Every one of them was scolded so severely they dared not look up. Hu Bin was their elder brother figure, and his word was absolute law among them.

In the end, none of them managed to eat; after meekly compensating for all the damages incurred, they slunk away in disgrace.

As they left, their heads were bowed low, all the prior arrogance gone, replaced only by apprehension.

They feared Zhang Yang might seek retribution later. They didn't yet know Zhang Yang’s true standing, but they understood clearly that someone who could command Hu Bin’s deference could not be ordinary.

Having their spirits dampened, Zhang Yang didn't drink much upon returning.

The others raised a few more toasts to Mi Xue to settle her nerves. Mi Xue took a few small sips and then stopped; her tolerance wasn't high.

Returning to the main group, their table soon broke up anyway. After the disruption, the mood had certainly been spoiled.

Becoming an Academician of Medicine hadn't brought much change to Zhang Yang’s daily life. His name, aside from being reported internally, was not made public. Currently, only the Chinese Academy of Sciences held his file and credentials.

This was Zhang Yang’s request, and it was also something the Academy was happy to accommodate.

A few days later, the designer Su Shaohua had invited finally arrived in Changjing. The designer’s Chinese name was Zhou Weicheng; he was forty years old, born and raised in the United States, yet he spoke Mandarin remarkably well.

His parents had taught him the mother tongue from childhood, ensuring he never forgot his roots.

Su Shaohua personally met him and immediately handed him over to Zhang Yang. Zhou Weicheng was extremely conscientious about his work; without much rest, he went straight to the plot of land Zhang Yang owned.

Only after a practical site inspection could he begin the design based on the various conditions.

The designer was responsible, and his attitude eased some of Zhang Yang’s worries. Zhou Weicheng didn't stay in Changjing for more than a few days before heading back; he needed to return to draft the design.

A design was never simple; it involved numerous requirements, and satisfying someone one hundred percent was incredibly difficult. Not a single point could allow for error or oversight.

This meant the design phase would take longer. After paying the deposit, Zhang Yang would have to wait about a month before receiving the design schematics.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang wasn't rushed. Even if the design were ready now, construction couldn't start until winter passed, so an extra month made little difference.

Long Feng, after emerging from his last seclusion, rested for only a single day before returning to deep meditation.

With the spiritual herbs provided by Zhang Yang, combined with the supreme-grade mental cultivation technique, his recovery was incredibly swift—one could describe it as advancing by a thousand li daily.

Long Feng felt his progress almost every day, sensing the augmentation of his internal energy.

After re-cultivating, he felt his internal energy was even purer than before, seemingly imbued with a righteous, vast spirit. This confirmed to him that Zhang Yuan’an had not deceived him; this was truly a Daoist cultivation method and absolutely not something from the Demonic Sect.

While Long Feng cultivated, Zhang Yang was far from idle; Lightning and Shadow were also working hard alongside him.

Especially Lightning. Initially, it had been more powerful than Zhang Yang, nearly leading to his death. If it hadn't been mutually wounded in its fight with the Black Iron Spider, it wouldn't have fallen into Zhang Yang's hands.

However, Zhang Yang had now surpassed it. In a one-on-one fight, Lightning could only rely on speed and concealment; even with its venom, it couldn't defeat Zhang Yang.

This greatly frustrated little Lightning. The playful creature also began to settle down, joining Zhang Yang for mountain practice every morning, leading to some small advancements in recent days.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

On the mountain, Lightning darted rapidly between two trees, chattering incessantly.

It had just sparred with Zhang Yang, but unfortunately, it couldn't even get close to him. Instead, it was nearly struck several times by the hidden projectiles Zhang Yang casually flung. That was why it was crying out in frustration.

Luckily, its speed was sufficient; Zhang Yang couldn't catch it when it ran.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Shadow chirped from the sidelines, cheering Lightning on to defeat the Great Demon King Zhang Yang.

It just chirped, occasionally stuffing its mouth with treats, perfectly relaxed.

Seeing it munching away, Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle. This little one was getting increasingly gluttonous, and its body even seemed to be thickening from all the eating.

Zhang Yang worried Shadow might grow so fat it couldn't move, slowing down and risking capture by someone else.

"Shadow, go help Lightning. I'll take on both of you!" Zhang Yang suddenly announced.

Shadow, which had just popped a piece of fruit into its mouth, froze instantly, staring at Zhang Yang in disbelief.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

Before Shadow could reply, Lightning burst into laughter, enthusiastically agreeing. Shadow's leisurely behavior had long made it jealous, so it was good to drag Shadow into the fight.

If Shadow couldn't fight, it could at least run, drawing some of Zhang Yang’s attention away—that seemed like a fair exchange.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Shadow suddenly dropped everything and began to cry out excitedly.

Now it was Zhang Yang and Lightning who were dumbfounded. Shadow had actually agreed to Zhang Yang’s challenge—a support-type spirit beast agreeing to fight.

Shadow hopped over to Lightning’s side, chattering constantly, issuing a challenge toward Zhang Yang.

Seeing its display, Zhang Yang felt another wave of amusement, but since he had spoken the words, he couldn't back down now. He could only let Lightning join the fray.

Honestly, Zhang Yang had only intended to tease Shadow, never expecting it to agree. Since it had accepted, Zhang Yang decided to give it a small lesson so it would learn that some things weren't so easily agreed upon.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

The battle resumed. Lightning immediately took the role of the main attacker, using its speed to look for opportunities to strike up close.

It also periodically spewed clouds of poison mist to create obstacles for Zhang Yang. Shadow could, in theory, help him resist the mist, but its effect wasn't permanent, and the earlier residual protection had long since worn off.

Zhang Yang had long developed countermeasures for Lightning’s poison mist. Whenever mist appeared, he would sweep out an air current and then launch hidden projectiles from a distance. The small stones and twigs on the mountain became excellent projectiles in his hands.

It happened every time, angering Lightning into shouting accusations that he was afraid to fight head-on.

Unfortunately, Lightning didn't possess the terrifying strength of the Golden Crested Python; it couldn't force Zhang Yang back and could only cry out in helplessness.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

After several more bursts of poison mist, Lightning tried to use the fog to block Zhang Yang’s retreat routes. If it could just cause Zhang Yang enough trouble, it might resolve its predicament or even change the tide of battle.

Zhang Yang retreated quickly, a slight smile still on his face.

Lightning had used this tactic many times before; he already had a plan for it. He felt this attempt would also be useless, merely exhausting Lightning.

As long as he continuously drained Lightning's stamina, once its speed dropped, victory would be his.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Suddenly, Shadow leaped over, landing directly behind Zhang Yang.

It perched on a tree branch and sucked in its belly sharply.

The way it sucked in its abdomen was bizarre; its belly seemed to instantly collapse inward, while its head appeared to grow larger.

"Pfft!"

Shadow suddenly spat open its mouth, launching a stream of compressed inner energy directly forward. Zhang Yang hadn't initially paid much attention to Shadow, but upon hearing the sharp sound of air being pierced, an alarm immediately blared in his mind. He dropped straight down toward the ground, rolling on the dirt.

He was already surrounded by the poison mist spewed by Lightning, forcing him to resort to this clumsy method of evasion.

"Bang!"

"Crack!"

A stream of powerful force struck a tree trunk the size of a startled washbasin, immediately snapping it. The not-insignificant tree crashed down in a rustle of leaves.

Only after the tree fell did Zhang Yang turn back for a glance, his eyes still wide with shock.

A cold sweat had broken out on his back. Had he not dodged in time, being hit by that attack would have been disastrous.

"Shadow, did you do that?" Zhang Yang shouted, both fearful and incredulous.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Shadow cried out excitedly, then sucked in its belly again, opening its mouth to spit out another stream of force flying straight toward him.

This time, Zhang Yang was fully alert. He rolled again, narrowly dodging Shadow’s attack.

Looking up, Zhang Yang's shock deepened. This time he had seen it clearly: this powerful torrent of energy had been released by Shadow.

He had never imagined that Shadow, which possessed no combat ability before, could actually project its internal energy externally.

Shadow’s attack was indeed identical to the external projection of internal energy used by top masters at the Fourth Layer, and the power was comparable. The only difference was that Fourth Layer experts could release it freely from their hands, whereas Shadow only used its mouth.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Shadow cried out again. Lightning, which had been equally stunned, finally snapped back to awareness and immediately coordinated with Shadow, launching another assault on Zhang Yang.

Shadow’s small belly was deflating for the third time. Seeing this, Zhang Yang’s heart clenched fiercely, and he quickly rushed forward.

"Puff!"

A stream of force came straight at him. Zhang Yang was forced to change direction and flee elsewhere, with Lightning swiftly following. This time, Zhang Yang was nearly bitten by Lightning.

While being bitten wouldn't kill him, it would certainly mean losing this contest.

Dodging the attack didn't mean the danger was over. Shadow charged again. The two little creatures were cooperating with incredible synergy: one spat torrents of force, the other released poison mist, driving Zhang Yang into a desperate flight, yielding ground inch by inch.

"Crack!"

Forced into a corner with few escape routes, Zhang Yang could only grab a tree branch, infuse it with his internal energy to serve as a weapon, and engage Lightning in a cautious melee.

His maneuvering now was far from leisurely; he was constantly on edge, watching his surroundings, perpetually wary of Shadow's next offensive. Zhang Yang had truly never anticipated Shadow possessing an offensive capability, let alone such a terrifying one.

External projection of internal energy—that was the hallmark of a Fourth Layer master, something only they could truly achieve.

The streams of force Shadow spat could also be regarded as internal energy, and their destructive power was in no way inferior to Zhang Yuan’an’s. It could instantly snap a tree trunk the size of a small washbasin, and when it struck the ground, the stones were shattered, sending debris flying.

Zhang Yang’s body was robust and offered some resistance, but he wasn't arrogant enough to withstand such a powerful attack; even a pistol bullet wasn't this potent.

Zhang Yang employing a weapon slightly shifted the dynamics, but only marginally; it did not reverse the tide of battle.

Zhang Yang never expected that the combined might of these two little creatures could force him into such a predicament—fighting them even with a weapon, he was still losing, despite being a great master in the late Third Layer.