After resting for the night, everyone set out early the next morning. Before they left, Bandeni took out a map. Andrew leaned over for a look and could not help grumbling inwardly. What kind of map is this? It's nothing but an elementary school kid's doodle.
Bandeni, however, studied it with great interest. "Hmm, we're here right now. Yes, about nine hundred li farther west, there should be a city called Lefen City. All right, let's head there. Andrew, what do you think?"
"Since there's a city, let's go," Andrew said. "By the way, Bandeni, you don't seem very familiar with this route. How did you get to the Far East Prairie?"
Bandeni put away the map and said rather gloomily, "Polite and I rode the headmaster's magical beast, the Golden-Eyed Cloud Eagle. But for some reason, the headmaster suddenly recalled it, leaving Polite and me no choice but to walk."
With a destination in mind, everyone's spirits rose a little. Janice and Ling'er still rode on the golden tiger's back, while the others followed behind it.
Of the four on the ground, Bandeni was the only mage. Generally speaking, a mage's physical strength fell far short of a warrior's, and Andrew felt rather bad about making Bandeni travel alongside them.
"Bandeni, can you keep up with our pace?" Andrew asked with a smile.
Bandeni raised his chin disdainfully. "Andrew, please don't underestimate the greatness of magic. As a magister, my speed is beyond anything you could imagine."
Only then did Andrew learn that this seemingly unreliable Bandeni was actually an eighth-rank mage.
"You don't look very old, either. Only thirty-something." Andrew studied him briefly and could not help praising him. "An eighth-rank mage in your thirties. Bandeni, you're very talented!"
Bandeni smiled smugly. "Of course. Let me tell you, among everyone I know, very few are more talented than I am."
Beside them, Polite suddenly offered a few words. "He's pretending to be young!"
"Huh?" Andrew had not expected Polite to speak. After all, he had not said a single word since yesterday.
Hearing Polite's words, Andrew turned back to Bandeni. "Polite says you're pretending to be young. Looks like your age is quite a question mark. All right, I take back what I just said. Bandeni, your talent isn't all that impressive!"
"Hahaha!"
Howard could not help laughing loudly when he heard that.
Bandeni's face darkened as well.
Jokes aside, Bandeni's speed really was impressive. They traveled more than two hundred li, and he remained at ease throughout.
Watching his feet, Andrew realized that rather than saying Bandeni was walking, it would be more accurate to say the earth was carrying him along. In fact, his feet did not move at all. Instead, the patch of ground beneath him kept moving forward, carrying him with it. This method of travel caught Andrew's eye and earned his admiration for Bandeni.
What an ingenious application of magic. I remember there should be a profound mystery called the Earth Travel Technique among the earth elements. Judging by Bandeni's magic, he's probably already gained some insight into it. If he can keep at it and continue deepening his understanding, becoming a god through the Earth Travel Technique someday isn't impossible.
Andrew speculated inwardly.
Compared with Bandeni's magic, Polite's method of travel was far more direct. With his greatshield and greatsword on his back, he strode forward, covering more than ten meters with every step. Each footfall left a small pit in the ground. Clearly, he pushed off with considerable force.
Behind him, Andrew examined those pits and discovered that every one was exactly the same size.
Such precise control. Even I can't manage that yet. Judging by this, of the three realms, Polite has already become very proficient in complete mastery of the basics. He probably isn't far from handling the heavy as though it were light, either.
The two men, along with Andrew, each had their own distinctive way of traveling, and all three were exceptionally fast. Beside them, Howard was starting to fall behind.
He was only a Sixth-level Warrior. Compared with an eighth-rank mage and two High-Level Warriors, he fell far short.
With no other choice, Howard jumped onto the golden tiger's back, allowing the party to pick up speed again.
By nearly noon, they had traveled close to three hundred li. Lefen City was still more than six hundred li away, too far to reach in half a day. After discussing it, they decided to rest.
After eating, Janice and Ling'er lay down inside the tent, while Howard honed his battle-qi off to one side. To him, having to rely on a magical beast for travel despite being a warrior was nothing short of humiliation! To wipe away that humiliation, he could only seize every moment to cultivate and strive to become a High-Level Warrior as soon as possible.
Bandeni had stopped chattering incessantly by then, too. After the meal, he went into the shade of a tree and began meditating to recover his mana. Traveling at that speed had taken a considerable toll on him as well.
Of the group, only Andrew and Polite remained full of energy.
Because Andrew had been practicing Explosive Steps, his battle-qi had increased a little instead of being depleted by the journey. Polite, meanwhile, could perfectly control every muscle in his body, making travel equivalent to resting. Even after stopping, he showed not a trace of fatigue.
Andrew could not praise that control enough.
"Polite, how about we have a spar? What do you think?" Andrew suddenly asked.
Polite lifted his eyelids and looked at him, seemingly trying to determine whether he was joking.
"All right."
When he agreed, Andrew grew a little excited. This would count as his first fight against a High-Level Warrior, and he was facing such a skilled opponent right from the start. For him, this was certainly no small challenge.
Polite's combat strength is probably much greater than the golden tiger's. With his understanding of strength alone, the golden tiger would be no match for him. I'll have to be careful, too. Before the fight, Andrew silently assessed Polite's combat strength.
To avoid disturbing the others, they decided to spar in a clearing two li away. They soon arrived at the spot. Andrew took out his saber, while Polite unstrapped his greatsword and greatshield, holding the sword in his right hand and the shield in his left.
Fighting spirit blazed in Andrew's eyes, and his blood began to burn. Without further words, he activated Explosive Steps. His figure flashed, and he appeared to Polite's left.
"Polite, watch out!"
Andrew brought his saber down with the force of wind and thunder, slicing through the air. The strike targeted Polite's left shoulder.
Polite stood motionless, as though he had not seen it. Only when Andrew's saber was a foot away did he abruptly turn sideways, moving with extraordinary speed within that narrow space. His left shoulder slipped clear of Andrew's attack, while his greatshield caught the saber.
Whoosh!
The greatsword in Polite's right hand swept toward him, letting out a shrill sound as it cut through the air.
That block and sweep displayed Polite's wealth of experience.
Andrew felt admiration, but his movements did not slow. He pushed off the ground and appeared twenty meters away, successfully escaping the greatsword's attack. Immediately, he attacked again from behind Polite. Once more, Polite kept his movements confined to a small area and blocked Andrew's saber with his greatshield.
What terrifying combat experience. No, I should call it combat talent. Polite knew from the very start that he couldn't match my speed. That's why he chose this approach, setting aside his weakness and countering my attacks with small movements.
And that isn't even the most frightening part. What's most frightening is that no matter how fast I move, he can instantly identify the direction of my attack. That isn't just a matter of experience.
Andrew knew very well that his current strength was by no means weak. Even against a Ninth-level Warrior, he would have the courage to fight. For offense, he had his tremendously destructive Fusion Battle-qi. For speed, Explosive Steps inherently put him in an unassailable position. Yet even so, Polite could still block his attacks with ease. Such strength was truly terrifying!
Andrew was not the only one astonished. Polite was far from calm, too. He had never imagined Andrew could be so fast. This had already surpassed his expectations.
Such incredible speed. With speed like that, he's already in an unassailable position. And why does every attack of his leave me trembling from the impact? Can even my greatshield not stop his saber? I can clearly sense that Andrew isn't using battle-qi!
The two had agreed that this was only a spar, so neither used battle-qi. Even so, when Andrew attacked, he inadvertently displayed the explosive properties of his Fusion Battle-qi of lightning and fire. Every blow was therefore packed with explosive force, transmitting power through Polite's greatshield and into his body.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Polite held up his greatshield, taking Andrew's slashes like a punching bag. Every time the saber struck the greatshield, a heavy impact rang through the air. The sound was very low, but powerful enough to shatter the huge rocks around them.
Bang!
The impacts stopped abruptly.