The taxi driver dug at his ear and gestured toward the sun slowly setting on the horizon.
The misty rain and gray clouds that had been shrouding the small town were now dyed a brilliant gold by the sun, as if radiance were pouring down from the gates of heaven—a sight too beautiful to take in.
Yet the pedestrians on the road hurried along, too preoccupied to appreciate it.
Night meant danger, and they had to find a place to rest before dark.
Only this young man seemed not to care about any of that.
Judging by the long canvas bag he carried, he was probably an art student from somewhere, here to sketch from life.
Traveling mountain roads at night—little luck, much danger.
“No problem.”
The black-haired young man smiled and took a banknote from his wallet.
“Keep the change as a tip. No need to look for it.”
With that, he pulled open the car door, picked up his bag, slung the canvas bag over his shoulder, and got out.
Seeing that the other party was so stubbornly determined, the taxi driver stopped trying to persuade him, though he felt a bit annoyed.
Doesn’t appreciate kindness—arrogant.
He was about to drive off when he saw the young man’s lonely figure walking along the road. He sighed and drove up to catch him.
“Catch.”
The driver took a small bottle of spray from his car and tossed it to the young man below.
But the moment the spray left his hand, he knew he had thrown it off course.
The bottle, which should have gone toward the young man’s body, was instead falling toward his lower back.
The driver was about to call out a warning when he heard a soft smack.
The bottle was caught firmly in the young man’s hand—and the latter hadn’t even turned his head.
The driver didn’t think too much of it and spoke up.
“This is bear spray. If you run into a brown bear, you can use this to drive it off fast—works better than a gun.”
“From here on, it’s up to your luck, kid.”
Hearing this, the young man turned his head and looked at him.
It was the first time the driver had made eye contact with the young man. In the gradually dimming night, the latter’s ink-jade-like eyes were unusually clear.
“Earlier, while you were driving, you kept digging at your ear and slapping it—you have tinnitus, don’t you.”
“Due west of your home, there’s a tree. That tree has a problem—it’s diseased, infested with insects. Chances are the inside has been eaten hollow by borers.”
“Go back and saw down that diseased tree, and your ear condition will improve.”
Hearing this, the driver was somewhat stunned.
The other’s words felt a bit mystical, like those spirit mediums on TV who used crystals or tarot cards for divination.
But it wasn’t quite the same.
Judging that he had an ear condition just from frequently digging at his ear? And guessing it so accurately?
The driver wanted to ask something more, but found that the young man had already vanished from sight…
——
The gold in the sky quickly dimmed.
Deep blue deepened further, until it turned into an endless black.
Within the ink-darkness, occasional starlight flickered, but was soon obscured by drifting clouds and mist.
Su Fan strolled alone along the mountain highway, savoring the quiet environment.
To others, a mountain road with no sign of human habitation was full of the unknown and danger, filling their hearts with fear.
But Su Fan felt like a fish in water, wanting only to fully enjoy this rare tranquility.
Before him stood a giant redwood tree. Su Fan felt a bit eager to try, yet also somewhat hesitant.
But then he thought: he had come on a whim, and if he didn’t follow his heart, it would all be meaningless.
Once he understood this, his steps grew faster and faster, heading straight for the towering giant tree ahead.
His toes lightly touched the tree trunk, and his body, as nimble as a flying swallow, shot upward.
Su Fan’s figure leaped among the branches as if weightless. Wherever he stepped, there was only a gentle sway, scattering a few redwood leaves.
The divine ability Wind Command made the airflow that would have been a hindrance instead support Su Fan’s body.
In almost an instant, he had already passed through the clouds and mist wrapped around the mountainside. With a light tap of his toes, he stood atop the redwood’s crown.
Standing high, moonlight finally spilled down.
Su Fan breathed in the cold, crisp air, exhaled white mist, and looked out.
On both sides of the broad river in the mountains, orange-yellow lights were reflected on the water’s surface.
Endless, continuous mountain ranges stretched as far as the eye could see. Compared to them, the forest poured from reinforced concrete was far too cramped.
Coming from the city to the mountains and forests felt like removing shackles from the heart—relaxed and free.
Su Fan circulated his vision to see the scene within the town clearly, and at the same time estimated the distance.
This place was roughly 90 kilometers from the town.
Along the way there were only sparse streetlights, no shops or inns at all.
What that taxi driver had said earlier was true.
Could sword-flight reach it?
He’d know once he tried.
With his heart feeling light and expansive, Su Fan didn’t bother estimating. The canvas bag on his shoulder opened automatically, and the long sword flew out into his hand.
His body transformed into sword light and shot straight forward!
Crossing rugged mountain roads, startling many birds into flight.
The sword followed his heart, turning in any direction at will.
Feeling the spiritual power still brimming within him, a satisfied smile appeared at the corners of Su Fan’s mouth.
His realm had risen, his divine abilities had advanced, and his spiritual power was even more abundant.
Sword-flight, which he had previously used only when high-speed maneuvering was needed, could now truly serve as a means of travel.
The distance to the town was covered in less than a few minutes.
But this place was vast and sparsely populated, with a bright moon and green mountains—wouldn’t it be a letdown to end it here?
Su Fan did not head straight for the town. Instead, he descended, diving toward the river surface.
The fierce wind generated by rapid flight parted the normally flowing water, creating turbulence on the river’s surface.
The scenery on both sides rapidly changed and receded. Su Fan’s figure adjusted its posture easily and freely in the air, feeling the thrill brought by the extreme speed under the combined enhancement of sword-flight and wind command.
Previously, he could not understand why someone would fly low over water and numerous buildings when they could simply fly across the sky.
Only today did he finally come to know.
Carefree and unconstrained, with no ties or restrictions—the world is so vast, where can one not go?
Vast and expansive, like riding the wind through the void, not knowing where to stop; drifting and ethereal, like standing alone beyond the world, feathered and ascending to immortality.
Those two lines of poetry suddenly surfaced in Su Fan’s mind.
The ancients’ boundless, unrestrained imagination when giving themselves over to mountains and rivers—now he was truly experiencing it!
In his heart’s joy, Su Fan could not help but swing his sword in midair!
In an instant, illusory sword qi appeared around Su Fan, soaring with him through mountains and rivers!
Sword qi pierced the air, circling his body.
Sharp and striking, yet still graceful and nimble, Su Fan gradually immersed himself in this wondrous sensation. Between each breath, he seemed to secretly align with some mysterious rhythm within heaven and earth.
In a part of his mind Su Fan could not notice, the system’s prompts changed, yet it made no notification sound at all—as if unwilling to interrupt his state.
Unknowingly, the rate at which Su Fan’s spiritual power was being consumed within him began to accelerate.
But the aura around his entire body was also gradually changing.
During flight, the spiritual power that had been nearly exhausted was replenished from the outside world, entering his body…
