773. Minor Mastery in Fourth Rank! Passing the Preliminary Trial Lightly!

With several days still remaining before the Pill Combat Tournament, Li Bufan and Lin Zhiyan spent these days together in tender affection. Yet theirs was not merely a romance—they were also rivals on the path of martial cultivation.

They sparred with one another, discussed with one another, and improved alongside one another.

Lin Zhiyan's realm was higher than Li Bufan's; she had already reached the Three Flowers Realm. Her breadth of vision and knowledge far surpassed that of her peers, so Li Bufan listened to her suggestions with great relish and benefited immensely.

Li Bufan, meanwhile, cultivated all three paths—true qi, the physical body, and Spiritual Sense—and possessed unique insights into each. Although Lin Zhiyan's cultivation was higher, she absorbed and understood many of his ideas as well, drawing inferences from one instance to another.

Though they were immersed in love, their daily martial cultivation never wavered, come rain or shine.

In the mornings, they sparred in martial techniques in the courtyard—flashing blades and sword shadows, fist winds and palm force—fighting to an inseparable standstill. In the afternoons, they sat cross-legged to regulate their breathing, circulate their cultivation methods, and absorb the Vital Energy of heaven and earth.

At night, they studied the Pill Dao, exchanged insights, and inspired each other. Their days were full and sweet.

Soon, the eve of the Pill Combat Tournament arrived. During these days, Li Bufan refined his Pill Dao every day, and the Purple Mist Alchemy Cauldron had scarcely gone cold.

With the countless spirit herbs he consumed, his Pill Dao made astonishing, meteoric progress.

He cross-verified the Pill Dao knowledge he had learned from Elder Chen against Songhe Gate's Pill Dao Inheritance, melding them into one. Combined with his practical experience in alchemy, he continued to explore and improve.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence Fourth-Rank