Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu

By the time Yan Liqiang woke up, sunlight had flooded the bedroom through the window. It passed through the dark yellow curtains of the room, bathing the room in a warm, yellow light.

When Yan Liqiang tried to recall the incidents from last night, his mind went blank for two seconds before he shot up from the bed.

A faint fragrance lingered on the bed, but the pillow beside him was empty. Yan Liqiang pulled the blanket away and noticed the vibrant crimson spots on the sheets.

He leaped off the bed, rushed to the wardrobe butt-naked, and swung the wardrobe door open.

As expected, a set of clothes was missing.

Hua Ruxue had left. The incident from last night was nothing more than a spring dream that had vanished without a trace upon his awakening.

Yan Liqiang stood blankly before the wardrobe, feeling somewhat lost and empty.

He looked at his own reflection in the huge and gorgeous bronze mirror in front of the wardrobe. After staring at it blankly for a short while, he spotted the two fresh bite marks on his chest…

Gently caressing the bite marks on his chest and recalling Hua Ruxue inability to restrain herself from biting his chest while moaning last night, Yan Liqiang’s face broke into a knowing smile…

……

Yan Liqiang arrived on the mountain beyond the archery range two hours later than usual.

Li Hongtu, who was rarely seen in the morning because he was usually asleep in the thatched cottage, was unexpectedly standing at the edge of the pool.

Looking at Li Hongtu’s emotionless face, Yan Liqiang felt a little guilty for some reason. He went up to his master and greeted him, “Master!”

“Why are you two hours late today?!” Li Hongtu gave him a stern look. He pointed straight at Yan Liqiang’s nose and started berating him, “So you think you can start slacking because you feel content enough with your current cultivation?! You should know that the path of cultivation is an extremely arduous one to take! You will never be invincible and deadly without putting in the hard work to forge your way ahead vigorously!”

Li Hongtu continued berating Yan Liqiang with the same breath while pointing at him for a full three minutes before he finally stopped.

“Well, Master…”

“What do you have to say?” Li Hongtu glared at him.

Yan Liqiang had a pitiful expression on his face. “Master, I did not intend to be late. The cultivation over these few days has been really taxing. I blacked out during my training at night and slept the entire night away on my bedroom floor. As soon as I woke up, I quickly rushed here…”

Li Hongtu was taken aback. “You still train at night after you go home?”

“Yes, I train up to four hours every night before I sleep!”

“What kind of training?”

“Tiger Roaring Consecutive Fist technique, A Series of Blows technique, some eye exercises, and a lightness skill technique known as the Cloud Dragon’s Ten Transformations technique…”

“That many?” The stern look on Li Hongtu’s face was immediately replaced with a look of pity. “Why didn’t you say so earlier…?”

“Well, you didn’t ask…”

Li Hongtu’s tone of voice immediately softened. “Forget about that Tiger Roaring Consecutive Fist technique. By the time you truly grasp the skill I pass onto you, you will be able to apply the spear technique on the fists too. By then, your fist techniques will naturally increase by a few realms. Even the most basic Tiger Roaring Consecutive Fist technique will be able to shatter the Heavens and Earth. You may continue training the Series of Blows and lightness skill techniques, but in appropriate amounts so that it won’t affect your training the next day. Otherwise, it will only do more harm than good. Remember, your foundation lies in the spear technique. As long as you solidify the foundation, the cultivation of other techniques will naturally come to fruition. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master…”

“Tell that eunuch I request the Deer Villa’s kitchen to serve you Dragon-Tiger Ten Ingredients Tonic soup once a week. There’s good stuff in Deer Villa’s storehouse, so you don’t need to hold back for their sake. If the eunuch refuses, I will remove his bird’s nest…”

Yan Liqiang nodded as he humbly accepted the instructions. “Understood!”

Li Hongtu twirled his beard while frowning. After thinking to himself for a moment, he spoke up. “Let’s postpone the training for this afternoon. We’ll call it a day so you can rest and recover your stamina before we resume as usual tomorrow. From now on, you’ll have a one day break in the afternoon every two days. Let me know if you experience any physical discomfort…”

“Understood!”

“Alright, go!” Li Hongtu waved at him before he yawned and strolled back to his thatched cottage.

Yan Liqiang watched Li Hongtu until he went into his cottage, then secretly stuck his tongue out. He stripped his clothes, exposing his naked torso and the two fresh bite marks on his chest to the air. With a plop, he dived into the pool and fished out his spear, then lifted himself up on a rock and started shaking the spear…

The way Yan Liqiang shook the spear now was completely different than how it was a month ago. As soon as he had the four-hundred-jin Dragon Spine Steel spear in his hands, he could start vibrating it at a high frequency without any warm-ups or preparation, causing it to hum like the growls of a dragon…

The flying droplets that landed on the vibrating spear instantly dissipated into clear mist that shrouded Yan Liqiang. Under the sunlight, a beautiful rainbow arched above the pool like a dreamy illusion…

……

After completing his morning training, Yan Liqiang returned to his small courtyard at noon and quietly finished the sumptuous lunch that was served to him alone.

Recalling those wonderful days of having a beauty by his side while looking at the empty room today, Yan Liqiang could only shake his head regretfully with a wry smile on his face.

Even though Li Hongtu allowed Yan Liqiang to take a break this afternoon, Yan Liqiang found his thoughts to be wandering around today and lost his mood to cultivate.

All of a sudden, the face of a certain daoist priest appeared in his mind. Yan Liqiang’s heart stirred as he recalled his meeting with the priest and the conversation they had. The desire to investigate this matter kindled in his heart.

……

Yan Liqiang changed into casual clothes after lunch and left Deer Villa on Snowstorm Cloud.

In just less than an hour, he arrived at the foot of Mount Xiaoyun outside of the Imperial Capital. He stood at the foot of the mountain and looked up. Mount Xiaoyun wasn’t steep but it was shrouded by clouds, causing it to give off an air of profoundness despite its height. The mountain was the garden of the Imperial Capital. Many people came to sightsee on the mountain since the weather was fine today.

After leaving Snowstorm Cloud in an inn at the foot of the mountain, Yan Liqiang started trekking up the mountain.

Yan Liqiang thought the White Dragon Temple would be easy to find. To his surprise, out of the eight tourists and three woodcutters he asked, none of them had ever even heard of the place. Yan Liqiang wandered around the mountain for half a day before he finally met an old herb gatherer. When the old man heard that Yan Liqiang was looking around for the daoist temple, he frowned and hesitated for a good while before speaking. “I have been gathering herbs on Mount Xiaoyun for decades. Never have I ever heard of any White Dragon Temple here. But I do know where the Heaven Gazing Temple, Three Immortals Temple, or Seven Stars Temple are… Oh right. I saw a dilapidated daoist temple when I was gathering herbs around a deserted area on the mountain behind Mount Xiaoyun two years ago. The temple did not have a name, but it seemed like someone was living there. It could be the White Dragon Temple you are looking for, young man…”

After asking the herb gatherer for directions to that unnamed temple, Yan Liqiang stepped foot onto the mountain behind Mount Xiaoyun…