This Journey

The next day.

Early in the morning.

Several members of the Black Tiger Gang arrived on Sophora Street carrying gifts.

They wanted to visit Chen Fan, only to discover that the small courtyard where he lived had already been put up for sale.

After asking around among the neighboring residents, they found out Chen Fan's new address.

But by the time they arrived, Chen Fan had already gone to the martial academy and was not home. After waiting for a long time without seeing him, they decided to return the next day.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan was busily occupied at the White Cloud Martial Academy.

Having taken first place in the Flying Spirit Martial Tournament, he had instantly become the most sought-after person in the entire White Cloud branch academy.

The moment he entered the academy, he was met with a wave of enthusiastic flattery.

After his vanity had initially been satisfied, however, Chen Fan began to feel somewhat uncomfortable...

He first greeted Bao Tianyou and the others, asking Bao Tianyou to look after his sister-in-law and niece and ensure their safety. Then he went to his own class.

He explained the situation to Master Feng Cong.

The two had at least shared a teacher-student bond for several months, and Master Feng was a good man. Chen Fan naturally could not simply leave without saying goodbye.

It was worth mentioning that—

When Chen Fan returned to the Black Cloud Class, every disciple came forward, chattering endlessly.

They were incredibly excited.

Even those who normally had no interaction with him came over to offer their congratulations.

The number one person in Flying Spirit County under eighteen was no empty title!

But once they learned that Chen Fan was about to leave, quite a few of them felt regretful.

Even the usually proud and aloof He Hongshan came up to Chen Fan again. "Just wait for me in Yan Capital City. Within a year, I will definitely go there!"

If He Hongshan truly mastered the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm within a year, her talent would surpass even Feng Yuancheng's. In the future, she could cultivate other first-rate secret manuals as well!

Chen Fan smiled awkwardly. It would not do to leave her unanswered, so he simply said, "Then I'll wait for you."

He did not mean anything special by it.

He Hongshan let out a "Hmph" and turned around to continue her bitter cultivation.

After that, Feng Cong pulled Chen Fan away.

He gave him another round of earnest advice.

"Yan Capital City is not like this place. The competition there is much fiercer. Your talent may be good, but you must not slack off. You have to work hard—work hard, then work even harder!"

But when Chen Fan was about to say goodbye, Feng Cong stopped him again.

Feng Cong brought him to the public training ground and actually had him share his cultivation experience before the newly opened classes.

It left Chen Fan rather embarrassed.

He was purely blessed with extraordinary talent. What experience did he have to share? So he made up a few little stories.

Things like how he neglected food and sleep, how he even thought about martial arts moves while sleeping.

He also warned everyone not to shut themselves away and remain stubbornly fixed in their ways. Some martial arts could not yield results through bitter cultivation alone. They needed to go out and see more; perhaps inspiration would strike at any moment...

"The reason I was able to gain sudden enlightenment in the Wind-Thunder Palm was because I often watched lightning and listened to thunder during rainstorms, gradually building up my understanding..."

Upon hearing this, Feng Cong's impression of Chen Fan changed completely.

He had thought Chen Fan disliked bitter cultivation and thus ran around outside all day. Who would have thought Chen Fan had his own reasons!

Chen Fan's words were not exactly wrong, but they depended on the person.

People like him, who could gain sudden enlightenment so easily, were rare even among the rarest!

In truth, Chen Fan's social circle was extremely simple.

At the martial academy, he only frequently hung around with Bao Tianyou and the others. His relationships with his classmates were actually rather ordinary.

After that, Chen Fan went directly to see Li Linliu.

Feng Cong led Chen Fan straight up to the third floor of the martial academy.

The second floor was originally the activity area for beginner disciples, containing true cultivation arts, martial skills, and everything else available after joining. Yet Chen Fan skipped it entirely.

Feng Cong stopped before an elegant room with Chen Fan. After entering, Chen Fan discovered that besides Li Linliu, there were two other people inside.

One of them was none other than Feng Yuancheng!

The other was Instructor Zhu.

"Academy Master!"

After everyone stepped forward to greet him, Chen Fan stood awkwardly beside Feng Yuancheng and cupped his fists. "Senior Brother Feng..."

The corner of Feng Yuancheng's mouth twitched slightly. He then took a deep breath, his expression subtle. "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on winning the tournament championship!"

After losing to Chen Fan, Feng Yuancheng had left immediately and forfeited the remaining matches.

He had not expected them to meet again here.

Chen Fan nodded slightly.

Come to think of it, since Feng Yuancheng had already broken through in the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, he naturally had to head to Yan Capital City as well.

Unless the Feng Clan could provide even better training conditions...

Li Linliu looked at Chen Fan and smiled. "Have you finished handling your affairs?"

Chen Fan nodded.

Li Linliu lowered his head again. "In that case, go back and prepare. We will set out tomorrow morning. This journey will take us through the wilderness, and it will take half a day to arrive. You must be mentally prepared."

Feng Yuancheng glanced at Chen Fan in surprise and could not help asking, "Is Junior Brother Chen Fan going to Yan Capital City as well?"

Chen Fan nodded.

Feng Yuancheng sighed. "Junior Brother's talent is outstanding..."

If Feng Yuancheng was going to Yan Capital City because he met the requirements, then Chen Fan had been exceptionally admitted. Naturally, the two were different.

The two left. They had never had much of a relationship to begin with, and they had once faced each other in the arena, making things somewhat awkward. They soon went their separate ways.

When Chen Fan returned home—

His sister-in-law came forward. "Four or five groups came by today carrying gifts, saying they were looking for you. There were people from the He Clan, the Wang Clan, and..."

Chen Fan nodded slightly and interrupted her. "They probably came to win me over too. Unfortunately, I'm leaving Flying Spirit County tomorrow, so it doesn't matter."

The family of three had one final dinner together, treating it as a farewell meal.

Early the next morning, Chen Fan got up at dawn. He had not wanted to disturb his sister-in-law or niece.

Who would have thought that his sister-in-law had already risen? She had even prepared breakfast, boiled a whole basket of red eggs, and packed Chen Fan's luggage for him. Her mouth never stopped as she gave him one instruction after another.

Chen Fan felt deeply moved.

Though they were not related by blood, his sister-in-law treated him exceptionally well—well enough to compare to a real older sister.

At last, Chen Fan entered the inner room and took one final look at his sleeping little niece. Only then did he pick up his luggage and leave.

This time, he likely would not be able to return for several months.

In less than five minutes, Chen Fan arrived at the entrance of the White Cloud Martial Academy.

The sky was still somewhat dark, the sun had yet to rise, and only scattered figures stood before the academy gates.

Chen Fan saw a carriage parked in front from afar. But when he approached, he could not help being stunned.

The beast pulling the carriage looked like a horse, yet not quite a horse. It was more ferocious and robust, with two horns growing from its head. It was absolutely not a creature Chen Fan had ever seen in his previous life!

He was startled, but his eyes remained fixed on the strange beast as he looked it over from side to side in surprise.

The middle-aged man sitting on the carriage laughed heartily. "Kid, have you never seen a horse with demon beast blood?"

Chen Fan froze, then scratched his head. "No, I haven't. Do demon beasts really exist in this world?"

He seemed to recall hearing rumors about demon beasts, but he had never seen one. He had previously dismissed them as feudal legends and never taken them seriously.

The man continued, "Of course. Flying Spirit County is simply too small. Apart from a few martial arts clans, it is normal that you have never seen demon beasts. Demon beasts usually live beyond the wilderness and do not dare easily invade human territory. Pure-blooded demon beasts are generally extremely powerful..."

Chen Fan was immensely curious.

He felt that the world he had previously seen was far too small.

He also stepped forward to get a closer look at the horse-like beast.

"This thing is called a Two-Horned Horse. Its strength and constitution far surpass those of ordinary horses. It also possesses demon beast blood, so ordinary wild beasts do not dare approach it. It is perfect for traveling through the wilderness!"

The man seemed fond of teaching others and was happy to answer Chen Fan's questions.

As the two chatted, several figures emerged from the White Cloud Martial Academy.

The person at the front was Li Linliu.

Behind him followed Feng Yuancheng and the various instructors.

"Chen Fan, you're here. Then let's set out."

Li Linliu called out to him, telling Chen Fan to put away his luggage and prepare to board the carriage.

So this really is Li Linliu's carriage!

Chen Fan had already suspected as much.

If an ordinary person possessed such a strange carriage, it would have long become widely known and hardly remained a secret.

He just did not know where Li Linliu had been keeping the unusual Two-Horned Horse at the White Cloud Martial Academy these past few days.

Chen Fan greeted Feng Cong and Instructor Zhu, whom he knew, before climbing into the carriage under the groom's curious gaze.

The groom clicked his tongue in wonder as he looked at Chen Fan. "So young. It seems Flying Spirit County is about to produce quite an impressive figure."

Chen Fan merely shook his head modestly.

Soon after, Feng Yuancheng boarded the carriage with a burly man. The latter held a wicker trunk in each hand and was presumably a servant of the Feng household.

Compared to the bundle Chen Fan carried on his back, Feng Yuancheng had brought quite a lot of luggage.

Finally, Li Linliu boarded the carriage and looked through the carriage window at the instructors.

"Everyone, until we meet again."

Li Linliu seemed to have other matters to attend to. He had already resigned as acting academy master of the White Cloud Martial Academy. Someone of his stature would not easily return to Flying Spirit County in the future.

"Take care!"

The groom shouted, cracked his whip, and the Two-Horned Horse moved its powerful legs. Pulling the carriage forward, it kicked up a cloud of dust and sped along the official road.

Before long, it vanished from the instructors' sight.

At Chen Fan's home.

Only half an hour after Chen Fan's departure—

Several members of the Black Tiger Gang returned with gifts. Upon learning that Chen Fan had already left Flying Spirit County, they looked at one another helplessly and could only return to report to their gang leader.

You Shahu frowned, feeling rather helpless. "Keep an eye on Chen Fan's family. When that kid returns, report to me immediately!"

He was curious about Chen Fan, but he did not truly suspect him too deeply.

He would not travel all the way to Yan Capital City after Chen Fan over something so vague and uncertain.

Flying Tiger Sect.

The young man in green robes frowned as he looked at the old man before him.

"Master, have you truly decided? With Junior Brother Yan's talent, if he remains at the academy and cultivates a true art, then within three years he will definitely be able to win a martial institute disciple slot for our Flying Tiger Sect!"

This old man was none other than Teng Bo, the master of the Flying Tiger Sect.

Beside him stood a slovenly young man, who nodded as well. "Junior Brother is right. We painstakingly nurtured Lincu for two years, and now we're handing him over to someone else. Isn't that too much of a loss...?"

Bitterness flashed across Teng Bo's face before it was replaced by resolve. He said brightly, "Li Linliu was right about one thing. Lincu possesses heaven-gifted talent and an unparalleled physique. If not for the limitations of our sect, how could he have lost to Chen Fan..."

Chen Fan had needed to take a Blood-Nourishing Pill to defeat Yan Lincu.

That was the point Teng Bo found hardest to accept.

The two disciples exchanged glances and fell silent.

That was indeed the truth.

As Teng Bo's personal disciples, they had both laid foundations with first-rate strength cultivation secret manuals. They were the very finest geniuses in Flying Spirit County, yet in Yan Capital City, they were nothing remarkable at all.

"However, Li Linliu was wrong about one thing. The world is vast. There is more than one White Cloud Martial Academy in this world, and more than one Yan Capital City. I have contacted an old acquaintance in Qinghe Prefecture City and recommended Lincu to join a major sect there. With Lincu's exceptional talent, he may have a chance to enter a martial institute directly..."

As he spoke, Teng Bo turned to look at his two disciples and sighed. "Actually, this is also a good thing. Once Lincu leaves, the Flying Tiger Sect can concentrate its resources on cultivating the two of you... Especially you, Zhao Hei. If you need money, come to me. From now on, stop pulling those little tricks that tarnish the Flying Tiger Sect's reputation..."

The slovenly young man was Zhao Hei. He scratched his head awkwardly.

At last, Teng Bo looked at the rising red sun on the horizon, his expression resolute. "Work hard. With your strength, you may not be without a chance in next year's martial institute examination!"

The two exchanged glances again and each cupped their fists, their gazes turning resolute as well.

.