As Su Chan fled the Fox Zen Sect under the cover of night, Li Yundong was only just extricating himself from the throng of patients. He was a man who yielded to kindness but hardened against force; if people greeted him with a smile, it was exceedingly difficult for him to refuse a request.

He had seen patients in room after room until the sky began to darken, only escaping when Ziyuan finally called him. He made his break from the crowd.

After fleeing the hospital ward, Li Yundong glanced back at the building with a mix of relief and lingering dread. Despite his vast and robust True Essence, even a tiger cannot stand against a swarm of wolves!

Seeing so many patients had truly worn him down; even an iron Vajra would struggle to endure. His complexion was somewhat pale, and his steps felt unsteady. Zhou Qin, walking beside him, apologized profusely, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't made such a fuss, you wouldn't be this exhausted."

Li Yundong managed a weak smile. "It's nothing. This kind of thing doesn't happen every day."

Seeing his state, Zhou Qin felt a pang of regret and deep concern. She offered, "How about I drive you back?"

Li Yundong spotted the Red Flag sedan parked near the hospital entrance. He pointed towards it and laughed, "Forget it, Ziyuan is here to pick me up. You go on ahead. See you at school tomorrow?"

Zhou Qin responded with a soft 'Oh,' giving him one last worried look. "Are you really alright?"

Li Yundong smiled back. "I'm fine, just need some rest."

Zhou Qin said reluctantly, "Then... shall I take my leave?"

Li Yundong chuckled. "Go on, you don't need to walk me out."

As they were speaking, they suddenly saw Ziyuan step out of the car. She stood elegantly by the roadside, watching them without blinking. She didn't rush Li Yundong, merely stood quietly beside the vehicle, like a devoted wife awaiting her husband's return.

Seeing this, a slight bitterness welled up in Zhou Qin's heart. She said, "Never mind, I’ll just wait here until you leave."

Li Yundong didn't think much of it. He walked to the car, pulled open the door, waved goodbye to Zhou Qin, and slid inside.

Zhou Qin watched Li Yundong settle in, then the Red Flag car roared to life and pulled away. A profound sense of loss washed over her, and she sighed faintly.

Standing alone in the cold moonlight for a long time, she finally turned and slowly walked back toward the hospital.

Once in the car, Li Yundong let out a heavy sigh. "If you hadn't called me today, I might have been finished there!"

Ziyuan glanced at him through the rearview mirror, her brow furrowing slightly. "What happened to you? Your vital energy is depleted so severely?"

Li Yundong wryly explained the situation at the hospital. Ziyuan couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "You truly are reckless! With the Heavenly Tribulation fast approaching, this is the time to conserve and gather energy, yet you go dispensing your precious True Essence to others! Foolish, utterly foolish!"

Li Yundong forced a laugh. "I was trapped, between a rock and a hard place, wasn't I?" He watched Ziyuan expertly maneuvering the car, and a sudden thought struck him. "When did you learn to drive? Do you have a license?"

Ziyuan gave him a cool glance. "Learned in the last few days. Hong Ling isn't here, so there's no one to drive for me."

Li Yundong grinned. "I can drive for you!"

Ziyuan couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You? Forget it, I wouldn't dare impose!"

Li Yundong chuckled dryly, recalling an incident involving them driving previously in a certain location.

Ziyuan drove on, asking in a seemingly casual tone, "Did you cure Zhou Qin?"

Li Yundong paused, then nodded with a slight sigh. "Yes, she suffered quite a bit."

Ziyuan smiled faintly and gave him a look full of hidden meaning. "Don't you like her at all?"

Li Yundong considered this, then shook his head. "If I hadn't met Su Chan, I certainly would have liked her. But..." He shrugged and spread his hands. "...I just don't feel that spark with her that I feel with Su Chan. What can I do? You can't force these things!"

Ziyuan blinked, turning to look at him, puzzled. "What is this 'spark' feeling?"

Li Yundong laughed. "You'll know when you have someone you truly love. It's not something I can explain to you."

Ziyuan fell silent, driving with a complex expression all the way back to the Hongsheng New District.

Back at Li Yundong's home, Ziyuan followed him inside. She remained silent for a long time, but just as Li Yundong sat cross-legged to circulate his energy and meditate, she suddenly spoke up. "Have you felt any premonition that the Heavenly Tribulation is about to arrive?"

Li Yundong was surprised by the sudden question and responded with confusion, "No, can you feel it?"

Ziyuan nodded slowly. She looked up at the vast, starry sky outside the balcony and said gravely, "I can feel the energy gathering in the heavens growing stronger, bit by bit. You've been too caught up and busy with mortal affairs these past few days; your mind isn't calm, so naturally, you can't sense it. Calm yourself now and feel the power in the surrounding air; you will notice the difference."

Li Yundong rarely saw Ziyuan wear such a solemn and concentrated expression. His own spirit sharpened, and he closed his eyes to begin cycling his energy.

As soon as he started, he quickly entered the state of the Minor Heavenly Cycle, then proceeded to the Major Heavenly Cycle. Before long, he could feel his depleted True Essence rapidly regenerating and replenishing itself. Then, this vigorous True Essence began to spread outward like tendrils, climbing and extending. When this surge of True Essence spread beyond the balcony like a rising tide, Li Yundong suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation rush towards him.

In an instant, Li Yundong felt a terrifying sensation within his own Minor Thousand World: the sky was churning with dark, heavy clouds, creating a truly horrifying effect, as if dark clouds were pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it.

These swirling clouds coalesced into a vague, faceless visage—no nose, ears, or mouth—just a pair of cold, imposing eyes that radiated supreme authority.

The moment those eyes fixed upon Li Yundong, every hair on his body stood on end. The terror was absolute, mirroring the exact sensation he felt when he was targeted by heavenly lightning in the sky previously.

Li Yundong instantly jolted awake from his meditation, his face slightly pale, a sheen of cold sweat on his back, his expression terrified and lost in thought.

Ziyuan watched clearly from the side and asked softly, "How was it? Did you feel a pair of eyes staring at you within your Minor Thousand World?"

Li Yundong turned to look at Ziyuan with suspicion and inquiry. "How did you know?"

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "Any cultivator who passes the Foundation Establishment stage and begins practicing divine abilities will be noticed by Heaven. Especially before the Heavenly Tribulation arrives, a pair of eyes will appear in the Minor Thousand World. These eyes are the Heavenly Eyes, constantly monitoring the cultivator's magical power and abilities. Once they grow to a certain extent, the Heavenly Tribulation will automatically seek them out."

Li Yundong was stunned. After a moment, he managed a bitter laugh. "So now, I'm in a bind—I can't cultivate, but I also can't stop? The faster I cultivate, the faster the Tribulation comes?"

Ziyuan sighed softly. "Yes, that's precisely the situation! If you don't cultivate, the Heavenly Tribulation will still arrive. When it does, the weaker your power, the less chance you have of surviving it. But if you cultivate too quickly, the Tribulation arrives sooner!"

Li Yundong grimaced. "Damn it, is this some kind of joke?"

Ziyuan looked intently at Li Yundong, her expression grave as she asked, "Are you certain you still wish to continue cultivating?"

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "Of course! When have I ever retreated in the face of difficulty? It's just... I don't know how I should proceed with cultivation now."

Ziyuan observed his face for a long moment before a look of approval slowly surfaced. She nodded slightly. "Very well. I will teach you the next stage of cultivation."

Li Yundong was overjoyed. "That would be wonderful!"

Ziyuan said, "Divine Abilities constitute the fifth heaven of the Nine Heavens. You already know this, I trust."

Li Yundong listened attentively, like a student craving knowledge, and nodded.

Ziyuan continued, "The path of Divine Abilities is further divided into three realms: Minor Divine Abilities, Middle Divine Abilities, and Great Divine Abilities."

Li Yundong asked curiously, "What is the difference between these three? Is it just a matter of the power of the ability? What metric is used for measurement?"

Ziyuan smiled approvingly. "Good, you know to ask 'why.' The distinction between these three is easy to discern. Minor Divine Abilities focus primarily on strengthening one's own physical body and emphasize control over the self. For instance, Lin Youfa of the Divine Fist Sect practices what falls under Minor Divine Abilities."

Li Yundong immediately recalled the terrifying sight of Lin Youfa summoning the Marshal of the Heavenly Court to possess him during their previous clashes. He asked, full of doubt, "When I saw him summon a deity to possess him, it was no different from a heavenly god descending. How can that still be considered Minor Divine Abilities?"

Ziyuan chuckled. "Although the three tiers of abilities have a hierarchy in name, these three realms actually have no inherent superiority or inferiority."

Li Yundong was confused. "Then why the distinction between Minor, Middle, and Great?"

Ziyuan explained, "Since Zhang Ling founded our Taoist school in the Han Dynasty, countless practitioners have followed over the centuries, each with different methods and paths. Some focus mainly on refining their physical bodies in pursuit of the Heavenly Dao, some focus on talismans and magical artifacts, and others focus on cultivating the energy of heaven and earth to achieve immortality.

"Because the methods and difficulty of cultivation differ for these three types of practitioners, there are distinctions between Minor, Middle, and Great Divine Abilities."

As Ziyuan spoke, she too sat down cross-legged before Li Yundong and spoke fluently.

Li Yundong, still perplexed, asked, "But last time I heard Ao Wushuang say he knew over a dozen Great Divine Abilities and dozens of Minor Divine Abilities? How does that fit in?"

Ziyuan smiled gently. "That usage of 'ability' is different from mine. What Ao Wushuang refers to as abilities are spell techniques, whereas the abilities I speak of are paths and methods of cultivation."

Li Yundong suddenly understood. "Oh, I see! I remember you telling me last time that practicing Divine Ability techniques is just about continuously strengthening one's inner elixir."

Ziyuan affirmed, "That's right, but that kind of practice is aimless, focused only on solidifying the foundation and nurturing origin. The reason I didn't teach you then was because you had just established your foundation; your inner elixir wasn't strong enough yet to proceed to further cultivation of divine abilities."

Li Yundong inquired, "What kind of abilities do you practice?"

Ziyuan replied, "I started with Minor Divine Abilities, supplemented by the path of Middle Divine Abilities, and reached the realm of Great Divine Abilities by the age of seventeen."

Li Yundong was intrigued. "Is the Zhengyi Sect's method one of cultivating Minor Divine Abilities?"

Ziyuan nodded. "Currently, nine out of ten cultivators in the world start their practice with Minor Divine Abilities because the methods for Minor Divine Abilities are the most numerous, the broadest, the safest, and best suited for step-by-step cultivation."

Li Yundong chuckled wryly. "This Minor, Middle, and Great Divine Abilities thing is confusing me a bit. Are they perhaps similar to the difference between internal and external styles in boxing?"

Ziyuan nodded approvingly. "Exactly! To put it simply, Minor Divine Abilities are more like internal arts, focusing on cultivating one's own viscera and the Qi within the meridians, but this is difficult to master quickly. Middle Divine Abilities primarily focus on the cultivation of talismans and artifacts, like external martial arts. Practitioners of this path can achieve quick mastery, and their combat strength is formidable in the early and middle stages."

Li Yundong pondered, then asked, "If I understand correctly, a cultivator can choose to start with Minor, Middle, or Great Divine Abilities? But in the end, once the Divine Ability realm is perfected, must the Great, Middle, and Minor three be integrated into one?"

Ziyuan clapped her hands. "A promising student indeed!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "You sound just like a venerable old teacher!"

Ziyuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shot him a playful glare. "I'm kindly teaching you, and you mock me! You have no heart!"

Li Yundong rarely saw Ziyuan display such a feminine demeanor. He took one look and saw a beauty like jade under the lamplight, her slight anger and pout giving her a unique charm. Especially the expression between her brows—her eyebrows gathered like mountain peaks, her eyes holding the deep glance of autumn waters—her exquisite beauty made his heart tremble.

Li Yundong's heart unexpectedly began to pound. He averted his gaze, gave a dry laugh, and steered the conversation elsewhere. "In that case, I want to start learning the path of Great Divine Abilities!"