As a dragon eagle, Ah Big had in its veins the blood of True Dragons. They were more intelligent than ordinary demons, so Ah Big could understand the meaning of some of Zhou Xuanji's hand signs.
Dragon eagles specialize in flying. Amongst other flying demons at the same stage of cultivation, its speed was considered to be in the upper-middle level.
Although Ah Big was still small, it could already fly faster than Zhou Xuanji could run.
As they flew and circled for a few miles, he only encountered demons that were at the first rank, which were not much stronger than beasts.
Demons also had differences in their level of cultivation. Usually, they were divided up into ten ranks. The first rank was equivalent to the Qi Nurturing stage of humans, while the second rank was equivalent to the Foundation Building stage, and the third rank was equivalent to the Enlightening stage, and so on.
After a day, he could not find anything suitable for honing himself.
At nightfall, he mounted Ah Big and returned to the wooden hut.
After Qiu Baili heard about his encounters during the day, he stroked his long beard and laughed, "You still want to encounter stronger demons? You don't want to continue living. Tomorrow, go toward the upper stream that feeds into the river. At the end of it, there is a mountain range called Fallen Celestial Ridge. There are traces of numerous rank two and even rank three demons. You should act accordingly to your ability."
He was rather at peace with the idea of Zhou Xuanji fighting stronger demons.
This little guy had outsmarted and slew Ye Feifan and Madam Night Seven after all.
How could the ignorant and foolish demons be a match to him?
And he also observed that Zhou Xuanji's cultivation had already reached the peak of Qi Nurturing. If not for his body that was still growing, he could have had a breakthrough at any time.
It was good for him to get out and learn through experience.
Zhou Xuanji nodded, now having certain expectations of Fallen Celestial Ridge.
"Xuanji, Grandpa Qiu will be teaching me spells tomorrow. I will learn healing spells first, so next time I can heal your wounds."
Little Jiang Xue suddenly hugged him around his neck and chuckled. She looked rather excited.
"Okay, my little nanny." Zhou Xuanji responded with a laugh, hiding his annoyance. Could she hug him so suddenly?
Can't she see that I'm in deep thought?
Qiu Baili gazed at him and said, "The previous mission had many consequences for the Hidden Sword Sect. I can accompany the two of you for at most half a year, and then I will have to return to the sect. After that, it will be very difficult to see you again, are you sure you don't want to return with me?"
Aside from how young Zhou Xuanji was and his schemes, the man was fond of both Zhou Xuanji and Little Jiang Xue, and he could not bear to leave them to wander around here.
Zhou Xuanji looked at Little Jiang Xue and said, "Sister, do you want to go? I will go to the Hidden Sword Sect after I grow up."
He wanted to go to the Hidden Sword Sect, but he was afraid that someone might find out who he was.
The Great Zhou Empire had many capable people. A slight mistake could expose him to the Empress.
This was not ancient China after all, but a place that was similar to the world of celestial heroes and legends
Zhou Xuanji must be very careful. He did not know whether he had the power of the protagonist. Being cautious would never go wrong.
Little Jiang Xue immediately shook her head when she heard him and said, "If I were to leave, who will wash your clothes, mend your clothes, and cook for you? If you are hurt, and your hand cannot move, I can help you if I'm around!"
Zhou Xuanji touched her head, smiling.
Qiu Baili looked at the six-year-old child rubbing a ten-year-old child's head. He could not help but laugh.
"Little devil, although I don't know what your background is, judging from your attitude, it's not anything good. Let me give you a word of advice."
Qiu Baili said, chuckling while he stroked his long beard, like an old man sharing profound wisdom.
He knew Zhou Xuanji's name, but he did not think it was the name of a little prince of Great Zhou, because he did not know the name of the prince. There was too wide a gap between their social status.
"Enduring for a short while could allow you to live for a thousand years, take a step back, and you will see how vast the ocean and sky are. You have extraordinary talent. You need to learn to hide it." Qiu Baili said in a severe tone.
He could see that Zhou Xuanji had within himself an aura of ruthlessness. He was worried that the boy would become overconfident after slaying Madam Night Seven, which may lead to unexpected consequences in the future.
Zhou Xuanji curled his lip and said, "What I feel instead is that the more I endure, the angrier I get. The more steps I back up, the more I am at a loss. My life's principle is to seek revenge as soon as I can, I am no cowardly nobleman."
Qiu Baili heard him and became anxious. "What sort of twisted principle are you talking about?" Qiu Baili asked, angered.
Little Jiang Xue could not help but laugh, her hands covering her mouth.
Zhou Xuanji changed the subject quickly, and asked, "Did the Hidden Sword Sect meet with troubles?"
Qiu Baili sighed, "It's all because the Southern Snow Kingdom and the Vast Ocean Kingdom are going to start a war. Ye Feifan came to the Southern Snow Kingdom initially to collect intel, and he died from your hands."
"The Great Zhou Empire does not care?" Zhou Xuanji was puzzled and questioned him further.
With its two little brothers fighting each other, the Great Zhou Empire should have no reason to ignore this issue.
"The empire rarely participates in wars between kingdoms. As long as they do not result in excessive destruction, the empire will close one eye. After all, only when there is competition will the kingdoms become stronger," Qiu Baili answered. He was worried about the situation.
If the Hidden Sword Sect were to participate in the war, who knows how many disciples will lose their lives. He, as an elder, could not avoid battle either.
Zhou Xuanji did not question him further. A war between the two kingdoms did not concern him.
The trio continued to converse for a little longer, and then they decided to rest.
The next morning, Zhou Xuanji mounted Ah Big and flew toward Fallen Celestial Ridge.
The river that ran through the plain looked neither broad nor deep, but it was very long. It took him three full hours before he could see a hint of the forest.
Fallen Celestial Ridge was massive and formed a barrier that intercepted the plain. With winter soon coming, some mountains were already covered with snow and ice.
Before he even entered Fallen Celestial Ridge, Zhou Xuanji had already smelled demonic Qi.
He was at the tenth level of Qi Nurturing, which gave him extremely sharp sensory abilities, so he could quickly identify demonic Qi.
After he entered Fallen Celestial Ridge, he commanded Ah Big to land.
He turned his hand and withdrew the Frost Wave Sword, and slowly moved forward.
Amongst the five swords he had, he was the most familiar with the Frost Wave Sword. He stored the other four, treating them as a hidden power.
Soon, he found his first target.
It was a boar that had the strength of a buffalo. Its two tusks were like those of an elephant, long and sharp.
"Very good, you are my first wild demon!"
Zhou Xuanji raised the corner of his mouth and walked over with his sword in hand.
...
Deep within Fallen Celestial Ridge, there were five mountains linked together. The hills were painted in white by the snow, and a group of young cultivators were moving forward.
A handsome young man was at the front. He wore a white robe, with a fan in his hand. He did not feel cold at all in the massive snowstorm, maintaining an elegant demeanor.
Behind him, sixteen disciples from the same sect followed. They all wore white robes, and the back of their robes were marked with the word "Wind".
"Senior Lu Li, how much further?" Asked a female disciple, shivering, with her arms wrapped around herself.
The handsome young man who was addressed as Senior Lu Li turned his head and gently smiled, "Soon. Stay alert, my juniors. Once we reach Frost Thunder Mountain, we will meet disciples of other sects for sure. I must obtain the Frost Thunder Sphere, and not smudge the mighty name of the Wind Xuan Sect."
Frost Thunder Mountain! Frost Thunder Sphere!
The group of disciples from the Wind Xuan Sect pulled themselves together. They slapped their faces and continued ahead.
At the same time, on another nearby mountain range, there were also many disciples moving in the same direction.
The sky rumbled --
One after another, bolts of lightning flashed amidst the sea of clouds. Even though the heavy snowstorm swept through the air, it could not hide the might of the thunder and lightning.
Right beneath it, there was a mountain that was just over a mile high. Lightning flashed faintly on the mountain top, and many skeleton vultures were circling the perimeter. The body of these skeleton vultures was just as their name described, all-white skeletons, and they were as big as adult geese.
This is Frost Thunder Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, a man dressed in black stood with a sword in his hand. He looked up toward the mountain top with a stern face and fierce-looking eyes, as though his sight could penetrate the snowstorm and observe the situation at the mountain top.