75: Chapter 75 Storage Ring

At noon the next day, the spirit boat finally slowed its speed. They had reached the Royal Capital of Da Qi!

The spirit boat did not fly directly over the capital; instead, it landed at a dedicated spirit boat ferry terminal outside the city walls.

Sect Master Shen Yurong led the Disciples of Luoxia Valley slowly off the spirit boat. As soon as she stepped onto the bluestone ground of the ferry terminal, her gaze locked onto an elderly figure not far away, and she immediately hurried forward.

"Senior Sun, please wait a moment."

Hearing her call, the old man slowly turned around. A gentle smile hung on his wrinkled face as his gaze swept over Sect Master Shen Yurong and then indifferently passed over the Disciples behind her.

Sect Master Shen Yurong immediately bowed with her hands clasped, her tone solemn.

"Regarding the attack on the spirit boat, if it weren't for Senior's timely intervention, everyone from our Luoxia Valley might have met with disaster. Our entire Luoxia Valley will never forget this great kindness."

Seeing this, the Luoxia Valley Disciples behind her also bowed and thanked him in unison. Lin Qing lowered his eyes and bowed along with the others.

This was likely the Sixth-Order powerhouse who had rescued them yesterday. They hadn't seen him when they returned to the spirit boat. They had thought he had already left, but it turned out he had been secretly escorting them the entire way, only appearing once they reached the capital's ferry terminal.

The Old Man Surnamed Sun stroked his gray beard and laughed heartily.

"Haha, it's nothing. It was just a small matter."

He paused, looking toward the Royal Capital, a flicker of gravity passing through his eyes that was hard to detect.

"Go into the city and settle down first. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't stay long."

The attack on the spirit boat had been a deliberate target. There were many people at the ferry terminal yesterday, and he was afraid of another sneak attack, so he hadn't investigated rashly. Now that this group had arrived safely, he needed to go back and arrange an investigation to see if he could find out who was behind it.

After speaking, the old man nodded slightly to Sect Master Shen Yurong. Without waiting for anyone to say more, he turned and left, vanishing into the crowd at the ferry terminal in an instant.

Sect Master Shen Yurong stood respectfully for a moment, watching the direction in which the old man had left, before turning to lead the group toward the Royal Capital's gates.

Compared to Qingzhou City, this capital was naturally larger and more bustling. But what was most shocking was the overall strength of the Martial Artists on the streets.

In the Royal Capital of Da Qi, even the street vendors and passing servants often possessed first or second-order strength. As for slightly older commoners, they even had third or even fourth-order cultivations.

Sect Master Shen Yurong led the group away from the noisy crowds of the main street, weaving through the side streets. As they walked, the clamor of voices gradually faded, and the surrounding buildings changed from bustling pavilions to scattered residences, the environment becoming increasingly quiet and secluded.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the group stopped in front of a small courtyard with green walls and gray tiles.

This courtyard was located in a remote area, far from the bustle of the main streets. It wasn't very large, but it was quiet and elegant.

Yuan Kun explained to everyone:

"Our Luoxia Valley is only a mid-tier Sect and has no large-scale industries in the capital. This small courtyard is a temporary residence the Sect purchased in its early years. Usually, only a few third-order Martial Artists stay here to manage it, providing a place for Sect Elders and Disciples to stay when they come to the capital on business. Though it's not big, it's more than enough to accommodate our group."

Several old men in the courtyard heard the commotion and hurried out to bow to Sect Master Shen Yurong. Sect Master Shen Yurong gave a few brief instructions and then let everyone choose their own rooms to settle in.

Having just experienced a life-and-death crisis, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted. With more than ten days left before the start of the Heavenly Pride Competition, they had no heart to tour the capital. They all picked their rooms and closed their doors to rest and recover.

Over the next seven or eight days, the capital remained calm, and the Luoxia Valley courtyard was even more peaceful.

In a grand hall of the Great Qi Palace, the King of Qi sat high on the main seat, with five old men of unfathomable aura seated below him. One old man stood up and said:

"All the participating forces have arrived. Among them, three spirit boats encountered attacks, all of which occurred not far from the capital. According to statistics, over fifty participating Disciples lost their lives in the attacks."

The King of Qi slapped the table in front of him and stood up in anger.

"What audacity! How arrogant to deliberately choose a place so close to the capital to strike. Are they provoking my Great Qi? Have you found out which power is behind this?"

The old man replied,

"According to the investigation, it's... it's the Xuanye Demon Court."

The King of Qi slowly sat down, reached out to touch the spot he had just slapped on the table, and said softly,

"This matter is not something we can control. Report it!"

...

During these few days, Lin Qing completely mastered the basic Spells and the Heaven-Grade Whip Technique he had previously recorded to Perfection.

After the basic Spells reached Perfection, the System once again exerted its power. Besides the Spells he had already learned, like Sound Transmission and Sky-Walking, Lin Qing also automatically comprehended a series of minor Spells such as Dust Cleansing and Water Evasion.

Unfortunately, however, Spells like Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Technique, or Spiritual Power Shield belonged to the category of low-grade Spells, which he did not know yet.

In this world, Spells were divided into basic, low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade. A mid-grade Spell's rarity in Great Qi was comparable to a sixth-order Cultivation Technique.

During these days, his Divine Thought also continued to grow. Now, his Divine Thought could cover an area of one kilometer.

However, he had deliberately restrained it since boarding the spirit boat to prevent being noticed by Sect Elders who were skilled in Divine Thought. The capital was even more a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; since entering the city, he had kept his Divine Thought tightly restrained within his body, never letting it leak out in the slightest.

Lin Qing took out the Storage Ring he had seized from the young man. With the man dead and Lin Qing's constant grinding with his Divine Thought day and night, the ring was finally about to open.

Sure enough, after only an hour, the final layer of the Restriction dissolved, and Lin Qing's Divine Thought probed into the ring. Seeing the items inside, even with Lin Qing's steady Heart-Nature, he couldn't help but be slightly moved.

The space inside the ring was a full ten feet square, many times larger than his Storage Pouch. The most conspicuous item was a neatly stacked pile of Spirit Stones; a rough count revealed there were over 3,200 of them.

Besides that, there were dozens of bottles of Medicinal Pills in the ring. Although Lin Qing didn't have much contact with Medicinal Pills, he could tell from their appearance alone that they were of great value. There were also several glowing Spiritual Weapons, armor, and a Jade Token representing identity.

Finally, among a pile of clothes, he found a Spell Jade Slip with three words clearly carved on it — "Beast Taming Technique."

Lin Qing immediately used his Divine Thought to read the contents of the Jade Slip. After finishing, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The name of this Spell was truly a bit of an exaggeration. Calling it the Beast Taming Technique, it was actually not the kind of Spell that could forcibly control Yao Beasts, but rather a mid-grade Spell that could communicate and transmit thoughts to them.

Although fifth or sixth-order Yao Beasts had already gained intelligence and possessed thinking no weaker than an average person's, they still couldn't speak human language, making communication with humans a major obstacle.

It seemed that the Disciple of the Xuanye Demon Court had used this Spell to reach some sort of interest agreement with that Sixth-Order Monster Beast in exchange for its help.

Although it didn't live up to its name, this was indeed a genuine mid-grade Spell, worth a fortune. Lin Qing read it carefully and recorded it into the System panel. The proficiency required by the System was actually as high as 300 points.

It had been a long time since he had encountered a Cultivation Technique or Spell with such high proficiency requirements. This was likely because the Spell's grade was mid-grade, and he hadn't even cultivated a low-grade Spell yet, making this cross-grade cultivation, which naturally increased the difficulty.

After organizing and categorizing all the items, he threaded a string through the Storage Ring and tied it around his waist, hidden inside his robes. This way, he could access things just by reaching into his chest, and it wouldn't be seen or coveted by others.

There were only three days left before the official start of the Heavenly Pride Competition. The bustle of the capital had reached a fever pitch. Lin Qing had made an appointment with Yuan Chong and the other three to tour the capital today and see the sights and treasures of the city.