Chapter 810: Chapter 32: Unexpected Gains, the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s Absolute Skill and Emperor Jing! (Da Zhang)
"My mind is made up." Zhao Xing bowed again, "I will never regret it, please, Grand Minister of Agriculture, fulfill my request."
"Very well." Li Boqian chuckled softly, waving his hand, "Since you are so determined, go ahead and try."
"The Hou Transformation Technique’s inner cultivation requires the preparation of Kunpeng Essence Blood, which must be dispatched from the main academy. The threshold for Yuan Feng is even higher, so start with ’Near and far’ first."
Li Boqian leapt upward with Zhao Xing’s true form.
A cloud formed beneath his feet, and in the next moment, Zhao Xing found himself ten thousand meters high in the sky.
Gazing downwards, Zhao Xing was inwardly amazed.
Similar spells existed within the Self Sect’s repertoire of spells.
He had learned a technique called [Jungle Jump], but it had certain limitations. It required living vegetation as a base, and once used, the plants that served as its base would die.
The distance was also limited. Even now, he could only move four thousand meters, meaning he could only employ this technique in specific environments.
But the spell Li Boqian used was clearly far more profound.
"Near and far, this is a Cloud Skill." Li Boqian gestured in the sky, and immediately a bank of clouds arranged themselves according to his will.
"What does this look like to you?"
"Looks like a cloud path." Zhao Xing observed the interconnected cloud pathways, "Airships use these for navigation and combat guidance."
"Correct. When airships fly in the sky, they often encounter the Gang Wind Layer, which creates enormous resistance in most environments."
"The higher one goes, the greater this resistance becomes. But in a cloud path, it’s different. This resistance can be eliminated or even exploited."
"Hence, for rapid travel at high altitudes, cloud ships are generally used. For instance, the ship Wang Tianzhi brought you in was a Wind Breath Cloud Ship."
"Not only can it ignore the Gang Wind Layer, but it can also use it to accelerate. Among warships, the cloud ship series is the third fastest in the world."
"Because it’s not just moving on its own; the cloud path is also pulling it forward."
"Yet, the cloud path cannot be reused. Once a cloud ship passes, the wave disturbance it creates becomes interference, with a significant range."
"It requires a long time to recover."
"My ’Near and far’ was created based on the cloud ship principle," Li Boqian explained, "Compared to the massive cloud ships, the disturbances caused by human spells are tiny."
"Though it still cannot use the same path back and forth in a straight line, such minor disturbances can be ignored."
Zhao Xing listened quietly. The Cloud Skill Li Boqian spoke of already involved the Dao of space.
Cloud path navigation could be understood as a Cloud Skill version of ’curvature travel.’
As the contemporary Grand Minister of Agriculture, Li Boqian’s understanding of the Heavenly Time Technique placed him at the top level in the Xuanhuang Realm.
If he were in the Fortune Dynasty during the Spiritual Energy Era, he could still ascend through space and time.
"Top-level Skill Yunmen, Ultimate Skill Cloud Sky Dao, ultimately desires to use Cloud Skill as a Heavenly Dao. However, this remains a vain hope. The limit of Cloud Skill can temporarily alter the rules of heaven and earth, but in the end, it cannot replace them."
Once more, Li Boqian waved his hand, causing the ten-thousand-meter cloud layer filled with interconnected cloud paths to rapidly shrink.
Eventually, a miniature Dao Map of the cloud path appeared in Li Boqian’s palm.
"Go!"
Li Boqian pulled with both hands, transforming the reduced cloud map again to cover Zhao Xing’s body.
"Try taking a step forward."
"Which foot should I lift first?"
"It doesn’t matter."
Following the instruction, Zhao Xing took a step and found himself appearing ten thousand meters away.
"Buzz~" As soon as he landed, clouds appeared beside him, flashed and vanished, and Li Boqian appeared at his side.
"How does it feel?"
"Very fast."
"Think again."
"I only took one step."
Li Boqian smiled without saying a word.
"I didn’t actually walk; it was the cloud carrying me?"
Li Boqian nodded, "Exactly."
"Since you’ve learned Yunmen and have a Cloud Skill foundation, start with the ninety-nine types of cloud paths."
"If you can comprehend all ninety-nine, you will be considered to have entered the door of ’Near and far’."
"Comprehend here. If you gain any insights, you can come down and find me. I will use ’Near and far’ to let you personally experience and validate your insights."
Li Boqian waved his hand, making the condensed cloud map expand rapidly once more until it turned into a circular cloud layer with a diameter of ten thousand meters.
"Yes." Zhao Xing chose one of the cloud paths and slipped inside to begin contemplation and cultivation.
Li Boqian descended, landing in the Qianqing Garden below.
Inside the garden was a waterside pavilion with a chessboard set up in the center.
Standing beside the chessboard was a tall figure, like a majestic mountain, exuding an irrefutable authority.
Wearing a purple-gold robe embroidered with mysterious runes and ancient totems, each line flowed with immense power, sparkling like stars.
His visage was firm and stern, like a marble sculpture chiseled by the years, with well-defined features.
His eyes were deep as abysses, containing endless wisdom and an unparalleled keen insight. Occasionally, a flash in his eyes seemed to penetrate the mists of space and time, leaving people unable to meet his gaze.
On his head was a resplendent crown with nineteen gemstones shining, each carrying mighty power. The light they emitted wove into a mysterious radiance that shrouded his being.
When Li Boqian descended, he remained motionless, his back to this contemporary Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Though this behavior was discourteous, Li Boqian showed not a hint of impatience. Instead, he respectfully bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, I apologize for being late by half a quarter, please punish me."
Ji Mingjing stood with hands behind his back, gazing into the sky: "Boqian, what is special about him?"
Li Boqian replied, "He has extraordinary ambition, exceptional talent, with the bearing of a Grand Minister of Agriculture."
"Oh?" Ji Mingjing’s tone held a hint of surprise, "You have never spoken so highly even of your junior disciple Wang Tianzhi, yet you regard him so highly?"
Li Boqian smiled, "I only say he has this quality. However, Your Majesty encompasses the universe, being the sovereign of all under heaven. Whether he will succeed depends on Your Majesty."
"He is too young. Even if talented, he can only be entrusted to future generations of monarchs."
Ji Mingjing withdrew his gaze, turned around, and sat down. With a wave of his hand, the chessboard undulated like the surface of water, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a military sand table.
It displayed the terrain and landforms of the Nineteen States, cloud qi, with the land of Pinghai State already covered in dark clouds.
"Today we play military chess. As punishment, you will play with the white pieces, move two steps late, and you must win."
Li Boqian responded with a slight twitch in his eye, as Ji Mingjing, holding the black pieces, took his position at the other end of the sand table, making the first move with the Black Dragon Army retreating from the south of Lanjiang to Pinghai State.
"Boom~" The sky rumbled with dark clouds, breaking the Fortune Golden Dragon over Pinghai State into two halves, leading to widespread collapse of government cities, with astral phenomena in chaos.
"Today, the military chess game begins. I penalize you by making you play the white pieces, giving me two moves ahead, and you must lead."
Ji Mingjing calmly watched him: "Bo Qian, what is so special about him?"
Li Boqian said, "His ambition is extraordinary, his heavenly talent unparalleled, he possesses the bearing of a Grand Minister of Agriculture."
"Oh?" Ji Mingjing seemed slightly surprised, "I only said he has this potential, but Your Majesty encompasses the whole universe and is the lord of all under heaven."
"He is too young, even if he is promising. He must be entrusted with future monarchs."
Ji Mingjing withdrew his gaze, turning to the sky: "Bo Qian, what makes him special?"