Wutan City

In a forest far from the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a caravan was taking a break.

This caravan was somewhat different from ordinary ones.

Ordinary caravans were generally made up of merchants and guards, but every member of this one was fully armed.

Rather than a caravan, this group looked more like a Mercenary Group.

Protected by the members of the caravan were a man and a woman.

They were none other than Lin Ze and Xiao Yi Xian.

After receiving the inheritance inside the ruins, Lin Ze had properly laid the senior's remains to rest.

Before leaving, he had also completely sealed the cave with boulders to keep anyone from disturbing the senior again.

After all, if later mercenaries found that the ruins had already been explored and nothing had been left behind, they might take out their frustration on the remains and destroy them.

Rather than risk that, it was better to seal the cave and reduce the chance of anyone discovering it.

Lin Ze had also taken the opportunity to have a Death Soldier retrieve the Fragmented Map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.

It might not be useful for now, but it was still worth a considerable amount.

Later on, it could fetch an astronomical price at a high-end trading venue.

Even if he never sought out the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, trading the map for high-grade medicinal pills would still be a good deal.

Thinking of how, in the Original Work, the final Fragmented Map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had been exchanged for a Tier 8 Medicinal Pill that had triggered Nine Colored Pill Lightning,

Lin Ze knew that holding on to the map could only be a profitable deal.

Once everything was settled, Lin Ze had Ma Fugui buy supplies in Qingshan Town, then disguised their group as a caravan and led them out of town.

Xiao Yi Xian had suggested that they could first go train in a basin with abundant energy that she had discovered by chance.

Training there would bring twice the results with half the effort.

It would help them prepare for Jia Nan Academy's entrance examinations.

But after considering it, Lin Ze had shaken his head and declined.

Xiao Yi Xian didn't know much about Jia Nan Academy's entrance examinations, so she held the academy in awe.

In truth, though, Xiao Yi Xian was already strong enough to pass the entrance examinations.

There was no need to risk going into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

In Lin Ze's view, orderly human towns were always safer than the wilderness, especially compared to a Magical Beast Mountain Range teeming with Magical Beasts.

Since they were already capable of passing Jia Nan Academy's entrance examinations, there was no need to take any further risks.

Although Lin Ze had turned down Xiao Yi Xian's suggestion, he still took the time to explain everything to her. Only then did she set her mind at ease.

"Mad Lion Chant!"

A faint Energy Lion appeared over Lin Ze's fist, radiating subtle fluctuations of energy.

Lin Ze suddenly swung his fist. The Energy Lion let out a furious roar and slammed into a tree trunk wider than a man's arms could encircle.

BOOM!

The Energy Lion tore the trunk to pieces!

Without its support, the tree crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of swirling dust.

Lin Ze nodded in satisfaction. It was worthy of being a Xuan Tier High Grade Dou Skill.

Although Mu She had used a spear to perform the Mad Lion Chant in the Original Work,

the Mad Lion Chant was actually a way of wielding wind-attributed energy.

As long as he condensed an Energy Lion, he had successfully performed the technique.

Still, it was usually performed with a weapon.

Otherwise, using his fists to clash head-on with someone else's weapon would only put him at a disadvantage.

Xiao Yi Xian watched, amazed.

Dou Skills weren't something you could simply see once and then perform.

High-Level Dou Techniques were especially troublesome to cultivate.

Yet Lin Ze had managed to perform a Xuan Tier High Grade Dou Skill in just three days.

To Xiao Yi Xian, Lin Ze's talent was simply unparalleled.

If Lin Ze had known what Xiao Yi Xian was thinking, he would have burst out laughing.

He wasn't nearly as gifted as she imagined.

The "talent" he relied on was actually the Death Soldiers in his Proxy State.

Just because Lin Ze had managed to perform the Mad Lion Chant after only three days didn't mean that he had learned it easily.

In fact, during those three days, he had used up all of the Death Soldiers' daily proxy time to practice the Mad Lion Chant over and over.

What Xiao Yi Xian saw as exceptional talent was really just hard work and sweat.

Feeling the Dou Qi in his body rapidly dwindling, Lin Ze slowly let out a breath.

Xuan Tier Dou Techniques were undeniably powerful, but they also consumed a great deal of Dou Qi.

With his current strength, if he encountered an enemy, he would have to give it everything he had.

He would need to defeat his opponent before his Dou Qi ran dry.

Of course, under ordinary circumstances, Lin Ze wouldn't fight himself.

With Death Soldiers in the Proxy State, Lin Ze effectively had extra Dou Qi.

After all, the Death Soldiers in the Proxy State merely carried out a projection of his power; they didn't truly consume his strength.

That meant that even if he used a Death Soldier's body to perform the Mad Lion Chant more than a dozen times, the Dou Qi in Lin Ze's body wouldn't diminish at all.

So unless circumstances demanded it, Lin Ze wouldn't act personally.

After all, if his Dou Qi was depleted, the Proxy State of every Death Soldier would weaken along with it.

"Lin Ze, here, wipe your sweat."

Xiao Yi Xian handed him a handkerchief with a smile.

"Your Cultivation Talent is so much better than mine. You can perform a Xuan Tier High Grade Dou Skill after just three days."

Lin Ze took the handkerchief and smiled. "It's just sweat and hard work."

Xiao Yi Xian froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You've only trained now and then these past few days. It's not like you've pushed yourself until you're exhausted and drenched in sweat, right?"

"Just admit it—you're exceptionally talented."

Lin Ze was a little helpless, so he could only shrug.

"All right, maybe I am a little talented."

Xiao Yi Xian said enviously, "That must be nice, having such great Cultivation Talent. I wonder if I'll be able to keep up with you in the future."

Hearing her words, Lin Ze was momentarily taken aback.

Then he understood: Xiao Yi Xian probably hadn't read the final volume of the Seven Colored Poison Scripture yet.

Otherwise, she would have known just how terrifying her own constitution was.

She wouldn't have had such doubts.

Lin Ze smiled. "Who can say what the future will bring?"

"True. Is our destination on this trip—Wutan City—also on the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

"That's right. Its proximity to the Magical Beast Mountain Range has just barely earned Wutan City a place among the Jia Ma Empire's major cities, though it ranks at the very bottom."

"That's also why Wutan City can serve as a recruitment site for Jia Nan Academy."

Lin Ze explained with a smile.

He had had the Death Soldiers find out where Jia Nan Academy would be holding its entrance examinations, and Wutan City was the closest location.

As for anywhere farther away, Lin Ze was worried they wouldn't arrive before the entrance examinations began.

After all, Xiao Yan had taken only six or seven days to travel from Wutan City to Qingshan Town.

Disguised as a caravan, Lin Ze and the others also stopped to rest and trade goods whenever they passed through towns along the way.

But however slowly they went, they could still reach Wutan City within ten days.