As Zhang Yang spoke of his encounter with Hu Yanfeng, Zhang Pinglu's eyes darted around. Just as Zhang Yang was rambling about running into the Kunlun Mountains, Zhang Pinglu abruptly interjected.

"Go out?"

Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned. Before he could fully react, Zhang Pinglu grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the doorway.

Long Feng’s eyes widened even further. He wanted to follow them out, but his body remained rooted. The Old Ancestor of the Zhang family calling Zhang Yang outside clearly meant a private matter, and following them now would appear rather ill-mannered.

"Old Master..."

As Zhang Pinglu pulled Zhang Yang out, Zhang Daofeng happened to emerge as well. Seeing the two, he called out urgently.

"Don't speak, you come too!"

Zhang Pinglu raised his index finger to his lips and whispered softly. Zhang Daofeng immediately nodded and followed closely behind Zhang Pinglu.

He still didn't understand the situation, but his own Old Master arriving so quickly was certainly a good thing, so he followed along.

After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly thought of something and directly sent a secret vocal message to Zhang Yun’an. As Zhang Yun’an stepped outside, he, along with Zhuifeng, Shandian, and Wuying, all rushed out as well.

If they achieved the Great Perfection stage in concealing their tracks, they could evade detection from all Fourth Layer experts and Fourth Layer spirit beasts.

However, if they allowed even the slightest wisp of their aura to leak, the spirit beasts would sense it. This was precisely how Wuying had detected Zhang Pinglu before. When Zhang Pinglu stepped out just now, a tiny bit of his aura had escaped, which is why the three great spirit beasts had noticed and followed.

"Old Master..."

"Don't speak, let's go. Take us somewhere secluded!"

Upon exiting, Zhang Yang also tried to speak, but his words were cut off again by Zhang Pinglu.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yang led them up the mountain behind the residence. Crossing the peak would lead to an uninhabited area. That place was vast and open, ensuring that nothing they did there would be discovered.

The group consisted entirely of Fourth Layer masters. Zhuifeng and Wuying had both advanced to the Fourth Layer, and even Shandian was a late-stage Third Layer spirit beast.

Among them was a Great Perfection expert. Such formidable power would surely strike fear into any family or sect they encountered. This strength alone was enough to annihilate a large family or sect.

Quickly ascending to the mountaintop, Zhang Pinglu glanced around before immediately pulling Zhang Yang toward the back mountain again.

They finally stopped at a small canyon below the mountain—a gorge about the size of a training ground, dotted with small trees. Half of the adjacent cliff face had been excavated, indicating previous development that had since been abandoned.

"Yangyang, you attack now, and I will defend!"

Once they reached the spot, Zhang Pinglu immediately announced his intention. Zhang Yang’s eyes immediately went wide.

Not just him; Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Yun’an were equally astonished, their mouths hanging open, thinking they had misheard.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Wuying immediately leaped onto Zhang Yang, watching Zhang Pinglu with intense vigilance. Zhuifeng tapped its hooves and moved beside Zhang Yang, its beautiful eyes fixed fiercely on Zhang Pinglu. Even Shandian positioned itself in front of Zhuifeng, staring ahead.

The three little ones were fully aware of Zhang Pinglu’s might, but they absolutely would not allow anyone to bully Zhang Yang. After the Thousand-Mile Escape Trial, Zhuifeng’s loyalty had reached eighty, and the loyalty of all three little ones was now above eighty.

"Old Master, surely you don't intend to spar with Yangyang? As talented as he is, he is only in the early Fourth Layer; he cannot possibly be your match!"

Zhang Daofeng quickly interjected, his words carrying an unstated meaning: Zhang Yang’s strength is inferior to yours; sparring with him is pure bullying. We shouldn't treat a junior this way.

"You little brat, what are you thinking? I want to see how Yangyang escaped from that old madman. Spar? Even if all of you attacked me together, you wouldn't be my match!"

With a flash, Zhang Pinglu appeared directly in front of Zhang Daofeng and lightly tapped him on the head.

Poor Zhang Daofeng, a man over seventy years old, was being treated like a child, his head tapped. However, it was Zhang Pinglu doing the tapping—an ancestor figure in terms of both age and status—so he could only endure it.

"Yangyang, come on!"

Zhang Pinglu returned to his original spot and stood there, watching Zhang Yang.

"Old Master, I used the Cold Spring Sword back then. You should at least let me fetch my sword..."

"Yun'an, go back and fetch Yangyang’s sword!"

Zhang Yang’s sentence was cut off again by Zhang Pinglu. Zhang Yun’an responded with an "En" and hurried back. Poor Zhang Yun’an, a dignified Fourth Layer expert, was reduced to running errands.

Zhang Yang could only offer a wry smile. This Old Master of his was too impatient.

It seemed that old fellows who had lived for over two hundred years all possessed peculiar temperaments.

The speed of a Fourth Layer expert was naturally extreme. In no time, Zhang Yun’an rushed back, bringing Zhang Yang’s Cold Spring Sword. The sword was kept in Zhang Yang's bedroom, making it easy to find.

Gripping the divine weapon, a hint of helplessness touched the corner of Zhang Yang’s mouth as he said, "Old Master, please show mercy!"

Zhang Pinglu glared fiercely before saying, "Nonsense. I would never strike you hard. Don't worry, you are the most outstanding genius in the Zhang family in eighteen hundred years; I wouldn't let a single hair on your head be harmed!"

His words were anything but comforting; they made the hairs on Zhang Yang’s body stand on end. He hastily drew the Cold Spring Sword, pointed it toward the sky, and began to gather energy around it.

As soon as this strike was launched, Zhang Yun’an and Zhang Daofeng fell silent, watching Zhang Yang with profound surprise.

Both were Fourth Layer experts, accustomed to sensing energy. They could already perceive the immense power the sword was channeling—an energy that they themselves could not control.

They had heard Zhang Yang mention fighting Hu Yanfeng previously, but they never expected Zhang Yang to already be able to control the energy of Heaven and Earth on his own.

"Hmph, interesting!"

Zhang Pinglu’s eyes lit up slightly, a smile playing on his lips. He waved both palms, and an even vaster amount of energy began to coalesce between them.

Having fought Hu Yanfeng, Zhang Yang knew the formidable nature of a Great Perfection expert and dared not relax his focus in the slightest. He activated the first stance of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art and struck first.

The moonlight tonight wasn't as bright as it had been that other night, but it was sufficient to clearly see the opponent. The Cold Spring Sword, carrying a chilling glint, transformed into a flowing blur of light in Zhang Yang’s hands.

"Father, is that... is that Heaven and Earth energy?"

Zhang Yun’an mumbled, whispering to Zhang Daofeng. Zhang Yang’s ability to directly utilize Heaven and Earth energy truly shocked him.

"I know!" Zhang Daofeng nodded.

Zhang Yun’an pressed on, "Isn't Heaven and Earth energy something only those at the Great Perfection realm can manipulate? Yangyang, Yangyang is in the early Fourth Layer, right?"

"I know, he is early Fourth Layer!"

Zhang Daofeng nodded again, his movements almost mechanical. Zhang Yun’an glanced back at his father, feeling quite helpless.

"Father, has Yangyang already advanced to Great Perfection?"

"Impossible. He is indeed early stage, but he must have had a strange encounter. Haven't you noticed? Although he can control a stream of energy, the energy he controls is very small, far less than what Old Master is controlling!"

Zhang Daofeng finally shook his head. He had been observing closely and quickly identified the difference.

Once he pointed it out, Zhang Yun’an also noticed this discrepancy. Yet, even with this small difference, it failed to conceal the shock in their hearts.

Never mind that this energy stream was small; even so, it was Heaven and Earth energy, a level above the internal energy one could condense themselves. This Heaven and Earth energy could not only be rapidly converted into internal energy but could also unleash immense destructive power.

If nothing else, just based on the energy Zhang Yang could control, Zhang Yun’an understood that he was no match for him.

Zhang Daofeng was also considering this point now. He soon realized with a sense of dejection that even if he could block Zhang Yang, he couldn't defeat him. If Zhang Yang only relied on this energy to fight him, he could maintain an invincible position.

And this was only what Zhang Yang had displayed so far. If Zhang Yang had other hidden cards, or if he added the two Fourth Layer spirit beasts, Zhuifeng and Wuying, Zhang Daofeng might have to flee in disarray against him.

"Strange sword technique, very good!"

Zhang Pinglu was already exchanging blows with Zhang Yang, continuously commenting.

Once engaged, Zhang Yang’s tension eased slightly. Fighting Zhang Pinglu was nothing like the intense pressure of confronting Hu Yanfeng. Zhang Pinglu felt more like he was testing him, whereas Hu Yanfeng had intended to kill him.

These were two completely different attitudes. Zhang Pinglu harbored not the slightest intent to harm Zhang Yang, which allowed Zhang Yang to put his heart at ease and fully unleash his sword techniques.

After watching for a while, Wuying and the others also relaxed. Zhang Pinglu truly held no killing intent.

If Zhang Pinglu had harbored any murderous intent, they would likely have had to make another trip to Yinlong Mountain. Even though Wuying and Zhuifeng had advanced to the Fourth Layer, even together, they were still no match for a Great Perfection expert.

Great Perfection was simply too powerful.

While using the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art, Zhang Yang felt an extraordinary sense of ease.

There weren't many people who allowed him to freely practice his sword techniques in a spar. Sparring differed from life-or-death combat, making it easier to uncover flaws in his sword work.

As he circulated the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art, Zhang Yang continuously made adjustments. His first stance of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art was slowly approaching maturity.

The current Zhang Yang had truly mastered, or rather, thoroughly practiced, the first stance. In the future, using this set of techniques would feel much smoother than any other martial art.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

After fighting for a full half an hour, Zhang Pinglu shouted loudly and immediately retreated several steps.

Zhang Yang held the Cold Spring Sword and gently wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Circulating so much energy was taxing even for him; his forehead was sweaty.

Opportunities for him to sweat had become extremely rare after reaching the Fourth Layer.

"Yangyang, what sword technique were you just using?"

After stopping, Zhang Pinglu immediately inquired. He had also sensed the extraordinary nature of the sword technique; Zhang Yang was mobilizing Heaven and Earth energy through the sword art.

Such a technique absolutely could not belong to the Zhang family. If it did, Zhang Pinglu, as the family’s Old Ancestor and guardian, would certainly know of it.

"This is the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art. I obtained it by chance and have only recently begun cultivating it. I have only mastered the first stance so far!"

Zhang Yang answered slowly. There were no outsiders present; they were all family. Besides Zhang Pinglu, everyone else was aware of the existence of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art.