Ziyuan and Zhou Qin awoke, both looking around in stark surprise, utterly bewildered as to how they had ended up in such a place.

But upon spotting Ao Wushuang, they quickly grasped the general course of events.

Ziyuan felt the shift within her Yuanyin Zhenqi and remarked with profound feeling, "I never imagined that by stumbling into the Lingdan Xianqi, we would actually break through the Golden Body realm—what sheer fortune!" Li Yundong offered a slight smile. "This is what we call a good deed receiving a good reward.

Look at Zheng Yuan and Ling Kong; they schemed endlessly to seize the Diyuan Lingdan, yet fate decreed they had no part in it." Ziyuan recalled Zheng Yuan’s malicious actions that ultimately harmed only himself, shaking her head with a faint laugh. "If Zheng Yuan knew his efforts ended up benefiting us, he’d probably be infuriated to death." Li Yundong snorted. "That old rogue.

The next time I see him, I’ll surely mete out justice on behalf of Heaven!" Zhou Qin suddenly voiced a concern. "I wonder how Alva is doing!" The mention of Alva caused everyone in the room to turn their gaze towards Krys.

Just then, Krys stirred awake, letting out a long, slow breath.

This breath didn't dissipate but shot out like a sharp arrow, impacting the wall.

Su Chan, Ziyuan, and Zhou Qin exchanged glances, a single thought surfacing in all their minds: Krys also absorbed the Lingdan Xianqi.

What about Alva? What would Li Yundong do? How would he handle this? Krys slowly opened her eyes upon waking, scanning her surroundings with confusion.

Yet, she no longer saw the terrifying slaughter and magical duels of Tiandu Peak.

She found herself in a room furnished in a traditional Chinese style, complete with antique furniture.

If not for noticing Li Yundong and the others standing beside her, Krys would have believed her entire trip to China was nothing more than a thrilling, yet harrowing, dream she’d had in her grandmother's room.

But reality was harsh and irreversible.

Krys parted her lips, as if a thousand words were waiting to escape, but in the end, only a bewildered question emerged: "Am I still alive?" Zhou Qin, who had always sympathized with Krys, spoke softly. "Krys, you are alive.

Rest assured, you are safe now." Krys glanced at Zhou Qin, her gaze involuntarily drawn to the Fire God Whip coiled around her waist.

Then her eyes moved to Li Yundong and Ziyuan.

She recalled the terrifying combat and miraculous spell-casting she witnessed on the Huangshan cableway.

The highly educated, blonde, blue-eyed student from Pennsylvania suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of unreality, as if she were caught in a phantasm. "Who...

who exactly are you people? Are you aliens?" Zhou Qin offered a gentle smile. "Krys, we are just like you—ordinary people.

Except we are practitioners among the ordinary." Krys actually knew the answer, but in her mind, practitioners were supposed to possess only somewhat special abilities.

She could accept what she saw on the Huangshan cableway, but the heaven-shaking, thunder-summoning, deity-invoking duels on Tiandu Peak far exceeded the limits of her imagination.

To her, someone like Li Yundong possessed almost incredible power; he was a Superman, or perhaps even more than that! Did such people truly exist on Earth? Krys stared blankly at Zhou Qin, then her eyes drifted back to Li Yundong.

Li Yundong sighed softly. "Krys, now do you understand why I couldn't easily take you on as disciples?" Krys’s mouth opened as if to argue, but she was exceptionally intelligent and quickly grasped the crucial point.

What would happen if such mystical arts were taught to an outsider like her, who might then pass them on to her own countrymen? Krys felt intense reluctance but accepted her fate with a measure of resignation, lowering her head and murmuring softly in English, "John, I'm sorry...

I couldn't fulfill your dying wish! Li Yundong...

he won't teach me.

Even though I have Chinese ancestry, I am not a black-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese person after all.

Li Yundong is right; these cultivation techniques are China’s national defense, and he won’t impart them to foreigners like us." "Before, when I studied Chinese history, I never understood why other equally great ancient civilizations—like ancient India, ancient Egypt, or even the ancient Babylonian civilization that created the magnificent Hanging Gardens—all declined, even perished, severing their cultural lines, while only Chinese civilization has been passed down uninterrupted for five thousand years.

Now, I think...

I understand! My grandmother was right; the land of China is teeming with hidden masters.

They may live unobtrusively in everyday life, but only when you delve deep and interact with them do you realize the profound depth, the magnificent grandeur of this nation!" Krys spoke her words in a soft, almost dreamlike murmur.

As she reached the end, memories of arriving in China with John and Alva, full of ambition and trading playful banter, surfaced.

But now, she was alone and safe, while John had plunged off a cliff, and Alva was kidnapped, her fate unknown! It all felt like a horrifying nightmare! Not only had she failed to cultivate, but she had also failed to complete John's last wish! The thought overwhelmed Krys with sorrow, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Crying, she pleaded with Li Yundong, "Li Yundong, can you promise me one thing?" Li Yundong, naturally inclined to tenderness towards beautiful women, softened upon seeing Krys weeping uncontrollably. "Tell me, what is it?" Krys sobbed, "John fell from the cliff; he's likely dead.

Alva came to China with us; if anything happens to her, I truly won't be able to face her family.

Can you promise me you will find her? Bring her back safely?" Li Yundong nodded slowly but firmly. "I promise you! But you must also promise me one thing." Krys wiped her eyes, her vision blurred by tears, and asked, "What is it?" Li Yundong stated, "You absolutely cannot call the police! Furthermore, you cannot tell Alva's family anything about her, or anything about us." Krys froze, then pressed anxiously, "Why?" Li Yundong said with grave seriousness, "Zheng Yuan is ruthless, and Ding Nan is no saint.

Since they kidnapped Alva, it means they have designs on her.

If you call the police, secular law enforcement will get involved.

To protect themselves, they will certainly try to kill Alva to silence her! If we don't involve the police, we can still use our own resources to find Alva later.

Do you understand? The harder you push, the more danger Alva is in.

The more you let go, the safer she is!" Krys thought it over, then replied with a sigh of resignation and sadness, "Alright, I think I understand." Saying this, she dried her tears, managed a bitter smile, and said, "In that case, I should leave now." Zhou Qin, noticing her intention to depart, couldn't help but ask, "Krys, aren't you coming with us?" Krys looked at Li Yundong, Su Chan, Ziyuan, and the aloof Ao Wushuang beside them.

She clearly felt a gulf separating her from them.

She shook her head, a shadow of loneliness upon her, and said wistfully, "No, I need to return to Huangshan.

Perhaps I can find John's body; I have to take his remains back." Her words cast a heavy, sorrowful atmosphere over the room.

Even Su Chan, who usually resisted Krys, felt a moment of softness, watching her retreating figure with a touch of pity.

As Krys turned toward the doorway, Li Yundong suddenly called out, "Krys, can you tell me why you wanted to cultivate in the first place?" Krys stopped instantly, lost in thought for a long moment before turning back with a bitter smile. "Initially, it was just intense curiosity, especially when my grandmother told me that in distant, mysterious China, there were enigmatic people who possessed the art of eternal life.

I wondered: does the art of immortality really exist in this world? Carrying that doubt, I returned to this land.

But everything that followed changed my perspective.

I no longer seek immortality through cultivation; I am merely curious—curious where this power originates? Why can a person become this strong?" Krys stated softly, "John wanted to cultivate the most; his craving for power was intense.

He was more desperate than I was to uncover the mystery of all this.

But now that he is gone, his will has fallen upon my shoulders.

I have the obligation and responsibility to figure out for him: what exactly is cultivation? This is for myself, but even more so, for him!" Krys’s declaration elicited varied expressions from everyone in the room, plunging them into silence.

Ziyuan, Su Chan, and Ao Wushuang were innate cultivators; born into the world of practice, they accepted it as a given.

However, Li Yundong and Zhou Qin deeply resonated with Krys’s words.

They, too, had once been filled with intense curiosity about such power, willing to risk everything just to understand it! Li Yundong gazed steadily at Krys and slowly nodded. "Since that is the case...

you may stay by my side for now.

I will slowly explain to you what cultivation is.

Consider it a small compensation for John." Krys blinked, then her eyes widened, as if finding a glimmer of hope in utter despair.

She stammered, "You...

you agree to take me as a disciple?" Li Yundong smiled slightly, shaking his head. "No, I only agree to tell you slowly about the nature of cultivation.

But I cannot formally accept you yet.

You can be listed under my name as an affiliated disciple—not a formal student." Krys, being an expert on China, knew the thin line separating an affiliated disciple from an initiated one.

Since Li Yundong had softened his stance today, she believed that if she followed him diligently in her practice, she would eventually achieve her goal! Overjoyed, Krys immediately tried to kneel down to perform the formal kowtow, but Li Yundong swiftly raised a hand in mid-air, halting her several feet away with an invisible force.

Li Yundong chuckled. "No need to rush.

If Heaven truly intends for you to be my disciple, you can perform that salute later." Seeing herself held aloft by Li Yundong's seemingly empty hand, Krys felt a mixture of awe and admiration.

She lowered her head and murmured, "Alright, Master." Li Yundong waved his hand, laughing. "Don't call me Master yet; you can call me Li Yundong." Krys thought for a moment. "Then can I call you Master Li?" Seeing her persistence, Li Yundong agreed that this compromise would suffice, nodding with a smile.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he felt Su Chan lightly tugging at his sleeve, signaling him with her eyes.

Knowing Su Chan had something private to discuss, Li Yundong walked with her into an adjacent room.

As soon as the door closed, Su Chan whispered urgently, "Yundong, how could you possibly take a foreign disciple? Aren't you afraid the cultivation secrets will spread?" Li Yundong laughed. "Silly girl, haven't you seen that Krys has already absorbed the Lingdan Xianqi? If I don't take her in today, and some other sect notices her later and accepts her as a disciple—what if they become our rivals?" Su Chan paused, then snorted dismissively. "Are we afraid of a barbarian?" Li Yundong shook his head, smiling faintly. "It's not that simple! Our Fox Zen Sect currently has enemies on all sides.

If a hostile sect finds her potential outstanding and takes her in, not only do we risk the leakage of secret cultivation methods, but we also create a powerful enemy out of thin air.

Although her current power is slight, Westerners naturally possess robust vitality, making them excellent embryos for cultivation.

Coupled with the modification from the Lingdan Xianqi, her cultivation speed will surely be astonishing." "But..." Su Chan remained unconvinced, yet she couldn't deny the logic in Li Yundong's words.

She struggled to find a counterargument.

Li Yundong chuckled. "Stop arguing.

Rather than letting others dictate her fate, it’s better we control this uncertain factor ourselves." Su Chan finally ceased protesting, breaking into a bright smile. "Alright, you have a point!" Li Yundong and Su Chan exchanged a knowing look and walked out hand in hand.

Ugh...

I'm completely swamped with work lately.

What exactly am I busy with...

due to certain confidential matters, it’s a bit inconvenient for me to say, but in a while, if all goes well, I believe everyone will find out.

Two chapters today, and there will be one more tonight, so I will likely still owe one update.

I will try my best to make it up tomorrow.

TangTang apologizes profusely to everyone with deep bows!