The modified carriages were originally designed to be pulled by Spirit Beasts. Given that Spirit Beasts came in a wide variety of shapes and forms, the method of pulling also differed greatly, from running and hopping to even flying through the air.
To accommodate this, the carriages prioritized passenger comfort above all else. They were equipped with a sophisticated formation that combined stabilizer arrays and shock absorber arrays as its core components, supplemented by other miscellaneous arrays that further enhanced the smoothness of the ride.
Consequently, no matter how roughly the modified carriage was pulled, the passengers inside would not feel any disturbance or jostling at all.
Leyvi had been pulling the linked carriages at a vigorous, uneven pace for a while, but thanks to the advanced formations, everyone inside enjoyed a perfectly comfortable and stable ride.
Whenever Leyvi ran out of energy, Bodo would happily swap places with him and take over the pulling. From time to time, Ava also emerged from her carriage to help pull the convoy.
After all, as a body cultivator, she preferred to use her body frequently; prolonged inactivity made her feel restless. Since she was sharing a confined space with others, she could not practice her usual indoor body training exercises. Pulling the carriage served as an excellent alternative form of physical training for the journey.
During this leg of the trip, Leyvi focused on learning how to walk and run using his Spiritual Touch. He created a pair of invisible legs connected to his real body, allowing them to substitute for his own limbs and perform all the movements. However, he quickly discovered that controlling these invisible legs was far more difficult than he had initially anticipated.
Using invisible hands to manipulate objects was one thing; if they were to disperse suddenly, it would not affect him personally. But invisible legs were fundamentally different. If they were to fail or disperse while supporting his entire body's weight, the result would be an immediate and undignified fall.
At the beginning, he fell frequently, struggling to coordinate the movements of both invisible legs and maintain his balance. Yet, with persistent practice, he slowly began to master the technique. Once he achieved a basic level of control, his next challenge was to find the optimal distribution of his mental energy. He needed to travel as far as possible before exhausting his reserves.
Now, Leyvi possessed the ability to move using either his physical energy or his mental energy. However, his mental stamina at this stage was nowhere near his physical endurance. The duration he could travel using the invisible legs was significantly shorter.
This was because his physical body already existed; he could simply run without conscious thought or extra preparation. The invisible legs, in contrast, had to be consciously created and constantly maintained. The process required far more mental focus and effort to replicate the natural, effortless function of his real limbs.
Later, Leyvi conceived a faster method for traversing the land with his invisible legs. He decided to attempt using his Bursting Steps technique with them. While the idea was promising, he knew its execution would be far from easy.
Previously, Leyvi had learned how to imbue his Spiritual Touch hands with Qi to strengthen them for combat. However, he had never attempted his Big Bang attacks using his invisible hands. The reason was simple: they could not yet contain the power of the accumulating Fiery Qi the way his physical body could. At least not for now. The invisible hands would simply disperse along with the Qi, wasting the attack. Mastering this was one of his ultimate goals. If he could successfully channel a Big Bang attack through his Spiritual Touch, he would finally possess a formidable long-range explosive technique.
To work towards this, he reasoned that starting with the Bursting Steps was a logical first step. Fundamentally, the Bursting Steps were no different from his Big Bang attacks; both involved charging Qi to unleash a tremendous explosive force. The key differences were that the Bursting Steps used a much smaller, more controlled amount of Qi since they were not intended to cause damage, and the direction of the released energy had to be precisely focused to propel him in the desired direction.
Since the Bursting Steps required less Qi, there was a chance his invisible legs might be able to handle the energy flow without immediately dispersing.
So, Leyvi's training resumed, marked by a series of repeated failures. His invisible legs would disintegrate mid air, bursting apart after each attempted explosive step and sending him tumbling to the ground in a variety of awkward and undignified positions, all while he was still hitched to the carriages.
Thankfully, the advanced formations within the carriages worked perfectly, insulating the passengers from the external chaos and ensuring their ride remained perfectly smooth.
All of Leyvi's strenuous training during the journey was naturally visible to everyone inside the carriages, providing them with a constant, if somewhat comical, spectacle.
The traveling party was divided among the three carriages. The crown prince, Dastan, stayed in the middle carriage together with Tamina, Tantan, Bodo, Barcas, and Livana.
The front carriage carried the core of the Leyan Family, including Barbara. The rear carriage housed Victor, Seraphina, Viola, Carla, and Cempaka.
Unfortunately, the occupants of the rear carriage suffered the most, as they had to endure Seraphina's near constant nagging and complaining throughout the journey.
Inside the middle carriage, Dastan watched Leyvi's latest tumble from the window.
"This Leyvi once told me that his ultimate goal is to live off his women," Dastan remarked. "But his actions are completely at odds with his words. He has been training nonstop. This does not look like the behavior of a man who plans to be a kept husband. I cannot tell if he was being serious about that or not." He had been observing Leyvi pull their carriages for over a month now, and the contradiction was striking.
During this same period, Dastan had not been idle either. He dedicated his time to growing more familiar with his Nascent Soul power, delving into its mysteries and intricacies to fully master his new realm.
"Dohoho! Brother Leyvi is not a liar. So it must be true," Bodo declared excitedly, flexing his massive muscles. "It just means Brother Leyvi likes to become stronger, just like me." He could not wait for his turn to pull the carriages again, an activity he genuinely enjoyed.
The corner of Dastan's disguised face twitched. Not a liar? Are you sure about that? he thought incredulously. This prince was tricked and trolled by him more times than I can count. I truly do not understand why you hold him in such high esteem.
Since Bodo was sharing the same carriage, Dastan had not let the opportunity slip by. He had attempted to recruit the powerful body cultivator to join his kingdom on multiple occasions, but none of his offers seemed to work. No matter how generous the terms, which would have made many other cultivators leap at the chance, Bodo remained completely uninterested. He was no different than Leyvi in this regard, who similarly rejected his offers. Is it because they are both cut from the same simple-minded cloth? Dastan wondered in frustration.
"I think he truly has that intention," Tamina chimed in with a gentle smile. "But he comes from a very humble background. He cannot simply live off his ladies from the start. He must first work hard to ensure they are all successful and secure. It is a matter of working hard now to enjoy the benefits later."
"Is that so?" Dastan asked, his tone skeptical. He was not entirely convinced by this explanation.
"At least, that is what I think," Tamina replied aloud. Then, she continued using a sound transmission meant for his ears alone.
"As the future king, you must adopt this mentality as well. Work hard for the kingdom first. Take good care of your subjects and bless them with prosperity. If you do, everything will eventually become peaceful, and you will be able to relax later, cultivating without worry or distraction." She offered the advice gently, drawing from her own understanding of leadership.
"Yes. This prince will keep this valuable lesson in mind," Dastan replied sincerely. Ever since his relationship with his royal fiancée had deepened, he had made a point to take her counsel seriously, largely because the thought of her disapproval was something he wished to avoid.
In the carriage, Barcas and Livana did not speak much, only joining the conversation on rare occasions. The two preferred to exchange words privately between themselves.
Tantan also seemed less energetic than usual, slumped lazily on Tamina's shoulder out of sheer boredom. Multiple months without any opportunity to bully large demonic beasts had left her feeling utterly listless.
Suddenly, the linked carriages jolted to a halt, and they heard Leyvi's voice call out. "Uhh, guys... I think we have a problem. Come out and see this."
Hearing the urgency in his tone, everyone quickly stepped out of the carriages to investigate. The moment their feet touched the ground, they felt intense, powerful tremors ravaging the land. The sophisticated formation inside the carriage had completely insulated them from the violent shaking.
"What is this? An earthquake?" Dastan asked, his voice raised over the rumbling.