After another wave of energy shock, the defensive barrier wavered slightly before finally stabilizing. Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and came out of his cultivation.
He looked at Pangu's still-steady figure, and gratitude welled up inside him. If Senior hadn't been protecting him all this time, he would probably have been injured by one of the energy surges by now.
"Senior, thank you for all your hard work," Lin Yue said sincerely.
Pangu slowly opened his eyes and glanced at him. "No need for words. Just focus on your cultivation."
"Mm." Lin Yue nodded, then seemed to remember something and patted his chest as he promised, "Rest assured, Senior. I definitely won't wander off. I'll focus on cultivating and getting stronger, and I won't hold you back."
He knew that the best thing he could do right now was improve his strength as quickly as possible and avoid causing Pangu any trouble.
To put Pangu at ease and make better use of the resources, Lin Yue volunteered to collect energy-rich rocks and clear away nearby hazards.
Every day, he stayed within Pangu's sight and never crossed the boundary. He carefully inspected the defensive barrier around the cave to check for damage. He also searched nearby for energy-rich rocks and brought them back to the cave to store for emergencies.
Once, while gathering energy-rich rocks, he spotted a low-level vicious beast trying to approach the cave. He didn't rush to attack it. Instead, he retreated to Pangu's side and asked permission. Only then, under Senior's watchful eye, did he use the Chaos Little Light Orb to take it down.
"Not bad. You've learned to be cautious." Seeing how steady Lin Yue had become, Pangu gave him a rare word of praise.
Lin Yue grinned. "Of course. I had a good teacher, Senior. Besides, I know this isn't the time to act rashly. Keeping my head down is the way to go."
"Keeping your head down?" Pangu paused, clearly unfamiliar with the expression.
"It means... surviving cautiously and avoiding unnecessary risks," Lin Yue explained.
Pangu gave a slight nod. "Mm. That's a sound principle."
In the days that followed, Lin Yue's cultivation shifted into high gear.
During the day, he used the Innate Spirit Spring and energy crystals to absorb energy like mad, striving to break through to the Late High-level Chaos stage. At night, he practiced spells. He had improved the Chaos Little Light Orb so that it was not only more powerful but could also change direction in flight, making it harder to predict. He had also begun trying to form simple defensive shields. They were still flimsy, but better than nothing.
From time to time, he also used the attack and defense trajectory diagrams Pangu had drawn earlier to simulate battles against vicious beasts and even Demon Gods, working out ways to respond to different situations.
During this process, Lin Yue gradually discovered that he could vaguely sense the aura of the Law of Heaven Opening around Pangu. It was vast and majestic, seemingly containing the powers of creation and destruction. Though he couldn't understand its mysteries, it brought him peace of mind. He was less likely to grow restless during cultivation, and his progress in breaking through bottlenecks had also sped up.
The Law of Heaven Opening is truly profound, Lin Yue thought, his admiration for Senior Pangu growing even deeper.
As time passed, Lin Yue's strength grew, and the bottleneck at the Late High-level Chaos stage loosened more and more. He knew it was only a matter of time before he broke through.
Outside the cave, the Demon Gods' fighting seemed to have gradually died down. The Chaos Airflow remained turbulent, but the world-shaking pressure had eased considerably.
Lin Yue knew that the gathering of Demon Gods might have ended, and that Chaos had entered a relatively peaceful period for now.
But he didn't let his guard down. He stayed by Pangu's side and continued steadily building his strength. He understood that calm in Chaos was only temporary; only by becoming stronger could he stand firm when the storms came.
Keep my head down, cultivate, grow stronger... Lin Yue silently repeated to himself, his gaze fixed on the distant Chaos Airflow. His path of cultivation continued.
Before you continue