It Worked!

"Hong Yun! What did you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?"

Hong Yun shook his head, a weary smile appearing on his face.

"No, I've truly reached my limit. If I keep going, it'll only damage my foundation."

He paused.

"But you aren't doing much better either, are you?"

Mi Yingzong fell silent for a moment before finally sighing.

"Hmph! At least you have some insight."

The two exchanged smiles, and the tense atmosphere finally eased.

Though they were rivals, as fellow geniuses of Qinghe Holy Land, they also felt a sense of mutual admiration.

"I'm leaving first."

Hong Yun turned and headed toward the exit, his steps somewhat unsteady.

"Mi Yingzong, the next time we meet, I'll definitely surpass you."

"Dream on!"

Mi Yingzong shouted after him.

"Next time, I won't even let you see my back!"

Hong Yun did not turn around. He merely waved a hand, his figure gradually vanishing into the mist above the lava.

Mi Yingzong watched the direction Hong Yun had left in, then lowered his gaze toward the depths of the lava, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

"Gu Sheng."

He quietly repeated the name.

"Just what secrets are you hiding?"

Deep within the lava, Gu Sheng was completely immersed in cultivation.

He did not know that he had become the focus of others' attention, much less that a conspiracy targeting him was brewing.

Outside Golden Crow Mountain, a figure hid within thick grass, staring fixedly at the activity around the mountain entrance.

"Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Long Teng cursed under his breath, a cold glint in his eyes.

As a core disciple, he should not have been hiding here in such a pathetic state.

But in order to obtain the secrets Gu Sheng carried, he had no