Xiantian Third Heaven!

The valley outside was silent.

The demonic beasts had long since departed.

It was already daytime, and sunlight pierced through the leaves of the bushes like fiery lines, shining into the cave.

Inside the cave, the three breathed evenly, maintaining their cross-legged postures as they cultivated in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Shi Yan awoke from his slumber. He twisted his neck, stood up, and slowly stretched his joints.

Innate Third Heaven Realm!

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan felt refreshed, his fatigue completely gone, and his senses sharper than ever.

With the help of those peculiar energies, his cultivation speed had been like an arrow shot from a bow, progressing rapidly, and he had broken through to the Innate Third Heaven Realm!

Standing at the cave entrance, he could faintly sense the spiritual energy present in the world.

This spiritual energy permeated the air. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to detect it, but now he could vaguely sense it.

Sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was something only Martial Artists at the Innate Third Heaven Realm could do. Only by sensing this energy could Martial Artists better cultivate and better execute certain Martial Skills.

With a thought, his body became as hard as iron and stone. His skin turned a dark brown, and a faint dark light seemed to cover its surface, very similar to when he activated the Dark Light Shield.

"Huh?"

Shi Yan was a little surprised. After carefully examining himself, he confirmed that he hadn't used any Essence to activate the Dark Light Shield.

...This meant that the faint dark light emanating from his skin was purely a result of the second stage of his Petrifying Martial Soul.

After observing for a while, a smile appeared on his lips. He understood that the wondrous changes in his skin were definitely related to his Martial Soul.

The cave was no longer dim. Shi Yan's dark eyes flickered, his gaze wandering over Mu Yu Die and Di Ya Lan.

Mu Yu Die and Di Ya Lan were still sitting cross-legged, their eyes closed. A faint, dim light flowed around them, and the Essence within their bodies circulated along special pathways.

The reason he had injected some of those peculiar energies into Mu Yu Die was twofold: firstly, to see if this peculiar energy could be transferred to others without sexual intercourse.

Secondly, he wanted an additional helper. He didn't know what enemies they would encounter next. If Mu Yu Die remained a burden, their journey would be extremely disadvantageous.

According to Di Ya Lan, Mu Yu Die had also been a Martial Artist before her meridians were broken. If Mu Yu Die could fully recover, it would be very beneficial for their subsequent journey.

Considering these two points, he had shared a small portion of the peculiar energy in his body with her.

Shi Yan held his breath and focused his attention on Mu Yu Die. Suddenly, he discovered that pure and potent Essence was flowing within her body.

Slightly startled, Shi Yan couldn't help but stare at Mu Yu Die for a few more moments. He frowned and felt it carefully, his surprise growing even greater...

He found that the Essence within Mu Yu Die's body was actually much purer than Di Ya Lan's. This meant... Mu Yu Die's realm was even more profound than Di Ya Lan's!

This discovery surprised him. Although he knew Mu Yu Die was also a Martial Artist, he had only assumed her cultivation was around the Innate Realm.

After all, Mu Yu Die was much younger than Di Ya Lan. By common sense, she shouldn't have a deeper cultivation than Di Ya Lan.

Who knew the truth was different? Seeing her now, he realized how formidable Mu Yu Die was. At such a young age, she had already reached the Human Position Realm, a full realm higher than Di Ya Lan had been originally!

As he looked on in astonishment, he keenly sensed the Essence within Mu Yu Die gradually calming down.

He knew Mu Yu Die would wake up soon...

Indeed, not long after, Mu Yu Die's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A pair of clear, ethereal beautiful eyes suddenly lit up in the cave, adorning Mu Yu Die's delicate face. They made her look like a forest sprite, exuding an indescribable aura that was captivating.

Shi Yan was stunned, looking at her strangely, momentarily lost in thought.

"Have you seen enough?" Mu Yu Die asked indifferently, standing up gracefully. She stretched and chuckled, "From today onwards, I will no longer be a burden."

Threads of radiant white light flowed from her slender jade hands as she stretched. The lights flashed and vanished in the void, like strings of a zither.

Mu Yu Die's fingers trembled slightly. She plucked the air twice, and the vanished streams of light reappeared, weaving nimbly between her verdant fingers.

"I'm just practicing my technique. I haven't played the zither in a while, and I'm afraid I've gotten rusty," Mu Yu Die smiled charmingly, like a clear stream in a mountain ravine, ethereal and tranquil, possessing a captivating charm.

"You've become even more beautiful than before," Shi Yan said frankly after gazing at her for a while.

Mu Yu Die's meridians had connected. The Essence of the Human Position Realm peak flowed through her body. Her skin became more radiant, her complexion rosy, and her eyes clear and bright. She no longer seemed to fear any hardship and was full of confidence. Her entire demeanor had undergone an astonishing transformation.

With her strength restored, she seemed like a different person, her charm more than doubled.

At this moment, in Shi Yan's eyes, Mu Yu Die was undoubtedly a beauty a level above Di Ya Lan and Mo Yan Yu. In terms of both cultivation realm and aura, she had decisively surpassed those two women.

"Thank you," Mu Yu Die smiled faintly and said casually, "How much time has passed?"

"About two days," Shi Yan mused, "I'm not sure, I just feel like we've been in the cave for more than a day. Have you recovered?"

"Yes," Mu Yu Die nodded confidently, "When Sister Lan wakes up, we'll leave here."

"Oh," Shi Yan replied casually, feeling a bit displeased.

The previous Mu Yu Die, though overly kind, was still likable, like a naive and adorable girl next door.

But now, with her strength restored, Mu Yu Die's charm had greatly increased, yet her adorable side was gone. Instead, she gave off a feeling of being aloof and sacred, inviolable. This feeling... Shi Yan was very unhappy about it.

Because he was unhappy, Shi Yan didn't bother to say much more. He ignored her and walked out of the cave on his own, wandering aimlessly in the valley.

He took out a Spirit Grade Martial Skill called "Magnetic Shock Domain Field" from his backpack. Shi Yan flipped through a few pages casually, not examining the contents closely. After ensuring there were words within the scripture, he carefully put the Martial Skill back into his backpack.

Spirit Grade Martial Skills require at least Earth Position Realm cultivation to practice. He was only at the Innate Realm now, still a long way from the Earth Position. If his realm wasn't sufficient, forcibly studying a Spirit Grade Martial Skill would disrupt his mind and might even backfire, causing his cultivation to regress instead of advance.

Because he understood this, after confirming that this Spirit Grade Martial Skill was fine, he carefully put it away.

Half a day later, Di Ya Lan and Mu Yu Die emerged from the stone cave together. Their clothes were neat, and their spirits were high, clearly ready to continue their journey.

"Kid, thank you. My realm has stabilized," Di Ya Lan said casually after coming out.

Breaking through to a new realm was actually very dangerous. At this time, it was crucial to accelerate the enhancement of Essence. Otherwise, if the realm was unstable, it was easy to make mistakes during combat or cultivation.

The Essence Shi Yan had infused into her body in the cave once again played its role, helping her stabilize her new realm. This allowed her to fight others with peace of mind, without worrying about insufficient strength and consequently suffering qi deviation.

"Mm, then let's set off," Shi Yan said with a faint smile, not seeking credit, and led the way out of the valley.

Seven days later.

Shi Yan and the other two finally emerged from the dense and boundless Gloomy Forest.

Looking back at the towering ancient trees behind them, all three felt a sense of having survived a great ordeal.

For these seven days, the trio had not encountered any further danger.

The Martial Artists and mercenaries in the Gloomy Forest had either died or fled, not daring to linger in that dangerous area. For some unknown reason, the Thunder Wing Silver Wolf and the beasts it led also stopped their rampages and became dormant.

With the beasts and mercenaries pacifying, Shi Yan and the other two's journey became surprisingly smooth. They encountered no obstacles along the way and easily passed through the perilous Fierce Fiend Land, emerging from the Gloomy Forest.

To get to the Merchant Alliance from here, one must pass through Silent Town. On the way to Silent Town, there was a vast Stone Forest.

The stones in that Stone Forest were strangely shaped. Some were as large as small mountains, while others were only as tall as a person. Within it were countless stone caves, natural hiding places.

In that Stone Forest area, cruel and ruthless Martial Artists often lurked, engaging in the business of killing for profit.

Those who emerged from the Gloomy Forest were either merchant caravans or Martial Artists and mercenaries who had been exploring the Gloomy Forest.

Merchants from other countries would definitely carry goods, and adventurous Martial Artists and mercenaries who managed to survive the Gloomy Forest would certainly have medicinal herbs from the Gloomy Forest and materials from demonic beasts on them.

Both types of people were carrying valuables...

Precisely because of this, the Stone Forest, which could conceal people, had experts lurking there year-round, targeting these two types of people. As long as they felt the other party was easy to bully, they would ferociously rush out and slaughter them.

The Stone Forest area was sometimes even more dangerous than the Gloomy Forest. Those who entered the Stone Forest alone, unless they were Martial Artists of the Hundred Tribulations Realm, would almost certainly encounter trouble.

"The Stone Forest is very dangerous. There might be people from Dark Nether ambushing us..." Di Ya Lan pondered for a moment and warned Mu Yu Die.

"It's alright. Someone will meet us in the Stone Forest. Don't worry," Mu Yu Die smiled, looking back at Shi Yan. "Are you going to the Stone Forest?"

"Mm, I'm from the Merchant Alliance, so of course I have to go back," Shi Yan replied.

"That's good. We'll go together. As long as you follow us, you don't need to worry about the Stone Forest," Mu Yu Die said with an air of confidence. Without waiting for Shi Yan's reply, she continued, "Let's go. We'll enter the Stone Forest. Mm, you don't need to worry too much. We're safe now."

"Oh." Shi Yan said faintly, but he didn't relax. As soon as he entered the Stone Forest, his attention became unprecedentedly focused, and he remained constantly vigilant.

From the memories of another Shi Yan, he learned that this area of the Stone Forest was extremely chaotic, filled with various forces, and even major families from the Merchant Alliance were secretly involved.

He didn't know what Mu Yu Die had prepared, but he knew that if he relaxed in the Stone Forest, he might be instantly assassinated.

In the Stone Forest, Shi Yan's mind was as calm as water, his eyes darting around. Every five steps, he would look back behind him.