Imperial Cultivation-Chapter 1116 - 1112: Vanguard
Lu Xiaolu curiously sized him up.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Senior Sister, I want to act with you all, and the Palace Master agreed."
Lu Xiaolu said, "How did you persuade the Palace Master? It shouldn’t be possible."
She thought Xiao Mingyue would not agree, after all, this time was different from the last.
The last time needed Chu Zhiyuan to lead the way, so they could take him along.
After all, he is a man, and the disciples of Guanghan Palace have never mingled with men.
This might tarnish their reputation of purity.
This time is different from the last; there is no need for Chu Zhiyuan to lead the way.
Even though the Demon Suppressing Saber is powerful, with over twenty top experts, they are sufficient to handle the demons of Qinglian Sea and do not need the Demon Suppressing Saber’s help.
So bringing Chu Zhiyuan again would be more of a hindrance.
She believed Xiao Mingyue would understand this logic, yet agreed anyway.
This made her extremely curious.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "I just expressed my strong wish to exorcise demons, and it moved the Palace Master."
Lu Xiaolu didn’t believe it: "Hey, the Palace Master is not that easily moved!"
If it were that easy to move, the Palace Master wouldn’t be the Palace Master, as she has a very firm heart.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "I ask Senior Sister to take care of me."
"It should be you taking care of me, right?" Lu Xiaolu giggled, "Let’s go."
Together, she and Chu Zhiyuan came before Qi Qingmei.
Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists in salute.
Qi Qingmei, having heard the news, sized him up, "Junior Brother Chu, do you really want to act with us?"
Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "Senior Sister Qi, feel free to give orders. I will obey."
Qi Qingmei held back what she was about to say, nodded with satisfaction, "That’s good, ... how’s your Qinggong?"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "I’m almost there."
"Xiao Lu." Qi Qingmei looked at Lu Xiaolu.
Lu Xiaolu giggled, "How about we have a little competition?"
The female disciples, who had been curiously observing Chu Zhiyuan, all clapped and excitedly agreed, "Yes, have a competition!"
"Xiao Lu, don’t lose and embarrass us."
Lu Xiaolu rolled her eyes at the speaker, "Senior Sister Sun, rest assured!"
She turned to Chu Zhiyuan, "Junior Brother, how about it, shall we have a competition?"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Please, Senior Sister, give me your guidance."
He turned to Qi Qingmei, "Senior Sister Qi, if I win, could I take the lead and scout ahead?"
"Sure," Qi Qingmei readily agreed.
The other female disciples all laughed.
Over twenty beautiful women gathered together, their faces like blooming flowers, radiant and beautiful.
They gathered together, laughing charmingly, like over twenty flowers blooming at the same time, strikingly vivid.
They found Chu Zhiyuan’s words too amusing, yet he wished to surpass Lu Xiaolu’s Qinggong.
Lu Xiaolu had a special talent for Qinggong. Despite her average cultivation, her Qinggong was unmatched.
Fastest in speed, most peculiar in movement technique.
Chu Zhiyuan’s previous cultivation was mediocre, and his Qinggong was even worse. How could he possibly surpass Lu Xiaolu in just a few days?
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Senior Sister Qi, you decide how we compete."
Qi Qingmei took a token from her sleeve and waved it towards Chu Zhiyuan, "I’ll throw this token, count a dozen beats, and then you both start after it. Whoever retrieves it first wins."
Chu Zhiyuan nodded solemnly, locking eyes with Lu Xiaolu.
He immediately noticed the uniqueness of the token, with its peculiar material.
The material seemed like iron but emitted a gentle, jade-like luster.
Lu Xiaolu giggled, "Senior Sister Qi, hurry up then!"
Qi Qingmei lightly tossed it.
The palm-sized token transformed into a white streak, shooting far and high, flying diagonally upwards and disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
Chu Zhiyuan and Lu Xiaolu remained in place.
Qi Qingmei then stretched out her slender hand, fingers open, letting one finger fall at a time.
Once all fingers had fallen, her delicate fingers rose one by one again.
When the last finger rose, she softly commanded, "Go!"
Chu Zhiyuan and Lu Xiaolu nearly simultaneously leaped out, turning into two wisps of smoke.
Lu Xiaolu floated gracefully like a white cloud, seemingly slow, yet swift.
While Chu Zhiyuan moved as if riding the wind, feet not touching the ground, extremely fast.
For a moment, the two were neck and neck, with no one ahead or behind.
The surrounding women, possessing sharp eyesight, used their cultivation to track the diagonally flying token, but in the end, it merged with the misty clouds, almost invisible.
They blinked hard but lost sight of the token.
A girl chuckled, "Senior Sister Qi, you’re deliberately making it hard for them. They probably can’t even find it." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
If it were them, they wouldn’t find the token, let alone retrieve it.
Qi Qingmei shook her head, "Do they lack even this kind of skill? You’re underestimating them."
"Hehe, this is indeed remarkable skill."
"If they truly find it, it would be quite something."
"This Junior Brother Chu seems steady, unexpectedly so spirited."
"The Demon Suppressing Saber, you haven’t seen it! ... Without such momentum, you can’t wield such a saber technique."
One girl lightly shook her head, being one of the thirteen experts who had seen the Demon Suppressing Saber.
"Is it really that incredible?"
"This Junior Brother Chu is a rare genius in the world, advancing incredibly fast in cultivation, reaching the Third Transition so quickly."
"This is also thanks to Senior Sister Qi."
Qi Qingmei smiled, "Here he comes!"
The women focused their eyes, seeing Chu Zhiyuan drifting over with the token.
He trod the void as if an invisible land supported him, gaining speed as he flew.
Lu Xiaolu’s face reddened as she followed two steps behind, desperately chasing but unable to catch up.
Chu Zhiyuan, carried by a gust of wind, arrived before Qi Qingmei, presenting the token and turning to smile at the approaching Lu Xiaolu, "Senior Sister Lu, thank you for letting me win."
"Hmph, you won!" Lu Xiaolu grudgingly said, "How did you practice so fast?!"
Her pride was in her Qinggong, always thinking no one could match it.
Yet Chu Zhiyuan surpassed her by a mere bit.
Had it been anyone else, she wouldn’t accept it, but Chu Zhiyuan managed it, leaving her with curiosity instead of unwillingness.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "It might be that the Wind Riding Cloud Technique suits me well, becoming increasingly adept."
This was naturally leveraging the Earth Origin Technique; otherwise, with just the Wind Riding Cloud Technique, he couldn’t possibly outpace Lu Xiaolu.
Lu Xiaolu’s Qinggong is indeed exceptional, body like floating dandelion fluff, seemingly driven by a strong breeze.
"Wind Riding Cloud Technique... This movement technique isn’t that powerful, right?" Lu Xiaolu asked curiously.
She had a keen interest in Qinggong and researched the Qinggong of the Four Great Sects thoroughly.
The fastest Qinggong within the Heavenly Sword Sect wasn’t the Wind Riding Cloud Technique.
Yet Chu Zhiyuan practiced to such a speed, proving his extraordinary talent.
Chu Zhiyuan smilingly looked at Qi Qingmei, "Senior Sister Qi, shall I open the path ahead?"
"Let’s go," Qi Qingmei said, "Xiao Lu, will you join Junior Brother Chu?"
"Of course," Lu Xiaolu said.
Chu Zhiyuan extended his hand with a smile, "Senior Sister Lu, please."
"Let’s go to Qinglian Sea!" Lu Xiaolu snorted.
She transformed into a white cloud, drifting away.
Chu Zhiyuan went alongside her, conversing as they displayed their Qinggong.
Lu Xiaolu was curious about how he practiced, achieving such speed.
Upon hearing he used Black Dragon Blood, she shook her head disapprovingly, calling him foolish.
However, seeing that Chu Zhiyuan was unaffected, she said no more.
She felt Chu Zhiyuan was prudent, wouldn’t be reckless, and must have ways to mitigate the Black Dragon Blood’s aftereffects.
It likely involved the capabilities of the Demon Suppressing Saber.
The two traveled over fifty miles before they spotted demons.
Before Lu Xiaolu could react, ten flying knives attacked, eliminating the demons.
Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes shone brightly, unable to contain his excitement.
He felt there was a great chance this time to kill enough demons and earn enough merit to break open the ancestral acupoint.
