Faced with the threat, Ling Xie merely let out a cold "Hmph," and then vanished from above the firmament.
His behavior left Gu Li, far away in Canglan Prefecture, feeling deeply suspicious.
The two had fought for over three thousand years, and never once had it been like today. Ling Xie had simply responded with disdain, without even throwing down any harsh parting words.
Had he suddenly turned over a new leaf?
Gu Li knitted her willow brows, gently shook her head, and dismissed the thought from her mind.
"His ambition is greater than anyone's, and his pettiness knows no bounds. He would never simply ignore my threat."
"Could it be that he encountered some fortuitous encounter? Does he possess absolute confidence in his strength to defeat me now?"
Thinking of this, Gu Li closed her alluring eyes, a disdainful smile hanging on the corners of her lips.
"Hmph, little trash."
The momentous clashes between mighty figures happen in the blink of an eye. Aside from a select few, no one else had any idea what had just transpired.
For instance, Yang Huan, who was meditating and cultivating inside his immortal cave, had completely failed to perceive the events outside.
By this time, he was entirely immersed in the cultivation of the *Qiankun Jiuzhuan Yinyang Jue*.
Yang Huan believed that although the System named Wind and Moon was somewhat rigid, it was still quite user-friendly in certain respects.
Take the spirit techniques, for instance. The System seemed afraid that he would bite off more than he could chew. It had only opened up a small portion to him for the time being, and had even provided numerous illustrations and annotations.
Thus, bolstered by the million gathering-qi pills, Yang Huan cultivated on and on, entirely losing track of time.
It was not until more than half a month had passed that he slowly awoke from his meditation.
"Rumble..."
The very first thing Yang Huan did upon opening his eyes was rub his stomach.
Having gone without food for over ten days, he was starving to the point of desperation.
However, rather than rushing off to find something to eat, he used his spiritual sense to continuously inspect his body.
He wouldn't have known if he hadn't checked, but the check gave him a fright.
"What the hell!"
Yang Huan let out an exclamation, his hands involuntarily slapping the floor beside his meditation mat as he leaped three feet into the air.
"This... this is already the Qi Condensation Stage Peak?"
Just as he finished reeling from the shock of his cultivation speed, Yang Huan started howling with excitement once more.
"This old man's dantian, and my meridians—holy crap! Holy crap!"
Following more than ten days of unsparing cultivation, Yang Huan's dantian was now flooded with an endless supply of spiritual energy, and the meridians throughout his entire body had expanded by more than tenfold.
If one were to compare him to ordinary cultivators...
No!
Ordinary cultivators were simply incomparable to the present Yang Huan.
Even proud talents with natural endowments like Yu Wei and Gu Li were far inferior to Yang Huan when they were at the Qi Condensation Stage Peak.
At this very moment, Yang Huan's heart was filled with excitement and wild joy.
He had never imagined that he could return to the Qi Condensation Stage Peak in such a short span of time.
He had never even dreamed that one day, his talent would become so terrifyingly astonishing.
An unprecedented self-confidence filled his chest. Yang Huan narrowed his eyes, clenched his right hand into a fist, bent his arm, and punched out.
He had merely intended to vent the exhilarating feeling in his chest, but unexpectedly, a piercing whistle of wind tore through the air, and a low side table not far away was instantly reduced to a heap of fine powder.
Such formidable physical strength boosted Yang Huan's confidence even further.
At that moment, he felt as though he could trample the entire world beneath his feet.
"The *Qiankun Jiuzhuan Yinyang Jue*... and the *Taishang Wuji Hunyuan Holy Body* truly live up to their legendary reputations!"
However, the lingering hunger in his body caused Yang Huan's white brows to furrow.
In theory, when a cultivator meditates, a portion of the spiritual energy should convert into the various forms of energy required by the physical body as the cultivation technique operates.
He shouldn't be feeling hungry at all.
Yang Huan rubbed his chin, pondering over it every which way, but could not figure out the underlying reason.
Until a flash of inspiration struck his mind.
For a millennium, he had grown accustomed to all sorts of metaphysics while casting science aside.
If he analyzed it from a scientific perspective, everything suddenly seemed to make sense.
Although the human body contained infinite mysteries, at its core, it was still composed of cells, tissues, and organs.
As the saying goes, when cultivators practice, they cultivate the Dao, refine the body, and temper the bones.
Among these, body refinement was the continuous process of strengthening cells and organs.
To sustain a powerful physical body, a cultivator naturally required energy from additional dimensions.
Therefore, the reason he felt hungry was that the strengthening of his physical body had accelerated his metabolism, which in turn triggered a desperate craving for energy from his cells and organs.
Yang Huan took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions, and then slowly walked toward the exit of the immortal cave.
He needed to find some food to replenish his physical strength, and at the same time, he needed to ask his master how Liu Ningshuang was doing.
After all, subverting an undercover agent was best done early.
Otherwise, as time went on, the higher her cultivation level grew, the harder she would be to turn.
Yang Huan stepped out of the immortal cave, the warm and radiant sunlight spilling across his face.
He drew in a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the surging power within his body, and his heart was filled with an unprecedented vitality.
"Hey, ha, ya—"
In front of the main hall, Gu Li was holding an ordinary spirit sword, practicing the introductory sword techniques of the Xuantian Sect move by move.
Clad in light blue martial attire that hugged her earth-shattering figure, Yang Huan's gaze was instantly captivated by her sword dance.
Even though the sword technique was merely introductory-level, executed by Gu Li, it gave off a sense of returning to simplicity and grasping the grand Dao through the most basic forms.
In Yang Huan's eyes, those seemingly simple motions of slashing, parrying, and thrusting were moves he knew he couldn't block even a single one of.
This was not merely a gap in cultivation realms, but a gap in comprehension of the grand Dao.
A warm smile spread across his aged face. Yang Huan straightened his robes, took a few steps closer to Gu Li, and then bowed respectfully.
"Master has wonderful swordplay!"
Hearing the voice, Gu Li paused her sword stance, turned to look at Yang Huan, and a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Although he still appeared to be at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer, his temperament seemed to have undergone a heaven-shaking transformation.
His hair remained silver-white, yet it seemed to shimmer with an even more dazzling radiance in the sunlight.
The wrinkles on his face appeared finer, bearing fewer traces of the passage of time.
His complexion was rosy and lustrous, and his once-cloudy eyes seemed much brighter than before.
Coupled with the golden-threaded white cloud satin gifted to him by Liu Ningshuang, describing him as having the immortal bearing of a transcendent being was entirely fitting.
"Have you gained any insights these past few days?"
Gu Li forcefully suppressed the surprise in her heart, her tone carrying the dignified weight expected of a master as she asked.
"This disciple is dull-witted..."
Before Yang Huan could finish, he saw Gu Li let out a long sigh, a look of disappointment crossing her pretty face.
"Forget it, if you haven't gained any insights, then so be it."
"As long as you are a bit more diligent in your cultivation and live a few more years, you should still be able to manage it."
Hearing her say this, a wave of warmth surged through Yang Huan's heart.
Although his master did not possess the gentlest of tempers, her concern for him was genuine.
"This disciple will keep Master's teachings firmly in mind."
Upon hearing this, Gu Li waved her hand and promptly summoned a flying sword.
"I plan to take a look over at your Daoxuan Peak. Are you coming?"
"Coming, I'm coming!"
Only a fool would pass up the chance to wrap his arm around her waist.