"No." Yi Chen shook his head with an inexplicable smile and said, "I’m just glad."

"Glad? For what?" Gao Zhen asked with knitted brows.

"I’m glad that you made that mistake. It ended up saving her life in the end." Yi Chen answered with a relieved smile on his face this time.

"...Even though it meant not being able to enter the tournament?" she asked the next instant, wanting to gauge his thoughts.

"Yes...even if it means that," he exhaled while smirking.

After getting out of this place, he could always get stronger and reunite with Yu’er in the end. However, if Zhou Lan were to die there, that would be the end of her. That definitely wasn’t something he wanted to happen.

"I see..." Gao Zhen answered. However, despite this response, she still found it difficult to understand him.

’He hasn’t even known her for more than a few months, so why go so far...’ she thought while glancing towards Yi Chen, who was keeping check on the fishes with a relieved expression on his face.

"Oh, it’s ready." Yi Chen said the next instant and, using his blade, passed one to Gao Zhen before grabbing one of his own.

The warm, juicy meat provided deep comfort to the two of them in this torturous environment.

While they were eating, the two didn’t exchange any words with each other. However, a flood of thoughts was going through their minds.

Especially Gao Zhen, who was constantly thinking about Yi Chen’s previous answer and trying to place himself in his shoes, only to do the exact opposite of what he did every single time.

A while later, when all six fish were gone, Gao Zhen stood up and took her leave.

Thinking about something, Yi Chen suddenly asked, "Do you have any artefacts to keep you warm in your tent?"

Since the time they came here, he had been using the Crimson Fire Arts to keep the flames going, so he didn’t get a chance to check whether she possessed such items.

’Logically, she should be having such things, right? Fire is a really important medium at all times.’ He thought to himself while waiting for her answer.

Hearing Yi Chen’s words, Gao Zhen nodded and said, "I indeed have a few talismans with me, so that won’t be a problem."

"I see. Rest well then." Yi Chen said after a nod and saw her out.

A few seconds later, he lay down on a piece of bedding and, with fire from his Crimson Fire Arts still blazing, tried to fall asleep.

[Spiritual Sea: 36.23 / 48.67]

’Thankfully, maintaining just this level of fire doesn’t drain my Spiritual Sea by a lot.

During the battle earlier, he hadn’t reached the point of relying on his Spiritual Sea to keep himself going, so there was no need for him to consume his spiritual energy.

The only massive consumption occurred during his fight against Gao Zhen, which had drained almost ten points of spiritual energy from him.

The rest had been consumed while using the flames as a heat source during this period.

Taking out several layers of his robes, he covered himself with them comfortably and slowly fell asleep.

When he did so, the flame that had been crackling all this while finally died down, darkening the interior of the tent.

The next day.

In front of the stone tablet, Gao Zhen was currently sitting cross-legged on a thick piece of cloth. After going over the breathing technique that was written on the stone tablet several times, she had just begun practising the breathing technique.

Meanwhile, Yi Chen, who had been standing next to her, was currently glancing towards the white sky far away, which had remained the same since the moment they had arrived here.

’It’s only been a few days I’ve been here, but I’ve really started to miss seeing the sun,’ he thought to himself before glancing towards Gao Zhen.

After a few moments of silence, she started breathing loudly in a manner which carried no rhythm at all.

One deep inhale. Short inhale. Six short exhales. One short inhale....

She kept on following the pattern she had memorised from the stone tablet earlier and soon started noticing changes in her body.

Just like how it was mentioned in the stone tablets, all her innate Air Qi slowly started draining out of all her Qi points and dispersed around her.

Seeing a bluish white aura continuously seeping out of Gao Zhen’s body, Yi Chen understood what was happening.

’Looks like it’s working.’ He thought and kept observing her until all the innate Air Qi around her had dispersed.

’She should be completely empty now.’ He thought while glancing straight up towards the black clouds that had been circling above the stone tablet.

Earlier, when he had first read through the stone tablet, he was confused as to where they were going to get the black Qi.

However, now, the answer was right on top of his head.

Just when Yi Chen raised his head, he noticed a small wisp of black Qi being pulled down from the sky and then drifting towards Gao Zhen.

’Interesting...’ he looked at this sight with interest and, at the same time, couldn’t help but feel a subtle trace of familiarity with the wisp.

’It’s my first time actually seeing the dark Qi, so this strange feeling of familiarity...it must be because of my additional Qi nature.’ He figured.

Meanwhile, the small wisp directed itself towards Gao Zhen’s mouth, which was moving according to the breathing technique, before going straight down her throat.

UKH!

The moment this happened, Gao Zhen opened her eyes in horror, feeling a momentary choking sensation.

However, it only lasted for a second before disappearing.

"Relax, a wisp of black Qi just passed through your mouth. Keep doing the breathing technique." Yi Chen said.

"I see." Gao Zhen nodded in understanding at those words and began concentrating again.

However, not even two seconds had passed, and she fell on the icy ground, tightly clutching her abdomen.

AGHHH!