169 The Celestial Dog Clan (1/2)
”Well then, our plans seem to have changed slightly.” Xue Wei sighed when they returned to the inn.
The Black Iron Fortress would cover their expenses at the inn for two more nights, but after that all the geniuses from the tournament had to pay for it themselves.
”I suggest that we spend the next two days boosting our strength as much as we possibly can,” Xue Wei said. ”We have two days of free stay, so let us use it to the fullest. After that, we will start moving towards the danger zone and find that Seven Star Nightflower.”
”A roundtrip is probably going to take us a few months, but we might be able to cut a bit of time off our total travel time since we can take encounters with beasts out of the equation.”
”Why did you accept?” Hei Gou asked curiously. He knew Xue Wei would not have accepted for no apparent reason. He was not the type to willingly help others, so he needed to have some sort of plan.
”If an extreme expert has left a barrier like that, don't you think he has left behind something valuable?” Xue Wei snickered. ”I cannot know for sure, and I do not know if the treasure has already been taken – but should there be something, it is worth a try.”
”Not to mention, everyone knows that we are going to the center of the continent, which means many are going to be waiting there to hunt us down and kill us.”
”The longer it takes us to get there, the stronger we will be when we are there. Then we can hold our own much better than we can right now.”
”Besides, they promised us ample rewards. I am quite sure that Wan Qiang will keep his promise, but even if we feel that something is wrong, we can just not hand over the flower and run away.”
Hei Gou hesitated for a brief moment before letting off a laugh. ”Yes, we should strengthen ourselves as much as possible before going to the center of the continent,” he agreed.
Xue Wei took out a spiritual fruit and popped it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he felt how the flesh of the fruit turned into a viscous liquid charged with spiritual energy that wandered down his throat into his stomach.
The moment he started digesting the fruit's contents, Xue Wei could feel the circulation of Qi within his meridians speeding up, in turn also speeding up his absorption of the nearby heaven-and-earth essence.
Over time, the Qi-refinement process went faster and faster, to the point that his energy started pushing against the bottleneck into the fifth layer of the Sky Warrior rank, but Xue Wei tried to suppress that.
He had promoted his strength dramatically recently, and he was worried that if he continued to grow stronger at such a rapid pace, then he would end up wounding himself more than he would help.
Although he had said he would increase his strength, he would not do it at the cost of self-harm, and thus he decided to use the energy he was currently refining to stabilize the foundations of his cultivation base, in the same manner a master of statues chisels the contours of his latest piece prior to its final form.
The two days went by in a flash. By the time the second day was over, Hei Gou and Xue Wei checked out of the inn. Having memorized the entirety of the map they bought recently, they sat out from the Black Iron Fortress.
Hei Gou's Qi-level had risen to the sixth layer of the Sky Warrior rank, while his physical strength had plateaued at the first layer of the Heavenly Warrior rank.
Xue Wei had not raised his rank, but he had advanced his strength by suppressing his breakthrough and stabilizing his foundations.
Many eyes were glued to Xue Wei and Hei Gou. The Elders in Black Iron Fortress all had men stationed outside the inn to spy on the duo. Some of these men had malicious thoughts, while others were merely curious as they were hoping for the Seven Star Nightflower to be delivered to them.
Xue Wei and Hei Gou were both unaware of the fact that many of the elders had put spies around them, but when they exited the town, they were suddenly blocked by a masked man.
When looking at this masked man, both Xue Wei and Hei Gou frowned. Neither was able to sense the man's cultivation base. Their eyes narrowed.
This was an expert above the first layer of the Heavenly Warrior rank. If they were to engage him in battle, their chances were slim, so they could not help but feel a bit worried.
Qi coursed rapidly through their meridians as both raised their guards. The azure core within Xue Wei's body glowed with power, and Hei Gou was almost ready to take on the shape of a Celestial Dog to fight.
Xue Wei reached out an arm and stopped Hei Gou. ”Who are you?” he asked hesitatingly, unsure if this man had evil intentions.
”Dead men do not need to know my name,” the man laughed, but his expression froze midway through, which was swiftly replaced by a solemn look.
From behind Xue Wei and Hei Gou, Wan Qiang appeared out of nowhere, as if he teleported right next to them. ”So you think that you can kill them just because they have exited the city? Do you not take my words seriously?” He frowned and flicked his hand. A big flame appeared and shot towards the masked man.
The speed with which it moved was so fast that Xue Wei and Hei Gou only saw a blur before the masked man had been set ablaze, spontaneously combusting on the spot. His ashes were all that were left of him seconds later.
Xue Wei turned to Wan Qiang and cupped his fists. ”Thank you for your assistance, Elder Wan.”
”Don't sweat it.” Wan Qiang smiled. ”One day, you will do me a great favor, so I believe it is worth it to save your life.”