A surge of warmth rose from his abdomen, spreading through all his limbs and bones. Li Fan instantly felt much more comfortable.

Especially the injury on his chest—under the effect of this warm current, the pain miraculously eased considerably in an instant.

"Senior Sister, what kind of medicine is this? It’s so effective..." Li Fan asked instinctively.

At the same time, some fragments of memory surfaced in his mind.

He and this Senior Sister Zhao were both from Changfeng Village, Daqing Mountain, and had known each other since childhood.

Half a year ago, a group of bandits attacked Changfeng Village, brutally slaughtering most of the villagers. Only he and Senior Sister Zhao were spared, as they happened to be playing outside at the time.

When they saw the smoke rising from the village and rushed back, they stumbled upon the bandits, who were just about to retreat with their loot.

Despite her young age, Senior Sister Zhao’s breathtaking beauty caught the attention of all the bandits.

At this critical moment, an immortal master happened to pass by. Upon seeing the bloodstained scene below and the two trembling children before the bandits, the immortal master instantly understood the situation. He killed all the bandits on the spot, saving Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan.

Moreover, the immortal master saw that Senior Sister Zhao had extraordinary talent and decided to take her back to his sect.

However, Li Fan’s aptitude seemed mediocre and didn’t catch the immortal master’s eye. It was only after Senior Sister Zhao’s earnest pleas that the immortal master reluctantly agreed to take him along.

After flying for over ten days, the immortal master brought them back to the sect. What they saw were towering mountains surrounded by clouds and mist. From time to time, they could spot immortals flying between the peaks, leaving streaks of radiant light. Amid the sea of clouds, many majestic and awe-inspiring structures stood tall, exuding a divine and sacred aura.

The celestial scene left Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan utterly speechless. From the conversations of the immortal disciples who had brought them, Li Fan learned the name of the sect: "Grand Dao Sect".

The Grand Dao Sect had nine branches and seventy-two peaks.

The main branch was always personally passed down by the successive sect leaders, while the other eight branches were managed by various elders.

The immortal master they thought so highly of was actually only a fourth-generation disciple of the Yuehua branch of the Grand Dao Sect, named Zhang Rong, with a cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage.

Under Zhang Rong’s guidance, they naturally joined the Yuehua branch and became outer sect disciples of the Grand Dao Sect, settling at Qingning Peak.

They were given a cultivation technique called

'Taiyuan One Qi Technique'.

Zhang Rong instructed them that as long as they mastered this technique, they could successfully advance to become inner sect disciples. From then on, they wouldn’t have to toil with menial chores and could focus on their cultivation. Their status in the sect, as well as the resources they could receive each month, would be vastly different.

The two of them began studying and practicing the technique together during their free time.

Senior Sister Zhao, being a bit older, had much greater comprehension and talent than Li Fan.

Half a year later, she had already mastered the Taiyuan One Qi Technique, passed the tests, and caught the attention of Zhang Wangshuang, a Soul Transformation Immortal Lord of the Yuehua branch. She was accepted as his disciple, instantly becoming a fourth-generation disciple of the Grand Dao Sect, now addressing the former immortal master Zhang Rong as her senior brother.

In contrast, despite Senior Sister Zhao secretly teaching him cultivation insights and occasionally gifting him medicinal pills, Li Fan’s progress was slow, and he couldn’t break through.

Moreover, Senior Sister Zhao’s frequent visits to check on him sparked jealousy among the other disciples. Although they treated Li Fan with respect on the surface, even flattering him at times, they secretly looked down on him, often mocking him behind his back, calling him nothing but a useless freeloader.

Not long ago, Li Fan overheard one of their conversations and, filled with shame and anger, couldn’t help but pick a fight.

However, his skills were lacking, and the opponents were many. He ended up being beaten half to death.

Fortunately, they were wary of Senior Sister Zhao’s influence, so they didn’t take his life.

...

The memories faded, and he returned to the present.

"This is the 'Heaven Essence Powder'. Not only can it help you recover from your injuries quickly, but it also enhances your sense of Qi," Senior Sister Zhao explained as she wiped the remaining medicine from the corner of his mouth with a smile.

"I had to gather the ingredients with great difficulty. Since you haven’t built your foundation yet, many pills would harm you instead of helping, so I asked my master for this prescription," she added.

The warm current in Li Fan’s body was like spiritual energy, lingering and even circulating on its own. Within moments, he felt fully recovered, as if he was brimming with boundless strength.

"Senior Sister, you are so kind to me..." Li Fan grabbed her fair, jade-like hand, looking into her eyes with deep gratitude.

"You..." Senior Sister Zhao’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she tried to pull her hand away. But Li Fan’s grip was too tight, and she feared using too much strength, worried about hurting him. So, for a moment, she could only let him hold her hand, her fingers unintentionally brushing against his palm.

The warmth from Li Fan’s hand felt even hotter than the earth’s flames, causing her body to soften slightly.

An unusual atmosphere began to fill the room.

At that moment, Li Fan suddenly spoke, "By the way, Senior Sister, there are still many parts of the Taiyuan One Qi Technique I don’t understand. Could you explain them to me again?"

Senior Sister Zhao paused for a moment, feeling a little disappointed, but also relieved.

She had wanted to teach him the key points of the Taiyuan One Qi Technique before, but perhaps out of pride, he had refused, saying he wanted to figure it out on his own.

She had no choice but to let it go.

But now, it seemed he had finally come to his senses.

Senior Sister Zhao began to carefully explain the technique to Li Fan.

"Brilliant, brilliant! I didn’t realize this sentence could be interpreted this way. Senior Sister, you’re so smart!" Li Fan praised continuously as he listened, his eyes gleaming with admiration.

As the day grew late, Senior Sister Zhao reluctantly stopped.

"My master instructed me to return before dark, so I have to go now!" she said carefully, afraid Li Fan would be displeased.

"The master’s orders come first. Senior Sister, you should go back. You can visit again when you have time," Li Fan said, nodding without the slightest hint of displeasure.

Senior Sister Zhao softly acknowledged and was about to leave when she realized that during their conversation, Li Fan had long since loosened his grip on her hand. Yet, for some reason, she had continued holding onto him.

Her face instantly flushed with heat, and fearing that Li Fan would notice, she hurriedly bid him farewell and left in a flustered rush.

Her heart raced, but she also felt a sense of joy, her steps much lighter as she walked away.

Meanwhile, Li Fan had already put aside the ambiguous moment between them.

He was entirely immersed in the mysteries of the Taiyuan One Qi Technique.

"So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is!" With Senior Sister Zhao’s guidance, all the difficulties he had encountered in practicing the technique were now resolved.

He had fully comprehended it.

"I’m not far from building my foundation!" The spiritual energy in his body flowed without any obstruction, as if it was innate.

He couldn’t help but feel immense joy.

"If only I had asked Senior Sister for advice earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted half a year!"

"How strange, why did I feel so ‘ashamed’ before?"

Li Fan shook his head, finding his previous self somewhat unreasonable.