Chapter 28: Chapter 28: I Also Want to Learn
Song Jiulai grabbed Lin Qian and ran.
’I could barely handle one. But this thing is an aerial fighter, and it was cunning enough to call for backup. This is way too much for an Early Stage of Qi Refining cultivator on her first day of training.’
Of course, while running, Song Jiulai still conjured a water ball and shot it at the two birds, obstructing their path slightly.
The Flame Birds were not slow, but Lin Qian and Song Jiulai used their Spiritual Energy to flee, their speed rapidly increasing as if they were riding the wind.
One Flame Bird let out a sharp cry, its wings spreading with a WHOOSH as it spat a stream of fire at Song Jiulai’s retreating figure.
Song Jiulai sensed something was wrong and instantly let go of Lin Qian’s hand.
The two of them dodged to either side, and the flame passed between them.
It instantly scorched the ground black.
’The temperature is pretty intense.’
Lin Qian wasn’t slow to react. "Junior Sister, into the forest!"
The path they were on ran through a continuous mountain forest, with only a few sections of open road. They were currently in one such open area.
As she ran, Song Jiulai replied, "What if they set the forest on fire?"
Lin Qian: "They can’t. There are other demon beasts in the forest, and also cultivators out for training..."
The words had barely left her mouth when a violent fluctuation of Spiritual Energy erupted in the distance. Several Ice Swords suddenly shot over, aimed directly at the two Flame Birds.
The Ice Swords were incredibly fast. The Flame Birds had almost no time to react before they were pierced straight through.
The two Flame Birds let out piercing cries of agony, then croaked without so much as a struggle.
Their bodies fell to the ground, and the Ice Swords that had pierced them dissolved into wisps of water.
Both Song Jiulai and Lin Qian were rather surprised.
Only one thought filled Song Jiulai’s mind.
’I have to learn that.’
’I really, really have to learn that.’
"System, don’t you have some kind of function that lets me copy other people’s moves just by looking at them?"
System: "Why do you always insist on asking questions so absurd they make this system laugh?"
Song Jiulai: "Because I want to see just how absurd your laugh is."
System: "..."
A few moments later, a female cultivator slowly flew over, her expression a little strange.
When Lin Qian saw her, she immediately called out in pleasant surprise, "Senior Sister Qiao!"
The female cultivator called Senior Sister Qiao wore a purple dress. Her aura was powerful and oppressive; she was at least in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
She glanced at Lin Qian with some surprise. "You know me?"
Lin Qian nodded. "I am Lin Qian, a disciple from the Outer Sect’s Good Hall. I saw you during the sect competition two years ago."
"Oh..."
Senior Sister Qiao nodded, not paying it much mind.
’The Good Hall must be just an insignificant branch in the Taohua Sect.’
’And this Senior Sister Qiao is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, so she must hold a certain status in the Taohua Sect.’
Her gaze slowly shifted to Song Jiulai, who immediately answered, "Song Jiulai of the Longevity Sect."
Perhaps because the Longevity Sect was so obscure, the female cultivator just furrowed her brow slightly before dismissing it. She only said, "Are you two headed to First Mountain?"
Lin Qian and Song Jiulai both nodded.
The female cultivator’s tone was cold, but not unfriendly. "First Mountain has been restless lately. Many First and Second Rank Demon Beasts that shouldn’t be here have been driven in. Are you going to First Mountain to gather Spirit Grass?"
This question was directed at Lin Qian.
Lin Qian nodded quickly. "Spirit Grass is scarce in the sect, and I... I don’t have enough Spirit Grass to practice with. I wanted to try my luck on First Mountain."
Senior Sister Qiao then said, "It’s another half-day’s journey. I’ll escort you there. But remember, training is a matter of your own ability. If you run into danger, I might not be able to save you in time. Think it over carefully."
Lin Qian had certainly considered this before she left, so she nodded without hesitation.
Song Jiulai was overjoyed to hear that a powerhouse was willing to escort her and Lin Qian.
’It really is better to have more people around. If I hadn’t run into Lin Qian, I have no idea how long I would have been delayed, struggling all by myself.’
But this Foundation Establishment Stage powerhouse had a cold and aloof air, and they weren’t from the same sect, so Song Jiulai could only suppress the bellyful of questions she had.
By the time Senior Sister Qiao had escorted them to First Mountain, the number of cultivators had noticeably increased.
At the very least, they could see several cultivators flying past high in the sky.
They could also see some cultivators who had formed groups to hunt demon beasts.
First Mountain’s territory was vast, and you could run into people just about anywhere you picked. After dropping them off, Senior Sister Qiao left.
Lin Qian hadn’t dared to speak on the way. Now that Senior Sister Qiao was gone, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s Senior Sister Qiao, an Inner Sect Disciple and our Sect Master’s beloved student. Her status is very high, but she’s a good person."
Song Jiulai said, "I could tell. She’s surprisingly nice."
Lin Qian had brought a map of First Mountain with her. She roughly knew where the Second-Rank Beneficial Spirit Grass she needed to gather was, but that area was surrounded by many demon beasts, with even Second-rank ones appearing.
Normally, no hot-headed fool would go there directly. Most would form a group to fight together; that way, they’d have a fighting chance even if they encountered a Second-rank beast.
Lin Qian, for her part, suggested, "Should we find other cultivators to cooperate with? Or should we wait here for a few days and slowly look for an opportunity?"
Song Jiulai was thinking.
’It was so much trouble to come out here, and I’ve traveled so far. It’s not realistic to just stay for two days and go back.’
Hunting demon beasts was only beneficial for her, with no downsides. She said, "Let’s stay for now. I’ll use First-rank Demon Beasts for practice."
Resources were scarce in the outer areas, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a way to get ahead by out-competing others.
That was to frantically kill demon beasts. If she kept at it for ten days to half a month, her hopes of breaking through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage were very high.
But the higher she climbed, the slower her progress would surely become.
It’s just that ordinary disciples would typically run out of Spiritual Energy after killing just a few beasts. Recovering Spiritual Energy while staying on First Mountain was also dangerous; they had to rely entirely on consuming pills.
If one’s financial backing wasn’t solid, it was impossible to stay on First Mountain for long.
Moreover, many demon beasts were poisonous. Getting poisoned would be a loss that outweighs the gain.
You could tell just by looking at Lin Qian, an Outer Disciple who was also out for the first time.
Not everyone had the courage to stay on First Mountain indefinitely. Most of the people who came out were like Song Jiulai, looking for opportunities, or those who specialized in hunting demon beasts for money.
At least Song Jiulai had the system as a bottom-line guarantee for her survival.
She couldn’t just turtle in her safe shell forever and not come out.
Besides, this was the Cultivation World. Not getting into fights? How embarrassing would that be!
She had come here to see what her strength level was while cultivating the Soul Cultivation Heart Method and fighting at the same time.
She had previously thought the system had forcibly given her the most basic Spirit Root. But now that she was out here, and after hearing what Lin Qian said, she had a vague feeling that wasn’t the case.
Besides, real combat and empty practice within the sect were ultimately different.
The players were currently using Spiritual Energy control to chop trees, while she was heading straight to the battlefield.
It was obvious who would progress faster.
’I have to out-grind the players and leave them in the dust before they can out-grind me!’
And over on that side, a player being ground into the dust had already made a breakthrough.
After logging on, Chen Miaomiao continued to observe the Spirit Grass. She roughly grasped the principles of Spiritual Energy circulation, and with the help of her Cultivation Technique, she soon succeeded in becoming the first player to officially stabilize her cultivation at the Early Stage of Qi Refining.
[Ding! Current number of players in the sect at the Early Stage of Qi Refining: 1.]
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