Free and Easy Wandering!

The sky had only just begun to brighten when the entire courtyard sprang to life.

"Haha, Brother Zhou, I haven't even congratulated you on becoming a commander yesterday!"

After finishing a night of cultivation, Zhou Hao had just stepped out of the quiet room when Iron Ox strode into the courtyard.

"Big Brother Iron Ox, what's going on?" Zhou Hao saw the people from the Iron Ox Tribe already packed and ready to leave.

"Old Blind Man and I spent all day yesterday looking. We found a suitable place for a camp, about eight hundred li from Jade Dragon City," Iron Ox explained.

"With so many people crammed in here, it just won't do. Now that we've picked a spot, we want to get there as soon as we can."

"So soon?" Zhou Hao was taken aback. Xiangcao hadn't mentioned it last night.

He had thought it would take at least three or five days to settle on a permanent home for the Iron Ox Tribe. He hadn't expected Iron Ox and the others to find one in a single day.

"It was Zhao Hu. He came looking for you yesterday morning. When you weren't here, he asked me a few questions and learned I was heading out to search for a place to settle. So he arranged for an old local from Jade Dragon City to show us around," Iron Ox said with a grin.

"There aren't many good spots suited to a tribe's settlement. After visiting two places, Old Blind Man and I settled on a wide canyon. It'll be easy to build defenses there, and there's enough room for over a hundred thousand people to live."

"That sounds good." Zhou Hao nodded, quite pleased with how helpful Zhao Hu had been.

After Zhao Hu had also run around taking care of things for him the day before, Zhou Hao had decided he would find a chance to repay him.

"Brother Zhou, there's something I still need to discuss with you." Iron Ox changed the subject, hesitating.

"Big Brother Iron Ox, if you say you need to discuss it with me, you're treating me like an outsider. Am I not one of the Iron Ox Tribe?" Zhou Hao asked with a smile.

"Right, right. I misspoke." Iron Ox laughed. "It's like this: the little ones in the tribe, Zhuzi and Shitou included, ought to learn to read and write and start practicing martial arts.

"The tribe doesn't have the same resources as Jade Dragon City. I'd like the children of the right age to stay here and study at the city's martial arts schools. The men in Zhamu and Qingshi's families are dead, so I want them to stay here and look after the little ones."

"No problem. If I have time, I can teach them martial arts, too." Zhou Hao nodded. Seeing Xiangcao walking in from outside, he asked without thinking, "Is Xiangcao going to the new camp, too?"

"What, you don't want me to stay?" Xiangcao arched an eyebrow. "Should I leave, then?"

Zhou Hao paused, then shook his head. "No, it's just that the military already gave us orders yesterday. We only have five days to get familiar with our drills before we head out to sea to stand guard. We won't be back for at least a month. I'm worried that if I leave, there'll be no one to run things at home, and Sister-in-law Zhamu and Sister-in-law Qingshi won't be safe looking after all the little ones by themselves."

"You're going out to sea on military duty?" Xiangcao pressed. "Is it dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous." Zhou Hao smiled. "We're just going to guard an island. We'll stay there for a month and come back when the time is up."

Jade Dragon City's main sphere of operations was the East Sea. Previously, besides defending the sea routes and island residents within its sphere of influence, the Xiantian Battalion's most important duty had been guarding three islands with Origin Stone mines.

After the expansion and renaming, the five Jade Dragon Army squads would all be sent out to sea, except for Yang Yun's Fourth Squad, which would stay behind to guard the city.

Since the Fifth Squad was newly formed, the military had given them an extra five days to get familiar with everything. Some of the other squads had already gone to sea yesterday, as soon as the martial competition ended.

"With Brother Zhou's strength, who could possibly be your match at the Xiantian level? Even if there were danger, you wouldn't need to fear it!" Iron Ox grinned.

Yesterday, at the Green Flood Dragon Army's martial competition, Zhou Hao's feat of destroying the Vine Wood Puppet in a single breath had spread throughout Jade Dragon City. Iron Ox and the others were proud beyond words when they heard the news.

Brother Zhou was one of their own, from the Iron Ox Tribe!

Only after hearing that he would merely be guarding an island did Xiangcao relax.

"I'm not going. I'll stay here and keep an eye on—keep an eye on this home for you."

With that, she turned and hurried away.

"If you're staying, then stay. Why run?"

Watching Xiangcao dart out of the courtyard like a gust of wind, Zhou Hao was a little puzzled.

Still, he was quite happy she wasn't leaving.

After all, Xiangcao had been the first person he met after crossing into this world. After spending all this time together, he'd grown used to knowing that no matter how late he came home, someone would be waiting for him.

"Master Jingzhi? Master Jingzhi?"

Outside the Martial Repository, Zhou Hao called out, holding a basin of steaming Zhilong Meat.

"Wailing like a wolf this early in the morning! What's all the noise?"

Creak—

The door opened, and Master Jingzhi emerged, dark circles under his eyes.

"Master Jingzhi, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Zhou Hao raised the basin of Zhilong Meat. "I bought it at Zhu Da Restaurant. Want to have some while it's hot?"

The Wilderness World wasn't Earth. Even ordinary folk almost all practiced martial arts, and their three daily meals consisted mainly of meat.

Zhou Hao wasn't particular about food. He'd picked up the basin on the way over.

After all, he was here to ask for instruction. It wouldn't look right to show up empty-handed.

The old man and the young one set out bowls and chopsticks on the stone table outside the Martial Repository and began to feast.

Master Jingzhi ate with refined manners, but more than half the basin of Zhilong Meat ended up in Zhou Hao's stomach.

"You don't show kindness without a reason." Master Jingzhi took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the corners of his mouth before looking at Zhou Hao. "Tell me, what do you want?"

"I knew I couldn't fool your discerning eye, sir." Zhou Hao grinned. "I want to learn a movement technique. Does the Martial Repository have one that would suit me?"

"It does." The corners of Master Jingzhi's mouth lifted slightly. "But you need to have reached the Xiantian level in Qi Refining to begin learning it. You..."

"I've already reached the middle stage of the Xiantian level in Qi Refining." Zhou Hao nodded repeatedly, then waved a hand. A stream of true essence shot out from his body.

Boom!

The black stone slab he'd used as a blackboard during the lesson two days ago was blasted to powder.

"..." Master Jingzhi stared at Zhou Hao, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"I'll pay for it, I'll pay for it!" Zhou Hao said, grimacing as he hurriedly promised.

He'd just instinctively struck at the blackboard... What a grudge!

"Wait here." Master Jingzhi tossed aside his handkerchief and went back inside the Martial Repository.

Zhou Hao finished off the last few pieces of meat. A wisp of consciousness entered Blue Flower Space, where he saw two drifting strands of water vapor. His heart felt light and easy.

Of the sixty High-Grade Origin Stones he'd won from Ren Baili, Zhou Hao had used twelve the night before to cultivate the fourth level of the Water Source Sutra to perfection, reaching the fifth level—the middle stage of the Xiantian realm.

Then he'd offered eight High-Grade Origin Stones to Blue Flower Boss, adding two more strands of water vapor, each containing seventy-two threads, to Blue Flower Space.

His body had been forged by the Redbright Nine Heavens Map into a perfect Xiantian divine demon body, with tough meridians that could withstand such exertion. An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator who'd reached the Xiantian level wouldn't dare push things so recklessly.

High-Grade Origin Stones weren't Origin Liquid. Using too many would still burden the body.

But Zhou Hao had reached his limit.

His meridians needed to be tempered and strengthened by even more concentrated Xiantian True Essence. If he kept chasing speed, he might damage his foundation, and then he'd be in trouble.

That was also why he'd come to the Martial Repository to see Master Jingzhi today.

He couldn't use a shortcut to speed up Qi Refining, and body refinement required him to slowly guide and absorb the Power of Taiyin and the Power of Taiyang. In his spare time, he wanted to hone his fist techniques, staff techniques, and movement techniques.

Yesterday, he'd incorporated a trace of the True Meaning of Wind into the Gang Step he'd practiced since childhood on the Drill Ground. His movement had overwhelmed Hu Yong, who'd surrendered without a fight, but Gang Step was only a set of footwork. Without true essence to support it, its potential was limited.

The sensible thing to do was to systematically study a movement technique and use it as a foundation to improve.

After a full quarter of an hour, Master Jingzhi finally came out carrying a brand-new book with a green cover.

"Here." Master Jingzhi tossed it to Zhou Hao, still clearly displeased that he'd destroyed the blackboard he used to teach and answer questions.

"I'll find you an even bigger black stone slab and bring it over later." Zhou Hao hurriedly promised, then carefully took the book in both hands.

The cover was simple. It bore only three characters: Free and Easy Wandering.

"Hm? I don't need to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao?" Zhou Hao opened the book. The first page wasn't an oath like it had been in the Water Source Sutra; instead, it was filled with lines of tiny text describing the technique. He looked at Master Jingzhi, puzzled.

"No. This movement technique was obtained by an inner disciple of the Jade Dragon Sect—a fairy, to be precise—through a fortuitous encounter in an ancient cave abode." Master Jingzhi's eyes seemed to drift into the past.

"She was also from the Green Flood Dragon Army in Jade Dragon City, so she left this Evasion Secret Technique here."

"If you ever want to pass it on, you may do so as long as the person is kind-hearted and not wicked."

"Don't worry, sir. I won't pass it on carelessly." Zhou Hao promised solemnly.

"Mm." Master Jingzhi nodded slightly, then walked over to a reclining chair and lay down, gazing blankly at the sky.

Zhou Hao sat on a stone stool and carefully read the book in his hands.

"The Free and Easy Wandering Evasion Technique was created by a mighty ancient master of the Dao Sect. After being revised by many immortals, it was simplified into an Evasion Secret Technique that cultivators on the Qi Refining Path can also practice."

"Master it, and you can stride across the azure clouds and roam the four seas, covering ninety thousand li in the blink of an eye... It is one of the Dao Sect's most supreme Evasion Techniques."

"This... This is a secret technique?" Zhou Hao held his breath. "And it was originally a divine ability?"

The second update of the day.