After a night, Cang Yan's eyes flew open, a sharp light glinting within them.
First came a pleasant surprise, but then his brow furrowed.
"My cultivation hasn't advanced, but it has become more solid. Still, I can't quite grasp that threshold."
Last night, after watching Lin Hao cultivate, Cang Yan seemed to have an epiphany, but in the end, he failed to seize the opportunity.
Deeply disappointed, Cang Yan didn't even remember how he'd gotten back to the wooden cabin.
As he drew near, Cang Yan froze, his expression turning to one of shock, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Lin Hao was cultivating again, but this time, he was actually drawing the red sun into his body!
Seeing this, Cang Yan wanted to bash his own head against a tree. 'Is there no justice in this world? First, the moon's essence, and now the sun's light! What kind of freak, monster, or demon is this kid?!'
'Cultivating like this... even the ancient Emperor Venerables were probably no different!'
The words "Emperor Venerable" seemed to crush the myriad heavens of all ages, as if they held an endless Magic Power. Cang Yan stood motionless, his mind completely captivated by Lin Hao's cultivation.
An unknown amount of time passed before Cang Yan's expression suddenly changed drastically. His eyes flew wide, and his body began to tremble!
Cang Yan gritted his teeth, the sound an audible GRIND, as he approached Lin Hao step by step.
Just a moment ago, he had clearly felt the yin energy of the moon's essence and the Yang Qi of the sun's light suddenly combine, producing a new stream of qi.
Although the stream of qi was faint, the Spiritual Sense of a Spirit Transformation Realm expert was astonishingly sharp.
Cang Yan not only sensed it, but he also felt that the faint stream of qi contained a heaven-shattering pressure that made even the depths of his soul tremble.
Cang Yan had never seen a god or a demon, but a ridiculous thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: even the arrival of a divine demon wouldn't be any more momentous than this.
That faint stream of qi possessed immense power, causing Lin Hao to instantly skyrocket from the Blood Coagulation Realm Second Layer to the Third Layer!
From the Second Layer to the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm in just one day and night. If this were before, Cang Yan would have thought it an impossible fairy tale, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to believe.
Of course, the increase in cultivation level was not the most shocking part.
What shocked him was that he had just clearly sensed two streams of qi in Lin Hao's Dantian, opposing yet coexisting harmoniously, forming a circle.
From ancient times to the present, only those who had awakened their bloodline power and reached the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer would experience a change in their Dantian. For a tangible form to appear in the Dantian at the Blood Coagulation Realm Third Layer—Cang Yan had never heard of such a thing!
Now, a miracle was unfolding right before his eyes!
Vaguely, Cang Yan had a strong feeling that if he could just understand the reason behind this, his lifelong hope of breaking through the Spirit Transformation Realm in martial arts could be realized!
Fortunately, the heart-pounding aura vanished in an instant. Cang Yan, who had been staring against the immense pressure, felt his mind relax and stopped in his tracks. Coincidentally, this was the exact moment Lin Hao concluded his cultivation and opened his eyes.
"Hey! Old man, what are you doing?!" The moment he finished, Lin Hao saw Cang Yan staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers. The expression on his face looked like he wanted to eat him alive, which gave him a huge fright.
Cang Yan didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed Lin Hao and began to run his hands all over his body.
Goosebumps erupted all over Lin Hao's body. He wanted to escape but couldn't, feeling utterly mortified. 'It's over, it's over. This perverted old man is into men.'
Of course, Cang Yan wasn't into men. He was "feeling the bones" and "reading the blood," trying to figure out what had happened with that stream of qi.
This examination shocked Cang Yan even more. Lin Hao's physique seemed ordinary, but for his age, the amount of qi and blood in his body was no less than that of a Spirit Body.
Furthermore, his qi and blood were circulating with an indescribable rhythm.
And all of it originated from his Dantian.
His Dantian was a chaotic expanse where two streams of qi, seemingly at odds and intent on devouring each other, had reached a near-perfect balance.
This was a nearly perfect Dao!
Cang Yan stopped, his heart pounding wildly. He forced his mouth open and asked haltingly, his voice dry and raspy, "What... what Cultivation Technique are you practicing?"
At the Blood Coagulation Realm Third Layer, yet there was Dao Rhyme flowing within his Dantian.
Though young, the boy before him was like a slumbering dragon!
At this moment, words could no longer describe what Cang Yan was feeling.
Lin Hao's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know how to answer Cang Yan.
'Obviously, this old man has discovered how extraordinary my Cultivation Technique is.'
'In the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, this Cultivation Technique drove countless top-tier experts mad with desire, to say nothing of here in the Celestial Yang Continent.'
After the tragedy three years ago when his own kin forcibly stole his bloodline, he no longer trusted anyone easily.
He was afraid that if he gave the wrong answer, his fate would be even more tragic than that of the Carefree Divine Monarch.
Thinking of the Carefree Divine Monarch, Lin Hao suddenly remembered a miraculous book from the Divine Monarch's past life on a planet called Earth. It wasn't a Cultivation Technique, but it was profound, mysterious, and contained the ultimate truths.
Delighted by the idea, Lin Hao came up with a plan.
"Ahem, old man, let go of me first!" Lin Hao coughed to calm himself, then pointed calmly at Cang Yan's hand.
"Ah, my apologies, my apologies..." Cang Yan let go, gave an awkward laugh, and began to fawningly tidy Lin Hao's clothes.
"Old man... Senior, I'm about to tell you, so listen carefully!" Lin Hao used a rather mismatched address as he began to search for the right words in his mind.
"It's fine, it's fine! Don't call me Senior, just call me old man. It sounds more familiar." Cang Yan nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, looking as comically obedient as a good little boy.
"The Cultivation Technique I practice is called the *Tao Te Ching*. It is the foremost wondrous book in the world!" Lin Hao said, his heart pounding with anxiety.
Lin Hao had to be anxious. It was no exaggeration to say that Cang Yan had eaten more salt than Lin Hao had eaten rice. If by some chance the old man had heard those three words before and gotten angry, he would surely be flattened into a meat patty.
Fortunately, Lin Hao saw Cang Yan's eyes light up, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After that, Lin Hao felt no pressure at all.
"But... I seem to have forgotten it. Let me think."
Lin Hao turned around and rubbed the back of his head.
Cang Yan was taken aback, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'All I did was give him a couple of knocks on the head. This little guy really holds a grudge.'
"Little fellow, I really did it for your own good. Why don't you hit me back..." Cang Yan stepped forward with a fawning expression, about to reach out and stroke the back of Lin Hao's head.
Lin Hao jumped back in fright and exclaimed, bewildered, "Old man, what do you think you're doing?"
Cang Yan's hand, frozen in mid-air, was neither raised nor lowered. He was mortified.
Lin Hao lowered his hand, finally understanding what had happened. He wasn't holding a grudge; he was just trying to organize his thoughts. He hadn't expected Cang Yan to misunderstand.
But Lin Hao didn't plan on explaining. He turned his back again and said, "I will tell you about this *Tao Te Ching*. Listen carefully."
It wasn't that Lin Hao was trying to act cool; he was just afraid that if he faced Cang Yan, he might not be able to hold back his laughter, which would give the whole game away.
"I... This old man is all ears." After a moment of shock, Cang Yan looked at Lin Hao's back, bowed, and cupped his fists. His expression was reverent, completely lacking the proud bearing of the Fiery Demon of yesteryear.
The allure of a supreme Cultivation Technique was immeasurable. Cang Yan was a martial arts fanatic, so much so that he completely overlooked Lin Hao's age.
"Mm," Lin Hao nodded slightly, then slowly began, "In the chaos of heaven and earth, the Dao formed itself. The chaos opened, transforming into yin and yang; the Dao Yi produces the two. Yin and yang combine; the two produce the three, and the three produce all things. All things carry yin and embrace yang, blending their qi to create harmony..."
Thanks to the memories inherited from the Carefree Divine Monarch, Lin Hao spoke at great length and with great eloquence.
After he finished, there was no sound from behind him for a long time. Lin Hao found it strange, and when he turned to look, he saw that Cang Yan was completely stupefied.
Scratching his head, Lin Hao grew a little worried. 'Did I say something wrong?'
"Hey, old man..." Lin Hao raised his hand and waved it in front of Cang Yan's eyes. When there was no reaction, he gave Cang Yan a slap.
"PUH!"
Cang Yan's body swayed and he abruptly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. If Lin Hao hadn't dodged quickly, he would have gotten a face full of it.
Cang Yan had been completely immersed in the profound mysteries of the *Tao Te Ching*. The sudden slap from Lin Hao had nearly killed him.
"Old man, what's wrong with you?" The reckless Lin Hao had no idea of the harm his action had caused.
If it had been anyone else who dared to treat Cang Yan this way, they would already be a corpse. But seeing that it was Lin Hao, Cang Yan didn't dare to show the slightest temper.
In fact, not only did Cang Yan not blame Lin Hao, he instead bowed low with cupped fists, his body bent to the ground, and said with utmost reverence, "A single conversation with you is worth five hundred years of cultivation! The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and the three produce all things. What a magnificent *Tao Te Ching*! I, Cang Yan, am utterly convinced!"
The Fiery Fire Demon Monarch, who forty years ago had dared to storm the capital alone and slap the Sovereign, was now being this respectful to a mere boy. And Lin Hao knew his own business best—he was using the *Tao Te Ching* purely to bluff Cang Yan.
So, faced with Cang Yan's gesture, Lin Hao was at a loss. He blushed and said in shame, "Um, I..."
"Say no more. I have sinned. The truth is, my earlier desire to take you as my disciple was entirely for my own selfish reasons. I see now that you were right to refuse me. Based on your words just now, you are qualified to be my master!"
Cang Yan interrupted Lin Hao, his face full of shame.
Lin Hao's mouth fell slightly agape. He was dumbfounded.
'I'm not mishearing, am I? The great Fiery Fire Demon Monarch just said I could be his master?!'
"Old man, how many fingers am I holding up?" Lin Hao held up two fingers and asked Cang Yan.
Cang Yan's mouth twitched slightly, but he remained respectful. "I... I'm not senile. The *Tao Te Ching* is truly profound and wondrous, worthy of its title as the world's most wondrous book. Your understanding of both the Martial Dao and the Alchemy Dao far surpasses my own. You are qualified to be my master."
"Uh... let's forget about the whole master thing. How about you just send me out of here?" Seeing that Cang Yan was actually serious, Lin Hao was genuinely startled.
If Cang Yan really did take him as a master, he would probably be hacked to death by a random mob the moment he walked out of the Celestial Break Mountain Range.
Cang Yan paused, then his eyes lit up. "How about this? I, Cang Yan, will dare to aim high just this once. How about you become my Junior Brother? Don't worry, I won't make you stay here."
Before Lin Hao could answer, Cang Yan flashed into the small wooden cabin.
A moment later, Cang Yan reappeared before Lin Hao, now holding a wooden tablet and two letters.
"I know you're going to the Heaven-Stepping Sect. Coincidentally, I was also planning to find a place to enter seclusion, so I won't keep you."
As he spoke, Cang Yan first handed the wooden tablet to Lin Hao. "The Heaven-Stepping Sect's entrance examination has three trials. If you don't pass, just show them this wooden tablet. Getting into the sect won't be a problem."
Lin Hao took it and saw that the wooden tablet was dark, about half the size of his palm, with the character for "Yan" carved on it. It was presumably Cang Yan's token.
Next, Cang Yan handed over the two letters. "Also, please deliver these two letters to the Heaven-Stepping Sect's Sect Leader for me."
Lin Hao looked them over. One letter had two words written on it, "For Taichu," while the other was blank.
Finally, Cang Yan took out two porcelain vials and stuffed them into Lin Hao's hands. "Junior Brother, this vial contains the Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pills you refined, and this one has Rejuvenation Blood Pills. I used one of the Rejuvenation Blood Pills, so you can have the rest."
Lin Hao didn't know what new madness had possessed the old man, but he accepted them numbly.
He had just tucked the items into his robes when Cang Yan grabbed him and shot up into the sky.
The wind howled in his ears, so strong that Lin Hao couldn't open his eyes at all. When he could open them again, he was back at the same spot where Cang Yan had knocked him out before.
"There's no more danger here. I wish you a safe journey, Junior Brother." After saying this, Cang Yan turned to leave.
Lin Hao had been dazed just a moment ago. He never expected Cang Yan to be so decisive.
Only then did Lin Hao snap back to his senses. Remembering what Cang Yan had promised him, he asked, "Old man, how did your search go last night?"
"Uh... Junior Brother, the supreme expert I was talking about was you. Last night, my Divine Soul left my body, but before I could even get close to you, it was blasted back," Cang Yan said, his face flushing with embarrassment.
"Oh, then forget it. I'll look for it myself." Lin Hao waved his hand, got his bearings, and left.
Cang Yan stared at Lin Hao's departing figure, his eyes narrowing as he murmured, "I haven't been back to the sect in decades. This time, I'm sending it a great fortune!"