Early morning, deep within the boundless mountains and dense forests.

The vast woodland stretched as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze stirred the branches, creating endless waves of green that rippled toward the horizon. In the heart of the forest, a hundred-foot waterfall, like a silver river, cascaded down, creating a thunderous roar and a fine, misty spray that shrouded the area in a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere.

On a boulder beside the waterfall, a young man in white sat cross-legged, his eyes closed. Wisps of spiritual energy swirled around him before being absorbed into his body. This young man was none other than Ling Xian.

After teaching Ling Yu a lesson yesterday, he had felt extremely relieved and enjoyed a good night's sleep. Early this morning, he came to this secluded forest to cultivate. Though young, he was immensely mature and understood the principle that cultivation was like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you fall behind. Having finally embarked on the path of cultivation, he cherished this hard-won opportunity. Moreover, he had held a dream since childhood, and immense strength was essential to achieve it. Therefore, he worked incredibly hard, treasuring every single moment.

"Hoo... At this rate, I should be able to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining soon," Ling Xian suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

The Qi Refining stage consists of nine minor realms, from the first to the ninth. Each breakthrough brings a quantitative increase in internal magical power. This continues until the practitioner breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, where power accumulation leads to a qualitative change. However, according to ancient records, the ninth level of Qi Refining is not true perfection. In ancient times, it was possible to cultivate to the tenth level, the perfect state of Qi Refining, also known as the invincible state. As time passed, however, very few people were able to break through to this legendary realm.

"However, this Three Flowers Classic is truly baffling and completely incomprehensible." Ling Xian took out the manual he had obtained from the Scripture Pavilion, frowning as he looked at the obscure and difficult script.

While one can cultivate without a specific technique, the absorbed spiritual energy will be impure and lack any special innate abilities, leading to easy defeat in combat. Possessing a good cultivation technique, conversely, brings a qualitative change to the magical power within the body, imbuing it with the unique effects of the technique.

For example, in the most common Five Elements techniques: the Metal element makes a cultivator's magic power sharper; Wood strengthens the physique; Water increases magical endurance; Fire gives magic power a burning effect; and Earth provides powerful defense.

However, this Three Flowers Classic had no Five Elements attributes, and the cultivation methods written on it were like reading a wordless book to Ling Xian—completely incomprehensible.

"Forget it. I'll stop thinking about it and ask my master when I enter the Nine Immortals Diagram in a few days," Ling Xian muttered to himself. He stood up, took a few deep breaths, and began to practice a set of common, health-preserving boxing techniques known throughout the cultivation world: the Longevity Fist.

It sounded like a profound and mysterious technique, but in reality, it was just a method to temper the body and enhance qi and blood. Most cultivators would disdain to practice it, but Ling Xian had persisted for years because it increased his physical strength, which was practical for his work as a weapon-refining apprentice. After all, one really couldn't do blacksmithing without sufficient strength.

As the sun rose in the east, and the first hint of dawn broke, Ling Xian assumed his stance and practiced the Longevity Fist with practiced ease. Very quickly, after finishing a round of punches, he felt refreshed and invigorated, as if he had inexhaustible energy.

Just as he was about to leave, two men and a woman suddenly emerged from the depths of the dense forest. The woman was in front, and the two men were behind, no more than a hundred meters apart, all running at top speed.

The woman was about twenty years old, with beautiful eyebrows, sharp eyes, a pretty face, and a radiant appearance. The two men behind them, one tall and one short, both had gloomy expressions and seemed intent on chasing her down.

The woman was Ling Tianxiang.

"Surrender obediently, you can't escape!" The short man made a hand seal, and seven fist-sized fireballs quickly condensed and roared toward the woman. The scorching heat swept across the sky, burning the surrounding trees to ashes.

"Dream on!" Ling Tianxiang lived up to her reputation, possessing a moon-shaming beauty. She snorted coldly, and a layer of pale blue water enveloped her body, blocking the seven fireballs. With a backhand swing, a two-meter-long ice spear pierced the air and headed straight for the man.

"A mere trick, yet you dare to show off?" The tall man stopped and slapped the ground with both hands. Three huge earthen walls appeared one after another. Although the ice spear had strong penetrating power, it barely passed through the second earthen wall before losing all its momentum, turning into a wisp of spiritual energy and disappearing.

Ling Tianxiang's brows furrowed. Suddenly, she saw the handsome young man (Ling Xian) standing directly ahead of her and couldn't help but feel anxious. She shouted, "Hurry and run!"

Ling Xian frowned. He never expected such a high-speed chase to occur in the usually sparsely populated Qianshan Forest, and even less that he would run into it.

"Damn it..." With a sigh, Ling Xian turned and ran. He was not a hero. Though the woman was beautiful, even a hero had to be aware of the situation. The woman's cultivation was clearly not weak, so the two men chasing her must be even stronger.

Seeing the boy ahead flee like the wind, Ling Tianxiang was taken aback and felt a little disappointed. Though he was still a boy, he was a man; how could he run away without regard for her? Had her charm diminished?

However, she didn't have time to think about it. She gritted her teeth and, despite her injuries, forced herself to circulate her magic technique, significantly increasing her speed.

The tall man sneered, his body radiating magical power. The powerful aura of a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator burst forth, shaking the surrounding area and enveloping even Ling Xian.

Suddenly feeling an immense pressure descend, Ling Xian felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire. Beads of sweat appeared on his delicate face, and his running steps became heavy.

Ling Tianxiang was in a far worse state. Before encountering these two, she had fought a fierce battle with a Silver Moon Wolf King, depleting most of her magical power. Then, being chased by the two men had pushed her to her limit. At this moment, this sudden pressure caused her to spit out a mouthful of blood and collapse to the ground.

The tall man's expression brightened, but he remained cautious. He made a hand seal, and huge stone pillars emerged from the ground, forming an encirclement that completely surrounded both Ling Tianxiang and Ling Xian.

"Haha, Ling Tianxiang, my brother and I have finally caught you! You never dreamed this day would come!" the short man laughed wildly.

"Get lost!" Ling Tianxiang raised a cold eyebrow and used her last bit of magical power to transform it into several ice spikes that pierced toward the man.

"I was prepared for this move." The short man conjured a ball of flame in his left hand, melting all the ice spikes. He then cast a spell, binding Ling Tianxiang's magical power and body. He walked closer and pinched her fair, smooth face, laughing, "Be a good girl and don't resist. Perhaps if we're in a good mood, we'll spare your life."

"You bastards, try touching a single hair on my head! The Ling family will not let you get away with this!" Ling Tianxiang's pretty face turned pale.

"Oh dear, you're from the Ling family? I'm so scared." The short man deliberately put on a frightened expression. "Oh no, brother, she's from the Ling family. We seem to have gotten ourselves into big trouble."

"My God, it's the Ling family! Let's release her quickly," the tall man said cooperatively.

Upon hearing this, Ling Tianxiang's beautiful eyes lit up, as if a drowning person had grabbed a piece of driftwood. Just as she was about to speak, a slap came flying toward her face. With a "smack," a clear handprint was imprinted on her delicate skin.

"You!" Ling Tianxiang gritted her teeth. She wasn't a stupid woman and instantly realized that the two men had been putting on an act. She had simply been too frantic to see clearly, which led to her being tricked.

"What arrogance! You're a prisoner now and still dare to speak to me like that?" The short man sneered, his voice turning cold. "I know you're the eldest daughter of the Ling family, the sister of the current patriarch, but so what? In this desolate wilderness, who would know if I killed you? Even if people found out, by then, my brother and I would have already taken the Fang family's reward and fled far away."

"As expected, the Fang family sent you to kill me..." Ling Tianxiang was heartbroken and utterly desperate.

Ling Xian, standing trapped to the side, inwardly cried out in alarm. His heart had already sunk the moment he was stopped by the stone pillars. Now, upon hearing the secret that the Fang family had actually sent people to hunt down the eldest daughter of the Ling family, his heart sank even further.

"I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this," Ling Tianxiang looked at Ling Xian, her beautiful eyes filled with deep regret.

Ling Xian remained silent, ignoring Ling Tianxiang, and instead pondered a solution in his mind. He knew very well that he had not only seen the faces of those two brothers but had also learned a secret he shouldn't have known. He was destined to face a difficult situation.

The short man clicked his tongue in admiration, "I've long heard that Miss Ling is a beauty of unparalleled grace. Seeing her today, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved. This trip was truly worthwhile."

Ling Tianxiang's delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes filling with tears. She was about to bite her tongue to commit suicide when the tall man, with quick hands, grabbed her chin.

"Heh heh, want to die? Not so easy," the short man chuckled.

However, at that moment, a voice filled with helplessness and a hint of mockery suddenly rang out.

"I said, how about you take me with you?" The boy had a warm smile, but a fierce, determined look flashed between his brows.