Chapter 278: Chapter 276: The Number 1 Prodigy

The carriage continued onward, its wheels creaking as they rolled over the gravel.

Liu Jianjian rode Mazhu alongside, still chatting with Lin Fu.

It turned out Lin Fu hadn’t left because she’d taken a great liking to Liu Jianjian, and the two had been chatting for the entire journey.

The two of them hit it off instantly. One was endearingly naive and carefree, the other a nosy gossip hungry for details. When they spoke, one dared to ask anything and the other dared to answer, making them feel like they should have met ages ago.

Zhu Sisi perched on Liu Jianjian’s shoulder, chewing mulberry leaves and listening to their conversation. She would occasionally interject with a deadpan comment that left Lin Fu stunned.

True Monarch Minmian lay in the carriage, his head covered by a blanket, his breathing steady. This time, he was truly asleep.

Meanwhile, in the Self Realm, the fragrance of rice still lingered.

The air above the stalk of Tide Level Rice shimmered faintly, as if an invisible flame were burning there.

Zhu Ge sat cross-legged by the water channel, gazing at the stalk of Tide Level Rice, but his thoughts were on Lin Zhi.

A single breath.

Lin Fu had only lasted a single breath against the one ranked twelfth.

And the one ranked twelfth... against Lin Zhi, they probably wouldn’t even last a single breath.

Mingxing could last ten breaths against Lin Zhi, and Yuan Shentong could last twenty breaths against Mingxing.

The gap between those in the top ten was unimaginably vast.

"I still have a long way to go," Zhu Ge muttered to himself.

His confidence had taken a hit.

He felt a bit deflated.

’I need to hurry up and cultivate to perfection, then advance to the Third Realm.’

He closed his eyes, sinking his Heart Spirit into his body. The Thunder Sound echoed through his meridians, refining his Divine Soul.

Array Stars revolved in his Dantian, condensing Array Patterns.

Witch Power surged through his blood, nourishing the Blood Armor Immortal.

Literary Energy circulated in his chest, strengthening his Confucian Dao Heart.

The four energies each followed their own course, without interfering with one another.

The Hurricane Centipede, also known as the Blood Armor Immortal, lay at the bottom of the wooden box. Its six claws gripped the thousand-year-old peach wood tightly, its single horn trembling slightly.

Its carapace had shifted from crimson to a deep red, and the golden patterns upon it were denser than before, with Spiritual Qi faintly circulating through them.

Zhu Ge channeled a wisp of Witch Power into its body. The Blood Armor Immortal glowed faintly, and the tip of its horn expelled a fine stream of pale green energy.

The stream of energy swirled in the air for a moment, then vanished without a trace.

’It’s been eight days.’ Zhu Ge counted silently, placing the Blood Armor Immortal back into the wooden box before tucking it away in his sleeve.

He had spent three days in the Self Realm, forgoing food, drink, and rest.

He cultivated his four disciplines in rotation—the Thunder Sound Divine Refining Technique, the All Heaven Star Battle Array Map, the Witchcraft Gu Insect, and the Confucian Dao Heart—neglecting none of them.

Three days later, he emerged from the Self Realm and returned to the carriage.

The carriage had left the mountain forests of Shujiang behind, entering a wide, open plain.

The plain was covered with fields and irrigation ditches. A few farmers toiling in the fields would occasionally look up as the carriage passed, their gazes curious.

"Master, you’re finally out!" Liu Jianjian scurried over excitedly. "Sister Lin Fu told me so, so many stories!"

"Sister Lin Fu?" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow.

’Sister Lin Fu?’ Even Hua Liusha, who had been silently weaving Spiritual Clothing in his mind, was surprised.

"She said I could call her sister." Liu Jianjian smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

Zhu Ge looked toward Lin Fu.

She rode a massive centipede alongside the carriage, her body shrouded in purple robes, her lips a shade of black.

Her bare feet rested on the centipede’s carapace, her eyes filled with curiosity for her surroundings.

Sensing Zhu Ge’s gaze, she turned her head. The corners of her lips tilted up slightly. "You broke through?"

"No." Zhu Ge shook his head. "Just cultivating."

He didn’t want to admit his confidence had been shaken.

"You’re very strong," Lin Fu said. "Once you break through to the Third Realm, I’m going to fight you again."

"Alright." Zhu Ge didn’t refuse.

If nothing else, a fight with Lin Fu, a Mountain Witch, would be a good way to test the progress of his Body Refinement.

The carriage continued forward, heading in the direction of Zigong City.

Zigong City was a large city in central Shujiang, famous for its salt wells and lantern festivals.

Legend had it that the city possessed a thousand-year-old salt well. Though its water was salty and bitter, it could be refined into high-grade, Spirit Level salt crystals—excellent materials for both Alchemy and Artifact Refining.

Every summer, Zigong City would hold a grand lantern festival where tens of thousands of Kongming Lanterns rose into the night sky, illuminating the entire city as bright as day.

Lin Zhi was waiting for Zhu Ge in Zigong City.

This news gave Zhu Ge something to look forward to.

He was eager to finally meet the prodigy ranked first on the Sheji Chart.

He might have felt discouraged, but it hadn’t affected his confidence or his Martial Arts Heart.

There will always be someone stronger and someone weaker; Zhu Ge didn’t expect himself to be the strongest right now.

He wouldn’t let setbacks and failures bring him down.

"What kind of person is Lin Zhi?" Zhu Ge asked Lin Fu.

Lin Fu thought for a moment, then said, "Very strong. Then again, everyone ranked above me is very strong."

’A masterclass in stating the obvious...’ Zhu Ge thought, pretending to ponder her words.

Before long, the city of Zigong appeared before them.

An entire complex of buildings seemed to be formed from a cluster of vibrant, multi-colored lanterns floating in the sky.

At the very front was a lantern bearing the word "Zigong."

They had arrived!

But what truly captivated Zhu Ge was not the architecture of Zigong City, but the woman standing in the sky a short distance before it.

The woman was clad in armor, her back to Zhu Ge as she leisurely admired the lanterns of Zigong City.

The woman had such a powerful presence that, despite wearing simple, archaic battle armor, she made one momentarily overlook the dazzling prosperity of Zigong City itself.

The moment he saw her, Zhu Ge felt as if the wind had stopped, the birds had fallen silent, and his own heart was about to cease beating.

Liu Jianjian fell silent. Zhu Sisi stopped chewing her mulberry leaf. Mazhu froze in its tracks.

Even True Monarch Minmian, who had recovered from his cold but still loved to sleep, had awoken.

"Lin Zhi!"

Lin Fu was the first to cry out.

’So this is Lin Zhi!’

Zhu Ge’s pupils contracted.

Her reputation preceded her. Even though Zhu Ge had been prepared, he couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

Lin Fu and Lin Zhi, however, clearly knew each other, so Lin Fu was unaffected.

Of course, Zhu Ge recovered in the next instant, his expression becoming tranquil.

’She’s just number one. If I can’t surpass her today, I’ll surpass her tomorrow.’

"Oh?"

Hearing Lin Fu’s voice, Lin Zhi turned to face them.

Zhu Ge’s composure shattered once more.

He couldn’t maintain his composure.

’So beautiful!’

She had the face of a top-tier goddess, but it was coupled with a powerful, heroic aura—nothing delicate or weak about her.

It was just that Zhu Ge personally preferred slightly longer hair, and Lin Zhi’s was a little on the short side.

Of course, that was just his subjective opinion. Whether she preferred long or short hair, he would admire it all the same.

"Haha, Xiaolin Fu?"

Lin Zhi’s eyes, full of magnanimous spirit, landed on Lin Fu. "Did you win or lose your fight with Zhu Ge?"

"Never mind that! Let’s fight!" Lin Fu roared. The Spider Mother crawled from her mouth, instantly transforming into an eerie pattern that imprinted itself on her face.

Human-Gu Fusion!

Simultaneously, Lin Fu’s body transformed into its Mountain Witch state, her aura skyrocketing to its apex.

Zhu Ge even felt her power might now be comparable to that of Hongmi Immortal.

"Take my punch!"

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