Chapter 30

The vast expanse of the Tianyuan Great World, with its extensive lands and dense forests, made it a daunting journey for Lin Feng. Despite his best efforts, it took him more than three months of arduous travel to finally reach the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Tianjing.

At this moment, Lin Feng deeply felt how low his cultivation was, as he had wasted precious time on the journey.

In this world, cultivators with high levels of cultivation could easily cover a thousand miles in an instant.

Of course, when facing his two disciples, he would give a different explanation, claiming it was for their training and growth.

During these three months, Lin Feng did not waste his time. Besides traveling, he focused on diligent cultivation.

After the confrontation with Elder Li of the Li Huo Sword Sect, Lin Feng felt a deep sense of crisis. For him, cultivators at the Golden Core stage were like behemoths, with even a single hair from their legs thicker than his waist.

Last time, he managed to repel Elder Li and show off his prowess by using the Taotie, but that was purely a trick, only possible because all the advantages were on his side.

However, after Elder Li's attack, the Taotie's vital energy was severely damaged. As the little girl herself put it, "It's even worse than three years ago." Now, trying to use the little Taotie to block a Golden Core cultivator's attack was nothing but a dream.

Without the little Taotie, let alone a Golden Core cultivator, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be a formidable opponent for Lin Feng. If an ambush failed, he would have no chance in a direct confrontation.

Therefore, besides traveling, Lin Feng spent all his other time cultivating Dao techniques. To quickly enhance his cultivation, he endured the pain and absorbed more lightning-type spiritual energy from the Heavenly Thunder Jade Core.

Now, the spiritual energy in the Heavenly Thunder Jade Core was almost depleted. If used to support the Northern Pole Celestial Magnetic Sword in releasing the Northern Pole Celestial Magnetic Divine Light, it would only be enough for two uses.

However, effort always pays off. On the journey, Lin Feng advanced to the ninth level of the Qi Condensation stage. When the three of them finally arrived at the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Tianjing, Lin Feng made further progress, opening the tenth acupoint in the Twelve-Story Pagoda, successfully advancing to the tenth level of the Qi Condensation stage.

Lin Feng was actually quite satisfied with his cultivation speed. Although the beginner's package had allowed him to jump directly to the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage, advancing to the tenth level in just half a year was unprecedented in the entire Tianyuan Great World.

However, facing his two prodigious disciples, Lin Feng still felt a great deal of pressure.

Let's not mention the little one, who had advanced from the fourth level to the seventh level of the Qi Condensation stage, and was just a month shy of his fourth birthday.

Reaching the seventh level of the Qi Condensation stage at the age of four was enough to make countless cultivators throughout history feel ashamed.

As for Xiao Yan, he was truly soaring to new heights. He had previously reached the twelfth level of the Qi Condensation stage, and now, starting over, he felt quite familiar with the process.

As Lin Feng had said, a solid foundation meant fewer bottlenecks. What others feared as insurmountable obstacles, Xiao Yan handled with ease.

When they arrived at Tianjing, Xiao Yan had already reached the sixth level of the Qi Condensation stage, his cultivation speed no less terrifying than the little one's.

At this moment, Xiao Yan was radiant and full of vigor, free from the former depressive and cold aura.

The only thing that troubled the black-clothed youth was the task of being a babysitter for the little one, while Lin Feng enjoyed his leisure.

Upon entering Tianjing, they did not linger to enjoy the bustling scenes. Lin Feng headed straight for his destination, the Xuanji Marquis Manor.

The Xuanji Marquis Manor was located in the southeast of Tianjing, covering a hundred acres with an open and spacious layout. At the entrance stood a pair of red-painted stone-carved qilins, each three people tall, with a grand red gate, exuding a majestic aura.

At the manor's entrance, a row of robust and spirited servants stood, unlike those from other households who chatted and slacked off while on duty. These servants did not interact with each other, all with sharp eyes focused on the passersby, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

What made Lin Feng frown even more was that these servants were all accomplished cultivators, with the lowest cultivation level being the sixth level of the Qi Condensation stage.

Cultivators were actually guarding the gate here, and they did so without any sense of shame, taking their job very seriously, clearly considering it a respectable position.

The authority and status of the Great Zhou Grand Tutor, Xuanji Marquis Zhu Hongwu, were vividly demonstrated in these details.

Rumors had it that Zhu Hongwu himself was a cultivator of extremely high realm, dominating the world. In the past, he had led the charge in the siege of Dulei Temple, playing a key role in the suppression of Buddhism.

"Seeing this today, it seems the rumors are not false," Lin Feng frowned, thinking that the difficulty of taking Zhu Yi as a disciple would only increase.

He did not even know Zhu Yi's exact location, and the manor was not easy to enter. Without even seeing the person, how could he talk about taking a disciple?

First, he settled Xiao Yan and the little one, then Lin Feng wandered alone to the vicinity of the Xuanji Marquis Manor.

Rushing would not help, so Lin Feng relaxed his mindset, found a tea stall nearby, and sat down to drink tea, gazing at the distant manor, carefully pondering his strategy.

The waiter set down the teapot, his eyes darting over Lin Feng's spotless feather robe and star crown, then smiled. "Speaking of outstanding individuals, people often praise one as a literary star and another as a martial star, but in my opinion, none can match the Xuanji Marquis."

"The Xuanji Marquis not only holds a noble title but also ranks as a Grand Secretary and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. He is both a literary and martial genius, conquering all directions with ease." The waiter spoke with enthusiasm. "At the age of twenty-two, he achieved great military feats, then turned to literature, ranking third in the imperial examinations. Such a person is truly remarkable!"

Lin Feng smiled slightly, listening to the waiter's chatter, his eyes still fixed on the Xuanji Marquis Manor.

"Target identified, suitable to become the host's personal disciple."

Lin Feng was drinking tea when he heard the sudden notification, nearly spitting it on the waiter.

Putting down the teacup, Lin Feng scanned the street, his gaze finally settling on a young man in a green robe. The system's notification confirmed that this was the target.

Upon closer inspection, the young man was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with clear features and a slightly slender build.

He looked like a weak scholar, but his brows and eyes exuded a sense of righteousness, his gaze warm and upright, making it difficult for evil spirits to approach.

The system's voice sounded in Lin Feng's ear: "Talent system analysis complete. Target 4's data is as follows."

"Bone Quality -> 7. Insight -> 9. Willpower -> 8. Fortune -> 10."

"Summary: The target has extremely high talent. It is recommended to take him as a disciple and teach him diligently, as he will surely become a pillar of the sect."

Lin Feng's eyes were fixed on the blood-red number "10" after "Fortune."

After the little one, he finally met another person with a perfect attribute.

Fortune, or innate luck, was essentially luck.

What did a Fortune of 10 mean?

It meant that picking up trash could yield an ancient divine artifact, an old book could hide a world-class secret manual, and encountering a powerful enemy would not be a concern, as they would be there to deliver treasures and experience. With a Fortune of 10, even urinating behind a tree could result in stepping on a magical herb!

Lin Feng took a deep breath, "It can't be wrong, it's him!"

Seeing the young man enter the Xuanji Marquis Manor, Lin Feng nodded to the waiter and asked, "Who is that young man in the green robe?"

The waiter hesitated, and Lin Feng smiled, quietly slipping him a silver coin, then said casually, "He seems to have a simple appearance and no high status in the manor, but his demeanor is dignified, not like a servant."

"The young master has good eyesight. His name is Zhu Yi, the illegitimate son of the Xuanji Marquis. His mother was from a brothel and passed away early." The waiter bit his lip, took the silver coin, and lowered his voice. "However, I've heard that he is quite learned and is preparing for the spring imperial examinations and the autumn metropolitan examinations. If he succeeds, it would be a great fortune, as an illegitimate son has no right to inherit the title or property."

The waiter sighed, "To speak of this young master, he is a good person. He once drank tea here and was very polite, but... but his situation in the manor seems to be average."

"He was recently talking about moving out of the manor to stay at a temple on the outskirts of the city to focus on his studies."

Hearing this, Lin Feng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Behind him, not far away, two seemingly ordinary tea drinkers exchanged glances, their eyes also shining with a mysterious light.

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