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--- Chapter 297 ---
After leaving Wu Tan City, Ruo Ling coordinated the caravan's move to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Several steeds pulled a few carriages in unison as they traveled.
Han Yuan lazily leaned against the wooden frame of the leading carriage, enjoying the refreshing morning breeze that brushed against his face. The girls gazed silently at him, captivated by the sight of a handsome young man bathed in dazzling morning sunlight.
"He really is handsome," Xue Ni mumbled to herself. "Too much competition, though."
As Xue Ni glanced around at the crowded carriage, she saw beautiful girls who seemed to surpass her in both appearance and aura. Whether it was Xiao Yixian, Gu Xun'er, or even the young Qing Lin, each of them could grow into a breathtaking beauty that could top an empire.
Comparing herself to them made Xue Ni feel insecure. She looked at her best friend, Xiao Yu, and sighed, realizing that Xiao Yu was hopelessly oblivious to the fact that Han Yuan was out of their league.
From the moment they departed from Wu Tan City, Xiao Yu had not taken her eyes off Han Yuan. Although she tried to be prudent, the number of sneaky glances she cast in his direction indicated that she might as well stare at him the whole time.
'This girl is so thirsty!' Xue Ni thought, shaking her head in disbelief.
Ruo Ling also observed the carriage with an amused expression, knowing that once they arrived at Jia Nan Academy, these youngsters would likely cause quite a stir with their appearances alone.
"By the way, Han Yuan, I didn't see the Dojo Master send you off at the city's gate earlier," Ruo Ling suddenly recalled and asked.
Han Yuan smiled. "Well, he's preparing something—maybe a few tricks—to ensure our journey to the academy goes smoothly. After all, the route Teacher Ling chose is the fastest but also quite dangerous."
"The Magical Beast Mountain Range is unbelievably vast. While the chance of encountering a Rank 6 Magical Beast is low, it's never zero."
"R-Rank 6? That's equivalent to a Dou Emperor in strength!" Xue Ni shrank back at the thought.
She nervously looked at Ruo Ling and asked, "Teacher Ling, are we going to be okay?"
Ruo Ling's mouth twitched slightly because Han Yuan really managed to expose truths no one asked for. While what he said was accurate, Rank 6 Magical Beasts had their own territories and typically wouldn't wander far from their hunting grounds unless something unusual occurred.
"It's going to be fine, Xue Ni. The path I chose is safe and far from any powerful Magical Beasts' territories," Ruo Ling reassured her. "Han Yuan is just joking. Not to mention, we won't venture deep into the mountain range, but rather travel near the perimeter."
"Really?" Xue Ni looked at Ruo Ling suspiciously.
Ruo Ling playfully gave Xue Ni a gentle karate chop on the head. "Are you questioning your teacher? Do you think I would purposely choose a path that leads us into danger?"
"Besides," she continued, "didn't you hear what Han Yuan said earlier? As long as he's with us and remains calm, the Dojo Master Meng Xi must be protecting us from the shadows or has set up a contingency plan."
Ruo Ling rubbed her forehead helplessly and added. "Sometimes, your intelligence surprises me, but when something scary happens, you just turn cowardly, Xue Ni."
Xiao Yu chuckled. "That's just how Xue Ni is, teacher."
"I can't help it, okay! I hate scary stuff!" Xue Ni exclaimed, her cheeks flushing as she protested weakly.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yixian, Gu Xun'er, and Qing Lin were watching Han Yuan with curious expressions.
They understood that even Rank 6 Magical Beasts posed no threat to him. In fact, they doubted any Magical Beasts would dare approach, given Han Yuan's intimidating innate aura.
Sure enough, as they entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, their journey progressed smoothly, and not a single Magical Beast dared to interrupt their caravan.
However, they did encounter some mountain bandits with low cultivation, whom Ruo Ling intended to use as training for her students.
She also wanted to test Xiao Yixian, Gu Xun'er, and Qing Lin against these bandits. Yet, the girls proved too strong. The bandits couldn't last more than a few seconds against them.
Xiao Yixian froze one bandit with her cold Yin Dou Qi and shattered him into pieces.
Gu Xun'er reduced another to ashes with her flames.
Qing Lin took a more straightforward approach, simply hacking a bandit to death with her sword sheath while maintaining an adorable yet fierce demeanor.
Ruo Ling was left speechless by their display of power. 'As expected, I couldn't judge anyone related to Han Yuan by ordinary standards.'
After travelling for half a day, they decided to rest on the border of the mountain range. Their carriages were parked in a circle formation while someone was making a bonfire in the middle.
Han Yuan is roasting meat on a stick sprinkled with salt, black pepper, and other spices. He did this a few times and then handed them to Qing Lin, Xiao Yixian, Gu Xun'er, and others.
Xiao Yu stared at the roasted meat in her hand and ate it slowly, her eyes lit up because it was so delicious. She looked at Han Yuan in disbelief as she didn't expect him to be good at cooking, too.
Ruo Ling thought the same as well and praised, "Han Yuan, your cooking skill is impressive."
"Mm, you must have so much free time to learn cooking like this." Xue Ni added while wolfing her portion.
Han Yuan chewed on the roasted meat and replied, "You might think it was just a waste of time learning how to cook, but that's the wrong mindset to have."
"What do you mean?" Xiao Yu inquired, making Xue Ni roll her eyes at her best friend again.
'He replied to my question, not yours!' Xue Ni groaned inside.
Han Yuan continued, "I said that's the wrong mindset to have because as a Dou Fighter, no, cultivators, we must strive to cultivate from all things in nature, not just mediate and fight all day long."
"Sometimes, even the smallest, most mundane thing can be considered cultivating, too."
"For example, cooking, or should I say roasting meat by a campfire."
"Do you think this little stuff is simple?"
"Wasn't it simple?" Xiao Yu tilted her head, gaining a headshake from others except Xue Ni.
Han Yuan chuckled, "Of course not!"
"Roasting meat is not simply roasting. You need to control the heat, so the meat doesn't become burnt."
"As a fire-attributed Dou Practitioner, controlling the temperature of your fire is crucial."
"Too strong, you consumed too much Dou Qi and made it uncontrollable, too weak, your dou technique barely unleashes its power."
"Above all else, you must circulate Dou Qi in your meridians smoothly, making the transition possible."
Ruo Ling sighed in amazement, "This training method of energy control is indeed ingenious. Xiao Yu, what Han Yuan said is really useful for your cultivation, and you might as well try using it to improve your control."
Han Yuan shook his head gently, "Don't be so fast at trying my method, who knows if it was really suitable for you. At the end of the day, you're a swordsman. You are not a pure fire-attributed Dou Fighter."
"Your fighting style revolves around your sword techniques."
"If I had to comment, you should focus more on your movement skill and adapt your fire-attributed Dou Qi to make your speed more explosive like a flame burst."
"Of course, something like this needs to be done gradually."
"Try running in an obstacle course, and coincidentally, we are in a forest where you can use the trees as a training ground."
Xiao Yu clenched her hand, "I will do it!"
Xue Ni raised his hand, "What about me, handsome? What training do you think I need the most right now?"
Han Yuan stared at Xue Ni and then smiled, "You... Your control over Dou Qi is already good enough. The last time we fought, your movement skill was also pretty good."
"But from what I've observed, you're not very good at attacking."
"You're a wood-attributed Dou Fighter, and wood indeed is hard to use in combat, but have you ever thought of using a spear, more specifically, wooden spear-like spikes?"
Xue Ni's eyes widened as she stared at Han Yuan in disbelief, "Monster! How could you deduce all that from one fight?"
"I am just that observant." Han Yuan waved his hand casually.
Unknown to Han Yuan, the other students of Jia Nan Academy had been watching him from the moment he roasted those meats.
When they listened to his views on cultivation and even shared a suitable training method for Xiao Yu and Xue Nu, they were stunned and tempted to ask for his advice.
Finally, someone relented. "Um, Han Yuan, can you tell me what I should improve in my cultivation?"
Han Yuan nodded, "Alright, sit down. We are going to be fellow students, so sharing our own views and insights in cultivation is never wrong to enrich our path."
The other students giddily sat down. Ruo Ling saw what had happened and smiled because this was what she wanted. 'Han Yuan is really something else.'
Meanwhile, several miles away, a female Dou Emperor expert fought with a Rank 6 Magical Beast, a massive lion with deep purple skin and amethyst-colored mane. The night sky shook violently as their fire and wind Dou Qi clash fiercely.