Chapter 48: Too Thrilling

Before Jun Wen could fully recover his wits, Feng Xi mysteriously handed him a small porcelain vial.
"Fifth Senior Brother, this contains a Soul-Burst Pill. Swallow just one, and it will instantly multiply your strength two to threefold. If you ever encounter a formidable enemy, just pop one of these. Remember, you can only take one a day at most; otherwise, your meridians won't be able to handle the surging spiritual power, and you'll be in mortal danger. Besides, the effects of the Soul-Burst Pill only last for a quarter of an hour..."
Jun Wen's eyes lit up instantly!
This was a magnificent treasure for saving one's life!
However, he didn't seem to recall ever hearing of any Soul-Burst Pill. He knew of similar Earth-tier pills, but none of them bore this name!
Then, he heard Feng Xi say:
"I developed this Soul-Burst Pill myself. Don't worry, I tested it on the wind-blade rabbits in the back mountain, and they're still hopping around lively! The safety is definitely not an issue!"
Jun Wen: "..."
I think I'd rather not use it unless absolutely necessary!

The next morning, Xiao Baidao personally came to see off Elder Duanmu and the other two.
As they approached the mountain gate, Feng Xi began to slow her pace.
She felt that the mountain gate of the Skysoul Sect was rather ominous; she had already knelt before it several times!
This time, no matter what, she was not going to kneel!
Yet the moment she crossed the threshold, her legs went soft, and she dropped into a solid, resounding kneel.
Feng Xi: *#!@%@#%@%*!
For the sake of maintaining her persona, she had no choice but to say insincerely:
"Respected Ancestral Master above, disciple Feng Xi is about to set off for the Borderlands to fight the demons. Though the journey ahead is fraught with danger and hardship, this disciple will never tarnish the reputation of the Skysoul Sect or yours. I shall give it my all and return covered in glory!"
No sooner had her voice trailed off than Elder Duanmu knelt down behind her, echoing much the same sentiment.
Jun Wen: "..."
He had no choice but to drop to his knees as well and copy their actions, reciting a few ritual phrases.
He thought to himself: No wonder Junior Sister's reputation within the sect is so sterling!
Look at her sense of propriety; it was simply impeccable!
He felt utterly inadequate by comparison!

Once the three of them rose to their feet, Xiao Baidao offered Feng Xi a few more worried words of caution before finally letting them depart.
Elder Duanmu summoned his flying sword and was just about to call out to Feng Xi when he saw the little lass pull a battered wooden sword from her storage ring and stagger unsteadily into the air.
Everyone was struck dumb with astonishment. For one thing, they had no idea where Feng Xi had acquired such a sword; for another, she was standing upon it so precariously that she seemed on the verge of tumbling down at any second.
Xiao Baidao was just about to speak when he saw Feng Xi take a length of rope from her storage ring and tie herself securely to the wooden sword.
She waved at the crowd: "Master, fellow disciples, await the good news of my triumphant return!"

After saying this, the wooden sword darted forward like a shooting star, accompanied by Feng Xi's startled shriek.
Xiao Baidao: "..."
Everyone in the Skysoul Sect: "..."
Jun Wen: Junior Sister, is this the brilliant strategy you spoke of?
A rotten idea is more like it!
With no time to vent his complaints, he hurriedly urged his sword into pursuit.
Elder Duanmu possessed more composure. After cupping his hands in farewell to the gathered crowd, he soared into the air on his sword.
Xiao Baidao craned his neck to watch, but alas, Feng Xi flew so swiftly that she had already shrunk to a tiny black dot.
Heaven preserve them, Ancestral Master preserve them, grant that both disciples return safely!

Little did he know that his beloved young disciple was having a whale of a time up there.
Too thrilling!
Too much fun!
She especially relished the sensation of sword-flight, with mountains and rivers rushing past beneath her feet, as if the entire universe lay open for her to roam!
However, once the novelty wore off, it wasn't quite so exhilarating anymore.
That was because she had to continuously supply spiritual power while remaining utterly undistracted.
Shameless creature that she was, she promptly went to freeload on Jun Wen's sword.
She put on a hypocritical front and said, "Fifth Senior Brother, I'll hitch a ride on your flying sword for a bit. Once you're tired, I'll carry you on my wooden sword."
Jun Wen: "......No thanks."
I'm afraid of falling to my death!

After bumming a ride for a stretch of the journey, Feng Xi zipped over to freeload on Elder Duanmu's sword.
When that grew old, she flew by herself on her wooden sword for a while.
Ah, the kind with a safety belt.

On this day, the three of them finally arrived in the vicinity of the Borderlands.
The Borderlands served as the demarcation line between the Immortal Realm and the Demonic Realm, with the human race and the demon race each occupying one half, separated in the middle by the Endless Sea.
Since flying was prohibited near the Borderlands, the three of them had to proceed on foot.
Their destination was Tranquil City, the sole city situated within the Borderlands.
It had originally been named Demon-Subduing City, but was later renamed Tranquil City to spare the feelings of their "neighbors."

At that moment, the reception hall of the Tranquil City Lord's Manor was filled with esteemed guests.
Elder Liu of the Myriad Origin Sect laughed and said, "The Skysoul Sect is truly amusing; they actually sent Feng Xi this time. A little good-for-nothing who can't carry heavy loads with her shoulders or lift things with her hands—what can she possibly accomplish here? She's clearly just here to sponge off the credit! Xiao Baidao has certainly gone to extraordinary lengths for this youngest disciple of his!"
Elder Han of the Myriad Swords Sect and Elder Feng of the Beast Taming Gate smiled silently without a word.
It was true that Feng Xi's cultivation was low, but as an elder of the Myriad Origin Sect, to refer to her repeatedly as a good-for-nothing was rather unbecoming of his status.
Naturally, they too believed that Feng Xi had merely come to fish in troubled waters and claim undeserved merit; could anyone seriously expect her to combat the demons?
Stop joking around; when she got captured by the demons, they would end up having to rescue her!

Seeing that they remained silent, Elder Liu continued, "I suggest we divide up the patrol sectors. That way, we can clearly delineate credit and responsibility. What do you all think?"
Elder Han of the Myriad Swords Sect and Elder Feng of the Beast Taming Gate exchanged glances. "How should we divide them?"
Pointing at the defense map of the Borderlands, Elder Liu declared, "We partition the patrol area into four zones, with each sect responsible for one."
As he spoke, he took up a brush and marked four zones: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding upon the map.
"Since the Skysoul Sect has yet to arrive, the three of our sects shall choose first! Our Myriad Origin Sect chooses Zone Jia."
Elder Han of the Myriad Swords Sect followed immediately, "Our Myriad Swords Sect chooses Zone Yi."
Elder Feng of the Beast Taming Gate selected Zone Bing.
That left only Zone Ding. With no choice in the matter, the Skysoul Sect was left with this remaining section.
A flash of shrewdness crossed the eyes of City Lord Hu of Tranquil City.
Zone Ding was the most difficult area to defend across the entire Borderlands because the winds and waves of the Endless Sea were relatively calm there, making it the primary landing spot for the majority of the invading demons.
However, he kept his mouth shut.
He lacked both the standing and the capacity to meddle in the power struggles among the four great sects.

A faint smile hung on Shen Zhilan's lips; the idea of dividing the patrol sectors had been proposed by her in collusion with Elder Liu.
Feng Xi, didn't you love hogging the spotlight?
This time, I'll let you stand in it to your heart's content!
It would be best if you died at the hands of the demons, sparing me any further trouble.

At that moment, Feng Xi was listening to the little black orb bragging away inside her mind:
"Such fragrant demonic Qi!
This is the exact scent!
I can't wait to gorge myself on a feast!
Once we reach the place, just toss me into the Endless Sea; I want to swim a hundred laps in it!"