Chapter 19: Journey Across the World

The upper echelons of the Zhou family trembled upon hearing the news, never expecting that the assassination of a common disciple of the Divine Sword Academy would cause such a stir. "I said from the beginning, we shouldn't have involved the Holy Academy. Let Zhou Yang handle it himself. Now look what's happened." The Zhou family leaders were fraught with worry and regret.

They decided to eliminate anyone aware of this incident to prevent any information from leaking. "Yes, it's the only way now. If the Divine Sword Academy finds out, our Zhou family is doomed." The decision was unanimous within the Zhou family. Those who knew of the incident were swiftly silenced, leaving only a few privy to the secret.

The other two families, however, were much calmer. Not having committed any misdeeds, they had no fear of retribution. Confident in the Divine Sword Academy's fairness, they believed that the academy wouldn't falsely accuse anyone without cause.

...

Meanwhile, Chu Xiaotian was quite relaxed. The assassin hadn't seriously injured him, and he would recover after a few days of rest. With the Divine Sword Academy now involved, Chu Xiaotian was happy to stay out of it. The next day, he rode towards the Demonic Wind Forest.

Leaving the Divine Capital, he swapped his horse for a Thousand-Mile Horse from the system. As the name implies, it could cover a thousand miles in a day. Chu Xiaotian preferred using system points instead of money for convenience, as items from the system could be stored and retrieved anytime, unlike those from outside the system.

Exiting the Divine Capital, he found himself amidst vast landscapes, with blue skies, white clouds, and endless mountains. Riding freely across the land, he felt a sense of pride and ambition, akin to an eagle soaring in the sky, ready to face the rivers and mountains of life with a smile.

In his past life, Chu Xiaotian longed to travel the world on horseback, with a sword in hand. This life gave him the opportunity to fulfill that dream: a solitary journey with a horse, living a life of freedom and vengeance.

After three days of travel, Chu Xiaotian had already covered a great distance, leaving the Divine Capital far behind. He experienced diverse landscapes, unlike anything he had seen in his previous life.

This journey elevated Chu Xiaotian's state of mind, leading to a breakthrough in his cultivation. In just three days, he advanced two realms, entering the third level of the Spirit Pill Realm.

"Congratulations, host, for your mental improvement. You are awarded a Mental State Gift Pack."

"Congratulations, host, your soul strength has increased tenfold."

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Spirit Soul Technique."

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Spirit Intimidation martial skill."

Chu Xiaotian was astonished by these unexpected gains from his journey and task. His soul, which was normally impossible to enhance, had grown tenfold in strength. His spiritual power was now comparable to a Xuanling Realm warrior.

With a stronger soul and spiritual power, Chu Xiaotian could now learn crafting and alchemy more easily, and his creations would be more perfect.

Testing his newfound spiritual powers, Chu Xiaotian found he could perceive everything within a fifty-meter radius with unprecedented clarity. He could even use his spiritual power to communicate silently within this range.

After testing his abilities, Chu Xiaotian checked his system panel:

- Host: Chu Xiaotian

- Identity: Orphan

- Cultivation: Martial Realm Sixth Level

- Thinker: First-Grade Beginner (equivalent to the initial stage of Spirit Yuan Realm)

- Constitution: Supreme Divine Body

- Treasures: Heaven-Cutting Sword, Lower-Grade Spirit Weapon (Growth Type)

- Techniques: Qiankun Heaven and Earth Technique

- Martial Skills: Sword Drawing (Perfect), Heavy Sword Technique (Perfect), Breeze Step (Perfect), Spiritual Intimidation (Perfect)

- Divine Abilities: Supreme Suppression (Innate ability of the Supreme Divine Body, capable of suppressing opponents, stronger against weaker constitutions)

- Sect: Divine Sword Academy

- Understanding: Sword Intent: 6%

- Points: 35,000

Chu Xiaotian was surprised to see the "Thinker" identity on his panel. The system explained that in the world of martial arts, besides warriors, there are Thinkers. Becoming a Thinker requires a soul strength at least five times that of an ordinary person. A Thinker's combat methods are different from a warrior's, focusing on using spiritual power to attack the enemy's mind and spirit. This power can also be imbued in inanimate objects for long-distance attacks, though it cannot be used on living beings.