After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Ling Feng could now fight his way out of an encirclement of over a hundred common Hilichurls, and dealing with four or five Chuunibyo efficiently was no problem.
The strength of the Hilichurls varied. Camps with a Chuunibyo King had generally stronger Chuunibyo, with even elite squads.
The Chuunibyo Brutes were particularly formidable, with one being equivalent to two ordinary ones. Ling Feng only suffered a setback when he encountered an attack squad led by a Chuunibyo Rock Armor King, a piece of information he later learned from Shenhe.
On the way to Mount Hulao, Ling Feng and Shenhe encountered several groups of Millelith soldiers. They appeared to be the guards of the Jueyun Karst region, stationed there for patrol to prevent ordinary people from being attacked by monsters.
The main camp was on the Nantianmen side. The camp's primary function was to protect a coordinate anchor, similar to the portable waypoints in the game, created by Fontaine as alchemical products imitating teleporters.
The coordinate anchor's function was almost identical to that of a teleporter, mainly for transportation. It required elemental energy, so generally only those with Visions could use it. The distance and number of people teleporting determined the amount of elemental energy needed.
Furthermore, coordinate anchors were very sturdy and difficult to damage. It was rumored that Fontaine had once dropped a coordinate anchor from a high point on Dragonspine to test its durability, and it suffered little damage.
Coordinate anchors were expensive to produce and were usually purchased with national funds. Due to limited materials, each nation had very few of them, and they were typically placed in prominent locations such as the entrance to Jueyun Karst and Liyue Harbor.
Unlike Mount Hulao in the game, where there was no road and one had to climb to the halfway point to find a path, in reality, there was a mountain road. One could walk up from the foot of the mountain along the road without needing to climb.
"Help!"
Shortly after Ling Feng and Shenhe began their ascent, a cry for help suddenly reached their ears. Ling Feng and Shenhe exchanged glances and immediately ran towards the source of the sound.
Both of them were no ordinary individuals, easily covering a distance of a hundred meters. They saw the person who was crying for help – a middle-aged man, covered in dirt, being chased by a young Geo Lizard. Upon seeing this, Ling Feng and Shenhe rushed forward. Shenhe was the fastest, like a leopard.
Ling Feng, on the other hand, conjured ten pseudo-spirit swords that broke through the air, forcing the young Geo Lizard to stop. While Ling Feng was saving the man, Shenhe darted in front of the young Geo Lizard in a few breaths. She thrust her weapon, Calamity Queller, and eliminated the young Geo Lizard in a few strikes.
There was a characteristic on the continent of Teyvat: after monsters were killed, they would transform into energy and return to the earth. Of course, some monsters did not disappear into energy after death, but they were rare. Monsters that turned into energy would reappear on the continent after about a month, but without any memories, as if they were entirely new individuals.
After dealing with the young Geo Lizard, Ling Feng and Shenhe approached the man who had been chased.
"Are you alright?" Ling Feng asked.
"I'm fine, thanks to you saving me," the man said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his heart still pounding.
"Speaking of which, this is Mount Hulao. Even the Millelith and Vision holders dare not ascend easily. How did you dare to risk coming up here?" Ling Feng asked. Mount Hulao was the mountain gate of Lord Liyue Qixing, Rex Lapis, who was afraid of being disturbed and had planted Mountain-Quelling Ambers. Most of them were hidden underground, and if stepped on, they would form amber, encasing the intruder.
The young Geo Lizard just now might have just escaped from an amber. It could be said that among the three Adepti mountains, Mount Hulao was the most dangerous.
"I came up the mountain to seek the blessings of an immortal. I heard that immortals can bless one with fortune and career advancement. I primarily wanted some Mora."
Ling Feng/Shenhe: ...
"You haven't lost any limbs, nor are you suffering from any illness. As a healthy, normal person, can't you earn it yourself?"
"I... wouldn't it be a little easier with the immortal's blessing?" the middle-aged man said timidly.
"Don't think about getting something for nothing; it's impossible. The mountain is very dangerous, hurry down. Sister, let's go." Ling Feng warned. After saying this, Ling Feng and Shenhe continued their ascent.
After walking for a while, Ling Feng suddenly stopped and looked behind him. At the same time, a figure quickly dodged behind a large tree. Although its speed was fast, it was very slow for Ling Feng.
"This guy, he's so shameless, following us all this way," Ling Feng muttered with a frown.
"Should we deal with him?" Shenhe had already sensed that the middle-aged man had been following them. However, she had ignored him. An ordinary person trying to track two Adepti disciples—was this not a pipe dream?
"Let's give him a warning," Ling Feng said, conjuring a pseudo-spirit sword out of thin air. With a wave of his hand, the pseudo-spirit sword shot through the air, heading directly for the tree where the middle-aged man was hiding.
The middle-aged man thought Ling Feng and Shenhe hadn't discovered him. Hearing no movement, he thought they had walked far away and was about to come out.
*Bang!*
A long sword pierced the tree, flying past his head and embedding itself in another tree a few centimeters deep. The leaves of the tree rained down like a scattering of flower petals. This sudden event scared the middle-aged man so much that his legs went weak, and he collapsed on the ground, repeatedly shouting, "Don't kill me, don't kill me."
"If you dare to follow us again, the next sword will not pass over your head, but through your forehead," Ling Feng's warning voice entered the man's ears.
"I won't dare anymore, I'll go down the mountain immediately."
Terrified by this, the man immediately bowed towards Ling Feng and Shenhe, then turned and scrambled down the mountain, as if afraid Ling Feng would change his mind.
Ling Feng used his divine sense to sense and confirmed that the man was indeed heading down the mountain. Only then did he turn to Shenhe and say that the matter was resolved. The two then continued their ascent.
This incident was merely a minor interlude and had little impact on Ling Feng and Shenhe.
After walking for an hour and a half, Ling Feng and Shenhe reached the mountaintop, where Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver were already waiting for them. Without much further ado, after a brief chat, Lord Liyue Qixing formally began the stipulated training.
A week later~
Ling Feng stood by the lake shore, his eyes closed, as if he was brewing something.
"Water Control Immortal Art!"
Ling Feng suddenly opened his eyes, formed a hand seal, and a small, blue bagua formation appeared within seconds.
At the same time, the calm lake water in front of Ling Feng suddenly churned, and a pillar of water shot up into the sky, scattering outwards like a fountain, speckling the surroundings in a spectacular fashion.
Then, the scattered water droplets froze in mid-air, as if time had stopped.
"Your Water Control technique has been mastered very skillfully. As Cloud Retainer and Moon Carver said, your learning ability is indeed strong. In just one week, you have reached such a level of mastery over the Water Control technique."
"Then, the preliminary training is concluded. The rest will take time." Lord Liyue Qixing landed beside Ling Feng, looking at the scene with satisfaction and nodding.
[The following is not part of the main text, but my answers to some reader questions.]
[Regarding why he became a disciple: First, I know that the Adepti of Liyue are not true immortals, but are called 'immortals' in Liyue. The first is to keep the protagonist on the mountain in the early stages, rather than descending. It would be very difficult to descend to a safe area. The protagonist, as a high school student, even with cultivation, would not survive without practical combat experience.]
[Regarding cultivation and strength: Above the Seven Archons are the Seven Dragon Kings and the God of Time, and so on. The highest combat power in this book might be the human immortals, as I'm not sure if Teyvat is a chapter of Genshin Impact, so the specific highest combat power is not yet determined.]
[Another reason for summoning characters early on is that it shows that the protagonist's experience in dealing with people is not yet deep. After this incident, he will be more cautious next time. This is a process of growth, including the protagonist's current immaturity for the same reason.]