The small hill outside the Liushui Village...

Yue Fan returned home and saw that his father had not yet returned. Feeling bored, he decided to go to the shed behind the hut to chop some firewood.

Just as he took the large chopping knife in his hand, Yue Fan was very surprised and muttered to himself, "How did the knife become lighter?"

After waving it twice, it was indeed much lighter than before. Then he realized that due to his increased vitality, not only did his entire body have much more strength, but also his reactions and senses were much more sensitive than before. Next time he encountered a master like Feng Changyuan, Yue Fan was confident that even if he couldn't defeat him, he could run away without any problem.

Of course, Yue Fan didn't know now that the speed of some light martial arts in the martial arts world was absolutely incomparable to his. As the saying goes, "Ignorance is bliss", perhaps it refers to people like Yue Fan.

After finishing the thought, Yue Fan felt very happy and kept swinging the firewood knife...

In a short time, there were two tall piles of firewood in front of him.

...

On the other hand, Li Tan arrived in Ning County Town only when the sun was directly overhead due to his limping. Then he delivered the firewood to the Su Ji Teahouse according to what Yue Fan had said.

Seeing Li Tan deliver the firewood, Su Fanghao felt strange and asked about it. Only then did he know that Yue Fan had fallen ill, so his father helped him deliver it. Su Fanghao really admired Yue Fan's character, so he asked someone to prepare some tonics for Li Tan. However, Li Tan was a straight-forward person, so he declined Su Fanghao's offer and expressed his gratitude. Since Li Tan insisted on it, Su Fanghao didn't try to force him.

Li Tan left with one step at a time, with his thin yet straight back that couldn't be bent by anything. Seeing this, Su Fanghao felt a surge of admiration.

It was noon.

After chopping the remaining piles of firewood, Yue Fan sat cross-legged at the foot of the hill and waited for his father to return. Although the sun was shining directly overhead, Yue Fan didn't feel the heat. He occasionally played with his silver-white hair and felt the warm sunshine on his body, which was indescribably comfortable. He couldn't help but close his eyes and regulate his breath according to the breathing exercise in the "Nourishing Heart Sutra".

In the summer heat, the sun shone on Yue Fan's skin, giving him a feeling of being absorbed, with energy continuously gathering around him. After a while, Yue Fan's entire body emitted a faint white light, just like last night when it flowed over his body.

At this time, Yue Fan was not aware of his physical condition, but fully immersed in a warm ocean. He clearly felt the vital essence in his body moving rapidly and soon traveled throughout all his meridians. With each cycle, the energy ball grew larger. Although it was difficult to see with the naked eye, Yue Fan could clearly sense it, and it felt very comfortable and enjoyable.

After several rounds of circulation in all the meridians, Yue Fan suddenly remembered the method taught by Uncle Wan: "Practice cultivating the spirit and repairing life". He used his spiritual power to guide the flow of vital essence in his body. So Yue Fan continued to feel the flow of vital essence, while constantly thinking about controlling it to stay in his left hand, repairing the injured meridians, and reciting the formulas of the "Nourishing Heart Sutra" in his heart.

Yue Fan wanted to make the constantly circulating vital essence stop, but it still moved freely between different meridians, which made him feel helpless. However, he didn't give up and became even more focused on guiding the vital essence.

After a while, it still didn't work.

With no other choice, Yue Fan temporarily ignored it and continued to regulate his breath.

After an unknown amount of time, Yue Fan gradually felt that the atmosphere around him became clearer and clearer, as if directly reflecting in his heart. The birds' chirping sounded bright and crisp, and the cicadas' calls seemed to be right next to his ears. The surrounding plants and trees were also clear in his mind, and he felt as if he were integrated with the environment around him. His spirit felt light and unbounded, continuously extending and drifting further and further away. Before long, he found himself at the foot of the hill.

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Yue Fan, who was in a trance, suddenly saw his father walking towards him with limping steps not far away. He wanted to approach him, but a sudden jolt in his heart made him wake up immediately. He opened his eyes and realized that he was still in the same place. He was surprised and muttered, "What just happened? Was it a dream while I was sleeping?"

If there were martial artists who knew that Yue Fan thought of "harmony with nature" as dreaming, they might have beaten him to death!

Yue Fan was puzzled and unconsciously stood up and looked down the hillside. Just then, he saw his father arriving at the foot of the mountain. He was surprised and said, "Was that dream really real? This is too strange!" He secretly checked his body and found nothing wrong, but instead felt his mind was much clearer than before, and the vitality in his body was also a little stronger.

"Forget it, I'll ask Uncle Wan next time." Yue Fan put aside his doubts and walked down the mountain.

...

"Dad!"

Upon hearing this familiar soft shout, Li Tan trembled slightly and looked up at the front. He saw Yue Fan walking quickly towards him and hugged him tightly!

Li Tan was very excited now. Suddenly, he felt a sense of rebirth, as if the world was full of hope.

Holding Yue Fan tightly in his arms, gently stroking his silver-white head, Li Tan felt extremely upset. Seeing that his child had turned white before even he did was beyond description. However, seeing that Yue Fan was now fine, it comforted him a lot, and everything else became less important.

Inside the hut, Yue Fan was telling the story of his injury.

After listening, Li Tan asked calmly, "Has Xiao Fan ever thought about seeking revenge?"

Yue Fan nodded and said, "Yes, but then I didn't want to anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I can't be in trouble. I still have family members to take care of." Yue Fan said firmly.

Li Tan said, "If anything happens to Xiao Fan, I will definitely seek revenge for you, even if it means resorting to underhand means, and make sure the enemy pays a price."

These words deeply shocked Yue Fan's heart, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded firmly to his father and his eyes were full of warmth.

"The sky is strong and unyielding, and men should strive to improve themselves; the earth is vast and fertile, and the gentleman should carry forward his virtue. Do not forget to be strong when you are in your most difficult times, and be brave when you are most confused." Li Tan said slowly, and at this moment, he finally looked like a real hunter.

"Do not forget to be strong when you are in your most difficult times, and be brave when you are most confused."

Yue Fan carefully pondered his father's words and his eyes sparkled with a trace of brilliance.

Then Li Tan took out a bright red stone from his bosom and handed it to Yue Fan seriously, "This is the 'Danxin Stone'... It is a family heirloom passed down from our ancestors. Only those who become excellent hunters are worthy of possessing it. You are already an excellent hunter, so it is yours now."

Yue Fan nodded and accepted the "Danxin Stone", examining it carefully. The "Danxin Stone" was the size of a finger, cool to the touch, completely red without any imperfections. It was strung with a piece of hempen string and looked very simple and unattractive but unique. Yue Fan liked it very much and quickly hung it around his neck, gently stroking it.

At night, Yue Fan sat cross-legged on the kang bed and practiced the life-nourishing method taught by Master Wan.

In the past two days, Yue Fan had been continuously practicing the "Nourishing Heart Sutra" and trying his best to control the vitality in his body with his spiritual power. However, after practicing for a long time, he still did not see any improvement, and there was no sign of the feeling of ecstasy that he had experienced before.

Yue Fan now felt a severe headache. The continuous consumption of his spiritual power left him increasingly fatigued and with a worsening headache. But he did not show any intention of giving up and still persevered in controlling the vitality. Again and again, he went from fatigue to pain, then to clarity, and then continued...

Persisting...

Compared to the pain of having the acupuncture needle removed from his body, this pain was completely different. The previous pain was physical, but this time it was a mental torment...

Countless mental torments made Yue Fan more and more frantic, as if he was challenging the limits of life, completely disregarding his physical endurance. He gritted his teeth and continued to apply pressure. His whole body sparkled with white light, and his silver-white hair flew up, looking wild and unrestrained.

...

"Pah!"

Yue Fan's body trembled slightly and he suddenly heard a soft sound, as if something in his mind had snapped. The pain also disappeared, and he felt the surrounding environment clearly projected into his mind. His father was resting, the leaves rustled in the wind, and the insects chirped, all so clear.

Finally, after continuous attempts and efforts, the vitality in his body began to slow down. Although it was only a little bit, it filled Yue Fan with joy and excitement. The countless efforts and endurance had finally paid off, how could one not be excited?

The most important thing was not this small accomplishment, but rather confirming that Master Wan's hypothesized method was correct. In other words, the path they were currently following was correct. As long as they persevered, they would be able to fully control this vitality, it was only a matter of time.

Yue Fan's body had long since reached its limit, but Yue Fan persevered again and again, allowing him to finally go beyond his limit. This challenge laid a solid foundation for his future cultivation.

Feeling that he had achieved enough, Yue Fan did not continue but instead recited the "Nourishing Heart Sutra" and slowly regulated his breath.