong Shenxiu, it was as simple as asking around.

After all, he was an authentic official of the government, and these conveniences were meant to be utilized—whether they were used for free or not, why not take advantage of them?

Gang Sha Cultivators, however, are unable to fast for extended periods.

Looking over the mountains and fields, Zhong Shenxiu decided to hunt a pheasant or wild hare for a drink, and suddenly sighed, "Seated alone in this secluded bamboo, I still find people intruding..."

He was annoyed by this and casually pointed a finger, casting a blinding spell.

This was a minor spell from the Yellow Sand Daoist Scripture, so trivial that even the Yellow Sand Saint wouldn’t bother to refine it into a primary spell. But with just a casual practice, it was surprisingly effective at baffling common folk.

Such convenient spells, simple yet helpful in everyday life, were known as auxiliary small spells, like those for cleaning or resisting water and fire. Most cultivators practiced a layer or two, but few were masters at them.

Moments later, a noise of commotion could be heard.

"Nice archery! Mr. Ling never misses, we’re in for a treat today."

"Mr. Ling has a profound family tradition!"

"Oh, not at all, my archery skills are far from matching my father’s."

...

A group of young men and women dressed extravagantly and wearing thumb rings strolled along, surrounded by a throng of dashing servants, seemingly out for hunting pleasure.

The boy in the middle, only fourteen or fifteen, with a fair face and downy lips, wore a jade belt with a ruby embedded in it.

After modestly demurring a few times, he sighed, "For the past half-month, my father and several uncles have been hunting spiritual foxes in Mangdang Mountain. I volunteered eagerly, but they said my presence would only be a burden and didn’t take me..."

The boy seemed discouraged as he spoke.

A girl next to him, dressed like a heroine in red, chuckled, "Uncle Wei and the others are hunting the spiritual fox for you. Your family spent who knows how many favors to make connections with a cultivator. If you can win his favor with the spiritual fox, he might take you as a disciple. Next time we meet, Mr. Ling, you might be an immortal. Just remember to look out for your little sister..."

"Becoming a Daoist immortal!"

The topic ignited envy among the surrounding youth.