Li Yundong stood rooted to the spot, gazing after the direction Su Chan had gone. Though sorrow weighted his heart, it was a far cry from the crushing despair he had felt when she left him before. Beneath his melancholy, a fierce surge of determination and the will to strive harder now burned brightly.

After lingering a moment longer, Li Yundong walked over to Zhou Qin and sighed softly, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess."

Zhou Qin’s eyes flickered. She stared intently at Li Yundong and let out a quiet sigh in return. "What do you plan to do now?"

Li Yundong paused in thought, then shook his head. "I don't know. I want to turn myself in, but I can't. Not when Su Chan is still waiting for me."

Zhou Qin suddenly gave a wry, helpless smile. "Don't turn yourself in. Even if you did, they couldn't convict you. There are no witnesses, no physical evidence. Even if traffic cameras caught you chasing Young Master He, that footage wouldn't stand as proof to condemn you. The only reason I stopped you from acting out earlier was to prevent you from being entangled in a homicide case."

"If you had killed him with your bare hands, you would never see sunlight again in this life. Even hiding overseas wouldn't bring peace; the forces behind Young Master He wouldn't let you go," Zhou Qin explained. "But striking him down with heavenly lightning—that’s an entirely different matter."

As she spoke, Zhou Qin looked toward the large crater where Young Master He had vanished. Her expression was complex. "I truly never imagined you could summon heavenly lightning to strike him dead... Had you planned that from the very beginning?"

Li Yundong shook his head. "I was just thinking, since Heaven itself refused to strike this man down with lightning, then I would use lightning to do it myself, to avenge Deng Yu, Deng Jiao, Er Lü, and his mother!"

Zhou Qin took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision. "I understand. Don't worry about this. I will handle it!"

"Can you manage it?" Li Yundong looked up, watching Zhou Qin with concern.

Zhou Qin offered a faint smile. "The word 'can't' doesn't exist in my vocabulary."

Li Yundong smiled back. "You're always so formidable."

Ziyuan, standing nearby, interjected, "The police will be here soon, Li Yundong. You should come with us first. Since you’ve chosen the path of cultivation, you must remember one thing: never get involved in lawsuits or criminal cases. That is the greatest taboo for a cultivator!"

Li Yundong glanced at Ziyuan, seemingly unable to grasp why she was helping him so readily. But he knew staying put wouldn't benefit him either, so he nodded. "You can take me away?"

Ziyuan sighed internally: The Master’s prophecy has come true. Even if I wanted to ignore you, it's impossible now…

She said softly, "Yes. Give me your hand."

Li Yundong extended his hand in confusion. Ziyuan reached out and gently rested her fingers on his wrist. Her fingers were long, snow-white, her wrist exquisite, possessing bone and skin like flawless ice.

Ziyuan turned to Zhou Qin. "Do you want to come with us?"

Zhou Qin shook her head. "No. I’ll wait here for the police. Someone has to deal with these kinds of matters."

Ziyuan added with a touch of lingering concern, "You know what you should say, and what you shouldn't, right?"

Zhou Qin's gaze remained fixed on Li Yundong. She smiled faintly. "Do I need you to teach me that?"

Ziyuan was unbothered by the slight edge in Zhou Qin’s tone. She nodded slightly. "Good, then."

Then, she murmured, "Let's go!"

Li Yundong felt an abrupt lightness take hold of his body, and in an instant, he was soaring upward. Before he could even blink, he saw white clouds whipping past beneath his feet. The buildings on the vast, sprawling earth below had shrunk to tiny black dots!

A shock coursed through Li Yundong. He hadn't even managed to speak when he suddenly felt his feet sink slightly, landing abruptly on solid ground. Ziyuan whispered, "We're here."

Li Yundong looked around. Nearby were pavilions and stone benches; in the distance stood high-rise apartments. It was the Hongsheng New District where he lived.

Seeing this familiar place, Li Yundong was momentarily overcome with emotion, remembering when he and the little girl first moved in. It was here they met Ruan Hongling—and after meeting that wretched woman, his entire life had spun into chaos.

Li Yundong stood still for a moment, sighed softly to himself, and began walking silently and heavily toward his own apartment.

Ruan Hongling watched him leave without a word of thanks and stomped her foot in frustration. "Doesn't this man even know how to say thank you?"

Ziyuan watched Li Yundong's solitary back and sighed softly. "Forget it. Someone grieving holds other concerns. Besides, these matters are all somewhat connected to us. Old enemies are better reconciled than aggravated."

Ruan Hongling snorted and turned her face away, refusing to speak.

When Li Yundong returned home with the large iron fan, he looked around. This place, once so familiar, suddenly seemed alien. Dusk was approaching, the sky slowly darkening. Lights flickered on in every household, but his own home remained pitch black.

Li Yundong leaned the large iron fan against the doorframe. He stood in the living room for a moment, then pushed open Su Chan's door and stood in her room for a short while. Next, Li Yundong paused in every room for a brief moment.

With his eyes closed, he tried to recall every tiny memory shared with Su Chan in these spaces, hoping this recollection would coalesce into infinite strength, allowing him to conquer the first and most crucial gate on his cultivation path: Foundation Establishment!

After circling through the rooms, lingering longest in Su Chan’s room, Li Yundong returned to the living room. Following Su Chan's old instructions, he opened all the windows and curtains in the balcony and living room for ventilation and light. Then, he sat cross-legged in the living room, facing East, preparing to meditate and circulate his Qi.

But as soon as he sat down and closed his eyes, a crisp voice rang out: "What are you trying to do?"

Li Yundong opened his eyes and saw Ruan Hongling sitting on the balcony directly in front of him, swinging her legs, head cocked as she watched him.

Li Yundong subconsciously blamed Ruan Hongling, in part, for Su Chan’s departure, and she had once injured Su Chan. Consequently, he held no affection for her and certainly didn't offer a pleasant expression. He said coldly, "What business is it of yours? I’m attempting Foundation Establishment. Kindly leave and don't disturb me!"

Ruan Hongling felt the hostility radiating from Li Yundong and scoffed dismissively. "You, attempting Foundation Establishment? I'm telling you, if you try it like this, you’ll invite Deviation unless you have a death wish!"

Li Yundong didn't believe her for a second. He sneered, "And if I deviate, what concern is that of yours?"

Although Ruan Hongling had friction with Li Yundong, seeing this young man possess the chivalrous heart and exceptional courage to face heavenly tribulation for the sake of justice couldn't help but make her feel she might have misjudged him previously. She even felt a sense of deep respect. That was why she had come to offer a kind warning.

But when Ruan Hongling saw Li Yundong treating her goodwill like a thankless effort, she instantly flew into a rage. "You! How can you repay kindness with ingratitude, like a dog biting Lü Dongbin!"

Li Yundong sneered back, "You're a good person? If you were truly good, you wouldn't have attacked Su Chan without distinguishing right from wrong, and you wouldn't have..."

Ruan Hongling was truly infuriated—her anger boiling over instantly. Before Li Yundong could finish, she leaped down from the edge of the balcony, shouting furiously, "Fine! I came to advise you kindly, and you lecture me instead! Come on, let's see today whether your Golden Core True Qi is more formidable, or my Primordial True Qi reigns supreme!"

Li Yundong immediately stood up, smirking. "Wonderful. I was just looking for someone to vent my frustration on!"

Just as the two were about to clash, Ziyuan suddenly appeared between them. The ethereal, transcendent woman sighed faintly, saying with exasperation, "You two must have been sworn enemies five hundred years ago; why do you quarrel the moment you meet?"

Ruan Hongling snorted and turned away. Li Yundong also grunted, glancing sideways at Ziyuan. "Are you here to lecture me too?"

Ziyuan looked at Li Yundong, whose rebellious nature was intensely strong. She sighed softly. "I know you're upset. You desperately want to achieve Foundation Establishment immediately, pass the heavenly tribulation, and find Su Chan. I hope you succeed in your Foundation Establishment and overcome the tribulation too. But you must understand one saying..."

Ziyuan’s voice was soft and gentle, carrying an indescribable calmness and serenity that slowly caused the suffocating frustration and anger in Li Yundong’s heart to dissipate, bringing his state of mind to tranquility. He paused for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "What saying?"

Ziyuan said softly, "Desire without attainment! Look at your current state: your heart is filled with conflict, sorrow, impatience, and anger. These are all great taboos in cultivation!"

Li Yundong was not someone who ignored sound advice. Hearing this, he immediately fell silent, offering no reply.

Ziyuan continued, "A cultivator must maintain a calm and composed state of mind. Only when you reach a state of 'no self, no myriad things, no others, no world' can you enter the realm of unconsciousness where the six roots are entirely severed, and Foundation Establishment has a chance of success."

Li Yundong took a deep breath and said gravely, "So, if I adjust my mindset, I can succeed in Foundation Establishment?"

Ziyuan slightly shook her head and smiled faintly. "You have the Human Origin Golden Elixir modifying your physique and the immense power of your Golden Core True Qi as a foundation. Logically, as long as you keep your mind focused, establishing your foundation shouldn't be difficult. However, although your cultivation speed is rapid, you’ve taken shortcuts and detours—not the orthodox path. Therefore, even though the Qi you've cultivated is vast, your Dantian is not solidly packed, and your foundation is unstable..."

Li Yundong couldn't help but sound unconvinced. "You say my foundation is unstable?" As he spoke, his gaze swept over Ruan Hongling, as if to imply: If my foundation were unstable, why would your junior sister run from me?

Ruan Hongling exploded in anger when Li Yundong looked her way. "What are you looking at me for? If your Golden Core True Qi attribute didn't clash directly with mine, would I be afraid of you?"

Li Yundong sneered, about to retort, when he saw Ziyuan raise her hand to Ruan Hongling. Then, Ziyuan lightly formed a hand seal, and in the blink of an eye, a round stone slab, about a meter across and slightly over two inches thick, flew in from outside the balcony. It was made of marble and looked extremely solid. Li Yundong immediately recognized it: wasn't that the tabletop from the pavilion in the residential area? This woman summoned a slab of stone with just a gesture? What kind of magic was this?

Ziyuan rested one hand on the slab and faced Li Yundong. "Punch it. See what happens."

==================================================== Ninth place on last week’s Flower Chart. This week we have two triple updates, on Tuesday and Saturday—this is today's first update.