After Li Yundong hung up the phone with Su Chan, he returned to the room, his expression grim as he looked back and forth between Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling.

Both Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling were cultivators with exceptionally sharp hearing, and they had clearly heard everything Li Yundong had said on the phone. Thus, one appeared open and honest while the other looked shifty, making Li Yundong’s suspicions as clear as day.

Li Yundong’s gaze was sharp, forcing Ruan Hongling to break first. She slammed her hand on the table and declared, "Enough staring! Yes, I took the call, so what about it!"

Li Yundong’s voice was deep and angry. "Why did you answer my call? And why did you just grunt and hang up?"

Ruan Hongling had never been reprimanded like this by a man. She instantly jumped to her feet and shouted, "I just don't want to watch you sink into depravity and associate with those crooked, evil monsters!"

Seeing that she not only refused to apologize but spoke with such venom, Li Yundong became furious. "Who I associate with is none of your business! Stay out of it from now on!"

Ruan Hongling had secretly been praising Li Yundong just moments before, feeling much better about him, but now she suddenly felt this man was the most detestable person in the entire world!

She couldn't help but lash out. "Who cares about your business! Hmph, if it weren't for Sister Ziyuan, I wouldn't bother with you in the slightest!" With that, she spun around, rushed to the balcony, and leaped back over the railing.

Ziyuan glanced with helplessness at the still-fuming Li Yundong and sighed softly, "Why must it come to this between you two?"

Li Yundong raged, "I won't even press her about injuring Su Chan! But how dare she touch my personal belongings? By what right does she handle my things? Can't her parents teach her some manners?"

Ziyuan sighed again. "Hongling lost both her parents when she was very young; I raised her. If you have to blame someone, blame me."

Though angry, Li Yundong held great respect for Ziyuan. He merely turned his head away, falling into a sullen silence.

Ziyuan paused in thought. "Although time is a bit tight now, just staying here and practicing ceaselessly won't necessarily yield the best results. Perhaps you should head to ** tomorrow."

Li Yundong was taken aback. "Go to **? For what?"

Ziyuan’s expression turned somewhat solemn. "To cultivate!"

Li Yundong grew more confused. "Why would I need to go to ** to cultivate?"

Ziyuan explained, "When cultivators enter the Foundation Establishment stage, they often choose to do so on a mountain. Do you know why?"

Li Yundong shook his head. "No."

"Because mountains are where the spiritual energy of the world gathers most densely. Not only is the air excellent, but they are closer to the Heavenly Court in the clouds, making it easier to feel the power and might of Heaven and Earth. The higher the mountain, the truer this is."

A thought sparked in Li Yundong’s mind, and he faintly grasped Ziyuan’s intention. He asked tentatively, "Are you suggesting I go to the mountains in ** to establish my foundation?"

Ziyuan nodded. "Times have changed; almost all famous peaks and lofty ranges have been heavily tainted by the mortal world. But the high mountains of ** remain pure. So, you can go there to cultivate and establish your foundation."

Li Yundong pondered for a moment, then sighed. "That sounds fine, but I don't have the travel funds."

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "What, do you plan to fly there? No, you must run there yourself!"

Li Yundong’s jaw dropped. "Run? Run all the way there? Are you joking?"

"No joke at all!" Ziyuan dropped her smile, speaking with great seriousness. "Although the True Qi within you is vast and powerful, it lacks cohesion. You can use the journey there to slowly temper the True Qi in your body. Especially on this first run—you absolutely must not stop. Run as long as you possibly can until you simply can’t take another step. Oh, and take your Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan with you!"

The thought of having to lug the over one-hundred-pound Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan all the way to ** made Li Yundong shudder, his eyes glazing over.

Ziyuan wasn't surprised by his look. She spoke softly, "No pain, no gain—how can plum blossoms release their fragrance without enduring the bitter cold? Don't think cultivation is easy; it is the most difficult path to attain in this world, the Heavenly Dao, and naturally demands the most rigorous tests! When you feel you cannot persist, think of the vow you once made with Su Chan."

Li Yundong’s spirit immediately galvanized, and determination slowly dawned in his eyes. He nodded to Ziyuan. "I understand. Where is this **?"

Ziyuan smiled slightly. "Where is the highest point in **?"

Li Yundong gasped. "You can't possibly mean Mount Everest in the Himalayas, do you?"

Ziyuan laughed. "Is there anything higher?"

Li Yundong managed a wry smile. "You don't expect me to climb to the summit of Everest to establish my foundation, do you? I’ll freeze to death long before I reach the top!"

Ziyuan replied, "You don't necessarily have to reach the very peak. Once you climb to a certain altitude where the True Qi inside you reacts strongly, you can begin Foundation Establishment. I can't explain the specific reaction to you; only you will truly know what that feels like."

Li Yundong took a deep breath and said, "I understand. When do I leave?"

Ziyuan considered. "You can prepare yourself; leave tomorrow."

Li Yundong was stunned. "Tomorrow? That fast?"

Ziyuan looked at Li Yundong with grave seriousness. "Do you think you have plenty of time left?"

Li Yundong fell silent. He turned and went into his room to start packing his clothes. Ziyuan stood by the door and watched for a while. Seeing him stuffing a large pile of things into his bag, even squeezing in a notebook, she couldn't help but remark, "Just two sets of clothes for you to carry will suffice. Don't bring too much; the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan alone will be hardship enough."

Li Yundong paused, then began clearing out his bag, packing only a few changes of clothes. After a moment's thought, he poured a few bottles of water into the bag himself.

After being busy for a while, Li Yundong suddenly remembered something vital: he only had a few hundred yuan on him. How would he manage for the entire journey?

As if sensing his thoughts, Ziyuan asked, "Are you worried about having enough money for the road expenses?"

Li Yundong gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Yes, I only have this little bit of cash."

Ziyuan questioned, "You aren't thinking of buying food when you’re hungry and finding an inn to sleep in along the way, are you?"

Caught in the truth of his own thoughts, Li Yundong couldn't help but retort, "Am I supposed to go hungry the whole way? And just fall asleep wherever I’m tired?"

Ziyuan answered with a question of her own. "Do you know how I cultivated back then?"

Li Yundong shook his head. Ziyuan said, "I begged for alms all the way, walking over two thousand li. If I was hungry, I found food on the spot; if thirsty, I drank from mountain streams. When I was tired, I found a place to meditate, and that counted as sleep. It took thirty-five days before I reached my destination."

Li Yundong stared at Ziyuan, utterly awestruck. He could barely imagine how a woman with Ziyuan's ethereal grace, like a celestial fairy, could endure such ascetic discipline.

Ziyuan continued, "Buddhist disciples of the Lamaist tradition walk thousands of kilometers every year in pilgrimage, prostrating themselves with five points of contact. They suffer far more than we do, yet countless devout souls still make the trek to the Snowy Mountains annually. If mortals like them can endure it, how can you, the inheritor of the Golden Core, not bear it? If you cannot withstand this, how will you ever face the Heavenly Tribulation when it comes?"

"Heaven is about to confer a great office upon this man; it must first torment his mind, labor his bones and muscles, starve his body, leave him destitute, and disrupt all his undertakings. Thus, it stirs his mind, hardens his nature, and increases what he cannot achieve," Ziyuan recited each word with unprecedented solemnity. "Never assume that because you ascended quickly, cultivation is the easiest thing in this world. On the contrary, if you have not endured true tempering, when you encounter a formidable opponent in the future, even if your magical power surpasses theirs, your will is easily crushed and defeated because you have not experienced genuine hardship!"

Li Yundong immediately grew solemn. He nodded, finally treating this upcoming cultivation journey as the most arduous and difficult undertaking of his life.

He sat down first to think carefully. Then, he abruptly stood up, found a pair of scissors in his room, and cut up several of his clothes, winding the strips of cloth around the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan.

Ziyuan watched his movements and secretly nodded, a hint of approval surfacing on her face. "By the way, this Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan must not be seen by anyone else. If other cultivators see it, they might be covetous and try to seize your treasure."

After fully wrapping the fan, Li Yundong made a sling from long strips of cloth and slung it onto his back. He walked around the living room, tried jogging in place, and even jumped a few times. Then, he took the fan off, readjusted the sling's length, and satisfied, nodded once he confirmed it could be carried diagonally across his back and secured.

Ziyuan watched Li Yundong walk to the door and crouch down to put on his shoes. She asked, puzzled, "You aren't planning to leave right now, are you?"

Li Yundong didn't turn his head back, his voice carrying a rare firmness. "Just as you said, I don't have much time left. Every second I delay is a second wasted. Since I've already eaten today, I might as well leave now!"

As he spoke, Li Yundong had already laced up his shoes. He stood up, stomped his feet once, and then looked at Ziyuan. "Is there anything else I need to be aware of?"

Ziyuan thought for a moment. "Don't meddle in other people's affairs on the road, especially after entering Tibet. Try to avoid contact with the locals and steer clear of disputes or trouble. Focus everything on cultivating and establishing your foundation. Once you complete that, I will come to find you."

Li Yundong nodded. He strapped the clothes he had packed onto the back of the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan. As he reached the door, he looked back at Ziyuan and nodded. "Um... thank you."

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "No need to thank me; I am doing this for my own cultivation as well."

Li Yundong paused, but he didn't have time to ponder that remark. He bid farewell to Ziyuan and walked out.

Leaving the Hongsheng New District, Li Yundong immediately ran to the nearest newsstand to buy a national map and a map of Tiannan City. He checked the direction briefly, confirmed his bearings, and then began the long and arduous journey of cultivation.

He was carrying a massive iron fan, nearly as tall as a person, tightly wrapped in cloth strips, with a small bundle dangling from it. His strange appearance immediately drew the attention of passersby.

Li Yundong felt the stares were too peculiar, so he instinctively quickened his pace into a run. As he ran, Li Yundong remembered Ziyuan's words: he must run the entire way, as this would temper his True Qi.

Though Li Yundong didn't fully understand why running could refine his True Qi, he followed the instruction anyway.

In the early summer of June, on the streets of Tiannan City, a youth burdened with heavy luggage was jogging rapidly, drawing sidelong glances from many onlookers.

The sun hung high in the sky, and Li Yundong couldn't help but look up at the boundless expanse above. This was the first time he had left home by himself for such a distant destination, and the first time he was relying solely on his own two legs to travel so far. A wave of emotion and confusion washed over him.

Where did his path lie? What would this journey of cultivation bring?

Once he reached the Himalayas, how would he even begin Foundation Establishment?

He didn't know. He knew only that to find the answers, he had to physically engage in the journey, slowly probing and exploring. This was not only the first long trip of his life, but his very first journey onto the Great Dao of cultivation!

No one knew how far this young man would go in his quest to become stronger!