Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

“Huff, huff, huff~”

Above the vast green forest, Qiu Zhen stepped on the void, wind swirling beneath his feet, clouds rolling. He walked in the air a hundred meters above the ground, his speed astonishing, as if he were flying through the sky.

As a cultivator, Qiu Zhen had the ability to send his Yin spirit out of his body and roam the heavens and earth after entering the Dao.

But flying through the air with his physical body was a first for him.

“What a magnificent [Wind Riding and Mist Treading]!”

Qiu Zhen felt exhilarated.

The key to this lightness skill, [Wind Riding and Mist Treading], lies in using innate true Qi to interfere with the outside world. For martial artists like his senior brothers and sisters, it's incredibly difficult, requiring profound martial arts insights to master.

But for him, like his master An Jishi, he started with "using Qi to write talismans," comprehending the fundamentals. Learning this lightness martial art was as easy as drinking water, understanding it with a single touch.

He mastered the essence upon entering the art.

A few days ago, in the An residence, he tried it out a little and mastered "stepping on the tip of the wind," gaining the ability to walk in the air.

However, there was no place for him to display it.

Now that he was in the mountains, he could finally unleash this top-tier lightness martial art to his heart's content.

At first, he was a bit clumsy, but as he became more proficient in "using Qi to write talismans," his skills grew, and his ability to step on the tip of the wind and fly through the air became even more remarkable.

This was just using lightness skills. If he added the [Wind Riding] spell, the two would complement each other, and the speed would likely be even faster.

Of course, compared to flying with the Yin spirit, the physical body's wind riding was subject to various resistances and consumed a lot of energy.

After some experimentation, Qiu Zhen stopped using [Wind Riding and Mist Treading].

He remembered the advice of his second senior brother, Tong Yuncong: when you're out and about, you can't predict what will happen next, so saving energy is more important than anything else.

Next, Qiu Zhen used ordinary leaping lightness skills, stepping on tree trunks and branches, leaping through the mountains like a monkey, continuing to follow the white dove and support his treasure hunting and herb gathering team.

“Coo coo coo~”

The medicine hall's treasure hunting and herb gathering team usually operated on the outskirts of the mountains, so it wasn't too far away.

Before long, the white dove let out a soft cry, its chirping filled with joy, and then plunged into the misty valley.

Qiu Zhen stood on the crown of a large tree, looking into the distance. His Heavenly Eye pierced through the mist, seeing the treasure hunting and herb gathering team of a dozen people not far from the mountain stream.

In the valley, dozens of ferocious beasts occupied the mountains, lurking in the forest, forcing the treasure hunting and herb gathering team into the depths of the valley.

The two sides were facing each other, the situation looking quite dangerous.

“Someone set a trap?”

Looking at the various ferocious beasts that were usually difficult to gather together, Qiu Zhen immediately realized that things were not simple.

Someone set a trap to drive the beasts to surround the treasure hunting and herb gathering team, surrounding them without attacking, and then letting the white dove go.

He had just taken office, and something happened to his treasure hunting and herb gathering team, so he naturally came as soon as possible.

Good fellow!

Could it be aimed at me?

Qiu Zhen understood something in his heart, his expression calm, and he spoke like a loud bell, shaking the mountains and fields:

“Who is the villain who dares to trap my Medicine King Valley's herb gathering team!”

As Qiu Zhen shouted, the forest suddenly rustled.

Before long, a tall and sturdy man in hunter's attire, holding a long spear, appeared, smiling slightly at Qiu Zhen.

“Little brother Qiu, we meet again.”

“It's you!”

Qiu Zhen was slightly surprised to see the man dressed as a hunter.

The person who came was Mei Qingshan, who had visited Qiu Family Village a few days ago. He had actually come to him again.

Moreover, it wasn't a proper visit, but rather a roundabout way, surrounding the treasure hunting and herb gathering team to lure him out.

Something abnormal must be a demon.

Qiu Zhen frowned slightly, not quite understanding the other party's intention.

“Brother Mei, what do you mean by this?”

“Hahaha!”

Mei Qingshan smiled mysteriously, looked Qiu Zhen up and down, and then said with great emotion:

“Little brother Qiu, you are really hard to invite. I've invited you for several days, but you just didn't take action. You are really able to sit still. I admire you, brother. I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Don't worry, you brought the treasure, and the ferocious beasts in the forest will soon disperse and won't make things difficult for them.”

After saying that, Mei Qingshan opened his mouth, and a deafening dragon roar and tiger's roar shook the mountains and forests.

The ferocious beasts in the valley, hearing the dragon roar and tiger's roar, woke up as if from a dream and scattered like birds and beasts.

Qiu Zhen's Heavenly Eye peeped around, and seeing the beasts scattered and indeed no longer dangerous, he immediately shouted.

“Everyone, brothers, return to the medicine hall first.”

“Yes, Chief!”

In the valley, the treasure hunting and herb gathering team also understood that their chief had come to the rescue, and they all used their lightness skills to rush out of the valley and flee.

He wasn't worried that Mei Qingshan would deceive him.

Just now, the group of ferocious beasts summoned by Mei Qingshan was enough to easily wipe out the entire medicine hall's treasure hunting and herb gathering team. If he wanted to play tricks, the herb gathering team would have long been reduced to food for the ferocious beasts, their bones gone.

Before long, after the treasure hunting and herb gathering team had gone far away, Qiu Zhen's gaze fell on Mei Qingshan again, frowning slightly:

“Brother Mei, you said you invited me several times, what do you mean?”

“Last time, I almost fell for your trick!”

Mei Qingshan smiled self-deprecatingly:

“That day, after I saw you, I was overwhelmed and subconsciously thought it was your destiny manifesting. Afterwards, I remembered that you had a secret treasure on you, which didn't show your luck and destiny, making it difficult for others to see the truth. The feeling in the dark wasn't your destiny, but that you possessed the Mountain God Seal.”

Speaking of this, Mei Qingshan smiled triumphantly:

“As soon as the Mountain God Seal saw me approaching, it resonated with me, and strange phenomena occurred frequently. It is destined for me. Please help me, little brother Qiu.”

Mountain God Seal!

Qiu Zhen suddenly understood, realizing what Mei Qingshan meant by "invited several times."

These past few days, the anomaly of the Mountain God Dharma Seal wasn't due to being near a sacred mountain, but rather Mei Qingshan using some kind of secret method to induce the anomaly, making him mistakenly believe he was near his destined sacred mountain.

If he had taken the ancient bronze seal to search for the sacred mountain, he probably wouldn't have found his destined sacred mountain, but Mei Qingshan instead.

After Qiu Zhen roughly understood the cause and effect, his expression became calm:

"If you can offer an equal treasure in exchange, even another Mountain God Dharma Seal, then what harm is there in granting your wish?"

"Not so!"

Mei Qingshan shook his head:

"The Mountain God Dharma Seal in your hand was originally mine, destined to be mine from birth. There's no exchange involved."

Mountain God Dharma Seals were extremely precious and couldn't be obtained casually.

Moreover, with his Mountain God destiny, he would likely have a connection with any Mountain God Seal, regardless of which one it was.

"Little Brother Qiu, if you won't give it, then I'll take it myself."

Having said that, Mei Qingshan didn't hesitate, grabbing the spear from his back and attacking Qiu Zhen with a ghostly speed.

That spear was no ordinary weapon. When Mei Qingshan poured his innate true energy into it, it immediately emitted an orange-yellow light, shimmering and dazzling. With a single thrust, the spear's energy swept across the area like a rainbow piercing the sun.

A spiritual weapon, condensing Qi into Gang.

The moment Qiu Zhen saw his opponent's move, he immediately understood his strength.

"Whoosh!"

A gust of wind suddenly appeared beneath his feet, making his movements extremely erratic and ghostly, allowing him to dodge this domineering spear energy.

Immediately after, Qiu Zhen drew the treasured saber [Ink Jade] given to him by his Second Senior Brother, pouring in his innate true energy. The saber erupted with ink-colored flames, and he swung it out in a backhand strike.

Saber energy swept across the area!

Although this strike didn't condense Qi into Gang, the saber energy was extremely solid and contained a powerful saber intent.

"Clang!"

Anyone with fighting experience would know that the best course of action against this attack was to dodge.

Mei Qingshan didn't dodge. Instead, he casually lifted his spear and flicked it, easily dissipating the saber energy, turning the ink-colored flames into sparks in the air.

This was the suppression of realm and strength.

Taking advantage of his initial advantage, Mei Qingshan closed the distance between them, pressing forward.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

As the spear thrust out, the true Gang actually transformed into the shape of a swimming dragon, baring its fangs and claws.

If this spear energy were to strike, even refined steel wouldn't be able to withstand it, resulting in a large hole.

He couldn't fight head-on!

Qiu Zhen knew the danger and used the wind beneath his feet to dodge the attack.

After condensing true Gang, the advantage against the Innate True Qi realm was enormous.

Mei Qingshan could easily parry Qiu Zhen's attacks, and with his protective true Gang, his margin for error was extremely high. He wasn't afraid of a head-on confrontation. Qiu Zhen was only at the Innate True Qi realm, and if he fought head-on, he would suffer.

With the difference in realm, fighting became very restrictive.

Mei Qingshan also understood this and, relying on his higher martial arts realm, once he got close, Qiu Zhen would only be suppressed by him.

"Little Brother Qiu, you're no match for me!"

Immediately, Mei Qingshan's spear moved like a dragon, thrusting out several times in succession:

"Let's see how many times you can dodge!"

Qiu Zhen remained silent, his heart very calm.

Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to have any chance of winning when the True Gang realm fought against the True Qi realm.

However, he wasn't flustered.

On normal days, he had Master An Jishi, a martial arts grandmaster, sparring with him, giving him rich combat experience. In addition, he possessed the "Primordial Spirit Dharma Body," constantly deducing and perceiving his opponent's moves, and deducing the best timing for parrying and attacking.

Mei Qingshan was only a beginner in the Innate True Gang realm, and his protective true Gang wasn't solid enough, unlike top True Gang experts like Lin Shoulong, whose protective true Gang was solid. If he couldn't break through [Protective True Gang] when he attacked, he could still fight Mei Qingshan.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh ~"

Qiu Zhen stepped on the wind's edge, riding the wind, his movements like a ghost, easily dodging the storm-like spear techniques.

Immediately after, under the deduction, he flashed, seized Mei Qingshan's opening, accurately grasped his opponent's flaw, and slashed out with his saber.

This strike was extremely ruthless, aimed at Mei Qingshan's neck.

If it landed, even with his protective true Gang, he would likely have half his head sliced off.

Not good!

Mei Qingshan was alert and sensed the danger at the first moment, taking a big jump in his heart, and hurriedly raised his spear to block.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere!

The powerful and terrifying force rebounded, causing both of them to stagger and take a few steps back.

What good footwork! What good saber technique!

Mei Qingshan was still afraid, and he no longer dared to be careless.

He originally thought that he had an infinite advantage over Qiu Zhen because of his higher realm.

Who knew that his opponent's footwork and saber technique would be so powerful.

Mei Qingshan suddenly woke up, and his whole person became extremely serious. He didn't dare to be "greedy" and reveal flaws. His spear technique became even more fierce, and his offense, defense, advance and retreat became more methodical.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

For a time, the two fought fiercely in the forest.

Spear energy and saber energy crisscrossed, knocking down trees, with large pits connected to small pits, creating a mess.

The fight between the two became more intense.

However, after a fight, subtle changes took place in the situation.

Although at first glance, it still seemed that Mei Qingshan had the upper hand, constantly attacking.

However, in fact, Mei Qingshan was already shocked.

After fighting for half a day, with such fierce fighting, he hadn't even touched Qiu Zhen's clothes, let alone hurt him.

Looking at Qiu Zhen, who had a calm expression and was fighting with him, four words suddenly appeared in his mind for the first time.

Grandmaster demeanor!