Chapter 49 - Limited to 40 Knots

"Actually, there are several cultivation universities with excellent Painting and Calligraphy Majors in Shu Province. If you can't get into West Shu Fine Arts Academy, you could consider those schools."

Seeing Pei Jun's downcast expression, Su Mu offered a few words of comfort.

Pei Jun sighed lightly, "I know, I'll give it some more thought. Thanks, though."

Su Mu waved his hand dismissively, "What's there to thank me for? If there's nothing else, shall we get going?"

"Bye," Pei Jun waved.

Kevin chimed in, "Buddy, next time we meet, we should have a proper chat. I've got so many questions I didn't get to ask, like..."

Pei Jun's smile froze on his face as he quickly pulled out his phone and pretended to answer a call, "Hey, hello, oh, it's me. What? You need me to come over right away? Okay, okay, I'll be right there..."

Covering the phone, he apologized to Kevin, "Sorry, man, my relative needs me to drop by urgently. I have to go, bye, we'll catch up some... uh, time."

He was about to say 'next time' but thought better of it, fearing Kevin would take it literally. So he swallowed his words and ran off as if making an escape.

Watching Pei Jun's retreating figure, Su Mu clicked his tongue, "How badly did you scare him?"

Kevin looked hurt, "I swear to God, I didn't scare him. I barely said anything."

Shaking his head, he asked, "Ready to go? Shall we take off?"

Su Mu suddenly remembered something and quickly took out his phone to send a message to Wen Wubin, telling him he'd be riding down the mountain on Kevin's broomstick and there was no need to trouble Teacher Sun with a ride.

After securing his phone, he patted Kevin on the back, "Let's go."

The tail end of the broomstick immediately lit up with a series of glowing runes, dazzling to behold.

A powerful thrust appeared, and with a 'whoosh', the broomstick, along with the two of them seated on it, shot up into the sky.

The launch was so rapid that the sudden onslaught of wind nearly ripped Su Mu's hands from the broomstick handle, almost causing him to fly off.

Su Mu was startled, fearing he would fall from the broomstick. But just then, an invisible force enveloped him, securing him firmly to the broomstick.

Kevin looked back and laughed, "Haha, don't worry, buddy. My broomstick has top-notch safety features. You could let go of your hands and embrace the sun, and you still wouldn't fall off. How does it feel to ride a broomstick? Cool, right?"

"It's pretty cool, just a bit blustery," Su Mu managed to say, struggling against the wind that was so strong he had to shout to be heard.

Kevin replied, "We could shield against the wind, but I don't see the need. Riding a broomstick should feel the wind; otherwise, it just isn't the same... Come on, buddy, let me make it even cooler for you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kevin accelerated sharply. He didn't just speed up; he also performed a series of stunts in midair, such as rolls, dives, and climbs, which jostled Su Mu so much that he felt nauseous, as if he were car sick.

Unaware of Su Mu's discomfort, Kevin still asked with a smile, "How does it feel? Pretty awesome, right?"

"Slow... slow down..."

"Oh? You want to go even faster?"

"Stop, I'm going to be sick!"

Eventually, Kevin did stop, but not because Su Mu was going to throw up. They were intercepted by a Traffic Police officer riding a flying sword.

It's no wonder that Qingcheng Mountain is home to a cultivation university; even the police officers are cultivators. Upon reflection, it made sense—ordinary police would be ineffective in a place full of cultivators.

"Foreigner? Do you speak Chinese? If you do, that's good. Do you know that you were dangerously speeding? Passport and driving license, please!"

The Traffic Police officer checked Kevin's passport and license, then lectured him, "This is a campus area. There are many beginners learning to use Flying Items. Speeding on a broomstick like you were is very dangerous. That's a three-point penalty and a fine of 50,000. If it happens again, you'll be detained!"

Kevin cooperated, paying the fine and retrieving his passport and license.

The Traffic Police officer gave him a few more words of advice, then pointed to the sky, "Didn't you see that '40' formed by the flock of geese up there? That's the speed limit sign—40 knots. When you're flying, keep your eyes sharp."

Su Mu looked up and indeed saw a flock of geese occasionally forming the number 40 and sometimes an exclamation mark.

The traffic signs here were made by geese—how could anyone expect that?

After the Traffic Police officer left, Kevin lost interest, "A speed limit of 40? That's too slow, no fun. Hey buddy, want to try?"

Su Mu was quite interested but still a bit concerned, "I don't think I can. I've never learned, and I don't have a license."

"Don't worry, buddy. Didn't that Traffic Police officer say so? This is a school, and there are a lot of beginners here. Within this area, you can operate a Flying Item even without a license, just don't fly out of the mountain gate."

"Flying Items are not hard to learn, and my broomstick runs on the energy from a spirit card, so even though you're not a cultivator, you can still pilot it. It's very safe; even if you fly poorly and crash into the mountains, it will ensure we're not hurt."

While explaining, Kevin began teaching Su Mu the skills for piloting a broomstick.

After listening for a while, Su Mu felt something familiar. With a thought, the knowledge he learned in the examination space about the Flying Sword Major immediately came to mind.

"Basic Flying Sword Piloting Skills: 5 points (Average), grade C"

The techniques Kevin was describing had many similarities to this knowledge.

It seemed that while flying swords and broomsticks looked different and required different postures, the essence of piloting them was the same.

That made things easier!

Su Mu spent 100,000 to directly learn the Basic Flying Sword Piloting Skills to 10 points (Flawless), and his level was raised to grade A.

Learning to fly a sword was necessary, especially the piloting technique.

In Shu Province, the tradition of Sword Immortals has been prevalent since ancient times. Under such a tradition, even if the cultivators in Shu Province didn't enroll in a Flying Sword Major, they were expected to learn flying sword piloting. They had to take exams for academic credit, and if they failed, they had to retake the course.

It's like how most majors on Earth require students to learn advanced mathematics...

Armed with the perfect version of the Basic Flying Sword Piloting Skills, Su Mu instantly evolved into a seasoned pilot.

He swapped places with Kevin.

While Kevin was still earnestly imparting his expertise and tips, Su Mu wasn't paying any attention to him. Following the techniques, Su Mu activated the broomstick and swiftly flew into the air with a 'swoosh.'

"Huh?" Kevin's face registered surprise as his continuous chatter came to an abrupt halt.

Logically speaking, beginners usually struggle just to get a Flying Item off the ground, needing several attempts to manage it. But Su Mu nailed it on the first try, and moreover, his flight was incredibly smooth. There were no stalls during takeoff, nor any erratic speeding up, slowing down, or clumsy veering.

Wasn't he learning a bit too quickly?

Kevin was reminded of his own early days learning the broomstick: first stalling at takeoff and then, due to not being able to control the speed and direction, crashing headlong into the Alps. Although there were no injuries, he managed to knock down several of the ranger's cabins and a swath of forest as well.

Luckily, that area was part of his family's estate, which prevented a major problem.

Even so, his instructors praised him as a genius, claiming he was making rapid progress and learning quickly.

But now, compared to Su Mu's performance, Kevin realized that he wasn't a genius at all, just a novice.

Is this what a true Genius looks like—so terrifyingly impressive?