At noon, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.
After resting and dealing with the spoils, the migration party set off once more.
Standing on a Bone Shield as he flew through the air, Li Qi looked down at the winding migration party below. The enormous grayish-brown Drill Beast corpse was being hauled by dozens of carts working together.
As Li Qi patrolled from the sky, many people in the migration party below could not help looking up. Whenever they saw that figure flying overhead, they felt reassured.
They knew that as long as this young patrolman was there, their safety was guaranteed.
After all, he was a powerful fighter who had slain a Planetary Level monster!
Yes, news of Li Qi killing the Planetary Level Drill Beast had spread throughout the entire migration party, greatly uniting their hearts.
Thus, the migration party continued toward the Royce Family and arrived several days later.
Two tribes joined them along the way, and aside from encountering two small monster hordes, nothing else happened.
After handing the several migrating tribes over to the family elders, Li Qi returned to the family.
After several days away, he returned to his familiar home.
"Eleven!"
Upon seeing Li Qi return, his mother Winnie immediately dropped what she was holding and hurried over to embrace him.
Li Qi said gently, "I'm back, Mother."
"It's good that you're back!" Releasing Li Qi, Winnie's eyes glistened with tears. "You weren't hurt, were you?"
"No. If you don't believe me, look." As Li Qi spoke, he turned in a circle.
"It's good you're all right."
After being apart for several days, Winnie had many things she wanted to say to Li Qi. But remembering her husband's instructions, she could only suppress her reluctance.
"Your father and third brother are back. They told you to go to the main tent once you returned."
Li Qi nodded slightly. "Then I'll go now."
Leaving home and heading for the main tent, Li Qi greeted the family members he encountered before arriving outside it.
"Grandfather."
Li Qi called respectfully from outside the tent.
"Eleven, come in."
A man's voice came from within.
The moment he entered the main tent, Li Qi saw several people seated inside, including his father, Derrick.
The sturdy middle-aged man seated at the head had well-defined features. He was Royce, the founder of the Royce Family.
Royce wore a faint smile. "Eleven, you did very well!
"You first saved Little Eighteen and Nineteen, then completed the patrol mission, and even killed a Planetary Level monster."
As he spoke, he removed a beastskin pouch from his waist and handed it to a man beside him.
The man had rugged features and an equally imposing build. He silently accepted the beastskin pouch, walked over to Li Qi, and handed it to him.
Li Qi looked at the beastskin pouch his third father Ivanko was offering him. "Third Father, this is?"
Ivanko replied, "This is the family's reward for you—two Red Dew Fruits. Seventh will explain their specific uses to you."
Hearing that it was a reward from the family, Li Qi accepted the beastskin pouch.
He had heard of Red Dew Fruits. They were treasures even more precious than Purple Orange Fruits.
Seeing Li Qi accept the pouch, Royce continued, "Oh, right. Little One has a gift for you. It has already been delivered to your home.
"I won't tell you what it is. Go back and contact Little One, and you'll find out."
What kind of gift is so mysterious? Li Qi wondered.
Royce waved his hand lightly. "Go back and get some proper rest. Then study what you gained today. Don't waste Little One's thoughtfulness."
"Yes, Grandfather." Li Qi nodded and turned to leave.
Ivanko's voice rang out. "Eleven!"
"Third Father?"
Ivanko said solemnly, "The beast tide is approaching. Twelve and Thirteen will be taking part in their first Beast Tide Trial. You will serve as the commander of the defensive zone assigned to them."
"Yes!"
Li Qi could tell from his third father's stern tone that there was no room for refusal.
He understood that Ivanko was speaking as the guardian of the shelter, not as an elder of the family.
"Mm, go back and rest well." Ivanko's expression softened somewhat as he turned to Derrick. "Seventh, you should go with him too."
Derrick nodded, rose to his feet, and left the main tent with Li Qi.
On their way back, Derrick asked, "After spending so many days out on the grasslands as a patrolman, what are your thoughts?"
Images of everything he had seen on the grasslands surfaced in Li Qi's mind. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's very difficult for weak tribes to survive on the grasslands. A single attack by a monster horde could wipe out an entire tribe."
Derrick shook his head at that answer. "That's not all."
"Hm?"
Li Qi was puzzled. He did not understand what his father meant by saying that was not enough.
Derrick tilted his head slightly. "You'll understand once you've been to Zhaoguang City."
As they spoke, the two returned home.
Derrick first went into the inner room, then came out carrying a silver-white metal case. "This is a gift from your eldest brother."
Li Qi accepted the metal case and opened it. Inside lay a neat row of silver-white blades.
With a sweep of Mental Force, he counted twenty blades in the row.
The twenty blades were all different shapes. Some were uniform in thickness, while others went from thin to thick.
Although the shapes and thicknesses of these blades varied, they shared one common trait: sharpness!
Sharpness visible to the naked eye!
"Is this a Mental Force weapon?"
Li Qi turned toward his father, delight visible on his face.
"I'm not sure." Derrick shook his head. "We'll have to ask your eldest brother."
As he spoke, he removed the communicator from Li Qi's wrist and made the call.
"Beep..."
After several busy tones, a light screen appeared.
An unfamiliar face appeared on the light screen before them.
Li Qi and Derrick exchanged looks when they saw that face.
Because its owner was not Li Qi's eldest brother, Ailik Ron Royce.
The person on the light screen was a woman—a young and beautiful woman!
"Are you Ailik's family? He's taking a shower. I'll go get him."
The view pulled back, revealing the woman's upper body clad in a dark green combat uniform.
She looked valiant and spirited, yet her figure was alluring. When she lifted a hand to brush back her long hair, she was especially captivating!
Turning her head to the side, the woman called, "Ailik, your family is looking for you."
From the other side came his eldest brother's voice. "Wait a moment. I'll be right there."
After hearing Ailik answer, the woman returned to the light screen and introduced herself. "My name is Daya. I'm Ailik's friend, as well as his teammate at the United Training Camp."
"I'm Ailik's seventh father, Derrick."
After introducing himself, Derrick pointed to Li Qi beside him. "This is my son, Li Qi. He is Ailik's eleventh younger brother."
"Hello, Seventh Uncle." Daya carried herself with graceful composure.
After greeting him, she turned to Li Qi. "Eleven, I've heard Ailik mention you often.
"He said you're a genius and that you'll enter the United Training Camp like us in the future."
Finally, she smiled a little mischievously. "I didn't expect you to be not only a genius, but also such a very cute boy."
"Uh..."
Li Qi blushed a little. Being called a cute boy was so embarrassing!
At that moment, Ailik walked into the light screen bare-chested and wearing only shorts, his hair still slightly wet.
"Go back first. I have something to discuss with them. I'll come find you after I'm done."
The moment he appeared, Ailik spoke softly to Daya.
"All right..."
Daya was clearly a little unwilling, seemingly wanting to stay longer, but she obediently left anyway.
Watching Daya leave, Li Qi and his father Derrick noticed something. The two people on the light screen interacted very naturally!
Derrick teased, "Little One, that girl Daya just now... could she be your future wife?"
"Daya will become my wife in the future."
A smile appeared on Ailik's handsome face as he admitted it openly.
"Heh, you really are like Second Brother..."
Derrick looked somewhat nostalgic, but he stopped halfway through.
"I heard Grandfather talk about Father and Mother. They fell in love at the Stellar Training Camp, and then they had me."
Ailik sank into memories. "Actually, when I first entered the United Training Camp, I only focused on cultivation. I never thought about romance."
"But after meeting Daya..." A bitter smile appeared on Ailik's face. "I understand a little now."
"Little One, you..."
Derrick wanted to offer some comfort, but he was stopped.
"All right, Seventh Father! Let the past stay in the past." Ailik interrupted Derrick.
Then he turned to Li Qi. "Eleven, did you receive my gift?"
"I did." Li Qi placed the metal case before him and asked, "Are these blades fragments of a Mental Force weapon?"
"Haha! Eleven, you think too little of your eldest brother!" Ailik laughed. "These aren't fragments of a Mental Force weapon. They're an incomplete Mental Force weapon!"
"What's the difference between fragments of a Mental Force weapon and an incomplete Mental Force weapon?" Li Qi asked in confusion.
Ailik explained in detail, "A Mental Force weapon consists of dozens or even hundreds of basic components. Once it loses components, it becomes incomplete, and its power decreases. Usually, such a weapon can be repaired.
"But if it has lost too many components, the remaining pieces can no longer display any part of the Mental Force weapon's power. In that case, those components are fragments. They can only be used as sharp weapons, and have very little value for repair or use.
"However, if those components can be assembled and can display part of the Mental Force weapon's power, then it is an incomplete Mental Force weapon. It still has some value for use and repair."
Ailik continued, "Don't underestimate incomplete Mental Force weapons!
"I learned from friends in the Virtual Universe that some low-grade Mental Force weapons are simplified versions of high-grade Mental Force weapons. They can also be viewed as incomplete high-grade Mental Force weapons."
After saying that, he pointed at the metal case in front of Li Qi. "What I gave you is an incomplete Mental Force weapon made of twenty basic components—the Sky-Breaking Sword!"
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