"Thank you!" Lin Dongxue said seriously.

"No need to thank me. Just practice more. And the most important thing is that when facing an enemy, don’t be soft-hearted," Tang Yan smiled and reminded her.

Seeing Tang Yan's bright smile, Lin Dongxue was a little dazed. Unable to resist, she curiously asked, "The combat techniques you mentioned earlier, did your master teach you those?"

"Yes," Tang Yan nodded.

"Your master is really amazing!" Lin Dongxue exclaimed, shaking off her previous dejection. With renewed enthusiasm, she said, "Once I’ve rested, I’ll find more spirit beasts to practice with!"

"Don't rest," Tang Yan pulled out two porcelain bottles from his robe and handed them over. "These are high-grade spirit pills for quick recovery. Take one and rest for a bit."

Upon seeing Tang Yan casually throw two bottles to her, Lin Dongxue thought they were just ordinary low-grade pills. Each bottle contained a fair number of pills, so she assumed they weren’t very valuable.

However, as soon as she took the pills, a pure and strong spiritual energy surged inside her, the effect was powerful but not overwhelming, restoring her energy smoothly and efficiently.

"Is this a second-grade high-tier pill?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.

In her experience, normal pills didn’t have this kind of effect.

"Something like that," Tang Yan casually replied.

"You’d waste a second-tier pill just to save a bit of time?" Lin Dongxue's eyes widened even more.

"Just eat it. The East Domain Grand Tournament is coming up. We don’t have much time!" Tang Yan urged.

Lin Dongxue felt like she was in a dream. As the daughter of the city lord, she had never been treated like this. To think that she was using second-tier pills to recover her strength! And Tang Yan, without hesitation, casually tossed over two bottles containing thirty pills. These weren’t some cheap items! Was he just giving them to her?

"All of these are for me?" Lin Dongxue asked, still in disbelief.

"Yes, take them all. Don’t worry about wasting them. Once we leave Cangyun Mountain, you won’t be able to find them. From now on, you’ll handle most of the second-tier spirit beasts. If there are too many, I’ll help. For the third-tier beasts, I’ll take the lead. If we can't defeat them, I’ll cover your escape," Tang Yan immediately assigned tasks.

"Okay," Lin Dongxue, still in shock, nodded.

Though third-tier spirit beasts were rare in Cangyun Mountain, second-tier ones were abundant.

The next three days went by in a flash. Under Tang Yan’s guidance, Lin Dongxue’s combat skills gradually improved. Her previously rigid movements began to flow smoothly.

Both of them were fast, and by the end of the third day, they had entered the territory where third-tier spirit beasts frequently appeared.

After three days of combat, Lin Dongxue was no longer afraid of third-tier beasts; in fact, she started to look forward to facing them.

Soon after, as they ventured deeper, a loud roar echoed through the valley.

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Then, a swift black shadow charged toward them.

Tang Yan’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the danger. The spirit beasts in the deep mountains, especially those that were solitary, were often much stronger than those found elsewhere.

"It's a Flying Rhinoceros!" Lin Dongxue exclaimed in a low voice upon seeing the beast.

Tang Yan studied the creature. It was about 1.5 meters in length, but only half a meter in height, much smaller compared to some of the larger beasts they had encountered. Its body was grey with a tough hide, resembling a rhinoceros. Its mouth was open, revealing sharp tusks, and a pair of narrow eyes gleamed with ferocity. On its forehead was a sharp horn nearly half a meter long, emitting a faint cold light.

Tang Yan had heard of the Flying Rhinoceros. It was considered a high-level third-tier beast. Its claws, tusks, and the horn on its forehead were all deadly weapons. Any wound inflicted by it would be very hard to heal.

Despite its small size, its speed was exceptional, which earned it the name "Flying Rhinoceros."

Without thinking, Tang Yan positioned himself in front of Lin Dongxue to shield her. "Step back a little, and watch how I fight."

The majority of the spirit beasts they had encountered over the past three days had been second-tier, and most were no match for Tang Yan. He hadn’t needed to intervene much, but this time, it was different.

"You be careful. Flying Rhinoceroses are extremely powerful and fast, making them difficult to deal with!" Lin Dongxue warned.

Tang Yan nodded slightly, his gaze focused on the Flying Rhinoceros that was now less than four meters away.

The rhinoceros seemed to dismiss him as weak. But when it turned its gaze toward Lin Dongxue, its eyes grew more serious.

With a loud crash, the Flying Rhinoceros charged at Tang Yan with immense force, the distance closing in the blink of an eye.

Lin Dongxue clenched her fist, wondering if Tang Yan could dodge the beast’s charge given its speed and power.

Tang Yan’s eyes narrowed, and as Lin Dongxue watched in awe, he leaped into the air and quickly kicked toward the rhinoceros’ back.

Lin Dongxue’s jaw dropped in astonishment. Not only did Tang Yan avoid the attack, but he also countered with an offensive strike!

In mid-air, Tang Yan executed a spinning kick, landing a powerful blow on the Flying Rhinoceros’ back.

The creature’s reaction speed surpassed expectations. The once powerful charge of the rhinoceros suddenly halted, its body arching as it attempted to block the kick with its back.

"Bang!"

Tang Yan felt as if he had kicked a steel plate, his foot tingling from the impact. Using the rebound force, he swiftly flipped backward.

The Flying Rhinoceros let out a painful roar, clearly shocked. It hadn't expected the seemingly weak human to suddenly explode with such tremendous power.

"Xuan-tier first grade!" Lin Dongxue was stunned by Tang Yan’s displayed strength. This guy... how much power was he really hiding? If she hadn't been following him, she would have probably thought that Tang Yan was only at the Huang-tier ninth grade level.

"Roar!" Before Tang Yan could land, the enraged Flying Rhinoceros charged toward him again.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Although the Flying Rhinoceros was fast, compared to Tang Yan, who had mastered the essence of combat, its speed was much slower.

Tang Yan had a keen understanding of his opponent's weaknesses in combat. Every strike he made was aimed at a vulnerable spot, allowing him to attack quickly and decisively.

His strikes were incredibly fast, and within a few breaths, his continuous attacks had already put him in the dominant position.

Lin Dongxue, who was watching from the side, had sweat pouring from her palms.

Each of the Flying Rhinoceros's attacks made Lin Dongxue want to scream in panic. She knew that if she were in Tang Yan’s place, she would have no choice but to run from the beast’s attacks.

But what shocked and exhilarated her even more was Tang Yan’s movements!

Instead of just evading, Tang Yan was constantly counterattacking!

The Flying Rhinoceros's attacks brushed past Tang Yan’s vital spots by mere inches. After each of his attacks, Tang Yan would immediately follow up with another strike without any pause.

The seamless flow of his combat moves made Lin Dongxue feel as though she was witnessing a form of art.

So, this is how one can sidestep an attack!

After throwing a punch, if the force hasn’t dissipated, you can follow up with an elbow strike!

Rolling on the ground isn’t just for evading—one can also use it to land a powerful kick to inflict more damage on the enemy!

Lin Dongxue realized that the offensive techniques she had learned over the past twenty years didn’t even compare to the fighting skills Tang Yan had been teaching her these past few days. The dynamic and ever-changing fighting style, the seamless connection between martial techniques and basic moves, could unleash such fierce power!

All of this shattered her previously held belief that "martial skills above all" was the ultimate truth.