Ziyuan looked at Li Yundong and said, "The method is simple: you just need to refine another magical artifact possessing a different attribute into the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan."

Li Yundong asked, "How do I refine it?"

Ziyuan smiled, "You can explore that yourself after you pass your Heavenly Tribulation. But what I want to tell you is this: when engaging in magical combat, unless it is an absolute last resort, or if your power utterly overwhelms the opponent, never attempt to seize their magical artifacts."

"Combat is generally a contention between person and person, artifact and artifact—it’s an even match, horse against horse. But if you try to steal the opponent’s artifact, you must necessarily battle the inherent Zhenyuan and magical power within their item. That becomes a struggle between person and artifact, a mismatch—a tactic the wise eschew. If the opponent fights desperately, willing to be injured by your artifact just to land a blow on you, you’ll be simultaneously assailed by both person and artifact, making the situation unpredictable and fraught with mortal peril!"

Li Yundong felt a resonance in his heart upon hearing this. He said, "I understand. Trying to snatch an opponent’s artifact is a bit like engaging in close-quarters brawling—it's dangerous and the outcome uncertain. If you can defeat your opponent quickly, they can defeat you just as fast; victory or defeat hinges on a single instant."

In any fight, close-quarters combat is the most perilous because once you are within range, all the opponent’s vital points fall within your striking radius, but conversely, all your own vital points are equally exposed to them.

At that juncture, success depends purely on reaction time, experience, instinct, and luck!

Magical combat is the same. Once it devolves into a brawl, factors like brute strength or sheer magical power, which usually determine the victor, become secondary. After all, a hundred pounds of force hitting a vital spot will kill a person, but ten pounds of force hitting the same spot will kill them just as surely. The same logic applies to magical power and divine abilities.

Ziyuan nodded, "Precisely. If you encounter a master far stronger than you, and they forcefully try to seize your artifact, but the hidden attributes within your item unleash a power far beyond their expectation, tying up their vital energy, then if you seize the chance to strike back, you too can turn defeat into victory."

Li Yundong let out a long sigh, "Listening to your words today is worth ten years of fighting!"

Ziyuan couldn't help but purse her lips and smile, "What kind of eccentric nonsense is that!"

Li Yundong chuckled heartily, "It seems my trip today was not in vain!"

Ziyuan’s gaze shifted, a thought crossing her mind. She said, "Next time you visit, give me a heads-up first. Don't materialize silently behind me."

Li Yundong laughed, "How was I silent? You were simply too engrossed; you didn't even notice me approach."

Ziyuan’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she chided him with feigned annoyance, "In any case, knock next time, alright!"

Li Yundong smiled, "Absolutely, I promise to knock next time." With that, he exited Ziyuan’s bedroom and stepped onto the balcony. Just as he was about to leave, something struck him, and he called back, "Oh, right, why does your artifact possess the Metal attribute, but Ruan Hongling’s does not? If her artifact had this attribute too, I probably would have died long ago."

Ziyuan let out a soft sigh. "Hongling is nominally my master’s disciple, but she was barely taught by Master for a few days. Master only passed her the magical artifact and then ascended to immortality, never having the chance to imbue her item with other elemental attributes."

Li Yundong suddenly asked, "Was your master named Wang Yuanshan?"

Ziyuan’s eyes gazed distantly, lost in thought. She replied casually, "Yes..." but she quickly snapped back to attention, glaring at Li Yundong, a mix of shyness and irritation in her expression, "Did you just see something?"

Seeing the situation sour, Li Yundong let out a nervous laugh and swiftly flew back to his own balcony, shouting, "I didn’t mean to! I only saw your master’s name!"

On her balcony, Ziyuan was a tempest of shame and anger, her cheeks burning crimson like the evening clouds. But Li Yundong’s words offered a small measure of comfort: At least he only saw Master's name...

However, she didn't remain in denial for long before a sudden realization struck her: What did he mean, "I only saw your master’s name"? That implied he saw something else! Otherwise, why use the word 'only'?

"Then... then that means he saw the cryptic poem Master left for me? He, he saw me writing his name? I, I, I didn't write his name for any other reason, it was just, just..." Ziyuan’s heart hammered in panic. Her mind was a chaotic mess as she stood rooted on the balcony, completely flustered, lost in a daze.

Li Yundong returned to his own apartment and pondered the cryptic poem he had seen. He wondered: What did this poem actually mean?

He considered it for a while but could find no satisfactory answer, so he pushed the thought aside. He took the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan out of its cloth pouch, and then retrieved his spoils from Wu Hao—the Five Yang Blood Essence Pearl and Lü Fengping’s whip—which he had kept hidden at home.

Li Yundong sat cross-legged in the living room, gazing at the three artifacts before him, muttering to himself, "My primary combat artifact right now is the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan, which has the Yang attribute. What if I introduced some Yin energy into it? The problem is, how do I introduce it?"

Li Yundong closed his eyes and began circulating his energy. He could feel the potent Primordial Yang power surging within him, but how could this pure Yang energy give rise to absolute Yin energy?

A master of external martial arts who practices boxing his entire life, if he cannot derive yielding force from rigidity, he will remain merely a pugilist, never a grandmaster, and will almost certainly suffer a crushing defeat against a top-tier expert.

Similarly, if an internal martial arts master cannot generate rigid force from yielding energy, their entire practice is nothing more than showy forms—all movement, no striking power.

Cultivation is the same. Pure Yang energy has explosive power and great force, but it lacks sustainability. Pure Yin energy is vast and enduring, but its explosive power is insufficient to break through powerful defenses.

The ultimate path requires the integration of Yin and Yang, where they complement and enhance each other!

Li Yundong looked at the artifacts arranged from left to right before him. He thought: This one, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan, is pure Yang. His gaze then fell upon the dark red soft whip in the middle. Li Yundong picked it up, thinking: I obtained this artifact but haven't examined it properly; I wonder what kind of item it is.

He circulated a bit of energy to test it and immediately felt an extremely Yin and yielding force emanating from within. A spark ignited in Li Yundong’s mind: "Hmm? Is this a Yin-attribute artifact?"

He probed it again tentatively and suddenly felt a strange, resilient, and enduring power inside. This power was similar to the Yin energy but distinctly different, and the two forces seemed to subtly support and nurture each other. This surprised Li Yundong greatly.

Unsure of the source of this secondary power, Li Yundong set the soft whip down, unwilling to probe further and risk a backlash from the artifact before understanding the threat it posed.

Li Yundong’s eyes shifted to the Five Yang Blood Essence Pearl, and a frown creased his brow. He suddenly recalled the fight with Wu Hao, the countless vengeful spirits and wraiths released by the pearl, especially the horrific sight of the flames reducing Wu Hao to ash while the wraiths devoured his very soul clean.

The memory sent a shiver down Li Yundong’s spine. He picked up the two Five Yang Blood Essence Pearls, examining them closely, a deep sense of apprehension settling within him.

Each pearl was pitch black, the color of congealed blood. They were about the size of a thumb, smooth on the surface, and Li Yundong could faintly discern a churning, dark red current flowing within.

Li Yundong cautiously channeled a bit of his energy into one to test it and was immediately met with an extremely cold, hostile aura that surged back at him—fierce, sharp, and chilling to the bone.

Li Yundong’s brow tightened slightly. The Primordial Yang power within him erupted like a scorching torrent to meet the chilling energy.

The moment the two auras collided, the Five Yang Blood Essence Pearl violently jumped from his palm, shaking intensely in mid-air, as if it were about to shatter in the next second.

Li Yundong was instantly alarmed: Bad! If this explodes here, whether I get hurt is secondary—this entire apartment will be destroyed!

Li Yundong stood up and reached out to grasp the Five Yang Blood Essence Pearl. The moment his hand neared, the pearl flashed with a sudden burst of dark red light, brilliantly illuminating the room. Then, with a low hum, the pearl violently ruptured!

In that instant, Li Yundong saw a ball of dark red flame roiling and expanding before his eyes. Countless black phantoms and angry ghosts howled from within the flames, pouncing toward him with ferocious, hideous faces!

Without thinking, Li Yundong swiftly formed the Vajra Fist with both hands—the index finger of his left hand pointed straight up, his right little finger wrapped around the first segment of the left index finger, and the tip of the left index finger supported the first segment of his right thumb—unleashing the Great Word Seal of True Utterance!

In a blink, Li Yundong sank his Qi to his dantian, his voice booming like thunder as he roared, "OM!!!"

This was the Great Sun Dharmakaya Vajra Fist Seal, the first wisdom seal guiding Bodhi, capable of extinguishing all ignorance and darkness!

As this Great Sun Tathagata Hand Seal shot forth, a golden print flew out instantly, streaking across the balcony into the sky, leaving a long golden trail that slowly dissipated far in the distance.

When this Great Sun Tathagata Hand Seal struck the uncountable vengeful spirits and restless souls, those directly hit vanished without a sound, turning into smoke. Even those merely brushed by the edge began smoking, shrieking as they scattered in terror, daring not advance another step toward Li Yundong.

But lingering flames are harder to extinguish than fleeting spirits. Li Yundong saw a fireball blazing in the air before him, twisting violently. It continuously compressed toward its center before suddenly exploding outwards, showering the room with sparks!

Li Yundong instinctively tapped his toes, flicking the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan upwards. Grasping the fan ribs with one hand, he swept the other outward with a sharp shua! The fan snapped open, its leaves whirring like spinning blades.

As the Seven Treasures Spirit-Connecting Fan spun and rotated in the living room, it acted like a massive vortex, forcefully drawing all the surrounding flames onto itself. In a flash, the fan was engulfed in roaring flames.

Just as Li Yundong was about to quell this dark red fire, he suddenly saw the other Five Yang Blood Essence Pearl begin to shake violently with a humming sound, and then suddenly C

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