"Crack!" A whip lashed out toward Yang Yi. He gritted his teeth and braced himself. The sudden appearance of the vine whip was utterly bizarre, and aside from Yang Yi, there seemed to be no one else around. Yet, he knew exactly who was wielding it...

The air shimmered, and a small figure darted out, a disarmingly innocent smile plastered on her face. She held the vine whip in her hand and said sweetly to Yang Yi, "Brother Yi, don't blame Lianxue, okay? Grandpa told me to do this when he went down the mountain to gather herbs. If you get distracted, I have to whip you once. Hehe, Brother Yi isn't going to blame Lianxue, right?"

Yang Yi dared not think deeply or reply. He just ground his teeth, enduring the sting, his eyes locked intently on the stone. Sweat poured down him as the setting sun began to illuminate his frame. He had no intention of stopping halfway; after all, time was nearly up. After enduring for about an hour.

"Ugh, damn it, shameless, unscrupulous, son of a—unscrupulous old man! Damn it, is he torturing me like this?" Yang Yi finally let out the breath he'd been holding, slumping onto the ground, panting heavily. Muttering curses like "damn it" and "son of a..." in quick succession was strangely amusing.

"Hehe, Brother Yi, congratulations, you improved today! You only got distracted once." The little girl was named Murong Lianxue, an adorable and mischievous child. However, one must never be fooled by her sweet face. If she were to get serious, this girl's strength was at the Grandmaster level; even the current Yang Yi was no match for her.

"Alright, Lianxue, fetch me some water. I need to pack up quickly. If the unscrupulous old man comes back before I'm ready, I'll be in for it," Yang Yi said, looking at Murong Lianxue with a hint of fondness.

"Mm!" Murong Lianxue chirped sweetly in response and then scampered into the cave.

Watching her small figure, Yang Yi felt a surge of emotion. She was an orphan, raised by the same strange old man as he was. Thus, Yang Yi held great affection for her. Though she was the one wielding the whip, these lessons ultimately stemmed from that unscrupulous old man; after all, she had only just turned eight and understood very little.

Moreover, the whip strike just now was merely a light scratch, intended only as a reminder. Yang Yi was well aware of the force Murong Lianxue had actually used, and he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. "This girl is getting awfully familiar with me. Sigh, I don't know how much time has passed. The Black God Gang should be fine; with Yanran and Uncle Han there, I'm less worried. It’s those other three fellows..."

Thinking of this, Yang Yi shook his head. At this moment, he seemed unwilling to dwell on such matters. The battle with Black Lord had made him realize just how many masters there were in this world—so many that it sent shivers down his spine.

Black Lord, essentially, was merely an operative dispatched by the Black Dragon Society, what they called a Pioneer, sent to expand the Black Dragon Society's influence in China and seize the opportunity to strengthen their organization. Now, that faction had been wiped out by him. It was easy to imagine that even if the Black Dragon Society remained quiet for a short period, what about the future? If one or two more Black Lords showed up, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Because of this, Yang Yi took advantage of this period of recuperation to learn a few more things from that unscrupulous old man. After all, this fellow had ascended using three Cloud-Treading Ladders from below; the height difference between there and here was thousands of meters—an astonishing altitude. The greatest motivation, however, was learning their so-called Mind-Reading Art, which allowed them to see through anyone's thoughts at a glance. Of course, this Mind-Reading Art also had its drawbacks.

Mind-Reading Art was a treasure inherited from the ancient Han Dynasty. It was rumored that a strategist under a founding general was proficient in this art and had rendered invaluable service to the general and the Han Dynasty. Mind-Reading Art essentially relied on what people called concentration—observing the eyes, nose, mouth, face, ears, and even the breath—to discern what others were thinking. It was a profound study within Chinese metaphysics.

In modern society, doctors, assassins, and even special forces personnel utilize this type of mind-reading, though their skill is usually not as refined and requires physical practice to master.

The technique Yang Yi was currently honing, though capable of seeing through another's thoughts instantly, carried a flaw: if one used it on a truly pure person, someone utterly devoid of schemes, the only result would be dizziness. If practiced over many years, it could lead to neurosis.

Of course, for those who could control it skillfully, or distinguish targets with high accuracy, this particular affliction would not occur.

Day after day, time flowed onward.

Another week passed swiftly. He patted the long robe on his body and genuinely chuckled at the thought that he now dressed like an ancient man in robes. He had once asked the unscrupulous old man why he insisted on wearing robes in this era, only to receive a loud burst of laughter followed by a remark that left Yang Yi speechless: "I like it. What are you going to do about it?"

Helplessly, Yang Yi suppressed the urge to deliver a good thrashing to the old man and donned the robes. After all, refusing meant going around naked. Clad in a black robe, contrasting with his messy, tousled hair, a slightly roguish smile played across his handsome features, ensuring he hadn't lost all his charm.

"The Mind-Reading Art has been successfully mastered. Why on earth does this damned unscrupulous old man want me to wait for him here?" Yang Yi walked out of the cave entrance to the precipice-like edge. He glanced down; his car was still there. A faint smile touched his lips as he said softly, "Good thing I had Lianxue help me clean the car, or this vehicle would have been ruined."

"Brother Yi! Brother Yi!" A small figure materialized out of thin air and landed squarely on Yang Yi's back.

"Whoa... whoa!" Yang Yi cried out twice, quickly stabilizing his footing, a trickle of cold sweat breaking out on his brow.

He had nearly been scared off the edge by that girl just now. He quickly backed up a few steps and turned his head toward Murong Lianxue, who was clinging to his back. "You nearly scared me into falling off, Lianxue. Next time, don't do that. Greet someone from a safe distance first, then call out. Otherwise, like just now, we could both have fallen, and that's dangerous."

"Oh!" Murong Lianxue nodded, looking like she only half-understood, then added, "Brother Yi, you can use the Cloud-Treading Ladder to get down now. Why are you still scared?"

"Sweat!" Yang Yi felt a wave of internal dread. Although the unscrupulous old man had given him some pointers recently, his Internal Energy of the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic had broken through to the ninth layer, first stage. He had even tried jumping down from here and jumping back up from below, but that required borrowing external force. He wasn't like these monsters who could execute the Cloud-Treading Ladder merely by manipulating the air.

"Lian'er!" Suddenly, a figure leaped and appeared not far in front of Yang Yi, calling out.

"Grandpa, you're back!" Murong Lianxue chirped after hopping off Yang Yi's back.

"En..." The unscrupulous old man glanced at Yang Yi and laughed, "Brat, not bad. That outfit suits you quite well."

Hearing this, Yang Yi only twitched the corner of his mouth and remained silent. Seeing this, the old man apparently decided against wasting more words. "Go inside. I need to ask you something, and you must answer truthfully."

"Uh—oh." Yang Yi was momentarily startled, then followed the old man into the cave.

Once inside, the old man seemed transformed; his expression became stern as he scrutinized Yang Yi for a long moment before finally asking, "Who is Yang Yitian to you?"

"My grandfather..." Yang Yi, though unsure why he was being asked, answered directly.

"Your grandfather?" The old man pondered for a moment and remarked, "I don't recall that old fellow ever getting married, having children, or even having a grandson like you."

Mentioning his grandfather always brought a pang of emptiness and sorrow to Yang Yi’s heart. "I'm just an orphan. Grandpa adopted me from the orphanage."

"Oh? Good that you're telling the truth!" The old man let out a soft sound, then grinned broadly at Yang Yi. "Your grandfather and I were old acquaintances. How has he been lately?"

"Uh—I don't know. Probably taking a nap somewhere!" Yang Yi grew increasingly puzzled. This unscrupulous old man actually knew his grandfather? And it seemed he already knew Yang Yi was Yang Yitian's grandson. Then why hadn't he asked earlier, or perhaps just told him directly?

"Taking a nap?" The old man paused upon hearing this, then erupted into booming laughter. "Hahaha, that’s true. You’ve been here for over three months now; you wouldn't know where he is."

"Old man, what exactly are you trying to ask me?" Yang Yi retorted with impatience.

"Nothing much. Just asking casually. What... is that not allowed?" The old man looked at him with a playful smile.

Yang Yi was rendered speechless. This old man couldn't just be called unscrupulous; he was damnably shameless. "Spit it out. What else do you need to ask? Get it all out at once, don't drag it out like a woman."

"Oho? The brat has gotten cocky now that he's learned the Mind-Reading Art?" The old man wasn't sure if he was mocking Yang Yi or just teasing him. Seeing his frustrated look, he cut the banter short. After a pause, he asked, "Have you ever entered the Dead Man's Cave?"