Mo Yang stared blankly at the Grand Elder, his forehead covered with black lines, feeling utterly speechless. He realized the old man had been secretly monitoring him.

At the same time, he was shocked because he hadn't detected anything unusual. If the other party had been an enemy, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Old man, were you secretly watching me?" Mo Yang coldly looked at the Grand Elder.

"Young man, you lured Fei'er to Wood Peak in the middle of the night. Shouldn't I come and take a look?" the Grand Elder glared.

He continued with a cold snort, "You little rascal, don't think you can fool this old man by acting innocent. Every time you take advantage, you deny it afterward. If I didn't keep an eye out, who knows when she might be sold off without knowing!"

Su Feier, her face red with shame and anger, glared at the Grand Elder before turning and rushing out of the small courtyard.

As soon as Su Feier left, the Grand Elder's expression changed. He lowered his voice and said, "Young man, did you see that? In the past, she would have torn off half my beard. But look at her now. Have you ever seen her so shy? Feier must have fallen for you."

"Feier may have a slightly willful temperament, but she's fundamentally kind and pure..."

"Young man, when fatty meat is served to your mouth, who doesn't eat it?"

"I'll be damned... Old man, you're something else!" Mo Yang didn't know what else to say. He now realized this old guy was quite improper.

"Young man, I'm doing this for your own good. Once this opportunity passes, there won't be another!" The Grand Elder coughed a few times, his face showing no embarrassment.

Mo Yang silently watched, clearly understanding that the old scoundrel's ultimate goal was to make him feel at ease staying in the Lingxu Sect.

"Little guy, be honest with yourself. Don't you want her at all?" Seeing Mo Yang's detached attitude, the old man spoke bluntly.

"No!" Mo Yang shook his head.

"You... you unresponsive fool! You're driving me crazy!" The Grand Elder was so angry he gritted his teeth and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

Mo Yang pondered for a moment and said, "Old man, even if you try to keep me, it's useless. The Lingxu Sect's location is just a tiny spot on the Xuantian Continent. The continent is vast and boundless. I will eventually leave and won't stay here forever!"

"But rest assured, I, Mo Yang, am not ungrateful. My master taught me from childhood to be grateful. This is my true nature!"

The Grand Elder stood silently at the courtyard gate, not turning back. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, though he still seemed somewhat unhappy. He then coldly snorted and walked out of the courtyard.

Mo Yang immediately became eager to carefully examine the storage ring, almost shouting with excitement.

Many of the herbs were for refining other medicines, but the most precious were those few spiritual herbs.

"Tsk, this little girl is good. She knew my medicinal herbs were running out and prepared them in advance... she can be taught... I'd feel bad if I don't properly reward her..." Mo Yang mumbled to himself, thinking he must give this girl some extra pills in the future.

In the following time, Mo Yang both refined pills and began studying the ancient symbols.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. On the shelves in the second layer of the Star Emperor Tower, bottles of pills were neatly arranged, with a strong medicinal fragrance emanating through the bottles.

In addition to the four types of pills he had previously refined, Mo Yang had successfully created the Gathering Yuan Pill.

The Gathering Yuan Pill was a breakthrough pill that could maximize the condensation of internal true qi, increasing the success rate of advancement. The pill itself also contained a powerful force.

The refining difficulty was much higher than previous pills, requiring five types of medicinal herbs. However, as Mo Yang's pill-refining skills became more proficient, refining the Gathering Yuan Pill was no longer as challenging.

Moreover, Mo Yang's comprehension of the ancient divine symbols had made some progress. Although he could only barely trace and draw them, this was already extremely rare. He discovered that the symbol he was studying could actually isolate one's aura. If he could completely draw it and carry it with him, it would be like practicing a technique to hide one's cultivation.

"I wonder what powers the other symbols might possess... these patterns contain the true meaning of the Dao, so profound that it will take considerable time to fully comprehend!"

Mo Yang searched around the tower walls. His cultivation was approaching the Heavenly Profound Realm, but the second layer's heart technique had still not appeared.

"The mysterious mark in my dantian is becoming clearer. What exactly is it? Could it be the 'Heavenly Dao Inheritance' that mysterious powerful figure mentioned? What is a Heavenly Dao Inheritance?"

Regarding the layered seals and Heavenly Dao Inheritance mentioned by the mysterious strong person he first encountered in the stone tower, Mo Yang had never figured it out.

In recent times, after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, his body had undergone earth-shattering changes, and his six senses had become more acute. He had repeatedly sensed his body but found no seal power. Neither the mentioned defying power nor the Heavenly Dao Inheritance had been discovered.

After cultivating the Star Emperor Scripture, the only abnormality in his body was the appearance of that mysterious mark.

At noon, Mo Yang was meditating in the small courtyard. After a short while, he sensed two different auras approaching the courtyard.

"Is it that old guy again? No... wait..."

Mo Yang frowned. Although Su Feier was present, the other person was not the Grand Elder, and this aura carried a killing intent.

Before he could finish his meditation and stand up, a sharp aura directly rushed into the courtyard.

"Mo Yang, come out! I want to challenge you!" The angry voice accompanied the sharp aura entering the courtyard.

Mo Yang opened his eyes and saw two figures enter the courtyard: one was naturally Su Feier, and the other was a woman holding a sword, pointing it directly at him.

Mo Yang naturally recognized her - Xu Xin, the second most famous disciple on the main peak after Qi Heng, known among the disciples as Senior Sister Xu!

Previously, Mo Yang had only seen her from a distance a few times and had never directly interacted with her.

However, with Qi Heng's precedent, Mo Yang immediately guessed her purpose and reason for coming.

He slowly stood up and calmly looked at Xu Xin. "Senior Sister, you're looking for me? May I ask what for?"

"You dare to ask me why?" Xu Xin's eyebrows slightly furrowed, her anger unmistakable, her tone almost like an interrogation.

"If Senior Sister has come as a guest, I naturally welcome you. But if you're here to cause trouble, you're not my match," Mo Yang said calmly.

Xu Xin's expression was cold. "Mo Yang, do you know what you've done?"

Su Feier, standing beside Xu Xin, looked nervous and kept glancing between Mo Yang and Xu Xin.

Mo Yang maintained his composure, waiting for her to continue.

"You defeated Qi Heng and humiliated him in front of everyone. Do you think this is acceptable?" Xu Xin's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

Mo Yang raised an eyebrow. "He challenged me first. I simply responded to his challenge. What's wrong with that?"

"You... you deliberately humiliated him!" Xu Xin's grip on her sword tightened.

"Deliberately humiliated him? He was the one who sought me out. If he couldn't accept losing, he shouldn't have challenged me," Mo Yang replied matter-of-factly.

Xu Xin's eyes flashed with cold light. "Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Qi Heng!"

She immediately raised her sword, the blade emitting a cold, sharp light. Her entire body's momentum surged, clearly preparing to attack Mo Yang.

Su Feier, standing to the side, looked anxious. "Senior Sister Xu, this..."

"Feier, stay out of this!" Xu Xin interrupted her sharply.

Mo Yang looked at her calmly. "Senior Sister Xu, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Draw your weapon!" Xu Xin shouted.

Mo Yang spread his hands. "I don't want to fight you."

"Coward!" Xu Xin's eyes were filled with disdain.

Mo Yang smiled faintly. "Not wanting to fight doesn't mean I'm afraid. I simply don't want to waste my energy on unnecessary battles."

Xu Xin's expression became even colder. "You defeated Qi Heng, and now you're afraid to fight me?"

"I'm not afraid," Mo Yang said calmly. "But fighting you serves no purpose. If you insist on challenging me, I can only advise you to reconsider."

"Reconsider? You think you can defeat me just because you beat Qi Heng?" Xu Xin's sword pointed directly at Mo Yang, her killing intent growing stronger.

Su Feier, seeing the tension, tried to mediate. "Senior Sister Xu, Senior Brother Mo..."

"Shut up!" Xu Xin interrupted her sharply.

Mo Yang looked at Xu Xin, his expression unchanged. "Senior Sister, are you certain you want to do this?"

Xu Xin's face was filled with determination. "I challenge you not just for Qi Heng, but for the honor of the main peak!"

Mo Yang looked at her quietly, understanding her true motivation. She wasn't just seeking revenge for Qi Heng, but wanted to restore the main peak's reputation after his defeat.

"Senior Sister," Mo Yang said calmly, "if you insist on fighting, I can only advise you to withdraw."

"Withdraw? You think you can defeat me?" Xu Xin's sword trembled slightly with her anger.

Mo Yang's expression remained calm. "Not thinking, but knowing. Your cultivation is not enough to challenge me."

Xu Xin's face suddenly turned red with anger. "You're too arrogant!"

She immediately launched her attack, the sword creating a cold light as it sliced through the air, aimed directly at Mo Yang's chest.

Mo Yang didn't even move, merely raising his hand slightly.

Just as the sword was about to touch Mo Yang, a strange scene occurred.

The sword suddenly stopped mid-air, as if it had struck an invisible wall. No matter how much force Xu Xin used, she couldn't push it forward even a tiny bit.

Su Feier watched with wide eyes, completely stunned.

Xu Xin's expression changed dramatically. She tried to withdraw her sword, but discovered to her horror that her sword seemed to be completely stuck in place.

"How... how is this possible?" She looked at Mo Yang in disbelief.

Mo Yang looked at her calmly. "I already advised you not to do this. Your current cultivation cannot pose any threat to me."

Xu Xin's face was pale. She had never encountered such a situation before - her sword completely immobilized without any visible reason.

"Impossible!" She shouted, still trying to move her sword.

Mo Yang sighed slightly. "Senior Sister, sometimes knowing when to retreat is also a form of strength."

Xu Xin's face was filled with shock and unwillingness. Her sword, which represented her pride and strength, was completely immobilized by Mo Yang without him even moving.

"You..." She looked at Mo Yang, her voice trembling slightly.

Mo Yang's expression remained calm. "Do you want to continue?"

Su Feier watched the scene, her mouth slightly open, completely stunned by what was happening.

Xu Xin took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "This... this isn't over!"

Mo Yang didn't respond, he just looked at her quietly.

Xu Xin finally realized that continuing would only bring more humiliation. With a cold snort, she forcefully pulled back her sword.

The moment the sword left Mo Yang's invisible barrier, Xu Xin stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance.

Su Feier quickly stepped forward to support her. "Senior Sister Xu, are you alright?"

Xu Xin's face was a mix of anger, shame, and disbelief. She didn't answer Su Feier, instead staring at Mo Yang with complex emotions.

"You..." Xu Xin pointed at Mo Yang, her voice trembling. "Today's matter isn't finished!"

Mo Yang remained calm. "Senior Sister can come find me anytime if she wishes to continue."

Xu Xin turned and walked out, her back stiff, clearly embarrassed. Su Feier hesitated, looking at Mo Yang, then quickly followed Xu Xin out of the courtyard.

After they left, Mo Yang sat back down and began meditating again, as if nothing had happened.

[--------------------------------------------]

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