Chapter 34: Golden Turtle Shield, Departure

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Golden Turtle Shield, Departure

’The metallic qi contained in the ore...’

Li Changsheng had a sudden realization. The purpose of absorbing the metallic qi was to strengthen the branch meridians, allowing them to withstand more Spiritual Power.

Understanding this, he didn’t continue cultivating.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and looked at himself.

[Target: Li Changsheng]

[Race: Human]

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Realm, Level 2 (8%)]

[Cultivation Technique: "Golden Turtle Spirit Technique" - Trait: "Spirit Recovery"]

[Magic: Insect Seal (Damaged) "Lesser Mastery 5%", Water Purification Technique "Beginner 83%", Fattening Technique "Beginner 85%"]

[Status: Healthy.]

The Spirit Recovery trait from his Spirit Guiding Technique hadn’t been overwritten by the new Cultivation Technique, which was good news for him.

He had already anticipated the Insect Seal’s proficiency dropping from Lesser Mastery 23% to 5%. The swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboo had suffered heavy losses during the siege of the Blood Wolves.

After a quick look, Li Changsheng focused his mind, silently recalling the magic that came with his Cultivation Technique, "Golden Turtle Shield," and sank into cultivation.

Magic wasn’t so easy to cultivate. It required unblocking numerous minor meridians related to the magic until it could be formed instantly. Only then was it considered mastered.

But then again, he had a cheat ability!

The moment he silently recited it, the meridian pathways for the "Golden Turtle Shield" appeared in his mind. All he had to do was circulate his Spiritual Power to clear them one by one.

「The next morning.」

Li Changsheng’s eyes snapped open. The hand seals of his Technique changed rapidly until, at a certain moment, he yelled inwardly, ’Golden Turtle Shield!’

One-tenth of the Spiritual Power in his body was consumed, rapidly flooding a complex network of meridians and resonating with the hand seals he formed.

BZZZ...

A spiritual light emerged from his body, forming three illusory, pale-golden turtle shells, each the size of a human head, that hovered protectively around Li Changsheng.

"Phew..."

Li Changsheng let out a long sigh, a faint smile on his face.

Cultivating the Golden Turtle Shield was a bit more troublesome than he had expected, but with the meridian map provided by his Golden Finger, he managed to master it smoothly in the end.

From now on, all he needed to do was continuously practice by circulating his Spiritual Power, nourishing the magic’s meridians until the magic activated with a single thought. That would be the sign of reaching Grand Mastery.

Li Changsheng silently gauged it. If he only maintained the Golden Turtle Shield, his Spiritual Power at the second level of the Qi Cultivation Realm could sustain it for about two hours.

To test its strength, he took out his Bone-Chopping Knife and struck the Golden Turtle Shield with all his might, only managing to stir faint ripples on its surface.

The Golden Turtle Shield could also be moved at will according to his thoughts, but it would consume a large amount of Spiritual Power.

Furthermore, it showed signs of collapsing if it moved more than a meter away from his body.

Li Changsheng took out a Spirit Stone from his storage bag. While absorbing it with his Cultivation Technique, he maintained the Golden Turtle Shield, silently calculating how much longer it could last.

Just as he was repeatedly testing the Golden Turtle Shield, a handsome young man arrived outside his small courtyard.

"Is Junior Brother Li here?"

"Hm?"

Li Changsheng turned his head to look out the window, and Wu Meng’s face came into view.

’Is it time already...’

With a slight shift in his thoughts, Li Changsheng made the Golden Turtle Shield dissipate into specks of light. He straightened his clothes and walked out.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Wu."

Li Changsheng walked out of the courtyard gate, smiling as he cupped his hands in a fist.

Wu Meng looked him up and down, exclaiming in surprise, "Junior Brother Li, you’ve already switched your Cultivation Technique so quickly?" He then shook his head and sighed, "Junior Brother, you were too hasty. What if you damaged your Spirit Veins..."

Generally, to avoid damaging their main Spirit Veins, Cultivators are extremely cautious about switching Cultivation Techniques. They wouldn’t even attempt it until they knew the new technique by heart.

But this young man before him had only had the Cultivation Technique for three days. Forget knowing it by heart; at most, he could probably just recite it from memory.

Although he had succeeded in switching, Wu Meng felt he was too reckless, too aggressive.

’If someone like him goes to the Wanzhong Mountains Range, I’m afraid he won’t last long...’

Seeing his expression, Li Changsheng was speechless. ’Was it wrong to switch techniques quickly?’

Li Changsheng gave a wry smile. "After hearing about the dangers of the Wanzhong Mountains Range, I didn’t dare to slack off for even a day. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to succeed in switching."

Any thought of befriending him died in Wu Meng’s mind. He shook his head and said, "You must know that haste breeds chaos."

"Let’s go. A few other junior brothers will be going to the Wanzhong Mountains Range with you."

With that, he turned and walked toward a nearby courtyard.

Li Changsheng noticed the coldness in his tone. His own expression returned to neutral, and he said nothing, simply falling in step behind him.

A moment later, Wu Meng had gathered eight more people.

Among them were old and young, men and women, and none of them looked particularly happy.

Two men and a woman were gathered around Wu Meng, talking and laughing with him.

Li Changsheng followed behind, observing his surroundings with no intention of making conversation.

Beside him was an old man with white hair and a white beard who had the air of a sagely immortal. Seeing Li Changsheng looking around, the old man smiled. "Young friend, have you just joined the sect?"

Li Changsheng turned to look at him, unsure of his intentions, and gave a cold nod.

The old man seemed to notice his wariness, so he just smiled and said no more.

Soon, the group arrived at a massive plaza. In the center stood a Flying Ship shaped like an ancient storied ship.

Dozens of people had already gathered there. Some stood alone, while others were clustered in groups of two and three, chatting.

Their arrival caused no ripples.

Wu Meng stopped and turned to look at the group, his expression solemn. "I won’t say much more about how dangerous the Wanzhong Mountains Range is. Junior brothers and sisters, take care!"

With that, he took a silk cloth from his robes and handed it to the three people gathered around him.

Amidst their enthusiastic farewells, Wu Meng quickly departed.

"Hah..."

A cold sneer rang out.

Li Changsheng turned to see the old man who looked like a sagely immortal, his expression filled with disdain.

Li Changsheng gave him a strange look.

The old man noticed him as well and nodded in his direction.

Just then, an immense pressure descended, and the clamor in the plaza abruptly ceased.

"Disciples greet the Martial Uncle."

Everyone bowed in salute.

’Another Vein Condensation Realm expert...’

Li Changsheng endured the discomfort and glanced forward.

There, standing on the mast of the ancient storied ship, was an exceptionally burly man with a plain face.

The burly man’s gaze swept over the crowd as he bellowed, "All aboard."

"Yes, sir."

The crowd responded in unison.

Not daring to delay, Li Changsheng channeled Spiritual Power to his feet and leaped onto the deck.

Once everyone was on board, the burly man made no visible move, yet the large ship began to shudder and slowly ascend.

It rose to a height of ten thousand meters, where a milky-white barrier enveloped the ship. Its speed then suddenly skyrocketed, and it shot off in a single direction.

Down below, in a corner of the plaza.

Wu Yong and his nephew, Wu Meng, watched as the great ship slowly shrank into a black dot.

Wu Meng withdrew his gaze and looked at his uncle, confused. "Uncle, why did you have me give them the map of the area around the Zafeng Marketplace? That’s a map our family worked hard to chart."

Wu Yong turned his head, smiled at him, and asked, "How many people did you give it to?"

Wu Meng frowned. "I felt that only three of them had a good chance of surviving."

Wu Yong shook his head. "Three, you say... Perhaps."

He didn’t explain further, simply turning and walking toward the pavilion.

As he reached the doorway, Wu Yong paused and asked, "That Li... Li Changsheng, did you give one to him?"

Wu Meng shook his head. "He’s too shortsighted and eager for quick gains. I doubt he’ll last long..."

"Mm."

Wu Yong didn’t ask why he had that assessment. He just nodded and entered the pavilion.

"Uncle, Father sent a message. He said the Ancestor..."

.