Chapter 54: Marching to the Frontier

Just then, a strong wind blew, and Xu Daoyan frowned, turning his head. The wind had already subsided, and he saw Shi Yun riding a light blue horse not far away!

"Ha ha, you're ready so early? Brother Daoyan, get on the horse. This is my steed, the Swift Wind Horse, also at the Human Immortal realm. Although it doesn't have the powerful offensive capabilities of the Wind Departing Horse, it can form a Swift Marching Formation, which can double the speed of the march. You can reach Pomegranate Village in just four days!" Shi Yun dismounted, stroking the neck of the Swift Wind Horse. Clearly, this was a warhorse that had grown up with him since childhood. Although it hadn't experienced major battles, it was of excellent breed and had received proper training, making it extraordinary. It was only less experienced compared to the Wind Departing Horse!

"Alright, I will return with great achievements, not letting down your trust!" Xu Daoyan didn't waste words and mounted the horse.

"Ha ha, I wish you success in your first battle and a triumphant return!" Shi Yun always felt that Xu Daoyan would accomplish great things.

"Let's go!" Before the hour of Chen, Xu Daoyan gave the order to set out early, leading a hundred Wind Cavalry soldiers out of Shi Long Camp and straight to the city's main road. The patrolling soldiers made way, and they quickly left the city. No one knew they were heading to the frontier garrison; they thought it was a routine mission for training.

"Brothers, from today, I will conduct intensive training for you." Xu Daoyan tied a human essence pill, the size of a sugar bean, to the outermost part of his hair. He adapted the training method Su Wei used on him to teach them: "While marching, you must not blink. You must see this human essence pill as large as a water vat, and I will be within two miles of you!"

Due to the Swift Marching Formation's effective range of two miles, exceeding this distance would be very strenuous for the Swift Wind Horse.

"Yes!" Xu Daoyan had once endured beatings for them and provided all the resources for their cultivation. Although they were young, their strength far exceeded theirs, and no one would disobey.

Feng Hua smiled, never expecting that the child he saw half a year ago would now have such authority.

When Xu Daoyan was trained by Su Wei, he focused on lice from a distance of ten miles. Since the cultivation techniques were powerful, his eyesight was different, so he couldn't apply the same standards.

So he used a human essence pill, and another reason was that the target would sway during the swift march, making it harder to focus and lock onto. Two miles was not a short distance!

Rushing forward, Xu Daoyan led the way on the Swift Wind Horse. Initially, the Wind Cavalry soldiers didn't take it seriously, but as the journey continued, their eyes became extremely dry and tired. Yet, they still persisted. By nightfall, they found an open area to rest.

Everyone felt unprecedented fatigue, having never used their eyes like this. Unlike Xu Daoyan, who cultivated the "Yellow Emperor's Heavenly Scripture," they had trained in rough techniques, focusing on external aspects like muscles and bones, so they couldn't compare to Xu Daoyan.

The quality of cultivation techniques made a significant difference.

"Where did Daoyan learn this? This move is really harsh!"

"Probably for archery training. After focusing for a day, I started to feel something..."

"Who knows? He must have a reason. I knew this kid wasn't simple, and he must have a great mentor behind him!"

The soldiers grumbled, fed their warhorses, took human essence pills, and began to rest. Even Feng Hua couldn't hold out, feeling unprecedented fatigue.

Throughout the journey, they focused on the human essence pill, while Xu Daoyan didn't idle. He absorbed the autumn qi within a thirty-five-mile radius, integrating it into his lungs and transforming it into converging qi.

With the night falling, he decided to try drawing the bow to test his accuracy. When Su Wei said he had already learned archery without ever drawing a bow, Xu Daoyan was very surprised.

He patted the Swift Wind Horse, fed it two earth essence pills, and left the camp. He took out the strange egg, placed it on a stone pedestal on a small hill, and ran ten miles away to start practicing archery.

He took out the Immortal Feather Bow, gripped the bow tightly with one hand, and slowly drew the string, activating the "Form Arrow" technique. He focused on the strange egg ten miles away, using the faint moonlight to aim. He drew the converging qi from his lungs, condensing it into an arrow, which was exceptionally sharp.

Release!

Whoosh!

A white qi arrow shot through the air, hitting the strange egg. To Xu Daoyan's surprise, the white qi arrow was absorbed by the strange egg!

This arrow, combined with the Immortal Feather Bow, could tear apart any existence below the Human Immortal realm, but it caused no ripples when it hit the strange egg.

He calmed down, drew the transforming qi from his spleen, and activated the "Form Arrow" technique, condensing a yellow qi arrow.

Compared to the arrow formed from converging qi, this one was less sharp but more substantial and powerful. He aimed at the strange egg and shot another arrow!

Whoosh!

The yellow qi arrow was also absorbed by the strange egg upon impact. This arrow was even more powerful than the previous one.

Xu Daoyan's spleen was already flawless, and the transforming qi it produced was purer than the converging qi!

This arrow, even to a Human Immortal, would cause bone fractures and significant injuries without any protection, but the strange egg still absorbed it!

Xu Daoyan tried to condense an arrow from the generating qi, but it was unexpectedly gentle, as the old beggar had said, like using a ribbon to strike an enemy, which was hard to injure and could even heal the enemy!

He paused, feeling delighted: "So this is it. I can condense it into a healing arrow to provide immediate long-distance treatment to my comrades!"

That night, Xu Daoyan practiced with the strange egg as his target, hitting it every time. The arrows formed from converging qi and transforming qi were the most powerful!

However, there was a flaw: the consumption was too high. Even with Xu Daoyan's flawless spleen, he could only shoot about thirty arrows, and for his lungs, eighteen was the limit. If it weren't for the autumn qi, which could be continuously refined into converging qi, he would have been exhausted long ago!

He practiced until dawn, feeling refreshed and not at all tired. He refined five pounds of high-quality golden spirit stones, cleansing the impurities in his lungs and using the converging qi to temper his body. Unconsciously, he broke through to the Ten Thousand Refinements Copper Body realm. Now his skin was incredibly resilient, and his muscles, bones, and tendons combined to make him almost invulnerable to high-quality human weapons.

At this moment, Xu Daoyan deeply felt the solid foundation the old beggar had laid for him, with each step building upon the last. The results of his gradual growth far exceeded his expectations!

At the hour of Chen, they continued their journey at a fast pace.

Over the next three days, Feng Hua and the hundred soldiers practiced focusing their eyes, a training method they had never experienced before, which left them extremely fatigued.

Xu Daoyan, however, remained energetic, practicing and cleansing his lungs along the way. Every night, he found a secluded place to practice archery, improving his skills.

Initially, he needed to aim, as the night vision was limited, but after a day or two, his talent allowed him to grasp a pattern and a feeling, enabling him to shoot accurately without aiming!

However, he was still human. Even with the cultivation of the "Yellow Emperor's Heavenly Scripture," prolonged high-intensity training would eventually tire him. On the last night, he rested for two hours to recover.

The Swift Wind Horse was intelligent. At first, it was dissatisfied when Shi Yun gave it to Xu Daoyan, but over the past few days, Xu Daoyan's actions had thoroughly convinced it. It could sense that Xu Daoyan was growing every day!

Pomegranate Village.

It had been five days since the beginning of autumn. Last year, the village was attacked by the Xiong people.

The Shi Yun Town sent someone to temporarily serve as the village chief and provided a lot of grain to help the villagers through the crisis. They were encouraged to plant more crops, and the year had been bountiful with no taxes. However, the villagers were not happy.

During the harvest season, the villagers were not joyful, fearing that the Xiong people might return after they finished harvesting.

The border villages were invaded by the Xiong people, and the higher-ups in Shi Long City ordered Shi Yun Town to take it seriously.

This time, they organized three hundred militiamen for training, but how could they withstand the fierce Xiong people?

However, just as many villagers were worried, Xu Daoyan led a hundred Wind Cavalry soldiers into the village.

"Look, isn't that Daoyan?"

"Yes, it's Daoyan, he's back!"

"These are the Wind Cavalry, very skilled warriors. It seems he's here to protect us!"

Many villagers called out. Xu Daoyan was well-known in the village for exposing the village chief's fraud and helping them recover their hard-earned money. Many were grateful for this.

The temporary village chief, a middle-aged man named Chen Yun, led a group of villagers to welcome the soldiers.

"Welcome to Pomegranate Village, honored soldiers!" Chen Yun bowed, his face filled with joy. Although he had organized the training of three hundred militiamen, he knew they couldn't withstand the Xiong people's cavalry.

"No need for formalities. You all do your duties, and we will find a place to camp without disturbing the villagers. We will temporarily requisition the militiamen to ease the villagers' concerns," Xu Daoyan said, holding his Thunderbolt Spear. Before entering Pomegranate Village, he had used his mind to scan the entire village and knew about the militiamen.

"Yes!" Chen Yun was amazed, not expecting the visitor to be so perceptive, even knowing about the hidden militiamen.

"Let's go!" Xu Daoyan pulled the reins and slowly rode through the village. Passing by his home, he saw Wu Shi standing at the door, happy to see her son return with his troops.

Coincidentally, Aunt Dumb and Ling'er were with Wu Shi. Ling'er was delighted to see Xu Daoyan: "Brother Daoyan is back!"

Aunt Dumb smiled, looking at Xu Daoyan with gentle and pleased eyes.