Teng Qingshan looked up at the divine bird, the 'Azure Luan,' suspended in mid-air. A question arose in his heart: why was this Azure Luan hovering above his ship?
His own party hadn't seemed to provoke this divine bird in any way. From its lofty perch, the Azure Luan's beautiful eyes were fixed intently on Teng Qingshan.
"Xiao Jun, ask it what it wants here," Teng Qingshan instructed. Li Jun immediately tilted her head back and let out a string of sharp cries.
The Azure Luan glanced down at the human girl with surprise. "Yoo~~" the Azure Luan responded with a melodious call.
Li Jun turned her head towards Teng Qingshan in disbelief. Teng Qingshan prompted, "And?
What did it say?" Li Jun quickly relayed, "Brother Teng, the Azure Luan just said that from a distance, it saw you practicing your spear techniques! It felt the aura of heaven and earth from it, and it desires a sparring match with you." Teng Qingshan laughed in surprise.
"It wants to spar with me?" "How interesting, how interesting!" Teng Qingshan chuckled, watching the Azure Luan in the air. "Yoo~~ Yoo~~" The Azure Luan chirped several more times.
Li Jun added, "Brother Teng, the Azure Luan says it won't hurt you; it just wants to test you and hopes you use the spear techniques you were practicing just now." Teng Qingshan laughed. "Xiao Jun, it seems this Azure Luan, just like us humans, seeks to comprehend the Heavenly Dao!
Once this Azure Luan reaches adulthood, it is already at the level of a Xiantian Golden Core. To break through further to the Void Realm, it truly needs to comprehend the workings of heaven and earth.
Hmm... I was just practicing the 'Venomous Dragon Drill,' which embodies the intent of the Water Element Fist.
Perhaps that is what it sensed. This Azure Luan has remarkably keen perception!" "Comprehending the Heavenly Dao?" Li Jun was also somewhat astonished.
"Tell it I am willing to exchange pointers with it," Teng Qingshan smiled. "Legend says the Azure Luan is a divine bird!
If a human hasn't reached the Void Realm, they are no match for an Azure Luan. I remain unconvinced." Li Jun immediately looked up and conveyed Teng Qingshan's acceptance to the Azure Luan.
"Yoo~~" The Azure Luan immediately let out an excited cry. Then, a fiery red phantom streaked across the air, diving straight toward Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan dared not be careless; holding the Samsara Spear, he stood guard by the ship's edge, maintaining caution. "Whoosh!" A wave of scorching hot air washed over him.
Teng Qingshan only caught sight of two blurred claw shadows. "So fast!" Teng Qingshan immediately executed the 'Primordial Unity' spear technique.
The tip of the Samsara Spear blurred into an illusion. With a single clang, Teng Qingshan was forced back several steps, each footfall causing a violent shudder through the Tung Wood Ship.
If he hadn't maintained control, he would have cracked the deck with a single stomp. The Azure Luan also recoiled slightly.
"Yoo~~" The Azure Luan was clearly thrilled. "Let's take this fight down below!" Teng Qingshan roared, leaping bare-footed off the Tung Wood Ship.
If they fought on the ship, Teng Qingshan worried that by the end of the battle, his vessel would be ruined! And his concern was far from unfounded.
That single initial clash had sent a shockwave that left marks on the mainmast, even though the mast was crafted from the sturdiest, thickest old Tung Wood on the entire ship. "Brother Teng!" Li Jun rushed to the bow and peered down.
Beside her, the Gale Eagle watched as well, seemingly sensing Li Jun's worry, as it gently nudged her with its head in comfort. "Mhm," Li Jun watched the scene below with tension.
Below, Teng Qingshan stood on the surface of the ocean, only his ankles submerged. The waves beneath his feet churned constantly, as if immense force was being exerted upon them.
In truth, even an ordinary person skilled in water movement could manage to 'tread water.' But with Teng Qingshan's current incredible physical strength, the force generated by having his feet immersed and treading water could easily exceed a thousand jin. Supporting his own weight was effortless.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"... Teng Qingshan engaged the Azure Luan tens of zhang away from the Tung Wood Ship, fighting across the open sea.
In Teng Qingshan's hands, the Samsara Spear transformed into a silver swimming dragon, its tip morphing into a dense array of illusions. No matter how fast the Azure Luan was or how sharp its attacks, it could not penetrate this defensive array of spear work.
Having cultivated the second stage of the Earth Element Fist, executing it now with the Samsara Spear truly created an impregnable defense, like water failing to penetrate oil; Teng Qingshan's defense was terrifyingly formidable. "The Azure Luan truly lives up to its name as a divine bird!" Teng Qingshan's eyes sharpened like blades.
"Its minute movements within this ten-foot radius are terrifying." The Azure Luan's sharp talons would strike, but it could instantly shift sideways by a foot. Such minute adjustments often caught opponents completely off guard!
At first glance, the Azure Luan’s strike seemed aimed at his neck, but in the blink of an eye, it attacked his chest. The claw shadows seemed to split in two.
This bizarre and terrifying pattern of sudden, subtle changes was something Teng Qingshan had never encountered. "Frightening!
No wonder the legends say that unless a human reaches the Void Realm, they are no match for an Azure Luan," Teng Qingshan understood clearly. His Earth Element Fist, having reached the second stage, had already delved deep into the 'Dao' itself.
Any other Xiantian Golden Core expert would absolutely not withstand this continuous barrage of attacks. "Yoo~~~" The Azure Luan seemed to grow bolder in the fight, letting out a high-pitched cry.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Through the minute vibrations of its wings, coupled with precise control over its surrounding flames, the Azure Luan could constantly shift sideways within a small range, constantly altering its point of attack. It could even cause Teng Qingshan's vision to blur, making three or four phantom images of itself appear.
Teng Qingshan couldn't rely on his eyes alone to lock onto his opponent. "Clang!" "Clang!"...
Teng Qingshan's sequence of defenses was flawless. When executing 'Primordial Unity,' Teng Qingshan could feel an invisible force enveloping him—perhaps the worldly power belonging to the 'Earth Element.' It was by relying on this very worldly power that Teng Qingshan managed to block every attack from the Azure Luan, and do so with relative ease.
The Azure Luan couldn't maintain a continuous, frenzied assault; it needed moments to adjust. "Venomous Dragon Drill!" Teng Qingshan seized an opportunity, sharply changing his momentum into the 'Venomous Dragon Drill' move.
"Buzz!" Space seemed to be drilled open, and a silver lightning bolt flashed! "Whoosh!" Caught off guard, the Azure Luan's wings vibrated slightly, and in an instant, it shifted two feet sideways.
The tip of Teng Qingshan's Samsara Spear scraped past the Azure Luan's wing; the thrust missed its mark. "Yoo~~~" The Azure Luan immediately seized the chance and lashed out with a claw!
Teng Qingshan instantly redirected his spear technique, switching directly back to the Primordial Unity spear form! Absolutely no flaw!
"Clang!" It rigidly blocked the Azure Luan's fierce strike. ...
The man and the beast fought fiercely on the sea for a long time before finally separating. "Yoo~~~" The Azure Luan looked at Teng Qingshan and nodded its head.
After such a prolonged exchange, it genuinely admired the man's spear skills. "You are also very formidable," Teng Qingshan smiled.
The Azure Luan truly was a divine bird; its minute movements were akin to teleportation, truly unbelievable. With a soaring cry, the Azure Luan, enveloped in flames, spread its wings and shook them, transforming into a fiery red phantom that vanished into the northern horizon.
Swish! Teng Qingshan used a continuous treading motion before leaping over ten zhang back onto the deck of the Tung Wood Ship.
"Brother Teng, the Azure Luan said you are very impressive, that your spear work is extraordinary," Li Jun relayed. Teng Qingshan glanced towards the northern sky.
"This Azure Luan is also formidable. From start to finish, it relied solely on lightning-fast movement within a tiny localized area, coupled with fierce claw attacks.
This Azure Luan's flames are also very potent, yet it never used fire to attack me." "Mhm," Li Jun also watched the northern sky. "The divine bird 'Azure Luan' indeed came only for a sparring match." "Localized movement." Teng Qingshan was deeply impressed.
"This is an incredibly terrifying Qigong movement technique! If someone could master this kind of lightness skill, to achieve the Azure Luan's level of instantaneous movement...
they would be truly powerful!" Teng Qingshan had never seen anyone, or any other demon beast, achieve such a lightness skill. Perhaps—only the innate talent of the Azure Luan allowed for it.
"If the speed of my spear thrust in the 'Venomous Dragon Drill' could be even faster, the Azure Luan might not have been able to evade it," Teng Qingshan mused. * Having sparred with the divine bird 'Azure Luan,' Teng Qingshan felt the gap in his own abilities.
He had only grasped the first move of the Water Element Fist, whereas the Earth Element Fist already had two stages and six moves mastered. The difference was quite significant.
After this battle, Teng Qingshan dedicated himself even more seriously to cultivation, striving to increase the thrusting speed of his 'Venomous Dragon Drill,' willing to slightly sacrifice attack power for sheer velocity! After all, with Teng Qingshan's current physical strength, even if the attack power of the 'Venomous Dragon Drill' was reduced by twenty percent, most Xiantian Golden Core demon beasts and humans wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Losing a bit of power was acceptable; speed was paramount! ...
It sounded simple, but achieving it was hard! Teng Qingshan immersed himself entirely in solitary cultivation.
* The sixth night after the battle with the Azure Luan, late into the night. Inside the cabin of the Tung Wood Ship, it was profoundly quiet.
"Swish~~~" The sound of the sea faintly drifted in from outside. Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged on the cotton mat, meditating.
"Swish... Crash!" The sound of the waves outside was generally noisy, but the sea was always eventful, so Teng Qingshan usually paid it no mind.
However, tonight—Teng Qingshan opened his eyes. "Something is wrong." Teng Qingshan frowned.
"The Tung Wood Ship's speed was extremely fast, then it slowed down. Then it sped up again, then slowed...
This cycle has repeated three times! It’s extremely regular!" Teng Qingshan felt that something was amiss.
It wasn't strange for a ship to fluctuate speed on the open ocean. But this rhythmic speeding up and slowing down was odd.
Teng Qingshan rose, threw open the cabin door with a whoosh— "Brother Teng, is something happening outside?" Li Jun's voice came from behind the curtain. "Probably nothing major, I'll go take a look," Teng Qingshan said before closing the door.
On the deck of the Tung Wood Ship, the Gale Eagle was curled up sleeping near the mast. As soon as Teng Qingshan arrived, it stood up.
"Yoo~~~" The Gale Eagle immediately hopped over. "Settle down," Teng Qingshan smiled briefly at the Gale Eagle, then stood at the bow, carefully surveying the sea surface.
With Teng Qingshan's eyesight, he could see extremely clearly even in the darkness. The seawater across the entire surface was turbulent.
"The speed is increasing!" Teng Qingshan observed while feeling the velocity of the Tung Wood Ship. After a long while, suddenly— Teng Qingshan clearly saw the surface flow begin to slow down.
"This is the fourth time!" Teng Qingshan observed with a frown. One cycle of fast and slow alternation covered a distance of perhaps several dozen li.
Although Teng Qingshan found the situation bizarre, he was bold due to his high cultivation. He wasn't afraid of any strange areas in the sea.
Even if there were dangers, he could simply take to the air on the Gale Eagle. Thus, he calmly and closely monitored this strange stretch of sea— Although the flow of the seawater alternated between fast and slow, even the 'slow' speed was only relative.
When Teng Qingshan counted to the 'seventh time.' "What is that—" Teng Qingshan gazed far toward the north, at the nearly endless, winding, sprawling coastline. Teng Qingshan paused in astonishment.
"I've only been at sea for a little over three months. I estimate, I should, should still not have reached the Northern Sea Continent yet!"