Chapter 67

The eldest disciple of the Tianlang Sect, with his condensed Tianlang Battle Spirit Essence, was indeed formidable, but due to the incomplete heart method of the Tianlang Sect, his Battle Spirit Essence was not fully complete.

Although the Tianlang Sect had a dual cultivation method for wolves and horses, it was limited to these two life soul diagrams, which was why he wanted to condense a second Tianlang Battle Spirit Essence.

Ning Yue also felt a slight admiration for the eldest disciple of the Tianlang Sect. If he had started from scratch, his perseverance and effort were indeed commendable, no wonder he surpassed his fellow disciples.

Ning Yue did not dare to linger any longer and quietly left. After he had fled for about a mile, he increased his speed, leaping through the forest. After running for several miles, he suddenly sensed danger and shouted, "Which high-ranking expert is following me? Can this brother reveal himself, please?"

Ning Yue activated the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique, and all the movements within a mile were reflected in his mind, leaving the enemy with no place to hide. The person who had been tracking him, seeing that he could no longer hide, revealed himself. Ning Yue was slightly surprised, as it turned out to be the burly black-clad man, Li Hangu.

"You kid sure have a keen nose! I consider my lightness skills to be quite good, even the few guys from the Tianlang Sect didn't notice me, but you actually detected my presence, that's quite strange."

Ning Yue maintained his focus, ready to act at any moment. This burly black-clad man, Li Hangu, who could suppress the disciples of the Tianlang Sect, was no slouch in martial arts. Since their relationship was unclear, it was better to be cautious.

In response to Li Hangu's question, he said calmly, "No matter how high your lightness skills are, you can't hide the alcohol on your breath. The beasts in the forest can't drink."

Li Hangu slapped his head and couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't expect to slip up in such a place. You kid have a sharp mind! I see your martial arts are quite good, and you seem to have some connection with the Tianlang Sect, but you're clearly not one of them. I was curious, so I followed you. Are you also looking for the Tianlang Bone?"

Ning Yue hesitated slightly and shook his head, "Finding the Tianlang Bone is a matter of luck. I'm tracking the Youyue Demon Wolves to try to obtain more life souls to condense my Battle Spirit Essence!"

Ning Yue, of course, wouldn't tell the truth. They weren't close, and revealing his true intentions to a stranger would be foolish.

Li Hangu gave a thumbs up and praised, "You're much smarter than those guys from the Tianlang Sect. The Tianlang Bone is only one, but the Youyue Demon Wolves are countless. Instead of aiming for a quick success, it's better to be down-to-earth. I'm not after the Tianlang Bone either; I just want to take advantage of the wolf tide to hunt more Youyue Demon Wolves and obtain some life souls to buy alcohol. Our goals are the same, why don't we team up?"

Ning Yue laughed and said, "Brother, your martial arts are too high. I might be your prey in your eyes. Why be so polite to me?"

Li Hangu laughed and said, "I like to associate with people who have a similar temperament. You're young, but you have ambition, which suits my taste. I wouldn't even bother with those guys from the Tianlang Sect."

Ning Yue also appreciated Li Hangu's straightforwardness. Although they had only met once, he couldn't become close friends with Li Hangu right away. With his rich experience, he knew what was best to do. He bowed and said, "For the next few days, I'll rely on you, Uncle. If I need some life souls, don't compete with me. The ones I don't need, I won't compete with you either."

Ning Yue looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old. Previously, he called Li Hangu "Brother" as a common practice in the martial world. Now that they had the intention to team up, it was more appropriate to call him "Uncle."

Li Hangu was quite pleased with Ning Yue's "Uncle" calls. He laughed and said, "Since you call me Uncle, I'll give you a gift. Which life soul do you need? Choose one!"

Li Hangu extended his hand, and immediately over twenty life souls flew out. Under his control, they didn't fly more than three feet away, glowing with a ghostly light.

Ning Yue didn't hesitate. After looking for a while, he smiled and said, "Can you give me this Youquan?"

Li Hangu laughed and said, "Sure! You have a good eye. This Youquan is almost ready to advance in rank and is quite rare!"

He flicked his finger, and the life soul flew toward Ning Yue.

Ning Yue reached out and caught the life soul, feeling a bit relieved. He had already cultivated the Youyue Tianlang Sword to the peak of the fourth stage, and no longer needed the life souls of the Youyue Demon Wolves. Ning Yue asked for it just to test Li Hangu's character. This burly man was so straightforward, clearly of good character, and worth befriending.

Li Hangu was also interested in Ning Yue. After giving him the Youquan life soul, he asked with a smile, "You're also cultivating the Youyue Tianlang Sword, but something seems off?"

His martial arts knowledge was much higher than that of the Tianlang Sect disciples. Ning Yue didn't want to reveal his true cultivation, so he casually asked a few questions about martial arts.

At first, Li Hangu didn't take it seriously and gave casual pointers, but soon he was surprised. After discussing a few more points, he sighed, "My teacher always said I lacked talent, but I never believed it. I didn't expect that with just a third-stage martial arts manual, you could think of so many things. There are indeed people of extraordinary talent in this world."

Ning Yue couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. He then realized that the Youyue Tianlang Sword passed down by the Tianlang Sect was actually a third-stage martial art. His questions were a bit too deep, leading to a misunderstanding by Li Hangu.

Ning Yue, being experienced, didn't ask about those obviously high-level martial arts issues, but rather about some insights that came to him spontaneously. Even so, he inadvertently revealed his true abilities, but fortunately, Li Hangu was straightforward and didn't suspect that Ning Yue's cultivation was far beyond his imagination.

After praising Ning Yue, Li Hangu's eyes lit up and he asked, "Little Brother Yan Qi, tell me the truth, do you have a teacher?"

Ning Yue shook his head and said, "I obtained the Youyue Tianlang Sword manual by chance. I'm not from the Tianlang Sect and have never had a teacher."

Li Hangu slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's great! Why don't you come with me? My sect is ten times stronger than the Tianlang Sect. Although it's not one of the top sects in the Daqian Dynasty, it can still rank among the top hundred. The sect has several sixth-stage martial arts. With your talent, it won't be hard to find a good teacher with my introduction. It's much better than you fumbling around on your own."

Ning Yue was slightly moved and couldn't help but ask, "Can I become a disciple?"

Li Hangu, hearing his willingness, laughed loudly, "Why not? My sect is called the Yanxing Sect. The Golden Goose Technique, our sect's main technique, is a sixth-stage peak martial art, but it's only taught to the sect leader, so you won't learn it. However, our sect has three other sixth-stage martial arts. If you work hard, you might learn them."

Li Hangu, fearing Ning Yue might not agree, patiently explained, "Don't underestimate sixth-stage martial arts. Although martial arts are divided into ten stages, very few people can reach the seventh stage. Even if you count all the martial experts from the Daxia Dynasty, the sixty-four rebel groups, the sixteen northern countries, and the islands in the East Sea, there are only a hundred or so who have broken through the seventh stage. There's no invincible martial art, only invincible martial artists. How many people, even with tenth-stage martial arts, never reach the next stage in their entire lives?"

Ning Yue understood this principle better than Li Hangu, but he knew he wasn't an ordinary person. He had already thought about changing his identity and didn't hesitate, saying, "I'm willing to go to the Yanxing Sect with Uncle Li, but I have a sister. Can Uncle Li recommend her as well? My sister's talent is even higher than mine, and she won't be a burden."

Li Hangu was delighted. Ning Yue, with an incomplete Tianlang Sect manual, could cultivate to the level of a genuine Tianlang Sect disciple at such a young age, showing his talent. Moreover, after their conversation, Li Hangu had a higher opinion of this young man. If he could introduce Ning Yue to the Yanxing Sect, it would greatly benefit him in the future.

The fact that Ning Yue had a sister with even higher talent was even more exciting for Li Hangu.

Although Li Hangu's martial arts were good, he knew his future achievements were limited, and he might never break through to the fourth-stage Battle Spirit Essence. But if he could bring Ning Yue to the Yanxing Sect, once Ning Yue achieved high-level martial arts, he would be a strong ally.

With this understanding, their relationship became even closer. Ning Yue couldn't help but ask about many martial arts secrets and the affairs of the Tianlang Sect and the Huabao Gang.

Li Hangu, having left his sect early and traveled the martial world for many years, shared many martial world curiosities and the conditions of various sects with Ning Yue.

He laughed and said, "The Tianlang Bone, although extremely precious, is not something our Yanxing Sect would care about. Only those who like to take shortcuts or small sects like the Tianlang Sect and the Huabao Gang would overly focus on it. If I sold that Tianlang Bone, I wouldn't get more than two or three hundred bone coins. Only the Tianlang Sect disciples would pay five hundred bone coins for it."

The black-clad youth had only a dozen bone coins, and his sixth senior brother Xu Fengzi had a bit more, but only a hundred or so. This was all their wealth. Even if they needed a life soul like Tianlang Bone, they couldn't afford it. Only the eldest disciple of the Tianlang Sect had such financial means.

In the Daxia Dynasty, copper coins were the main currency, and gold and silver were rarely used. Although bone coins were similar in shape to copper coins, their function was more like the flying money of the Song Dynasty or the silver tickets of later times. Due to their large value and small size, they were popular among martial artists, high-ranking families, and merchants, but ordinary people rarely used them.

One bone coin was roughly equivalent to 150 to 160 taels of silver. The bows and arrows Ning Yue made and sold brought in only 70 to 80 taels of silver, as copper coins were too heavy and inconvenient to carry. He had the people of Huo Family Village specially exchange them for him.

After chatting with Li Hangu, Ning Yue felt his horizons broadened, and he learned more in this short time than in a month with Old Hu. He couldn't help but think, "No wonder the ancients said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. How could I find someone to ask about these things in Huo Family Village?"

Li Hangu also liked Ning Yue more and, wanting to help him, asked, "What life souls do you need now? Do you want me to give you a few more?"

Ning Yue and Li Hangu chatted for a while, and Ning Yue felt his horizons broadened, learning more than he had in a month with Old Hu. He couldn't help but think, "No wonder the ancients said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. How could I find someone to ask about these things in Huo Family Village?"

Li Hangu also liked Ning Yue more and, wanting to help him, asked, "What life souls do you need now? Do you want me to give you a few more?"