He shared a room with Long Feng, and as he stirred, Long Feng was already rising too. In the room, Lightning and Shadow were energetic, having just consumed spirit medicine and now brimming with vitality.

Leaving the village lane led directly into the great mountains; indeed, Qingfeng Township sat at the foot of the mountains, a settlement clinging to the slopes.

"Long Feng, want to race? See who gets to the summit first?"

Zhang Yang stood at the base of the mountain, pointing at the towering peak ahead as he spoke to Long Feng, a broad smile still etched on his face.

This mountain was massive; the distance from the bottom to the top was considerable, and even with their Inner Strength, reaching the summit would take time.

"No race. Can I even beat you?"

Long Feng rolled his eyes and flatly refused Zhang Yang’s suggestion.

He was only at the second layer of Inner Strength, whereas Zhang Yang was already in the mid-third layer. The gap was too wide; racing Zhang Yang was pure self-torture, with no chance of victory.

"Haha, how about I let you have a five-minute head start? I’ll chase after you then, how’s that?"

Zhang Yang laughed loudly. Long Feng looked up at him, sensing something different about Zhang Yang today.

Today, Zhang Yang’s mood seemed significantly better than in the previous few days when he had been glum and withdrawn.

"Fine, five minutes. Lightning, keep an eye on him for me!"

After a moment, Long Feng finally shouted his agreement, then immediately sprang forward, sprinting rapidly up the mountain path.

He had said that last part to Lightning, knowing the little creature understood him.

"Chirp chirp!"

Lightning immediately chirped back. Zhang Yang understood its meaning: it was agreeing with Long Feng, assuring him it would be a fair referee.

Watching the little Lightning preen, Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle.

Since he promised five minutes, he would definitely wait five minutes before starting; Long Feng only asked it to referee to tease it, but Lightning took it seriously. Its intelligence was high, yet it lacked the ability to fully discern right from wrong.

Giving it something to focus on wouldn’t hurt; Lightning was currently full of restless energy that needed release.

Once five minutes were up, Zhang Yang immediately charged up the mountain. His speed eclipsed Long Feng's.

The mountain was dense with trees, through which Zhang Yang weaved rapidly. In moments, his figure vanished. If anyone were in the woods now, they would only see a shadow flashing through the forest.

Long Feng ran fast, but Zhang Yang ran faster. The pitch-black environment posed no hindrance to Zhang Yang. His keen hearing and extraordinary eyesight aided him immensely on the mountain path in the dark.

Ten minutes later, he heard movement ahead. Having only climbed halfway up the mountain, he was already close to catching up to Long Feng.

Five or six more minutes passed, and Zhang Yang could now make out Long Feng’s silhouette, though the summit was also fast approaching.

He accelerated again. Finally, just before the peak, he overtook Long Feng, reaching the mountaintop faster than his companion.

"Haha, Long Feng! You lost!"

Standing atop the summit, Zhang Yang gasped for breath, but mostly felt exhilarated as he shouted with laughter.

"If I lost, I lost. It doesn't matter, we didn't have any stakes, did we?"

Long Feng shrugged and smiled faintly. As he spoke, he recalled their very first wager.

It was that agreement that bound him to follow Zhang Yang for three years.

But because of that wager, he had gained things he never imagined. He had already received more than one spirit medicine and would continue to receive them in the future.

This was far better than the single spirit medicine reward he had initially agreed upon.

"Long Feng, let's spar a few moves!"

Zhang Yang suddenly cried out, and as he did, he launched a sweeping strike toward Long Feng. Long Feng’s expression instantly twisted in shock as he rapidly retreated, barely dodging the blow.

But the force of Zhang Yang’s punch still grazed his face, leaving it stinging.

"Despicable!"

"Haha!"

Long Feng only managed to utter one word before he could say no more, as Zhang Yang pressed his attack relentlessly. Long Feng was forced into a defensive posture, fighting and retreating simultaneously.

Zhang Yang wasn't using his full strength against Long Feng; even so, Long Feng was struggling to keep up. There was an entire cultivation layer between them; Long Feng was no match for Zhang Yang at all.

As they fought, the pair moved from the summit down to the mountainside. Many trees suffered damage from their clash.

Lightning and Shadow followed along, the two little ones chirping excitedly. The fiercer the fight became, the more thrilled they felt. Soon, Lightning joined the fray, though it sided with Long Feng against Zhang Yang.

If it had helped Zhang Yang, Long Feng would have been utterly defenseless.

Lightning's involvement added considerable pressure on Zhang Yang, but it also made him more excited.

The recent days of suppression had indeed affected Zhang Yang, and he needed an outlet, a release. With the outcome of his affairs due to be known today, he might as well let himself go completely.

This was also the reason he had proposed the mountain climb race earlier.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two of them and the beast exchanged fierce blows on the mountain as the sky slowly began to brighten.

Mid-fight, Zhang Yang suddenly frowned, stopping dead in his tracks. Receiving the silent cue from Zhang Yang, Lightning also ceased its attack immediately. Only Long Feng stood aside, bewildered.

However, Zhang Yang stopping was exactly what Long Feng wished for; he was exhausted from the fight and had been struck several times by Zhang Yang, making him miserable.

"Esteemed master, whoever you may be, since you are here, why not show yourself for a meeting?"

Zhang Yang listened intently for a moment, then carefully scanned his surroundings before calling out loudly.

Long Feng blinked in surprise, quickly standing straight while also looking around nervously. Since Zhang Yang said so, someone must be near, even if he hadn't detected them.

In truth, Zhang Yang hadn’t discovered anyone either; it was Shadow that had suddenly warned him that someone was approaching, and a powerful one at that.

Shadow’s little nose was exceptionally sensitive; no one could sneak past it.

"You can sense me?"

A voice filled with surprise suddenly rang out. Zhang Yang and Long Feng turned simultaneously. From behind them, a man in his early forties slowly walked into view, his eyes still holding a look of inquiry.

"May I ask who you are?"

Zhang Yang immediately demanded, simultaneously channeling Inner Strength and adopting a posture of guarded readiness.

This person managing to approach without alerting him meant his strength was considerable, perhaps even superior to his own.

"You two are so young, yet your Inner Strength is not unimpressive!"

The man had walked closer now. He did not answer Zhang Yang’s question but studied them closely.

The ages of Zhang Yang and Long Feng greatly astonished him.

After watching for a moment, his gaze sharpened, and he blurted out, "Spirit Beast—Fox-tailed Marten. No wonder you have such speed. I didn't expect you to be young, powerful, and possess a spirit beast companion!"

The man had noticed Lightning, which chirped twice and hopped onto Zhang Yang’s shoulder, watching the newcomer warily.

Lightning was highly intelligent; it could sense that the man before them was immensely strong, no less than them.

"Who exactly are you, sir?"

Zhang Yang asked again, his tone less amicable this time. His hand was secretly gripping the Dragon-Devouring Dagger, ready to strike first if necessary.

Running into a master unexpectedly in the deep mountains was never a good thing. There were indeed scoundrels among Inner Strength cultivators; killing and robbing were common occurrences.

Zhang Yang needed to be exceptionally cautious now.

Long Feng was in the same frame of mind, having his Snow Whip ready for an immediate strike.

"If you want to know who I am, fight me first!"

The man laughed loudly, then his body suddenly moved, swiftly gliding toward Zhang Yang.

He had already attacked. His speed was even greater than Zhang Yang’s companions, and this speed caused Zhang Yang’s eyes to narrow slightly.

This man’s speed surpassed his own, and he was no match for Lightning either.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Lightning immediately leaped up, Zhang Yang drew his Dragon-Devouring Dagger, and Long Feng’s Snow Whip cracked through the air.

Zhang Yang, Long Feng, and Lightning—the two humans and one beast—had long developed a tacit understanding. This person was undoubtedly a master. Without hesitation, the four of them combined their efforts, launching a three-pronged counterattack.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Crack! Crack!"

The flawless coordination of the pair and the beast managed to deflect the man's offensive. Zhang Yang exchanged a palm strike with him, which sent Zhang Yang staggering back seven or eight steps, while the man remained completely unmoved.

"Fourth layer of Inner Strength!"

Zhang Yang shouted as he retreated, his eyes wide with horror.

This man was indeed a master, and such a powerful one—the fourth layer of Inner Strength! That was the apex for Inner Strength cultivators, the realm countless cultivators dreamed of reaching.

Zhang Yang, at the third layer, was already formidable, but facing a master at the fourth layer, even one newly ascended, he was merely a child.

Even with Lightning and Long Feng, they possessed only enough ability for self-preservation; thinking of counterattacking and defeating this man was out of the question.

Hearing Zhang Yang’s declaration, Long Feng sucked in a cold breath, inwardly lamenting their terrible luck.

Their luck was astonishingly good—just climbing a random mountain, and they encountered a peak master at the fourth layer of Inner Strength! The fourth layer! In his own family, the foremost lineage in the country with thousands of years of heritage, only three elders possessed such strength.

Nationally, there weren't many masters at the fourth layer; at most, a dozen or so. Here, in this nameless, remote green mountain, they encountered one—this luck was so good it was worthy of buying a lottery ticket.

The probability was definitely lower than winning the grand prize in a lottery.

"Mid-third layer. You are not yet twenty, yet you possess such profound Inner Strength. Who is your master?"

While Zhang Yang was shocked, the man was also surprised, having gauged the strength of Zhang Yang and Long Feng during that single exchange.

Long Feng being at the late second layer already surprised him, but it was still somewhat understandable. Zhang Yang was younger than Long Feng yet had reached the mid-third layer. When the man was Zhang Yang's age, his Inner Strength was nowhere near this profound.

This meant the young man before him had the potential to develop into someone far more powerful than himself.

"You wouldn't know my master's name even if I told you. Sir, to be a grandmaster of the fourth layer of Inner Strength and yet bully two children like us—that doesn't seem like the act of a true master!"

Zhang Yang's vigilance grew even stronger. This was undoubtedly the greatest enemy he had faced outside of Yinlong Mountain. This time was different from last time; Shadow had helped him diffuse the crisis at Yinlong Mountain, but here, he had no such aid.

Facing a master of the fourth layer, he had to maintain his focus with absolute intensity.

………… Fifth update, Chapter Hundred Bonus Chapter Fifty-Five. (To be continued..) .RT