Looking at Han’s confused expression, Bai Ruoyue couldn’t quite accept what she was seeing.

What on earth is this? Why does it seem so strange?

The night before, his internal energy had skyrocketed, and last night, his body became stronger.

Bai Ruoyue had always been confident in her own talents, and even though Han had extraordinary potential, she didn’t think he could catch up to her. After all, there were still two or three realms between them.

But now, Bai Ruoyue was starting to have second thoughts.

"Senior Sister, what’s wrong?" Han asked.

"Don’t talk to me, I need some space," Bai Ruoyue responded, a little shaken.

Why do both father and daughter seem like they need some space now?

"Oh, by the way, why did you suddenly start calling me ‘Senior Sister’? Haven’t you always called me ‘Sister’ before?" Bai Ruoyue suddenly asked.

Han was taken aback, his gaze shifting awkwardly. "Out of respect," he said.

...

That night, Han entered the secret realm right on time at midnight.

The refresh of his stamina was the moment he was most looking forward to.

He loved chopping trees, and he wanted to chop trees for the rest of his life.

With his axe raised high, it came crashing down with a heavy thud. To Han’s surprise, this time, three items dropped at once.

[Low-grade Spirit Plant: Sunflower Fruit]

[A celestial-grade plant with dual effects to enhance both physical strength and internal energy.]

[Mortal Artifact: Hundred Refinements Helm]

[Has strong physical defense and some resistance against internal energy attacks.]

[Mortal Artifact: Hundred Refinements Gloves]

[Has a balanced combination of defense and offense.]

Han immediately put away the two Hundred Refinements items. They were good, but there was no need to study them further.

Another spirit plant dropped, and Han was quite happy about it.

"Sunflower Fruit... Isn’t that just sunflower seeds? They made it sound so formal!"

With the next swing of his axe, only one item dropped this time.

[Magic Artifact: Pure Heart Jade Pendant (Fragment)]

[Fragment of a Pure Heart Jade Pendant. Wearing it calms the mind, dispels distracting thoughts, and can resist mind-altering powers, keeping the heart as clear as ice.]

A magic artifact fragment, clearly meant for Taoist cultivation, Han was very pleased with this item.

Magic artifacts were high-tier goods, and their fragments were still treasures. Han wasn’t about to complain.

Han happily began snacking on sunflower seeds, feeling special energy flowing into his body and internal energy. His strength was rapidly increasing.

Eating sunflower seeds to get stronger—who knows how other people train?

By morning, when Han arrived at the martial arts hall, his respected Senior Sister, without waiting for him to speak, reached over and touched him again.

Well, the volume had increased again. And it had become firmer.

Senior Sister was getting numb to it.

"Bang! Bang!"

After a steady day of training at the martial arts hall, nightfall came again.

In the secret realm, Han chopped away relentlessly, turning into an emotionless tree-chopping machine.

Every tree he chopped was one tree less. Han was keeping track of his time, not wanting to waste a single moment.

After two consecutive swings, three items dropped. Not bad at all.

[Weapon Material: Silver Essence]

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[Material for forging weapons. Can be used by skilled craftsmen to forge a weapon.]

[Low-grade Soul Plant: Soul Nourishing Grass]

[Can nourish the soul and enhance its power.]

[Low-grade Soul Plant: Poisonous Soul Grass]

[Contains poison for the soul. Can poison one’s soul, and if not detoxified, will cause the soul to scatter within half an hour.]

These two tree chops dropped items Han had never seen before.

Weapon materials and soul plants!

Han looked over the Silver Essence in front of him. It was a good item, but unfortunately, it wasn’t useful for him, so he stored it away.

But the two soul plants were interesting. One nourished the soul, the other poisoned it!

Han pondered for a moment. Both would be useful for him.

A huge profit!

After consuming the Soul Nourishing Grass and visualizing for a while, Han felt his soul space expand again.

Training was truly blissful.

The next morning, Han and the others gathered outside the Taibai Martial Arts Hall.

Bai Tian was heading to Black Mountain, and his disciples came to see him off.

Before leaving, Bai Tian gave some instructions, and then especially told Han:

“Do not slack off while I’m away. When I return, I’ll test your progress.”

“Don’t worry, Master,” Han responded.

“On my way to Black Mountain, I’ll keep an eye out for spirit plants. If I find any, I’ll bring them back to help you advance.”

“The martial arts hall will be in your care while I’m gone.”

Master, you don’t need to keep saying that. The more you do, the more it feels like you’re putting up a flag, and I’m really worried now.

Bai Tian left, and not far off, an old man and a young one were waiting.

"Where is everyone else?" Bai Tian asked.

Meng Hao shook his head. "The other two hallmasters turned me down, saying they were too busy. This Black Mountain trip will just be the three of us."

"That’s fine."

Bai Tian nodded. Three people or five, he didn’t care.

As long as that Wood Elder was with them, it was good enough.

Before leaving, Meng Hao glanced back at the Taibai Martial Arts Hall.

“Master Bai really has taken in a good disciple,” Meng Hao remarked, somewhat unexpectedly.

Bai Tian smiled. “They’re all quite exceptional.”

Just earlier, Wood Elder had transmitted a message to Meng Hao, saying that the person who had once encountered the ghost was now a martial artist, and their progress had been impressive.

Such talent was quite rare, and coupled with the events of the past, Meng Hao found Han interesting.

Watching the three leave, Han asked curiously, “Who are the other two people?”

“I don’t know. They seem to be young masters from other places, with a bodyguard,” Bai Ruoyue replied, shaking her head. “They wanted to go into Black Mountain, so they asked my father to guide them. I don’t know why he agreed.”

The more Han heard, the worse it seemed. Outsiders, heading into Black Mountain, and asking for a guide?

There was an unsettling déjà vu about this.

Han asked again, “What else is in Black Mountain besides the barbarian beasts? Could it pose a threat to Master?”

Sixth Sister, Shen Yu, smiled and answered, “There are also demons and ghosts, treasures, and various other mysteries.”

“It’s said that the Mountain God resides in Black Mountain.”

“But I doubt anything could threaten Master.”

Shen Yu had a graceful appearance, with a delicate, gentle air about her.

“Mountain God?” Han asked, intrigued.

Han recalled the memories of his original body and remembered that there were indeed rumors about the Mountain God in Black Cloud Town.

Not only was there the legend of the Mountain God, but also the tale of the Dragon Lord of Yunjiang!

In this extraordinary world, Han thought, these legends of the Mountain God and the Dragon Lord might not be entirely false.

"Black Mountain is a place you will eventually need to visit," Bai Ruoyue said.

"Martial artists can’t just train in isolation. They need real combat experience. The savage beasts in Black Mountain make for excellent opponents."

"If advanced apprentices want to stay in the martial arts hall without paying tuition, they must regularly venture into Black Mountain to hunt the beasts."

"The beasts they hunt become their tuition."

"The savage beasts, huh..." Han said, intrigued.

He was eager to see them for himself.

His internal energy was already boiling, and his body was craving action!

His hard training over the past few days had shown results, and his strength had increased significantly.

After lunch, Han told Bai Ruoyue he was stepping out.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"My house’s door still isn’t fixed…" Han said with a sigh. For the past few days, he had been living without a door.

"..." Bai Ruoyue nodded in agreement.

Han quickly took care of the door problem and left the town, heading toward the Yunjiang River.

Bai Tian's departure reminded Han of something—he still hadn’t tested the power of the Water Avoidance Pearl fragment. So, he decided to take the opportunity to try it out.

This was Han's first time at Yunjiang. The river was vast, with waves crashing against the banks, its waters flowing endlessly toward the horizon.

Han glanced around, making sure no one was nearby.

"Splish!"

Han dove into the water, swimming gracefully. The powerful current didn’t hinder him at all.

What was most astonishing, however, was that Han’s clothes didn’t get wet, and he was still breathing underwater!

It felt as if an invisible barrier had separated him from the river, creating a dry space beneath the water. Furthermore, Han didn’t feel the usual human fear of deep water.

This was the effect of the Water Avoidance Pearl fragment. Han was quite satisfied.

Looking at the Water Avoidance Pearl in his hand, which was emitting a soft blue glow, Han suddenly noticed that the light seemed to dim slightly.

"This must be the time limit," Han thought. "Once the blue glow completely fades, the Water Avoidance Pearl will temporarily be unusable."

This was the flaw of the artifact fragment. If it were a complete Water Avoidance Pearl, it would have no significant consumption when warding off water.

For the next period of time, Han continued to move beneath the Yunjiang, wanting to test the limits of the Water Avoidance Pearl fragment.

Gliding smoothly, Han became like a fish in the water, encountering all kinds of aquatic animals and plants.

Wherever he went, fish and shrimp hurriedly scattered, with Han becoming the "bully" of Yunjiang.

"Wait... what's that?"

At one point, Han spotted a glowing water plant growing on a patch of mud.

He swam closer, only to freeze in place.

This plant looked eerily familiar—it seemed like one of the spirit plants he had eaten before.

But this one was the aquatic version.

"Spirit plants are found in both Black Mountain and beneath Yunjiang..."

Han remembered Bai Ruoyue’s words and confirmed the identity of this glowing plant.

A smile spread across his face.

Sure enough, people with a good heart tend to have good luck.

This spirit plant... it’s fate that we meet!

Han swam toward the plant, but just as he got closer, the water suddenly churned.

"Whoosh!"

A shadow shot toward him at lightning speed!

A sneak attack!