Ziyuan nodded. "Step back three paces, then channel your energy and strike this paving stone. Don't worry, with your current aura and control, you won't damage it."

Li Yundong felt a flicker of annoyance at Ziyuan's somewhat dismissive words. Without a word, he retreated three steps, then lowered his gaze and shoulders, settling into a deep bow stance.

He took a deep breath, then suddenly let out a loud roar, slamming his fist towards the paving stone with all his might!

This punch unleashed all the pent-up frustration and anger within Li Yundong, erupting like a flash flood. A powerful surge of energy struck the stone with a sharp bang, vibrating the very floor beneath them.

Ruan Hongling, standing nearby, glanced down and saw a distinct indentation on the surface of the stone. The indentation vaguely suggested a fist print, and the area surrounding it was riddled with dense, fine cracks.

"So powerful! To possess such potent energy before even achieving Foundation Establishment!" Ruan Hongling was secretly astonished. "If he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, just how formidable will he become?"

Ziyuan, however, remained outwardly calm. She flipped the stone over, letting it stand on its own, then walked over to Li Yundong, maintaining the same distance between them, and said, "Watch closely."

With that, she didn't appear to be channeling much energy at all. She pushed her palm out, and there was only a dull thud. The freestanding stone barely shuddered.

Li Yundong nearly scoffed internally, thinking: She didn't even knock the stone over—she's going to be utterly humiliated now!

As if sensing Li Yundong's thoughts, Ziyuan addressed him, "Don't rush to laugh. Go closer and examine the two sides to see the difference."

Li Yundong was initially dismissive, but as he examined both sides of the stone, he froze. His expression immediately turned careful and focused as he meticulously compared the differences between the stone's two faces. The more he looked, the more shaken he became; the more he scrutinized, the more cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

On the side Ziyuan had struck, a clear palm print was deeply impressed into the stone surface. Astonishingly, there wasn't a single crack radiating from the palm print—it looked as if someone had painstakingly chiseled the shape out with a tool!

"How is that possible?" Li Yundong felt his mind flood with questions, utterly unable to comprehend it!

Ziyuan softened her voice. "You must find it strange that the results of my strike and yours are so drastically different?"

Li Yundong nodded involuntarily.

Ziyuan continued, "For one thing, my energy is inherently yielding and soft, while yours is fierce and powerful. Therefore, my energy focuses on penetration, whereas yours focuses on destruction. That's why you see cracks around your fist mark, but not around my palm mark."

Li Yundong suddenly understood and nodded in assent.

Ziyuan then added, "But that's not what I want you to see. Your fist print has a smaller surface area, so your energy is more concentrated. Yet, why isn't the impression on the stone as clear as my palm print?"

Li Yundong felt a jolt of realization and fell into deep thought.

Ziyuan stated, "This is because my energy is more solidified, and my foundational technique is more grounded than yours!"

Only then did Li Yundong truly believe Ziyuan. He sighed and said, "I’ve only been cultivating Qi for about a month. How can I compare to someone like you, from a prestigious lineage, who has been training since the womb?"

Ziyuan shook her head. "With the aid of your Primeval Golden Core, the sheer volume of energy flowing through you already surpasses those of us who have cultivated for over a decade. What you must learn to do is compress and condense the vast energy within you. To explain it in scientific terms: sheer quantity of pressure is less significant than the intensity of the pressure!"

A realization struck Li Yundong; he understood the essence of Ziyuan's words: a punch delivering a hundred catties of force will undoubtedly cause less damage than a fingertip poking with fifty catties of focused force!

Seeing Li Yundong deep in contemplation, Ziyuan pressed on. "If you cannot cultivate your energy to the point where it is as condensed as a needle, then when you reach Foundation Establishment, your inner core will also lack solidity. It might easily degenerate into a Pseudo-Core. If you encounter a strong opponent, your core could shatter, your energy dissipate, to say nothing of facing the terrifying Heavenly Tribulation."

Li Yundong found Ziyuan's explanation clear and irrefutable. He was finally convinced and asked earnestly, "Then how do I learn to condense the energy within me to be as sharp as a needle?"

Ziyuan smiled and replied, "You must start from the very beginning!"

Hearing this, Li Yundong gasped sharply. "Start from the beginning? No way!"

Ziyuan countered with a volley of questions: "Do you know why there is Qi within you? Do you know where your aura originates? Do you know why you cultivate? Do you know the proper methods for your cultivation? Do you know what the most crucial aspect of cultivation is? Do you understand the role the body's essence, Qi, blood, and the five major organs play in cultivation? Where does human magical power come from?"

This barrage of questions left Li Yundong speechless; he could only offer a wry smile. "I truly don't know. But, I don't really have the time to study all that right now!"

Ziyuan smiled gently. "Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting. I recommend you read the supreme classic text of the cultivation world; once you read it, you will understand the principles behind all of this."

Li Yundong's heart leaped, and an eager look flashed across his face. "What supreme classic text?"

Ziyuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Ruan Hongling and said, "It’s not ideal for us to be flying around too much. If the elders of other sects see us, we’ll certainly be reprimanded. Go downstairs to the garage and fetch the car. We'll take him book shopping later."

Ruan Hongling acknowledged the instruction, shot Li Yundong a look, snorted, pulled open the door, and left on her own.

Li Yundong watched Ruan Hongling exit, then turned back to Ziyuan, puzzled. "Book shopping? Can this supreme classic be bought?"

Ziyuan smiled sweetly. "Of course, and it’s available everywhere!"

Li Yundong was dumbfounded, as if hearing news that aliens were invading Earth. He stammered, "If it’s the supreme classic of the cultivation world, shouldn't it be extremely rare and precious? Why is it available everywhere?"

Ziyuan laughed. "The greatest music is seldom heard; the ultimate Dao has no fixed form. Our Taoist path has declined and faded now. The world believes cultivation is some vague, boundless endeavor—they either dismiss it as superstition, too foolish to believe, or view it as fantasy, unreachable. But they truly don't realize that cultivation is a matter of our daily lives. If you read this supreme classic and follow what it instructs, then anyone can cultivate!"

Li Yundong was left agape. "What book is this, exactly?"

Ziyuan paused, smiling mysteriously. "You'll know when we get there."

Li Yundong's curiosity was piqued, his heart itching with impatience. He desperately wanted to know the title of this seminal work revered as the supreme classic in the cultivation world.

After waiting a moment, he heard a car horn blare from downstairs. Ziyuan smiled. "Let's go; Hongling is waiting for us below."

Li Yundong couldn't wait any longer. He bolted out the door first, rushed downstairs, and jumped into the car. As soon as he was seated, he urged Ziyuan repeatedly, "Drive quickly, drive quickly! Where are we going?"

Ziyuan chuckled and said to Ruan Hongling in the driver's seat, "We're going to the Xinhua Bookstore on Renmin Road."

"The Xinhua Bookstore?! I'm going to faint!!" Li Yundong nearly collapsed onto the back seat.

"What's so strange about that? You’re just inexperienced and easily surprised!" Ruan Hongling finally seized an opportunity to jab at Li Yundong.

Li Yundong grew angry and couldn't help but tap the back of the driver's seat. "Hey, are you even an adult? Do you have a license? Do your parents let you drive?"

Ruan Hongling, incensed, stomped on the accelerator. The Hongqi sedan roared once and shot forward.

Ziyuan, in the passenger seat, smiled and shook her head.

Throughout the drive, Li Yundong and Ruan Hongling exchanged constant barbed remarks. The fiery atmosphere between them served to greatly alleviate the lingering ache of Li Yundong's longing.

Twenty minutes later, the trio arrived outside the Xinhua Bookstore. Ruan Hongling found a parking spot. As soon as the car stopped, Li Yundong scrambled out impatiently and hurried toward the bookstore, acting as if a single second's delay meant the supreme classic would be snatched up by someone else.

Ruan Hongling couldn't resist another taunt. "Relax, it’s not running away. Books don't grow legs!"

Li Yundong stopped and retorted without restraint, "The book might not have legs, but people do."

Ruan Hongling scoffed. "Who would even compete with you for it? Such a petty bourgeois mentality!"

Li Yundong shot back coldly, "Indeed, I’m petty bourgeoisie. So why are you sticking close to me? Doesn't that make you even worse than a petty bourgeois?"

Ruan Hongling was furious enough to scream. "Who wants to follow you around? Go die!" With that, she stamped her foot and started to leave.

Ziyuan sighed quietly. "Stop arguing. Let's just go inside."

Li Yundong and Ruan Hongling glared at each other, both letting out a simultaneous "Hmph," before turning their heads away.

Once inside the bookstore, Ziyuan led the way. Her ethereal temperament and stunning beauty instantly captured the attention of everyone present. Even Ruan Hongling was a breathtakingly beautiful girl, a match for Su Chan. Noticing the stares directed her way, Ruan Hongling instinctively puffed out her chest, held her head high, and gave Li Yundong a provocative look, as if to say: I’m captivating, why on earth would I follow you around?

Li Yundong rolled his eyes. His mind was preoccupied with the supreme classic, and he couldn't be bothered to engage with her petty drama.

Seeing that he ignored her, Ruan Hongling became even angrier. She gritted her teeth, thinking she must find a way to make him pay later!

Li Yundong was in no mood to deal with her girlish schemes. He noticed Ziyuan heading toward the medical section. She stopped by a bookshelf, searched briefly, then pulled out a book and handed it to Li Yundong. "Yes, this is the one."

Li Yundong took the book and was instantly stunned, stammering, "No way, just this one? You’re not fooling me, are you?"

Ziyuan whispered softly, "Why would I fool you? This is the supreme classic universally recognized by the cultivation world for thousands of years—a required scripture for every cultivator!"

Ruan Hongling chimed in from the side. "If a student of economics doesn't read Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, how can they study economics? If a military strategist ignores Sun Tzu's The Art of War, how can they discuss warfare? If an astronomer ignores the Warring States period astronomer Gan De's Gan Shi Star Classic, what can they learn of astronomy? It’s the same principle: if a Daoist practitioner doesn't read the book in your hands, how can they speak of cultivating the Dao?"

Although Li Yundong found Ruan Hongling deeply irritating, he had to admit the sharp girl had a point. He looked at the book in his hands and mumbled to himself, "Could this really be the supreme classic of the cultivation world they speak of?"

Li Yundong held a thick, hardbound volume. Its cover was brown, and embossed upon it in four ancient, elegant golden characters were the words: The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon!