Li Yubing turned to look at Li Muzhan, shaking her head. "Your Cloud-Touching Sect's fortune seems to have yielded... three Grandmasters now?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Senior Sister was already halfway to Grandmaster; we thought it would take many years, but I didn't expect such a swift breakthrough!"

He vaguely guessed that Feng Mingxue’s ascension to Grandmaster status must have been due to practicing the Qiankun He Ding Great Art; a sudden insight, a flash of brilliance leading to her entry into the Grandmaster realm.

Li Yubing sighed. "It seems entering the Grandmaster realm comes so easily to you. You just meditate in seclusion and achieve it. I only grasped the path during a moment of life and death."

Li Muzhan nodded. "Senior Sister is a rare prodigy, even surpassing me. If I hadn't stumbled upon that strange fortune, reaching Grandmaster through self-cultivation alone would have been difficult!"

"And you've mastered the Huan Yu Sutra?" Li Yubing inquired.

Li Muzhan nodded with a smile. "Yes, Senior Sister and I have both mastered the Huan Yu Sutra. Mastering it places one halfway to Grandmaster, so it was only a matter of time before you broke through."

Li Yubing remarked, "The Huan Yu Sutra of your Cloud-Touching Sect is indeed infinitely profound."

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Precisely. It's a pity the Huan Yu Sutra is so incredibly difficult to cultivate. Compared to reaching Grandmaster, even though there is a method to follow, it’s like craning your neck to gaze at the heavens—you can see it, but you can’t climb up; it remains unattained."

"Your Cloud-Touching Sect's method is clearly the right path, seeing you and Miss Feng," Li Yubing sighed.

The Cloud-Touching Sect’s method for taking disciples was renowned across the land; even the sects in Xihua Kingdom knew that only the most exceptional geniuses could ever hope to step through their gates.

Even among these supreme geniuses, almost no one managed to master the Huan Yu Sutra, let alone ordinary cultivators. Many had cast covetous eyes on the sutra, but given the immense power of the Cloud-Touching Sect and the futility of obtaining it without the ability to cultivate it, they wisely abandoned the risk.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Palace Mistress, you could emulate it too."

"Forget it. The Mo Li Palace lacks such supreme mental arts," Li Yubing shook her head and sighed. "My promotion to Grandmaster was purely by brute force, hammering my way up. Not everyone has that kind of luck."

Li Muzhan nodded. Ascending to Grandmaster ultimately relied more on sheer luck than personal effort. A person's environment shapes who they become. Most Grandmasters were those who endured arduous trials, possessed rich life experience, had witnessed the full spectrum of human joys and sorrows, and, having gained a clear understanding of the mortal world and unique insights, subtly harmonized with the Heavenly Dao, thus achieving the breakthrough.

For a sect like Cloud-Touching, possessing such an esoteric mental art that allows cultivation directly to Grandmaster status was exceedingly rare. The Mo Li Palace had never enjoyed such fortune.

Xu Suxin asked, "Just what kind of person is this Miss Feng?"

Li Muzhan glanced at her and smiled. Li Yubing interjected, "Xin'er, you are not her equal!"

Xu Suxin’s delicate eyebrows twitched, and she smiled faintly. "For her to become a Grandmaster at such a young age, I truly am inferior. It’s a pity I can’t meet her."

Li Muzhan smiled. "There will surely be opportunities in the future."

In a flash, Li Muzhan returned to the Cloud-Touching Sect, to Hengbo Island, appearing in Feng Mingxue’s small courtyard. The moment he materialized, Feng Mingxue appeared, clad in a snow-white silk robe, looking even more ethereal and detached, as if she had never known the dust of the mortal world.

"Senior Sister," Li Muzhan said, smiling as he observed her. Her white attire was like snow, her skin like jade; she was truly radiant, like a flower fashioned from precious stone.

However, her gaze was serene and peaceful, utterly unmoved, like still water, suggesting that no worldly affair could stir her heart—her mind was like a placid pond.

He frowned slightly; Senior Sister suddenly seemed a little foreign.

Feng Mingxue smiled. "Junior Brother, you have returned."

Li Muzhan stepped close, stationing himself before her, and scrutinized her again. In the past, Feng Mingxue would surely have blushed and looked away, but now she watched him quietly.

Li Muzhan asked, surprised, "Senior Sister, what level have you reached?"

"The Third Level," Feng Mingxue replied, nodding. "It is indeed infinitely profound. I managed it by grasping the mystery of a mind as tranquil as water."

Li Muzhan managed a wry smile. "Senior Sister, does this mean you can suppress all emotions, wanting nothing and desiring nothing?"

"Yes," Feng Mingxue lightly agreed, smiling faintly. "I can finally be liberated, free and unfettered!"

Li Muzhan sighed, nodding with a bitter smile. "Congratulations, Senior Sister!"

He knew that reaching the Third Level meant achieving true 'still water,' which signified the eradication of her feelings for him, attaining a state of absolute detachment.

He felt a sense of inexplicable loss, yet was helpless; the seed of this outcome was sown by him, and the resulting harvest was his alone to swallow.

"Thank you for the mental art," Feng Mingxue said with a faint smile. "Why do you look like that? Are you unhappy that I reached Grandmaster?"

Li Muzhan sighed. "Of course I am overjoyed, but it's just that..."

"It's a pity I can use the Sword of Wisdom to sever the threads of emotion, isn't it?" Feng Mingxue chuckled softly, gesturing towards the pavilion, and moved with light, lotus-like steps into it. She sighed, "You, you are truly greedy!"

Li Muzhan nodded with a bitter smile. "It was my greed. Senior Sister, congratulations truly!"

"When you first said practicing that art could lead to Grandmaster, I thought you were joking. I tried practicing it, and I never expected it would possess such marvelous effects," Feng Mingxue recounted.

Li Muzhan smiled. "My deductions indicated this result, but I never imagined your comprehension was so astonishing. I am truly impressed! How do you feel now?"

"The feeling of being a Grandmaster is different; it’s as if one has suddenly transcended the realm of ordinary people," Feng Mingxue observed.

Li Muzhan laughed. "That is an illusion. We are still ordinary people, just with greater capabilities. We aren't infinitely stronger, and you must maintain that mindset, Senior Sister."

"I understand," Feng Mingxue nodded lightly. "Junior Brother, your trip to the Northern Wilderness Sacred Land this time must have brought great rewards?"

Now that she was a Grandmaster, her senses were much keener. Although in her eyes Li Muzhan remained as unfathomable as an abyss, she could grasp the general atmosphere, which felt even deeper.

Li Muzhan nodded. "It was decent. The Northern Wilderness Sacred Land consists of a city, the Northern Wilderness City, and outside it lies the Arctic Sacred Realm—a marvelous place for Grandmasters to advance their cultivation."

"I would like to see it too," Feng Mingxue said. "I wonder if I qualify?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "With me accompanying you, Senior Sister, we can certainly go! In truth, qualification often depends on one's cultivation level. Those too weak will only meet death upon entering the Arctic Sacred Realm, with no chance of survival... Thus, when the Northern Wilderness City invites Grandmasters, they assess their cultivation. Insufficient cultivation is tantamount to being sent to die; a good thing turns into a disaster!"

"I see," Feng Mingxue slowly nodded. "What exactly is within the Arctic Sacred Realm?"

Li Muzhan recounted everything about the Arctic Sacred Realm in detail. Feng Mingxue listened, her spirit soaring with yearning, and sighed. "Truly a wonderful place."

Li Muzhan said, "Senior Sister, if you truly wish to enter the Arctic Sacred Realm, your current cultivation is still too weak. You need to enhance it further!"

Feng Mingxue nodded. "Yes, I have just entered the Grandmaster realm; I am still far off... How do I enhance it?"

Li Muzhan pondered. "To enhance your power, there is no other way except battling Grandmasters. Let's spar a few times. However, the crucial method is killing Grandmasters!"

"Hm—?" Feng Mingxue looked surprised.

Li Muzhan explained, "The mechanisms of Heaven and Earth must be plundered. Grandmasters merge with Heaven and Earth; their enhancement relies on stealing the Heart of Heaven. This Heart of Heaven can only be acquired from other Grandmasters, or by entering the Northern Polar Sacred Land to slay spirit beasts."

"In that case, sparring with you is useless then?" Feng Mingxue asked.

She hadn't just been waiting for Li Muzhan to return out of longing; she wanted to clarify how a Grandmaster could improve their cultivation. After reaching the Grandmaster realm, she felt adrift, unsure how to proceed with training.

It seemed everything had reached its limit; practicing further yielded no discernible growth to her Grandmaster power.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Sparring with me can lead to growth, but it’s limited—it will only make your spirit firmer, your movements more practiced, and your attacks stronger. But these are minor details. To truly enhance cultivation, there is only one path... Still, these minor details are critical; sometimes, in a fight against a Grandmaster, these small points can determine victory or defeat!"

"But where can I find a Grandmaster to kill?" Feng Mingxue shook her head with a wry smile.

With her current strength, in a true fight against a Grandmaster, she would be the one killed. She couldn't kill them, and besides, there were only so many Grandmasters in the world, making them hard to find. Moreover, Grandmasters rarely engaged in outright killing matches due to the endless repercussions.

Li Muzhan smiled. "It seems, Senior Sister, you must accompany me to the Arctic Sacred Realm... Palace Mistress Li’s ginseng you gave me was unfortunately all consumed by me, otherwise, it would have given Senior Sister a significant boost in cultivation!"

He shook his head. He truly hadn't expected Feng Mingxue to suddenly ascend to Grandmaster. It brought him joy, yet also a strange bitterness.

"Junior Brother, I will follow your instructions in all matters," Feng Mingxue sighed.

Li Muzhan directly grabbed Feng Mingxue and vanished from the Cloud-Touching Sect, reappearing at the small hut outside the Arctic Sacred Realm boundary.

With his Great Teleportation Divine Ability, amplified by his recent surge in power, taking her across the vast distance to the hut was effortless.

"Senior Sister, you cannot take shortcuts in the Arctic Sacred Realm. To enhance your cultivation, you need to personally slay the spirit beasts. I cannot help you. Wounding one and having you finish it off is useless," Li Muzhan explained.

He had tested this before. The spirit beasts' spirits seemed to possess their own consciousness, actively merging with the stronger entity. If he wounded a spirit beast himself and left it barely alive for his Senior Sister to kill, she would gain little benefit; it was pointless.

He returned to the Mo Li Palace, brought Li Yubing back, and asked her to use the little deer to help gather some spirit herbs for Senior Sister to consume.

"Wuji, you are certainly attentive to this Senior Sister!" Li Yubing remarked irritably.

She sat on the couch in her small room while Feng Mingxue remained in Li Muzhan’s small quarters.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Of course. Senior Sister’s business is my business, Palace Mistress. Consider it a favor I owe you!"

"Hmph. Since you put it that way, then forget it!" Li Yubing grumbled.