Chapter 701: You Can Fly?

"He is..."Luo Qiqi hesitated for a moment, then recounted what had just happened."You want to ride back to Hongyuan Empire?"

Zhang Xuan understood and nodded, "That's right, we've been delayed for another five days. We need to hurry to Hongyuan Academy!"One day in the underground palace, then these five days, plus the three days he was unconscious earlier—it had been over nine days since they left Huaching Pool.If they didn't hurry, they probably wouldn't make it to the academy before the start of term.Although he wasn't particularly keen on this Master Teacher Academy, since it had many grades, it would surely have a complete collection of books. Gathering them there would be much simpler than outside, and more conducive to improving his strength.

Luo Qiqi responded, "Since Teacher is fine, let's go back together!"Before, she was anxious to return for reinforcements to rescue Teacher Zhang. Now that he was fine, and considering the time, it was indeed time to head back.

"Alright!"Zhang Xuan got off the soft chair and had the puppets walk side-by-side into the hole, sealing the opening and destroying all the passages below.Ostensibly, he sent them back into the underground palace, but in reality, his shaman soul spread downwards, and before long, he had collected them all into his storage ring.These beings had no life, and like avatars, they could be carried with him.Since he could control them using the heart, there was no reason not to take them.With so many Saint-tier puppets, even if a true Saint realm expert came looking for trouble, they would probably be beaten to a pulp on the spot.

With his safety guaranteed, he wouldn't need to rely on "Teacher Yang" for everything.Of course, the matter of the Otherworldly Demon corpse puppets was too significant; even Luo Qiqi and Yu Feier should ideally not know about it. Furthermore, there was that pig-headed guy nearby.Therefore, putting them into the ring needed to be done discreetly to avoid future trouble.As for the academy staff later coming and not finding the puppets, that was none of his business.The puppets were 'alive' – couldn't they run away?Even if he wanted to admit it, others wouldn't necessarily believe him.

"Qin Zhong, right? We'd like to hitch a ride on your spirit beast. Could you do us a favor?"Having decided to leave, Zhang Xuan said no more and called out to Qin Zhong, who lay nearby, his face covered in blood.

"Alright..."Struggling to his feet, Qin Zhong looked at Zhang Xuan, a flash of ruthlessness and jealousy in his eyes.The reason he had been beaten so badly was this very person in front of him.Although he didn't know who those large figures who had gone back underground were, since this guy was treated with such respect by them, and Qin Zhong himself had been beaten so severely, it must have been at Zhang Xuan's instigation!"Hmph, I can't deal with you now, but once we're in the air, won't you be at my mercy?"He swallowed a pill, recovered slightly, and a smirk subtly curled at the corner of his mouth.These three people in front of him weren't old. Although they hadn't displayed their cultivation, he didn't know their exact strength, but they certainly hadn't reached the Saint realm.Without reaching the Saint realm, one couldn't fly, and in the air, they would be helpless!

"My spirit beast doesn't have a cabin prepared. The wind is strong up there, so you might need to be careful!"Jumping onto the beast's back, Qin Zhong's heart was full of triumph, though his words were feigned kindness.

"No problem!"Zhang Xuan was completely unconcerned.The Azureleaf Dragon-Winged Beast soared into the sky, reaching the clouds in the blink of an eye.Although there was no cabin, the beast's back was spacious, and the few of them standing on it didn't feel crowded at all.The spirit beast flew higher and higher, and it wasn't long before it ascended to over a thousand meters, where a cold wind howled, creating a strong oppressive feeling due to the immense speed.The group all released their True Qi, forming a protective barrier against the fierce wind.

"Zhang Xuan, that guy clearly has ill intentions. Why are we still riding with him?"Seeing the young man's unconcerned expression, Yu Feier couldn't hold back and transmitted her voice.Even she could tell the guy was full of bad ideas. In her opinion, they should have just ignored him and left!There was no urgent matter now; at worst, they could walk to the Beast Hall. There was no need to take risks. Once they were in the sky, if this guy tried anything, they would be helpless."Aren't you always smart? How could you make such a basic mistake?"

"Feier, just watch. Teacher has his own plans!"Luo Qiqi chuckled.Yu Feier didn't know Zhang Xuan could fly, but Luo Qiqi had seen it with her own eyes. Since he dared to ride, he must have a countermeasure in mind."Come on, traveling with Teacher, he's always been the one to trick people. When have you ever seen him suffer a loss?"

"Damn it!"Seeing the two beautiful women, who had been indifferent to him and barely spoke, now chatting and laughing with this unremarkable-looking guy, Qin Zhong's face contorted.As the Young Hall Master of the Beast Hall, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Coupled with his graceful demeanor, he had always been surrounded by admirers and treated with respect. When had he ever been brutally beaten and then made to pilot a spirit beast for others?It was an utter humiliation!

"Little brother, were those big fellows just now your servants?"Despite his anger, Qin Zhong was not too reckless and asked cautiously.Those big fellows might have been experts beyond the eighth realm of Transcendent Mortal. If they were his attendants, offending him would be too costly.

"No, they belong to a friend. They just happened to escort me out," Zhang Xuan said indifferently."A friend?" Qin Zhong frowned. "Then, little brother, what is your name and status?"This time, his question was somewhat direct.

"Just a nobody with no reputation, naturally incomparable to the Young Hall Master of the Beast Hall..." Zhang Xuan continued."No reputation?"Qin Zhong sneered.That made sense. He knew almost all the famous young talents in Phantom Feather Empire. He had never seen or heard of this person, so he probably wasn't anyone important.Still, it was better to be careful."May I ask... have you studied the Master Teacher profession?" he continued to inquire.

"Oh, it's only been about half a year since I started learning..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.He was telling the truth; it hadn't even been half a year since he began the Master Teacher examinations."Half a year? The Master Teacher profession is vast and profound; one certainly can't learn much in half a year. But don't be discouraged!" Qin Zhong, who had initially thought the other party was also a Master Teacher, felt scorn fill his heart upon hearing he had only studied for half a year.Any specialized profession had a complete system and body of knowledge, requiring a lifetime of dedication to research. Especially the Master Teacher profession, which was considered the foremost profession in the world—half a year... he probably couldn't even pass the apprentice exam!If he wasn't a Master Teacher, things would be simpler.

"Little brother, you seem full of spirit. Since you started learning the Master Teacher profession so late, perhaps you studied other professions? Have you learned alchemy?" Qin Zhong continued to ask."Just a few days!" Zhang Xuan replied."Only a few days? What a pity! Studying alchemy helps one focus their mind and cultivate faster. If you've only studied for a few days, you probably haven't developed that quality and have missed out on good habits of diligence..."After a sigh, Qin Zhong continued, "Then... have you studied beast taming?""Only touched on it a little!" Zhang Xuan said."Beast taming helps one connect more with nature. Only learning a little certainly won't do; you've missed the chance to connect with nature like that..."Qin Zhong continued to shake his head, "Have you studied medicine, artifact forging, or formation?"Soon, he asked about all the top-ranking specialized professions. Whenever he heard the other party hadn't studied something, he would lament, delivering various jabs. Finally, learning that the other party had barely studied any profession, his confidence immediately surged.Truly powerful and reputable experts master at least several professions and show persistence in their studies. This guy, learning everything for just a few days, clearly lacked patience and had accomplished nothing.Given this, what was there to worry about?

"Haha, everyone, hold on tight! I'm going to speed up!"With a light chuckle, Qin Zhong let out a long cry. The Azureleaf Dragon-Winged Beast beneath them abruptly flapped its wings and instantly lunged forward in the air.*Whoosh!*With the sudden acceleration and a certain degree of undulation on the beast's back, Zhang Xuan and the others felt their feet unsteady and were about to fall off.It was simply too easy for a beast tamer on a beast's back to deal with their passengers.

"You..."Knowing the other party's intention, Yu Feier's beautiful face flushed crimson with anger; she nearly exploded.Just as she was about to scold him, she felt a surge of True Qi from behind her, steadying her once more.Turning her head, she saw Zhang Xuan reaching out to stabilize her body, making her stand more firmly.The rapidly darting Dragon-Winged Beast, plunging up and down, seemed to have little effect on the young man.

"Hmm?"He had expected a slight maneuver to make this ignorant youngster cry out in fear and beg for mercy. Instead, the other party remained composed, showing no fear at all.Qin Zhong's expression turned sour again.If the other party wasn't even afraid, hadn't his efforts been in vain?Just as he was about to control the Dragon-Winged Beast beneath him to perform a couple more aerial stunts, he heard the young man's calm voice from nearby.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Qin kept asking me earlier, and I was too embarrassed to ask you. Please tell me... can you fly?""Fly?"Qin Zhong was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a question. "Flying is a capability only possessed by Saint realm experts. How could I possibly fly?"No sooner had he finished speaking than the young man's apologetic voice continued."Oh, I see. My apologies, but I can!""You can?"Qin Zhong was puzzled, wondering about the young man's intention, when he heard a thunderous roar.

"Hoom!"As the sound ended, he felt the Dragon-Winged Beast beneath him suddenly stiffen, going into a free fall, plummeting straight down."Ah..."With a scream, Qin Zhong was terrified out of his wits and nearly fainted.His spirit beast beneath him had lost its ability to fly, and he couldn't fly either. This meant he was plummeting directly from the sky. From a thousand meters up, he'd be as good as dead!As he was screaming, he heard the young man's calm voice in his ear again: "I don't know what I've lost, but it seems... since you can't fly, you've lost your life!"

He hurriedly looked up and saw the young man from earlier gazing calmly at him, suspended in mid-air. The two other girls, supported by his True Qi, stood quietly on either side, slowly gliding downwards with him."...You can fly?"He never in his wildest dreams imagined that this guy, who looked only around twenty and supposedly only studied any profession for a day or two, could actually fly in the sky!What kind of situation was this? If he had known Zhang Xuan could fly, he wouldn't have acted so arrogantly!Qin Zhong cried.