Lin Dongxue stood to the side, staring at Tang Yan.

His handsome, clear-featured face actually left her a little dazed.

She sighed inwardly. The old her had truly been too shallow. She had listened to all those rumors in the streets and kept her distance from the infamous wastrel Young Master Tang.

If she had gotten to know Tang Yan earlier, she would surely have discovered how different he was.

All of a sudden, a fluctuation rose from Tang Yan's body, startling Lin Dongxue.

This fellow had broken through too?

After that brief shock, Lin Dongxue quickly calmed down.

After all, Tang Yan had never been weak, and he had swallowed so many Spirit Pills. Turning disaster into fortune and breaking through was only natural.

But very soon, shock appeared on Lin Dongxue's face again.

Tang Yan had only just broken through and settled down for a short while, yet another wave of fluctuation rose from his body!

Immediately after, an extremely powerful aura flashed and vanished.

In a single day, Tang Yan had actually advanced by two grades?

Lin Dongxue widened her eyes and stared at him.

Could this fellow be a spirit beast from Cangyun Mountain that had taken human form?

When Tang Yan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lin Dongxue's big, curious eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Tang Yan asked.

"Ah!"

Lin Dongxue, who had been lost in thought, was startled by his voice. She patted her chest and said, "You scared me! Couldn't you at least say something when you woke up?"

Tang Yan was utterly speechless.

You were the one staring at me until you spaced out, and now you're blaming me?

But Lin Dongxue was not concerned with that. She looked at Tang Yan excitedly and asked, "You just broke through?"

He had been cultivating right under Lin Dongxue's eyes, so Tang Yan knew he could not hide it from her. He nodded in admission.

"No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean, did you just advance two grades?" Lin Dongxue hurriedly asked.

"Yes." Tang Yan nodded again. "What's so strange about that?"

Hearing Tang Yan's humblebrag, Lin Dongxue nearly choked. An utterly absurd feeling rose in her heart.

Advancing two grades in a row-what was so strange about that?

You really know how to act casual!

"Do you know that in all of Tingxiang Kingdom, anyone capable of breaking through two grades in a row is considered a Peerless genius?" Lin Dongxue shouted through gritted teeth.

"Mm. Now I know." Tang Yan answered offhandedly.

To him, advancing two grades really did not seem all that strange.

Seeing Tang Yan's indifferent look, Lin Dongxue nearly went mad.

She chattered at him for a long while, explaining just how difficult it was to break through two grades in succession. But after wasting her breath, Tang Yan still wore that same infuriatingly calm expression. Lin Dongxue grew depressed and simply stopped dwelling on the matter.

After experiencing the battle with Liu Jing, the awkwardness from Lin Dongxue kissing Tang Yan earlier had already vanished without a trace.

Over the next few days, Lin Dongxue continued to focus mainly on combat techniques.

Now that she had broken through to Black Rank second grade, her strength had improved by several layers compared to before.

Under Tang Yan's guidance, Lin Dongxue's progress could be called astonishing.

As for Tang Yan, after the battle with Liu Jing, he had seized that opportunity to fuse the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame with martial techniques. This gave him a deep interest in this new approach.

These days, Tang Yan constantly polished the fusion of the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame with the Combat Heart.

After a full six days, Tang Yan was finally able to blend the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame smoothly into combat.

Countless times over these past few days, Lin Dongxue rejoiced that she had followed Tang Yan on impulse.

That choice had simply been too wise!

Cangyun Mountain had countless spirit beasts. Once they went deeper, even Third-Rank Spirit Beasts could often be encountered.

This Cangyun Mountain was truly a paradise for her cultivation.

After she and Tang Yan crossed another mountain peak, a grand city appeared not far ahead.

Lin Dongxue glanced at Tang Yan, and a faint trace of disappointment actually rose in her heart. It was as if she was reluctant to leave so soon.

Realizing what she was thinking, Lin Dongxue startled herself, and her pretty face instantly turned pink.

Seeing that Tang Yan did not seem to notice her change, Lin Dongxue quietly let out a breath of relief.

"According to the map, this should be Fang City. Ten days have passed, so it's just the right time to meet up with the City Lord." Tang Yan called out, "Let's go. Down the mountain!"

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the city gate.

"Fang City!"

After confirming they had reached the right place, Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue walked inside.

Not long after entering the city, the surroundings grew lively.

"As expected of the number one city in the Eastern Region. It's much more prosperous than Yun City," Tang Yan sighed.

The moment he finished speaking, pain shot through the soft flesh at his waist.

He turned his head and saw Lin Dongxue glaring fiercely at him.

Realizing that his words had carried a hint of belittling Lin Xiao, Tang Yan smiled awkwardly.

This girl really pinched hard.

Rubbing the sore spot, Tang Yan said, "Come on. Let's go to the agreed place."

They hailed a carriage and climbed in.

Before long, the carriage came to a stop.

They had arrived in the central part of the city, where the surroundings were even more prosperous.

The most eye-catching place here was Myriad Directions Tower.

The moment Tang Yan got off the carriage, he noticed it.

Because it was tall!

Not only was it tall, it also occupied a vast area.

Most of the surrounding buildings were three stories high, but this one had six stories. It stood out like a crane among chickens, impossible to ignore.

"Honored guests, please come in. Will you be dining or lodging?"

The moment the two stepped inside, a waiter immediately came over to greet them.

"Someone has already reserved rooms. Please help me check," Tang Yan said politely.

"Of course. As long as the guest gives your name and tells me who made the reservation, I can check it for you," the waiter explained warmly.

After Tang Yan gave their names, the waiter took out a register and looked through it.

When he found Tang Yan's room, his expression became a little more respectful. He hurriedly said, "Please follow me, both of you!"

They did not go upstairs.

The waiter pushed open the back door and led Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue inside.

As soon as they passed through the back door, their view suddenly opened up.

Not far ahead lay a huge lake. A small river connected to it, flowing off to some unknown place.

Trees stood all around, and though it was already early winter, the scenery here remained lush and verdant, with clusters of flowers in bloom.

Every so often, there was an independent small courtyard.

Looking at this secluded place, Tang Yan sighed inwardly.

As expected of Fang City's most famous restaurant. The surroundings in this rear courtyard were not something ordinary inns could compare with.

"Little Brother, how much silver does it cost to stay here for one night?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

"Anywhere from one hundred taels to one thousand taels," the waiter answered honestly.

Tang Yan nodded slightly.

Sure enough, this was not a place ordinary people could afford.

After walking along the bluestone path for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the waiter said, "This is Young Master Tang's courtyard. Miss Lin and Warrior Lin have a courtyard together. The one beside it belongs to your companion, Young Master Liu."

"Many thanks."

After thanking the waiter, Tang Yan let him leave.

"Come on. Let's go see my father together."

Tang Yan had originally planned to return and take a bath first, but Lin Dongxue grabbed him and pulled him along.

They knocked on the courtyard gate.

Before long, Lin Xiao appeared behind the door.

Seeing Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue, Lin Xiao's eyes brightened, and he quietly let out a breath of relief.