Qu Meilan’s foundation wasn't poor, merely her aptitude was average, and the cultivation method she practiced was quite ordinary.

Her old hag of a master must have treated them like mere servants and maids, never truly intending to nurture them; it was likely that the old crone only ever intended to cultivate her own three personal disciples.

Qu Meilan was smart; despite her mediocre talent, she worked diligently, which gave her a solid foundation.

It was a pity she had missed her prime cultivation years. Even if Zhang Yang gave her spirit medicine, she would at most reach the late stage of the First Layer. Only by using the Spirit Ape Marrow Elixir and the Saintess Pill could Zhang Yang push her past the Second Layer.

Even with a breakthrough, she would be stuck at the Second Layer for the rest of her life; there was no hope of advancing further.

This was somewhat regrettable, but Qu Meilan was already extremely satisfied just to receive guidance from Zhang Yang. As for the Second Layer, she wasn't even considering it right now.

Long Cheng’s situation was similar to Qu Meilan’s.

Strictly speaking, Long Cheng was slightly worse off than Qu Meilan. Although his strength was marginally higher, his age was significantly greater. He had been entangled by worldly affairs, leaving him little time for cultivation, which consequently held him back.

Even with Long Feng’s guidance, a breakthrough in the short term would be difficult for him; as for the Second Layer of Internal Energy, it would likely remain forever out of reach.

Zhang Yang and Long Feng had already told them all this, and neither paid much mind, as they had long been aware of the reality.

For them, simply being able to improve their strength was already cause for great happiness; imagining themselves as powerful as Zhang Yang and Long Feng was something they dared not even consider.

Their excellent mentality made it very smooth for Zhang Yang and Long Feng to instruct them.

In the following days, every morning, Zhang Yang and Long Feng would cultivate on their own, and in the afternoons, they would assist the other two. Zhang Yang even specifically prepared a batch of ginseng pills with mild medicinal properties to enhance their Internal Energy.

If they were to directly consume Thousand-Year Ginseng Pills, much would be wasted due to their limited absorption capacity, much like how ordinary people taking spirit medicine can only strengthen their physique and treat illnesses, not increase Internal Energy.

These milder ginseng pills were just right for them.

The raw materials for these pills did include Thousand-Year Ginseng; Zhang Yang hadn't finished his stock, so he used it to prepare the medicine for them. However, the content of Thousand-Year Ginseng was very low, meaning they couldn't truly be called spirit medicine, but rather high-grade tonics.

Even so, these pills were treated as treasures by Long Cheng and Qu Meilan.

After consuming one and feeling the boost to their Internal Energy, both were thrilled; the energy these pills gave them far surpassed what they gained from regular cultivation.

Time slowly passed, and peaceful days always flew by quickly. Zhang Yang spared with Long Feng daily, exchanging insights, which proved greatly beneficial to him.

Although Long Feng’s strength was inferior, the Supreme True Canon he practiced was a top-tier mental art, coupled with Long Feng’s extensive theoretical knowledge gleaned from reading many texts in the Long family—exchanging knowledge with him actually yielded greater rewards for Zhang Yang.

Their selfless exchange led to mutual progress for both.

Ten days later, with the help of Zhang Yang’s diluted spirit medicine, Long Cheng was the first to successfully break through the early stage of the First Layer, finally reaching the middle stage of the First Layer.

On the day of his breakthrough, Long Cheng was so emotional he almost cried.

It had taken nearly twenty years from the moment he possessed Internal Energy until this breakthrough; for him, this advancement held extraordinary significance.

With the breakthrough, his strength increased, and Qu Meilan was now completely no match for him; in a rematch, Long Cheng alone could handle three Qu Meilans.

Long Cheng’s breakthrough filled Qu Meilan with envy, prompting her to cultivate even more diligently.

Long Cheng had always been slightly stronger than Qu Meilan; after all, he was much older and had persisted in his cultivation over the years, leading to this short-term breakthrough with Zhang Yang’s assistance.

This breakthrough could also be considered the result of his own accumulation; without Zhang Yang’s help, he would have achieved it on his own within a few more years.

To celebrate this milestone, Long Feng prepared a grand feast, inviting everyone to commemorate the occasion.

“Zhang Yang, I have an idea!”

After finishing their morning cultivation on the mountain that day, Long Feng hesitated for a moment before calling out to Zhang Yang and speaking softly.

“An idea? What idea?”

Zhang Yang glanced at him with slight confusion and casually asked. Over the past few days of cultivation, Zhang Yang felt his Internal Energy had become much purer; although he was still far from breaking through to the Fourth Layer, he was definitely much stronger now than when he had just broken through previously.

Describing his progress as advancing by leaps and bounds would not be an exaggeration.

“The Long family’s clan assessment is due to start in a month. I want to set off early and temper myself on the road!”

Long Feng looked at Zhang Yang and finally said slowly.

He had actually held this thought for some time but had kept it to himself until now.

The Supreme True Canon was a genuine Daoist mental art; although it had the caveat of needing to be re-cultivated, once mastered, its effect was far superior to other high-level techniques.

However, to truly master the Supreme True Canon, it was best to cultivate through worldly experience.

Long Feng had undergone many changes recently; he proactively guided Long Cheng and began interacting with Zhang Yang’s friends—this was all part of his need for worldly experience, to better understand and grasp the essence of the Supreme True Canon.

With more experience and deeper comprehension, his Supreme True Canon could ascend to the next level, allowing him to potentially break through the Fourth Layer through his own efforts.

“Set off early?”

Zhang Yang was slightly surprised. He knew about the Long family’s clan assessment; Long Feng had invited him previously, and he had agreed.

At that time, he was only at the Second Layer of Internal Energy and had many reservations; now, he was a master at the late stage of the Third Layer, augmented by the assistance of Lightning and Shadow moves, so he wasn't afraid even facing a Fourth Layer expert.

With this confidence, he naturally wasn't worried about the trip to the Long family, but he hadn't expected to leave so soon.

“Yes, depart early. We’ll travel slowly, stopping along the way, interacting with more common people. We can treat it as sightseeing, as long as we arrive before the assessment begins!”

Long Feng nodded again, and Zhang Yang finally understood his meaning.

Long Feng intended to use the journey home as an opportunity for practical training, mingling with ordinary people, traveling slowly as they do—this would indeed aid in the cultivation of his state of mind.

This proposal also stirred Zhang Yang’s interest.

The lineage of the Medical Saint placed great emphasis on traveling to practice medicine; every generation of successors had experience wandering as itinerant doctors, and this was true even for Zhang Yang in his previous life.

Traveling as an itinerant doctor allowed one to gain practical experience to hone medical skills on the one hand, and on the other, to interact with many people, experiencing the warmth and coldness of human sentiment in the world, slowly tempering one’s state of mind.

Such experiences didn't need to be frequent, but they were essential. Zhang Yun’an no longer traveled to practice because he had done so for many years and had already broken through to the Fourth Layer of Internal Energy, making it unnecessary.

Zhang Yang, however, had never had such an experience in this life.

“Long Feng, I never asked before, where exactly is your family located?”

After a moment, Zhang Yang quietly asked. Hearing this, Long Feng knew Zhang Yang must have agreed, or he wouldn't have asked.

Long Feng smiled and gave a three-character reply: “Kunlun Mountain!”

“Kunlun Mountain?”

Zhang Yang was stunned. He had assumed the Long family headquarters would be in the capital, or perhaps a secluded place near the capital, never imagining it would be in the distant Kunlun Mountains.

The smile on Long Feng’s lips deepened. He stood up, gently touched a small tree nearby, and continued, “Our Long family has always been in the Kunlun Mountains. It is precisely because we are far from the Central Plains that we were able to survive the various wars throughout history. That area is a pure land; it has never been affected by turmoil for so many years!”

Speaking of his family, a hint of warm emotion appeared in Long Feng’s eyes. He had been away for a truly long time now and was feeling a bit homesick.

By the small tree, Long Feng lightly scratched a few words with his fingernail like a child, then continued, “In fact, all families in the country with a heritage exceeding a thousand years are located deep in the mountains. Our Long family headquarters is in the Kunlun Mountains, the Huyan family is in the Tianshan Mountains, and the Li family headquarters is hidden within Mount Shu. The Hua family’s original headquarters was in the Taihang Mountains, but they later moved to the Changbai Mountains!”

Long Feng was referring to families in the country with a history of over a millennium. These families shared a common characteristic: they were all reclusive, hidden within vast mountain ranges. Whether it was the Kunlun, Tianshan, Shu, or Changbai ranges, they were all sprawling mountains stretching for thousands of miles, still containing countless uninhabited areas.

Hiding in such immense mountain ranges, without someone from the inside to guide them, it would be impossible to know where they resided.

If not for this, they might not have been able to preserve their lineage for so long; even with immense strength, it would be difficult to safeguard themselves during the turmoil of dynastic changes.

History had already proven this point with many powerful families. The Tang family, famous for forging weapons, the Duan family that established an imperial dynasty, and the renowned Chen family of the Tai Chi lineage—all of them became entangled in worldly affairs because they lived in the secular realm and eventually vanished into history.

Only by remaining secluded in the deep mountains, detached from worldly concerns and far from the flames of war, could their families ensure better continuation.

But there were exceptions; the Medical Saint lineage Zhang Yang belonged to was the greatest exception.

The Medical Saint lineage had always been engaged with the world, rarely secluding themselves in the mountains.

However, this was due to the unique circumstances of the Medical Saint lineage; other families could not learn or replicate it.

Firstly, the Medical Saint lineage had very few people, meaning a smaller target that wouldn't attract too much attention.

Secondly, the people of the Medical Saint lineage were constantly on the move and rarely stayed in one place. They never provoked trouble, and possessing extremely high medical skills and strength ensured they could protect themselves wherever they went.

There was another point: the Medical Saint lineage had saved countless people, forming many positive karmic connections, meaning they rarely made enemies, making it easier for them to survive in the secular world.

These factors created the unique Zhang family of the Medical Saint lineage, the only one among the five thousand-year heritage families still existing while living in the secular world.

Listening to Long Feng’s introduction, Zhang Yang nodded silently.

He knew a little about the Five Great Families, but not as detailed as Long Feng did; at least he was unaware of the locations of the headquarters of the other four families, unlike Long Feng’s clear knowledge.

There was another thing Zhang Yang didn't know: the other four families were actually secretly connected. Having been passed down for so long, they had some degree of mutual support and thus knew much more about each other.