Chapter 253

“Lu Qing brother, this carriage, enchanted with a spatial array, is truly miraculous. I’ve calculated—we’ve traveled over a thousand li today.” Ma Gu marveled as they stopped for the night in a grove of trees.

A thousand li in a single day—true thousand-li travel in one day. He’d heard legends of ancient times, of legendary steeds like the blood-sweating horses said to cover a thousand li daily. Yet he never imagined that, one day, he’d be riding a carriage—powered by magic—that could achieve such a feat.

Even more astonishing was how unburdened the two steeds seemed. After an entire day of galloping, they were still calmly grazing on roadside grass, completely unfazed. Clearly, the strain of the journey had been light.

And thanks to the spatial array, even the rough terrain didn’t cause any jolts. No one felt the usual fatigue of travel. Everyone was as fresh as if they’d merely walked a few miles.

“That’s nothing,” Lu Qing smiled. “Legend says that in ancient times, immortal cultivators forged flying chariots—true spirit artifacts—that could ride the wind, pierce the heavens, and vanish a thousand or ten thousand li in an instant. That is what a real immortal treasure should be.”

Though Lu Qing had inscribed three spatial arrays onto the carriage, giving it supernatural power, it still wasn’t quite a true artifact. Due to its material, it didn’t qualify as even a spirit weapon. At best, it now bore a faint trace of artifact-like properties—still far below true spiritual relics.

“Ride the wind… pierce the heavens… vanish a thousand li in an instant…”

Hearing Lu Qing’s words, even Ma Gu and the others were awestruck. Even Old Doctor looked lost in wonder, unable to help imagining what such a sight must be like—freedom beyond all limits.

After a moment of silent reverie, they began setting up camp and preparing dinner.

“Brother,” Xiao Yan asked, holding Xiao Li in her arms, “why hasn’t Xiao Li woken up yet?”

Lu Qing had just finished cooking. Everyone gathered around the meal, but Xiao Yan was still uneasy. Ever since consuming the Beast Spirit Fruit, Xiao Li had remained in a deep slumber. It hadn’t stirred even at mealtime—something unheard of, because normally, it would always come begging for dried fish.

But these past two days, it had stayed asleep, utterly still. Xiao Yan couldn’t help but worry.

Lu Qing took Xiao Li gently. The little creature still slept soundly. He probed with his Spirit Soul Power, then activated his Abilities to scan it.

“It’s fine,” he reassured Xiao Yan. “Xiao Li is still digesting the medicinal energy. It’ll wake up in two or three days at most.”

“Two or three days?” Xiao Yan sighed, relieved it wasn’t sick—but still a little sad. Without Xiao Li, she had no one to play chess with.

“Don’t worry,” Lu Qing said, walking to the carriage and gently placing Xiao Li into its little nest. “Once it wakes, you’ll have your playmate back.”

To be honest, he hadn’t expected Xiao Li to sleep this long. But his Spirit Soul Power confirmed it—something powerful was brewing within the little fox’s body. His Abilities scan revealed that it was undergoing a critical transformation.

The Beast Spirit Fruit had clearly worked wonders. If it hadn’t been so profound, the change wouldn’t have taken this long.

He couldn’t help but wonder—what would Xiao Li become after this? Lu Qing was genuinely excited.

Before the fruit, Xiao Li had already been strong enough to effortlessly kill a Nei Fu Jing cultivator. Even a Wu Dao Zong Shi couldn’t detect it—thanks to its stealth talent. In the Hou Tian Jing realm, Xiao Li was nearly invincible, save for someone like Lu Qing, who was an anomaly.

Now, with this transformation, Lu Qing was eager to see what changes had taken place.

So, for the next few days, as they continued their journey, Lu Qing kept a close eye on Xiao Li. He noticed the power within it growing stronger, and its dark, flame-like fur deepening in color.

Then, on the third evening, as they were eating dinner, a blur shot out from the carriage—so fast it was almost invisible. In a blink, Xiao Li stood before Lu Qing, big eyes glistening with mist, looking up at him with a pleading, pitiful expression.

Lu Qing froze, his bowl halfway to his mouth. “Xiao Li… you’re awake?”

Inside, he was stunned. He hadn’t sensed anything. No movement, no aura shift—nothing. The sudden appearance had caught him off guard. Even Old Doctor looked shocked, unable to detect the fox’s approach.

Worse—there was a dangerous aura radiating from Xiao Li. That meant, for the first time, it could threaten even the old doctor.

“Xiao Li’s awake!” Xiao Yan nearly dropped her bowl in joy, nearly rushing over to hug it—had she not been holding food.

Xiao Li nodded, still looking miserable, tugging at Lu Qing’s sleeve.

“You’re hungry?” Lu Qing instantly understood. Xiao Li nodded again.

“I’ll get you fish.” He turned and walked to the carriage. Moments later, he returned with a large bowl of dried fish.

Xiao Li’s eyes lit up. It pounced, devouring the fish in huge, ravenous bites.

It had been starving during its sleep.

Lu Qing didn’t disturb it. Instead, he quietly activated his Abilities, watching.

A thick, golden light pulsed from Xiao Li’s body.

[Nighttime Spirit Fox: Xian Tian Level Spirit Beast, juvenile, female.]

[Speed: Extremely fast. Claws: Sharp enough to shatter stone, cut through metal, slice through anything.]

[After consuming the Beast Spirit Fruit, its bloodline underwent evolution—now a true Xian Tian Level Spirit Beast. Bloodline Heritage activated.]

[Talent evolved into a divine ability: can twist space, merge completely into darkness, and erase all traces of presence.]

[Legend says: The Nighttime Spirit Fox loves fish, but hates water—forced to gaze longingly at the sea, unable to touch it.]

Lu Qing’s eyes widened in delight. The transformation had been massive. Xiao Li was now a true Xian Tian Level spirit beast. Not only that—its talent had evolved into a true divine ability, far beyond mere light distortion.

Previously, it could only hide by bending light—still detectable by a Xian Tian Jing cultivator’s soul sense. Now? It could twist space itself, vanish into darkness, and mask every trace.

No wonder he hadn’t sensed it.

This little fox was no longer just stealthy—it was a true assassin of the night. If it hid, even a Xian Tian Jing master at the peak of cultivation might never find it.

And the Bloodline Heritage activation… that was something he had to investigate. But since it was a secret, he didn’t bring it up in front of others.

Only the next morning did he take Xiao Li to a secluded valley.

“Xiao Li, after consuming the Beast Spirit Fruit, did you feel any difference inside?”

Xiao Li tilted its head, then—without warning—the fur on its body rippled. In front of Lu Qing’s eyes, it dissolved into nothingness.

“That’s your new ability?” Lu Qing’s Spirit Soul Power surged in his brow cavity. He searched… but felt nothing. The air was still. The world was silent. If he hadn’t seen it vanish, he’d have sworn there was nothing there.

Then—just a faint ripple in space.

Only his enhanced Spirit Soul Power could detect it. A second later, he felt a weight on his shoulder.

He turned. Xiao Li stood there, eyes bright with anticipation, waiting for praise.

Lu Qing couldn’t help but laugh. “Outstanding! Xiao Li, your talent has evolved so much—even a Xian Tian Jing cultivator can’t sense you now.”

Xiao Li puffed up, lifting its front paws to its waist like a proud noble, chin high.

Seeing its human-like posture, Lu Qing chuckled. “You’re getting more and more like Xiao Yan every day.”

Xiao Yan was exactly the same—hands on hips, chest puffed, full of pride. The two had spent so much time together that their mannerisms had begun to mirror each other.

“By the way, Xiao Li—aside from your new talent, did you notice any other changes?”

Xiao Li thought again. Then, its eyes lit up. It began waving its paws, gesturing frantically.

But the message was too complex. Even Lu Qing struggled to interpret it.

“…You felt something… strange… in your mind… like a new combat technique?” Lu Qing finally guessed.

Xiao Li nodded vigorously.

“And you felt it… familiar? Like it was meant for you?” Another nod.

“…You’re asking me what to do?” Lu Qing asked.

He paused. Then said, “Can you write it down?”

Xiao Li shook its head.

Lu Qing sighed. Of course not. The technique wasn’t written in words—it was innate, part of its bloodline. Even his Abilities couldn’t detect a Technique Simulation Download prompt. No way to extract it.

But he still said, “Since this technique appeared after your bloodline evolved, it’s clearly part of your Heritage. I think you should try cultivating it. It should be safe.”

Xiao Li’s eyes brightened. It had been afraid—this sudden, mysterious power in its mind. But hearing Lu Qing’s reassurance, it felt at ease.

After all, Lu Qing was the one who’d saved it countless times. If he said it was safe, then it must be.

“Just practice it,” Lu Qing said. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll know.”

He hoped that once Xiao Li mastered the technique, he’d be able to download it through his Abilities. Then he could study it—perhaps even uncover the secrets behind Xiao Li’s origin.

For a long time, Lu Qing had wondered about Xiao Li’s true roots. Especially now, with such a powerful transformation, he sensed something ancient—something far beyond the ordinary.

But Xiao Li remembered nothing. It had no memory of how it came to the mountains behind Jiuli Village. No recollection of its past before awakening.

Now, with its Bloodline Heritage awakened, Lu Qing finally saw a sliver of hope.

He sensed—deep in his gut—that this transformation might be tied to some ancient mystery. But for now, it was just a theory. He wouldn’t tell Xiao Li yet.

Next, he tested Xiao Li’s strength.

After evolving into a Xian Tian Level spirit beast, its speed and power had doubled. Its claws, already Invincible—capable of shattering stone and cutting through metal—were now so sharp they could slice through a Qian Lian Level weapon with ease.

Even worse—when Lu Qing brought out a piece of Celestial Meteor Iron, Xiao Li left deep claw marks on it.

The iron was unrefined, unenchanted—just raw material. Yet even so, it was stronger than most thousand-fold forged weapons, nearly on par with Divine-grade weapons.

And Xiao Li had scratched it.

Lu Qing stared, stunned. If it could do that to raw Celestial Meteor Iron, then even a true Divine Weapon—after a few good scratches—might be rendered useless.

Terrifying.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end