Carefree Roaming

"Is this the starting lineup for the Tianjing Team tomorrow?"

Around the dining table, everyone gathered around a slip of paper with a list that Zhai Xixi had just written down.

Ouyang Yu, Wei Donghai, Xu Dacheng, Xue Lan, Song Yufei, Zhao Yan, Bai Renxin.

"Is this list accurate?" Xiao Tian questioned.

"Don't worry!" Zhai Xixi rolled her eyes at him. "My Master said it's guaranteed!"

"If we take this as the standard..." Lu Fei stroked his chin and said, "Ouyang Yu and Bai Renxin should be considered the weakest, at the beginning and end, while the strongest, Xue Lan, is placed in the middle..."

"That makes sense. Normally, Xue Lan should be able to secure at least one win. If she loses the first three rounds, she can at least turn things around in the fourth round," Lao Miao Miao analyzed.

"Then it depends on how we arrange the order," Zhai Xixi said. "Ouyang Yu is indeed my nemesis, but the rest of you shouldn't have much trouble dealing with him..."

"I'll do it," Lao Miao Miao said. "My abilities are useless in the competition, and one-on-one combat is my weakness, but I have some experience dealing with illusions."

"What about Wei Donghai?" Lu Fei pointed to the second name, which was East Sea Wanderer's real name: "This kid is a newbie, but he's very strong." "I'll go!" Lei Tianyang raised his hand and said, "Newbie against newbie, it's fair."

"What we want isn't fairness, it's targeted." Luo Jun pressed his hand down. "East Sea Wanderer's strength lies in his Manipulation School Sword Control Technique, combined with some Elemental School and Spell Faction abilities. However, he's not allowed to use any treasures or weapons in combat, rendering his Sword Control Technique largely useless. He mainly needs to deal with sorcery and elemental abilities. I think he has a greater advantage in Martial Combat Faction."

"I'll go!" Xiao Tian raised his hand. "I've disliked this arrogant brat for a long time!"

Luo Jun glanced at him, then pointed at Lu Fei: "Why don't you go, Brother Fei..."

"Why?" Xiao Tian asked, looking dissatisfied. Luo Jun sighed, "The opponents have diverse abilities, so it's best to find someone more composed." "Where am I not composed?" Xiao Tian retorted angrily, only to find that everyone had turned to look at him, giving him a look of utter disbelief.

"As for Xu Dacheng, I don't know him very well, but judging from his performance in previous matches, he's a tough nut to crack!" Luo Jun looked at the others. "His Martial Combat Faction skills are very high," Lu Fei said. "In a one-on-one fight, neither Xiao Tian nor I are his match."

"Fine, you're no match for me, but I won't accept that!" Xiao Tian said eagerly, "I request to fight."

Everyone continued to ignore him, until finally Luo Jun looked at Ling Xin: "This kind of powerful Martial Combat Faction is hard to deal with. I'm afraid only Ling Xin can win with certainty." "Me?" Ling Xin was slightly taken aback. "If I face him, what about Xue Lan?"

As the ace of the Tianjing Team, Xue Lan is considered by many to be rivaled only by Ling Xin.

"Don't forget our strategy is like Tian Ji's Horse Racing Strategy," Luo Jun laughed. "Our best horse is paired with the opponent's middle-class horse, and naturally, we have to send out our inferior horse for the opponent's best horse."

As he spoke, he looked at the others and asked, "Which inferior horse should we send?" He found that everyone was looking at him.

Lao Miao Miao looked at him with a half-smile, "Tell me, among us, who is most suitable to be a lowly horse?"

"Uh... me?" Luo Jun then realized that he was the weakest on paper.

Now he had no choice but to accept it. Everyone simply wrote his name under Xue Lan's name, assuming they would lose this round, and began planning the next character to appear.

After discussion, it was decided that the fifth match would be between Zhai Xixi and Song Yufei, the sixth match between Lei Tianyang and Zhao Yan, and the final match between Xiao Tian and Bai Renxin. The order of appearance would only need to be reported closer to the match. After everyone finalized the arrangements, they realized it was getting late, so they packed up and prepared to rest. Luo Jun couldn't sleep, so he left the mansion alone and went to a secluded waterfall Back Mountain the academy. Listening to the rushing water, he regulated his Inner Breath with his breathing.

With the enhancement of his attributes, coupled with the boost from the Body Refinement Realm, Luo Jun's physical body has become increasingly formidable. Furthermore, the energy intake evolutionary characteristic brought about by his Strength Attributes Exceeding Hundred means he now essentially no longer needs to breathe to sustain life. Even when he eats, due to his extremely high energy conversion efficiency, he can go for long periods without consuming much food, and he's not limited to normal fare. Theoretically, he could now digest a stone and obtain energy from it. However, despite not needing to, he still maintains the habits of breathing and eating three meals a day, because this at least makes him appear human. But Luo Jun didn't come here just to breathe the fresh mountain air.

He took out the Dominator's Eye, put it around his neck, and slowly activated its power, communicating with Ailongtan, with whom he had a pact.

Although Ailongtan was not summoned at this time, Luo Jun could still borrow his power through this Legendary Treasure Item.

Wind element, Wind Control Technique!

As the vital energy circulated, a stream of air swirled around Luo Jun, ruffling his hair and the hem of his clothes.

Gradually, the airflow became faster and stronger, even lifting the pebbles at Luo Jun's feet. As the wind intensified, Luo Jun's feet slowly left the ground, and he began to float!

There are many abilities that allow one to fly, but the one with the lowest barrier to entry is the Elemental School's Wind Control Technique.

To put it simply, it's about manipulating air currents to lift oneself up. Theoretically, other Elemental School abilities can also achieve this, such as manipulating water, ice, or soil to lift oneself up, but that doesn't look like flying at all. As for Fire Element abilities, one can use explosions to propel oneself into the sky, but that's far less easy to control than the Wind Control Technique.

Luo Jun manipulated the airflow, dragging himself around in mid-air. He had to admit that the feeling of flying with the Wind Control Technique was completely different from the feeling of using the Myriad Jun Hammer to glide out. This really gave him a feeling of freedom, like a bird soaring freely in the sky.

Besides flight, Ailongtan's Wind Control Technique can also unleash Wind Blade, the intensity of which can be adjusted according to the consumption of his vital energy. Theoretically, with Luo Jun's terrifying vital energy as support, Ailongtan could unleash quite powerful Wind Blade. However, in both the selection and training phases, to prevent accidental injury and to avoid revealing his extraordinary vital energy, Ailongtan's various attack abilities were only executed at the most basic level. He relied solely on the diversity of his abilities to win, giving the impression that he was a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

As Luo Jun flew, he casually launched Wind Blade, all of them basic versions with weak power. They seemed to have no target; sometimes they cut off water, sometimes they severed flowers and plants, and sometimes they simply shot them randomly into the sky. In short, it was more like he was playing than practicing his abilities.

The one-hour feedback period passed quickly. After landing smoothly, Luo Jun took off the necklace and turned to look in a certain direction. "You've been watching for so long, come out now."

A beautiful girl emerged from the shadows; it was Ling Xin.

"You're quite perceptive. When did you notice I was here?"

Luo Jun chuckled, "You didn't hide your aura either."

"When did you become capable?" Ling Xin looked at Luo Jun: "Just a few days ago you told me you were only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and today you can fly on the wind? I can sense that you are Luo Jun himself!"

"I'm not that lucky," Luo Jun smiled and handed the necklace to Ling Xin. "Thanks to this."

Ling Xin took it and glanced at it, a look of surprise flashing across her face. "Legendary Treasure Item? Obtained from the Endless Maze this time?"

"I already had the necklace, but it was Epic-level," Luo Jun answered honestly. "I got a treasure in the black market that could upgrade my Noble Phantasm, so I tried it out. I thought it would just add an effect, but I didn't expect it to actually advance."

Ling Xin had been secretly following Luo Jun and knew how he obtained the Enchanting Magic Wand, but she hadn't witnessed its specific effects. "So, you and Lin Feng have Master-Servant Contract?" Ling Xin frowned. "Just now you were using Lin Feng's abilities? You didn't even need to summon him?"

"It's perfectly reasonable for me to sign a contract with my Summoned Creature, isn't it?" Luo Jun said with a smile.

"Why waste such a crucial ability?" Ling Xin returned the necklace to Luo Jun: "The Cooldown Time is a full twenty-four hours. In case of any emergencies, you can use the ability at any time to protect yourself."

"What danger could there be in the Puhua Mountain Academy?" Luo Jun spread his hands. "Besides, if we really encounter danger, can't you protect me?" Ling Xin blushed slightly upon hearing this. "We're not related, why would I protect you?"

"Because you are kind!"

Luo Jun smiled and said, "Besides, I didn't waste it. In the days since the necklace was upgraded, I've often looked for opportunities to borrow the abilities of the Summoned Creature, not for fun, but to experience what it feels like to have abilities."

"Isn't it said that the insights into the state of the Heart Refining Realm can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words?" Luo Jun laughed. "If I could personally experience the feeling of having the ability to the Heart Refining Realm, perhaps it would be beneficial for my breakthrough?"

"So, what insights have you gained so far?" Ling Xin pressed.

Luo Jun shook his head with some regret. "When using the feedback effect, I felt I could use my abilities at will, as easily and naturally as controlling my own fingers. But as soon as the effect ended, I felt as if my fingers had been cut off. What was a matter of course one second became as difficult as climbing to the sky the next..."

"I see..." Ling Xin also felt some sympathy for Luo Jun. As a genius, she had developed a tendency not long after she started cultivating Yuan Qi. When she broke through to the Heart Refining Realm, she encountered almost no bottlenecks and never felt that it was difficult. But in fact, most Cultivators, like Luo Jun, could not see any hope of breaking through to the Heart Refining Realm.

"However, I didn't come away empty-handed."

Luo Jun suddenly raised his hand, and a ball of qi condensed in his palm. Under his control, it began to rotate. At first, it was relatively slow, but gradually, the qi became faster and faster, and its shape changed accordingly. In the end, it seemed as if a small tornado had formed in his palm! "This is..." Ling Xin looked at Luo Jun's palm in surprise. For a moment, she even thought that Luo Jun had really mastered wind Law Technique. But upon closer inspection, she realized that something was wrong. What Luo Jun held in his palm was just ordinary qi, but he was using qi to simulate the operation of Wind Element.

If I had to put it into words, it's like drawing a tornado on paper with a pen. Although you can tell what it is at a glance, it's essentially just paper and ink.

"It looks very similar, doesn't it?" Luo Jun looked at the tornado in his palm. "After experiencing the power of wind, although I can't use my energy to create wind, I can still outline the shape of the wind and simulate some of the effects."

As he spoke, Luo Jun flicked his hand, sending the "whirlwind" flying. It landed on the ground, crushing the grass it touched into dust. The airflow it generated blew the fragments into the air, where they spun around a few times before slowly falling back down.

As for that wisp of energy, it dissipated almost instantly.

"Ordinary qi, once separated from the body, can only last for a very short time," Ling Xin said. "Attaching it to an object can slightly increase the duration, but it will also decay rapidly. Without the ability to Mind Stillness, using Protective Qi Enhancement arrows and bullets is only effective at relatively close range."

"And your kind of Qi, which operates in a complex way, is even harder to maintain." Ling Xin saw through Luo Jun's move at a glance. "There's an even bigger problem: simulating such a complex elemental state with Qi requires extremely high concentration and Mental Power ... To be honest, I'm already quite surprised that you could do this, but the final result is completely disproportionate to the effort you put in."

Luo Jun glanced at Ling Xin: "You actually know so much about this?"

"You're not the first person to think of this." Ling Xin shook her head. "There are countless people in this world struggling to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and all sorts of strange and unusual methods have been tried."

"You've seen this move before, haven't you?" With that, Luo Jun changed the way he channeled his Qi again, this time focusing mainly on the soles of his feet. As the simulated Wind Element Qi was generated, a layer of high-speed flowing Qi formed between his feet and the ground. Then, under the flow of Qi, he didn't even take a step, but glided on the ground.

This move made Ling Xin's eyes light up. "You actually figured out this technique on your own?"

"This is the Carefree Step, an advanced application of Qi," Ling Xin explained. "It uses Qi to simulate the fluidity of Wind Element, thereby reducing the friction between the feet and the ground, and increasing movement speed through gliding."

"Because it requires extremely high control over one's inner energy, this technique is usually only used by Martial Combat Faction at the Heart Refining Realm." As she spoke, Ling Xin looked at Luo Jun: "But you... being able to memorize more than ten thousand patterns in sixty seconds, your Mental Power is indeed extraordinary. It's not surprising that you could develop such a technique at the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Then tell me, if there were a sufficiently thick layer of internal energy," Luo Jun imagined, "That could form a flowing layer a meter or even several meters thick under our feet, wouldn't that be almost like flying?"

"This..." Ling Xin was startled by his idea, then said, "Don't joke around, it's impossible for anyone to have such a high level of magnanimity, unless... one can really cultivate the Body Refinement Realm to the Tenth Floor!"

At this point, Ling Xin comforted him, saying, "I've already contacted my brother. After this Exchange Meeting, I'll take you to see him. He's willing to teach you what you saw in the ruins. Whether you can learn anything from it depends on your comprehension."

"Uh..." Luo Jun was somewhat amused and exasperated. "That's not what I meant..."

"It doesn't matter, I was planning to tell you anyway." Ling Xin glanced at the moonlight. "It's so late, let's go back to the dorm." "You go first." Luo Jun looked at the waterfall. "I want to stay here for a while."

Ling Xin didn't press the issue, and nodded, "Then you should go back early; you have a match tomorrow." Then she left.

Once Ling Xin had walked away and Luo Jun was sure there was no one else nearby, he began to reactivate his internal energy.

But this time, it wasn't just a minor skirmish like before. The flowing qi beneath his feet grew thicker and thicker, lifting him off the ground. If you didn't rely on your Vital Energy Vision, it would look like he was floating.

"Simulating elemental qi requires change and fluidity, which conflicts with the stable characteristics of Gathering Origin Protective Qi," Luo Jun explained as he experimented. "Therefore, when using this simulation, Gathering Origin Protective Qi cannot be used. But without Gathering Origin Protective Qi, the thickness of my qi will greatly increase..."

As he continued his ascent, he eventually surpassed the height of the waterfall!

Then, he began to activate the flow of his internal energy, propelling his body to glide freely in mid-air, appearing to ordinary people as if he were truly flying!

However, if Vital Energy Cultivator were present, they would likely be even more shocked than an ordinary person upon witnessing this scene!

Because in the Yuan Qi Vision, the man in front of them was standing on a massive, dragon-like stream of qi, carrying him up and down in the air! What kind of power and control would it take to achieve such a spectacle!

For Cultivators, this is a scene even more terrifying than simply flying!

"Is ordinary gliding called 'Carefree Step'?" Luo Jun muttered to himself as he "flew," "Then I'll call mine 'Carefree Roaming '!"