Nalan Yanran walked with him to the gate, her steps slow and hesitant. "Be careful, Senior Brother…" she whispered, her voice thick with worry.
Ye Chen reached out, pinching her soft cheek again with a teasing smile. "Remember what I said.
Eat well, stay strong. If I return and see you wasted away, I won't go easy on you."
Nalan Yanran's ears flushed red. She lightly punched his chest, half embarrassed, half playful. "You're so bad!"
Ye Chen grinned broadly, unashamed. "If a man isn't a little bad, a woman won't like him."
Finally, he turned and started walking away. Nalan Yanran stood at the courtyard gate, watching him disappear into the distance, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.
Her heart ached at his absence, yet she also felt pride and warmth knowing he would always care for her.
After leaving Yunlan Sect, Ye Chen made his way to the central flying transport station in the imperial capital.
Wutan City was remote, and the journey would take several days.
The fastest way was to ride one of the giant flying birds, known as Thickwing Birds, trained specifically for long-distance travel.
These birds were not magical beasts but naturally intelligent creatures, docile and easy to tame.
They were prized for their endurance, able to carry loads many times their own weight across vast distances.
During wartime, the imperial army would reclaim these birds for military use, and many of them had seen the horrors of battle, yet they remained calm and loyal.
Ye Chen showed his status as a true disciple of Yunlan Sect and was quickly allowed to board one of the massive birds.
As the bird gave a sharp cry, it surged into the sky, leaving the imperial capital far behind.
"Wutan City… here I come," Ye Chen murmured to himself, gazing at the shrinking city below.
His journey was just beginning, and he knew that the road ahead would be filled with challenges....but nothing would deter him from returning safely to Nalan Yanran.
As he soared through the skies on the powerful bird, Ye Chen couldn't help but think of the soft warmth of her presence and the gentle weight of her in his arms.
Every moment away from her was a test of patience, but he carried her love with him, a guiding light through the vast skies.
Wutan City was a remote outpost, far from the imperial capital.
Even with the fastest flying beasts, the journey would take five full days.
Ye Chen, however, had no intention of wasting a single moment of this time.
The small cabin provided by the flying transport station was simple, containing only a wooden bed.
Ye Chen sat cross-legged on it, pulling out a third-rank magical core from his spiritual ring. .
Placing it between his palms, he began circulating the Devouring Origin Technique, drawing the energy from the core into his body.
Being a true disciple of Yunlan Sect carried privileges.
The higher-ups at the transport station had assigned him a private room for his journey. Here, Ye Chen could cultivate freely without fear of interruptions.
As he activated his technique, a dark, consuming energy surged from his palms, enveloping the core in a shroud of power.
Within moments, faint threads of pure, concentrated energy were pulled from the magical core, traveling through his palms and entering his body.
The energy moved like a river through his limbs and bones, strengthening every part of him.
The five days passed almost in the blink of an eye.
"Black Crystal City ahead!" a shouted announcement broke through the cabin door.
Ye Chen opened his eyes slowly, feeling the renewed energy surging through him. A small, satisfied smile curved his lips.
Five days of concentrated training, empowered by the Devouring Origin Technique, had allowed him to break through to the Sixth-Star Dou Shi realm. The seventh-star realm was now within reach.
He stored the magical core back in his ring and finished his session.
Moving to the window, he peered out at the distant horizon, where the outlines of a sprawling city were slowly coming into view.
Because Wutan City was so isolated, it lacked a flying transport station of its own. Ye Chen would have to stop first at the nearest large city...Black Crystal City....before continuing onward.
Black Crystal City was one of the largest settlements in the northwest of the empire.
From above, the city gleamed faintly in the late afternoon sun, its walls reflecting a dark, almost metallic shine.
As Ye Chen drew closer on the massive flying beast, he noticed the city's formidable walls.
They were constructed from perfectly cut black crystal stones, known to have resisted the combined assault of two Dou Wang-level experts in the past.
The sheer strength of the walls was legendary.
The flying beast landed smoothly at the transport station in the center of the city.
Ye Chen stepped down gracefully, stretching slightly after the long journey.
"It's late. Might as well rest here for the night," he murmured to himself.
The flying beast did not provide fresh water for bathing.
Five days without a proper wash had left Ye Chen feeling grimy.
For someone meticulous about cleanliness like him, this was intolerable.
Moreover, his mission to annul the engagement with the Xiao family required him to maintain a dignified appearance.
As the first disciple of the Yunlan Sect's sect master, he could not afford to appear unkempt.
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