To pick up the pace, Andrew had Howard get onto the golden tiger's back as well.
Carrying three people had no effect on the five-meter-long golden tiger, and its speed remained astonishing. Each leap carried it twenty meters or so. At such speed, the wind on its back was strong. Howard held Janice and Ling'er, using his body to shield them from the wind rushing toward them.
With his long saber on his back, Andrew followed close behind the golden tiger. He was actually faster than the running tiger. Using Explosive Steps, he covered a hundred meters with every flicker of movement. He even held back his speed to keep pace with the tiger.
Not long after they left White River City, a band of mercenaries spotted the family hurrying along and hastily moved aside, afraid of blocking their way.
Once Andrew had passed, the mercenary captain gazed enviously after him, his voice full of longing. "I never imagined White River City had such a powerful expert. Judging by his speed and that magical beast, he must be at least an eighth-level warrior, perhaps even a ninth-level warrior."
Someone beside him laughed. "Exactly. Remember that great battle we came across four years ago? Weren't both sides eighth-level warriors? As I see it, they were nowhere near as fast as that lord just now."
"Not only that, did you notice how unusual his footwork was?" another person interjected. "He wasn't running, and he wasn't moving in a straight line either. He moved in leaps. Before his afterimage had vanished on one side, his real body was already on the other. It looked like there were two of him."
The others thought about it and realized he was right. Their interest stirred, they began discussing Andrew's footwork...
After they had traveled at full speed for two hours, Howard had the golden tiger stop and jumped down from its back.
"This should be far enough, Andrew. I think even if the Frey Clan wanted revenge, they couldn't catch up now. Ling'er won't be able to take traveling so fast."
Andrew nodded. "All right, let's rest for a while."
Only then did Janice realize that they had been running so fast to escape retaliation from the Frey Clan. Remembering how badly Andrew had frightened Viscount Frey and Kate, she grew rather worried.
"Andrew, will they send people after us?"
Andrew smiled and patted his chest. "Don't worry. They don't have the nerve. The golden tiger killed most of the Frey Clan's knights. Even if they wanted revenge, they don't have the strength."
Lifting Ling'er down, Howard said, "Andrew, you were too impulsive back there. Whatever else they might be, they're still nobles. We can't withstand the power of the nobility. You have to understand, a High-Level Warrior doesn't amount to much to many nobles. Unless you become a legendary Saint Warrior, you still need to exercise some restraint."
Andrew knew this too, but he had his own considerations.
"I know. I'll be more careful in the future. You don't need to worry either. The Frey Clan is only a declining noble family. You can tell from his fief. What powerful noble would have a fief on the edge of the Yulan Empire? I only did that because I knew how strong he was. If I encounter more powerful nobles, I'll definitely hold back."
Ling'er listened with only a vague understanding, her bright black eyes wide and round. Suddenly, she chimed in, "Big Brother, that means you bully the weak and fear the strong, right?"
Huh? Andrew was left speechless.
A moment later, all three adults suddenly burst out laughing.
Seeing this, Ling'er grew even more confused...
After resting, the family continued on their way. They walked for a long time, but there was still no village ahead or inn behind. Looking out over the vast, empty countryside, Janice felt a little uneasy.
"Howard, do you know the way to the imperial capital?" she asked.
Howard flushed. "White River City is the farthest I've ever been. How would I know the way to the imperial capital?"
Andrew said, "It doesn't matter if we don't know the way. We just need to head west. Once we reach the next city, we can buy a map. Or if we run into a caravan or mercenaries heading for the imperial capital, we can travel with them."
In fact, that was Andrew's plan as well.
However, this stretch of their journey would exceed Andrew's expectations. The four of them and the tiger traveled for another entire afternoon without seeing so much as a single person, let alone a city or caravan. Tired of the roadside scenery, Ling'er fell asleep in Janice's arms. Howard grew tired too and climbed onto the golden tiger's back, leaning against Janice as she leaned against him. Of the four, only Andrew was still reasonably energetic.
Andrew practiced Explosive Steps as he traveled. Explosive Steps was an explosive form of footwork, each step covering a considerable distance. When he used it, that explosive force gave him an immense initial speed, allowing him to cross a hundred meters in a very short time. For now, a hundred meters was his limit. He could extend it farther, say to a hundred and twelve meters, but doing so actually took longer.
This was the profound meaning of Explosive Steps.
Conversely, the more explosive the force, the harder it was to control. Using Explosive Steps, Andrew could easily cross a hundred meters in one step, but he could not easily cover ten meters in one-tenth of the time, because that explosive force was not something he could control simply because he wanted to. Thus, while traveling, moving too slowly actually made Explosive Steps difficult to use. At their current pace, Andrew found it hard to employ.
Explosive Steps is too explosive. With my current control, I can't shorten a single step to less than ten meters. Still, I keep feeling that once I can incorporate Explosive Steps into my normal footwork and cover less than a meter in one step, my strength will make a breakthrough. As Andrew considered how to improve Explosive Steps, a strong premonition arose within him.
That should be it. Yes, Explosive Steps is actually somewhat similar to Linley's cultivation of Pulsation of the World. Both touch upon the Laws. When Linley cultivated Pulsation of the World, he first progressed from one layer of vibration waves to 256 layers. As his understanding of the Laws deepened, they became 128 layers, then 64, before finally returning to one. Cultivating Explosive Steps follows the same principle: first from simplicity to complexity, then from complexity back to simplicity.
Andrew recalled that when he had first created Explosive Steps, a single movement had carried him only a dozen or so meters. Only as he gradually refined it had he become able to cover a hundred meters in one step. Now, he wanted to bring Explosive Steps under enough control to cover ten meters, or even one meter. Only then would he achieve mastery. This bore a striking similarity to the process of Linley cultivating Pulsation of the World.
As time passed, Andrew's control over Explosive Steps grew stronger and stronger. At first, when he used it, he could cover a maximum of a hundred meters and a minimum of fifty. As he traveled, his understanding of Explosive Steps deepened. In just one afternoon, he brought it under enough control to cover ten meters. Such comprehension and talent absolutely surpassed those geniuses by far.
Reducing fifty meters to ten is certainly considerable progress, but the most troublesome part comes next. Reducing Explosive Steps from ten meters to one will probably be dozens of times harder.
The path of cultivation was never smooth sailing. The farther one went, the harder the road became. When Andrew first began cultivating, he had been able to make several breakthroughs in just a few years. After becoming a High-Level Warrior, however, he might go years without making even one breakthrough.
And that was still before the Saint-level. Once one reached the Saint level, cultivation time was measured in centuries. Anyone who could make a breakthrough in a hundred years was considered a genius.
Andrew was fully prepared for the hardships of cultivation. Thus, he was not impatient, improving Explosive Steps bit by bit.
Absorbed in cultivation, Andrew did not notice time passing. Only when Howard called to him and he looked up did he discover that it was already dark.
"Let's rest here tonight!" Howard hefted a large bundle down from the golden tiger's back. Inside was a tent they had purchased in White River City.
Andrew felt a little guilty. He had completely forgotten that his family was beside him. With an apologetic smile, he helped Howard put up the tent. Meanwhile, Janice lit a campfire not far from the tent, while Ling'er helped carry food over.
Soon, dinner was ready. The family sat together and enjoyed their meal in a warm, cozy atmosphere. The golden tiger gave a bored yawn and lay nearby.
After dinner, they chatted for a while, mostly imagining their future life. Ling'er talked the most. She said she wanted to live in a large manor too, along with many other things. Janice listened with a smile until she finished, then added that they must have a beautiful garden in the future. From their words, it was clear that both were looking forward to their new life.
Andrew chimed in from time to time, feeling utterly at ease. He enjoyed this warmth most of all. At the same time, he silently vowed that he would fulfill his family's wishes.
As it grew late, Janice and Ling'er went into the tent to rest, while Andrew remained beside the campfire. Howard said, "Andrew, let's take turns keeping watch. You take the first half of the night, and I'll relieve you for the second half."
Andrew knew Howard was deliberately looking out for him. The second half of the night was much harder to endure than the first. Shaking his head, he smiled. "There's no need, Father. Get some sleep. I'll keep watch with the golden tiger. You know I'm a mage too. Meditation is enough to restore my mental energy."
At first, Howard refused. He did not want to see his son work so hard. Deep down, he felt guilty toward Andrew, believing that his own inability had forced his son to shoulder so many responsibilities. But Andrew was adamant. In the end, he could only give in and enter the tent.
Gazing at the sky full of stars, Andrew felt refreshed and at ease. Patting the golden tiger's head, he chuckled. "Golden tiger, we'll keep watch together tonight."
The golden tiger gave a slight shake and a low growl, as though saying that would be no problem.
Planting his long saber beside him, Andrew lay against the golden tiger's belly and gazed up at the starry sky. Just like in his previous life, countless stars filled this world's sky, gathering into a sea of stars. As he watched, he gradually became absorbed. In his eyes, the starry sky began shifting into different forms, sometimes swirling like a vortex, sometimes sweeping in like a storm, sometimes becoming a long dragon, and sometimes transforming into a colorful phoenix...