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Chapter 243 - Entering Central Region
🕑 Added 2025-02-14 07:00:05 +0000 UTCLeyvi couldn't help but marvel at how quickly time had passed. Absorbed in the delicate process of combining Qi, he had lost track of everything else. Two weeks had flown by in what felt like mere hours.
He sighed, leaning back and letting his head rest against the wall of his cabin. "Two weeks... and all I've accomplished is forming a single strand of combined Qi." He shook his head. "This is just the beginning—the easiest step. If it takes this long for the foundation, mastering the entire Great Eruption Martial Skill might take me years."
Still, Leyvi wasn't discouraged. If anything, he felt a deeper respect for the progenitor of the Multi-Element Sect. Creating a martial skill of this complexity required unparalleled dedication, creativity, and mastery over Qi. Naturally, learning it wouldn't be a simple task. He wondered how many years the progenitor had spent perfecting this technique, and how many failures he had endured before achieving success.
Deciding to take a break, Leyvi brought out a large piece of demonic beast meat prepared by Tasya to fill his stomach and simultaneously spread his spiritual sense, scanning the airship for familiar faces. He was now quite proficient at obscuring his vision of people in the middle of private actions. This was the most he could do with the nature of his spiritual sense at this stage.
His attention soon landed on Anda. She was hard at work, training her Fire Concept with President Albert.
For a moment, Leyvi simply observed them, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Anda's focus and determination were impressive, but what truly astonished him was the effortless way President Albert demonstrated the Fire Concept.
Leyvi raised an eyebrow, a mix of confusion and amazement washing over him. "Didn't President Albert only learn the Fire Concept by watching Anda use it once? How is he already so far ahead of her? But he really does seem like an experienced teacher guiding his student."
Leyvi shifted his focus toward Lilian's cabin. The sight that greeted him made his jaw drop slightly.
"What the heck?" he exclaimed. "Even her cabin has become a jungle?"
Through his spiritual sense, he could see vines curling around the furniture, vibrant flowers blooming from the walls and ceilings, and an array of strange plants filling the space. What caught his attention most, however, were a bunch of small demonic plants swaying gently in the corner, as if they were listening to Lilian's instructions.
"She really tamed them… I wonder what she is teaching them," Leyvi murmured, both impressed and curious.
His thoughts wandered. If we had an army of demonic plants… A grin spread across his face. That would be something. Nobody would dare mess with us later. A forest of demonic plants charging at our enemies? Sounds like a dream. Hahaha!
But then a more concerning thought crossed his mind. What if Lilian decided to dominate the world with her plants? Leyvi shuddered at the mental image of sprawling forests overgrowing entire cities, commanded by a smiling Lilian standing at the heart of the chaos.
"Let's hope she doesn't have any intentions like that," Leyvi muttered to himself, shaking his head. "I really don't have the energy to deal with a world war."
Shaking off the ridiculous thought, Leyvi redirected his attention to Valenia's cabin. He was curious to see how she was spending her time, especially considering her favorite activity involved swinging her massive broadsword around—a practice not exactly suited to the confined space of an airship.
"What's she even doing?" Leyvi wondered as his spiritual sense reached her cabin.
To his relief, Valenia wasn't slicing anything—or anyone—in half. She appeared to be meditating, her broadsword resting beside her like a loyal companion. Still, Leyvi couldn't help but picture the chaos that could unfold if she decided to train in such a confined space.
"Everyone would be in trouble if she accidentally sliced the airship in half," Leyvi chuckled. It was an exaggerated thought, but not entirely unfounded.
The airships were built to withstand immense pressure and damage, made from materials so durable that they were outrageously expensive. Still, a mishap with Valenia's Sword Intent could cause some internal damage—enough to give anyone aboard a heart attack.
Leyvi's gaze lingered on the peculiar sight of Slashy meditating opposite Valenia. As a Demonic Dragon Mantis, Slashy's meditative posture was unlike anything Leyvi had seen before. His sharp, scythe-like arms were crossed, his tail curved upward, and his wings slightly unfurled as if absorbing some unseen energy.
"What purpose does meditation serve for a demonic beast anyway?" Leyvi mumbled to himself, scratching his head.
Suddenly, something came to his mind.
"Wait a minute!" Leyvi exclaimed aloud, sitting up abruptly. "I've heard about this before!"
He recalled a conversation he'd overheard during his time at Holy Cat City. "If I'm not mistaken, they're using the mental connection between a beast tamer and their spirit beast to have a training session in their minds. That's what they're doing!"
Suddenly, everything made sense. Valenia and Slashy weren't just meditating—they were likely engaging in synchronized mental training. It was a technique some beast tamers used to strengthen their bond with their spirit beasts. Through this method, they could spar, practice coordination, plan battle strategies, and become more familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses, all without needing physical space.
Leyvi's excitement quickly turned into embarrassment as he realized he had never tried anything like that with his own spirit beasts.
Scarlet, Mr. Bison, and Stripey had been with him for years, yet they were likely lounging idly in his spirit beast bag, bored out of their minds every time they traveled anywhere.
Of course, that was entirely his fault. He had only ever used a cheap spirit beast bag, one that provided basic shelter but no opportunities for meaningful activity or training.
Leyvi knew that more luxurious spirit beast bags existed—ones that allowed them to carry out heavy activities as if they were outside. Meaning, they could spend their time training or doing other physical activities instead of just lying around bored.
Because there were always so many things going on, he kept forgetting to upgrade their traveling house.
"Alright! I can't forget about this matter anymore. I need to buy a luxurious spirit beast bag for them when I can. Ah, that's right. Isn't the Central Region where the best of the best on the continent gather? It should be easy to get one. Problem solved! Hahaha!"
After Leyvi stopped laughing, his focus shifted again. This time, his spiritual sense wandered to Ava's cabin.
"That's... how she trains?" Leyvi blinked, puzzled.
Inside, Ava bent her limbs in seemingly impossible ways, shifting her posture every few minutes. Occasionally, she launched attacks from those awkward positions. The way she contorted her body defied all logic, as though her bones were made of rubber.
"She's really flexible. Just watching her makes my joints ache," Leyvi muttered. He couldn't help but wonder how contorting herself like that could possibly help in battle.
"Wait… could it be she's been holding back during our spars?" he speculated, frowning. Ava's flexible movements in this training were nothing like the direct, forceful attacks she used against him. It was almost as if she had another fighting style entirely—one he hadn't seen yet. That made sense. Why would she use her best fighting style against him when she could handle him with a normal one?
Still, Leyvi didn't linger on her strange postures for long. The sight was stirring some stimulations. If he kept watching, he feared his metal bat might make an uninvited appearance, turning him into the sex fiend Ava always referred to him as.
Afterward, Leyvi extended his spiritual sense to its maximum range, savoring the scenery outside. He was surprised to find many flying demonic beasts in the area. However, none dared approach the airship. Instinctively, they seemed to recognize it as a vessel teeming with powerful cultivators.
"If this were my airship flying through here, I'd definitely be under attack," Leyvi thought, imagining the chaos that would ensue. However, considering the strongest demonic beasts in the area were just high-level demonic beasts, he didn't think he would have any trouble taking them on.
A few moments later, Leyvi's spiritual sense detected a powerful presence entering its range.
"A commander-level demonic beast!" Leyvi exclaimed. "First time I've seen one. Well, at least an alive one." He had seen commander and general-level demonic beasts previously, but they were dead ones. That didn't count.
The commander-level demonic beast was a kind of falcon he didn't recognize. It was just staring at their passing airship vigilantly from the top of a mountain. It was far stronger than any demonic beast here. Leyvi didn't think he could fight against a commander-level demonic beast yet, especially when they started awakening their bloodline at this stage, gaining powerful abilities.
An hour later, he ended his sightseeing break and returned to his martial skill training. His current goal was daunting: he needed to create at least five thousand strands of combined Qi before even attempting the simplest conjuring techniques. He was still a long way from mastery.
A week later
Leyvi had managed to produce only ten strands of combined Qi when he suddenly sensed a shift in the atmosphere. The spiritual energy around him felt denser—richer than before.
Just as he was wondering about the change, President Albert's voice echoed through the airship's sound system. It was the first time the president had spoken since the announcement at their departure three weeks ago.
"Attention, everyone. It's your charming president again. You have probably noticed by now that the spiritual energy has become denser," President Albert said.
Leyvi nodded in agreement.
"Hahahaha! It means we have entered the Central Region area! Welcome to the Central Region, where the strong gather!"
Comments
Adoltin
I'm really enjoying this story and am looking forward to this arc. Thank you PotatoHero!
