While Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling were searching for Wang Yuanshan's hidden magic treasure, the Qiankun Ruyi Mirror, in Longhu Mountain, Li Yundong was in his own room checking Zhou Qin's cultivation progress.

Zhou Qin kept her eyes closed. After circulating the Great Heavenly Cycle sixteen times, she slowly exhaled a breath, then slowly opened her eyes, only to see Li Yundong smiling gently at her, saying, "Not bad. Your cultivation is nearing the Yang Spirit realm now. Your progress is even faster than mine was. Truly remarkable! Your Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art has also reached the seventh revolution, just a step away from the eighth, the Fire Nurturing stage. Your cultivation is already quite formidable; you just lack some real combat experience and the finesse in wielding magic treasures and casting spells. Once I teach you a few spells in a few days, you will be quite the accomplished practitioner!"

Zhou Qin usually wore a face as cold as an iceberg, but hearing Li Yundong praise her now warmed her heart and filled her with sweetness. The smile blooming on her face was like the first flowers of spring. She laughed, "Really? I feel like I'm cultivating at a snail's pace."

Li Yundong let out an amused laugh. "You think you're slow? Do you intend to let other cultivators live? You're faster than I was. Are you mocking me?"

Ever since the Lotus Picking Assembly, Zhou Qin's admiration and respect for Li Yundong had reached an unparalleled height. She quickly said, "No, Master, how would I dare mock you? Compared to you, my cultivation is still worlds away!"

Li Yundong chuckled. "I was just kidding with you. No need to be so tense."

As they say, love makes the ugliest beautiful. Even Li Yundong's casual remark made Zhou Qin feel that every word and gesture exuded a maturity and steadiness absent in boys his age, along with an air of carefree elegance. Her eyes full of adoration, she asked, "Master, may I ask you one question?"

Li Yundong smiled and said, "Ask away."

Zhou Qin inquired, "Master, is your combat prowess the best in the world now?"

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "How could that be!"

Zhou Qin wondered, "But they all call you Li Invincible!"

Li Yundong smiled. "Why do you believe these flattering words? How could I possibly be invincible?"

Zhou Qin frowned slightly and couldn't help but say, "But I saw at the Lotus Picking Assembly, no one could defeat Ju Zhizi, yet when you struck out with one palm, she was scared into crying. If that isn't invincibility, what is?"

Li Yundong smiled faintly and explained, "Ju Zhizi's techniques originate from the True Word Esoteric Buddhism, which primarily venerates Vajra Wisdom Kings. When I revealed my Wisdom King Dharma Body, it was like a gangster's subordinate seeing their boss—how could her legs not turn to jelly? So, no matter how fierce she was, she dared not fight me. If we truly fought, the actual gap wouldn't be as vast as you imagine, as she commands the Peacock Wisdom King. If she were a Divine Maiden instead of a Shamaness, and if she managed to summon the Peacock Wisdom King to descend, then even the current me would be no match for her."

Zhou Qin was startled and asked, "Are there people in Japan even more powerful than Ju Zhizi?"

Li Yundong nodded. "Of course! Above the Shamanesses are the Divine Maidens, and the Divine Maidens are further divided into three ranks: Inner Sanctuary Divine Maidens, Ksitigarbha Divine Maidens, and Amaterasu Divine Maidens. Among them, the Inner Sanctuary Divine Maidens are powerful practitioners capable of communicating directly with spirits, equivalent to the Golden Body masters in our cultivation world. Ksitigarbha Divine Maidens are akin to those undergoing Lightning Tribulation, and the Amaterasu Divine Maidens are on par with Golden Immortal level experts."

Zhou Qin's expression turned slightly odd. She remarked, "These Japanese devils actually have such powerful figures?"

Li Yundong said, "There should be Inner Sanctuary level Maidens; they are comparable to sect-guarding masters. As for the Ksitigarbha and Amaterasu Maidens, I don't know. It's like how I know Golden Body masters exist in this world, but I'm uncertain if there are actual Lightning Tribulation or true Golden Immortal experts here."

After thinking, Zhou Qin asked again, "Master, I've never understood. Many cultivation classics state that Yang Spirit is the highest realm for cultivators—even Zhang Sanfeng said so. Why are there three more tiers above Yang Spirit?"

Li Yundong smiled faintly. "I expected you would ask this. I had the same confusion back then, constantly harboring doubts about cultivation. In truth, what you said is not wrong; Yang Spirit is indeed the top realm achievable solely through a cultivator's own power—relying only on their inner core, without external elixirs—provided they successfully establish their foundation. It's a realm everyone can eventually reach."

"However, once one's physical body cultivates to the Yang Spirit realm, further breakthroughs become impossible. Because human effort has its limits! No matter how powerful the physical body, its strength cannot be infinitely great! Think about it—no matter how strong someone is, can they truly lift a mountain by themselves? Impossible, right? Because physical strength is finite, relying only on it, cultivation stops at the Yang Spirit peak. At this point, if one wishes to advance further, they must borrow strength from heaven and earth!"

Zhou Qin asked curiously and confusedly, "Borrow strength from heaven and earth?"

Li Yundong nodded. "Exactly. Cultivation is about the unity of heaven and man. One uses their true essence as a medium to mobilize the power between heaven and earth, thereby enabling the use of various wondrous artifacts and spells. To advance from Yang Spirit to the Golden Body realm, one must consume elixirs. The fastest way is to consume the Earth Element Spirit Elixir, one of the Three Great Immortal Elixirs. Without it, various other elixirs must be consumed as aids. Now, where do you think the medicinal ingredients for these elixirs grow?"

Zhou Qin's eyes brightened, as if grasping something, and she exclaimed, "Deep mountain forests?"

Li Yundong showed an expression of admiration and said, "Precisely! The ingredients for these miraculous elixirs grow in the mountains and forests, gathering the spiritual essence of heaven and earth. After consumption, cultivators benefit greatly, significantly enhancing their inner core's power and continuously strengthening their true essence. Thus, it can be said that the Golden Body realm is reached by continuously absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through consuming elixirs."

Zhou Qin then asked, "What about the Lightning Tribulation realm? Is that also borrowing strength from heaven and earth?"

Li Yundong nodded. "That's right! The Golden Body realm primarily borrows strength from the earth, because herbs grow from the ground. The Lightning Tribulation realm, however, borrows strength from the heavens, as thunder originates from the nine heavens above. A cultivator can only continuously strengthen themselves by placing their Golden Body under a raging thunderstorm and absorbing the power of the lightning—that is borrowing strength from heaven! This is why the concept of 'undergoing the Lightning Tribulation' exists. However, while surviving the tribulation greatly strengthens a cultivator, it is also an extremely perilous undertaking. A slight misstep can lead to utter annihilation of both body and spirit, with no room left for remedy or regret."

Hearing this, Zhou Qin couldn't help but be startled, and she asked, "Then, Master, you must be extremely careful when undergoing your Lightning Tribulation!"

Li Yundong burst into laughter. "Lightning Tribulation? I’m not even at the Golden Body realm yet, so how could I possibly undergo the Lightning Tribulation? To face the tribulation in a Yang Spirit body is courting death. Let's wait until I cultivate my Golden Body realm to its peak first."

A thought stirred in Zhou Qin's mind, and she inquired, "Master, how long will it take you to reach the Golden Body realm?"

Li Yundong frowned slightly, sighing, "That is something that can only be encountered by chance. Wan Zhenyuan previously told me that if I could find the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, he could refine the Earth Element Spirit Elixir for me. If I had that elixir... then I should be able to reach the Golden Body realm smoothly, perhaps?"

Zhou Qin curiously asked, "Thousand-Year Snow Lotus? Where is it? I'll find someone to buy it for you!"

Li Yundong looked at Zhou Qin with a smile and said, "Don't be foolish; that item cannot be bought. It grows on the summit of the sacred mountains in Tibet, guarded by protective mountain monks. Forget buying it with money; even if you offered them a mountain of gold, those lamas wouldn't trade it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qin suddenly let out an "Ah!"

Li Yundong wondered, "What's wrong? Why the sudden outburst?"

Zhou Qin seemed to remember something abruptly, smiling awkwardly at Li Yundong as she said, "Master, there is something I forgot to tell you."

Li Yundong smiled. "What is it?"

Zhou Qin said with a wry smile, "Didn't I tell you last time that I met Meiduo when I was establishing my foundation in Tibet?"

Li Yundong asked, "I remember. What about it?"

Zhou Qin sighed. "After meeting Meiduo, I climbed to the summit of Mount Karyl to establish my foundation. After succeeding, I met Master Duojidan Zang. He said Master Erdeni entrusted him with a message to relay."

Li Yundong found this strange. "Relay to you?"

Zhou Qin shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "No, it was meant for you, Master. It's just that when I returned, you happened to be cultivating in the Small Thousand World, so I didn't have a chance to tell you. Then, I immediately had to leave for the Lotus Picking Assembly. After all the events at the assembly, I completely forgot to mention it."

Li Yundong chuckled. "It's fine. What was it?"

Zhou Qin said, "Master Erdeni said that the Great Hand Seal technique you learned is only half complete, and he also said that when you ascend the mountain in the future, you must approach from the east."

Li Yundong was greatly surprised. "My Great Hand Seal technique is only half learned? Impossible; I learned it directly from the book! Could it be... the book is incomplete? Also, what does 'you must approach from the east' mean?"

Zhou Qin shook her head. "I don't know. That's what Master Erdeni told Duojidan Zang, and that's what Duojidan Zang told me."

Li Yundong nodded slowly. He pondered for a moment, murmuring to himself, "Did Master Erdeni foresee that I would go to the sacred mountain? Wan Zhenyuan... did he also calculate that I would go there, leading to this bargain he proposed? Could it be such a coincidence?"

Zhou Qin listened to Li Yundong talking to himself beside him. Although she was somewhat confused, she managed to grasp the general meaning. She tentatively asked, "Master, are you going to Tibet?"

Li Yundong thought seriously, appearing somewhat indecisive. Zhou Qin couldn't help but ask, "Master, what are you hesitating about?"

Li Yundong said solemnly, "Wan Zhenyuan is a schemer, a ruthless figure. I worry this is a planned trap, so I'm debating whether or not to go."

Zhou Qin, however, smiled. "Master, this doesn't seem like your style. Aren't you always the one who says, 'Though a thousand men stand in my way, I will go on'? Moreover, how can you obtain the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair? Especially for something as precious as the Earth Element Spirit Elixir? Besides, I have met Master Erdeni; he is truly a high monk of profound Dao. I believe he wouldn't collude with Wan Zhenyuan to set a trap for you. Furthermore, Meiduo is now the new Bandalam, and she is your friend, so she certainly wouldn't harm you. I believe obtaining that Thousand-Year Lotus will be a sure thing, destined by fate."

A thought stirred in Li Yundong's heart. He looked at Zhou Qin with some surprise and couldn't help but laugh, "Truly, a single remark awakens the dreamer! You are right! I have been overly cautious!"

Seeing that Li Yundong heeded her advice, Zhou Qin couldn't help but break into a broad smile, adding, "Master, you have too many things to consider every day. The entire responsibility of the Hu Chan Gate rests on your shoulders, and you worry about our safety too. So, it's natural to think things through carefully and act cautiously."

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "Yes, you are very perceptive. You must remind me often in the future!"

Zhou Qin felt warmth spread through her heart, gazing at Li Yundong with love and adoration, thinking to herself: Master, I will always stay by your side and remind you.

She stared blankly at Li Yundong's handsome profile, momentarily lost in thought.

Li Yundong was unaware of the fleeting display of girlish affection in Zhou Qin's eyes. He thought to himself for a moment and said, "Since the decision is made, there is no time to waste. I'll depart tomorrow."

Zhou Qin collected her thoughts and couldn't help but say, "Then I will accompany you, Master."

Li Yundong chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's more convenient for me to go alone. If there is a trap, it's easier for me to escape by myself. You should stay here to hold down the fort. The Di San Xian restaurant reopens tomorrow, and they need you."

Zhou Qin was disappointed, but she still nodded with a smile. "Alright then..." She turned, retrieved the Six Harmony Sword, and handed it to Li Yundong. "Master, this magic treasure is originally yours. Please take it with you; otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Li Yundong smiled and said, "I don't need this thing. It suits you better!"

Zhou Qin stubbornly shook her head. "Master, this Six Harmony Sword is your artifact. If I use it, its power is significantly diminished, but if you carry it, it will be like adding wings to a tiger. Moreover, if you take it, I will feel more settled. Otherwise, even if the sword remains with me, my heart will be uneasy every day, and even with heaven-reaching abilities, I won't be able to exert them."

Li Yundong saw the logic in her words and nodded with a smile. He reached out to take the sword, but just as their fingers touched, skin met skin, and a current seemed to flow through both their bodies, causing them to shudder.

Li Yundong couldn't help but look at Zhou Qin, only to see his stunningly beautiful disciple staring fixedly at him. Though her gaze was calm, Li Yundong distinctly perceived beneath that stillness a boiling, fervent adoration, like magma simmering beneath the earth.

Li Yundong's heart trembled. He immediately stood up, coughed awkwardly, and said, "I will take the Six Harmony Sword. You... you must take good care of yourself. I will return soon."

Saying that, he swiftly fled the room.

Zhou Qin couldn't help but call out after him, "Master, this is your room!"

But by the time the words reached her lips, Li Yundong had vanished.

Zhou Qin sighed softly, gazing hazily in the direction Li Yundong had departed, momentarily lost in a daze.