Right then, Yang Po Jing returned from the main hall and casually tossed something at him.

Thump.

A cold mantou landed by Fu HongJun’s hand.

“Eat that on the way,” Yang Po Jing barked. “Don’t sit there like a girl. Get up and follow me.”

Fu HongJun looked at the plain mantou with disappointment. His stomach grumbled in betrayal.
Still, he bit into it and dragged his exhausted body forward, legs barely moving.

After a few minutes of walking, Yang Po Jing stopped at the edge of a forest.

Between the trees, a strange field of ancient stones appeared flat, circular, and inscribed with faint carvings.

Yang Po Jing pointed to the center and said, “Go stand there. Don’t sit. Don’t kneel. If your knees touch the ground,forget lunch.”

Fu HongJun blinked, confused. But he obeyed. He walked to the center of the stone field and stood still.

Yang Po Jing raised his hand and threw a single spirit stone into a socket in the middle of the formation.

The moment it clicked in place

Wooooom…

An invisible force crashed down on Fu HongJun like the weight of a mountain.

His knees trembled. His back screamed.

Then he set the incense stick beside him.

Inside Fu HongJun’s mind, Emperor Ye lazily wrote the word “Twice” in the air.

The glowing character flew straight into the stone formation.

Fu HongJun’s body shuddered. The pressure suddenly doubled, as if some invisible beast had leapt onto his back.

But because it meant getting lunch, he gritted his teeth and endured it for the entire length of one incense stick.

When the pressure finally disappeared, Fu HongJun collapsed to his knees, panting heavily. He raised his head, only for Yang Po Jing to speak again.

“Not bad. Now, do you see that pond over there?” he asked, pointing nearby.

Fu HongJun nodded.

Yang Po Jing said coldly,
“Go sit in it for three incense sticks. Don’t come out no matter what. If you dare leave early not only lunch but dinner will be gone too.”

Fu HongJun obediently walked over and jumped into the pond.

The moment he submerged, a dual agony exploded across his body. One half burned like fire, the other stung with icy needles.

Yang Po Jing stood watching with his hands behind his back.

“This is the Burning Ice Pond. Endure it.”

Then he lit three incense sticks and planted them in the ground, quietly observing Fu HongJun’s suffering.

This time, Emperor Ye didn’t write a word. Instead, he formed a series of complex hand signs and silently sealed Fu HongJun’s meridians.

Poor Fu HongJun, unaware that his meridians had been forcibly sealed, suddenly felt an intense surge of pain,so overwhelming that he couldn’t even scream. His vision blurred, and before long, he fainted.

Yang Po Jing didn’t panic. Without saying a word, he stepped forward, grabbed Fu HongJun’s unconscious body to keep him from drowning, and laid him gently near the edge of the pond.

At that moment, Xue Tianhai entered the training grounds.

“Father-in-law,” he said, “LuLi is doing much better now. But I still don’t understand... why was she hit by Spirit Suppression? Even with red talent, she shouldn't be that affected. It’s only slightly lower than your purple grade.”

Yang Po Jing furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand it either. My own spirit was suppressed too. There’s something wrong or rather, something strange about that kid’s spirit.”

Xue Tianhai glanced around and frowned. Not seeing Fu HongJun anywhere nearby, he asked,
“Where is the boy? Aren’t you training him?”

Yang Po Jing simply pointed toward the pond.

Xue Tianhai followed the direction of his finger and his eyes widened when he saw only a head barely sticking out of the Burning Ice Pond.

“This is the Burning Ice Pond!” he exclaimed. “He’s just a child!”

Yang Po Jing remained calm. “Look more carefully.”

Xue Tianhai narrowed his eyes, golden light flashing as he activated a spiritual vision technique. What he saw inside Fu HongJun’s body made him freeze.

Within, Fu HongJun’s meridians were breaking and reforming in an endless cycle—shattering, healing, and shattering again.

Xue Tianhai’s expression shifted from shock to concern.

“Father-in-law… will this cause hidden injuries later on? He’s still a child. His body hasn’t even fully developed yet.”

But Yang Po Jing just waved a hand.

“Let him be. He has to bea….”

Before he could finish, a thunderous BOOM! erupted from the pond.

A burst of spiritual energy exploded into the air, and ripples surged violently across the water’s surface.

Yang Po Jing’s eyes lit up. His beard swayed from the force as a wide grin spread across his face.

“Hahahaha! Three meridians opened! Very good. Very good!”

Inside Fu HongJun’s sea of consciousness, Emperor Ye muttered lazily,
“Why is this kid so slow? Seems like I’ll have to add more… surprises.”

Had Fu HongJun heard this, he would’ve begged like a dog.

Meanwhile, in a mysterious realm where stars burned across the void and even the laws of space twisted visibly, a young man in his twenties stood silently amidst the cosmos.

He gazed into the vast starfield and muttered coldly,
“That star’s owner… didn’t die?”

A cruel smirk tugged at his lips.

“Heh. Since you dare to still live… don’t blame me for being merciless.”

With a flick of his wrist, a reddish-golden sword qi burst out like a celestial flash. It tore through the void and slammed into a nearby planet.

BOOM.

The planet shattered instantly reduced to nothing. Not even a speck of dust remained in the aftermath.

Then, a voice echoed across the starry void: low, amused, and unseen.

“Hahaha… Senior Brother, seems like your nemesis star hasn’t died yet. I hope you’ve prepared your coffin.”

The young man didn’t turn, but his expression darkened. His cold eyes flickered with murderous intent as he stared deeper into the cosmos.

“…You talk too much.”