Chapter 22: Choose to leave
In the nine-aperture hall, there are nine small light balls floating in the air.
Qingshi and Old Man Hu Bai stood side by side and watched these small light balls floating gently in the air. After a while, Qingshi couldn't help it anymore and said, "Old Man Bai, which one of these light balls do you like more?"
"it's the same."
"Why are they all the same? Then what do you dislike?"
"I don't like you when I see you. Okay, hurry up and choose. Don't I know what you are thinking? To tell you the truth, don't say I don't know. Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."
Qingshi stretched out his hand helplessly, and a light ball flew into his palm. Then the light ball shattered, revealing a book that seemed to be made of silk. On the cover were the three simple characters "Flying Sword Art".
The old man Hu Bai's eyes widened and he murmured: "God's will, what a God's will!" After a while, the old man looked at Qingshi who was happily flipping through the pages of the book and said, "You have the flying sword and flying sword skills, you can start with Practice the control method. When you pass the third level and can choose Xuan-level items, you may be able to choose a real flying sword. As for the flying sword Xuan array method, if you can still get it in the assessment If you have special rewards and are so lucky, you may have a chance.”
Qingshi actually had other plans in mind, but he didn't explain it to Hu Bai.
In Qingshi's view, this flying sword can be continued to be forged and successfully forged. The high-level forging techniques in my memory include content about recasting the broken sword, which is at least theoretically feasible.
As for the Flying Sword Mysterious Formation Technique, there are similar array control spells in my memory, both low-level and advanced. Combined with the Flying Sword Technique and working backwards, you can definitely deduce it, and you can even create your own set of Flying Swords. It is also entirely possible to control the magic circle.
Qingshi was watching the flying swordsmanship and thinking about it, and he became fascinated without realizing it. He simply sat down cross-legged and concentrated on studying. He didn't know when Hu Bai left.
I don't know how long it took, Qingshi closed the book, looked up, and was shocked. It turned out that the little beast that looked like a cat but not a cat was squatting in front of him, looking at him eagerly.
Qingshi couldn't help but feel a little scared when he thought of the conversation between the old man Hu Bai and this little beast. This little beast looked smart and lively last time, but now it feels cute and cute when it stays still.
Qingshi thought for a while, then took out a large piece of roasted mountain deer meat from his storage bracelet and handed it over. The little beast's eyes lit up, and he stretched out his two front paws to pick up the meat, which was about the same size as himself, and sniffed it first. He sniffed, then opened his mouth and started to devour it. After a while, he ate it all without spitting out the bones.
After the little beast had eaten all the mountain venison, he looked at Qingshi and squealed for a while. Apparently he still wanted it. Qingshi looked at the little thing's belly and saw that there was no bulge at all. He didn't know that the meat was comparable to its own size. Where did it go after eating it?
The little beast was still unfinished, so Qingshi had no choice but to take out another bundle of dried meat sticks for the little beast. The little thing squatted on the ground, grabbing a strip of dried meat with each front paw, and ate it happily. Qingshi looked at it. It looked interesting to eat, so I picked up a piece of biltong and started eating it.
This strip of meat is also made from second-grade Spirit Beast Mountain venison. Qingshi braised it first, then roasted it and then air-dried it. It tasted great. Qingshi liked it very much, so he brought several large bundles weighing dozens of kilograms with him.
One person and one beast were eating deliciously, but they saw old man Hu Bai walking out of a circle of light. Qingshi threw a meat strip over and said, "I made this myself. Please try it, Mr. Bai."
"Alas!" Hu Bai sighed, took the meat strips, smelled them, and praised, "It's very fragrant, but I don't have this luck anymore." He looked regretful.
Qingshi was puzzled and asked: "Why?"
Hu Bai didn't speak, and his body shook slightly. His body slowly became transparent, and finally turned into a translucent spirit floating on the ground, with strips of flesh coming out of the back of his hands and floating in front of him.
Looking at Qingshi's surprised eyes, Hu Bai said slowly: "Even my master can only give up his body to seal his soul. How can we continue to exist in our body?"
After saying that, Hu Bai's body became solid again. He reached out to take the strip of meat, broke off a small piece and threw it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly for a while, nodded and said, "Well, it tastes good."
He raised his eyes and looked at Qingshi and said: "Now I can also solidify my spirit body, just like what you see now, so that I can also have a little bit of taste, touch and other sensations. However, I ate this meat Not only will the strips not gain energy, but they will consume a lot of energy by condensing the spirit body, and our biggest problem is not enough energy. There is no need to hide this from you."
After saying that, Hu Bai's body turned back into a spirit body and was suspended on the ground. A small ball of food residue flew out of the body and turned into smoke and dust and disappeared. However, the meat strips in his hand flew in front of the little beast. The little thing was not polite. He grabbed it and gnawed it. .
Qingshi didn't understand and asked: "Why is this happening? Is there any way?"
"It's not the time yet," Hu Bai shook his head and said, "If one day you are strong enough, at least strong enough to give us hope, we will naturally tell you. Okay, let's not talk about this, now tell me your next step Think about it, do you want to continue to break through the level?"
Qingshi said: "You must break through the level. Please tell me the rules, Mr. Bai."
"Okay," Hu Bai nodded and said, "After entering Yunlu, it usually takes at most one year to pass the level, otherwise it will be regarded as giving up. After passing the first level, it will take at most three years to pass the second level. The interval between the second and third levels can be up to six years. So you can pass this second level at any time within three years from now."
"I dare to ask Mr. Bai," Qingshi thought for a while and asked, "If I break through now, how likely do you think it is to break through?"
"Well, let me think about it," Hu Bai thought for a while and said, "Your biggest problem is that your cultivation level is too low, your martial arts skills are too bad, and your experience is too poor..."
Qingshi was embarrassed and said: "Can I give you some face?"
"But," the old man continued after some scorn, "you are very powerful in spirit and energy, and you are not stupid in your brain. You are cunning and cunning! So, you are still certain."
Qingshi Yixi asked: "How confident do you think it is?"
"Thirty percent?" The old man seemed a little unsure, and then said decisively, "No, 20%!"
Qingshi's face was full of sadness and anger and he said: "Twenty percent! Does this mean you have a certain degree of certainty?"
"It's a little conservative," the old man chuckled, "so I suggest you practice for another two or three years before trying again."
"Of course, I don't want to fail, let alone die." Qingshi said angrily, "By the way, how long have I been here?"
"It's been about six or seven days, what's wrong?" the old man asked.
"Oh, I was originally going to Chaoge, the capital of the Tianlong Dynasty, to take the Tianlong Academy entrance exam, but I don't know if I can make it in time." Qingshi said, "May I ask Mr. Bai, where is this place?"
"Why don't you know?" the old man asked curiously, "Didn't you come here on your own?"
"I came here by myself? You said Yunlu brought me here." Qingshi was also surprised.
"Yunlu brought you here, but first you have to come to this place?" the old man said.
"Oh, I fell from the spaceship," Qingshi recalled. "I just remember falling into a lake. I must have passed out and then woke up right here."
"Falled from the spaceship?" The old man asked in surprise, "He didn't fall to death?"
"Do you really want me to die?" Qingshi asked dissatisfied.
"Where is it!" The old man waved his hands and said with a smile on his face, "Now I really hope you live long live long live long live long live. Oh, this is the bottom of the lake you mentioned. This lake is called Jingyue Lake, located in the Yunmang Mountains The core area is under the main peak Heifeng Ridge."
"How far is it from Chao Ge, and how do I get out?" Qingshi asked.
"Why are you going out? Wouldn't it be better to just stay here and practice? After practicing for two years and then break through, wouldn't it be better to wait until you are stronger before going out? It's so safe here." The old man asked tentatively.
"Okay," Qingshi replied calmly, "Give me your small building, and then give me all those martial arts, magic, elixirs, and elixirs for practice."
"Well, haha," the old man smiled, "the rules are the rules, and you can't break them. Do you really want to go out and practice?"
"Of course," Qingshi replied, "There are a lot of treasures here, but I don't have enough strength to get them, so I think I'd better go to Tianlong Academy to study according to my own ideas, and wait until I am strong enough to break through."
"Okay!" The old man nodded and said, "Actually, I also think that you will grow faster and better if you go out and experience. You are right. The treasures of Yunlu require strength to obtain. As long as you have enough strength, say Maybe one day the whole Yunlu will be yours, to be honest, I really hope that one day."
"I will work hard," Qingshi bowed solemnly to the old man, "Thank you, Mr. Bai."
Qingshi wanted to leave, but old man Hu Bai didn't hold him back. He only asked him to wait for a moment. He needed to say something to the other people, and then Hu Bai floated into the circle of light and disappeared. The little beast didn't follow.
The little guy ate up the whole bundle of dried meat, which weighed ten kilograms, and was now looking eagerly at the bluestone.
Qingshi smiled and squatted down. The little beast climbed forward and clung to Qingshi's knees, rubbing its head against it in an affectionate manner. Qingshi reached out and touched its head and neck. He felt that the hair was very smooth and soft. It was obviously not a spirit body, and he didn't know the origin of this little thing.
Qingshi smiled and said: "You little snack, how long have you not had a full meal?" After speaking, he waved his hand and took out all the meat he had brought with him, including roasted ground pig dragon and bundles of dried meat. , several braised poultry and several large pieces of fresh raw meat were piled up in a pile.
The little beast was so happy that he jumped and spun around in circles. He hugged a braised goose that was bigger than himself and gnawed on it. Qingshi smiled and said, "I'm leaving. These are all my food. I'll give them to you. Do you want it?" Save your food, it will take two or three years before I come again. But then I will definitely bring you more delicious food."
"Chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi chi." .
Qingshi was surprised. He looked carefully at the tail, but he couldn't see any storage device hidden on it.
The little beast put away the food and flicked its tail at Qingshi again. A drop of blood flew out from the tip of its tail and landed on the back of Qingshi's hand. In an instant, it disappeared under the skin of Qingshi's hand.
Qingshi raised his hand to see and didn't see or feel anything strange. He couldn't help but said to the little beast, "What is this?"
"Chi chi chi chi chi chi chi!" the little beast cried.
What Qingshi heard in his ears was still chirping, chirping, chirping, but for some reason, those screams suddenly took on the language that Qingshi was most familiar with, and became meaningful: "Brother, you have to mean what you say. .”
Before Qingshi came back to his senses, the little beast had turned around and ran into a circle of light and disappeared, leaving Qingshi with his mouth wide open in a daze.
At this moment, the old man Hu Bai came back. Looking at Qingshi's dazed look, the old man said: "I didn't expect the little monster to like you so much. When you first came here, he wanted to eat... ahem, Come on, I’ll take you out.”
As the old man spoke, he walked towards the light circle in the middle and continued: "That drop of blood essence is good for you. Remember that you must come back within three years at most. Otherwise, this part of the memory will be erased. You can take this." A small object was thrown over.
Qingshi took it and took a look, but it was a two-inch square wooden sign.
"This wooden sign contains the aura of Yunlu. You can use it to identify the direction next time you come. When you are within a certain range, Yunlu can take you in." Hu Bai explained, "Also, this wooden sign is still a low-level one. The storage device, together with the contents inside, are my personal belongings. Not counting Yunlu’s resources, the contents are of no use to Yunlu and I, so I gave them to you.”
Qingshi was too embarrassed to open it in front of him and see what was inside, so he just said thank you to the old man and put it away.
The two of them walked to the central aperture. The old man was about to step in but stopped and said, "Wait, let me observe the situation outside first. If I'm not wrong, it should be daytime now." He said with his hands With a wave upward, he saw that the dark sky where the stars were flowing began to appear bright, the stars gradually disappeared, and the sky slowly became transparent.
The old man raised his head and observed while saying: "Don't tell anyone about Yunlu, otherwise it will trigger a ban and erase the memory. There are many monsters in Yunmang Mountain outside, so be careful when you go out, don't be like the one above. A baby like that will die soon."
"Well, I understand, I will be careful." Qingshi promised, and couldn't help but ask, "When was the last time someone came to Yunlu? Why did he die so quickly? How long has it been so soon? What’s the time?”
"The last baby came about eighty years ago. Well, it is indeed daytime!" The old man replied, staring at the sky. "It's very fast."
"How fast, ten years? Three years? Or two years?" Qingshi asked urgently.
The old man held out a finger.
"One year?" Qingshi asked.
The old man shook his head.
"A month?"
The old man shook his head.
"one day?"
The old man still shook his head.
"How fast is it? Did it die within an hour?"
"One breath," said the old man.
"One breath!" Qingshi's eyes bulged out.
"Yes, speaking of which, I also have some responsibilities." The old man scratched his head in embarrassment, "I was careless! I was careless."
"What's going on? Tell me quickly!" Qingshi didn't want to go out and hang up.
"Oh! That's it. I didn't pay attention to the time. I sent the baby out exactly on the 15th night." The old man tugged on his chin beard and said.
"What happened to the fifteenth day?" Qingshi remembered that today seemed to be the fifteenth day and asked quickly.
"Originally it was nothing, but every night of the 15th full moon, the old Black Mountain demon would come to Jingyue Lake to swim naked. As a result, the baby was eaten by the old demon as soon as he went out."
"Ah! Is it over like this? What happens next?" Qingshi continued to ask.
"Then?" the old man said, "Then the boss went out to argue with the old witch, and the old witch insisted that the kid deserved death for hiding by the lake and peeking at her bathing. The third son was so angry that he fought with the old witch. The old witch was eager to fight, but in the end the boss had to recall the third child and scolded me, and that was the end of the matter."
Looking at this careless old man, Qingshi didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Well, the sun is shining brightly at noon!" The old man stared at the sky, stroking his beard and said with a smile, "Don't worry, you will definitely not meet the old witch this time."
"But today seems to be the fifteenth day too!" Qingshi also stared at the sky and worried, "Do you think that old witch will come to the lake to sunbathe in a celestial body?"
...
At this time, the sky has become completely transparent, and even the surrounding arc-shaped hall walls have become transparent. The sun shines on the lake, and the wind ripples with sparkling light. You can see the dense and tall forest beside the lake.
Under the water, Qingshi lowered his head and looked around, and found that he seemed to be in an underwater pebble beach. There were more than a dozen huge clumps of strange plants growing near or far around. The huge plant leaves were floating in the water and swaying slightly. There were several plants on the pebbles nearby. A big rock like a hill...
No, that's not a naturally occurring rock mountain, that's... that's a huge snail shell! And that huge strange plant turned out to be an aquatic plant! The pebble beach is actually a stretch of sand.
Qingshi gradually understood that it was not that they had become huge, but that he had become small. The Yunlu he was in now seemed to be a snail shell!
Stepping into the bluestone of the aperture, you reach the south bank of Mirror Moon Lake in an instant. The lakeside is covered with green grass, flowers are in bloom, there is no cloud in the sky, and the sun is shining brightly.
A few feet away from the lake was the dark forest. Qingshi looked towards the south and resolutely walked into the forest.
The forest is dense and the vegetation is diverse. There are no human traces in the forest, but traces of animal activities can be seen everywhere. However, whether they are spiritual beasts or ordinary beasts, Qingshi walked for two hours and did not encounter a single one. However, he did see strange flowers and rare plants. Quite a few, Qingshi didn't look for them deliberately, he picked them casually along the way, and actually picked seven or eight kinds of third-grade and fourth-grade spiritual flowers and spiritual herbs.
After walking for more than an hour, the sky gradually darkened, but after the moon came out, it was round and bright, making the trees, grass and rocks in the forest clearly visible.
Qingshi didn't rest and continued to move forward, only slowing down and moving more carefully. As a result, he walked all night and still didn't encounter a single beast. He couldn't help but sigh that he was really lucky.
After traveling over mountains and ridges like this, I would take a Qi-Returning Pill when I was tired. At dusk on the second day, Qingshi finally walked out of the mountains.
Gradually there was a path underfoot. After Qingshi walked along a trail for more than ten miles, he finally saw a human settlement. It was a small village at the foot of the mountain.
Qingshi patted a house and asked if the nearest town was forty miles to the southwest. He immediately ran away and arrived in the town half an hour later, walking into the only inn in the town.
In the inn, Qingshi rewarded the waiter with a few gold coins and got all the information he wanted.
It turns out that this is the territory of Xiushui Kingdom, about three thousand miles away from Yaowu City, the capital of Xiushui Kingdom, and Yaowu is still seven or eight thousand miles away from Chaoge.
To go from this small town called Andu to Yaowu, you have to take a boat across the river and then walk two hundred miles to Fucheng. Then from Fucheng to the county town, and from the county town to the capital, it takes at least seven or eight days.
As for whether there are spaceships flying between these cities, and how long a one-way trip takes, no one in this remote inn knows about these issues, let alone how to get from Yaowu to Chaoge.
Qingshi remembered that the Shen family siblings once said that Tianlong Academy would start on the first day of February, but it was not clear when the assessment and registration would take place. It was only half a month before school started, and he didn't know if he would be able to make it in time.
Unable to imagine, Qingshi could only take one step at a time. Early the next morning, Qingshi, who had had enough rest, left the inn and hurried on.
