The next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight fell upon Stone Village, Ye Xuan and Ao Tong stepped outside.
They stood side by side, both looking refreshed and radiant.
Ao Tong in particular had gained an indescribable warmth and depth, tempering her naturally cool demeanor.
As her eyes shifted, divine light flashed within them, and they seemed to contain a nascent universe—mysterious and unfathomable.
"Congratulations."
Ye Xuan glanced at her and smiled. "Your Double Pupils have evolved. You'll be able to go much further in the future."
Ao Tong looked at Ye Xuan, her eyes full of tenderness and gratitude.
She knew what their dual cultivation the previous night had meant: Ye Xuan had used his own Chaos Dao Laws to temper her.
"Thank you."
In the days that followed, a fervor for cultivation swept through Stone Village.
With the enormous resources Ye Xuan had brought back, and a powerful expert at the Mortal Immortal level personally guiding them, the villagers' strength began to surge.
Every day, thunderous shouts rang out from the Training Ground at the head of the village.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ye Xuan walked among the villagers, occasionally stepping in to correct their stances and the flow of their energy.
Though the old chief Shi Yunfeng was advanced in years, Ye Xuan's treatment had revitalized his withered vitality.
Drawing on the foundation he had built over many years, he opened five Cave Heavens in one go and stepped directly into the Spirit Transformation Realm. He seemed to have become young again—even his hair had turned black.
Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, the two mainstays of the hunting team, advanced even more fiercely.
Their physical foundations had already been strong. Now, nourished by Venerable-level flesh and Spiritual Herbs and taught precious arts by