My Arts Evolve When Perfected

"The closer we get to the Secret Realms in the Northern Wilderness, the more erratic the Compass becomes. We must be about to enter one of their zones."

A crisp voice called out. Turning to look, he saw Xia Qing approaching in her green robes. Her high ponytail was tied back, and while her clothes were stained with a few specks of blood, she was uninjured, though her face was pale.

The light in Jiang Qiu’s eyes dimmed. He casually put away the Compass. "Is there any way to confirm the coordinates for North Border City?"

In the Northern Wilderness, cell phones had lost their GPS capabilities, and most navigational tools could only detect one’s proximity to zones like Secret Realms.

Looking up, the endless, thick clouds were like a heavy quilt covering the sky above the land. The sun was nowhere to be seen; the light had just grown a little dimmer.

’I probably won’t be able to see Polaris tonight either.’

"No. The only tool that can confirm North Border City’s coordinates, the Coordinate Disc, has to be in the city to establish an anchor point. For now, we can only wait for a Grandmaster from North Border City to find us using the locators we’re carrying."

Xia Qing shook her head and sighed. "However, our locators are easily disrupted by the influence of Secret Realm zones, so a Grandmaster won’t necessarily be able to find us quickly."

Each competing student had been given a Northwest Martial University badge, which, in addition to symbolizing their status and honor, also functioned as a locator.

It was also a crucial item for Northwest Martial Arts University Students to establish themselves in North Border City...

RUSTLE.

Jiang Qiu took out the detailed map of the Northern Wilderness that Xue Zhang had prepared for him. After studying it for a moment, he gazed out at the boundless snowfield. A flurry of white between heaven and earth obscured everything, making it impossible to see the distant landscape.

They had simply fled in the opposite direction from the Demon Race, so he had no way of confirming their current location.

"Let’s keep going this way. There are mountains ahead. We’ll find a place to settle in there for now."

Jiang Qiu put the map away and led the group toward the rolling silhouette of the mountains in the distance. Before they knew it, the sky had grown dark, and faint murmurs and sighs began to ripple through the crowd.

’Since we have to wait for the Grandmaster to find us, we might as well find a place to rest for now. After coming this far, Feng Li shouldn’t be able to catch up.’

With this thought in mind, Jiang Qiu and the others entered the snow-covered mountains before nightfall, using oversized flashlights or the Hundred Machine Creation, the Luminous Lamp, to light their way.

The waist-deep snow couldn’t bury the coniferous trees that stood over a hundred feet tall. The Luminous Lamp in Jiang Qiu’s hand was like a giant firefly, its orange-yellow glow throwing tree shadows across a fifty-meter radius.

The trudging line of people behind him was pressed together by the darkness, and someone would shiver from time to time.

"Is this a Secret Realm zone?"

Jiang Qiu frowned slightly. In the grey and white world of his vision, the endless, faintly glowing coniferous trees looked like toothpicks stuck into the mountains. The terrain became more rugged the deeper they went, and the more distant mountain ranges blocked the sight of his Dragon Eye.

A few slightly mutated insects and small animals slept at the roots of the trees, while the bone-chilling wind whistled through the needles overhead, creating a sound like ghostly wails.

"Let’s set up shelters here on the fringe and rest. If we go any deeper, we might enter a medium-sized or larger Secret Realm zone."

The moment Jiang Qiu spoke, the students from the three colleges each found a leeward slope, took materials out of their Storage Rings, and began building shelters. Within moments, everyone was settled in.

The night grew darker, and the howling outside the shelters grew more chilling.

HUM...

Before preparing to sleep, Jiang Qiu activated his Dragon Eye again to survey the area outside. Suddenly, he felt a surge of alarm, and the [Chuyuan] spear materialized in his hand with a flash of cold light.

Several kilometers away, a dozen or so figures from the Demon Race were strolling along. Their leader was a Spiritual Great Demon, and the rest were all Transformed Great Demons.

’They don’t look like Feng Li’s demons. They must be native to the Northern Wilderness.’

TAP...

Pulling open the flap of the shelter, Jiang Qiu put away the Luminous Lamp. After glancing at the haphazardly arranged shelters, he stepped resolutely into the darkness, the blade of his [Chuyuan] spear gleaming with a cold light.

’If I can find a local Demon Race clan in the Northern Wilderness, I might be able to ask for the location of North Border City. If that doesn’t work, at least I can eliminate a potential danger.’

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH—

After a few dozen flickers of movement, Jiang Qiu used his Blinding Metamorphosis Talent to approach within a hundred meters of the Demon Race squad. Hearing voices, he immediately hid behind a coniferous tree.

"Awooo! Boss, I heard that one of the Human Race’s Hundred Machines Giant Kites was intercepted down south by the Demon Race from Kunlun. A bunch of demons and humans died. Can we go scavenge some to eat?"

A humanoid demon with an ’intelligent’ look in its eyes licked its lips. Its youthful, delicate appearance exuded an air of pure foolishness. He rubbed his hands together inside his padded jacket, the canines at the corners of his mouth glinting coldly.

The rough-looking boss, his hair thick and wild, turned and glared at him. "All you fucking think about is eating! Every year, those Human Race Hundred Machines Giant Kites from the south carry experts comparable to Ancestral Great Demons, along with thousands of brats whose Realms are higher than yours. They dared to intercept a force like that. You think the Kunlun Demon Clan are just a bunch of pushovers?

"We just need to patrol our territory properly. The Wolf King has sensed that a Great Secret Realm might be emerging in the Northern Wilderness, and he’s gathering forces. We have to stop those bastards from North Border City from using this as an opening to sneak into our clan and steal our ’fruits’..."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu’s brow furrowed slightly. He activated his Dragon Eye to peek at the dozen or so demons in the distance. They were humanoid but had wolf ears on their heads and wolf tails swishing behind them.

Aside from a few physical traits they hadn’t shed, their clothing was very similar to that of normal humans. They even wore Storage Necklaces.

’This must be one of the famous Demon Race clans of the Northern Wilderness—the North Snow Wolf.’

’The Northern Wilderness Territory is vast. While it doesn’t have any Great Demons on the level of a Demon King like the Red Flame Spider Mother, its clans are very unified, their bloodlines are pure, and their foundation of mid-to-low-tier combat power runs deep.’

’These members of the Transformed Demon Clan I’m seeing probably don’t have a high status within their clan. After all, for them, reaching adulthood normally means achieving Transformation...’

’The general studies textbook said the bloodlines of the Northern Wilderness Demon Clan are tightly linked, and since they’re a major clan with an Ancestral Great Demon, killing one might attract a whole pack. Better not kill them for now.’

As he thought this, Jiang Qiu was about to turn and leave when a soft, grinding voice reached his ears. "Boss, why do I feel like I smell humans?"

"Quiet. I smell it too."

THUMP.

His heart lurched. He slowly turned his head. The dozen or so humanoid demons were treading silently across the white snow, approaching him. They were cold and silent, their pace quickening, their twenty-plus glowing green eyes shining in the night like ghostly lanterns suspended in the coniferous forest.

SHNK.

The soft sound of sharp claws extending.

"AWOOOO—"

Suddenly, a wolf’s howl, echoing through the night sky, came from the deepest part of the snowy ridge. The dozen or so patrolling demons shuddered and whipped their heads around.

An icy, murderous intent appeared in the boss’s eyes. "Damn it! Some bastards really did come to steal the fruits!"

"Surround them! Don’t let them escape!"

In an instant, the dozen or so humanoid demons spun around and sprinted back the way they came. They moved with the speed of lightning, covering a kilometer in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Qiu stepped out from behind a massive coniferous tree, gripping the [Chuyuan] spear. Its blade reflected a murderous aura.

"’Stealing fruits?’" His eyes lit up. "’It could be people from North Border City!’"

THUD THUD THUD...

The young man’s figure became a spark darting through the coniferous forest, giving chase and following the tracks of the dozen or so humanoid demons.

’If I can just save one person from North Border City, I can get the city’s coordinates!’