104: The third floor of Wanfa Pavilion

True Person Jing Yu appeared from nowhere, her gaze shifting between Lin Feng and Xiao Qinghan, her tone clearly teasing.

Xiao Qinghan's cheeks flushed red in an instant, and she stamped her foot. "Master, what are you spouting nonsense about?"

She snuck a glance at Lin Feng and, seeing his expression remained normal, breathed a small sigh of relief, though her earlobes remained hot.

True Person Jing Yu smiled, ignoring her disciple's embarrassment, and said gently to Lin Feng, "It is good that you have returned. After Qinghan returned, she gave a rough account of the events at Hundred Beasts Mountain, and the Sect has already sent people to investigate. Unfortunately, the Ghost Spirit Sect acts with great secrecy, and most traces at the scene have been erased. Since you have returned, the two of you must provide a detailed explanation of the events."

With that, True Person Jing Yu made an excuse about affairs within the peak, left the cloud platform with a meaningful smile, and intentionally left Lin Feng and Xiao Qinghan alone.

Only the two remained on the cloud platform, and the atmosphere grew quiet for a moment, save for the cries of Spirit Beasts in the distance and the rustling of wind through the leaves.

The flush on Xiao Qinghan's face had not yet faded. She took a deep breath, seemingly having made up her mind, and looked up at Lin Feng. "Junior Brother Lin, you... come with me. I want to take you somewhere."

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback, but nodded. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Xiao Qinghan did not summon her Azure Feather, but instead led Lin Feng along a path hidden by spirit plants, slowly walking toward the back mountain of Beast Taming Peak.

The path was quiet, flanked by towering ancient trees, with exotic flowers and grasses emitting a faint fragrance.

The two walked side by side in silence. After a while, Xiao Qinghan suddenly stopped, turned around, and faced Lin Feng.

They were currently standing on a secluded cliff edge, with a deep, mist-shrouded valley below, while the distant sunset painted the sea of clouds a magnificent orange-red.

"This... is the place I liked to come to most when I was little," Xiao Qinghan said softly, with a hint of nostalgia. "When I was in a bad mood, or... when I had something on my mind, I would come here to look."

Lin Feng stood quietly beside her, his gaze also cast toward the distant sea of clouds. He could sense that Xiao Qinghan seemed to have something to say.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Qinghan turned her head and looked at Lin Feng with burning eyes. "Junior Brother Lin, that time at Hundred Beasts Mountain... thank you."

"It was my duty, Senior Sister need not worry about it," Lin Feng replied calmly, his gaze still fixed on the distance.

"It wasn't just that time!" Xiao Qinghan's tone was a bit urgent as she took a small step forward, closing the distance between them. "From the Molten Fire Fissure to this time at Hundred Beasts Mountain... every time, you were protecting me. I know you might think it is just the camaraderie of fellow disciples, that it is only natural... but..."

She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly again, but her gaze grew firmer. "But to me, it is different."

Lin Feng finally turned his head to look at her. The glow of the sunset outlined her profile, and those eyes that were always filled with smiles were now brimming with an emotion he couldn't quite understand—intense and direct.

Seeing that Lin Feng was just looking at her in silence, his eyes still clear and calm, even with a hint of inquiry, but lacking the response she had hoped for, Xiao Qinghan couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and grievance.

She bit her lower lip and suddenly lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion. "Lin Feng... you... sometimes you really are... really are a block of wood. When... when will you ever understand my heart?"

She said this very softly, almost like a sigh, yet it reached Lin Feng's ears clearly.

Lin Feng's body stiffened slightly. He understood the almost undisguised affection in Xiao Qinghan's words.

It was not the ignorance of someone new to love; precisely because he had experienced it, he could feel even more clearly the intensity and expectation in Xiao Qinghan's gaze at this moment.

He looked at the woman before him, her eyes slightly red and filled with stubbornness. Those eyes, usually brimming with smiles, were now veiled in a layer of mist, reflecting the fiery sunset in the sky, creating a breathtaking, fragile beauty.

The evening breeze blew through her hair and brushed against Lin Feng's cheek, carrying a faint, fresh fragrance. The sea of clouds on the horizon was dyed a warm orange-red by the sunset, stretching their shadows long and intertwining them together.

He thought of their time side-by-side in the Molten Fire Fissure, of their mutual support during the flight from Hundred Beasts Mountain, and of her joy when she saw him return safely just now... This woman had long ago, without him realizing, occupied a place in his heart.

He did not answer with words, but slowly and with a hint of hesitation, reached out his arms and gently pulled her into his embrace.

Xiao Qinghan's body stiffened slightly, then completely softened. She buried her face in his chest, her hands clutching his robes tightly. Feeling the warmth and strong heartbeat coming from his chest, the tears she had been holding back finally fell silently, but this time, it was with a sense of warm relief.

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the two embracing figures, the sea of clouds surged quietly beneath their feet, and it felt as if only their heartbeats and breathing remained in the world.

After a long while, Lin Feng gently loosened his arms, looked down at the woman in his embrace whose eyes were slightly red but who wore a smile on her lips, and tapped her nose.

A rosy flush flew across Xiao Qinghan's face.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Seeing that the day was late, Lin Feng said softly, "I will return to Baoyue Peak first."

"Okay," Xiao Qinghan nodded. "I will come find you tomorrow."

Lin Feng nodded, took one last look at her, and then steered the wine immortal gourd, turning into a stream of light as he departed.

Xiao Qinghan stood in place, watching the direction in which he disappeared with a sweet smile on her face. After a long while, she turned around and returned to the peak with light steps.

After returning from Beast Taming Peak, Lin Feng meditated in Baoyue Peak for several more days, completely stabilizing his Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Realm.

As the circulation of his spiritual power became more seamless and his mind grew calm, the various dangers he had experienced at Hundred Beasts Mountain appeared more clearly in his mind.

The Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator's eerie tracking techniques and the troublesome Ghost Dao Divine Ability of that Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Yan Clan Cultivator... a strong sense of crisis welled up within him.

He realized that while the wine immortal gourd's evasion speed was fast, it was still lacking when it came to escaping and preserving his life during a crisis.

Lin Feng sighed softly, his fingers tapping against the stone wall of his Immortal Cave. Suddenly, his movements paused as a memory flashed through his mind: the Sword Dao reward he had received several years ago from the Sect Grand Competition, which allowed him to go to the third floor of the Sect's Myriad Laws Pavilion to learn a secret technique.

Thinking of this, he did not hesitate and immediately set off for the Myriad Laws Pavilion to inquire about and confirm his long-forgotten reward qualification.

He ignored the Jade Slips containing sword manuals that surged with towering Sword Qi and swept his Divine Sense directly toward the area marked "Evasion Techniques" and "Life Preservation."

Information on various evasion techniques flowed through his mind; they were all quite profound, but Lin Feng felt they were not enough. What he needed was an evasion technique capable of erupting with speed beyond his limits in a desperate situation.

Finally, his Divine Sense rested on a dark red Jade Slip.

"Blood Evasion Technique, incomplete scroll. Burn essence blood as a catalyst to transform into a rainbow light and flee. This technique is extremely fast, far exceeding ordinary evasion techniques of the same level."

"However, the cost is immense. Each time it is used, it requires consuming a large amount of one's own essence blood. The light result is damage to one's Origin Qi, requiring a long period of recuperation; the heavy result is damage to one's Foundation, affecting subsequent cultivation."

"This is it." Lin Feng did not hesitate further.

As his Divine Sense penetrated deeper, a vast amount of information regarding how to force out essence blood, condense blood talismans, and transform into a rainbow to fly, along with various precautions, was clearly imprinted into his Sea of Consciousness.