Nulang's group, with him as the strongest, had just broken through to the Qi Movement Realm. His internal Yuan Qi was still unstable, and cultivators at this stage were most prone to anger and easily swayed by emotion. The other seven or eight were mostly in the Body Tempering Realm, with a few at the Kaiyuan Realm, but none possessed much strength. They relied solely on their numbers.
Nulang had certainly heard of Yang Kai's capabilities, so he didn't take him too seriously. The only concern was the woman accompanying Yang Kai; she didn't look like an easy target.
But after a moment's thought, he felt she probably wasn't much of a threat. After all, she looked quite young, and none of Lingxiao Pavilion's famous disciples seemed to be her.
Furthermore, if her strength was truly profound, why would she need to buy horses to travel? Once a cultivator reached a certain level, their own speed far surpassed that of a horse.
With this thought, Nulang's worries eased.
Little did he know, Xia Ningshang had bought the horses solely out of consideration for Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai was only at the fourth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm; how fast could his own speed really be?
The disciples from Wind and Rain Tower quickly prepared and set out, following the hoof prints.
Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang were galloping forward on horseback, unaware that two groups had already set out in pursuit, one behind the other, neither with good intentions.
Though Xia Ningshang's strength was decent, she hadn't yet condensed her Divine Sense, so she couldn't scan a wide area for activity around them.
The two rode on in silence, rarely speaking. Xia Ningshang led the way up front, with Yang Kai close behind. Their two horses ran swiftly, one after the other.
It wasn't until nightfall that they found a spot with a water source, made a fire, and rested.
They took out the food they had purchased in Wumei Town, ate a little, then sat around the campfire to relax.
After a day's travel, Yang Kai had figured out his junior sister's temperament. She was timid and shy; her ears would redden after just a few words, and she spoke in a soft, gentle voice, seemingly without a temper.
Her personality made it difficult for Yang Kai to initiate conversation, for fear of startling her.
Ever since he had comprehended the mystery of the Proud Bone Golden Body and grasped the mysterious martial skill Unyielding Pride, Yang Kai found that the True Yang Technique had changed.
In an environment containing Yang Qi, he could circulate the True Yang Technique to absorb the Yang Qi and condense Yang Liquid.
Even in an environment without Yang Qi, he could still circulate the True Yang Technique to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This energy, refined by the True Yang Energy within his body, was then absorbed by the Proud Bone Golden Body.
The limitation of his training environment had suddenly vanished. For Yang Kai, this was simply the best possible news.
After three full days of travel, they finally arrived at a small town a thousand miles away from Lingxiao Pavilion. They stabled their horses in the town and found an inn to stay for the time being.
According to Xia Ningshang, they wouldn't need the horses for the next part of the journey, as they would be entering the mountains, where horses naturally couldn't go.
Deep in the night, the inn was utterly silent.
Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang were in adjacent rooms, both with lights blazing inside. Yang Kai was meditating and cultivating, while Xia Ningshang was lost in a jumble of thoughts.
Over these three days of traveling together, they had exchanged fewer than ten sentences. Xia Ningshang felt quite awkward about it. After all, she had sought his help, yet she was treating him so neglectfully; it really wasn't right.