"You? What have you done? Do you realize what you’ve done?!" Li Xiaoman shouted angrily.

Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes. The qi aura coming from Li Xiaoman was clearly different from before.

She was no longer at Peak Foundation Establishment. She had already reached Early Core Formation.

She was clearly no match for Gu Qinghe, but he remained wary of the two elders at the Mid Core Formation stage.

Gu Qinghe did not know which faction of elders they came from, but it was certain that their strength far surpassed Li Xiaoman’s.

"Ming Hui tried to take my artifact. I only fought him in self-defense," Gu Qinghe explained.

"The fact that I defeated him is undeniable."

"He was your senior, your teacher in the sect. Don’t you feel even the slightest bit of pity?!" Li Xiaoman shouted, furious.

Gu Qinghe smiled faintly and flew forward, but his flying sword was immediately blocked by the two Mid Core Formation elders.

Clearly, they had no intention of letting him get close to Li Xiaoman.

"Step back, Gu Qinghe!" they said firmly.

Gu Qinghe stopped and stood right in front of them. "From the beginning, I never considered Senior Ming Hui as my teacher. He was only a senior because his cultivation level was higher than mine."

Li Xiaoman grew even more furious hearing those words. She tried to rush forward to fight Gu Qinghe, but the two elders held her back.

Ling Jia and the others also flew forward, standing directly in front of Gu Qinghe. Even though he was injured, the three of them were ready to protect him.

The two elders looked at them and sneered. "Do you know who we are? Is your sect ready to face the wrath of the Yin-Yang Sect?"

"The Gu Clan stands behind them. If the Yin-Yang Sect tries to attack them, then the Gu Clan will step in," Gu Qinghe replied.

Hearing that threat made the two elders freeze in shock. They looked at each other, clearly shaken.

Gu Qinghe’s words were not something to take lightly. He had defeated two grand elders, defected from the sect, and obtained an artifact from the peak palace.

Clearly, his strength and ability had surpassed what they had imagined.

"I will kill you, Qinghe!" Li Xiaoman shouted.

Gu Qinghe reacted quickly, summoning the Golden Sky Energy Sword again, shocking them.

However, the two elders quickly restrained Li Xiaoman. One of them pointed forward at Gu Qinghe.

"We will demand retribution for this, Qinghe!"

Without pressing further, Gu Qinghe turned and flew away, heading back toward the mountain to continue climbing.

The situation gradually calmed down. The man from the Shikui Sect fled after seeing that even Ming Hui, a Golden Core, had died at Gu Qinghe’s hands.

Ling Jia turned to look at Gu Qinghe. "You’re seriously injured. Let’s find a safe place for you to recover."

Gu Qinghe responded with a brief nod. Ling Jia led them away from the mountain valley, arriving at a small cave.

It was a suitable place for Gu Qinghe to cultivate while recovering his condition. This way, his strength could return to its peak.

"You can cultivate here. We’ll stay outside and guard you," Ling Jia said.

Gu Qinghe turned and nodded. His hands formed seals, and a magical rune appeared beneath him, radiating spiritual qi that flowed into his body.

Streams of spiritual qi entered Gu Qinghe’s body while Ling Jia and the others remained outside the cave.

Their task was simple, to guard the area from other cultivators. They had to stay alert, since the Yin-Yang Sect was known for being cunning and deceitful.

The Silent Yin Extraction technique activated. Streams of yin-based spiritual qi flowed into Gu Qinghe’s body and were refined into energy.

With this technique, his cultivation progressed faster than other cultivators who relied only on ordinary methods in a dominant yin environment.

Yan Ran occasionally glanced back, watching the unique cultivation technique Gu Qinghe was using. It caused his body to be covered in frost, as if he were freezing.

She turned to Ling Jia. "Is Senior okay?"

"The flow of spiritual qi is still entering the cave, so he should be fine."

"Maybe he’s using a special technique that takes advantage of the dominant yin element."

"When will he finish?" Yan Ran asked.

Ling Jia fell silent and returned her focus to the surroundings. "I don’t know."

***

Three months later.

Yan Ran grew more anxious. There was still no sign that Gu Qinghe would finish his cultivation.

The place was somewhat remote from the main climbing path, so many cultivators were unaware of Gu Qinghe’s presence.

"I’m worried something might have happened to him," Yan Ran said as she flew closer to Ling Jia.

Ling Jia, who had initially remained calm, now showed concern as well.

Gu Qinghe still showed no signs of finishing, even though they could still sense spiritual qi flowing into the cave.

But that was no guarantee. He was clearly still inside, cultivating without stopping.

"Could it be... Gu Qinghe is using this moment to break through as well?" Liu Xi asked.

"That’s possible."

Without warning, a pillar of golden light shot into the sky, accompanied by roaring thunder and thick black clouds. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It did not come from the palace peak, but from Gu Qinghe’s cave. Ling Jia and the others were shocked. They raised their hands, pushing forward to withstand the surge of qi.

"What is going on?" Ling Jia asked.

The momentum of the golden pillar shook the entire area, shocking other cultivators. Those sensitive to qi could feel that its aura was equivalent to a Golden Core.

From inside the cave, Gu Qinghe rose as the ice around him melted. His body radiated heat, a clear sign that he had broken through to a higher level, no longer Peak Core Formation.

He opened his eyes and stepped outside the cave with a powerful burst of qi spreading in all directions.

Ling Jia and the others were amazed. After three months of cultivation, Gu Qinghe had successfully advanced to Golden Core Formation.

In simple terms, he was half a step into the Nascent Soul stage.

"Half-step Nascent Soul. That’s incredible!" Ling Jia praised.

Gu Qinghe smiled and looked at them. He also felt satisfied with his breakthrough.

"You will have your chance to break through as well. I will help you later," Gu Qinghe said.

He turned around and looked toward the palace at the peak of the fourth mountain.

"Our focus now is to reach the mountain peak and head to the fifth mountain."