Chapter 22: Arrival at Tiandu

"You little brat, let's see where you can run! Today, I'll tear you to pieces!" Sun Ming roared angrily. Although Xiao Chen's speed was fast, Sun Ming, being at the Fasting stage, was even faster than the severely injured Xiao Chen.

"This guy is catching up quickly!" Xiao Chen glanced back, having run less than a few dozen meters before Sun Ming caught up, only about ten meters away.

Xiao Chen was heavily injured, with most of his true energy depleted, preventing him from utilizing his full speed. The more intense his movements, the worse his injuries became.

"Little White Tiger, it's up to you now. My injuries are too severe, and I don't have much true energy left," Xiao Chen said, his face extremely pale, with blood continuously seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"Don't worry! I won't let that scoundrel catch you!" the Ancient White Tiger transmitted reassuringly.

"Kid, you can't escape. With your severe injuries..." Just as Sun Ming was about to catch up, a sinister smile appeared on his face. But before he could finish his sentence, he was stunned, staring at Xiao Chen in disbelief.

At that moment, Xiao Chen's body began to float in the air. Sun Ming was sure it was flying because it was impossible to leap tens of meters into the sky.

"How...how is this possible? That kid actually...actually flew! Could he be at the Golden Core stage? Impossible, a kid in his teens can't have Golden Core stage cultivation! What...what is going on?" Sun Ming stared in shock at Xiao Chen flying high in the sky.

"Goodbye! I'll come back for you, just wait!" Xiao Chen, now high in the sky, looked down at Sun Ming standing in a pavilion and waved smugly.

"Not good! I've been tricked! You brat, how dare you trick me!" Sun Ming quickly realized what had happened, glared fiercely at Xiao Chen, and swiftly returned the way he came.

An incense stick's time later, Sun Ming returned to where he started, but Zhao Yun was long gone!

"Damn it! I fell for that brat's trick! Let me see you again, and I won't give you a chance to breathe!" Sun Ming roared in anger, his face filled with fury, his eyes nearly spewing fire.

At this moment, Zhao Yun's subordinates had already left Qiufeng Town with him. With Sun Ming now at the Fasting stage, staying in Qiufeng Town would be a dead end, so they wisely left.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen also left Qiufeng Town, with the help of the Ancient White Tiger, reaching a mountain peak not far from Qiufeng Town.

"The injuries are so severe. It looks like it will take ten days to half a month to recover fully! The Fasting stage is indeed powerful, so strong." At the mountaintop, Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. Although he couldn't perform internal observation, he could roughly gauge the extent of his injuries by his own feelings.

"If it weren't for me, your busybody habit would have gotten you killed by that scoundrel Sun Ming long ago!" the Ancient White Tiger said, emerging from the storage ring.

"Hehe, I really have to thank you this time. Otherwise, I would have died at that scoundrel's hands. Actually, I didn't want to meddle, but Zhao Yun was injured by me. I didn't want him to be killed by that scoundrel because of it," Xiao Chen said with a faint smile.

After a pause, Xiao Chen continued with a smile, "It looks like I need to learn alchemy as soon as possible. Without healing pills, it's hard to recover from injuries, and it wastes too much time!"

Although he almost died this time, Xiao Chen was still very happy because, during the fight with Zhao Yun, not only did he break through, but he also inexplicably comprehended the first move of the Chaos Sword Art! So, in Xiao Chen's view, this battle was worth it.

"You focus on healing; I'll guard you!" the Ancient White Tiger said, lying quietly beside Xiao Chen.

Ten days later, Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes. After ten days of healing, his injuries were fully recovered, and his cultivation had even slightly improved.

If not for the delay caused by Zhao Yun's incident, Xiao Chen might have already reached Tiandu. Unfortunately, he lost ten days to healing.

"The injuries are finally healed. Although I almost died, it was worth it. Not only did I break through, but I also comprehended the first move of the Sword Art. Now, my cultivation has improved a lot!" Xiao Chen said happily, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

"Since you're healed, let's set off. We've already lost ten days. Otherwise, we would have reached Tiandu by now!" the Ancient White Tiger said, eager to head to Tiandu.

"Hehe, okay!" Xiao Chen replied with a joyful laugh. After stretching lazily, he continued his journey.

Man and beast continued to traverse the mountain forests rapidly. As time passed, they crossed countless mountains, drawing closer to Tiandu.

"Xiao Chen, do you know anyone in Tiandu?" the Ancient White Tiger asked.

Xiao Chen shook his head and smiled, "No, I grew up in Fengyue City and never left. This is my first time leaving Fengyue City, so I don't know anyone in Tiandu."

"Then why are you going to Tiandu?" the Ancient White Tiger asked curiously.

"To become stronger. I heard as a child that Tiandu is full of strong people, and not far from Tiandu are the Monster Beast Mountains. Cultivators in Tiandu go to the Monster Beast Mountains to train. So, I decided to go to Tiandu and the Monster Beast Mountains to train. That way, I can improve my strength faster. I've already lost 12 years unable to cultivate; I don't want to waste any more time. Others have been cultivating 12 years longer than me, so I have to work harder to surpass them!" Xiao Chen said, his eyes full of determination, as if nothing was impossible with effort.

The 12 years of being a 'waste' had burdened Xiao Chen with too much pain and pressure for his age. So he wanted to rise above, become a strong person, and no longer be the subject of ridicule.

With the powerful techniques passed down by the Overlord Soul and his body refined by divine blood, Xiao Chen was confident that through his hard work, he could become the strongest in the world. This had always been his dream. Although it was just the beginning, he firmly believed it would come true one day.

"Xiao Chen, I believe you can become the strongest in the world!" the Ancient White Tiger encouraged, hearing Xiao Chen's determined words.

"Thank you!" Xiao Chen smiled. The Ancient White Tiger was the first to acknowledge him besides his father, filling him with unwavering faith.

"I'll surpass the Xiao family's scorn through my hard work, making them realize how childish their disdain was! I'll make the Yang family regret their humiliation in canceling the engagement! Now that I've gained the Overlord Soul's powerful techniques, I won't lose to anyone in the Yang family! I'll personally destroy those mysterious forces that annihilated the Xiandao Sect and avenge it!" Xiao Chen vowed fiercely, his determination to train harder driven by these motivations.

In essence, Xiao Chen wanted to change everyone's perception of him. He eagerly anticipated the envious and admiring looks of others. He wanted to prove through his efforts that he was not inferior to anyone and certainly not a 'waste.'

"Xiao Chen, work hard! I believe you can do it!" the Ancient White Tiger encouraged again, filled with confidence in Xiao Chen.

"Little White Tiger, I'm really happy to know you. Apart from my father, you are the first one...a divine beast, not a human, who acknowledges me. To me now, besides my father, you are my most important friend! As long as I'm around, I won't allow anyone to harm you! Otherwise, I'll fight them to the death!" Xiao Chen smiled, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

"Thank you, Xiao Chen. You are also the first human who has been so good to me!" the Ancient White Tiger smiled, and the two happily chatted and laughed as they journeyed through the mountains.

A few days later, after a strenuous journey, Xiao Chen and the Ancient White Tiger finally arrived at the bustling Tiandu. Tiandu was vast, with more than a dozen cities, home to several powerful families.

"Little White Tiger, look! Tiandu! We've arrived!" Xiao Chen said, pointing to a large stone gate in the distance, atop a tall tree. The massive gate had the powerful characters 'Tiandu' carved into it.

"Wow! So many humans!" the Ancient White Tiger exclaimed in delight, seeing so many humans gathered together for the first time, the streets teeming with people.

"So many strong people! I can sense several strong auras at the Golden Core stage! Not just one, but several! Such powerful auras! Tiandu is indeed full of strong people!" Xiao Chen said excitedly, a pure and bright smile spreading across his young face.

In Fengyue City, encountering a Golden Core stage expert was rare. For Xiao Chen, who grew up there, he had never seen one! The strongest he'd seen was his father, Xiao Changfeng, at the mid-Fasting stage!

Now, having reached Tiandu, he sensed several Golden Core stage experts' auras, something he'd never felt in Fengyue City or any towns along the way. This made him extremely excited.

"Xiao Chen, let's go in quickly!" the Ancient White Tiger said eagerly, showing a playful side.

Xiao Chen nodded excitedly, smiling, "Alright! I'm also hungry; let's fill our stomachs first, then explore Tiandu!"

After the Ancient White Tiger entered Xiao Chen's Chaos Divine Ring, Xiao Chen entered Tiandu with immense excitement, like a boy seeing his favorite toy for the first time, full of joy.

Excited, Xiao Chen rushed into Tiandu. The many cultivators merely saw him as a playful youth, smiling at his innocent grin without saying much.

After 12 years of suppression and pain, Xiao Chen finally felt relieved. Gone were the disdainful looks and mocking laughter. For the first time, he felt truly alive and like any other normal teenager.