Chapter 298: Chapter 239: A New Legendary Era (Part 2)
Ling Tianxiao looked at his eldest daughter and smiled with satisfaction.
That evening, Ling Tianxiao hosted a banquet for Song Mingyue and Tiger. The men in the military camp were all somewhat intimidated by Tiger’s immense physique. It wasn’t that Ling Tianxiao’s soldiers were too weak. Rather, it was Tiger’s powerful aura, his naturally imposing face, and his incomparably robust body that exerted an immense sense of pressure.
Song Mingyue’s gentle nobility and elegant manner of speaking won Ling Tianxiao’s approval. Seeing her shy, maidenly demeanor, Ling Tianxiao felt greatly relieved. ’The matter of continuing the family line will probably start with my third son,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to have a talk with that boy Lingzhi when I get the chance. He spends all day in the north training that bunch of bandit-like recruits and never considers his own personal matters. He needs to learn from his third brother! He just came of age and already has several beautiful confidantes!’
Of course, Ling Tianxiao would never let these thoughts show. With a gentle expression, he chatted with Song Mingyue for a bit, then left the young people to themselves.
A few young officers started a drinking contest with Tiger. Soldiers always have a competitive spirit and refuse to admit defeat. This was especially true after they got to know Tiger and discovered that the giant of a man was actually quite gentle. Since opportunities to drink in the army were few and far between, these officers let themselves go and competed with Tiger. In the end, they all ended up passed out drunk under the table. Tiger was quite puzzled. ’These humans are just too weak. How can they be drunk after so little wine!’
In truth, with his robust physique, which was comparable to that of a Magical Beast, it was obviously a very simple and easy task for him to drink these men under the table.
That very night, Ling Xiao worked straight through until dawn, using the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in his Spatial Container to refine a batch of Elixirs. This batch of Elixirs was much gentler than those made from Magic Beast Crystal Cores, which forcefully raised one’s strength. Their effects were not as potent, but their advantage lay in their stability.
Although Elixirs refined from Magic Beast Crystal Cores could raise one’s strength to a very high level all at once, a long time had to pass before one could take another such Elixir to improve further.
In truth, Ling Xiao had only refined those Tongluo Pills for the short-term goal of forging an Iron Army. He had already used Tongluo Pills to forcefully raise his family’s strength once, so he naturally could not use them again. Moreover, his ring contained countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures; he would never again have to worry about a source for his Elixirs!
Ling Xiao held a certain hope for his family. He might not be able to help all of them achieve ascension—after all, that required not just an increase in strength but also personal comprehension of the Celestial Dao and tremendous fortuitous opportunities. But at the very least, helping them gain formidable strength and thus a long life was something Ling Xiao felt he could accomplish.
Therefore, he needed to lay a good, solid foundation for them!
The batch of Elixirs Ling Xiao refined was enough to last his family for a full year. And after that year, he believed that everyone, including his mother and his younger sister Ling Yun’Er, would reach a completely new level of power.
By then, although the Ling Family would be small in number, they would have the strength to hold their own even against some of the hidden aristocratic families and sects!
Ling Tianxiao watched as his son and Song Mingyue flew away on the grown Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon. He sighed softly and said to Ling Su beside him, "The Ling Family may be facing great danger, but we are also facing a heaven-sent opportunity! Perhaps... from now on, our Ling Family will become one of those hidden aristocratic families!"
Ling Su shook her head slightly, a hint of a smile in her crystal-clear eyes. She said, "Father, you’ve underestimated Third Brother’s ambition. What he wants is to rise above those aristocratic families, not... become one of them!"
Ling Tianxiao couldn’t help but gasp. It wasn’t that his own vision was lacking. A year ago, Ling Tianxiao had known of the existence of the hidden aristocratic families and sects, but he had never imagined that one day his own family could be compared to them on the same level.
In fact, the Ling Family’s ancestral Mid-tier Celestial-level Sword Skill, "Hurricane Break," was rumored to have originated from a hidden aristocratic family. It was said that many generations ago, the Ling Family had been a branch of one such family, but this was lost to time and could no longer be verified.
Ling Tianxiao knew his own limits and had never fantasized that his family could have any connection to the hidden aristocratic families. Thus, Ling Su’s words left him stunned for a long time. Finally, he shook his head with a wry smile. ’In the end, I truly have underestimated this third son of mine!’
It made sense when he thought about it. The third young master of the Ling Family was now famous throughout the entire Lanyue Empire!
A fifteen-year-old Marquis—it was unprecedented!
Regardless of how the upper echelons viewed the matter, at least in the hearts of the people of the Lanyue Empire, Ling Xiao was a legendary figure!
Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue sat on Clown’s back, with Song Mingyue leaning into Ling Xiao’s embrace. The farther north they flew, the slower Clown’s flight became, and the weather grew increasingly cold.
By the time they flew past the northern border of the Lanyue Empire and started toward the distant polar region, the turbulence and cold in the sky finally made flying increasingly difficult for Clown. Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue had Clown land on the ground. Ling Xiao tossed Clown an Elixir, then rubbed his head and said, "Starting in half a month, come back here once every two days. If... we haven’t shown up within a year, Clown... you... you’ll be free!"
Clown let out a very human-like, dissatisfied cry. Song Mingyue, watching from the side, was stunned. ’This Flying Magical Beast can actually understand human speech?’ she thought. ’That’s just... too amazing, isn’t it? It seems like anything, once it’s connected to him, immediately becomes extraordinary.’
Ling Xiao smiled and patted Clown’s head. "I’m serious, Clown!" he said.
With that, he and Song Mingyue prepared to leave, only to see Clown following them step for step across the snow. Ling Xiao turned back and laughed. "Alright, you little rascal, I was just teasing you! I know you’re loyal. We’ll be back in about a month!"
Only then did Clown let out a clear cry. It flapped its wings, whipping up a flurry of snow that rushed toward Ling Xiao, then soared high into the air, vanishing into the blue sky and white clouds moments later.
Covered in snow, the two of them didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Song Mingyue first carefully brushed the snowflakes off of Ling Xiao, then shook out her own warm Magic Beast Hide coat. The fur was so glossy and smooth that the snow couldn’t cling to it and simply slid right off.
Song Mingyue exclaimed in admiration, "Clown is so incredible! It can actually understand you! Ling Xiao, how did you tame it?"
"Haha, this creature was probably born a High-Tier Magical Beast."
Ling Xiao then told Song Mingyue the story of how he and Ye Zi had gone to the Vendia Great Snow Mountain to find the Purple Blue Fruit. Although hearing Ling Xiao talk about another woman made her a little uncomfortable, Song Mingyue was even more astonished by something else. Back then, Ling Xiao had only been a boy with the strength of a Sword Attendant, yet he had dared to venture into the Vendia Great Snow Mountain—one of the continent’s ten great forbidden lands—and had even succeeded. She didn’t know whether to praise his invincible luck or call him suicidally reckless.
"You... what were you thinking at the time? Heavens, you were a Sword Attendant, and you took a Sword Master with you... the two of you just... went to the Great Snow Mountain just like that?" Song Mingyue couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity piqued.
"Haha. In the wild, the most dangerous things are Magical Beasts and various poisonous miasmas. The Great Snow Mountain has no miasma, only Magical Beasts. And I happen to possess a skill for avoiding Magical Beasts. So, while it may be a forbidden land to others, for me... it was like taking a stroll."
Ling Xiao said with a faint smile, his tone casual.
Song Mingyue stared at Ling Xiao’s youthful face with her star-like eyes. She couldn’t see the slightest trace of arrogance, but a sudden understanding dawned in her heart. Perhaps a new, legendary era for the Canglan Continent was about to begin. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters, and to support the author and legitimate reading!)
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