Chapter 25: The Cultivation She Desired

“By the way, how strong are Tong Fei, Xiao Buhui, and Wen Xiang? Are they high-level Martial Artists? Battle Fighters?” Su Tang changed the subject. He knew that both Martial Artists and Battle Fighters were divided into ranks. Once a person reached the end of their Cultivation and mastered the Battle Formula to become a Grandmaster, there were no more ranks, as a Grandmaster had already reached the peak.

“Their strength, the Martial Formula or Battle Formula they practiced, and the Spirit Tools they possessed were all their weaknesses,” Long Qi said. “Besides themselves, they would never tell anyone. You can only analyze it yourself.”

Su Tang suddenly thought of something. Xue Jiu’s status in the Xue Family of Jingdong must be extremely high; otherwise, Long Qi would not have been so shocked. In other words, Xue Jiu was one hundred percent a Grandmaster. But he was the attendant of the Grand Exalted. Could it be… that there were even more powerful beings above the level of a Grandmaster?

“This place is not fit for living for now,” Long Qi said. “Rest at my place today. Tomorrow, I will find some people to help clean up the courtyard for you.”

“No, I want to have some quiet time here,” Su Tang said.

“As you wish,” Long Qi smiled.

“Brother Long, thank you,” Su Tang said.

“No need to be polite with me,” Long Qi laughed. “To be honest, I will have to rely on you in many ways in the future, so it is only natural that I put in some effort to get on your good side now.”

“Why?” Su Tang was stunned.

“When the person leaves, the tea cools down,” Long Qi said slowly. “Hanging around in this Changshan County, no matter how careful I am, I will offend some people. I am a member of the Miaodao Pavilion, so they do not dare to act recklessly. But if I leave the Miaodao Pavilion, it will be hard to say. Hehe… Lord Su, you must protect me in the future.”

“Brother Long, why are you saying this?!” Su Tang said seriously. “Since you know there is danger, why do you want to leave? Is that woman Wen Xiang mentioned… really worth you taking such a risk?”

“Don’t listen to her nonsense,” Long Qi said. “There are reasons related to that, but it is not everything.”

“Then why exactly?” Su Tang continued to press.

Long Qi remained silent. After a long time, he said slowly, “I am a person who goes with the flow and lacks ambition. If it were normal times, it would be fine, but… I really have no confidence in leading them forward, because I am afraid of betraying their trust.”

“Oh?” Su Tang became even more confused.

“If you had lived in Changshan County for several decades, you might feel it too,” Long Qi said. “For example, Tong Fei, Xiao Buhui, and Wen Xiang would have been rare geniuses twenty years ago. Their speed of Cultivation was too fast! But now, Changshan County has more than just them. The Tie, Bai, Cheng, and Mu families have also produced some young talents who can even compete with them.”

“Many people only see the prosperity and think it is a great thing,” Long Qi continued. “But think about it yourself. One such genius appearing every ten years was enough to amaze a region. Now they are appearing one after another. What does this indicate?”

Su Tang frowned.

“You don’t understand? Then think again. In the past, when did eras of abundant talent always occur?”

“Great chaos?” Su Tang was shocked.

“Hehe… Monsters are rising, and great chaos is coming…” Long Qi sighed.

“Brother Long, this is a bit too…” Su Tang felt this was a bit far-fetched. Just because talents were emerging one after another in Changshan County, he believed something big would happen?

“Xiao Buhui said that after working in his trade for a long time, he developed a kind of intuition,” Long Qi said calmly. “I am the same. Knowing too much allows me to smell scents that others cannot. Moreover, the Grand Exalted’s journey east to Mount Peng… might be the source of this great chaos.”

“Why?”

“Too many people do not want her to go to Mount Peng, and too many people hope she arrives at Mount Peng in time.”

“Brother Long, can you speak more clearly? What exactly is going on with Mount Peng?!” Su Tang could no longer control his desire for information and used a pleading tone. If he did not gain a full understanding of this world soon, entering the Miaodao Pavilion would be meaningless.

Long Qi looked at Su Tang. After a moment, he sighed and sat down on a random stone brick. “Su Tang, it is not that I am intentionally hiding it from you. How should I put this? I am doing this for your own good. A Practitioner should find a goal for themselves, but the goal must be appropriate. If it is too high or too far, it will only make you lose courage. If a person is starving to death and I stand a hundred meters away holding a chicken leg, he will use all his strength to rush those hundred meters. But if I stand a thousand miles away waving the chicken leg, will he still sprint? No, he will only feel despair.”

Su Tang looked at Long Qi. He understood some parts, but not others.

“Just stay grounded and think about the things in front of you. As for the Grand Exalted… there is no need for you or me to worry about her.”

“Will it be very dangerous for her to go to Mount Peng this time?” Su Tang insisted on asking. Perhaps Long Qi was right; the Grand Exalted only saw him as a pleasing little bee, and her guidance was just a casual act of kindness. However, he could not let it go. After all, he carried the longbow she had given him on his shoulder, and he would soon enter the Miaodao Pavilion and become a powerful figure in Changshan County! Even if he could not help at all, he had to at least ask a few questions to feel at peace.

Long Qi nodded.

“Will the duchies the Grand Exalted passes through send troops to protect her?”

Long Qi burst out laughing. “It would be useless.”

“Then she… must go? Is there no roundabout way?”

Knowing there was a tiger in the mountain but choosing to go there anyway—this was the true expression of a Practitioner’s will. In Su Tang’s view, such stubbornness was foolish. If it were his choice, he would do everything possible to avoid a direct conflict with a tiger.

However, if a pack of wolves were chasing him from behind and his life hung by a thread with no other way out, Su Tang would go to the other extreme.

“Why look for a roundabout way? Forcing her way through, defeating every opponent, and destroying all hardships and obstacles—that is exactly the Cultivation she desired…” Long Qi smiled and shook his head. “The day she steps onto Mount Peng will also be the time she achieves greatness and takes a further step forward! It is just that… this place is probably tens of thousands of miles from Mount Peng. I do not know how long it will take her to get there, nor how many people will die along the way…”

Su Tang could not say a word.

Long Qi patted Su Tang on the shoulder and then stood up. “Find a place to rest early. There are important matters tomorrow.”