Huang Mei sneered. "Looks to me like this land of tenderness has addled your wits. Back in the day, whenever you entered a trial ground, you always started by making bold assumptions and then carefully testing them.
"But now, you've got your mind on all this romance between men and women. Is there anything left in your head besides that...?"
Huang Mei babbled on while Xu Yi's heart swelled with delight. He knew Huang Mei too well. Give the fellow even a little sunshine, and he was bound to bask in it.
At this moment, Huang Mei was crowing so smugly that he must have found something.
Xu Yi followed the usual approach, flattering him a few times first. When that didn't work, he switched to a mix of coaxing and threats.
Sure enough, Huang Mei let slip the key piece of information.
As it turned out, the life wheels of Li Ming and those few unlucky souls from Mang Mountain whom Huang Mei had swallowed had come in handy.
The people of Mang Mountain were experienced and knowledgeable. Li Ming in particular had learned in advance from the higher-ups that they planned to lure Calamity Demons into this place, so he had made preparations ahead of time.
The Mang Mountain Thirteen Immortals' earlier method of crushing the demonic tide had been exceptionally effective precisely because they had prepared in advance.
Li Ming had also made preparations for the Gold-level Calamity Demon.
Xu Yi looked within the Starry Sky Ring, fixing his attention on the grayish-white Profound Yellow Bead in Huang Mei's palm, and sent him a thought. "After all that refining, this is all you got?"
That grayish-white Profound Yellow Bead was the secret treasure Li Ming and the others had prepared for this Kunlun Immortal Mountains trial, meant