Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

Behind the gate was a long corridor, about two zhang wide and ten zhang deep, with carriages parked on both sides, one every eight chi. In front of each carriage stood a coachman, whose clothes were uniform and printed with the words "Carriage Company".

They were all at the second or third level of the Qi Refining stage, and their ages ranged from twenty to fifty.

The sleighs pulling the cart had fiery red manes that, when the wind blew under the sunlight, looked like they were burning with flames.

The Fiery Sun Horse is the most common type of horse spirit beast in the cultivation world. It is said to be able to travel a thousand miles a day. Each horse is worth between fifty and one hundred low-grade spirit stones, which is extremely expensive for ordinary cultivators.

Lu Lin glanced at the wooden plaque in his hand and found category B, number sixteen, according to the number and category marked on the plaque.

The so-called Class B refers to the type of horses used for pulling carriages. Class A horses are in their prime and are faster, but the journey is bound to be bumpy. Class B horses are slower and older, but their advantage lies in their stability.

Upon arriving at the designated carriage, the coachman immediately approached and, noticing that Lu Lin had no bundle in his hands, asked with some curiosity, "Doesn't the master have any travel expenses?"

Ordinary cultivators, even those from aristocratic families, rarely possess their own Qiankun bags. Therefore, they must carry travel expenses with them whenever they go out, and it is very rare to see a traveler without any belongings.

Lu Lin said, "We'll stay at an inn and eat along the way."

Upon hearing Lu Lin's words, the coachman assumed he was just a rich, somewhat foolish young master and immediately stopped asking questions.

The coachman smiled respectfully and said, "Sir, please get in the carriage and wait. We'll set off as soon as the second person arrives."

The coachman was at the third level of Qi Refining, and looked to be about thirty or forty years old in mortal life. He seemed very mature and should be an experienced coachman, so it seemed that the journey would be much safer.

Lu Lin climbed onto the carriage using the wooden ladder on the side. The carriage was nearly two feet above the ground and had special patterns imprinted on it. After entering the carriage, there was a faint floral fragrance in the air, which was not unpleasant. Lu Lin even felt a bit cool, like he was in an air-conditioned room.

It seems that people in the cultivation world know how to enjoy life.

The carriage was about ten feet long, eight feet wide, and seven feet high, with a three-foot-wide aisle in the middle.

Three feet from the front of the carriage were seats, and against the wall was a small table, large enough to eat or to take out a brush to paint or write something. Six feet down in the middle were two beds, each two feet wide, for sleeping. At the very back, one foot down, there was a water vat on one side and a large wooden box on the other, presumably for storing travel expenses.

The carriage has windows on all four sides, which can be opened at any time to enjoy the scenery along the road.

Regardless of speed, such a carriage can meet almost all the needs of traveling.

Lu Lin sat down and summoned Xiao Hei to pat him in his arms, giving him the feeling of being about to go on a long trip.

After waiting in the carriage for a while, the second person finally arrived.

However, this person was somewhat unusual. He was dressed in simple hemp clothing, making no attempt to conceal his identity. He carried a trunk on his back, lowered his head, and climbed into the carriage. Upon seeing Lu Lin inside, a smile immediately appeared on his face, showing no sign of finding Lu Lin's black robes strange: "Fellow Daoist, are you also heading to the Cliff Academy branch in Ancient Spirit City?"

"Yes." Lu Lin looked at him and nodded in agreement, but his heart was far from calm as he appeared. He couldn't see through the scholar's true nature.

However, since the other party dared to walk in the cultivation world without concealing their identity, they must have some skills. Lu Lin secretly became more cautious.

The scholar took off his trunk and placed it on his seat.

Out of the corner of his eye beneath his black robe, Lu Lin caught a glimpse of the contents of the box—it was filled entirely with books.

But it was this fleeting glance that caught the scholar's attention. The scholar, however, seemed quite at ease and took the initiative to explain with a smile, "I am a disciple of the Confucian school. These books are mostly collections of classic texts I have gathered, including famous books and rare folk editions. They are quite mixed up. If you are interested, you are welcome to take a look."

Lu Lin was amazed by the scholar's perception.

He was dressed in a black robe, so his vision shouldn't be known to others, since they couldn't see his eyes at all.

Lu Lin asked, "Aren't you afraid I'm some kind of heinous villain? How could you let me spy on you like this?"

The scholar chuckled, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "I always treat strangers with kindness. As for peeping..."

"To be frank, I believe that all the classics of the world should not be privately kept. If this book inspires goodwill, then it should be distributed throughout the world. Furthermore, I am a scholar specializing in literature, and I would not hoard my knowledge. As far as I am concerned, it would be perfectly acceptable for me to give these books to you."

Lu Lin opened his mouth.

Although he had traveled through time and knew many famous Confucian sayings, he felt inferior to this scholar in terms of his state of mind.

But Lu Lin was still persistent, asking, "Aren't you afraid someone will steal these skills and surpass you?"

The scholar paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "There are countless books in the world, how many have I mastered? Isn't it only natural that you would surpass me? Besides, if my knowledge could be surpassed by someone who steals my knowledge, wouldn't that mean I am not good enough?"

To put it another way, if he can surpass me by secretly learning from me, wouldn't that be a different kind of "the student surpasses the master"? The fact that I allow him to learn from me means that I have something to offer, and I should be proud of that.

Lu Lin was at his wit's end.

This scholar's state of mind is simply impeccable; one look at him and you can tell he's been traveling the world of cultivation for many years.

So… Lu Lin became curious: “Fellow Daoist, what kind of assessment are you going to the Cliff Academy to participate in?”

The scholar paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "I don't know yet. My original intention was to gain experience. Going to the assessment site was merely to broaden my horizons, not necessarily to participate."

What kind of assessment are you taking, fellow Daoist? Is it beast taming?

The scholar looked at the little black dog in Lu Lin's arms and could tell that the dog's bloodline wasn't very good, even inferior to the Fiery Sun Horse that pulled the carriage.

"No, I'm a plant spirit master." Lu Lin didn't hide anything.

The scholar kept this matter in mind. Just then, a dignified voice came from outside the carriage: "My lords, we are about to depart. The journey may be bumpy, so please bear with us."

"Okay," Lu Lin and the scholar replied in unison.

The carriage then drove out of the corridor, and after turning a corner, arrived on the main street of Fengcheng.

The coachman continued, "We only travel for three hours each day, leaving the rest of the time for the Fiery Sun Horse and us to rest, but the daily journey is still around two hundred li."

This is the car dealership's rule; the driver is simply informing them, not consulting with them.

Lu Lin frowned: "Only three hours?"

A day has twelve hours, but only three hours are spent traveling. Isn't that a bit too slow?

The coachman's slightly apologetic voice came: "Although the Fiery Sun Horse is said to be able to travel a thousand miles a day, it is notoriously slow. In addition, the carriage is heavy, and we coaches are only earning a meager fee. Please understand, sir."

"Even the most patient person could walk for more than three hours, right?" Lu Lin said.

The coachman coughed lightly: "We can't travel at night either."

"Why?" Lu Lin asked, puzzled.

But at this moment, the scholar sitting opposite Lu Lin spoke up to explain to Lu Lin, saying, "The Fiery Sun Horse belongs to the Yang element. Under the scorching sun, its physical strength will be enhanced. However, at night, the Yin energy increases, which is incompatible with the Fiery Sun Horse's attributes, and its physical strength will be doubled."

"Of course, that's not the most crucial point."

Most importantly, a large part of the journey from Fengcheng to Guling City involves traversing forests. At night, monsters are more active, and the meat of the Lieyang Horse, a spirit beast, is delicious, fatty but not greasy, lean and easy to chew, and has no fighting ability, making it an easy target for monsters.

Besides, even without demonic beasts, there are still wandering cultivators who might block the road, hunt horses for food or sell them. This Fiery Sun Horse represents half a lifetime's fortune for an ordinary coachman, so naturally, he can't take that risk.

Upon hearing this explanation, Lu Lin was speechless.

He finally understood why the book said that the Fiery Sun Horse could travel a thousand miles a day, but at this carriage company, it could only travel two hundred miles a day.

So many factors are involved.

I haven't read enough books. Lu Lin sighed inwardly.