Li Yundong didn't fly long in the air before spotting Lin Xueqing waiting for him, a smug look plastered across her face, as if she had fully anticipated he would follow.

As Lin Xueqing saw Li Yundong approaching, ready to unleash her smug words, she watched him streak past without slowing down, forcing the retort back down her throat. Annoyed, she had no choice but to chase after him toward Mount Huang.

After flying for quite some time, the two finally arrived near Mount Huang. As Li Yundong descended, he found himself surrounded by a landscape of majestic peaks. Everywhere he looked were towering mountains, strange pines, bizarre rocks piercing the sky, and dense seas of cloud.

At a glance, Li Yundong felt that nearly every spot his eyes landed upon was a pine tree, these pines using the stone as soil, taking root in the fissures of giant boulders. From a distance, the mountainsides were shrouded in dense, verdant pine forests, their trunks gnarled and branches twisted, taking on countless forms—some standing tall by the cliffs, others solitary atop peaks, some dangling from sheer walls, their crowns flat like canopies, or sharp as swords. Some followed the contours of ravines, winding around stones; others burst through cracks and crevices, erupting from the rock. Now hanging, now horizontal, now lying prone, now rising—truly, there was no tree that wasn't a pine, no rock without pine, and no pine without its unique strangeness!

Li Yundong felt as if he had instantly stepped into a paradise, a realm of immortals. The air around them was saturated with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, intensely rich, leaving one refreshed and delighted.

"Truly, after seeing the Five Great Mountains, one cares little for other mountains; after seeing Huangshan, one cares little for the rest!" Li Yundong couldn't help but gaze at the surrounding beauty, sighing from the depths of his heart.

Just then, Lin Xueqing landed beside him, saying with unconcealed pride and arrogance, "Of course! Just look at where we are! This is Tiandu Peak, the highest point of Mount Huang! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Let any traveler of the Five Great Mountains come, one glimpse of Tiandu and they too call it marvelous'?"

Li Yundong offered a slight smile, seemingly forgetting the matter of the Diyuan Spirit Elixir for the moment. He gazed around with deep admiration, thinking to himself: If he could live here with Chan'er in the future, cultivating the Dao together, wandering these mountains and rivers—that would truly be a bliss surpassing that of immortals!

As Li Yundong was musing, he saw Lin Xueqing swiftly darting toward Tiandu Peak. She moved like a nimble monkey, leaping and sprinting through the woods, reaching halfway up the mountain in the blink of an eye.

Li Yundong quickly called out, "Hey, where are you going?"

Li Yundong's shout echoed throughout the entire valley, provoking a chorus of reverberations. Lin Xueqing paused, turned back, and shouted loudly, "To find Sect Master Wan!"

Li Yundong asked in surprise, "Wasn't he at Songgu Nunnery?"

Lin Xueqing laughed heartily, "Who said he was at Songgu Nunnery? He's on Tiandu Peak! Hurry up and follow!"

Li Yundong, full of doubt, quickly followed suit.

Li Yundong sprang forward, his steps quickening as he climbed the slope. When he finally reached the summit of Tiandu Peak, he surveyed the surroundings to see vast, rolling clouds blending into distant mountains, rivers threading the horizon. Looking down upon the myriad peaks, thousands competed in beauty, yet the summit beneath his feet seemed to pierce the vault of heaven, looking down upon all others—magnificent and awesome!

Especially when Li Yundong peered down, he saw the mountain cableways stretching and winding like grey serpents coiling around the peaks, loop after loop, circle after circle. When the mountain wind blew, the cables swayed and creaked, an experience utterly perilous.

Seeing the undisguised awe and appreciation in Li Yundong's eyes, Lin Xueqing, in a moment of prideful inspiration, suddenly proposed, "Right, I'll set you a challenge. Use this exact scene to compose a duilian (couplet); it must contain the characters for 'sea' (), 'sky' (), 'mountain' (), and 'peak' (). How about it?"

Although Li Yundong couldn't fathom why Lin Xueqing suddenly wanted to test him, one glance at the magnificent scenery filled his chest with a heroic urge to challenge the heavens, making him feel that even though the world was vast, mankind could prevail!

This was the greatest difference between the Taoist and Buddhist schools!

Buddhism advocated accepting fate and yielding to heaven; man could not surpass heaven. But Taoism championed defying heaven, believing that man determines heaven!

A surge of intense Yuanyang energy seemed to churn within Li Yundong's chest, erupting like a torrent, demanding release. He immediately blurted out the lines: "Where the sea knows no bounds, the sky becomes the shore; where the mountain reaches its height, I become the peak!"

As Li Yundong recited this couplet, his voice was resonant and his breath prolonged, as if countless great bells and gongs were chiming in unison among the mountains, or like ceaseless waves, magnificent and layered, resounding far into the distance, echoing through the valleys and the sea of clouds. All who heard felt their blood surge and their spirits broaden.

Though Lin Xueqing was a woman, and she knew Li Yundong had borrowed the couplet famously written by Lin Zexu to fit the occasion, she was nonetheless moved by the passionate sentiment of his words. Inwardly, she marveled: What breadth of spirit, what magnificent bearing! No wonder, after only half a year of cultivation, he earned the nickname "Li Invincible"! It seems I truly underestimated him before; based on the spirit alone in those words, I can confidently say this man is destined to become a Grand Master, a True Immortal!

While she stood there in shocked admiration, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly came from not far away: "Well said, 'Where the mountain reaches its height, I become the peak'!"

Li Yundong and Lin Xueqing turned to see Wan Zhenyuan approaching, dressed in a Daoist robe and holding a horsetail whisk, chuckling as he walked toward them.

Upon seeing Wan Zhenyuan, Li Yundong turned and bowed respectfully, saying with a smile, "It is Sect Master Wan."

Lin Xueqing bowed to Wan Zhenyuan in a rather casual manner, saying, "Uncle Wan, I've brought the person here. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Wan Zhenyuan stroked his beard and chuckled to Lin Xueqing, "Xiao Qing, it's alright now. Go find your Master. I need a word or two with True Man Li."

Lin Xueqing responded with a dutiful "Ah," and quickly started to leave. But after taking a few steps, she turned back to glance at Li Yundong, her eyes filled with a strange look. Then she gave Wan Zhenyuan another look, appearing hesitant to speak further.

Wan Zhenyuan smiled, "Xiao Qing, is there something else?"

Lin Xueqing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, saying, "Nothing, I'm leaving now, Uncle Wan!" With that, she elegantly departed.

After seeing her go, Li Yundong smiled and said to Wan Zhenyuan, "Sect Master Wan, I trust you have been well?"

Wan Zhenyuan chuckled, "True Man Li is too kind. Recently, I have been busy preparing to refine the Diyuan Spirit Elixir, so I was unable to spare time despite being extremely busy. I had to ask Xiao Qing to invite True Man Li here for a discussion. Xiao Qing has been spoiled by her Master since childhood; if she caused any offense, I apologize to you in advance."

Li Yundong waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. I am merely curious: why are you here at Mount Huang, True Man Wan? Why not at Mount Gezao?"

Wan Zhenyuan laughed heartily, "Mount Gezao? I’ve been robbed there twice already! To refine the elixir there now would just be asking for trouble, wouldn't it?"

Li Yundong asked curiously, "Oh? And Mount Huang has no issues?"

Wan Zhenyuan smiled faintly, "Mount Huang has been a sacred site of Taoism since antiquity. In modern times, our Gezao Sect has operated here for many years; our influence is deep-rooted and impenetrable. Furthermore, Tiandu Peak is currently under a mountain closure, inaccessible to tourists. Therefore, refining the elixir here means I don't have to worry about anyone disturbing me. And no one will know I am refining the Diyuan Spirit Elixir here."

Li Yundong glanced around with a smile and nodded slightly, "Sect Master Wan's foresight is truly meticulous; I am deeply impressed!"

Wan Zhenyuan laughed, "It is True Man Li whose capabilities reach the heavens! To bring back the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus so quickly—now the refinement of the Diyuan Spirit Elixir holds great promise!"

Li Yundong had wanted to ask Wan Zhenyuan why he had been monitoring him, but he restrained himself, choosing instead to ask, "Sect Master Wan, how can I be sure that when the elixir is finally refined, I will definitely receive my share?"

Seeing that Li Yundong was tactful enough not to mention the surveillance, Wan Zhenyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while also secretly admiring Li Yundong's premature maturity. He smiled, "True Man Li need not worry at all. You can observe the entire process by my side, until the Spirit Elixir is drawn out of the furnace. I trust, with your abilities, you aren't worried that I would consume the Diyuan Spirit Elixir right in front of you, are you?"

Li Yundong smiled faintly, "Sect Master Wan jokes." With that, he generously handed over the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus wrapped in a white handkerchief from his embrace, keeping the handkerchief for himself.

Wan Zhenyuan’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus. His hands trembled slightly as he reached out to take it, cradling it with both palms, and murmured with a slight tremor, "This is the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus? This... this is the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus? Heavens..."

Tears welled up in Wan Zhenyuan's eyes as he knelt facing the direction of the western Heavenly Mountains, his voice choked with emotion, "Master, your disciple has finally not failed your high expectations. In my lifetime, I finally have the chance to forge the Diyuan Spirit Elixir!"

Seeing this mature man in his late forties, usually so composed and deep, become so uncontrollably emotional, and recalling the snippets of Wan Zhenyuan's past that Zi Yuan had mentioned, Li Yundong felt a pang of empathy. He said, "Sect Master Wan, if your Master is aware in heaven, he will surely bless you!"

Wan Zhenyuan held the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus high above his head and kowtowed respectfully three times. Then he rose, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and finally smiled, saying, "True Man Li, you have witnessed my poor display! I, Wan Zhenyuan, began studying the Dao under my Master at the age of ten. Although my Master's cultivation was transcendent and saintly, he always regretted that he would not live to see the miraculous state of the Diyuan Spirit Elixir, nor personally forge the long-lost elixir. Now, I have finally fulfilled my late Master's dying wish. I truly thank True Man Li for your powerful assistance!"

Li Yundong smiled gently, "I am eager to watch Sect Master Wan refine the Spirit Elixir!"

Wan Zhenyuan laughed heartily. He carefully concealed the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, pointed toward a secluded cave not far away, and chuckled, "Look, this is the Immortal's Cave Entrance. I have already prepared everything inside. Please, follow me."

As Li Yundong and Wan Zhenyuan headed toward the refining cave, Lin Xueqing had already returned to Songgu Nunnery on the northern side of Mount Huang. However, she did not expect that two uninvited guests had arrived in the Nunnery in her absence.

One of the elders, with a white-haired mane and a youthful, rosy face, was smiling kindly while enthusiastically conversing with her Master, Zhong Qingsong. Standing beside him was a tall, slender, and fashionably dressed woman.

These two were none other than Zheng Yuan and his disciple, Ding Nan!

================================================= Got home very late... Owing everyone one chapter; I will make up for it tomorrow morning...

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