The Legend of Fangren

"So, you've solved the problem of the riverbank breach for the villagers?"

That evening, the senior and junior female students sat around a table again, listening to Fang Shi boast about his great deeds.

However, Fang Shi didn't tell this on his own initiative; rather, everyone heard it from the villagers when they returned to the village.

Elder Qian was initially worried and asked him for advice, fearing that she might do something wrong and bring trouble to Hekou Village. She was only relieved after Fang Shi explained the situation. If there were any problems, she, as the team leader, would also be held responsible for not keeping a close watch on things.

Fortunately, Fang Shi's reasoning was reasonable, and his idea was indeed interesting.

In the following days, Fang Shijin took stricter precautions, and the old village chief often brought people to check on the river. Within three days, the mud and sand on the riverbank became much harder to walk on.

The old village chief stroked his beard and said with a smile, "If these grass roots can really stabilize the riverbank for a long time, a bridge might be able to be built next year, making it much easier for the villagers to go to the city."

Having guarded the village for nearly a century, the old village chief watched generations of children grow up, simply wanting to leave some convenience for future generations.

Unfortunately, mortals have limited abilities, and cultivators are too ambitious and look to the heavens, so they can't see the river mouth that has blocked the villagers for generations.

It is truly heartening to see that a young immortal is willing to study these things that can benefit the people.

Upon hearing the old village chief's words, Fang Shi thought that building a bridge would be easy. Now that the silt had been firmly fixed, they only needed to wait for the flood season to pass before they could drive piles and build the bridge.

"It seems that infrastructure development is a major challenge even for ordinary people."

Don't be fooled by the many tall wooden buildings in the sect that seem to be of high architectural quality. His master told him that the sect's buildings actually rely heavily on the stability of the formations. Once the formations are lost, many buildings become extremely fragile.

Looking down the mountain, most ordinary people's houses are very simple, mostly only two stories high, and even three stories are rare, which makes sense.

In the following days, the flood season at the river mouth subsided, and the old village chief, along with the village's boatmen, prepared to ferry the immortals across the river.

In the past, crossing the river right after the flood season would have been a dangerous task, but now, stepping on the firm mud by the river, the villagers feel very secure.

"Fangzi, what are you doing? Get on the boat!" Luohe boarded the boat but noticed that Fang Shi had taken a few steps back. She hurriedly asked, only to see him take a running start and jump to the other side.

"..." The group of girls fell silent.

The numerical monster is really hateful. This makes them even more eager to break through as soon as possible. Otherwise, without unlocking various spells, they really have no sense of accomplishment in front of this guy.

He's clearly just a mere human-level disciple!

"Hehe." When the boat reached the other side, Fang Shi gentlemanly reached out and helped He Zi ashore, just like when he had just come down into the river.

"Eh~" The girls were embarrassed.

Now I not only need to work on my cultivation... but the longer I spend with these two, the more I feel itchy to find a Daoist partner.

But is Fangzi and Hezi's relationship really that complicated? Actually, no. These everyday actions are just habits they developed when they were children searching for food in the mountains.

Even if there's anything different from before, it's probably just that after seeing the outside world, I sometimes blush.

The group left Hekou Village and did not enter any nearby cities.

The previous troubles with the beasts in the two cities had already delayed us for some time, and we had stayed in Hekou Village for a few more days. If we continue at this leisurely pace, we may not be able to reach our destination until next year.

It can be said that what follows is the true beginning of this journey of trials.

Noon.

As usual, Elder Qian found a place for his disciples to rest, but did not allow them to hunt for spirit meat again.

"Starting today, for the next three days we will eat the food brought from the sect. For the rest of the time, I will teach you the art of divine speed."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a junior sister asked, "Elder, how is this 'Divine Speed ​​Technique' different from the footwork we learned on the mountain?"

"Naturally, things are different; let me explain."

The slender elder cleared his throat and began the formal teaching session.

"The so-called method of divine speed is the technique that we cultivators use to travel. The footwork we learned in the sect on the mountain was just a basic technique and did not involve many techniques."

"But Elder, once we reach the higher levels, won't we be able to fly?"

Elder Qian then said, "While flying is certainly convenient, it's not an innate ability of humans. When faced with truly rugged mountains and rivers, we still have to rely on this divine speed technique..."

Furthermore, flight techniques are not suitable for all cultivators. Soaring through the air is a type of Yang technique, which relies on active and rising ethereal energy. In terms of elemental affinity, cultivators with the Water or Fire element are more adept at it.

Those who cultivate metal and wood are more suited to yin magic, which relies on solid and stable physical objects.

Regardless of the method, for cultivators, the Divine Speed ​​Technique still offers the best value for money. This technique uses a special method to activate the inner circulation of Qi to strengthen the body, thereby gaining extremely powerful mobility.

Therefore, this technique requires at least a cultivator at the Nourishing Breath Realm to learn. It should also be noted that the Divine Speed ​​Technique is not a combat technique. As mentioned earlier, the cultivator needs to activate the entire inner circulatory system, so naturally there is no other energy left to devote to combat.

Therefore, a mature cultivator should also be proficient in switching between the divine movement state and the combat state; otherwise, if an opening is found, it could be fatal.

"I guarantee that once you master the art of speed, traveling through mountains and rivers will be several times easier and faster than it is now."

Like any teacher introducing new knowledge, Elder Qian extolled the wonders of the Divine Speed ​​Technique to the girls, making their eyes light up and Fang Shi's heart pound with fear.

Oh no, this day has finally come.

The end is nigh for numerical monsters!

I'm afraid that when the time comes, all the sisters will be running like the wind, while he'll be running hard behind them with his feet firmly on the ground. Wouldn't that be extremely embarrassing?

Sure enough, a girl immediately asked, "After learning the Divine Speed ​​Technique, how does your speed compare to Junior Brother Fang's?"

"Well..." Elder Qian glanced at Fang Shi and a mischievous smile appeared on his face, "Naturally, it's faster and easier."

"Yay!" the girls cheered immediately, clamoring to learn it right away.

Then Elder Qian began to teach the essential methods of the inner circulation of Qi, which sounded completely unrelated to Fang Shi.

His energy pathways and blood vessels completely overlapped, which saved him a lot of trouble. However, the lack of a distinct energy pathway also meant he lost his "mana bar." His mana was deeply locked within the biological order of his body, leaving him with no part to allocate.

The only Xuan Qi that isn't in the meridians can only be used as a passive effect for wound healing... oh, and it can also grow mushrooms.

Ugh! Poor mushroom man.

Fang Shi wanted to roar to the sky, but his personality wouldn't allow him to sit idly by and wait for his death. Since the food wasn't ready yet, he would study his abilities some more.

"It's just about getting on the road. Surely a cube-shaped being can't find a way to do that?"