A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Over the next few days, Lü Qingzhu and Xiao Yu discussed and began to renovate the old courtyard, starting with the details. In the previous days, Lü Qingzhu and Aunt Yue had only observed the general layout; Lü Qingzhu had originally planned to work with Xiao Yu to tidy up the details.

The next morning, Zhu Xiaoqi started working on making a vegetable patch in a corner of the yard.

While everyone was busy inside and outside the courtyard, Duan Rong had already entered the secret cultivation chamber of the Lü family residence and begun his arduous cultivation.

Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu were well aware of Duan Rong's ascetic cultivation style, so they were not surprised that he stayed in the secret room for several days. However, Zhu Xiaoqi would mutter a few words about the son-in-law every time he ate.

The steward, Han Cheng, found three or four servants, and in just two days, they tidied up the cultivation chamber and replaced all the items.

Then, following Lü Zhongtang's instructions, Han Cheng handed over the key to the secret cultivation chamber to Duan Rong.

That morning, Duan Rong greeted Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu before entering the cultivation chamber. He found a futon in a corner of the spotless, old chamber and sat down.

He sat there for more than ten days, motionless, as if petrified.

As soon as he sat down on the futon, he became completely absorbed in refining the strange red light...

It was probably under these conditions that the refining efficiency increased. The divine and demonic mark, which was originally planned to take more than a month to refine, was completely refined in just over ten days.

That eerie red light had completely merged into his soul.

In a corner of the cultivation chamber, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes. After more than ten days of arduous cultivation, he had not drunk a drop of water, and his lips were now dry and chapped.

He stood up and walked straight out of the secret room.

After slowly walking out of the secret chamber under the artificial hill, she pressed the mechanism, sealing the chamber shut.

Then, with a thought, the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top of His Head instantly took shape and, with a whoosh, rose up from the artificial hill, riding the wind.

In mid-air, Duan Rong glanced at his own courtyard.

It was nearly dusk, and three figures were busy in the yard. Zhu Xiaoqi was watering the vegetable seeds she had just sown in the plot. Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu were tidying up the quilts that had been drying in the sun.

Duan Rong glanced at it only once, but instead of flying towards his own courtyard, he flew out of the Lü family mansion in the opposite direction.

Its form resembled a great eagle entering a valley, soaring into the misty air within the valley...

He rode the wind and flew for nearly an hour before finally landing on a remote mountaintop.

Duan Rong stood in an open space on that mountain, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as knives.

The eerie red light had been completely refined. He came to this remote mountain to test the power of the blood-red figure's escape technique.

Duan Rong stood in the open space when suddenly a dim red light flashed eerily between his brows, just like a flame that appeared and then went out.

The next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, and when Duan Rong came to his senses, he was already standing on the top of another mountain.

He turned his head and looked in astonishment at the misty valley opposite, the very mountain he had just descended from when he flew all the way from the Lü family mansion.

The two mountain peaks face each other across the valley. They seem close, but in fact, the straight-line distance is already four or five miles.

The moment he activated the Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape, he arrived here almost instantly, as if by teleportation.

"Supernatural powers!? Escape techniques!?"

Duan Rong was so shocked that he almost felt a chill run down his spine.

If he could activate this technique, wouldn't he be able to leave the battle at any time?

"This escape technique is actually teleportation!"

With such near-instantaneous speed, no one could possibly stop him.

He didn't know the speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator, but he had seen the speed of a Cavern Realm cultivator. They could transform into a black streak and flash across the sky. But that speed was no match for the Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape.

However, activating this Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape consumes the power of one's divine soul.

Although Duan Rong's divine soul power was formidable, activating the Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape technique also consumed a great deal of his divine soul.

Judging from the soul consumption of the Bloodlight Shadow Escape technique he just used, his current soul power can only be used to activate this technique a maximum of ten times.

If this happens more than ten times, his soul will be overwhelmed, and there is even a risk that his soul will shatter.

This Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape is divided into three levels.

The first tier is called Bloodlight Escape.

The second stage is called Divine Shadow Escape.

The third stage is called the Limitless Escape.

However, the method for casting the third-tier Limitless Escape technique is not contained within that strange red light. Limitless Escape only retains its name and a brief introduction in one sentence: In the blink of an eye, the world is at hand, hence the name Limitless.

However, both the first-tier Bloodlight Escape and the second-tier Divine Shadow Escape have detailed and specific methods of execution.

The technique Duan Rong just used was the first-level Blood Light Escape. This first-level escape technique alone completely overwhelmed the speed of experts in the Cave of Darkness Realm.

Duan Rong estimated that the second-tier Divine Shadow Escape technique could at least overwhelm, or rival, a Nascent Soul Realm expert in terms of speed.

However, with his current spiritual strength, he is not yet capable of using the Divine Shadow Escape technique. Forcing it would only result in his spiritual soul shattering and him dying. And this is only because his spiritual soul is too weak.

Although he has already mastered more than ten layers of the Fetal Treasury Sutra, in terms of the strength of his soul, many elders in the Elder Council may not be as strong as him.

However, even such a powerful soul appears quite weak in the face of the divine power imprinted by gods and demons.

Compared to gods and demons, humans are weaker not only physically, but also in spirit.

To fully unleash the power of supernatural abilities, a prerequisite is a sufficiently powerful divine soul.

Duan Rong stood on that mountain peak, and a strange red light flickered like flames once again between his brows.

In the instant that eerie red light flashed, his figure suddenly vanished.

Almost simultaneously, Duan Rong appeared at the bottom of a valley, surrounded by thick fog...

His figure flashed briefly in the thick fog, and then a strange red light, like a flame, flashed again between his brows before he suddenly disappeared from the mist.

Duan Rong appeared on a strange, rocky mountain. He glanced at the mountain with drooping eyelids, and then suddenly disappeared.

After using Bloodlight Escape nine times, Duan Rong stood by a winding stream in a valley, a hint of dejection flashing in his eyes.

His spiritual power was rapidly depleted, as if something was being drawn from his body. Especially those two times just now, the feeling was already quite unpleasant.

Ten times is his limit.

Duan Rong has stopped. He will not use this move lightly unless he is on the verge of death.

Standing beside the misty stream, he could clearly sense that if he used it again, he would likely faint. Although he wouldn't lose his soul on the tenth attempt, he was already on the verge of doing so.

Duan Rong used the Bloodlight Escape technique nine times to verify whether it was as he estimated, and that he could use it a maximum of ten times.

As for the final tenth experiment, he decided not to continue, as there was no need to make himself faint in this desolate wilderness.

With a thought, Duan Rong's Three Flowers Gathering at the Top of His Head formed instantly. He suddenly rose into the air, stirring up the mist in the valley. He flew high into the sky and headed towards the Lü family residence.

Meanwhile, deep within these endless mountains, dusk had fallen, and the boundless, deep night was enveloping them from all directions.

When Duan Rong returned to his own courtyard, dim lanterns were already hanging under the eaves.

He walked into the courtyard, raised his eyes, and headed towards the east wing.

Xiao Yu and the others had just finished eating and sat down after a busy day. At the dressing table, Zhu Xiaoqi was helping her remove her makeup, gently taking off one of Xiao Yu's hairpins.

Just then, Duan Rong wearily lifted the curtain and walked in.

Duan Rong suddenly entered, startling the two of them.

After all, he hadn't been inside the courtyard for more than ten days, and neither Xiao Yu nor Zhu Xiaoqi expected him to come back so late.

Duan Rong glanced at them briefly before walking straight to the bed, where he lay down on the soft mattress and murmured, "Xiao Yu, I'm thirsty. Get me some soup."

Xiao Yu immediately got up, looked at Zhu Xiaoqi, and said, "Xiaoqi, cook a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup."

"Yes, Miss." Zhu Xiaoqi glanced curiously at Duan Rong on the bed before hurrying away.

Xiao Yu walked to the bedside, grabbed Duan Rong's boots, and gently took them off.

She placed one boot beside the bed, glanced at the listless Duan Rong, and asked with concern, "Husband, why are you so tired today?!"

Duan Rong was always full of energy and vigor; Xiao Yu had never seen Duan Rong so listless before.

Duan Rong said, "I got tired from practicing martial arts."

Xiao Yu's eyes flickered, and she said, "Aunt Yue brought some freshly picked mountain fruits today. We ate some, and they tasted quite good. Would you like some?"

Duan Rong said, "Alright. I'm thirsty, I'll eat some to moisten my throat."

Xiao Yu smiled gently, then got up and went to the hall to bring over the plate of mountain fruits.

She peeled the mountain fruit with a knife, then took the peeled fruit to the bedside and fed it to Duan Rong bite by bite.

Duan Rong looked exhausted and ate the mountain fruit almost with his eyes closed.

After that, Xiao Yu gently massaged Duan Rong's legs. As Xiao Yu gently relaxed his muscles, Duan Rong's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

At this moment, Zhu Xiaoqi walked in carrying a bowl of cooked soup.

Xiao Yu turned her head and glanced at it, then said, "Put it on that table. Xiao Qi, go and fetch a basin of hot water."

After Zhu Xiaoqi left, Xiao Yu got up and walked to the table. She picked up the bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, took a small sip, and tested the temperature. It felt a little hot.

Xiao Yu carried the soup bowl and slowly walked to the bedside, saying softly, "Husband, the soup is ready. Here, have a sip."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong raised his eyelids slightly. Xiao Yu then blew on the soup in the spoon and brought it to Duan Rong's lips. Duan Rong lay there and slurped a mouthful.

After Xiao Yu fed Duan Rong three mouthfuls, Duan Rong waved his hand, refusing to drink anymore.

Xiao Yu put the soup bowl back on the table. At this moment, Zhu Xiaoqi brought in the hot water.

Xiao Yu said, "Xiao Qi, go ahead. I'll call you if anything happens."

Zhu Xiaoqi squatted down at the door and bowed, saying, "Yes, Miss."

After Zhu Xiaoqi left, Xiao Yu went to the bedside and helped Duan Rong undress. Then she used a towel soaked in hot water to wash Duan Rong's body.

After wiping his body with hot water, Duan Rong clearly felt that his fatigue had been greatly reduced.

Xiao Yu also took off her clothes, leaving only her undergarment. She sat on the bed, gently fanning Duan Rong with a small fan to create a fragrant breeze...

In this gentle fragrance, Duan Rong had already melted away and fallen into a deep sleep...

The next morning, as the dawn light streamed through the window, Duan Rong woke up leisurely. He turned his head and saw Xiao Yu sleeping beside him, her alluring body partially revealed beneath her seductive bodice.

Duan Rong lifted the blanket off himself, gently got up, and put on his clothes and shoes.

He dressed, stood by the bed, glanced at the sleeping Xiao Yu, then turned and slowly walked out of the east wing.

Xiao Yu served Duan Rong until he was about to rest, and then she herself did not go to sleep until the middle of the night.

As the daylight grew brighter, the light from the windows became increasingly glaring.

Xiao Yu finally woke up slowly. In her half-awake state, her mind was not yet clear, so she reached out to touch Duan Rong, only to find that the space next to her was empty.

She immediately opened her eyes and saw that the bed beside her was empty; Duan Rong was nowhere to be seen.

The clothes, shoes, and socks beside the bed were all gone.

Xiao Yu lay there somewhat dejectedly, staring blankly at the empty bed beside her...

Meanwhile, Duan Rong had already returned to his cultivation chamber beneath the artificial hill.

He sat cross-legged on a futon in the corner of the secret room, his mind already in his own spiritual sea of ​​consciousness.

He stood on the black earth of his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness, looking up at the clear and pure glass body sitting cross-legged in the center of the sky. At the center of the clear and pure glass body's brow, the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl emitted a faint light.

With a thought, Duan Rong appeared not far from the clear, glassy body in the center of the sky.

He stood there, gazing intently at the five-colored Ruyi Bead that sat between his brows, shimmering with a faint light…

A look of confusion suddenly flashed across Duan Rong's face.

Now that the eerie red light was no longer swirling around the surface of the five-colored Ruyi Pearl, he could clearly see that the Ruyi Pearl was emitting a faint glow as its five colors swirled.

What surprised and puzzled Duan Rong was that he could see the faint light emitted by the Ruyi Pearl with his eyes, but he could not sense it when their minds were connected.

In other words, Duan Rong could not sense the existence of that light.

The five-colored wish-fulfilling bead in my mind's perception only showed the five colors flowing, but did not emit that faint light.

This is also why Duan Rong did not discover any extraordinary features of the bead when they were connected in thought before. At that time, the faint light it emitted could not be perceived by thought, and its light was covered by that strange red light when seen with the naked eye.

At this moment, after the strange red light was refined, the true nature of the five-colored Ruyi Pearl was revealed.

But why is that?
"Why can't I sense this light?" Duan Rong observed for a long time, his eyes filled with even more doubt.

His connection with the bead was a higher level of perception than the naked eye; he could even capture the unfolding of the bead's inner world, yet he could not see the faint light it emitted.

This is too strange!

If it were the previous cloud of imagery, it would be impossible. With their minds connected, the cloud of imagery was clearly visible in Duan Rong's perception, with no minute detail overlooked.

However, after the cloud of artistic conception condensed into a five-colored auspicious bead, Duan Rong could not perceive the faint light it emitted.

"This faint light, so mysterious and unpredictable, must be strange!" (End of Chapter)