Li Xin recalled the battle that had just taken place. On the surface, it might have looked like he had subdued his opponents with ease, but in truth, it had been a desperate fight where he had mobilized every means at his disposal. If even a single moment had gone awry, or if his enemies had possessed even one method beyond his expectations, the one placed in danger would have been himself instead. They had underestimated Li Xin, emboldened by their numerical advantage and the gap in cultivation realms. Moreover, seeing that they were of a similar age to him, they likely lacked much real combat experience.

  The methods of cultivators are bizarre and unpredictable. I must not let my guard down either.

  Using them as a warning, Li Xin heightened his vigilance even further. The sensing artifact the woman had possessed was in the shape of a ring, and when the cold metal touched his skin, he felt a faint flow of spiritual energy at his fingertips. Thanks to the artifact’s function, the mental fatigue that had been steadily accumulating under tension noticeably decreased, and his exploration speed increased, if only slightly.

  It should be around here…

  Li Xin arrived at the location the woman had mentioned and surveyed his surroundings, but the White Dew Danhua was nowhere to be seen.

  There’s no way she would give the exact location.

  After a brief moment of thought, Li Xin took out the Five-Element Converging Array Plate from his robes. He set the array plate’s attribute to ‘Water,’ affixed a Resonance Talisman, and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

  Water-aspected spirit herbs usually grow near water. White Dew Danhua won’t be an exception.

  Within the silent forest, as all his senses converged, a distinct thread of water qi was caught within his consciousness. A vivid surge of energy gathering from one direction.

  There.

  Li Xin immediately headed that way. Suppressing his footsteps and advancing with care, he eventually discovered a small cave covered in vines. From the cave entrance wafted damp air along with a faint, fishy scent of water.

  There’s a presence inside.

  At the same time, the sensing artifact on his finger vibrated faintly. Looking down, he saw footprints imprinted in the soil that clearly did not belong to a human.

  As expected, wherever there’s a precious spirit herb, there’s always a demonic beast guarding it.

  Li Xin narrowed his eyes.

  Having just fought three cultivators, his condition was far from good. His spiritual energy reserves were reduced, and the fatigue in his body was considerable. Moreover, the sensing artifact only detected presences; it did not reveal the demonic beast’s realm or identity. If something he could not handle appeared, he could easily be placed in danger.

  Li Xin hesitated briefly, fiddling with the talismans inside his robes.

  Still, it would be a shame to give up.

  This was a cave rich in water qi. If he used all the Water Binding Talismans he had, he could restrain the enemy’s movements for a short time.

  I’ll just confirm it first. If it looks bad, I’ll retreat immediately.

  Having made his decision, Li Xin quietly stepped into the cave. Unlike its narrow entrance, the cave interior was far wider and deeper. With every step forward, a chill filled the air, and from afar came the faint sound of flowing water. Li Xin even suppressed his breathing, carefully advancing inward by following the sound of water.

  That is…?

  Then, beyond the darkness, he caught sight of a shape. A tiger-shaped demonic beast wrapped entirely in white mist. Its two eyes, burning like crimson flames, glowed eerily even within the darkness.

  Its realm itself isn’t that high…

  Judging purely by aura, it was on a similar level to the cultivators he had just fought. But the danger of demonic beasts could not be judged by realm alone. There was too little information. Yet it was not enough to warrant retreat.

  Let’s fight it once.

  The moment Li Xin observed the creature, it too sensed his presence. Its red eyes locked onto Li Xin, then in an instant, it dissolved into the white mist and vanished.

  An invisibility ability…!

  Li Xin immediately activated the Seeking Eye and took out Resonance Talismans and Diffusion Talismans, scattering them in all directions. Even invisibility left traces when moving. It merely deceived different senses—true perfect concealment essentially did not exist. Li Xin scanned his surroundings with every sense on high alert.

  A suffocating silence. Killing intent slowly rose behind him, brushing against the back of his neck.

  …Behind me!

  The moment it entered his detection range, the Ice Shadow Talisman he had prepared in advance activated, blocking the sudden ambush.

  With a tremendous impact, the shield shattered into pieces. The talisman’s effect was erased in a single strike.

  Seeing this, Li Xin frowned. Realizing that his detection ability was inferior to the creature’s concealment, Li Xin unfolded his next method—the Art of Tracking Fragrance. If even this failed, he would have to flee immediately.

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  That way.

  Fortunately, the demonic beast seemed unable to conceal its bodily scent. However, the Art of Tracking Fragrance was a technique that consumed enormous amounts of spiritual energy. He had to end the battle as quickly as possible.

  I’ll pour out everything I have.

  With firm resolve, Li Xin took out all the remaining Water Binding Talismans and Ice Shadow Talismans from his robes. There was no hesitation. He immediately infused them with spiritual energy and threw them toward the direction of the demonic beast.

  As the talismans activated, the energy within the cave roiled violently. All the water qi gathered into one place, forming a massive fog zone. Visibility instantly dropped to the point where one could not see even an inch ahead.

  The demonic beast let out a low growl, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation. Seizing the moment, Li Xin threw his final talisman toward the precise location he had locked onto through the Art of Tracking Fragrance—a three-stroke Yin–Yang Talisman. It was the strongest method he possessed, a talisman crafted by embedding an entire year of lifespan.

  The demonic beast also instinctively sensed danger and swiftly turned to flee. But it was already too late. The Yin–Yang Talisman cut through the air and activated directly before the creature’s eyes.

  Hair-raising demonic qi burst forth from the talisman and swept through the surroundings. The Yin–Yang Talisman embodied the fundamental principle that pierced through the cycle of yin and yang—just as night follows day and winter follows summer. It was a talisman that maximized the harmony of nature and swallowed the enemy whole.

  In an instant, the fog that filled the cave moved as if alive, being sucked toward the demonic beast. That fog soon became a gigantic ice crystal, engulfing the demonic beast’s entire body. The Yin–Yang Talisman did not directly attack the enemy; it merely maximized the very principle of Ice Shadow itself.

  The frozen body of the demonic beast slammed onto the ground, causing the entire cave to tremble. Within the ice, the creature’s crimson eyes rolled about.

  Before the Yin–Yang Talisman’s effect faded, Li Xin swiftly approached. Though thick ice protected the creature’s body. Shattering Mountain Fist was a precise fist art that did not break the ice itself, delivering force solely to the demonic beast inside.

  With dull sounds like steel being hammered, Li Xin’s fists struck the demonic beast within the ice repeatedly. Three times, four times, five times… At the moment the sixth strike landed. Blood seeped from the demonic beast’s seven orifices, and its once-glowing crimson eyes dimmed.

  “Phew…”

  Li Xin slowly exhaled. As relief washed over him at the end of the battle, the strength finally drained from his entire body.

  “This… later…”

  The demonic beast’s corpse remained sealed within the massive ice. To use it for the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art, he would have to wait for the ice to melt anyway. And at present, he did not even have the strength to deal with it.

  Steadying his ragged breathing, Li Xin followed the sound of water deeper into the cave. And at last, he found it. A single white flower glowing faintly, as if bathed in the light of dawn. It bloomed alone atop a rock by the water’s edge, in the deepest part of the cave. Dew clung to its delicate petals, and those clear droplets shimmered like crystals. At the center of the petals was a faintly glowing red core. That crimson heart pulsed slowly, yet distinctly, like a living being. At that mystical sight, Li Xin was certain.

  This is the White Dew Danhua…

  He carefully harvested the White Dew Danhua. The instant his fingertips touched the petals, a cool, pure aura seeped in, washing through his entire body. His muddled mind felt slightly clearer. But that also meant the spiritual energy of the White Dew Danhua was leaking outward.

  No way to store it… and the sky is growing brighter.

  Without further hesitation, Li Xin put the White Dew Danhua into his mouth and swallowed it whole. A wave of pure water qi flowed down his throat, spreading refreshingly through his organs, meridians, and blood vessels, as if washing away all impurities from his body. The water qi contained within the White Dew Danhua was far more powerful than he had expected. Beyond simple recovery, he felt certain it could even enable a breakthrough in realm.

  Li Xin sat down cross-legged and focused his mind. He had already merged the Yang Linking Vessel and Yin Linking Vessel into his qi meridians. The next target to tackle was the Yang Heel Vessel. The Yang Heel Vessel began at the outer heel and ascended upward, hence the name ‘Yang Heel.’ The Heel Vessels circulated yin and yang within the human body, and among them, the Yang Heel Vessel governed the circulation of yang qi.

  Recalling this, Li Xin guided the energy of the White Dew Danhua downward. Cool energy started from his heel, traveled up through his calf to his thigh, passed through his armpit and shoulder, and surged toward the crown of his head.

  “…Ghk.”

  However, the moment the energy reached his crown, an explosive pain like his head was about to burst flooded in. It was too much. Only then did Li Xin realize that the power of the White Dew Danhua far exceeded what he could endure.

  At this rate, my body won’t hold…!

  If he expelled the excess energy, he could preserve his life, but Li Xin rejected that choice.

  I can’t just waste this.

  His decision was swift and resolute. He drew forth the demonic qi within his body. Based on the insight he had gained from Ice Shadow, he pulled out his demonic qi and fused it with the water qi.

  The two energies collided, violently churning through his meridians. Demonic qi was rough and ferocious, clashing head-on with the pure flow of water qi. Yet Li Xin did not panic. Because he had partially embodied the principle of the Yin–Yang Talisman, he understood.

  The White Dew Danhua’s energy mixed with demonic qi takes on a yin nature!

  Li Xin layered a thread of Origin True Qi atop it, drawing an invisible stroke. Yin and yang interlocked with precision, and a vast circulation began within his body. The principle he had obtained from the Yin–Yang Talisman manifested not in a talisman, but within his own body.

  His body alternated between searing heat and icy cold, and his meridians screamed with pain as if being torn apart. Yet Li Xin did not waver. Thanks to the mental fortitude tempered through enlightenment, he could delicately regulate the flow of energy even amidst agony.

  After an indeterminate amount of time, the Yang Heel Vessel finally merged completely with his qi meridians. He had reached the realm of Tier One, Fourth Layer. But the energy of the White Dew Danhua still remained, and the transformation did not end there.

  The fusion of water qi and demonic qi. Within that violent collision, the yin energy born was converted once more into yang, achieving harmony between yin and yang, and in that process, the Origin True Qi that corresponded to yang was explosively amplified. Which meant that the remaining energy of the White Dew Danhua had been converted into lifespan.

  My lifespan increased by nearly five years…

  Li Xin knew instinctively. Among all the spoils and talismans he had ever obtained, the increase in lifespan was the most precious and important reward of all.

  Ten thousand people, ten thousand paths. Though ten thousand people each had their own dao, all paths ultimately pointed toward a single goal. The ultimate objective of cultivators. It was not mere power or fame, but longevity and immortality. A yearning for eternal life. An ideal every cultivator harbored, yet one few could ever reach. And that was the Great Dao pursued by all cultivators.

  “…This isn’t just a simple breakthrough.”

  It was another path leading toward the Great Dao, and proof that the path he had chosen was not wrong.