Only Dali glanced at Mo Han with complex eyes, then at Murong Feixue’s retreating back, sighed, and said no more.

At this moment, Mola walked up to Mo Han, sweat beading on his forehead, and spoke, “Brother Mo Han, I’ve mostly wrapped up my affairs here. I need to rush back to the city to send word to the Holy Capital that Xue Sha is not dead, and to report the cause of our casualties this time. I won't be able to stay with you. If you have time, feel free to come find me at the Grand Cathedral in Sky Dragon City; I’ll be there anytime.”

Mo Han quickly nodded and replied, “Don't worry, I will definitely come looking for you. You should hurry back. Oh, and please give my regards to the Saintess for me, tell her I am perfectly fine and not to worry too much.”

Hearing Mo Han’s words, a faint smile touched the corner of Mola’s mouth, and he said, “Rest assured, I will certainly deliver your message to the Saintess. Heh heh, I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, he smiled at the Flying Cloud group, turned, and led the remaining personnel of the Church of Light, using carriages to transport the bodies of the fallen, back into Sky Dragon City.

Seeing Mola depart as well, Mo Han turned to the others and said, “Let’s go help out for a bit too, then head back early.”

Upon hearing Mo Han’s words, everyone began to busy themselves.

It was already afternoon when Mo Han and his group finished their tasks and returned to the manor. Only then did they realize Murong Tian had not returned yet. Mo Han couldn't help but feel a pang of surprise. Murong Tian had only gone to the Imperial Palace to offer thanks; it shouldn't take this long. Had something else happened? However, he didn't dwell on it. After eating, he immediately went to his room to meditate. Although his battle with Jela was a narrow, hard-won victory, he had sustained significant internal injuries himself and needed immediate treatment. He had been forcing himself not to show any weakness earlier to keep Dali and the others from worrying. As soon as he was in his room, Mo Han instantly set up a barrier around it to protect himself. During his exchange with Jela, restricted by the Dou Qi Domain, Mo Han had inadvertently discovered that utilizing wind element magic could accelerate his Dou Qi condensation speed and attack velocity. This sparked a bold idea in Mo Han: if he could fuse magic and Dou Qi, wouldn't it vastly increase his strength? Then, even if he faced the Sword Saint again, he would have a fighting chance. Thus, Mo Han resolved to begin testing his concept.

However, at the start, Mo Han realized with frustration that the previous battle had almost completely drained him of his Dou Qi; he didn't seem to have a trace left. Mo Han had no choice but to use Light Magic to repair his damaged meridians. Fortunately, the meridian damage wasn't as severe as he had imagined, and under Mo Han’s continuous treatment, the damage was almost fully restored.

For the time that followed, Mo Han began attempting to use wind elemental magic to condense his Dou Qi. He found that the speed was easily more than double his usual condensation rate, which filled Mo Han with even greater joy. He decided to try other types of magic to see if they could also merge with his Dou Qi.

In truth, Mo Han was completely unaware of the profound danger of what he was attempting. The slightest lapse in focus or distraction could lead to backlash from either the magic or the Dou Qi, potentially costing him his life. But Mo Han had no thoughts of such outcomes; he was solely focused on researching how to fuse Dou Qi and magic. He was so utterly absorbed that he managed to narrowly bypass this perilous threshold.

Time passed without him noticing. Mo Han had no idea how long it had been; he was completely immersed in his pursuit. Before him, Mo Han was enveloped by a layer of deep blue Dou Qi clinging tightly to his body. Surrounding this Dou Qi, various magical elements manifested intermittently. Under Mo Han's control, different magical elements slowly merged into the blue Dou Qi. The color of the blue Dou Qi barrier shifted constantly—sometimes yellow, sometimes red, sometimes white—a truly captivating sight. In the center of this light barrier, Mo Han wore an expression of pure comfort as he continued his research.

After an indeterminate period, the light barrier around Mo Han gradually faded away. He opened his eyes, stretched languidly, and spoke, “That felt wonderful. I never imagined that Dou Qi and magic could complement each other so perfectly, speeding up the cultivation of both my Dou Qi and magic by over a hundred percent. While I haven't yet figured out how to blend magic other than the wind element with my Dou Qi, the fact that the wind element works means the others must too; I just haven't figured out the method yet.”

“Haha, if I manage to perfect this, I will truly be the most unique individual on this continent!”

Mo Han was already lost in the beautiful, imagined world of his future success.

When Mo Han finally dissolved the barrier and stepped out of his doorway, he was surprised to find a large crowd gathered outside. Not only were the members of the Flying Cloud Mercenary Group present, but Murong Tian, Murong Feixue, and Mola were also there.

Seeing Mo Han emerge, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Dali rushed to his side and exclaimed, “Are you alright? Why did you meditate for so long without a word? You made us worry ourselves sick!”

Hearing Dali, Mo Han asked curiously, “Have I been meditating for a long time? I feel like it was only a short while.”

At this, Anna interjected, “Brother Mo Han, you really don’t know how long you’ve been meditating? You’ve been meditating for five days! If you hadn't come out today, we were going to rush in.”

Hearing Anna’s reply, Mo Han himself was startled. He hadn't realized he had been researching for such an extensive period; he felt as if only an afternoon had passed. Realizing this, Mo Han immediately offered an apologetic look to Dali, “I’m sorry, I was too careless. I didn't realize this much time had passed; I became too engrossed in my meditation. I apologize for worrying you.”

Dali shook her head, saying, “It’s alright, as long as I see you are well, I am relieved.”

Mo Han walked toward the rest of the group and said with a smile, “Heh heh, I was indeed too careless and didn't think things through, causing everyone concern. It truly shouldn't have happened. I’ll treat everyone to a grand meal to make amends, hehe.”

Hearing Mo Han, Murong Tian spoke with a smile, “Heh heh, what are you saying, Young Brother Mo Han? As long as you are safe, we are all relieved. By the way, I can’t shake the feeling that you are slightly different since coming out this time, but I can’t quite place what it is.”