Time passed quickly. More than a full month had already gone by since the battle on the Azure River.
The final outcome of that battle went without saying. Through that fight, Luo Ao's name as a genius Sword Saint had officially begun to spread.
If people had previously called him a "genius Sword Saint" merely because he had been so young when he broke through to Saint-level, now even veteran Saint-level experts dared not underestimate this newly risen junior.
"After this period of arduous cultivation, my cultivation of the Edicts of Destruction has finally reached another bottleneck." If he unleashed World Destruction again now, its power would certainly be even more astonishing, but he did not look down on everyone under heaven because of it.
"Luo Ao, although you defeated Gaspar, remember not to grow complacent. Some truly formidable Saint-level experts are definitely beyond your ability to handle right now." Upon hearing that Luo Ao wanted to set out on a journey, his father, Bourne, worried for his safety but still nodded his agreement.
After all, how could a person grow without experiencing more things?
"But while you're out there, always remember that Helen City will forever be your home. If you feel tired, come back anytime." His father Bourne's deep, resonant voice rang out, and Luo Ao immediately nodded.
Aside from gaining experience, he was also making this journey to search for treasures that could help his family break through to Saint-level. The Boya Continent was vast and rich in resources; even many ancient creatures still survived to this day. Finding treasures of that kind was not impossible.
"Don't worry, Father. One day, sooner or later, I'll come back." A confident smile spread across Luo Ao's face.
"Mm." Seeing this, Bourne could not help nodding. He took a bottle of blue-green wine, held in an exquisite transparent crystal bottle, from the counter behind him. "Before you leave, have a taste of this Helen Wine with me. Out there, I doubt you'll find such a distinctive wine."
"Helen Wine? I really haven't tried it before." A trace of anticipation crossed Luo Ao's face at those words. He immediately took the wineglass and began savoring it.
This Helen Wine naturally carried another meaning: it embodied longing for one's family or beloved.
According to legend, it was a wine invented by Helen, the founding emperor's beloved. It used a plant unique to Helen City, and although it was strong liquor, drinking it could quickly bring peace to the heart.
That founding emperor had loved this wine above all others throughout his life, so later generations had passed down the craft of brewing Helen Wine from generation to generation. However, because of the special meaning it carried, the wine generally had more flavor when personally brewed by family members or lovers.
"Mmm, it really is mellow and sweet." Ordinary spirits made one's chest feel as though it were burning the moment they entered the mouth, but as this wine slid down his throat, it was as refreshing as drinking a cup of sweet spring water. Only after some time would its delayed kick gradually rise, making it extremely easy for ordinary people to get drunk.
To properly savor the wine's flavor, Luo Ao naturally did not use his Battle-qi cultivation to dispel its delayed effects, so, unsurprisingly, he passed out drunk.
"This child..." Bourne glanced at the drunken Luo Ao, and pride welled up in his heart. This was his precious son, the world-renowned genius Sword Saint.
"My son has already broken through to Saint-level. As his father, I can't fall too far behind." Bourne murmured to himself, spurring himself on. In truth, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the ninth rank. All he lacked was that final step of transforming his Battle-qi. Yet who knew how many ninth-rank warriors had been stopped by this final step?
Once the delayed effects of Helen Wine rose, Luo Ao's mind emptied completely. That night, Luo Ao had a lovely dream. In it, he met an exceptionally beautiful young woman...
Upon waking early the next morning, Luo Ao officially set out on his journey across the Boya Continent amid his parents' reminders.
At the westernmost edge of the Boya Continent lay a boundless sea known as the West Sea. It occupied nearly seventy percent of the entire Boya Plane's area.
In the interior of the Boya Continent, people relied mainly on several great rivers, such as the Azure River and the Starflame River, for their daily water needs.
Following the Azure River north and crossing the Gulun Mountain Range brought one to a passage connecting the Fitelie Empire and the Darren Empire. Vast numbers of travelers passed along this rather unsafe road almost every day.
Whether they were merchants from the Darren Empire and the Fitelie Empire or people traveling for other purposes, almost all took this road.
However, this road was not so easy to travel. The Gulun Mountain Range was practically a natural wall dividing the Darren Empire from the Fitelie Empire. Not only was the terrain rugged and precipitous, but the powerful magical beasts within were also a major obstacle to passing through.
Yet certain goods commanded vastly different prices in the Darren Empire and the Fitelie Empire. Transporting them across to sell could yield handsome profits. This was why merchants still wanted to pass through despite knowing the danger-this was the shortest route between the two great empires.
At that moment, a caravan of several hundred people had stopped to rest along this rugged mountain road. Quite a few were still eating.
"Roar!" Suddenly, a heaven-shaking tiger's roar rang through the clouds, and a white-furred tiger magical beast with lightning coursing all over its body appeared in the sky.
This white tiger magical beast also had a pair of enormous fleshy wings, likewise wreathed in lightning.
"Heavens! It's a Saint-level magical beast, a Thunder-Winged White Tiger!"
The Thunder-Winged White Tiger was a legendary Saint-level magical beast whose strength was every bit the equal of a Saint-level dragon of the same rank. Everyone in the caravan was utterly dumbfounded. How could they be so unlucky today as to encounter a Saint-level magical beast?
"Look, there's someone behind him!" The one blessing amid their misfortune was that this Thunder-Winged White Tiger did not seem to be coming for them, but was fleeing some powerful enemy.
"It's a Saint-level expert of our human race! I wonder which lord he is, to actually send a Thunder-Winged White Tiger running. He's far too fierce." The strongest of the mercenary guards was a burly man who wielded a greatsword, and he ached to chase after them and watch the battle.
This was a great battle between Saint-level beings!
Unfortunately, both the Thunder-Winged White Tiger and that Saint-level expert were far too fast. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the horizon.
"Good heavens, so the legends of the Gulun Mountain Range are true. There really is a Thunder-Winged White Tiger here." The caravan's leader was a bespectacled old man with graying hair. At the thought that they had passed right under the nose of a Saint-level magical beast every time, he could not help shuddering.
In this, however, his fears were rather groundless.
Most Saint-level magical beasts lived deep in the heart of famous mountains and great rivers, where the natural elements were more concentrated, making it easier for them to advance. This Thunder-Winged White Tiger's sudden appearance was merely an accident.
In the sky, Luo Ao had initially been able to barely keep up with the Thunder-Winged White Tiger, but the fellow certainly lived up to that pair of wings: his flying speed showed no sign of slowing at all. Luo Ao had yet to comprehend any profound mysteries of the laws related to speed, so naturally, he could not catch the Thunder-Winged White Tiger.
"Count yourself lucky. It looks like I'm almost at the Fitelie Empire, too. This is a good chance to see that place for myself." Thinking of some interesting rumors about that country, Luo Ao immediately became exceedingly cheerful.