Hua Feitian exclaimed in stunned disbelief, the words escaping him involuntarily!

"Brother Hua, what's wrong with you?"

Only after Pu Tian'en had departed did Li Jianyi finally feel a sliver of relief, but Hua Feitian’s sudden shock made him jump, thinking the old man had somehow returned.

Seeing Li Jianyi's reaction, Hua Feitian was jolted back to reality. The old man's telepathic message had been directed only to him; even standing this close, Li Jianyi hadn't heard a sound.

All of this seemed to underscore the old man’s true power.

Was he truly a Fifth Layer expert? Did Korea even harbor Fifth Layer experts?

A tempest of shock raged within Hua Feitian’s mind. Like Li Jianyi, he simply couldn't fathom that a petty place like Korea could produce a Fifth Layer master.

"Brother Hua? That old man just left. You don't need to be so astonished."

Sensing Hua Feitian's anomaly, Li Jianyi was thoroughly confused, unable to grasp why the old man’s departure had elicited such a severe reaction.

"No, nothing. Brother Li, when that Korean old man left, did you not hear anything?"

Hua Feitian forced himself to calm down, frowning as he asked Li Jianyi.

Li Jianyi shook his head; he had heard nothing at all.

"It’s nothing, perhaps I’m just overly tense since my recent recovery."

After a pause, Hua Feitian nodded, forcibly smoothing the shock in his heart, and casually offered the explanation.

Li Jianyi nodded, once again gazing in the direction the Korean elder had left, then murmured with a frown, "Brother Hua, the rise of the Medical Sage Zhang Family is now a certainty. I will immediately send word to the Long Family to ease the tension between our two families and the Zhangs."

"That would be excellent. I’ll trouble you then, Brother Li."

Hua Feitian nodded. At that moment, the Li family disciples who had inexplicably fainted earlier began to stir awake, all groggy and utterly clueless about what had just transpired.

"Well then, Brother Hua, I shall take my leave now."

Li Jianyi cupped his hands in farewell to Hua Feitian and commanded his disciples to prepare for immediate departure.

"Safe travels, Brother Li. But be wary of that old man; he might still be lurking nearby." Hua Feitian hesitated for a moment before cautioning Li Jianyi as he prepared to go.

"I understand."

Li Jianyi knew what he was doing. Once he was settled in his vehicle, several SUVs immediately started up, forming a single file line under the darkness and speeding into the distance.

After Li Jianyi left, Hua Feitian did not rush back to Changbai Mountain. He paused, looking back, seemingly searching for something.

He couldn't believe that the man would simply vanish after uttering only those few words.

"Hua Feitian, if you wish to know how I reached the Fifth Layer, you may come find me for a private discussion. Though... I wonder if you actually possess the courage?"

Another secret transmission echoed, and this time, Hua Feitian finally pinpointed the old man's location.

He truly hadn't gone far. The energy signature seemed to originate from within a thousand meters ahead, out in the wilderness. Hua Feitian gritted his teeth. Opportunity and risk are perpetually proportional, and perhaps this particular risk wasn't as dire as it seemed.

He decided firmly: the moment the other party moved too far from the Changbai Mountain perimeter, he would immediately double back. As long as the distance wasn't too great, Hua Feitian was confident that the ancient ancestor residing within Changbai Mountain would not ignore him.

With a slight touch of his toes, Hua Feitian transformed into a streak of black light, vanishing into the deepening night.

A gust of strong wind swept across the wilderness lawn, rustling the grass. Underneath Hua Feitian's furious sprint, he quickly locked onto the scent of the Korean old man and charged toward him.

Hua Feitian moved with incredible speed, yet Pu Tian'en’s presence consistently maintained a distance of about a kilometer ahead. Fortunately, Pu Tian'en was circling the general boundaries of Changbai Mountain, not moving progressively further away. Thus, despite his frustration, Hua Feitian followed closely behind.

Hua Feitian clearly perceived that Pu Tian'en was deliberately baiting him, but the temptation to break through to the Fifth Layer was too immense; he simply had to take this gamble.

Pu Tian'en stopped moving only after leading him in a semi-circle around the mountain, from the front slopes to the deserted foothills of the back side. Only then did Hua Feitian catch up.

"Why did you lead me here? And what exactly do you want to say?"

Hua Feitian halted before the Korean elder. Though this was the rear base of Changbai Mountain, it was the closest point to Tianchi Lake, making it easier to attract the attention of that Twelve-Crested Golden Python.

He was finally at ease. Here, no matter what trick Pu Tian'en attempted, he couldn't escape the perception of the Twelve-Crested Golden Python.

A thin layer of frost suddenly crystallized, rising from behind Pu Tian'en like a shimmering rainbow, sweeping across and enveloping both men. A sharp glint flashed in Hua Feitian’s eyes, and he rapidly stepped back. However, as he retreated, the frost layer followed, always maintaining its position behind him.

"Don't worry; it only conceals our conversation so that the fellow from Changbai Mountain cannot overhear," Pu Tian'en said, abandoning his playful tone. His speech grew urgent; he knew that his actions were pushing the boundaries of the Twelve-Crested Golden Python, so he needed to convey everything to Hua Feitian before provoking it further.

"Hua Feitian, your talent is exceptional, unlike Li Jianyi’s. Do not forget that you achieved Great Perfection by comprehending the Dao of Nature. You are inherently the cultivator with the greatest hope of breaking through to the Fifth Layer. Now, you provide me with Rootless Water, and in return, I will show you an alternative path to the Fifth Layer—a method perfectly suited to you, which will absolutely guarantee your breakthrough."

As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Hua Feitian narrowed his eyes. He didn't care what function the frost served, pressing his question: "How do I know you aren't deceiving me? Besides complete comprehension of the Dao of Nature, the only other known path to the Fifth Layer is the Three Elixirs and One Water method. There cannot be a third way. Why should I believe you?"

"Because I am also a Fifth Layer expert. Because I advanced to the Fifth Layer using this very method."

A cold sneer flickered in Pu Tian'en's heart, but his expression betrayed nothing. Hua Feitian’s willingness to chase him halfway around Changbai Mountain was proof enough of his desperate hunger for the breakthrough. As long as desire burned in Hua Feitian’s chest, Pu Tian'en was certain of his cooperation.

"The sole difference between a Fifth Layer expert and Great Perfection is the ability to control the energies of Heaven and Earth with one hundred percent precision—the ultimate expression of utilizing all external, invisible forces. Whether through fully grasping the Dao of Nature or consuming the Three Elixirs and One Water, the final goal is the same: to become seamlessly and inextricably united with the surrounding energies of Heaven and Earth, thereby achieving complete mastery. In other words, anyone who can completely merge with and thoroughly command the ambient energies of Heaven and Earth is equivalent to a Fifth Layer expert. My method allows you to master this energy."

Saying this, Pu Tian'en tilted his head back toward the sky above Changbai Mountain, extending a hand and pointing toward Tianchi Lake. "The reason I say you qualify to advance through my method is because of it—and you happen to share a certain affinity with it. I can provide a technique that allows you to share the energies of Heaven and Earth with it. In essence, I can help you link your lives, thus achieving complete command over the energies of Heaven and Earth."

This passage was precisely why Pu Tian'en had needed to briefly obscure the sight and hearing of the Twelve-Crested Golden Python. The frost vanished immediately as he finished speaking; ultimately, even here, he proceeded with caution regarding the great beast.

As if to substantiate his claims, Pu Tian'en raised his hand. About ten meters from Hua Feitian, a massive boulder suddenly erupted from the earth. It was roughly the height of an adult's calf, clearly having been buried deep underground for ages, still covered in clinging soil and grit.

Hua Feitian could feel the energies of Heaven and Earth manipulating this stone, and the controller of those energies was Pu Tian'en.

Suddenly, under Pu Tian'en’s command, the boulder shattered into countless small pebbles, hanging suspended in the air. Immediately, they shot out like bullets, striking a large tree in the distance.

Boom!

The massive tree collapsed amid a cloud of dust. The sheer force of the pebbles was evident.

Telekinesis!

Hua Feitian’s pupils dilated sharply. The most distinct hallmark of a Fifth Layer expert was telekinesis—and this was not the mere Great Perfection trick of drawing small objects to the hand or flicking them away with internal force. Pu Tian'en’s display was pure, genuine manipulation of external objects.

Hua Feitian was certain that even if Zhang Yang’s internal force cultivation had reached the level of Returning to Simplicity, he could not have extracted a deeply buried boulder, shattered it mid-air, and launched the fragments with such impact.

Pu Tian'en was demonstrating his Fifth Layer status in this very manner. In truth, he hadn't been entirely forthcoming with Hua Feitian. While he did reach the Fifth Layer by linking his life force with a mutated spiritual beast and sharing its power to completely control the energies of Heaven and Earth, this method failed to trigger the Heavenly Tribulation required for physical tempering and qualitative change.

Though he possessed Fifth Layer energy, his body remained only at the Great Perfection stage. Limited by his physique, he could never fully unleash the true power of a Fifth Layer master. This was the real reason he had journeyed from Korea, coveting the Immortal Peaches—only the Immortal Peaches could guarantee a 100% physical reinforcement, effectively replacing the Heavenly Tribulation, and making him a complete Fifth Layer expert.

"Given your relationship with that Fifth Layer spirit beast, if you agree to become its familiar, you can use my method to share its energy and achieve complete control over the energies of Heaven and Earth, ascending easily to the Fifth Layer. As for becoming its familiar, you need not worry. You must know that in its eyes, you, under its protection, are no different from a pet anyway."

Pu Tian'en stepped forward and continued, "How about it? Give me a cup of Rootless Water, and I will tell you this entire method in detail!"