24: Chapter 24 Flying on a Sword, Traveling a Thousand Miles in a Day

Half a month later, Xiao Ye reached Sunset City, over a hundred miles away, after a long and hurried ride on a fast horse.

As he approached the city gate, Cultivators would occasionally fly overhead on Flying Swords with a whoosh, looking incredibly cool.

Xiao Ye craned his neck to watch for a while, his eyes almost popping out with envy.

He looked down at the old horse beneath him, which was panting heavily and drenched in sweat, and felt a wave of bitterness in his heart.

He decided that he absolutely had to buy a Sword Kinesis Technique this time. He wanted to fly home on a sword and let this broken horse retire early.

Sunset City was one of the cities in the Great Qian Empire, and it was quite large in scale.

Several cultivation clans were entrenched in the city, and major chambers of commerce were also stationed there; Magic Treasures, Medicinal Pills, and rare items—they had everything.

It was also a must-visit place for the surrounding Loose Cultivators—anyone who wanted to buy or sell things had to come here.

For this trip, Xiao Ye had brought all of his savings, a total of four hundred Spirit Stones.

The System had rewarded him with eight hundred in total; he had spent two hundred on his own Cultivation and another two hundred on buying Materials for Li Fu, leaving him with the rest.

After entering the city, Xiao Ye looked around. There were quite a few Alchemy pavilions on both sides of the street. He wasn't familiar with them, so he randomly picked one called "Lingdan Pavilion" and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, a beautiful young receptionist came forward to greet him. Xiao Ye looked at her "career line" with extreme respect—don't get the wrong idea, he wasn't looking at her chest, but at the name tag on it.

Chen Qiaoqiao.

So big... Bah, I mean, what a great name.

The System tactfully popped up a line of small text: Comprehensive score of 78 points. What a pity, just a little short.

"Senior, welcome to Lingdan Pavilion!" Chen Qiaoqiao greeted him with a beaming smile. Seeing Xiao Ye looking at her chest, she didn't mind; instead, she straightened her back even more.

In this line of work, the more people looked at her, the more confident she became.

"May I ask if you are here to buy or sell pills?"

"I'm buying Spirit Medicine," Xiao Ye said, withdrawing his gaze. "The kind used for refining spirit gathering pills and Foundation Establishment Pills."

Chen Qiaoqiao's eyes suddenly lit up.

He wasn't buying pills; he was buying Spirit Medicine. And it was for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Was this person an Alchemist? A second-grade one at that?

"Certainly, Senior, please wait a moment!" She turned and ran behind the counter, her pace three times faster than before.

A moment later, the prices were quoted—Spirit Medicine for a Foundation Establishment Pill was fifty Spirit Stones per set. Xiao Ye gritted his teeth and bought two sets. Spirit Medicine for spirit gathering pills was ten Spirit Stones per set, and he bought ten. It added up to exactly two hundred Spirit Stones.

Xiao Ye paid the money, carefully stowed the Spirit Medicine away, and turned to leave.

"Senior!" Chen Qiaoqiao chased him to the door and shouted, "If you ever want to sell pills, please do consider our Lingdan Pavilion! We guarantee you a satisfactory price!"

Xiao Ye turned back and gave her a faint glance: "That will depend on your sincerity."

After a long back-and-forth—

Seeing that neither the soft nor hard approach worked, Chen Qiaoqiao bit her lip, as if finally making a certain decision.

She stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Ye, and dragged him straight toward the backyard—she really couldn't handle it herself, so she could only let Big D and Second D double-team him; if that didn't work, she'd have to let her younger sister take a turn.

"Hey, girl, let go! Men and women shouldn't touch each other so casually, don't you know the rules?"

It was dusk by the time Xiao Ye left Lingdan Pavilion feeling refreshed. He then ducked into Wanbao Tower, bought the Formation Flag Materials needed to set up a Small Spirit Gathering Formation, and gritted his teeth to purchase a Sword Kinesis Technique.

The last two hundred Spirit Stones were gone in an instant.

Xiao Ye stood on the street in a daze, clutching his empty money bag.

These Spirit Stones really don't last long.

He suspected these shops had ripped him off, but he had no proof.

Forget it, at least he had everything he needed.

Xiao Ye mounted his horse and hurried back while there was still some light.

As for flying on a sword, he didn't dare yet, fearing he might fall to his death!

This return trip was exceptionally smooth, and he didn't encounter anything as ridiculous as the Gu Sanniang incident again. The road was calm, and he didn't even see a wild rabbit.

By the time he reached home, it was just getting dark. Xiao Ye handed the horse to the gatekeeper and walked toward the backyard with his bag of treasures, feeling quite pleased with himself.

He had the Formation Flags, the Sword Kinesis Technique, and the Spirit Medicine.

Next, it was time for secluded Cultivation.

He looked back at the last glow of the sunset and curled his lips into a smile.

The next time he went out, he would definitely be flying on a sword.

Anyone who wanted to ride that broken horse could have it.

Li Fu came to meet him, took the bundle from his hands, and asked cautiously, "Master, was the journey smooth?"

"Smooth," Xiao Ye patted his shoulder. "Thankfully, nothing went wrong."

The Small Spirit Gathering Formation was set up, and Spiritual Qi slowly gathered, making the entire Quiet Room feel more concentrated than the outside.

In the following days, Xiao Ye lived a four-point routine—Cultivate, Alchemy, sword kinesis, and sowing seeds.

He was busy every day, yet he found it exciting and joyful.

After a month of hard practice, he finally mastered flying on a sword.

The moment he stepped onto the Flying Sword and soared into the sky, Xiao Ye almost cried.

He was over sixty years old and was experiencing what it meant to "fly" for the first time. The wind whistled past his ears, and the green mountains receded rapidly beneath his feet; that feeling was even better than when he first drove a G-Wagon in his past life.

Once he learned it, he took his concubines one by one to experience the feeling of "traveling a thousand miles a day."

Zhang Waner was the first. She clung to Xiao Ye, wrapping her arms around his neck and screaming in fear and excitement, "Oh—Master! It's so exciting! So exciting! Go faster!"

Xiao Ye didn't know which "fast" she wanted, so he just went fast in both ways. The two of them were like a long rainbow streaking across the sky above Qingshan Town, and the people below craned their necks to watch, their eyes almost popping out.

Gu Sanniang was the most calm; stepping onto the Flying Sword, she even complained that he was flying too slowly: "Is this it? I thought you were much faster than this."

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Ye's Realm reached the Qi Refining Great Perfection. Gu Sanniang also reached the Qi Refining Great Perfection. Both were standing on the threshold of Foundation Establishment, just one step away.

One day, Xiao Ye handed a Foundation Establishment Pill to Gu Sanniang.

"You go first, I will be your Protector."

Gu Sanniang took the Medicinal Pill and arched her eyebrow with a mature vibe. "Fine, watch closely! I'll set an example for you!"

She turned and walked into the spirit gathering formation, sat down cross-legged, popped the Foundation Establishment Pill into her mouth, and closed her eyes.

Xiao Ye stood guard outside the door, pacing back and forth, feeling more nervous than if he were the one attempting a Breakthrough.

One day, two days.

The Spiritual Qi in the spirit gathering formation grew thicker and thicker, like an invisible vortex spinning wildly around Gu Sanniang. Her Aura also climbed steadily, building up layer by layer like a rising tide, constantly crashing against that invisible dam.

On the third day—

"Crack."

A crisp sound that only a Cultivator could perceive rang out, as if some barrier had been completely shattered.

The Aura on Gu Sanniang's body suddenly changed.

It was no longer the stagnant heaviness of the Qi Refinement Stage, but became light and transparent, like a stream flowing into the sea, suddenly opening up.

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up.

She succeeded.

The door to the Quiet Room opened from the inside, and Gu Sanniang walked out, radiant and surrounded by Spiritual Qi. It was as if she had shed an old shell; even her skin looked several shades fairer.

She looked at Xiao Ye, her lips curving up as she said nonchalantly, "It's alright, not that difficult."

Xiao Ye's mouth twitched.

Not difficult? You certainly make it sound easy.

He looked at the other Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand and took a deep breath.

It's my turn.