Master of Strange Dao

Yu Ziqing had originally planned to go out alone.

But the village chief had just said, "Take Cece with you when you leave the house. If you encounter someone you can't beat, anyone below the Ninth Tier, unless it's a Body Cultivator with explosive power as ridiculous as the village chief's, or a Sword Cultivator among the Qi Refining cultivators with exceptionally strong explosive power, then they can be trapped for some time."

The only difference is the length of time they can be trapped.

Yu Ziqing didn't want Cece to follow because if the Big Array were shattered before it was fully integrated and digested by the cliff's abyss, it would never recover.

It would be a shame to destroy a Big Array that someone had painstakingly created by refining a blessed land with all sorts of fine materials.

At least right now, Jinlan Mountain does not have the resources to do this, and none of the people of Jinlan Mountain currently have the ability to refine a blessed land into a Big Array that becomes the space of the array.

Although that's what he thought, Yu Ziqing didn't say it out loud and cheerfully took Cece with him as he left the house.

Yu Ziqing wasn't foolish enough to upset the village chief when he was in a good mood.

As he was about to leave the locust forest, Yang approached him silently.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What's the matter that you need to be so sneaky about?" Yu Ziqing was puzzled.

"In the future, if you encounter a suitable enemy, forget the Seventh Tier; look for the Eighth Tier. Well, Eighth Tier Body Cultivators are alright, but don't bother with Qi Refining or Refining God at that stage.

The best scenario is to lure a freshly Advanced Ninth Tier, a Ninth Tier Strong who is at the first tribulation of the Third Tribulation Realm, near Jinlan Mountain to give the village chief an opponent."

Yu Ziqing gave Yang an incredulous look as if seeing Gua Pi.

"Are you kidding me? Do I have the ability to lure a Ninth Tier Strong near Jinlan Mountain?

A Ninth Tier Strong wouldn't casually approach the Forbidden Land of Jinlan Mountain. To attract such a person, there must be a mortal enmity, compelling them to put aside all concerns just to kill me.

Let's not talk about that for now, do you think if I provoked a Ninth Tier Strong to the point that they're desperately after me, I could still be alive to run back here?"

Yang curled his lips slightly, tilting his head back as if he were seeing Gua Pi, and he gave Yu Ziqing a sidelong glance.

"I'm just giving you a heads up, not asking you to do it now. Of course, I know you can't do it yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Since the village chief started Body Cultivation, he's never had a proper fight.

The guy before doesn't count; he was too weak. Against other cultivators of the same tier, once the village chief closes the distance and takes the initiative, it's no longer a fight; it's an overwhelming victory.

What the village chief needs is a hearty battle, preferably one where he is suppressed and severely injured, ideally a life-and-death struggle.

His accumulation is simply too substantial, yet he has never genuinely unleashed it.

I have come to see that the Body Cultivators of Jinlan Mountain advance fastest during battle, especially when they face adversity.

The same goes for their insight; they gain the most in such situations.

Both you and the village chief display completely different abilities in a battle where life and death are at stake compared to an ordinary day.

Don't think that just because I'm at the same tier as the village chief, that I could beat him while in my Dragon Body without using other tactics. If it were just hand-to-hand combat, I would be beaten to death by the village chief, ten out of ten times.

If I had enough time and used all my methods, I would have a seventy percent chance of winning. But if I were to suddenly engage in a death battle with the village chief, I would have, at most, a thirty percent chance of victory.

I don't understand why the village chief is getting stronger and stronger, but I do know how to make him even stronger, clearing his path before he reaches the Ninth Tier.

Before the Ninth Tier, he definitely needs to fight a battle with all his might.

Otherwise, he won't be able to Advanced to the Ninth Tier."

Yang glanced in the direction of the village and sighed.

"The phrase 'Before one becomes the Dragon Elephant of Buddhas, one must first be the ox and horse among beings' really does align with the village chief's life..."

"That's not my line; it's from the Hua Yanjing. Don't get it wrong." Yu Ziqing certainly wouldn't admit it.

"Who is Hua Yanjing?" Yang asked casually.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter who said it.

The village chief's life has been full of hardships, all dedicated to survival, to the survival of the village.

Ever since you provided the village with enough self-sufficient food storage that could last for a long time and fill the stomach, he has regarded you as his child.

Only towards the end of his life did he truly begin the good days without worries about starvation.

But he has gotten used to worrying, to being prepared for a rainy day.

As you leave the house, he starts to worry about you.

And his lifelong habit of worrying is now all placed upon you. This concern will deepen with time and as he grows stronger.

I understand his mentality, but I can't empathize with it while you can.

So, you should realize that one day, his mental issues will turn into an obsession.

Whether you leave the house or not, whether you are safe or not, it no longer matters. Even if one day, you Advance to the Ninth Tier, it still won't alleviate his concerns.

He needs to unleash all the accumulation of his lifetime, all his hardships and tempering, in a life-threatening battle, all at once.

Only then can he conclude the ox and horse phase and step into the Dragon Elephant phase.

And in the best scenario for this battle, it would be you being pursued and on the brink of Fallen that would truly ignite his fighting spirit, allowing him to release everything completely, without holding back a single bit of control or consideration, with his thoughts and will perfectly unified."