Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 225: Geographical Location

Qin Lu didn’t know exactly how large the world was.

However, from the fragmented geography texts he had read, he had pieced together a rough understanding of the continent.

The world was vast and boundless, but human civilization was concentrated in nine primary locations known as the Nine Provinces. Each province was immense; many low-level cultivators spent their entire lives without ever stepping beyond the borders of their home region.

Qin Lu lived in Li Province.

Geographically, Li Province was unique. Located in the southwest corner of the known world, it was surrounded by ocean on all sides, separated from the other eight continental provinces by vast, treacherous seas. To travel between provinces required high-level flying spirit boats capable of braving the storms.

The shape of the province resembled a pineapple tilted to the left, with its crown connecting to the neighboring Chu Province across a narrow strait.

Ancient cultivators had divided this massive landmass into eight administrative regions based on mountain ranges and spiritual veins: Wuwei, Hanzhong, Jianning, Yong’an, Xianghe, Chubei, Nanhai, and the Nine Truths Region.

Qin Lu was currently in the Nine Truths Region.

The Nine Truths Langya List, which Qin Lu read religiously, chronicled the events and rising stars of this specific region. Su Hao, the boy who had decimated the Blood Demon’s formation at White Jade Market, was the undisputed number one genius of this very land.

The Nine Truths Region was further subdivided into thirteen prefectures.

Flowing Cloud Prefecture was one of them.

And at the heart of Flowing Cloud Prefecture lay the most prosperous, bustling metropolis in the entire southwest: Shuntian City.

That was Qin Lu’s destination.

Since White Jade Market was located in the north, Qin Lu had to travel south, crossing the territories of several powerful Golden Core sects: the Demon Slaying Sect, the Wuji Sect, the Combined Sword Sect, and the Qingyun Sect.

He estimated the round trip would take at least a month.

“Huff! Huff!”

Qin Lu stood tall on the Silver Sand Sword, soaring through the clouds. A wind-blocking formation kept the gale at bay, turning the roaring wind into a gentle breeze that ruffled his hair.

Below him, the world unfolded like a painting—forests, rivers, mountains, and mortal villages speeding by in a blur of green and brown.

“Judging by the terrain, I’ve left the Demon Slaying Sect’s sphere of influence,” Qin Lu muttered, checking his mental map. “Ahead lies the Wuji Sect’s territory.”

It was the third day of his journey.

As he crossed the invisible border, Qin Lu tensed. He raised his guard, his spiritual sense expanding to its limit.

Caution was necessary here. The Wuji Sect had recently been the epicenter of a brutal war. Although the major conflicts had ceased, the region was still lawless, filled with rogue cultivators, bandits, and opportunists looking to pick the carcass clean.

Looking down at the familiar, scarred landscape, Qin Lu sighed.

“I never thought it would end like this…”

The war between the Wuji Sect and the Dragon Tiger Sect had concluded exactly as he had predicted: total defeat for the Wuji Sect.

According to the Immortal Sect Monthly Report, multiple Golden Core factions had besieged Mount Cangwu. The battle had raged for half a month, ending only when the Wuji Sect’s mountain gate was shattered and their Patriarch, Zhang Zhenyuan, perished in battle.

Qin Lu remembered reading the news with a heavy heart. He had lived in Wuji Market for a time. He had seen plays celebrating Zhang Zhenyuan’s life. To see such a figure fall so miserably was a sobering reminder of the fragility of power.

But it also validated his choices. Leaving when he did had saved his life. If he had stayed, he would be just another corpse buried under the rubble of Mount Cangwu.

“Fate truly plays tricks on us all…”

Screech!

A piercing cry shattered his thoughts.

A massive, bird-shaped Demon Beast dove from the clouds above, its talons extended and eyes burning with hunger.

Qin Lu didn’t even flinch.

In the wilderness, aerial ambushes were common. For a Qi Condensation cultivator, a second-tier flying beast was a death sentence. Even for an average Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would be a desperate fight for survival.

But Qin Lu wasn’t average.

“Whoosh!”

He braked sharply, the Silver Sand Sword leaping from under his feet into his hand. He hovered in mid-air, facing the charging beast with calm indifference.

Flick.

His wrist moved. A single flash of sword light cut the sky.

Swish!

Feathers and blood exploded in a gruesome cloud. The beast was dead before it even realized it had been struck, its body cleaved cleanly in two.

“Free Spirit Stones, delivered to my door,” Qin Lu chuckled.

He stored the sword and dove after the falling corpse. The sun was setting, and he needed a place to rest. Besides, bird meat was a delicacy, and he hadn’t had a good meal in days.

Although Foundation Establishment cultivators could sustain themselves on Spiritual Qi alone, Qin Lu still enjoyed the simple pleasure of eating. Old habits died hard.

He landed in a secluded clearing, stashed the beast in his Storage Bag, and began setting up camp.

Tonight, he would feast.