Chapter 170: 163 The Divine Carriage

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "Do you really want to buy my carriage?"

Wang Fei looked expectant and nodded repeatedly, looking as if he could pull several golden mountains out of his pockets at any moment.

Tang Zhao said regretfully, "You can certainly buy it, but I'm afraid it's not as good as you think. This carriage of mine is actually driven by Gang Qi. Furthermore, only my Gang Qi can trigger the various flame effects; if you ride it, it will just be two wheels spinning."

You thought this was a motorcycle? It's actually just a bicycle.

You say this is an Art Tool? Art Tools also require power. Ordinary Light Artifacts are driven by Origin Stones, while Heavy Art Tools consume the Origin Qi within their materials and rely on Rune Formulas to absorb Origin Qi from nature. For long-distance travel over a long time, the consumption of Origin Qi is too great, requiring very precious materials and high-level Rune Formulas, or even the direct inlaying of high-level Origin Stones. Given Tang Zhao's financial situation, he couldn't be that wasteful, so switching to Gang Qi power was a clever workaround.

Wang Fei was very disappointed upon hearing this and said, "Then... can I order one with flame effects? Money is no object."

He said he wouldn't pretend anymore, and he really didn't, revealing the detestable face of a nouveau riche.

Tang Zhao tried his best to control his expression and said nonchalantly, "Sure. This is my shop's business card. A famous shop in Yunzhou, 'White Jade Shines'. Order via owl, pick up in person." He originally wanted to say the owl would deliver it to his door, but then he thought that an owl probably couldn't carry it.

Wang Fei took the business card, his gaze still on the carriage, and said, "Can you let me sit on it and experience it?"

Tang Zhao said, "Sure."

Actually, this request was a bit presumptuous.

After all, this carriage only had a seat in the back, behind the rider. To entrust one's back to a stranger requires deep trust, and the two were only casual acquaintances.

However, Tang Zhao had Gang Qi for body protection and his cultivation of Mental Power was extremely profound, allowing him to grasp every movement around him. Secondly, he didn't look like a bad person, but rather like a pure dog... a big client. Tang Zhao did not point out his offense, but instead readily agreed.

Tang Zhao added with a smile, "But you have to help me hold this one." He pointed to the basket and the turtle inside, "After all, you are taking his place."

Wang Fei said in surprise, "Your pet? A turtle as a pet, that's too rare! Is this what you like? Actually, if you like pets, I think that leopard... Bao Bao is quite good."

Before Tang Zhao could speak, the turtle said angrily, "Hey, you brat, show some respect. Gui Ye is a Spirit Envoy, how can I be compared to such a stupid big cat?"

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "That Bao Bao is a Child of Nature, a Snow Mountain Spirit, how could it be kept at home? Once it recovers, it still has to return to the Snow Mountain. Oh, and one more thing, you have to wear a helmet. Without a helmet, I absolutely cannot take you on the road."

As for why he himself wasn't wearing one—if asked, it was because his head was iron-hard; his Gang Qi protecting his head was as good as a helmet.

Wang Fei pondered for a moment and said, "I actually have one." He took a golden helmet out of his bag; it was glittering with gold, and the style looked quite familiar.

Tang Zhao took a few looks and felt it was a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember it, so he didn't ask further and said, "Get on."

"Alright!"

"Wait... it's too crowded."

"Gui Ye, bear with it, you don't take up much space."

"Are you kidding me!"

Wang Fei excitedly sat on the back seat, and Tang Zhao also got on the carriage and started it. White-gold Gang Qi soared into the sky, the fire carriage let out a roar, and it sped along the plateau in a blaze of light.

Besides the fire burning and the wind roaring, there was also Wang Fei's loud howling, the sound echoing across the plateau.

The turtle complained, "This brat, you're so noisy with your shouting! Also, as a Sword Student, don't you know how to fly by sword? Is there any need to be this excited?"

Wang Fei shouted, "That's different! A carriage surrounded by flames, sprinting in the wind, that feeling of special power is completely different from flying by sword! How should I describe it..."

Tang Zhao interjected from the front, "Romantic!"

Wang Fei said loudly, "Yes, that's it!"

The turtle said with disdain, "Little brats, what have you two ever seen? By the way, the helmet on your head, it looks like a Mingguang Helmet of a military general, doesn't it?"

"Ah? Ha, don't talk nonsense! I'm just an ordinary person... an ordinary rich person!"

Speeding all the way, by the time the sun set, they had already traveled half the distance to Jiu Yuan.

One would think that those Talisman Sword Masters who had several checkpoints along the way would generally be able to reach the first checkpoint on the first night. But this road the two were on was very dull, with only one checkpoint in total; according to the plan, they wouldn't arrive until the second or even third day, and there was nothing on the first day.

The sun set, and the temperature on the plateau plummeted. Tang Zhao felt the consumption of driving his Gang Qi increase, so he had to stop the carriage and camp for the time being.

The two took out their tents and set up camp on the spot.

A Talisman Sword Master's tent was of course much better than an ordinary tent, with various Rune Formulas added for warmth, safety, aesthetics, and so on, but in the end, it was still a tent, not a house. And the space inside a tent was what it was; it didn't extend or expand, and there was no phenomenon where it looked like a tent on the outside but was a palace on the inside. After all, Rune Formulas involving space were very profound; let alone basic Rune Formulas, even high-level Rune Formulas couldn't touch them, and they were even secret arts of various sects that were never passed on. The only one widely circulated was the Rune Formula for making a general Storage Bag, which was the most basic of spatial Rune Formulas; not only was the space created limited, but it was also not stable enough, could not hold living things, and was not suitable for making houses.

Tang Zhao currently only knew two extra Rune Formulas for designing space, and none for expanding living space, so his tent could only accommodate one or two people. However, the interior was arranged very comfortably, and the tent even had the logo of his "White Jade Shines" Boutique Shop.

Tang Zhao glanced at Wang Fei and, seeing him take out a larger and more luxurious tent, couldn't help but sigh softly—the tent money from this boss would not be earned by him.

Wang Fei smiled and said, "It's a pity Brother Tang saw through my identity as a rich person, I don't have to pretend anymore. I originally brought a simple tent, but since it's only you here, I won't force myself and will live a bit more comfortably." He then invited, "My tent is very comfortable, why don't you come and stay here too?"

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "No, no. Don't look at my tent as inconspicuous; it's clean and comfortable, a sparrow may be small, but it has all the vital organs." After saying that, he ducked into the tent.

Inside the tent was a simple room, with only an Artifice Lamp hanging from the top, emitting a faint light. The furniture was also taken out from the Time Jar on the spot; Tang Zhao didn't take out all the furniture, only placing a Cattail Mat on the ground.

Nighttime was the time for practicing.

Although the journey was long and things were complicated, he still set aside time every day to practice. However, when living in the same room with others, it was rare to be able to let go and practice, and his heart could not be quiet, so the Free-Roaming Gang Qi technique he had learned early on was only practiced superficially.

On the contrary, sleeping alone under the moon on the plateau today, with all sounds of nature in silence, was a good time for practicing.

Although living alone meant no one to watch over or guard against danger, Tang Zhao didn't care. His tent, while only average in terms of comfort, was considerable in terms of defense. He had already set the mechanisms, and with the assistance of detection Rune Formulas, even a Sword Guest could not break in without alerting him.

Sitting cross-legged, Tang Zhao first practiced his Internal Energy, namely the "Bing Fire Mental Method".

Bing Fire is the fire of the sun. It is a rare top-grade Internal Energy.

In fact, after ordinary Martial Artists practice Mysterious Techniques, they don't practice Internal Energy much, because the quality of Gang Qi is higher than Internal Energy; what Internal Energy can do, Gang Qi can do, and what Internal Energy cannot do, Gang Qi can also do.

But Tang Zhao needed abundant Internal Energy for Sword Casting in the future, and Internal Energy practice was mainly based on quiet meditation, which could calm the mind. He had always been accustomed to practicing Internal Energy for half an hour before practicing Mysterious Techniques.

Practice knows no days or months; half an hour passed quietly.

Tang Zhao opened his eyes, his heart clear and bright. He stood up, rested for a moment, and then continued to practice the Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture.

The Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture was an upgraded version he had exchanged from the fairy using the "Divine Bird Fire-Dripping Art", and it was a top-grade one that the fairy had hinted he should choose. After two exchanges, it was already a top-tier Mysterious Technique, and practicing it could result in Great Sun Gang Qi.

The Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture had six layers in total. Tang Zhao had only been practicing this scripture for a year, and by relying on various resources and his extraordinary comprehension, he had barely managed to complete the first layer, the "Corona Layer".

After completing the Corona Layer, the Gang Qi was white-gold in color, had an extremely high temperature, could melt steel with ease, and flowed continuously like tongues of fire in the wind, appearing to have extreme aggressiveness.

The quality of this first layer of Gang Qi was already comparable to ordinary Heavenly Gang. Facing Peng Duanhai, who had integrated the two colors of dawn and dusk into his Heavenly Gang, head-on, he did not fall behind at all, and even had the upper hand.

And now, Tang Zhao was practicing the second layer, the "Sun Corona Layer". It is said that after practicing it, the Gang Qi would become stable, its color would turn silver-white, like a cover, and its quality would undergo a qualitative change, allowing the use of more powerful exclusive ultimate moves.

If Tang Zhao had been practicing hard on the mountain, using various resources to exchange constantly, this second layer would still take more than a year to complete. Now, on the road, it was intermittent, the practice was not regular, the effect was mediocre, and the resources were not as abundant as at home, so the progress was better than nothing.

Tang Zhao swallowed a drop of the "Li Fire Dragon Blood" he had saved up and began to practice the Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture.

The cultivation of the Mysterious Technique involves the circulation of Gang Qi, coordinated with physical movements and the synchronization of the Spirit-Observing Law within the Spirit. Tang Zhao struck a pose, circulated the Mysterious Technique, and simultaneously immersed his mind into the spiritual world.

Back in the Spirit-Observing world of the Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art, there was a mass of burning flames and a divine bird dancing gracefully within the blaze; what was being visualized was the divine bird's feathers, which flowed like flames.

Yet the world of the Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture is a vast, azure void.

There is no sun, nor is there a divine carriage; there is only a dim, profound, and unfathomable expanse.

That is the firmament before dawn.

Gazing into the distance, the end of the azure void seems to meet the gray earth; that is the skyline of this world.

Heaven and earth have a boundary, as if the world has an end; however, the more clearly one sees that infinitely extending line of the horizon, the more one feels as small as a single grain of sand in the vast ocean, and one's heart trembles.

Suddenly, a sliver of dawn light appeared on the skyline.

It is coming—

In the dawn light, a carriage carrying a massive sphere of light rode the radiance of the morning sun, flashing across the sky and vanishing in an instant!

Its speed was nearly the speed of light!

See it!

Since entering the Spirit-Observing world, Tang Zhao had been staring fixedly at the skyline, just to capture the fleeting figure of the divine carriage.

He saw it!

His Spirit captured that carriage, saw the brilliant luster of the carriage's wheels, and followed the luster upward to look at the axle—

Boom!

His Spirit was completely exhausted, and he withdrew from the visualization.

"Hoo—"

There is progress.

The visualization of the Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture is to have him capture the shadow of that divine carriage as it flashes between heaven and earth, and to see the appearance of the carriage clearly.

Compared to the tempering of the Spirit in the Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art, this is even more difficult. The divine bird at least burns right above one's head, and it is merely difficult to see clearly; but that divine carriage only appears for an instant, and if one does not visualize it quickly, one cannot even see it at all.

It took Tang Zhao two months to capture the shadow of that carriage, at which point he entered the threshold of the Great Sun Divine Carriage Scripture. It took another year to see the complete carriage wheel, at which point he mastered the Corona Layer.

By the time he can see the carriage body clearly, the Sun Corona Layer should be mastered as well.

I really want to see what that carriage body looks like.

It is not just for the sake of cultivation; he himself also wants to see how magnificent that glorious divine carriage is.

The flowing flames of those wheels are so magnificent that they are also the source of inspiration for his design of the Six Dragon Fire Carriage. One day, he will not only see the divine carriage in the sky with his own eyes, but he will also use his own hands to bring the divine carriage into this world.

Although the cultivation of the Mysterious Technique is difficult, the results are gratifying, and it is also very effective for tempering the Spirit; Tang Zhao's Spirit has been tempered to be more solid and keen, and compared to when he practiced the Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art, he is better at capturing minute movements within his spiritual perception.

At this moment, having finished tempering his Spirit, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. He relaxed his body and let his Spirit fly free.

His Spirit reached outside the tent, and he saw the boundless night sky, the stars filling the heavens, the vast plateau, the lush Snow Mountain...

He saw the two small tents beneath the Snow Mountain, saw the snow leopard curled up in a ball resting, saw the youth gazing at the starry sky, saw the Cattail Mat inside his own tent, and saw the turtle inside Wang Fei's tent...

A turtle?

What is it doing in someone else's tent?