Meeting by the Water

"Cousin, we've truly traveled a thousand miles!"

Sustained flight at high altitudes is not a very enjoyable experience.

This is similar to a person running continuously on land; the continuous output of Law Power will exhaust every inch of a cultivator's physical functions.

The notion that a skilled acrobat could travel thousands of miles only to be killed with a single blow upon landing is not an isolated incident, but rather a series of truly unfortunate events.

The intense drain on Law Power from flying is enough to completely deplete a person's energy.

Rong Tianding flew with Zhang Xuezhou for a day, taking five Spirit-Forging Pill, until his body could no longer withstand the effects of the medicine, at which point the test flight came to an end.

This is the longest distance Rong Tianding has ever flown using the elixir, and it can only be achieved with Zhang Xuezhou leading the way.

He felt weak and sore all over, but when he looked at the distant mountains behind him, Rong Tianding felt an indescribable sense of excitement.

This was the first time he had experienced the benefits of becoming a great cultivator. By simply stepping from the Body Control Realm to the True Spirit Realm, he gained the ability to project his Law Power, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to guide him and fly thousands of miles away.

This distance of a thousand miles is not a journey by galloping horse, but rather a straight, soaring traverse of countless mountains and rivers.

If they flew in this way, a journey that would take them half a month by horse-drawn carriage day and night would only require three days of flying.

The contrast was so stark that Rong Tianding felt that flying was the most important skill for cultivators, even diminishing the appeal of the Shijiao School's inheritance.

"Take a rest. Once your cultivation level is higher, we can fly 1,500 li a day, and 2,000 li a day. If you can reach the Divine Ability, even traveling 3,000 li a day and crossing 10,000 li will be no problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou jumped into the river below the mountains and started grabbing at the fish. He wasn't very good at fishing, but Zhang Xuezhou chose a spot where fish were plentiful, which made it much easier to catch them. He could even scoop up some of the more docile fish that weren't moving.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't need to eat or drink, but Rong Tianding's body was in a state of extreme weakness, and food could effectively regulate the body's functions.

The Grain Avoidance Instruction is indeed a good survival skill, but it is too time-consuming and difficult to be used in cultivator battles. Zhang Xuezhou did not force Rong Tianding to learn this ability.

While fishing, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but touch his stomach, feeling as if the Grain Avoidance Instruction of the Divine Ability Realm had turned him into a half-plant, able to sustain his life simply by breathing and drinking a few sips of water.

Of course, the Grain Avoidance Instruction can only prolong life and maintain vitality. To have a good body, you still need to exercise and consume various elixirs. The ability to Grain Avoidance will also be greatly reduced when the body is overexerted, until you are hungry.

Zhang Xuezhou felt nothing as he flew thousands of miles. He thought he could test his limits when he went to the Kunlun Sacred Land in the future and see how long his body could remain stable under constant strain.

"It's exhilarating to fly, but my body really aches. I feel like I've been in bed with my wife for three days straight," Rong Tianding said.

"You don't have a wife!" Zhang Xuezhou reminded him.

"This makes me sad. When I was little, I secretly watched Wang Er taking a bath. I thought Wang Er's body was so fair and tender, and I thought she would be the kind of woman I would marry. Then, when I went back to Hibiscus City to see her last time, everything had changed. She had three children, her waist was thicker than mine, her face was full of fat, she had a double chin, and her once fair body had become greasy and unbearable to look at..."

Rong Tianding began to recount his observations and experiences.

While cultivators may not extend their lifespan through practice, their physical aging process is indeed slower than that of some pampered individuals, and the difference compared to ordinary people is enormous.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding were still dashing young men at this time, while many of their peers had already been ravaged by time.

If the two of them stood with Zhang Changgong and the others, they might not be mistaken for Zhang Changgong's sons, but they were indeed very different from Zhang Changgong and the others in appearance and physique.

For a woman in the prime of her life, this contrast is even more cruel.

After several years of wandering, Rong Tianding gradually began to understand why Zhang Xuezhou found so few women attractive.

They might find young and beautiful women, but ten years later, while the women remain unchanged, they are unrecognizable from their former selves.

In this situation, it is extremely difficult for them to maintain a long-lasting and loving relationship.

Marriage is about matching social status. Once you enter the path of cultivation, unless you are willing to have multiple wives and concubines, you can only find young female cultivators of the same level as your partners.

Under these circumstances, it is undoubtedly extremely difficult for cultivators to find a partner. Most cultivators are alone, or they can only use the guise of worldly experience to have children in the mortal realm, and leave with some money when the time is right.

The higher Rong Tianding's horizons became, the further he felt that things like marriage seemed to be drifting away from him.

This made him and Zhang Xuezhou mutter to themselves, feeling that they would inevitably be scolded by their parents after returning to Chang'an City, but they didn't know how to solve the problem.

"You could try getting to know Yi Shuo," Zhang Xuezhou suggested.

"Don't even mention that little wench. I'm afraid she'll stab me to death with a needle one day. I don't have the guts or the desire for that," Rong Tianding said. "Marriage for cultivators like us is all about fate!"

"Take your time searching, and if all else fails, we'll..."

Zhang Xuezhou was just about to suggest that if all else failed, he could go to Western Kunlun to ask for the Fate Technique, or find some Life-Extending Golden Elixir. Whether it was to give himself more time to make a decision, or to give them to his wife so that she could live a long life, either would be a solution.

Just as he was about to begin speaking, he heard a Buddhist chant coming from afar.

"If you have no desire for worldly relationships, why not join our Buddhist order? Many of us here have severed our worldly attachments!"

A slightly familiar voice approached, and Zhang Xuezhou stood up, glancing again at the monk striding towards him from afar.

"You actually ran into this?"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

He had encountered the Daoist Randeng by the river before, and Zhang Xuezhou never expected to run into him again when he stayed overnight by the river.

However, Rulai last time Daoist Randeng was alone, this time the Daoist Randeng was also by his side.

"So it was you, you're that... you..."

"Dongfang Shuo, a scholar-official at the Golden Horse Gate of the Imperial Court, greets both of you!"

Upon seeing that Daoist Randeng seemed to have regained his senses and perhaps forgotten something, Zhang Xuezhou politely returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute and quickly mentioned his name.

In the wilderness, where there are few laws, one should try to befriend others as much as possible when one is weaker than them.

"The Rulai friendly!"

Zhang Xuezhou to the Daoist Randeng, and then slightly bowed to his senior brother Rulai.

"This is Dongfang Shuo, the one who used the Poison Avoidance Instruction! What a coincidence to meet him here!" Daoist Randeng exclaimed happily. "I hadn't memorized the Poison Avoidance Instruction before, and I hope you can enlighten us this time!"

Zhang Xuezhou's memory is genuine; he can remember something perfectly after hearing it only once.

The Daoist Randeng was also a long-lived great cultivator who could manipulate Zhang Xuezhou by relying on his extensive knowledge. However, it was normal for him to make mistakes when dealing with such a complex doctrine involving One Hundred and Eight Thousand Acupoints.

Even a few oversights can cause one's practice to go astray, and it is extremely difficult to correct them.

In the past, Daoist Randeng would have tolerated it, returning to Spirit Mountain to study it diligently and bring this Poison Avoidance Instruction technique back on track.

But they don't have much time left.

The two leaders of the Western Sect are nearing the end of their lives. If they cannot resist Brahma and others, and the Western Sect's legacy falls into their hands, then the Daoist Randeng and others will have nowhere to go.