The Plan in Progress

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Chapter 104: The Plan in Progress

Yun Zhi stared blankly at the cliff that Xiao Yan had split apart, her thoughts frozen.

Splitting a cliff was not something unbelievable. With Yun Zhi's strength before she was sealed, she could have easily done it.

But Xiao Yan was just a Dou Practitioner! Yun Zhi had never heard of a Dou Practitioner being able to accomplish such a feat!

A monster, an absolute monster!!!

Previously, Yun Zhi had found it strange why Nalan Yanran had been training so desperately in recent times, to the point where no matter how she tried to persuade her, it was useless.

Nalan Yanran was her direct disciple, so Yun Zhi naturally did not want to see her train herself to the point of breaking down.

However, Nalan Yanran's personality was exactly the same as her teacher's—once she made a decision, she would never turn back. Left with no choice, Yun Zhi had to go to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to ask for the Purple Spirit Crystal, so that Pill King Gu He could refine a pill to help enhance Nalan Yanran's physique.

Since she could not persuade Nalan Yanran to stop, she could at least help her endure that inhuman training.

And at this moment, seeing the strike that Xiao Yan had just delivered, Yun Zhi finally understood—she understood why Nalan Yanran had been training so desperately, to the point that even she, her teacher, could not dissuade her.

When she visited the Xiao Clan previously, she must have seen it with her own eyes—seen Xiao Yan's strength, which far surpassed opponents of the same level.

Nalan Yanran was deeply aware that if she continued training as she had before, by the time the three-year agreement arrived, she would undoubtedly lose.

This was an outcome that Nalan Yanran absolutely did not want.

She truly liked Xiao Yan and also knew how outstanding he was, how many people admired him.

That three-year agreement was just a promise she had made on impulse, but Nalan Yanran deeply understood that this might be the only chance in her lifetime to fulfill her heart's desire.

She absolutely would not give up! She had to fight for it with all her might!!!

Nalan Yanran firmly believed that if she failed to give her utmost effort due to momentary hardship, her future self would definitely regret it! She would regret not training with all her might!

Nalan Yanran absolutely did not want to have any regrets!

Even if she ultimately lost to Xiao Yan in the three-year agreement, she still wanted to be able to tell herself with a clear conscience that she had done everything she could!

Yun Zhi stood silently at the entrance of the cave, watching Xiao Yan as he resumed his training.

She just watched in silence.

Although he did not use the same earth-shattering strike again, the training he was undergoing still made Yun Zhi's heart tremble.

She had thought that Nalan Yanran's training was already desperate enough.

But she had never imagined that Xiao Yan's training had already surpassed the level of desperation—it was simply reckless beyond reason!

He seemed completely unaware of fatigue, continuously ramming his body against the hard cliff face.

Even though his entire body was covered in wounds, his skin split open and flesh exposed, Xiao Yan did not pause in the slightest.

The twisted, grimacing expression on his face as he gritted his teeth made Yun Zhi realize that Xiao Yan was not immune to pain—he was simply enduring it, suppressing it, forcing himself to continue.

In that moment of realization, Yun Zhi unconsciously felt that Xiao Yan splitting apart the waterfall's cliff face with that strike was not so unbelievable after all—if he had been training like this the entire time.

Setting aside the favor of the heavens, most people who wished to gain something had to put in equivalent effort.

In Xiao Yan's heart, he strictly adhered to this principle.

He understood clearly that if he wanted to uphold his righteous path in this world, strength was indispensable.

And his current strength was far from enough!

Training!

Training!!

Training!!!

He had to train until he could walk the righteous path he desired without being hindered by a lack of strength!

Xiao Yan was so focused on training that he did not even notice Yun Zhi standing at the cave entrance, watching him all along.

Unknowingly, an entire afternoon passed by quietly.

As dusk faded and night descended, Xiao Yan finally stopped training.

Feeling the waves of sharp pain coming from every part of his body, Xiao Yan's expression twisted in agony. His legs, already trembling from exhaustion, could no longer support him, and he fell backward, sitting on the ground. With shaking hands, he retrieved a healing pill from his storage ring and placed it into his mouth.

Seeing this scene, Yao Chen was filled with helplessness.

Back when they were still in the Xiao Clan, she had already thought that Xiao Yan's training was reckless.

But ever since they entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range for training and had healing pill at their disposal, Xiao Yan once again pushed Yao Chen's understanding of recklessness to a whole new level.

It was simply… absurd.

To put it bluntly, Xiao Yan was practically killing himself—he didn't treat his body as his own at all.

Before entering the mountains, Yao Chen had carefully crafted a set of training plans that were several times tougher than usual, specifically adjusted for Xiao Yan's physique. She had thought that if Xiao Yan could keep up, it would already be an incredible feat.

But now, it seemed that the training she had designed for him was nothing more than child's play.

Yao Chen had always been quite proud of her own training in the past. She believed that even if her efforts weren't the most extreme in the world, they were at least among the very best.

But now, Yao Chen deeply felt that, compared to Xiao Yan, all the effort she had put in before seemed like a joke.

While Yao Chen was lamenting in her heart, Xiao Yan sat on a rock, resting for quite a while. Though his body still ached terribly, it was much better than before. He struggled to his feet, using the ground for support, and turned his head to see the fire burning by the riverbank.

Beside the fire, Yun Zhi was handling the raw meat that Xiao Yan had prepared earlier. The firelight illuminated her already beautiful face, making her look even more stunning.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but be momentarily dazed.

"Mm!!"

Just as he was about to get lost in his thoughts, Xiao Yan suddenly shook his head vigorously, pushing those distracting thoughts away and quietly mocking himself.

The training must have been too intense—his mind was getting a little muddled.

Xiao Yan leaped from the rocks in the river onto the shore and walked over to Yun Zhi, who had just placed the meat on the grill over the fire. In a soft voice, he said,

"Sister Yun Zhi, let me do the grilling."

"You finished training?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Yun Zhi turned to look at him. Seeing his body covered in blood and wounds, she remained silent for a long while before speaking softly,

"You should go rest first. Training like that must be exhausting. Leave this to me."

"…Alright then."

Recalling how Yun Zhi had burned the meat for an entire week before finally getting it right on the last day, Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before scratching his face and agreeing.

Well… at least she succeeded once on the last day. It should be fine, right?

"Then, sister Yun Zhi, I'll go rest in the cave first."

"Mm, I'll bring it in when it's done."

Yun Zhi nodded slightly. Xiao Yan then turned and headed toward the cave.

At this moment, neither of them noticed that a wisp of red powder quietly drifted out from Xiao Yan's storage ring. Under the cover of night, it settled onto the raw meat that had yet to be cooked. Under the flickering firelight, it was completely invisible.

Unaware of this, Yun Zhi continued focusing on grilling the meat, doing her best not to let it burn.

(End of Chapter)

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