Li Yundong held Zhou Qin’s soft, boneless hand, and the True Essence surged out of him, enveloping not just himself but Zhou Qin as well. The two of them instantly floated up into the air.
Zhou Qin’s eyes immediately widened. Before she could react, feeling her body lighten, she was carried by Li Yundong out of the balcony and, within seconds, out of the Hongsheng New District.
The first time Li Yundong was flown by Su Chan, she had asked him to close his eyes. This was because Su Chan’s own True Essence was insufficient, her cultivation limited, preventing her from flying with him when he couldn't fully control the vital energy within his body.
Li Yundong, however, considered his own True Essence to be robust enough—able to effortlessly manage a great bronze tripod weighing thousands of pounds—let alone the graceful and slender Zhou Qin, who weighed less than a hundred pounds.
Therefore, Li Yundong did not ask Zhou Qin to close her eyes. Instead, he closely observed her reaction and expression once they were soaring high above.
Suspended in mid-air, Zhou Qin felt an inexplicable force wrapping around her, supporting her. Initially, she was somewhat tense, trembling slightly, but after a while, she calmed down, her beautiful eyes curiously and excitedly scanning the world beneath them.
Seeing her innate fortitude and steady will, confirming she was indeed good material for cultivation, Li Yundong secretly nodded to himself and remarked, “Did you see that? This is the world of cultivators.”
Zhou Qin possessed extraordinary comprehension. With a thought, she responded, “You mean, the world of cultivators is superior to that of common beings, yet it has not entirely transcended them?”
Li Yundong glanced at her with appreciation and said, “All the women in the world should envy you. You possess both peerless beauty and extraordinary wisdom; Heaven has favored you too much.”
Zhou Qin smiled slightly, but thought to herself: Yet I feel that Su Chan is the woman most deserving of envy in the world.
Unaware of Zhou Qin’s inner thoughts, Li Yundong continued, “You are correct. The world of cultivators is precisely like that. The people living in this world are often preoccupied with scheming for power and profit, or busy with the mundane concerns of daily life. They seldom look up to see the sky above them. And we cultivators are the same; we live within this world, subject to its influences and constraints, yet we are constantly striving to rise above and transcend it.”
Pausing here, Li Yundong became somewhat reflective. “Six months ago, I was just like you, never imagining that cultivators existed within the world around me. The people and events that only existed in movies and novels were actually real! I remember Zi Yuan once saying: The Great Dao is formless; the greatest sound is barely audible. The true Dao is right beneath our feet, but we usually fail to notice it. The cultivation world is the same.”
Li Yundong gazed intently at Zhou Qin and asked with extreme seriousness, “Zhou Qin, have you made up your mind today? Do you truly wish to cultivate?”
Zhou Qin came from a family of high officials and harbored an inherent, subconscious yearning for power and strength. However, her rebellious nature made her deeply averse to the constraints of officialdom, which is why, upon accidentally discovering Li Yundong’s anomaly and strange power, she developed an intense curiosity about him.
She detested worldly shackles yet admired the strong, which is why she followed Li Yundong step by step, narrowly escaping ruin, only to finally step into the world of cultivation.
Facing Li Yundong’s question, Zhou Qin took a deep breath. Previously, she was content just staying by Li Yundong’s side, looking at him longer, saying a few more words to him. But now, for the first time, Zhou Qin felt such a deep curiosity and fervent desire for cultivation.
This yearning stemmed from her innate adoration and aspiration for powerful strength, and equally from her deep-seated love and unwavering devotion to Li Yundong.
Zhou Qin stated solemnly, “I want to cultivate!”
Li Yundong nodded. “Although I have not cultivated for long, I will teach you everything I have learned. I hope that the cultivation world will gain a renowned female cultivator in the future!”
With that, he smiled slightly and continued flying toward the direction of Dongwu City with Zhou Qin.
Although Li Yundong’s True Essence was vast enough to carry extremely heavy objects while flying, his speed in the air lagged far behind Zi Yuan and the others. It was only nearing dawn that he brought Zhou Qin back to the Fox Zen Gate.
Before his feet even touched the ground, Su Chan, Zi Yuan, and Ruan Hongling, who had been waiting for some time, rushed to greet them.
Ruan Hongling teased him, “I can’t believe a cultivator as formidable as you still can’t perform Divine Flight, only body flight. Don’t you know that of the three methods of flight, physical body flight is the slowest?”
Li Yundong asked out of curiosity, “Oh? What are the three methods?”
Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes at him and muttered, “Are you serious? A latecomer like you doesn’t even know the three methods of flight, yet you’re so powerful in combat! Is there any justice?”
Zi Yuan, standing nearby, smiled gently and said, “The three methods of flight are: Body Flight, Yin Spirit or Yang Spirit Flight, and Artifact Control Flight. You can already manage the first. The second requires reaching the Sixth Heaven, the Infant Transformation Realm, before it can be achieved. The third requires possessing a special Dharma Artifact, such as the Eight Desolations Sword or the Six Harmonies Sword, where you control the artifact with your Yin or Yang Spirit to carry you in flight. Of these three, the first consumes the most True Essence and is the slowest, but it has the highest carrying capacity. The second method is the fastest but also consumes a lot of True Essence. The third is only slightly slower than the second but consumes the least True Essence.”
Li Yundong nodded. He smiled at Zi Yuan and said, “Thank you for the enlightenment, True Person Zi Yuan. Now, come with me; I will explain why the Fox Zen Gate cannot leave Tianlong Mountain.”
Saying this, he led the group to the hidden cave entrance behind the Fox Zen Gate, pushed aside the bushes, and stepped inside.
Zi Yuan was not particularly surprised to see a secret cave at the Fox Zen Gate, but once they entered, passed through the corridor, and stepped into the stone chamber, lighting the candlesticks on the walls, their gazes swept around, and they were instantly moved!
Ruan Hongling’s eyes widened, and she cried out, “Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art!! This is a lost cultivation technique! No wonder you were so powerful in that last fight! Elder Sister Zi Yuan said you might have cultivated the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art! It turns out it’s true!”
Zi Yuan, however, looked utterly stunned and stated, “I never expected this to be the work of the Heavenly Mystery Black Fox!”
Ruan Hongling then seemed to realize something, her gaze falling on the inscription at the end. She gasped, “I was wondering which great cultivator could carve characters into such hard granite with bare hands. It turns out it was the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox! Good heavens, if the cultivators of other sects knew about this, it would likely trigger another bloody war!”
Zi Yuan composed herself, walked to the wall, touched the carving, and shook her head. “To carve so many words into such hard stone, and judging by the fluid, sweeping strokes, she finished it all in one breath—the cultivation of the Heavenly Mystery Black Fox is truly terrifying. We are far behind. No wonder she could once dominate the world, unrivaled.”
Su Chan stated proudly, “Of course. The Heavenly Mystery Black Fox is the most powerful master in the entire history of our Fox Zen Gate!”
Ruan Hongling retorted beside her, “And also the most notorious one.”
Su Chan stamped her foot in anger, “You!”
Seeing the two beginning to quarrel, Li Yundong immediately interrupted, “Alright, alright, you are ungrateful. You’ve stumbled into a treasure mountain but are leaving empty-handed. Seeing such an important cultivation technique, you should be pondering it, not bickering. I give up on you two!”
Su Chan and Ruan Hongling shot each other a look, then snorted and turned their heads away.
Li Yundong smiled at Zi Yuan and asked, “How about it? How much is this Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art worth? Fifty million?”
Zi Yuan sighed, “This is a priceless secret scripture. Too bad it can’t be bought or sold, or you would be rich overnight.”
Li Yundong laughed, “Yes, I know that, which is why I’m only showing it to you. Consider this Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art my gift to you, how about that?”
Before Zi Yuan could respond, Ruan Hongling jumped in, “You’re presenting borrowed flowers to the Buddha, how shameless! You have no sincerity!”
Li Yundong didn't mind and burst into laughter.
Zi Yuan smiled and said, “This gift of yours is too weighty; I cannot accept it.”
Ruan Hongling said, “No, no, Sister Zi Yuan, you….”
Before she could finish, Zi Yuan suddenly shouted sharply, “Hongling!”
Ruan Hongling shrank back in fear, the rest of her words retreating down her throat.
Li Yundong was momentarily stunned and asked, “What is it? Is there something I don’t know?”
Zi Yuan said faintly, “Nothing. However, seeing the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art by this fortunate coincidence today, True Man Li, do you wish to try the sensation of roaming the world with your spirit?”
Li Yundong asked, “What is spirit roaming the world?”
Zi Yuan replied, “It is the Yin Spirit or the Yang Spirit venturing out.”
Li Yundong let out an ‘Ah,’ his heart stirring. He knew Zi Yuan was subtly guiding his cultivation. After a moment’s thought, he smiled, “Alright. The last time I practiced the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, I felt my Inner Elixir turn into a small figure that jumped out of my body, but that feeling vanished quickly.”
Su Chan’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. “Yundong! You’ve entered the Sixth Heaven, the Infant Transformation Realm!”
Zi Yuan also nodded, saying, “With your level of cultivation, Li Yundong, breaking through the Fifth Heaven into the Sixth is entirely reasonable. What jumped out of your body before was your Yin Spirit. The initial stage of the Infant Transformation Realm is Yin Spirit Eruption. As you slowly cultivate the Yin Spirit within you to the Nascent Soul stage, that Yin Spirit will automatically transform into a Yang Spirit. By then, even if your physical body is destroyed, your life will be spared.”
Li Yundong was greatly moved and eager to try. “Why don't I try again and see if I can have my Yin Spirit roam?”
Zi Yuan smiled and nodded. “Good, I was hoping for that myself.”
Saying this, she turned to Ruan Hongling and instructed, “The Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art is a peerless supreme treasure of Taoism. You can take this opportunity to cultivate here and, incidentally, guard our physical bodies for me and Li Yundong.”
Li Yundong also gave instructions to Su Chan to first teach Zhou Qin the most basic cultivation methods, then sat cross-legged in the stone cave himself.
Guided by Zi Yuan’s powerful Utter Yin Qi beside him, Li Yundong’s Utter Yang Inner Elixir quickly transformed into an infant and flew out of his body.
At this time, Ruan Hongling, Su Chan, and Zhou Qin had not yet entered meditation for cultivation; they were all watching the departed Yin Spirit of Li Yundong and the Yang Spirit of Zi Yuan.
Zi Yuan had cultivated to the peak Nascent Soul stage of the Sixth Heaven and could manifest her Yang Spirit, while Li Yundong had just begun his Sixth Heaven cultivation, able only to manifest his Yin Spirit. His Yin Spirit was still quite young, appearing like a child around ten years old, and one could vaguely recognize Li Yundong’s features on its face.
Seeing this scene, Zhou Qin couldn't help but keep her eyes wide open, hardly daring to breathe, thinking to herself: Will I ever cultivate to their level?
Su Chan and Ruan Hongling watched Li Yundong’s Yin Spirit follow Zi Yuan’s Yang Spirit flying out, both unable to suppress sighs mixed with envy.
Ruan Hongling thought: When I first met this guy Li Yundong, he was just a novice cultivator, only possessing strong aura. But now, after less than half a year of cultivation, he has reached the Sixth Heaven realm, and his combat strength is terrifying—even Zi Yuan Sister, who has reached the peak of the Sixth Heaven, is no match for him. With his cultivation progressing so fast, if I don't strive harder, I might never catch up to him in this lifetime.
Su Chan thought to herself even more intensely: When Yundong first started cultivating, he was far from my match. Now, ten of me wouldn't be a match for him. I must work hard on my cultivation, or I can’t let him pull too far ahead. Otherwise, how can we be together forever in the future!