Hanyu Valley.
Sect Master Leng Qianqiu sat cross-legged atop a cold jade cattail mat, her eyes sweeping over Granny Ling Shuang and Xiao Bieli, who stood solemnly with their hands lowered.
"Bieli, how is your progress?" Leng Qianqiu asked.
Xiao Bieli bowed and replied in a deep voice, "Reporting to Master, this disciple's true qi has been tempered to a state of flawless harmony. Opening the twelfth primary meridian is within reach—at best one month, at worst two. I will surely attain the consummate Embracing Dan Strength!"
Before others, he displayed his edge and brimmed with confidence, but before his master, he was not like that.
"Mhm."
Leng Qianqiu nodded slightly, a rare trace of satisfaction appearing in her eyes. "Your talent is outstanding, and your foundation is exceptionally solid. That is fortunate. However, the threshold of Gang Jin is a heavenly chasm on the martial path, nothing ordinary. Transforming true qi into gang qi and drawing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi to temper one's body is fraught with extreme danger."
"Countless brilliant talents have accumulated strength for years and charged at it time and again, only to exhaust their potential and live with lifelong regret. Some even damaged their foundations and had their martial paths severed. You must be exceedingly cautious. You must wait until your essence, qi, and spirit have all reached their peaks. Never greedily rush for success and leave behind hidden dangers."
"This disciple will remember Master's teachings!" Xiao Bieli's expression turned solemn as he nodded heavily.
Every word of his master's warning weighed a thousand jun. He knew full well how grave they were.
Even for him, Gang Jin was an enormous hurdle.
Leng Qianqiu turned her gaze to Granny Ling Shuang. "Elder Ling Shuang, according to reliable intelligence, Heart Eater, the branch master of