Chapter 186 - 178 Phoenix_2

Words : 1528 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 186: Chapter 178 Phoenix_2 Yan Xiaobao nodded consciously. "So, do you know any martial arts?" he asked quickly, as he understood that martial arts were something he had to learn. "I know some," Lan Feng replied hesitantly, "but they are rather advanced. I’m not sure if they would be of any use to you right now." "It’s worth a try," Yan Xiaobao said with determination, and Lan Feng had no choice but to agree. It was certainly better than having no means at all. "Oh, right," Lan Feng added quickly. "I’m not sure what kind of affinity you have, but since we share a soul, you should be able to use mine." Yan Xiaobao’s eyes lit up with excitement. "What affinity do you have?" Lan Feng snorted at the obviousness of the question. "Obviously, it’s fire. But not ordinary flames—it’s blue fire." "Apart from its appearance, does it have any awe-inspiring qualities?" Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but ask. After all, thanks to this phoenix, he had gained a new outward appearance; however, he hadn’t obtained any overwhelming powers in the process. "I don’t know," Lan Feng said carelessly. "I’ve never compared it to normal fire, so I’ll let you figure that out." Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but chuckle—it was so typical of Lan Feng. Inside, he was utterly curious, eager to explore his affinity. "Once the Cultivation Party is gone, I’ll teach you a martial arts skill," Lan Feng promised before they both drifted into a deep sleep. The next morning, Yan Xiaobao once again led the goats up the slope. This time, he hoped to make up for the cultivation time he had lost the day before. After hearing about affinities and magical abilities, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t wait to open his Middle Dantian. The mere thought of magic made him dizzy with excitement, like a child discovering a treasure. However, as he saw someone approaching him through the morning mist, his excitement quickly faded. "Yan Xiaobao!" Rong Ming called out excitedly, and Yan Xiaobao could only sigh inwardly. He ended up smiling again and very eagerly greeted the young noble. That day, Rong Ming told Yan Xiaobao how cultivation and training worked. Every major city within the Empire had a Royal Academy monastery. The Royal Academy was divided into an Inner Circle and an Outer Circle. The Outer Circle consisted of students who relied solely on Qi and their Lower Dantian, while the Inner Circle only admitted students who had surpassed the Master rank or higher. The Inner Circle was located in the Kingdom’s capital city, whereas the Outer Circle was situated within each major city. The academy enrolled students from the age of ten, and they needed to be at least five-star students. Otherwise, only exceptionally wealthy noble parents could afford the exorbitant tuition fees. Once a student reached the disciple level, their cultivation speed would increase, and the academy would assist them by supplying medicine pills and martial arts skills. Each year, every academy sent five students to the capital to compete in medium-ranked tournaments and competitions. Rong Ming and Rong Xing were regarded as the two prodigies among this year’s new students, and Rong Ming took great pride in telling Yan Xiaobao all about it. "The academy doesn’t sound like such a bad idea," Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but ponder, though he quickly dismissed the thought as he remembered he would easily attract attention. "At school, you wouldn’t have to hide your cultivation base. When you’ve reached the disciple level, I should be able to easily conceal myself," Lan Feng said calmly. "I can disguise myself against human cultivators, but if there are strong beasts nearby, they would definitely notice our aura." Yan Xiaobao nodded solemnly. It would be a great risk, but for now, this was not a decision he needed to make. After all, he was only five years old, and in these five years, many things could change. The next day, when he saw Rong Ming spotting him on another hillside, Yan Xiaobao was not surprised. This time, Rong Ming taught him about the surrounding nations. Currently, they were living in the Sun Kingdom, ruled by the Sun Royal Family. The Kingdom contained seven major cities, with Sun City as the capital and evidently the largest city. Apart from the Sun Kingdom, the continent had three other nations: the Siberian Empire, the Moon Province, and the Divine Domain. The three nations worked as allies together; however, the Divine Domain had been closed off to the outside world for thousands of years, and anyone who dared to enter was never heard from again. Both Yan Xiaobao and Lan Feng listened with great interest. "I bet," Yan Xiaobao began, "the person we’re looking for is in the Divine Domain." Lan Feng couldn’t help but laugh. If their target was hiding in a country filled with fear and murder, it certainly made sense. The days passed one by one, and Rong Ming came to find Yan Xiaobao every day. This annoyed Yan Xiaobao—he had lost nearly a month of cultivation time—but he’d rather stick with the young boy than constantly be on guard against Rong Liang. Ever since his son started visiting the hills daily, the honorable lord hadn’t tried to approach Hui Le. Finally, on the day Lord Rong Liang broke camp and moved his entourage toward the Magic Forest, Rong Ming made him a solemn promise. "I promise I’ll come back for you," Rong Ming said seriously as he clasped Yan Xiaobao’s hand in his own. Yan Xiaobao had grown accustomed to the way Rong Ming looked at him, and he envied the young noble. Yan Xiaobao was certain Rong Ming was lonely, lacking friends, which explained why he became so close to the young white-haired boy. Lan Feng couldn’t stop laughing for several hours, but he refused to tell Yan Xiaobao why. He claimed Yan Xiaobao was too clueless, though someday he would understand. After Lord Rong Liang led his entourage away, life in the village returned to its usual rhythm. Although the villagers were proud of having been visited by someone as important as Lord Rong Liang, they also knew they couldn’t afford to entertain him or waste time celebrating, as they needed to fill their stomachs and secure their livelihood. While most villagers missed the excitement brought by the visitors, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help feeling glad when things settled back to normal. Last month had been their first break from farming, but Yan Xiaobao didn’t enjoy being forced to rest. Remembering Lan Feng’s promise to teach him martial arts skills, he became very excited and hurried to fetch the goats earlier than usual that morning. Once he reached the hillside, Xu Yue impatiently sat down, waiting for Lan Feng to pick up on his hint. He hoped to use the Qi he had painstakingly accumulated over the past years. "Do you even know what martial arts skills are?" Lan Feng asked in a somewhat aggressive tone, as he disliked it whenever someone tried to push him. "I hope you can explain it to me," Yan Xiaobao said, flashing his sweetest smile, his eyes holding a trace of innocence that made Lan Feng scoff. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com "I’ll explain. But only because I need you to become strong," Lan Feng said arrogantly. "Don’t think I’ll indulge in your foolish behavior." As usual, Lan Feng was correct, and Yan Xiaobao had no more words to say. Eventually, he would acquire the knowledge he wanted. "Martial arts skills are ranked just like cultivators. That is to say: student, disciple, doctor, and so on. Each rank is divided into low, middle, and high levels." Yan Xiaobao nodded consciously. "The cultivation base of martial arts skills isn’t directly tied to your rank. It only determines the potential advantages of the skills. Martial arts skills don’t have actual rank restrictions—they all depend on how much Qi you can channel, and the abilities will grow alongside your rank until the day you reach the full rank of the skill. For example, if you have a martial arts skill that’s King-ranked, that skill will grow with you until you become an expert at the King rank. At that point, it can’t progress further," Lan Feng explained, once again incredibly sharp and assertive. Yan Xiaobao’s tone showed mild irritation, but he refrained from commenting as he knew Lan Feng would start an argument rather than continue the explanation of martial arts. "This means that until you reach a certain rank, there are many higher-level skills that you won’t be able to use, simply because you won’t have enough Qi to activate them." Lan Feng’s explanation made perfect sense, and Yan Xiaobao eagerly nodded once more. "Additionally, although I’ve mentioned the skill rankings, you can’t casually acquire ranked skills like this. Martial arts skills cannot surpass your cultivation rank during their creation. When cultivators open their Middle or High Dantian, they no longer need to spend as much time on martial arts skills, as they gain spiritual power and Wu Wei." Hearing this left Yan Xiaobao feeling slightly disheartened, and he couldn’t help but complain a bit. ...

Chapter 186 - 178 Phoenix_2

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