Li Yundong never imagined that his flight would last for a day and a night, and even when thirsty, he only slightly slowed his pace, retrieved a bottle of water from his backpack, took a sip, and without putting the bottle back, continued running with it still in hand.

Li Yundong's frantic running along the road caught the attention of many drivers, some of whom deliberately slowed their vehicles to follow him, curious to see how long the youth could maintain his pace.

But after following for just ten minutes, they noticed that the youth, carrying a tightly rolled bundle wrapped in cloth on his back, barely slowed down except to take a few sips of water; otherwise, his footsteps were as swift as flying, resembling a sprint with no sign of deceleration.

When they followed for an hour, Li Yundong’s speed remained just as fast. These drivers were all left wide-eyed and dumbfounded, nearly causing traffic accidents.

How could a person run that fast for that long? Could this young man be on the national track and field team?

Some kind-hearted drivers seized an opportunity while Li Yundong was drinking water, shouting over to him: "Young man, need a lift?"

Li Yundong simply smiled, waved his hand, wiped the moisture from his lips, and resumed his sprint.

Under the rigorous training of the Tiger Leopard Thunder Roar (Hu Bao Lei Yin), Li Yundong’s internal organs were growing stronger, and the already formidable internal vital energy within him surged with increasing vigor.

At this moment, Li Yundong finally understood why Ziyuan had instructed him to run all this way. It turned out that while running, his own blood energy would become fiercely agitated and boiling, and by intentionally controlling this boiling energy within him, he could achieve a continuous process of refining his internal essence.

Long-distance running was a constant process of tempering Li Yundong's internal organs and the Extraordinary Meridians (Qi Jing Ba Mai)—like building a massive dam upstream on the surging Yangtze River, initially preventing a single drop of water from escaping. The water would accumulate more and more, and the pressure would grow stronger, becoming terrifying. But when the water pressure exceeded the dam's capacity, the dam would automatically begin to release water to prevent a catastrophic collapse.

Li Yundong began to sweat for this very reason. When the pores of the body opened, it was as if the sluice gates of the dam were thrown open, and the accumulated floodwaters erupted furiously from the opening.

Once the floodwaters poured out, the dam—the human body—would naturally reinforce and thicken itself, allowing it to store even more water than before. When it could no longer bear the strain, the gates would open again, allowing the excess flood to spill out once more.

Through this cycle of containment and release, Li Yundong could feel his internal energy becoming increasingly robust with each tempering, more refined with every hammering. Initially, it was like a surging Yangtze River, but slowly it transformed into high-pressure water jetting from a pipe, possessing a frightening degree of impact force!

By the second day of running, Li Yundong even noticed he was beginning to gain control over the opening and closing of his own pores—he could decide precisely where he wanted sweat to flow and where he wanted it to stop.

Discovering this, a thought struck Li Yundong, and he began to deliberately seal off sections of his pores, preventing his innate vital energy (Yuan Qi) from leaking away across his entire body.

This action instantly increased the pressure of the energy within him. The opening of the dam, which previously could release a thousand cubic meters of floodwater per minute, was now reduced to only five hundred cubic meters; consequently, the water pressure blasting from that opening naturally doubled compared to before!

As the pressure intensified, the impact force on Li Yundong's meridians naturally strengthened, and the pressure on his internal organs also increased. For example, an organ previously enduring one hundred Pascals of pressure now had to withstand two hundred Pascals due to the sudden intensification!

This sudden doubling of pressure was akin to Sun Wukong training in the Dragon Ball gravity chamber—though arduous, the results of such training were extraordinarily pronounced.

By the third day of running, Li Yundong’s clothes had gone through the cycle of wet-dry-wet dozens of times, leaving them covered in a layer of white, salty residue from dried sweat.

By the third day, Li Yundong could control his pores to allow energy expulsion through only ten percent of them, meaning he could now adapt to energy turbulence at ten times the previous pressure.

Most importantly, through this continuous running, Li Yundong felt his internal energy was like a piece of iron constantly being hammered on an anvil—the more it was struck, the harder it became; the more it was tempered, the stronger it grew!

His internal organs and Extraordinary Meridians were like dams continuously growing taller and thicker.

This relentless running continued until the night of the third day, when Li Yundong finally felt he was truly running on empty. Only then did he slowly ease his pace and stop by the roadside.

Li Yundong stood still, closed his eyes, and slightly regulated his breathing, allowing the churning blood energy within him to gradually settle. He then carefully surveyed his surroundings and realized he had covered at least several hundred kilometers, already setting foot in another province.

Li Yundong stretched his body, smiled, stepped off the highway, and found a secluded spot where he sat cross-legged and meditated through the night.

During this night of meditation, Li Yundong clearly felt that the energy within him was significantly more potent than before. Moreover, when his True Qi (Zhen Qi) flowed, it no longer caused his entire body to move turbulently like a raging flood, as it had previously.

Although the True Qi in his body remained as vast and powerful as ever, it no longer surged like ten thousand charging horses and scattered like a routed army. Instead, it flowed like a tightly condensed long serpent or an iron chain, and receded like the tail of a divine dragon, leaving no trace behind.

It was like a ragtag militia transitioning into a disciplined, uniformly arrayed regular army after intense training.

After completing thirty-six minor celestial cycles and eighteen major celestial cycles of circulation, Li Yundong opened his eyes to find the sky just beginning to lighten. He stretched, and upon passing a highway checkpoint, he noticed someone selling boxed meals by the roadside. He used the meager amount of money he had left to buy one. Fortunately, food in the inland regions was slightly cheaper than in the southern cities, costing only five or six yuan.

After finishing his meal, Li Yundong packed his few belongings, spent two yuan on two more bottles of water, and then resumed his journey on foot.

Traveling through Jiangxi, passing through Hunan, reaching Sichuan, Li Yundong finally arrived near the border of Tibet—a full month had passed.

During this month, Li Yundong endured the elements, even selling his mobile phone for cash. All his money was spent only on dry rations and clean drinking water. Under this month of tempering, Li Yundong had been utterly transformed.

The former Li Yundong had fair skin, a handsome appearance, and a sturdy physique. Although he wasn't overly concerned with his appearance, he was generally well-dressed, neat, and tidy.

But the current Li Yundong, due to prolonged exposure to the sun, had developed skin the color of bronze. His clothes, changed twice, were now tattered and filthy; the white salt stains had proven difficult to fully wash out, leaving his garments somewhat bleached. The soles of his running shoes had long since worn through, rendering them unwearable, so he discarded them and became a barefoot runner.

Throughout this journey, Li Yundong ran barefoot. Initially, his feet were covered in blood blisters, causing him agonizing pain, but after a few days, these blisters hardened into thick calluses, and he grew accustomed to walking unshod.

His hair grew wildly during this month, long enough to reach his shoulders, a messy tangle resembling a bird's nest. His face was rough with stubble, covered in a full beard, making him look like a wild man who had just emerged from the mountains.

Despite the month of hardship, Li Yundong had reached a point where he could allow energy expulsion only through the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head, sealing every other pore on his body. The internal energy was now condensed like a steel rebar, solid and unwavering.

Li Yundong himself couldn't gauge the sheer magnitude of his current internal energy, nor could he imagine the destructive power and lethality contained within a punch thrown while channeling that energy.

But Li Yundong knew he was a completely different person than he was a month ago. As the saying went: a sharp sword comes from grinding, and plum blossoms gain their fragrance from the bitter cold!

When Li Yundong reached the Bailong Gully area of Baiyu County in western Sichuan, he finally halted his frantic pace. He looked around and realized that while he was still within Sichuan, the local customs here were very close to those of the Tibetan people; many residents were dressed in attire similar to Tibetans. The locals looked upon him, this 'wild man,' with expressions mixing curiosity and vigilance.

Li Yundong paid no mind to their gazes or opinions. He merely checked a map and then started walking in the direction of Duonian Mountain.

Along the way, Li Yundong noticed devout Lamaist followers continually ascending the mountainside, dressed in dark red and bright yellow robes, wearing gloves, and moving in full prostration—their devotion and solemnity were absolute.

Fortunately, there were also tourists among them, which made Li Yundong's unusual appearance less conspicuous. However, his dirty and ragged state frequently drew stares from other tourists, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

Li Yundong glanced at them and suddenly understood the meaning of Tang Bohu's verse: The world laughs at my madness; I laugh at the world for its blindness.

These people regarded Li Yundong as a beggar asking for alms along the road, looking at him with revulsion, fearful he might approach them for money. Yet, who among them knew that Li Yundong was a deeply hidden cultivator undergoing arduous ascetic practice?

Li Yundong gave a silent, cold sneer and continued climbing the slope wordlessly. As he neared the midpoint of the climb, a burst of noise drew his attention.