... Yet, Lei Dong did not respond to his words, but instead kept staring fixedly at the doorway, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Senior Sister Ding, please stop joking with us junior brothers."

No sooner had his voice faded than the air at the empty doorway began to subtly distort, a thin wisp of black mist curling past. Ding Wanyan’s figure, growing ever more statuesque and lovely, manifested before them as if from thin air, clad in the sect’s black-and-red disciple robes, a cloak fluttering wildly in the foul wind. This lent her less gentle elegance and far more dashing heroism—a cold, beautiful sharpness. Her pair of clear, exquisite eyes fixed on Lei Dong, surprise coloring her expression. "Junior Brother Lei, your cultivation is clearly much lower than mine, yet how did you see through my Yin Sha Evasion Technique?"

The Yin Sha Evasion Technique was a specialized movement art. Usually, its effects were quite ordinary, but when the surrounding environment was saturated with Yin Sha energy, employing this technique was like a fish finding water. It allowed one to cloak their movements using the malevolent energy, becoming elusive and ghost-like. If cultivated proficiently, in areas dense with Yin Sha, it could achieve an effect close to true invisibility.

This was an evasion art that could unleash formidable power in specific environments. Its drawback, however, was that Yin Sha energy was not gathered everywhere. Still, since the Yin Sha Sect had managed to popularize this technique, it naturally had its reasons for existence. A sect that largely built its reputation upon Yin Sha would naturally have mastered the utilization of that energy to a state of flawless perfection. The Great Yin Sha Art, a supremely potent technique of the Yin Sha Sect, could, when refined to its highest levels, conjure a sky-covering torrent of Yin Sha energy. Rumor held that when a Golden Core ancestor deployed this Great Art, they could turn an area of dozens of li radius into a battlefield brimming with Yin Sha.

And the Yin Sha Sect possessed numerous spells that gained immense power in areas saturated with Yin Sha; the Yin Sha Evasion was one such example. Ding Wanyan’s choice to cultivate the Yin Sha Evasion clearly signaled her intention to follow the path of the Great Yin Sha Art in the future.

However, the Great Yin Sha Art was no simple spell. It was not only extraordinarily demanding on the practitioner's aptitude but, more critically, incredibly difficult and fraught with mortal danger during cultivation. Otherwise, such a powerful Great Art would surely be learned by everyone. Take Lei Dong, for instance; he dared not even entertain the thought of the Great Yin Sha Art, danger aside. Merely the supplementary time and mental energy required for its practice were costs Lei Dong could not afford to pay. Perhaps only someone of Ding Wanyan’s exquisite talent had a chance of success. But even that was only a chance. Otherwise, the Great Yin Sha Art would not be so notorious and terrifying throughout the cultivation world. And the fact that the Yin Sha Sect was known throughout the lands, ranking among the Eight Great Sects, owed perhaps half its reputation to the Great Yin Sha Art.

"Senior Sister Ding, your courage is truly astonishing, to dare cultivate the Great Yin Sha Art." Having pieced the cause and effect together, Lei Dong could only offer a wry smile. "The reason I could see through Senior Sister Ding's Yin Sha Evasion is twofold. First, as my main cultivation is the Ghost Control Art, I naturally practice the Divine Tempering Art. After years of diligent effort, my Divine Tempering Art has achieved some minor success. My mind and spiritual sense are not weak, making it easier to discern various evasion arts. Second, it is perhaps because Senior Sister has not been practicing the Yin Sha Evasion technique for long and might not be entirely familiar with it. Just now, during the movement transition, a slight opening appeared, and the flow of Yin Sha was not perfectly unified."

Ding Wanyan showed Lei Dong a look of mild admiration. "Whether I can master it remains to be seen. Junior Brother Lei is indeed extraordinary. I did feel a slight imbalance just now, but I paid it no mind. I apologize for letting you see my lapse."

Since Lei Dong became a direct disciple, his interactions with Ding Wanyan had increased manifold. Besides meeting regularly during the Ancestor's public lectures, in private, under Lei Dong's deliberate effort to cultivate rapport, their relationship, while not excessively frequent, had slowly solidified and warmed through daily contact. It was far from the stranger-like distance of their early acquaintance.

Chen Wei and the other disciple listened to Lei Dong and Ding Wanyan trading polite compliments. Beneath their inner amusement, their faces maintained an air of solemnity. While they dared to be less formal with Lei Dong, they barely dared to breathe heavily in front of Ding Wanyan, their 'eldest sister.' Especially after gossiping about her behind her back just moments ago, acting low-key now was surely walking straight into a trap.

"You two should leave first; Junior Brother Lei and I have matters to discuss," Ding Wanyan said, already starting to dismiss them before finishing a few sentences.

Chen Ge and Wei Hua dared not voice the slightest objection, bowing quickly to retreat. But as they reached the doorway, Chen Ge gave Lei Dong a sharp, meaningful wink, his gaze flicking toward Ding Wanyan. Even if Lei Dong had to use his backside to think, he knew the fellow wasn't suggesting anything proper.

Suddenly noticing Ding Wanyan seeming to turn back, they hastily assumed grave expressions and quickly withdrew with Wei Hua.

Only after they departed did Ding Wanyan let out a heavy sigh, her face feeling unaccountably hot. She had indeed come looking for Lei Dong, but she hadn't expected Chen Ge and Wei Hua to be present. Hesitating, she had considered slipping away quietly, but Chen Ge’s infuriating words had caused her internal energy to become unstable, exposing a flaw that Lei Dong immediately saw and called out. This forced her to bite the bullet, feign composure, and send the other two away.

Perhaps due to this lingering embarrassment, Ding Wanyan suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Lei Dong, assuming she was gathering her thoughts, also remained silent, standing in an attitude of respectful attention.

Ding Wanyan's mind was quite chaotic. She wondered if Junior Brother Lei was overthinking things? Would he think she was interested in him, which was why she came to visit? Before coming, she hadn't considered there was anything wrong with checking in on Lei Dong. Yet the reality had exceeded her expectations; by a strange twist of fate, an extremely ambiguous atmosphere had been created. Neither spoke, which only made the tension more awkward and strange.

Lei Dong was also inwardly startled. What was this shy, delicate look, with a slight flush on Senior Sister Ding's cheeks, signifying? Could it be that she harbored feelings for him? In the past, Lei Dong would never have considered such a thing. He had always been self-aware, knowing that given Ding Wanyan’s talent and beauty, she was far beyond his reach. Rather than invite humiliation, it was better to maintain a polite distance and not dwell on such unlikely matters.

Of course, nothing was absolute in this world. They were both young adults; prolonged contact could naturally foster inexplicable affections. But after a brief moment of inner stirring, Lei Dong swiftly cast the thought aside. Though Senior Sister Ding would be an excellent match, his own aptitude was mediocre. Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't be easy; if he let his focus drift to romantic entanglements and missed the optimal cultivation window, he might very well become permanently stuck at the Qi Refining stage for the rest of his life.

However, remaining in this awkward silence was unproductive and would likely only make things worse. Lei Dong coughed twice and chose a topic: "Senior Sister Ding, please do not be offended. Chen Ge has always been rather garrulous, but his heart is generally good. I hope Senior Sister doesn't take his words to heart."

Hearing Lei Dong speak with such clear logic, Ding Wanyan’s mind cleared slightly, and her expression regained some composure. She shook her head. "As the foremost direct disciple of this generation's Ancestor, it is inevitable that people will gossip behind my back. If I were to fuss over every comment, wouldn't I just be making trouble for myself?"

"Senior Sister is magnanimous," Lei Dong praised casually.

Taking a deep breath, Ding Wanyan swept away the jumble of thoughts in her mind and recalled the reason for her visit. She retrieved a small bottle of pills from her storage belt and presented it. "Junior Brother Lei, you do not practice the Sha Arts, so even if you constantly circulate your energy to resist, staying in this Yin Sha heavy land for long periods will inevitably lead to some Yin Sha contamination in your bloodline, which will damage your body over time. This bottle contains ten Extermination Pills; you must take one every month to purge the malevolent energy."

Lei Dong was momentarily stunned. What did Senior Sister's deep concern mean? Could it be that she truly harbored some feelings for him?