The middle-aged man did not move immediately, but waited a moment, a cold smile playing on his lips, his figure flashing and vanishing. His Purple Elixir spun, sending streams of pure inner force out into the meridians of his legs, cycling according to the Feiyun Bu (Flying Cloud Steps) mental formula, achieving speed as swift as lightning.

Li Muchan’s figure flickered, faster than a galloping horse, flying dozens of zhang in the blink of an eye, transforming into a small black dot that melted into the night.

He realized his lightness skill had drastically improved, his speed nearly doubled—clearly the effect of the Mind Pearl. "Heh heh, truly a superb technique!" A cold laugh rang out, and suddenly the middle-aged man appeared ahead of him, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a perfectly composed, cold sneer. With a muffled bang, after several phantom images flashed by, Li Muchan veered eastward.

The middle-aged man merely smiled coldly. After Li Muchan had run dozens of zhang, he flashed again, intercepting Li Muchan. His movement technique was strange, almost impossible to see.

This movement technique shared a similar principle with Li Muchan’s Feiyun Bu—both gave the impression of traversing space. However, Feiyun Bu was conspicuous, like a bullet leaving a muzzle; his technique was silent. Li Muchan changed direction again, still heading east, though slightly southward this time, evading him.

The middle-aged man acted like a cat toying with a mouse, his movements leisurely, neither hurried nor slow. By the time Li Muchan had run dozens of zhang, he caught up in an instant, clearly intending to drain every last bit of Li Muchan's strength.

He pondered that this monk hadn't eaten for three days and had little energy left. No matter how profound one's inner force, it couldn't compensate for food; even a martial arts master was weak on an empty stomach.

He kept flashing, suddenly blocking the way, like a phantom. Li Muchan could only keep changing direction, punctuated by repeated bangs. His figure diffused, appearing as if he had become dozens of men.

At this moment, Li Muchan’s complexion was crystalline like jade, suffused with purplish qi, his eyes glittering like cold stars, his gaze dazzlingly sharp. Though not conventionally handsome, he possessed an arresting charisma. The middle-aged man sneered: "Good boy, you really were feigning weakness!"

Li Muchan’s current state was a world apart from before, as if two different people were fighting. The Jingang Buhuai Shengong (Indestructible Vajra Divine Art) was circulating, naturally altering his appearance.

In a flash, Li Muchan had covered several li eastward, still showing no sign of exhaustion. He had arrived at a forest. The middle-aged man grew impatient, sneering: "You can stay here!"

He vanished in a flash, and simultaneously, with a dull thud, Li Muchan conjured several shadows and darted into the woods. When the middle-aged man reappeared, he stood where Li Muchan had been moments before, having missed him by a fraction of a second.

His face darkened, as if an iron mask of frost had settled over it. Cold electricity shot from his eyes, the light so substantial it seemed to dispel the surrounding night. He vanished and immediately plunged into the woods after him.

The rule was Feng Lin Mo Ru (When entering woods, do not enter), but since Li Muchan’s martial arts were far inferior, he posed no threat, and the man charged in without hesitation.

Li Muchan weaved through the woods, and suddenly, another thud sounded. As he disappeared, a green shadow flashed—the middle-aged man had struck his afterimage. Bang, bang, bang—the dull sounds were incessant. Li Muchan continuously executed Feiyun Bu, narrowly evading every attack. The middle-aged man laughed coldly: "Good! Very good!" Li Muchan smiled slightly: "I still do not know your esteemed name, sir!"

The middle-aged man’s face grew colder; he felt he had been made a fool of. The fact that Li Muchan could speak while evading meant he still held reserves—he was merely playing with him.

He was unaware that Li Muchan employed the skill of 'three minds operating as one'; while using his inner force, he could concentrate on other matters.

He simultaneously tracked the middle-aged man's thoughts while urging on Feiyun Bu, reserving one mind to contemplate an escape plan.

The middle-aged man’s movement technique was too fast; his form was impossible to discern. If not for his Xintong (Mind Telepathy), knowing his intention a step in advance, he would have been caught long ago.

The middle-aged man’s technique continued unabated. He murmured coldly: "Remember this: my surname is Leng, my given name is Feng. When you reach the Hall of Yama, you may announce my name; you will find many kindred spirits there!" "Leng Feng…" Li Muchan tasted the name. The bang bang sounds continued as he kept using Feiyun Bu to dodge the onslaught. Li Muchan chuckled: "This name suits you quite well." "Little monk, don't let me catch you!" Leng Feng grinned, but the smile was inexplicably chilling, causing one to shudder. Li Muchan remained unmoved, chuckling: "Rest assured, you won't catch me this time." "Very good!" Leng Feng’s figure swayed, and amidst a cold laugh, he drove out a punch. With a crack, a pine tree behind Li Muchan snapped clean in half; he had already sidestepped.

Leng Feng’s attack missed, and he instantly flashed forward with another punch, saying coldly: "If I catch you again, I certainly won't seal your pressure points!" Bang! Crack! Li Muchan dodged, and the pine tree behind him was shattered by the fist. Li Muchan smiled faintly: "Sealing my pressure points is useless."

Leng Feng stated blandly: "Indeed. If sealing points doesn't work, I'll cripple your martial arts directly, severing your tendons in your hands and feet. Let's see how you escape then?" He said this lightly, his voice gentle, and Li Muchan merely chuckled.

This Leng Feng appeared cold and straightforward, acting decisively, yet he was actually a cunning individual who played psychological games; ordinary people easily fell for his tactics.

However, Li Muchan’s resolve was firm, and he remained unperturbed, merely offering a slight smile: "Very well! If I ever catch you, I shall surely repay the favor!"

"Try again in the next life!" Leng Feng sneered disdainfully.

While speaking, one flashed and one pursued; over a dozen pine trees were broken.

"Hah!" Leng Feng suddenly let out a roar, like a thunderclap, making the entire forest rustle and leaves cascade down.

Li Muchan’s movement stalled, and he was instantly struck in the chest with a muffled bang, flying heavily backward.

He crashed through two pine trees with his back, then suddenly hooked a trunk, rotating halfway before using the momentum to fly out, directly plunging into the woods. With two bangs, he vanished. He continued executing Feiyun Bu while wiping blood from his mouth, smiling wryly to himself. His Xintong was not omnipotent; the moment Leng Feng formed the thought, the sound emerged. He tried to resist the force but could not block it entirely.

Fortunately, the Jingang Buhuai Shengong absorbed most of the force, even though it couldn't block it completely. His internal organs were astonishingly resilient, suffering only external and minor internal injuries. He wiped his mouth while using Feiyun Bu, a smile fixed on his face.

At the moment of impact, while operating with 'three minds as one,' his Xintong had not stopped. He suddenly captured a thought—it was the meridian circulation method for that specific fist technique. In his surprise, he was overjoyed. Could his Xintong be utilized in such a marvelous way?

Leng Feng caught up again and frowned when he saw the monk leaping about, his Feiyun Bu flowing smoothly, looking at Li Muchan with secret surprise. He knew the power of that punch intimately; it could shatter stone, without a doubt.

A flesh-and-blood body could not withstand such a blow, yet the young monk didn't seem injured. Even if he possessed external hardening techniques, he shouldn't have survived that strike. It was truly bizarre. The situation reached a stalemate once more.

He delivered punch after punch, breaking tree after tree. Li Muchan always managed to evade them narrowly, as if he knew his movements in advance.

After dozens of blows, even with his profound inner force, a chill began to set in. He found it utterly baffling. The young monk’s movement technique was clearly inferior, yet he could evade him. Could it be that he was hiding his true skill, and his mental formula was actually superior?

Li Muchan suddenly flickered, vanished, and then reappeared ten zhang away, a smile on his face: "Leng Senior, we shall settle this account another day. Farewell for now!"

Just a moment before, in a fleeting thought, a diagram of a mental formula line suddenly appeared in Li Muchan's mind. He was instantly delighted—it was Leng Feng’s lightness skill formula.

In his great joy, he experimented immediately. Indeed, it was several degrees superior to Feiyun Bu.

Li Muchan was slow in expression but quick in comprehension. The ease and precision with which he manipulated inner force were rarely seen in the world. As soon as he memorized the formula, he executed it flawlessly.

Leng Feng was stunned. He watched Li Muchan flash away and then reappear a dozen zhang further out. His lightness skill had advanced by several degrees. His face grew colder, confirming his suspicion that Li Muchan was deliberately fooling him.

He flashed, appearing behind Li Muchan. Li Muchan simultaneously flickered, disappearing and reappearing ten zhang away. The two moved one behind the other, flying out of the woods in the blink of an eye. Afterward, they ran side by side, the chase resuming.

Leng Feng possessed deep inner force, propelling his legs with speed like wind and lightning. Li Muchan, however, excelled due to the purity of his inner force, its circulation being several times faster than an ordinary person’s.

With three Mind Pearls formed, his spirit was strengthened, and the speed of his inner force circulation increased slightly. Combined with the inherent purity of his force, and now having secretly learned Leng Feng’s lightness skill, when he exerted himself fully, he was no longer inferior to Leng Feng. Thus, the pursuit began. Li Muchan ran desperately, and Leng Feng, refusing to believe it, chased relentlessly, yet he could not close the distance between them; it remained constant. In moments, they had covered over ten li, arriving at the foot of a dense, verdant mountain.

Li Muchan burst into loud laughter: "Senior Leng, your horse is excellent. Very spirited, with strong bone structure. It must be delicious stewed!"

Leng Feng’s face darkened, and he roared: "Shut up! Are you truly a monk?"

Li Muchan chuckled: "Though I am a monk, I do not abstain from meat or wine. If I obtained that horse, I would naturally find a way to tame it and keep it for myself... I only fear that if someone else got it, your little Hong'er would only recognize you and would have to be slaughtered if untamed!"

Leng Feng’s expression was grim. He said coldly: "Trying to play mind games with me? Put that away! No matter what, you cannot escape!"

Li Muchan shook his head and sighed helplessly: "Senior Leng, we have no past grievances, nor recent feuds. Why must you pursue me so relentlessly?" "You offended the Helian Family, which means you offended me!" Leng Feng sneered coldly. As they spoke, they flew close to the treetops, heading up the mountain like two wisps of light smoke, one following the other. Li Muchan sighed, and in desperation, he once again unleashed the Sheshen Dafa (Life-Sacrificing Great Art).

After striking several pressure points, his figure accelerated sharply. With a sudden flash, he vanished from Leng Feng’s sight, leaving only the rustling of leaves. Leng Feng paused, knowing he had plunged into the woods, and hurried to follow.

Once inside the woods, there was no sign of Li Muchan, as if he had suddenly turned into a wisp of smoke and dispersed from the world. Leng Feng strained his ears but heard no sound. He leaped back onto the treetops and rushed toward the opposite peak.

Reaching the summit on a large rock outcrop, he bent over and surveyed the entire forest below—lush and dense. His eyes, like a hawk’s, swept slowly across, discerning every leaf, seeing any abnormal movement immediately. After searching for a while, his expression grew grim, cold electricity shooting from his eyes.

After another moment, he took a deep breath and stamped his foot. A boulder, twice the height of a man, instantly cracked open, shattering into a pile of rubble. Cold electricity flickered several times in his eyes as he drifted down from the peak.

Li Muchan was hidden in a mountain cave, sitting cross-legged, circulating his energy to recover, contemplating the Sheshen Dafa and trying to find a way to counteract its effects. The Sheshen Dafa caused immense harm to the body; he still felt lingering dread.