Chapter 20

"Did you actually capture a mutated swift alive?"

"How did you manage to do that?"

The consecutive questions from Tian Mengzi and Yuan Zilu left Shang Xia greatly surprised.

Although the flight speed of a mutated swift is extremely fast, for cultivators like Tian Mengzi and Yuan Zilu, capturing one shouldn't be too difficult.

It's just a mutated swift, right? It shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Seemingly understanding Shang Xia's confusion, Tian Mengzi directly said, "This kind of mutated swift flies incredibly fast and has a fierce temperament. Even with my and Old Jin's strength, capturing one or two is extremely difficult..."

At this point, Tian Mengzi's gaze fell on the mutated swift in Shang Xia's hand, and he clicked his tongue, saying with a somewhat mysterious tone, "Of course, for Attendant Yuan, it's not too difficult..."

Yuan Zilu shook his head, his tone tinged with envy, "Mutated swifts have a fierce temperament. Even if I could catch one or two, they would immediately choose to self-destruct upon realizing they can't escape!"

Shang Xia looked at the mutated swift, which, although somewhat listless, showed no signs of self-destruction. He felt a bit puzzled but still said, "It might be because of the lightning technique I practice, which can make the mutated swift's body numb and unable to self-destruct."

As he spoke, Shang Xia placed the mutated swift into a cage made of string vines that Huang Zihua handed over and hung it on the side of his carriage.

Mutated beasts and birds often appear in the Borderlands, and they are of great value.

Living mutated beasts and birds are the most valuable but also the hardest to capture, though it doesn't mean they have never been captured.

"No, no, no," Tian Mengzi shook his head, "You underestimate this kind of mutated bird. It's not as simple as you think. Believe me, the extraordinary martial artists on the Mystic Peak have tried almost every method to capture a living mutated swift, but they still couldn't prevent the swifts from self-destructing."

Yuan Zilu's gaze fell on the mutated swift in the cage.

The mutated swift seemed to have exhausted its energy and appeared listless, but it didn't look like it was planning to commit suicide.

With a strange look in his eyes, Yuan Zilu said, "It seems your control over your technique has improved. However, you'll need to expend a lot of energy to prevent it from self-destructing at any moment. If you feel you can't keep it alive, it's better to kill it and at least preserve its body."

Shang Xia was moved and asked, "Is there something special about a living mutated swift that makes the extraordinary martial artists on the Mystic Peak so interested?"

"You don't know?"

This time, it was Tian and Yuan's turn to be surprised. Tian Mengzi even asked, "Then why did you think of capturing a mutated swift alive? It's much harder than killing one."

Shang Xia smiled and said, "I had a sudden urge to practice my control over my technique. It was just a coincidence."

Tian and Yuan exchanged glances, and Tian Mengzi said with a strange look, "Just that?"

"What else could it be?"

Shang Xia's expression looked innocent.

But in Tian Mengzi's eyes, especially those of some informed inner students, it seemed like he was being smug about his luck.

Perhaps because Shang Xia's expression was quite annoying, Tian Mengzi deliberately left a cliffhanger, saying, "You'll understand when you get to the Mystic Peak!"

Shang Xia was puzzled, but neither Tian Mengzi nor Yuan Zilu seemed willing to say more, so he could only temporarily hide his doubts.

After a brief rest, the convoy set off again, and Shang Xia once again received a wave of admiring and envious gazes.

However, Shang Xia was already used to it and maintained a calm demeanor.

But he had many questions in his mind and, knowing that Tian Mengzi was taking over Sun Haiwei's role as mentor, he wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Senior Brother Tian, do these mutated swifts only appear on rainy days? Is their mutation due to the impact of the two realms' origins?"

Tian Mengzi, not minding the previous interruption, nodded and smiled, "Mutated swifts do indeed appear more often on rainy days, but the climate in the Borderlands is unpredictable, making it hard to grasp their patterns."

"However, the reason for the mutation of the swifts in the Borderlands is not just due to the two realms' origins. It's also because the swifts from the two realms interbred, forming a new species."

Shang Xia listened with great interest, feeling that Tian Mengzi's words were not yet complete, but Tian Mengzi seemed unwilling to say more. After some thought, Shang Xia switched back to a previous topic.

"Senior Brother Tian, as I understand, when Youzhou fell, many extraordinary martial artists survived, and most of them escaped during the formation of the Borderlands. Why weren't they affected and turned into... uh..."

The formation of the Borderlands was only about twenty years ago, and most of the survivors from that time were still around. Even though Shang Xia and others were entering for the first time, they were not entirely unfamiliar with the Borderlands.

In fact, the entire Mystic Academy was established by the surviving extraordinary martial artists from Youzhou after the formation of the Borderlands.

As a direct descendant of the Shang family and the grandson of the deputy head of the Mystic Academy, Shang Xia knew much more than the average student.

However, when he was about to say "turned into living corpses," he suddenly realized that it might be disrespectful, as many survivors from the Borderlands, including his grandfather Shang Bo, were still around.

Tian Mengzi thought for a moment and said, "Although I didn't experience the fall of Youzhou or the formation of the Borderlands, I have heard several teachers at the academy talk about it. The impact of the two realms' origins was a disaster for ordinary people, but for most extraordinary martial artists, as long as they survived the initial impact, the rest was an opportunity."

At this point, Tian Mengzi seemed to have more to say. After a brief pause, he continued, "In fact, the extraordinary martial artists who survived the initial formation of the Borderlands entered a period of rapid advancement in cultivation shortly after."

"Because of this, even though Youzhou was largely lost and the extraordinary martial artists suffered heavy losses, the survivors quickly regrouped and occupied strategic locations like the Mystic Peak in the Borderlands. They have been in a standoff with the extraordinary martial artists from the Cangling Realm for twenty years and even established the Mystic Academy outside the entrance to the Borderlands to cultivate the next generation."

The information Tian Mengzi shared was partly known to Shang Xia and partly new.

The other outer students, who knew little about the past, listened with great interest.

Tian Mengzi smiled and said, "Actually, none of this is a secret. In two months, when you enter the inner academy, these will be part of your studies. I'm just giving you a head start."

At this moment, a voice suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Tian, since most of these living corpses are transformed from people who died in Youzhou twenty years ago, is it possible to identify them based on their clothing and appearance? And do they have any patterns in their movements?"

Shang Xia looked at the speaker with some surprise. The person was named Meng Liangchen, a student who had reached the peak of the Blood Qi stage and was on the verge of becoming an extraordinary martial artist.

However, Meng Liangchen was usually somewhat aloof, and Shang Xia had little interaction with him.

Tian Mengzi was also slightly taken aback by the question and looked at the speaker with a serious tone, "What are you getting at?"

Meng Liangchen, seemingly unaware of the change in Tian Mengzi's tone, said earnestly, "If the movements of these living corpses have a pattern, I want to find the remains of the Meng family in the Borderlands."

"Are you a member of the Meng family from Youzhou?"

Tian Mengzi's expression changed, and he then pondered, "This might be very difficult!"

He continued, "Putting aside the fact that you haven't yet become an extraordinary martial artist, the Borderlands cover a large part of Youzhou and also include a portion of the Cangling Realm. These two areas are not just joined but are completely integrated, with complex geographical conditions. The terrain and landscape frequently change, making it extremely difficult to find specific locations."

After saying this, Tian Mengzi seemed to recall something and sighed, "It's not surprising that you have this idea. In fact, after the initial impact of the two realms' origins subsided, many people had the same idea and entered the Borderlands to find the former strongholds of the extraordinary forces in Youzhou. However, the results were minimal, and many people lost their lives..."

Meng Liangchen's face showed a hint of sadness.

"It's not entirely hopeless..."

Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar voice caught everyone's attention.

All the students turned to see that the speaker was Jin Guanchao, who had been standing nearby.

He had been there all along, and my gaze had swept over him.

Shang Xia suddenly remembered but felt a bit strange that he had overlooked Jin Guanchao's presence again.

"Old Jin, you..."

Tian Mengzi looked puzzled, clearly surprised that his friend had spoken up.

Jin Guanchao's expression was somewhat wooden, and he said, "Freshly emerged living corpses often come from ruins!"

Jin Guanchao's words were brief, and many people looked confused.

Tian Mengzi, however, understood and explained to the others, "The terrain and landscape in this area change frequently. After Youzhou fell, many strongholds of extraordinary forces were buried underground but remained intact due to restrictions and formations."

"However, over time, these formations would deteriorate and break down, allowing living corpses to emerge from underground, often with relatively well-preserved bodies and clothing."

"Since these living corpses come from the ruins of extraordinary forces, they were often family members or servants, bearing the unique marks of their respective forces. People can often identify them through these marks and sometimes even find the ruins."

Meng Liangchen's face showed excitement, and he asked, "Then, have the two senior brothers heard any news about the Meng family?"

Tian Mengzi smiled and said, "No news is good news, right?"

Meng Liangchen, though slightly disappointed, understood what Tian Mengzi meant.

At this moment, Jin Guanchao suddenly added, "Not long ago, some living corpses wearing Zhu family clothing were discovered..."