I never upgrade

Chapter 83 Meeting the Elder

So they continued along the road, and from this section of the winding mountain road on this level, the terrain rose significantly, meaning they would have to walk uphill from now on.

After walking for a while, Luca was exhausted. It hadn't eaten much and had already used up too much energy trying to catch the West Mackerel King. After walking such a long distance, it was almost completely worn out.

"I can't do it anymore!"

Luca let out a painful groan, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, completely exhausted.

Seeing this, Qingwu asked somewhat nervously:

"What happened? What's wrong with it?"

Xu Lun seemed to remember something, smiled, and said:

"It's starving; it hasn't eaten for days. If it really can't go on, could you please find it a place to rest and give it some meat?"

Upon hearing this, Qingwu immediately understood and nodded quickly:

"Oh, right, right, okay, I'll have someone arrange it right away, please wait a moment."

So he shouted in the direction of the barracks, and two guards who were on duty for the day immediately came over. He briefly explained the situation, and the two guards went to get food for Luka.

Qingwu and Xu Lun remained where they were.

Xu Lun asked curiously, "How much further do we need to go?"

Upon hearing this, Qingwu smiled and pointed to the opposite side:

"We need to go around the water source you just saw. Near its source is the entrance to the secret passage to the snow mountain. Once inside, follow the path, and you will eventually reach Lord Qingwang's residence."

Xu Lun looked in the direction he was pointing, and good heavens, to put it bluntly, it was going to circle most of the mountain, and all of it was on winding mountain roads. It was so far, even if Luca had eaten its fill, Xu Lun doubted it could handle it.

"Speaking of which, you're much stronger than you look..."

Qingwu sighed, then explained:

"I didn't mean any harm. I just thought you looked thin. I didn't expect you to walk so far without feeling tired at all. You're stronger than some of the people in our patrol team. You're amazing in terms of physical fitness."

Xu Lun was a little embarrassed by Qingwu's words. It was a difficult question to answer, and he could only use a smile to cover his embarrassment, but secretly he felt a pang of guilt.

"Don't I know my own worth?"

Xu Lun knew very well that the reason he didn't feel tired was because of the bracelet. However, he hadn't yet figured out what the bracelet had done to him, and he couldn't say whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, Xu Lun understood one thing very clearly: if he wanted to improve his strength as soon as possible, the only way was to strengthen his physical body. The stronger his physical body was, the longer he could withstand the power from the enemy, so that he wouldn't feel like his body was about to burst as soon as the bracelet's defense mechanism was triggered, and he wouldn't have to immediately release that power.

After a while, the two guards finally returned, and Xu Lun was stunned when he saw them:

The two of them, one in front and one behind, used a stick to tie up an animal that looked very much like a mountain dolphin, just like when Luka was tied up and brought back to Zulu Village.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Lun was even more bewildered:

This animal, which looks a lot like a mountain dolphin, seems to be a mackerel...

Xu Lun then cast a questioning look at Qingwu, pointed at the thing, and asked:

"This...doesn't the Western Lion King outside have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, Qingwu smiled, waved his hand, and explained:

"It's alright. Its population reproduces too quickly. Once the numbers get too large, it becomes difficult to manage, which isn't a good thing for it. So every now and then, it sends in a new batch."

Goodness...

Xu Lun listened, unsure of what to say. The management style and business philosophy of the Western Mastiff King reminded him of a certain villain who snapped his fingers.

When Luca saw the food, his eyes lit up. He had been drooping his head and looking listless, but now his ears perked up, his neck stiffened, and drool dripped from his mouth.

"Alright, you stay here and eat at your leisure, I'll go now."

Xu Lun said to Luka.

"Uh-huh!"

The other party readily nodded, his eyes fixed on the plump mackerel without even blinking.

Xu Lun smiled, said nothing more, and turned to continue walking forward.

However, Qingwu had witnessed his conversation with Luca, and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had a premonition of something:

"Can they understand each other?"

A hint of doubt flashed through Qingwu's mind, but it disappeared in an instant. He followed, looked at Xu Lun, and then at Luka, who was preparing to feast behind him, and couldn't help but show a curious look.

For the rest of the journey, Qingwu seemed to be preoccupied with something. Although he didn't show it, he became noticeably quieter.

He barely spoke to Xu Lun anymore, and just walked silently until they arrived near the inverted glacier that Xu Lun had seen earlier.

Xu Lun stopped and looked at the inverted glacier, noticing that it hung upside down on the cliff because its source, located above, came from a huge opening in the cliff face—

The cave entrance resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, while the glacier was like its drool.

"puff..."

Xu Lun chuckled at his own association; although it sounded a bit strange, he really did think it was very similar...

There were many guards around, and judging from their thick animal skin coats, the temperature here must be very low, because even Qingwu took a coat from a guard and put it on himself.

However, Xu Lun did not feel particularly cold. He could sense the cold, but he didn't really feel anything.

He knew without a doubt that this was due to the influence of the bracelet.

"Here, aren't you cold?"

Qingwu also handed Xu Lun a coat. Although Xu Lun wasn't cold, he didn't want to attract too much attention, so he took the coat and put it on.

Just then, a woman's voice rang out from ahead:

"Is this the person Lord Qingwang wanted to see?"

Qingwu turned around and saw the newcomer. He immediately knelt on one knee, placed his right fist in front of his chest, and bowed his head in greeting.

"Yes, Elder."

He then stood up again, turned around and introduced himself to Xu Lun:

"This is our Elder Qingyu, she is the representative of Lord Qingwang."

A mature woman wearing a floor-length robe walked slowly towards them.

Xu Lun noticed that her robe was made of feathers, which was completely different from the rough animal skins worn by everyone else present.

The texture of this feather robe is very delicate, and the color of the feathers is also outstanding. It is a combination of snow white and gray, which looks like real wings. It is thick and warm.