A lifetime of splendor in the game passed in the blink of an eye.
Half a year had already passed in reality as well.
"Hey!"
"Ha!"
The forest rang without end with the boy's low shouts.
Two figures darted and wheeled, saber light flashing as they sparred.
"Big Brother is mighty!"
Lu Qingyu stood to one side, waving her arms and dancing about in excitement. A palm-sized little bird perched on her shoulder, chirping away nonstop along with Lu Qingyu.
"Big Brother! Big Brother!"
"Let's take a break!"
Amid their rapid exchange, Lu Qingshan shouted and leaped out of the circle.
When he stopped to look, his face and body were drenched in sweat, and he was nearly exhausted. In contrast, Lu Qingfeng stood where he was with only slightly mussed hair, without the slightest trace of fatigue.
"Second Brother, you're too weak!"
Lu Qingyu bounced over to Lu Qingfeng, using her sleeve to wipe sweat that did not exist from her big brother's face. Then she turned and made faces at Lu Qingshan.
"Lu Qingyu! You're ungrateful!"
Lu Qingshan collapsed onto the ground and pointed at Lu Qingyu angrily.
"I'm happy to be. It's none of your business!" Lu Qingyu stuck out her tongue.
Lu Qingfeng let the two of them fool around and found a place to sit.
The decades he had spent in the game had left no trace on Lu Qingfeng's face, but the passage of a lifetime had still given him an indescribable air.
Steadiness! World-weariness!
He was filled with the sense of age carved out by the passage of time, utterly unlike a flourishing youth barely sixteen years old.
Lu Qingfeng sat with his back against a large tree and took out a thick booklet.
The booklet was made from yellow paper—all of it inferior talisman paper Lu Qingfeng had refined over the past six months. He had bound it into a booklet to record the conditions of the mountains and forests. It was covered in various markings, as well as simple, scattered lines.
This was a topographical map covering more than ten days' journey in every direction.
It only marked out the approximate distances and basic information, such as whether large beasts were present.
"The Return to Truth Sect hasn't made a move in a long time, while relying solely on Qingshan, Qingyu, and me to gather medicinal herbs is too inefficient. The Yellow Dragon Pills we refine are nowhere near enough for the three of us to cultivate."
Lu Qingfeng was currently at the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, while Lu Qingshan was at the Second Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
Lu Qingyu had also begun cultivating and had just entered the First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
With three people cultivating, their demand for Yellow Dragon Pills had increased greatly. It was difficult for Lu Qingfeng and the others to meet it by gathering herbs themselves.
"It's time to leave!"
Lu Qingfeng studied the map and worked out a route.
Over the past six months, the three of them had spent more than three months trembling in fear beneath the Return to Truth Sect's pursuit. After that, they had enjoyed a little over two months of relative stability.
At the beginning, they had been able to gather medicinal herbs nearby and refine them into Yellow Dragon Pills to support Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingshan's cultivation.
Lu Qingfeng had the experience he had gained in the game.
Over the past six months, he had spent forty-eight years in the game. Because he had consumed experience points deducing cultivation arts and techniques, refining pills, drawing talismans, and so on, his cultivation had remained between the First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm and the Fifth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
After the Fifth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, low-level pills such as Yellow Dragon Pills, Breath-Nurturing Pills, and Essence-Qi Pellets became ineffective.
Thus, to gain experience points as quickly and economically as possible, Lu Qingfeng would generally cultivate to the Fifth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, exhaust all his experience points, and then start cultivating again from scratch.
Over and over, he had repeated the cycle fifty-six times in forty-eight years.
Lu Qingfeng dared to say that there was no cultivator in the world whose insights into cultivating the first five layers of the Embryonic Breath Realm could match his.
He even knew how to cultivate from the First Layer to the Fifth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm with his eyes closed.
Therefore, although his Root Bone was poor, his cultivation speed was faster than Lu Qingshan's.
One month for the First Layer!
Two months for the Second Layer!
Three months for the Third Layer!
In barely half a year, his cultivation had already reached the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm. If not for the limitations of the Yellow Dragon Pills, Lu Qingfeng estimated that he could have reached at least the Fourth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
Lu Qingshan was somewhat slower.
After all, he did not possess his big brother's heaven-defying cultivation experience, and two points of Root Bone were not enough to widen the gap too far. Thus, after half a year, he was still only at the Second Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
The medicinal herbs nearby had not decreased by much, and the amount they could find each day was about the same as before.
However, as their cultivation improved, they consumed more Yellow Dragon Pills. Therefore, even the same amount of herbs gradually became insufficient for the three of them.
"This time, we'll leave these mountains and find a human settlement. Many hands make light work. As long as we have enough money, we can get as many medicinal herbs for refining Yellow Dragon Pills as we want."
"Staying here now is simply a waste of time."
Lu Qingfeng sank into thought.
He had experienced the helpless frustration of reaching the end of his lifespan in the game without being able to break through. He did not want to leave himself an irreparable regret in reality just for the sake of a little comfort.
Taking advantage of the sixteen years before his reincarnation in the game and the two-month lull in reality, he could leave these deep mountains.
Once they settled down, it would nearly be time to start playing the game again.
Lu Qingfeng was rather looking forward to where he would appear in the Primordial World after his random reincarnation.
"Big Brother, are we moving again?"
Lu Qingyu abandoned Lu Qingshan and ran over to ask Lu Qingfeng. Whenever Big Brother studied the map so intently, it usually meant they were about to set off.
"Yes."
Lu Qingfeng nodded.
"Aren't there still plenty of medicinal herbs nearby?"
"And the Return to Truth Sect hasn't made a move for a long time."
Lu Qingshan walked over, somewhat puzzled.
After more than half a year of recuperation, both he and Lu Qingfeng had grown sturdier. Their scars were still there, but their injuries had completely healed under the care of medicine.
"This time, we're leaving the mountains directly and heading to the county town."
Lu Qingfeng explained his thoughts to the two of them. Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu had always listened to him, but this time they hesitated somewhat.
"What is it?"
"Are you scared?"
Lu Qingfeng looked at the two of them, who had suddenly fallen silent, and asked with a smile.
"I'm not scared!"
"We're going to the county town!"
Lu Qingyu held her chin high, doing her best to hide it.
After hearing that, Lu Qingshan hurriedly added, "With my current strength, I wouldn't be afraid even if I ran into an inner disciple of the Return to Truth Sect. What's there to fear about a tiny county town!"
"Good."
"Rest for one night. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning."
Lu Qingfeng did not expose the two of them and spoke directly.
He knew that after spending more than half a year in the mountains, both Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu had grown accustomed to this way of life. Being suddenly asked to go to an unfamiliar county town and deal with countless strangers would inevitably make them afraid.
Besides, they had escaped from places like Blackwood Village and the Return to Truth Sect, so they naturally remained wary of new surroundings, terrified that they might once again end up in an environment like Blackwood Village or the Return to Truth Sect.
However, the three siblings were still a long way from the solitary life of cultivation far from all society.
Even after reaching profound heights in cultivation, one still could not avoid dealing with people. With the Root Bone of the three siblings, they needed the strength of a group even more to obtain various resources and improve themselves.
Burying their heads in bitter cultivation would inevitably squander their entire lives.
That night.
Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu were both somewhat unusual, no longer as lively and spirited as usual. Lu Qingfeng ignored it and let them adjust on their own while he organized their belongings.
They had not accumulated many possessions during their half-year stay in the deep mountains.
The only precious item was the Wolfe-hair Talisman Brush, which he used to draw talismans.
It contained nine talismans, but even among First-Rank Talisman Artifacts, it was only the lowest grade. It could barely be used to draw low-level talismans.
Apart from the Wolfe-hair Talisman Brush, all the other items were small.
Grain-Repelling Pills, Yellow Dragon Pills, Yellow Chestnut Pellets... and other dazzlingly varied pills.
Invisibility Talismans, Earth-Burrowing Talismans, Fire Bolt Talismans... and talismans of all kinds.
There was also the Nine-Ring Saber obtained from Wu Yuan. This was Lu Qingfeng's entire fortune.
Thanks to "Ocean Has No Limits" for the 600 reward; "Luoshui Yitian" for the 500 reward; "Dad's Computer" for the 200 reward; and "丶Sincere Means Losing" for the 100 reward.
I just discovered that the website gave me a cover. What does everyone think?
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