One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

"Well done! Heavenly Frost Fist - Frosty Embrace of the Moon!" Nie Lingfeng's eyes sharpened, his legwork abruptly stopped, and a fierce light shone brightly on his fists. The icy, bone-chilling frost energy instantly erupted, meeting the straight-piercing whisk "spear"! He actually intended to use the extreme cold of the Heavenly Frost Fist to counter this heavy blow!

"boom!"

The fist collided with the tip of the whisk! Extreme cold and heavy energy clashed and annihilated each other! Nie Lingfeng felt an overwhelming force coming from him, and the frost on his fist was shattered layer by layer by the solid force of the whisk! He groaned and his body slid back several feet again, carving two deep furrows under his feet!

"Though frost is sharp, it freezes when it encounters a mountain and melts when it encounters fire. Strength must be concentrated at one point to break through the solid." With a flick of his wrist, the old master's solid whisk "spear" dispersed again, turning into thousands of strands, like spring breeze and rain, gently brushing towards Nie Lingfeng, who had just regained his footing.

"Concentrate on one point..." A flash of inspiration struck Nie Lingfeng! That's it! Although he had pushed the cold energy of the Heavenly Frost Fist to its limit just now, the power was too dispersed. Faced with the Old Master's extremely concentrated attack, it was naturally difficult to resist! In order to break through this whisk that combines softness and strength, he had to concentrate his power to the limit as well, and break through the surface with a single point!

"Mysterious Tortoise True Skill - Sea Suppression Style!" Nie Lingfeng stopped dodging, instead lowering his stance and concentrating all his power into his right fist! Crimson-gold light and frosty-white gleam began to slowly merge on his fist, and a peculiar aura, heavy as a mountain and icy as black ice, began to spread! His entire aura changed from its previous violent and swift pace to a calm and profound one, as if he had transformed into an ancient and unyielding iceberg!

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in the old master's eyes, clearly not expecting that Nie Lingfeng could initially fuse two completely different powers and states of mind in such a short time! The whisk in his hand continued its course, and thousands of strands still gently brushed towards Nie Lingfeng, but the force contained in that gentleness was even more solid than before!

"Break!" Nie Lingfeng shouted, and his fist, which gathered all his strength, was unleashed! There was no grand momentum, no dazzling light, only an extremely heavy and extremely cold fist intent, as if it wanted to suppress the four seas and freeze everything!

"Boom!"

The force of the fist collided with the whisk threads once more! This time, there was no earth-shattering roar, only a muffled, heart-palpitating boom! On Nie Lingfeng's fist, the interwoven crimson gold and frosty white light flashed intensely, frantically eroding and impacting the seemingly delicate whisk threads! And the Old Master's whisk threads were no longer simply gently deflecting the force; they too erupted with an extremely refined and powerful force!

Two equally condensed forces clashed fiercely at a single point! Nie Lingfeng trembled violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth again, but his eyes shone with a frightening brightness! He felt that his punch had truly shaken the Old Master's whisk-wielding energy! Although it was only a trace, it was a breakthrough!

"Snap!"

A soft, almost inaudible cracking sound rang out! The seemingly ordinary whisk in the old master's hand actually developed a tiny crack at the very tip of its whisk under Nie Lingfeng's punch, which had gathered all his strength!

The surprise in the old master's eyes flashed by, then turned into deep admiration! With a slight flick of his wrist, the solid force of the whisk receded like a tide, and the whisk threads returned to their softness. With a gentle flick, he dissipated the remaining force on Nie Lingfeng's fist.

"Good! Very good!" The old master put away his whisk, looking at the few cracked strands of dust. Instead of being angry, he laughed heartily. "To be able to injure even a fraction of your strength with my 'Softening Fingers' whisk, young friend Ling Feng, you have made rapid progress in these three days! Especially your control and concentration of power, which have already reached a high level!"

Panting, Nie Lingfeng withdrew his fist, looking at the faint white marks on his knuckles left by the whisk, and the churning blood and qi within his body, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Worth it! This punch was worth it! Although he was still completely suppressed, and although his injuries were not light, he clearly touched upon that realm—the realm of perfectly fusing and condensing different powers into a single point!

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Nie Lingfeng bowed deeply, this time with genuine gratitude. Without the guidance and encouragement of a top master like the Master, he would never have achieved such a breakthrough in such a short time.

"It's because you have excellent comprehension and great perseverance." The old master waved his hand, looking at Nie Lingfeng with eyes full of satisfaction. "In the path of martial arts, the master leads you in, but the cultivation is up to you. You can constantly break through your limits under pressure, integrate various martial arts, and forge your own path. This is the greatest fortune. Continue on, and your future will be limitless."

"I will certainly do my best!" Nie Lingfeng said solemnly.

"Well, that's enough for today." The old master glanced at the sky, then at the wounds on Nie Lingfeng's body and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, and smiled. "Go back and recuperate well. Come back in three days. Oh, right," he added, as if remembering something, "go back and tell Xiaoyun that the runes engraved on the outer wall of my purple copper Bagua furnace in my alchemy room are made with a special mixture of cinnabar and gold powder, and are quite precious. They can't be used as a canvas for random scribbles. If she likes to draw, have Lingyu find her some paper and brushes."

The smile on Nie Lingfeng's face froze again.

The alchemy furnace... the outer wall... the runes... used as a drawing board to scribble on? ! ∑(っ°Д°;)っ

"Old...Old Celestial Master...you mean...Xiao Yun, she..." Nie Lingfeng's voice trembled slightly.

"Hehe, yesterday she pestered Lingyu to 'visit' the alchemy room. While Lingyu wasn't looking, she dipped her finger in the spilled medicinal residue and juice and drew a few... rather abstract patterns on the furnace." The old master stroked his beard, chuckling, seemingly not angry at all. "By the time Lingyu discovered it, it was already mostly finished. Luckily, the medicinal residue and juice weren't difficult to clean, and the furnace was unharmed. Just a reminder, keep a close eye on her and don't let her go back to the alchemy room to 'create' anything. There are some things in there that you absolutely cannot touch."

Nie Lingfeng's feelings at this moment could only be described as "a stampede of horses." How long had he been gone? And this little devil had already extended his creative claws to the Old Celestial Master's alchemy room?! And he was even using medicinal dregs and juices to paint on the purple copper Eight Trigrams Furnace?! (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻

"Yes...yes! This junior will definitely keep a close watch on her! I will never let her come near the alchemy room again!" Nie Lingfeng practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, feeling that the joy he had just experienced from his martial arts breakthrough had instantly vanished in an instant by this "bad news".

Taking care of a child! It's absolutely the most terrifying ordeal in the world! Without a doubt! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

The days flew by amidst the chaotic daily routines and the bittersweet competition. In the blink of an eye, Nie Lingfeng, along with Chen Duo and Xiao Yun, had been living on Longhu Mountain for nearly a month and a half.

For Nie Lingfeng, the past month and a half was like experiencing both extremes: intense heat and rapid progress in martial arts, the exhaustion of raising a child and the guidance of a grandmaster.

Xiao Yun's "destructive power" and "creativity" are increasing day by day. After experiencing "abstract ink mud paintings," "graffiti on medicine dregs and alchemy furnaces," "dark cuisine of rainbow mud balls," and several "deep explorations" of Zhang Lingyu's crane, Taoist robe, and even whisk (thankfully rescued in time), Nie Lingfeng has developed a strong heart that remains "unfazed even when Mount Tai collapses before him" (specifically referring to Xiao Yun's mischief). Now, when he sees Xiao Yun squatting in a corner "preaching" to an ant nest (trying to make the ants line up), or trying to weave a "garland" with Chen Duo's Gu worms (strictly forbidden and quickly retrieved by Chen Duo) and wildflowers, he can calmly step forward for "rational communication" (usually ending in failure) or "emergency evacuation" (picking Xiao Yun up and moving her away from the danger). ( ´▽｀)

Chen Duo's changes were more internal and heartening. The pallor on her face had faded considerably, and her breathing had become increasingly steady and long. Although she still spoke little and showed few expressions, her patience and care for Xiao Yun could almost be described as meticulous. She would silently clean up the mess Xiao Yun made after her "creations," and would mend the torn hem of Xiao Yun's clothes with clumsy but earnest needlework. She would promptly stop Xiao Yun when she tried to put strange things in her mouth, and persuade (or frighten) Xiao Yun with calm but effective words (usually, "You'll get a stomachache and have to drink bitter medicine"). She even began to learn to identify some basic herbs from Zhang Lingyu, although her main purpose seemed to be to prevent Xiao Yun from accidentally eating strange plants from the mountain. The sense of alienation she once had from the world seemed to be gradually worn away in this mundane (not really) daily life, replaced by a quiet, integrated naturalness.

Nie Lingfeng himself underwent the most significant transformation. His sparring sessions with the Old Celestial Master every three days were nothing short of transformative trials. Initially, he could only barely withstand the Old Celestial Master's casual attacks, relying on the strength of his Qilin True Body and the ability to switch between various martial arts techniques to stay afloat. Later, he gradually began to integrate the speed of the Wind God Leg, the versatility of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, the ferocity of the Heavenly Frost Fist, the power of the Xuanwu True Skill, and the ferocity of the Qilin bloodline, creating his own rhythm in combat. Still later, he could even occasionally find a chance to counterattack under the Old Celestial Master's exquisite whisk, although he was still completely suppressed, each improvement was clearly visible.

His progress, especially in controlling and refining power, has been phenomenal. Now, he can seamlessly integrate several different elemental powers into his moves, his initial ferocity and impetuosity replaced by a composed and refined ease. The newly formed crimson-gold power within him has also become purer and more docile through repeated practice and fusion, flowing with effortless grace.

Today is the day of our agreed-upon final sparring session.