Perhaps it was due to the few days they had spent apart, or perhaps because at the gates of Shaolin Temple, Xuan Yuan   had introduced Huang Rong to Jueyuan as his fiancée, even though she had not yet officially married into his household—whatever the reason, after reuniting this time, Xuan Yuan   could clearly sense that Huang Rong had become increasingly infatuated and entangled with him.

Back at the inn where she was staying, Xuan Yuan   took all the medicinal herbs Huang Rong had purchased over the past few days and stored them into his storage ring. He also packed it with a variety of daily necessities. The two of them exchanged a smile, then left the inn, riding together on a single horse and heading south.

On the road, Xuan Yuan  , who had now learned how to ride, galloped freely across the land. In his arms, Huang Rong held a small tablet computer, reading the Nine Yang celestial  Skill that had already been digitized and stored in document format.

The young girl had impressive skills. Despite the bumpy ride on horseback, it didn’t affect her ability to flip through the manual at all.

«…Brother Xing, this Nine Yang celestial  Skill really is incredible!»

After reading through it, Huang Rong couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

She had never read the Nine Yin Manual, but having studied all of Huang Yaoshi’s martial arts, her knowledge was extraordinary. Now that she had read through this Nine Yang celestial  Skill, she immediately realized that it was a once-in-a-lifetime, unparalleled celestial martial art.

However, after finishing it, worry began to set in.

«It’s just… Rong’er noticed that to reach the final stage of this technique, one must endure the torment of intense internal heat—almost to the point of spontaneous combustion. Either you need expert guidance, or a trusted companion to assist in opening and clearing hundreds of meridian points and dozens of energy nodes throughout the body in order to truly master it.»

«If you can’t do that, you’ll only end up storing Nine Yang internal energy, but unable to use it properly. The internal energy won’t be able to circulate endlessly and generate itself in a continuous loop. After a fierce battle, you’ll be drained too quickly and could even die from exhaustion…»

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Finally, Huang Rong bit her lip and said firmly, «Brother Xing, how about we go find my father? With his help, you’ll definitely be able to master it.»

This young lady was still upset with Huang Yaoshi, but for Xuan Yuan  ’s sake, she was willing to let go of her grudge and take the initiative to seek out her father.

Xuan Yuan  , however, wasn’t in a rush. The Nine Yang celestial  Skill might take a long time to master. His goal for now was to cultivate inner energy and see if he could reactivate the Xuanguang Pendant to return to Purple Mountain.

As long as he could return, with Nuwa’s analytical abilities and various pieces of equipment to assist him, mastering such a celestial skill would not be difficult at all.

After explaining his thoughts to her, Huang Rong finally felt slightly reassured.

Once they left the Shaoshi Mountain region, they continued heading south for several days and finally entered the area around Xiangyang.

Huang Rong grew more and more impressed by Xuan Yuan  ’s self-restraint. Most people, upon acquiring a celestial skill like this, would have been itching to find a quiet place to start cultivating. Xuan Yuan  , however, was truly able to restrain himself.

One day, when they arrived south of Xiangyang, Xuan Yuan   inquired with a hunter at the foot of a mountain and learned that someone had indeed seen a strange serpent on a certain desolate mountain. Xuan Yuan   immediately understood—this had to be the Bosi Qu Serpent that had helped Yang Guo significantly increase his strength.

With a clear direction, Xuan Yuan   knew what he had to do. He found an abandoned house in the village and temporarily settled there with Huang Rong.

The villagers were honest and kind. They could immediately tell that this couple was no ordinary pair—they were clearly extraordinary individuals. However, after interacting with them, they discovered that both Xuan Yuan   and Huang Rong were friendly and approachable, and soon accepted them wholeheartedly.

That very night, Xuan Yuan   officially began cultivating the Nine Yang celestial  Skill.

«Brother Xing, just follow Rong’er’s instructions…»

Huang Rong stood prettily in front of Xuan Yuan  , who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She spoke softly as she guided him, carefully correcting his posture. Then she glanced at the tablet and began explaining the first volume of the Nine Yang celestial  Skill to him.

«Rong’er, aren’t you going to cultivate too?»

«I’m teaching you first, silly~ Come on, Brother Xing, listen to me read it through once…»

With Huang Rong’s guidance, Xuan Yuan   took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Just a few moments later, Xuan Yuan   suddenly opened his eyes, an expression of shock in his gaze.

«What’s wrong, Brother Xing?» Huang Rong tilted her head in confusion.

«Rong’er, I… I think I can feel qi.» Xuan Yuan   lowered his head, staring dumbfounded at his own body.

«?»

It was as if she’d seen a ghost—Huang Rong’s beautiful eyes went wide. She patted her own cheeks and asked in disbelief, «Seriously? How is that even possible?! Even someone with top-tier talent wouldn’t feel qi this quickly—it’s not even enough time to finish a cup of tea!»

For someone with no internal energy, feeling qi for the first time during cultivation—even if they were at the prime age and had excellent aptitude—would still take days at the very least.

For someone with poor talent, it wasn’t uncommon to spend years without sensing qi at all.

«When I first started cultivating, my father had to use his own internal energy to guide mine. Even then, it took me half a month of hard work to sense qi. How could you possibly be this fast, Brother Xing?!»

Suddenly thinking of something, Huang Rong reached out and placed her fingers on Xuan Yuan  ’s wrist. The look of shock on her face deepened.

«T-this… the twelve primary meridians and the eight extraordinary channels are all open? All your acupoints are already unblocked? I… you…»

Her bright, sparkling eyes stared at Xuan Yuan   as if he were some rare treasure. Then, overjoyed, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

«Brother Xing, I’ve never heard of anyone being born with all their meridians and acupoints open… You must be a Celestial! You have to be a Celestial!»

Xuan Yuan   thought for a moment and guessed, «Maybe it’s Nuwa’s doing?»

«Which Nuwa?»

«The same Nuwa you’re thinking of,» Xuan Yuan   nodded.

After Nuwa was activated, she had expended all the remaining power in the Xuanguang Pendant to operate the enhancement facility, carrying out a complete genetic-level optimization of Xuan Yuan  ’s body.

According to Nuwa, even if Xuan Yuan   did absolutely nothing and just messed around with his body however he liked, he would still be guaranteed to live at least two hundred years—far beyond the theoretical human lifespan.

Not only that, but he would also enjoy an exceptionally long period of youth and peak condition, only aging rapidly in the last few years before death.

After Xuan Yuan   shared this speculation, Huang Rong became even more excited for him.

But after her joy faded, she suddenly thought of something, her lips curling downward: «Then… then Brother Xing, you can stay young and never grow old, but Rong’er…»

She thought about how Xuan Yuan   could remain youthful for many years, while she herself would grow old and eventually become a wrinkled old lady. How could she continue to stay by his side then?

She wasn’t afraid of dying. She just didn’t want to become ugly in front of him.

«Don’t worry.» Xuan Yuan   held her small hand tightly. «I said before—I’ll find a way to bring you to Purple Mountain too. When the time comes, I’ll have Nuwa strengthen your body as well.»

«Really, Brother Xing? You’re not lying to me?»

«I wouldn’t lie to you.» He gently cupped Huang Rong’s soft, smooth face and gave her cheeks a light squeeze, making her shyly lower her head. Then Xuan Yuan   returned to his cultivation.

And in just a single night, he had completely mastered the first volume of the Nine Yang celestial  Skill!