The gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect opened a crack in the night.
When Oscar came out carrying his bag, there was no one at the door. He hadn't told anyone he was leaving today; he assumed Ning Rongrong didn't know.
But as he walked down the steps, he paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a blue dress, hidden behind a pillar on the side of the gate.
The night breeze swept through the corridor, causing the hem of her skirt to sway slightly. The distance wasn't close, but he recognized her at a glance.
Oscar's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes reddened slightly, but he didn't stop walking.
He knew he couldn't turn back now; if he did, he would never be able to leave again. He gripped the straps on his shoulders and quickened his pace toward the city gate.
After Oscar's figure disappeared into the night, Ning Rongrong slowly emerged from behind the pillar.
She didn't cry out loud, but her eyes were wet. She watched the direction Oscar had left, her lips pressed tightly together, and didn't call out to him. She knew Oscar would leave—
Yesterday, when Oscar was packing his clothes in his room, she didn't go in to disturb him; she just stood outside the door and listened for a while.
This afternoon, while Oscar was still cultivating and had not yet returned, Ning Rongrong secretly opened his package and stuffed in several bags of gold coins and several bottles of pills, stuffing in as much as possible until the package was bulging before she was satisfied and tied it back up.
Although Ning Rongrong didn't know how far Oscar would go or when he would return, Ning Rongrong understood that the things she had prepared for Oscar now would at least make Oscar journey less arduous.
When Oscar arrived at the city gate, Feng Lingtian was already leaning against the city wall, waiting.
He saw Oscar approaching, and without exchanging many pleasantries, he handed him a note.
Oscar took the note and glanced at it. It read: Far North, Frozen Forest, Mirror Beast.
Oscar looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Deep within the Frozen Forest of the Far North, there lives a Soul Beast called the Mirror Beast. Its racial characteristic is that it can grant its user a Simulation- type Soul Skill, allowing it to copy the Soul Skill of others. I found this information in an ancient text before, and I think it might be useful to you."
Feng Lingtian paused for a moment and then said, "You have great talent. If you had followed the established path, you would have had a good future sooner or later. But now you've chosen a different path—"
To take a path no one has walked before, a path that is not favored. Not everyone has that kind of courage. I don't want you to take too many detours. Just consider it making a friend; whether you go or not is up to you.
Oscar was silent for a moment, then folded the note and put it in his pocket. "Thanks, Feng Lingtian."
Feng Lingtian nodded. "Take care."
Oscar turned and left the city gate, the night quickly swallowing his silhouette. Feng Lingtian stood there for a while, until the footsteps were no longer audible, before turning back.
When Feng Lingtian returned to the side hall of the Pill Pavilion, Su Mei'er was already there, sitting on a chair by the window, flipping through a book. She glanced up at him, asked nothing, and then lowered her head to continue reading.
Feng Lingtian sat down at the table, opened " Lingtian's Notes," and his gaze fell on the line he had written earlier—a circle was drawn next to the word "medium," and a question mark was added next to the circle. He stared at it for a long time, but still had no answer.
The days that followed returned to normal. Feng Xiaotian spent most of his time going back and forth between the training ground and the cultivation room, occasionally going out with Shui Bing'er, saying that they were going to explore the limits of the wind attribute.
Feng Lingtian locked himself in the side hall of the Pill Pavilion, repeatedly pondering the upgrade plan for the Communication Soul Tool. He tried several approaches, but none of them were quite right.
The problem with the media was like a wall standing there, and he hadn't found a way to get over it.
The daily operations of the Pill Pavilion gradually stabilized, and the transition after the merger of the four clans was slowly smoothed out. Feng Lingtian would occasionally wander around the Pill Pavilion to check on the pill reserves and personnel allocation, but most of the time he would return to the side hall and stare blankly at the " Lingtian's Notes ".
About a month later, one afternoon, Feng Lingtian, unusually, put down his notes and took a walk with Su Mei'er in the back mountain of the academy. The two walked along the mountain path for a while without saying a word, but the atmosphere was not awkward.
Su Mei'er walked half a step ahead of him, casually fiddling with the leaves of a Blue Silver Grass by the roadside.
She twirled it in her hand twice and said casually, "This Blue Silver Grass is quite interesting. It grows everywhere, is easy to care for, and can even be used for decoration. It's not as useless as others say."
Feng Lingtian had initially been listening to her, but after hearing her sigh, he felt as if a key had unlocked the closed door in his mind, and his thoughts suddenly became clear.
Blue Silver Grass is everywhere; it can grow anywhere. In cracks in Shitou, at the base of walls, on mountain paths, on rooftops—it can survive as long as there is soil. If Blue Silver Grass is used as a medium, then the communication range can cover the entire continent.
Thinking of this, Feng Lingtian suddenly stopped.
Su Mei'er took two steps before realizing he hadn't followed, and turned back to look at him. "What's wrong?"
Feng Lingtian looked at her, and the thought that had been lingering in his mind for months finally settled clearly, "What you just said... really helped me a lot."
Su Mei'er paused for a moment, but didn't press for details. She simply smiled and said, "Then it seems I'll have to say more in the future."
Feng Lingtian glanced at her, his lips twitched, but he didn't reply. He turned and quickened his pace back to the academy.
Back in the side hall, he opened " Lingtian's Notes " and wrote three words next to the question mark next to "medium": Blue Silver Grass.
He stared at those three words for a while, then added another line: Blue Silver Grass can be found everywhere. If there is Blue Silver King of sufficient age as the core, the signal can reach the entire continent.
He had an idea, but he needed a powerful enough Blue Silver Grass to test it.
Ordinary Blue Silver Grass is definitely not suitable; it's too weak to bear stable Soul Power signals. He needs to find a Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast of sufficient age—and the first thing Feng Lingtian thought of was an 80,000-year-old Blue Silver King.
He vaguely remembered the approximate location of the Blue Silver King; it was deep within a Blue Silver Forest and had helped Tang San awaken the Blue Silver Emperor.
Feng Lingtian calculated the time— Tang San should have already awakened the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline and left that place. The Blue Silver King Blue Silver King should still be there; now is the best time to set off to find it.
The night before his departure, Feng Lingtian was packing his belongings in the side hall of the Pill Pavilion. Su Mei'er sat beside him for a while, then said, "I'll go with you."
Feng Lingtian paused his movements, looked up at her, and shook his head in refusal, saying, "I'm going out this time to find a Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast that is old enough."
I don't know exactly where that place is; we can only search as we go. I have no idea what might happen along the way. I can't guarantee your safety."
He looked at Su Mei'er and earnestly pleaded, "You should stay and help me look after the Pill Pavilion. Please also take care of my parents."
Su Mei'er was quiet for a moment, then nodded without arguing, "Okay, but you must be careful and take good care of yourself... I'll worry."
Feng Lingtian looked at her. "Yes, I will. Wait for me to come back."
Su Mei'er did not speak again.
The next day, Su Mei'er did not come to see him off. But when Feng Lingtian arrived at the academy gate, he found a small cloth bag in his sleeve, inside which were several emergency pills neatly arranged. The bag was carefully wrapped with tight stitches, clearly the work of Su Mei'er.
Feng Lingtian looked down at it for a while, a slight smile playing on his lips. He carefully put the cloth bag into his pocket, and without turning back, walked towards the door.
The morning light bathed the stone path in front of the Godwind Academy, making the steps at the entrance shine.
As Feng Lingtian walked out of the academy gate with his bag on his back, a breeze blew from afar, carrying the scent of mountain grass and trees. He took a deep breath and walked northwest along the official road.
He remembered that after Tang Hao took Tang San away from Spirit City, they headed northwest, passing through several towns and mountains, and finally arrived at a remote Blue Silver Forest.
That place was within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire. He didn't know exactly where it was, but if he was heading in the right direction, he would eventually find it.
The morning light grew brighter, casting a long shadow over him. Feng Lingtian slung his bag over his shoulder and quickened his pace.