fictionpage #400 - Battle Puppet
#400 - Battle Puppet
With that, Liang Jin's aura suddenly surged, his immense inner force like a raging undercurrent, instantly gathering in his palm.
He reached out towards Xiaoyu in the distance with a sudden grab, that vast and powerful inner force, like an invisible giant hand, instantly wrapped Xiaoyu tightly, rendering her unable to move.
Immediately following, Liang Jin's arm suddenly retracted, as if magnetically drawn, Xiaoyu was sucked over from the back of the divine eagle, landing steadily on Liang Jin's saddle.
Liang Jin took the opportunity to press Xiaoyu onto the horse's back, raising his hand high, "Slap, slap, slap!" Several slaps landed heavily on Xiaoyu's bottom.
Xiaoyu felt the pain and immediately cried out, "Wah, wah!" Her cries echoed across the empty wilderness, filled with grievance and unwillingness.
The divine eagle, seeing Xiaoyu in this state, felt distressed and couldn't help but open its beak and let out a dissatisfied cry, as if protesting for Xiaoyu.
Liang Jin's gaze was like lightning as he pointed his finger at the divine eagle and said sternly:
"I am your master, shut your bird mouth!"
The divine eagle had no choice but to obediently close its beak, but its eyes still showed a trace of worry.
After reprimanding Xiaoyu, Liang Jin put away his anger and shouted in a deep voice:
"How many times have I taught you, you must never point an arrow at people casually in the future!"
"I know you don't intend to hurt people, but even so, this kind of behavior is absolutely not allowed!"
"Did you hear me? Answer me!"
Xiaoyu, however, continued to cry incessantly, large tears rolling down her cheeks, crying with all her heart.
Liang Jin then slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering that Xiaoyu couldn't speak yet.
Although he had spent a long time teaching Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu could now fully understand human speech, for some reason, she was unable to speak, only able to make bursts of roars from her mouth like a wild beast.
Whether it was a physical or psychological illness that caused her to be like this, or whether she simply didn't want to speak, Liang Jin was unable to judge.
After all, he was not a child psychologist and had no idea about the reasons behind it.
"Alright, alright, I won't hit you anymore."
Liang Jin's tone softened, and he gently patted Xiaoyu:
"Get up, I have something for you to do."
As soon as Xiaoyu heard this, she immediately stopped crying and burrowed into Liang Jin's arms, her two small hands tightly hugging Liang Jin, as if afraid of being abandoned.
Now, Xiaoyu was becoming increasingly dependent on the divine eagle and Liang Jin.
Usually, she would either ride on the back of the divine eagle, soaring around everywhere, or nestle in Liang Jin's arms, seeking warmth, as if she only felt at ease when she was by their side.
Only towards these two would she show such a particularly affectionate side.
Even when facing Xiao Liu and Lei Zhen, although Xiaoyu would not actively attack, she always maintained a wild beast-like vigilance.
As for outsiders, she was even more aggressive, as long as someone dared to approach, they would either be scratched, bitten at the throat, or shot at vital points with her bow and arrow.
Her actions were ruthless, completely disregarding human life, revealing her fierce nature.
Liang Jin knew that disciplining Xiaoyu could not be accomplished overnight and needed to be done gradually, without being too hasty.
At that moment, he reached out and pointed in the direction the group was originally heading, saying:
"You and the divine eagle fly in that direction, and try to let others see you along the way."
"Fly until it gets dark, and then come back and find us."
"Remember, if you encounter people with golden eagles embroidered on their clothes, be sure to stay far away and don't get close."
Xiaoyu nodded obediently, indicating that she understood, her delicate face still covered with undried tears.
Liang Jin pointed to the back of the divine eagle and said:
"Then go."
Xiaoyu immediately jumped off the horse and nimbly leaped onto the back of the divine eagle.
The divine eagle spread its huge wings, flapping them forcefully, instantly creating a gust of wind, and soared high in the direction Liang Jin pointed.
Liang Jin and his party then rode forward.
Lei Zhen, while riding his horse, looked in the direction Xiaoyu had left and couldn't help but sigh:
"Xiaoyu, that girl, seems to have already reached the peak of the eighth rank. Before long, I'm afraid she will break through and enter the seventh rank."
"This cultivation speed is simply genius!"
"When I was her age, I was far worse than her."
Liang Jin nodded slightly in agreement upon hearing this.
He also noticed that Xiaoyu's martial arts practice was progressing at an alarming rate.
When Xiaoyu first followed him, she was only at the ninth rank, but at the current rate, she would probably step into the seventh rank within ten days.
You must know that she is only ten years old!
A ten-year-old seventh-rank martial artist, such talent is truly shocking.
Liang Jin couldn't help but wonder in his heart, besides her extraordinary talent, are there other reasons for Xiaoyu's rapid cultivation speed?
On closer inspection, Xiaoyu's differences mainly lie in two points.
First, she lacks humanity and is more closely connected to beasts, being able to easily communicate and interact with other beasts.
Second, although she has a cute appearance, she is actually extremely fierce, killing people without blinking an eye at a young age, making her a supremely fierce person.
"Could it be that these two points are promoting her martial arts speed?"
Thinking of this, Liang Jin couldn't help but turn his gaze to Lei Zhen beside him.
After all, Lei Zhen is the Righteous One among the Nine Supremes recognized by the system.
Looking closely, Liang Jin said with slight surprise:
"Second brother, looking at your current state, you seem to have reached the peak of the fifth rank."
"It won't be long before you can break through, right?"
Compared to when they first met, Lei Zhen's cultivation had indeed improved a lot.
Lei Zhen nodded and said with emotion:
“This is all thanks to the careful guidance of that senior from the Land of Wonders.”
“That senior not only taught me exquisite boxing techniques but also sparred with me many times to hone my martial skills, providing me with much guidance during the process.”
“Over these days, my insights have deepened considerably, and my cultivation speed has naturally accelerated.”
Liang Jin listened, deep in thought.
Could it be that those who possess the Nine Extremes all have extreme personalities, thus their cultivation speed is naturally faster than ordinary people?
And with the special blessing of the [Nine Empty Realms], their cultivation speed is further enhanced?
Liang Jin thought back carefully and realized there was indeed such a saying.
His clone on Dragon Transformation Island had heard Yu Linglong mention that people with extreme personalities do cultivate slightly faster than ordinary people.
However, this is not entirely a good thing.
Although people with extreme personalities have a faster training speed, they are also more prone to Qi Deviation compared to ordinary people.
Therefore, many martial artists, while practicing martial arts, also focus on cultivating their minds, striving to make their state of mind tend towards impartiality and peace, thereby reducing the risk of Qi Deviation.
At that moment, Liang Jin said:
“Second Brother, although your training speed has increased, you must not forget to cultivate your mind, lest you suffer from Qi Deviation.”
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Lei Zhen responded heroically:
“Brother, rest assured, Lei Zhen's actions throughout his life have been upright and aboveboard. I would never do anything against my conscience, so how could I easily suffer from Qi Deviation?”
Liang Jin shook his head helplessly.
This is a misconception of many martial artists. They always assume that as long as they don't do bad things, they won't easily suffer from Qi Deviation.
In fact, Qi Deviation has no direct connection with good or evil. Good and evil are merely subjective moral judgments, and Qi Deviation is not affected by them.
Whether it is ultimate good or ultimate evil, both belong to extreme categories. As long as one is in an extreme state, there is a risk of Qi Deviation.
Liang Jin was too lazy to waste words explaining these things to Lei Zhen at this moment. He knew in his heart that even if he said it now, Lei Zhen would probably find it difficult to listen.
Fortunately, Lei Zhen was extremely convinced by the "senior" who taught him boxing techniques in the [Nine Empty Realms].
Therefore, Liang Jin planned to use the identity of the "senior" to explain the principles to Lei Zhen separately the next time he opened the [Nine Empty Realms].
At this moment, Xiao Liu's expression was slightly黯然.
Xiao Yu's realm was improving by leaps and bounds, and even Lei Zhen had made a breakthrough, but he was still standing still, still the lowest-level Ninth-Rank Martial Artist.
Xiao Liu knew in his heart that his talent was mediocre and his aptitude was poor, but he didn't expect that he couldn't even compare to a little girl.
Although Liang Jin had taught him the 《Great Sumeru Sword Style》, he encountered many difficulties in cultivating it, and after much effort, he had only reached the Second Level.
A mediocre person like him should have been at the bottom of the martial artist world, with little chance of ever making a name for himself.
However, due to a chance encounter, he was able to become sworn brothers with Lei Zhen and Liang Jin.
Xiao Liu knew that this opportunity had changed his fate, but it also made him feel immense pressure.
He felt that he couldn't help much, so he could only desperately take on various chores.
Now, seeing everyone was making progress, he felt even more uncomfortable, and he knew that if it weren't for that sworn brotherhood, he wouldn't have been qualified to walk with everyone.
Liang Jin noticed Xiao Liu's depression, glanced at him, and said:
“Liu Zi, there is no need to be too entangled in the level of martial arts.”
“In this world, some people are born to be martial arts geniuses, while others are born to be incompatible with martial arts.”
“People's talents are inherently different. Geniuses have their brilliance, and ordinary people have their way of life.”
“Don’t put too much mental burden on yourself. We are all brothers, and we won’t dislike you.”
Lei Zhen nodded upon hearing this.
Although he was not good at comforting people, he still reached out and patted Xiao Liu heavily on the shoulder.
Xiao Liu felt a lot of pressure relieved after receiving the comfort of the two, and said:
“Thank you, two brothers. I will definitely work hard in the future.”
Thus, the group continued on their way.
Along the way, they saw that the population became increasingly sparse.
They passed through two villages, but found that both had been abandoned.
The wide-open doors and windows opened and closed automatically with the strong wind, making bursts of "creaking!" sounds. The things that could be moved in the deserted village were basically empty.
Liang Jin couldn't help but recall the scene when he first arrived in Changzhou. At that time, disaster victims could be seen everywhere on the roads, and there were even starving corpses everywhere, with packs of wild dogs.
But now, in just a short month, it was difficult to find even a single person, and even wild dogs were nowhere to be seen.
Occasionally, a strong wind would blow up the sand and dust on the ground, revealing the white bones beneath.
“White bones exposed in the wilderness, a thousand miles without the crowing of a rooster.”
At this moment, Liang Jin truly realized what kind of desolate and terrifying scene was depicted in this poem.
Liang Jin roughly knew that those disaster victims had either starved to death or had migrated to escape the famine.
The sun gradually set in the west, and the heat on the road gradually subsided.
At this time, it was also time to check in.
“Counting the days, it has been exactly another month since I drew this clone.”
Liang Jin thought to himself:
“I just don’t know what good things I can get from this month-end check-in?”
Although he already knew that he could no longer obtain clones with each month's check-in, he still looked forward to drawing some good things from the month-end check-in.
At that moment, Liang Jin chose to perform [Check-in].
In the next moment, a string of information popped up on the system panel.
【Congratulations to the host for successfully checking in and receiving the reward: Formation War Puppet (Seven Star Sword Formation)】