Half a year slipped by, and Zhang Yang felt utterly unburdened, not even realizing the span of time that had passed outside the cave.

He only registered that the depleted spiritual energy within him was recovering at an almost unimaginable pace. Zhang Yang never entered that grand doorway, yet the weakness following the Nine-Layered Heavenly Tribulation had vanished entirely.

Spiritual energy surged; Zhang Yang knew he was completely restored, his strength once again at its zenith.

The sensation of power was something the weakened Zhang Yang of moments before could never have conceived.

His only regret was that he could never step through that door, not even for an instant. Having grasped the heaven-defying cultivation mantra of the Grand Heavenly Cycle, Zhang Yang should have been content. But if he could have also passed through that door to understand how Pu Tian’en managed to acquire and then adapt and reverse-engineer the power of a fifth-level spirit beast, enabling Wuying, Shandian, and Zhuifeng to attain that level—that would be beyond describing as merely heaven-defying.

During this seclusion, Zhang Yang finally understood the method Pu Tian’en had used to gain the fifth-level power of the Three-Eyed Demon Beast.

That pitch-black core was the spirit beast core condensed after the Three-Eyed Demon Beast advanced to the fifth level. It seemed Pu Tian’en had somehow, through an unknown method, violently extracted the core and consumed it, using this spirit beast core to convert the energy of heaven and earth into spiritual energy, thereby achieving fifth-level power.

Now, this core was gradually dissipating within Pu Tian’en's body, eventually escaping entirely as spiritual energy which Zhang Yang had absorbed.

Without that core, Zhang Yang’s seclusion felt pointless; the door remained perpetually open, yet he remained barred from entry.

“Sigh.”

Zhang Yang shook his head. Although he couldn't enter, his full recovery was compensation in another sense. Absorbing the spiritual energy from that spirit beast core had elevated Zhang Yang’s abundant spiritual reserves to an almost terrifying, unimaginable level.

Time to go out; Mi Xue and the others were waiting for him in Changjing.

With a thought, Zhang Yang abandoned his fruitless seclusion here.

Over these six months, Savage Mountain had recovered a significant portion of its vitality; the desiccated energies of heaven and earth had replenished somewhat. Though not fully restored, it was no longer as desolate as it had been half a year prior.

“Mi Xue, you should really go back. Yang Yang might be in there for who knows how long.”

The Old Man had remained outside the cave, living there for several months, and his complexion was not good.

Mi Xue looked terrible. Her insistence on staying in Savage Mountain these past days made her appear incredibly haggard. Although she possessed the strength of the second layer of Inner Force, she was ultimately an ordinary person, vastly different from the Old Man or Master Shiming, let alone spirit beasts like Wuying and Shandian.

“I won’t leave!”

What sustained Mi Xue’s presence was, of course, Zhang Yang’s love. The longer the time, the deeper her longing for him grew. Under these circumstances, she flatly refused to depart, determined to wait until Zhang Yang emerged.

“Layman Zhang, Benefactor Mi, please do not worry too much. Host Zhang must have discovered something profound in this seclusion.”

Master Shiming stayed nearby. Seeing Mi Xue like this, he felt helpless. Having devoted himself to monkhood and seclusion from the secular world, he had long since let go of worldly affections. This detachment allowed him to see Mi Xue’s feelings for Zhang Yang with greater clarity.

That connection was one that no one could sever.

Rumble!

Amidst the mountains and forests, there was a colossal sound. Though the ground beneath their feet remained still, everyone heard the thunderous, resonant tremor.

“Host Zhang!”

“Yang Yang!”

“Zhang Yang!”

All three turned toward the cave entrance simultaneously!

Chirp chirp chirp!

Squeak squeak squeak!

Roar!

The major spirit beasts rushed forward at once!

Zhang Yang finally stepped out of the cave. Seeing everyone gathered, he paused in confusion.

Why were the Old Man and Master Shiming here? Why did everyone have such expressions?

“Zhang Yang!”

Seeing him, half a year of longing erupted like a flood. Mi Xue lunged forward, throwing her arms tightly around Zhang Yang, sobbing uncontrollably.

Tears poured out like a breached dam, releasing all the pent-up yearning Mi Xue had endured for the past half-year.

The longer they were apart, the deeper the longing grew, yet when they finally met, nothing could be said beyond the torrent of tears.

“What is wrong with you all?”

Inside the cave, Zhang Yang felt as though only a few minutes had passed. He was utterly unaware that half a year had transpired while he sat in meditation, so he couldn't immediately grasp why Mi Xue was reacting this way.

Sensing Mi Xue’s exhaustion, Zhang Yang channeled a bit of spiritual energy to help her drift into sleep, simultaneously using it to subtly reshape her body and dispel her fatigue.

Turning his gaze, he saw that the Old Man and Master Shiming were similarly filled with exhaustion, their vitality and complexion appearing poor.

“What happened?”

Zhang Yang frowned. Had someone finally grown impatient during this time?

His first thought went to the Twelve-Crowned Golden Python in Changbai Mountain. Given the current strength of the Old Man and Master Shiming, only the Golden Python posed a real threat to them.

“It’s been half a year. Yang Yang is finally out.” The Old Man had countless questions he wanted to ask, but when the words reached his lips, they became only that single statement.

“What, half a year?”

Zhang Yang was thunderstruck. Had he truly been in seclusion in the cave for six months?

Grumble…

His stomach suddenly protested uncontrollably, and a wave of ravenous hunger washed over his mind. Zhang Yang was bewildered again; how long had it been since he experienced such a gnawing emptiness?

Zhang Yang was certain he was hungry enough right now to devour an entire ox.

“Let’s go. We eat first!”

Zhang Yang’s physical change did not escape the perception of the Old Man and Master Shiming. They dropped other questions, immediately preparing to lead Zhang Yang and the spirit beasts away from Savage Mountain to fill their stomachs first!

“Alright!”

Zhang Yang nodded. He was indeed starving; he would eat something first, then inquire about the situation.

Wait!

Zhang Yang’s eyes suddenly widened. His gaze pierced through the Old Man and Master Shiming, landing on Wuying.

All the heavenly treasures Wuying, the Treasure-Seeking Rat, had consumed had their spiritual energy stored within its body, effectively turning Wuying into a living elixir.

“I understand!”

The grand door he had struggled to enter during his long confinement in the cave suddenly lost all resistance in that instant.

Zhang Yang finally grasped everything he needed to know!

Eating.

That was the key!

Humans differed from spirit beasts; they could not condense a spirit beast core. But humans could eat food, absorb, and digest it to fuel their bodily energies.

It was similar to how the masters of Ah Hua and Ah Cai had planted energy seeds within them, which they digested and absorbed, leaving the seeds behind to help them cultivate into spirit beasts by drawing on the energy of heaven and earth.

In fact, the method to help Wuying and the others gain fifth-level abilities was extremely simple. Zhang Yang could not condense a core for them to swallow and advance, but he could refine the purest spiritual energy into an energy seed for them to consume.

Perhaps, through this method, he could even temporarily grant the Old Man fifth-level abilities?

Zhang Yang had meditated endlessly in the cave, unable to crack the problem, but upon exiting and feeling that intense hunger, the solution simplified itself, and he finally walked through that door.

Extremes beget their opposites; the matter was never as complicated as he had initially believed.

A look of joy spread across Zhang Yang’s face, his eyes gleaming as he looked at everyone happily. “Let’s go! We’re having a grand feast!”

After returning to Changjing, Zhang Yang spent a quiet month.

He finally learned that he had been in seclusion in the cave for half a year, meaning the full restoration of his spiritual energy had taken six months. Still, this speed was astonishing; otherwise, it would have taken him at least a year to recover even half of his energy.

Using the method deduced from Pu Tian’en’s acquisition of the fifth-level power of the Three-Eyed Demon Beast, Zhang Yang spent this month testing whether the Old Man and Wuying, Shandian, etc., could achieve fifth-level abilities by consuming the essence of spiritual energy he refined.

However, regretfully, the Old Man and Master Shiming could not digest and absorb Zhang Yang’s spiritual essence. In contrast, the Golden Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast, Wuying, and Shandian could absorb it, temporarily manifesting fifth-level capabilities!

Perfect control over the energy of heaven and earth, the ability to manipulate objects remotely, and the capacity to generate spiritual energy—these were the most significant markers of the fifth level.

Unfortunately, after a brief moment, these spirit beasts also lost the ability.

The spiritual essence Zhang Yang provided was not, after all, a core condensed over a spirit beast’s entire life; it was only enough for Wuying and the others to digest for a short while, and once consumed, it lost its effect.

Through several trials, Zhang Yang finally understood that the purest spiritual essence he could refine would only allow the Golden Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast to maintain its fifth-level state for two hours, while Wuying, Zhuifeng, and Shandian could only maintain it for half an hour.

As for Ah Hua and Ah Cai, who lacked spirit beast cores, they, like the Old Man and Master Shiming, could not digest or absorb Zhang Yang’s spiritual essence.

Nevertheless, Zhang Yang finally noticed that once the spiritual essence he refined was given to Wuying and the others to absorb, the spiritual energy he lost could not be recovered. In other words, every time Zhang Yang refined a batch of spiritual essence that was absorbed by Wuying and the others, he would suffer a corresponding loss of his own energy.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang’s spiritual energy was vast, like a lake; the loss over this month was negligible.

Gaining the fifth-level state through this method could only be considered a measure of last resort. Truly ascending to the fifth level still required their own dedicated effort.

But Zhang Yang was quite satisfied with this outcome. Now, all that remained was the Rootless Water to help the Old Man ascend to the fifth level.

It was also time to make a trip to Changbai Mountain to settle old scores with Hua Feitian and that Twelve-Crowned Golden Python.

This time, Zhang Yang did not mobilize a large contingent for his journey to Changbai Mountain. Besides bringing his attendant spirit beasts, he only invited Master Shiming to accompany him.

Unlike Pu Tian’en, Hua Feitian was ultimately a member of the cultivation world of Huaxia; Zhang Yang could not simply execute him as he might have Pu Tian’en.

Zhang Yang had already decided how to deal with the Hua family. Of course, all of this depended on whether the Twelve-Crowned Golden Python and Hua Feitian were willing to accept his judgment. (To be continued.) ps: There will only be one update today. Xiao Yu still needs time to finalize the plot for the grand finale. Xiao Yu sincerely apologizes for the sluggish updates during this period. No Pop-up Novel Network