Ten Thousand Mile Road

The next afternoon, the central plaza in Wutong District was crowded with Outer Sect Disciples and Servant Disciples.

Zhou Er went out for a stroll and, seeing so many people gathered, went to take a look. He saw Li Wuya riding a tiger that was beaten black and blue, as docile as a cat, parading around.

Behind him followed his Hunting Team members, carrying their spoils. Even dead, these prey exuded a stronger aura than the Sick Tiger Li Wuya was riding.

"Everyone, make way! This Fierce Tiger hasn't been completely tamed yet. Be careful not to get hurt."

Li Wuya waved to the disciples gathered to watch the spectacle, telling them to disperse.

Suddenly, he spotted Zhou Er in the crowd. He patted the Sick Tiger's head and walked over to Zhou Er, saying:

"Junior Brother Zhou, this Fierce Tiger weighs seven hundred jin. Are you satisfied?"

"Naturally, I am satisfied."

Zhou Er smiled and nodded, then followed Li Wuya to his residence.

The other members of Li Wuya's Hunting Team casually dropped the prey they were carrying and took a short break. Soon, they would sell these to the sect's designated place for recycling Demonic Beast corpses.

"Junior Brother Zhou, I forgot to ask earlier. What do you need this Fierce Tiger for? Do you want to raise it as a pet? Fierce Tigers are difficult to tame. You need to beat them into submission so they don't dare to bare their teeth. It's not a good choice for a pet or spirit beast."

After speaking, Li Wuya patted the Fierce Tiger's head, then suddenly pressed its head forcefully to the ground. Only when the Fierce Tiger dared not look up did he dismount.

"That's right! Junior Brother Zhou! Don't raise a Fierce Tiger just because you think it's fun. These tigers are not easy to serve,"

a Strong Man from Li Wuya's Hunting Team also advised.

"Senior Brother, I understand. The reason I want this tiger is actually to eat its liver. I previously obtained a text that states consuming the viscera of the five beasts can strengthen the physique."

Zhou Er explained with a smile.

"So it's for Medicinal Cuisine."

Li Wuya nodded and said.

He practiced body refinement and knew that Medicinal Cuisine had many strange and peculiar recipes. It wasn't surprising that tiger liver was needed.

"Junior Brother Zhou, since you only want the tiger liver, I'll kill this Fierce Tiger for you and take its liver!"

As he spoke, Li Wuya gave his teammates a look. They immediately stepped forward to hold down the Fierce Tiger, while someone else brought a basin to collect the blood.

With everything ready, Li Wuya struck without mercy. Hot blood gushed from the Fierce Tiger's neck, falling into the basin.

The Fierce Tiger was pinned down, unable to struggle.

Seeing this, a trace of melancholy arose in Zhou Er's heart.

It wasn't that he felt pity for the Fierce Tiger, but rather he thought of how this Fierce Tiger was also a king of the forest. Regardless of anything else, within its territory of more than ten li, it was at least a ruler, able to arbitrarily slaughter other animals within its domain.

But once it fell into the hands of a cultivator, it was no different from the animals it had pounced on and devoured, or the cattle and sheep awaiting slaughter.

'If you don't become one of the peak existences, even a fierce tiger is ultimately just fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.'

Zhou Er's desire to become stronger grew even more urgent.

Now, he might be safe, but in this perilous cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak, there might not be any mysterious powerful beings who, coveting something on him, would descend with killing intent.

Therefore, Zhou Er wanted to become strong, so strong that when that day truly arrived, he could handle it with ease, rather than being like the fierce tiger before him, unable to find a way out even if it bowed its head and begged for mercy.

Of course, he knew he was the culprit and felt a trace of remorse.

But just as a fierce tiger eating cattle and sheep wouldn't care about their feelings, though he could empathize, he wouldn't be overly self-blaming. Instead, he focused on being prepared for danger in times of peace.

After draining the blood, Li Wuya cut out the tiger liver, threaded it with a grass rope, and handed it to Zhou Er, saying:

"Junior Brother Zhou, your tiger liver."

Zhou Er took the massive tiger liver and also took out the spirit stones he had prepared earlier, handing them to Li Wuya, saying:

"This is the spirit stones we agreed upon for Senior Brother."

Li Wuya did not refuse. He took the spirit stones with his blood-stained hands and said with a smile:

"If Junior Brother Zhou ever needs our help again, don't hesitate to ask."

"If there's a need, I will certainly seek out Senior Brother."

Zhou Er said, and carrying the tiger liver, he arrived at the Spirit Restaurant.

The Spirit Restaurant not only allowed customers to order dishes but also to bring their own ingredients for the chefs to prepare, though a fee for ingredients and processing would be charged.

"Senior Brother, this tiger liver can be prepared into Three Dishes and One Soup. We'll also give you a bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice. The cost is only one Low-grade Spirit Stone."

The waiter at the Spirit Restaurant said.

"Then do as you say."

Zhou Er nodded.

"Alright!"

The waiter took the items to the kitchen. Half an hour later, Zhou Er's table was set with Three Dishes and One Soup, plus a bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice.

The chefs at the Spirit Restaurant had dedicated themselves to their culinary skills. Even a bizarre ingredient like tiger liver was prepared to be both visually appealing and delicious.

As Zhou Er ate, he found that even one bowl of rice wasn't enough, so he extravagantly added three more bowls.

One bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice cost one Spirit Fragment, so Zhou Er paid an additional three Spirit Fragments.

Although he spent a bit too much, Zhou Er had the Taotie Attribute, so no matter how much he ate, it wouldn't be wasted. Instead, it would be converted into his own strength.

It was a pity that Lin Shiyu was still helping Elder He Lin watch the furnace. Otherwise, Zhou Er would have asked her to eat together.

[Longevity: Lifespan increased by 10 years.]

[Solidification Condition: Consume the five viscera of Tiger Liver, Deer Kidney, Bear Spleen, Ape Heart, and Bird Lung. (5/5)]

[Attribute Longevity, Five Animals Health Technique (Perfected) has been solidified.]

Finally, he had solidified the Longevity attribute. Zhou Er could safely remove the Five Animals Health Technique and equip other gear.

Of course, for Zhou Er, the best attribute was the Condensing Essence attribute from the Purple Spirit Pill. This attribute's effect could increase Zhou Er's cultivation speed by fifty percent, which was incredibly powerful.

Moreover, the attribute's effect was not like taking pills; there were no side effects from accumulated Pill Poison. It could be said to be all benefit and no harm.

However, Zhou Er did not have a Purple Spirit Pill on hand, so he could only equip Talisman Making Insights for now to make talismans with the Rune Mastery attribute.

When Lin Shiyu was off work, Zhou Er found her.

"Junior Sister, I need your help with something."

"Senior Brother, please speak."

Lin Shiyu looked at Zhou Er sincerely.

"It's about the Purple Spirit Pill. Please help me find another Purple Spirit Pill. I don't have any Spirit Stones on hand right now. I'll return the Spirit Stones to you in a while."

Zhou Er said.

"It's fine. I'm happy to help Senior Brother. There's no rush to return the Spirit Stones."

Lin Shiyu said with a smile.

"Then I thank you, Junior Sister. By the way, how is your alchemy learning going?"

Zhou Er thought that he couldn't always find Lin Shiyu only when he needed something, so he made small talk.

"I'm still practicing fire control. The cost of starting a furnace is too high, and I don't have the confidence."

For ordinary people, without three to five years of practice, they couldn't even refine a Bigu Pill.

Lin Shiyu was unsure in her heart, so she could only prepare more.

"Junior Sister, don't worry. Take your time."

Zhou Er knew that not everyone had attribute bonuses that allowed them to succeed on their first try, so he didn't comment further.

After a brief chat, Zhou Er didn't disturb her any longer.

Back in his room, Zhou Er cultivated for a while before stopping.

Closing his eyes to meditate, Zhou Er thought about how his Fireball Talisman was already quite good. He couldn't just stagnate; it was time to practice other talismans.

[Godspeed Talisman: Upon activation, increases walking speed. Travel a thousand miles in a day, arriving overnight.]

[Equip to gain Attribute: High-speed Reaction.]

[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increases by 10%.]

[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles.]

[Equip?]

The Godspeed Talisman was excellent, and the Godly Travel Technique was also a very practical spell.

With this technique's blessing, it would be much easier for Zhou Er to visit his family in the future.

This High-speed Reaction was an extremely useful attribute, capable of improving Zhou Er's reaction speed.

With increased reaction speed, he would be one step ahead in everything he did, greatly improving efficiency.

After some thought, Zhou Er decided to start a fixed exercise routine tomorrow, running, to complete the "Travel Ten Thousand Miles" solidification condition as soon as possible.

At the same time, he would seek guidance from a senior who knew the Godly Travel Technique.

The next day, after cultivating, Zhou Er took down his Talisman Making Insights and replaced it with the Godspeed Talisman. He began running around the sect.

These data-based solidification conditions had to be equipped before they started counting.

As soon as Zhou Er stepped out, eager to start, he saw Lin Shiyu also leaving for work.

"Senior Brother, what are you up to today?"

Lin Shiyu asked curiously.

"Just running around, stretching my body, and exercising my physique,"

Zhou Er said with a smile.

"Then, Senior Brother, would you mind accompanying me to Elder He's Cave Mansion? I have a Purple Spirit Pill for you."

Lin Shiyu said.

She always arrived a quarter of an hour early to hand over tasks to the previous Fire Control Attendant.

"Sure!"

Zhou Er had no particular destination anyway; he just needed to accumulate progress for "Travel Ten Thousand Miles."

Arriving at Elder He Lin's Cave Mansion, Zhou Er paused briefly to wait. Not long after, Lin Shiyu emerged, carrying a small box containing Purple Spirit Pills.

"Here! Senior Brother!"

Lin Shiyu handed the box to Zhou Er.

"Thank you, Junior Sister!"

Zhou Er accepted the box, bid farewell, and continued to run around the sect.

After running for half an hour, covering about sixty li, Zhou Er returned to his Courtyard.

After Cultivation, Zhou Er's body had indeed slowly improved.

After a long run, he needed less than two and a half minutes per kilometer, which was much more exaggerated than long-distance runners, and he could maintain such a fast speed.

[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increased by 10%.]

[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles. (61/10000)]

"Sixty li a day, it will take about a hundred days to solidify this Attribute."

Looking at the progress, Zhou Er removed the Godspeed Talisman and replaced it with Talisman Making Insights, preparing to make Talismans.

He continued until his magic power was depleted. Zhou Er put away his talisman-making tools and the three Fireball Talismans he had made. He removed Talisman Making Insights from his Equipment Slot and replaced it with Purple Spirit Pills. He then sat cross-legged, beginning to recover his spiritual power.

This process was too long, making Zhou Er think that if his spiritual power recovery speed increased, his efficiency in talisman making and other tasks would also improve.

Recovering spiritual power with Spirit Stones was a very fast method, but firstly, the spiritual power in Spirit Stones was not gentle, and absorbing too much at once could harm the body.

Secondly, doing so was too extravagant. The profit was already not high, and consuming Spirit Stones to recover spiritual power would lower the profit even further. It was like working while paying, which was very awkward.

Therefore, it would be best to obtain an Attribute that could automatically recover spiritual power. This would save Spirit Stones, improve efficiency, and be a permanent benefit.

However, Zhou Er had not encountered such an Attribute yet and could only wait for an opportunity in the future to see if he could find one.

For now, Zhou Er decided to focus on Cultivation and learn the Godly Travel Technique.

In the following days, Zhou Er first went to the Scripture Pavilion. He spent one Spirit Stone to borrow the manual for the Godly Travel Technique and began to teach himself.

Then, he checked if any Elders or Senior Brothers from the Inner Sect were lecturing about the Godly Travel Technique on the Lecture Platform.

Finally, if all else failed, Zhou Er would have to find Senior Brothers he knew and ask for guidance, much like hiring a private tutor.

Zhu Shunyang was very busy every day, and Zhou Er couldn't bother him for such a small matter.

Thus, Zhou Er asked a few more people he knew.

Lin Shiyu did not know the Godly Travel Technique. She had bought a Godspeed Talisman on her last trip home, so she was unable to help.

Finally, Zhou Er learned that Li Wuya was proficient in this technique. As long as Zhou Er was willing to pay Spirit Stones, Li Wuya was happy to teach him.

But the price was a bit steep, one Spirit Stone per hour.

Zhou Er was eager to learn, so he couldn't haggle over one or two Spirit Stones. After all, he only planned to take one or two lessons.

Li Wuya accepted the Spirit Stones and happily led Zhou Er to the Dojo.

"Junior Brother Zhou, the key to the Godly Travel Technique is to gather Mana in your legs, increasing your speed to twice its original, and allowing you to travel thousands of miles without tiring."

Li Wuya explained patiently and answered all questions.

After all, he had accepted Spirit Stones. If he didn't teach well, it would damage the relationship between fellow disciples.

Li Wuya would never hide his knowledge.

After a two-hour private lesson, Zhou Er's difficulties were resolved, and he finally managed to successfully cast the Godly Travel Technique.

Although it didn't last long and the effect wasn't ideal, it would be almost there with diligent practice.

After that, Zhou Er slowed down his Talisman-making speed, dedicating more time to practicing the Godly Travel Technique.

Coincidentally, while practicing the Godly Travel Technique, Zhou Er could also increase the solidification progress of his High-speed Reaction attribute.

Although the speed of earning Spirit Stones had temporarily slowed down, Zhou Er's own strength had greatly improved.

Of course, the Fireball Talismans he provided to the Fu Family Talisman Shop had correspondingly decreased.

Fu Qiu even specifically asked Zhou Er if something had happened. Upon learning that Zhou Er was focusing on practicing Spells, he didn't say anything but expressed his support.

After all, there were many Talisman Masters providing Talismans to their Fu Family Talisman Shop; they weren't lacking Zhou Er.

Instead, cultivating a good relationship was more important.

Thus, Zhou Er practiced diligently every day, braving the wind and rain, and time flew by.

One month later.

Zhou Er was sprinting on the road, his legs moving rapidly, reaching an astonishing speed of sixty to seventy kilometers per hour, comparable to a cheetah or an antelope.

Moreover, as long as his Mana was sufficient, he could maintain this speed indefinitely, unlike a cheetah which couldn't sustain it for long.

With Zhou Er's current Mana Limit, he could run for a day and a night without any problem.

Today, Zhou Er ran a little longer.

[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increased by 10%.]

[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles. (9996/10000)]

The reason was simple: the solidification progress of the High-speed Reaction attribute was about to be completed.

With the last four miles, he could just make it back to his Courtyard.