My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

At the time, he still fantasized about whether he would have such an opportunity, which is why he was so determined to follow Ye Qingfeng when he met him.

Although the immortal master did not teach him immortal techniques, he understood the principle that techniques should not be passed on lightly, and that it could not be rushed.

But now, a method to attain immortality was placed before him, and his breathing inevitably became rapid.

He opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time, just staring at the jade slip, his eyes almost glowing green.

Shen Zhaoyue watched from the side, somewhat surprised, but quickly regained her composure.

Ye Qingfeng weighed the jade slip in his hand and looked at Lü Yang:

"Want to learn?"

Lü Yang nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"Yes! Yes! Of course I want to!"

Ye Qingfeng then looked at Shen Zhaoyue:

"And you?"

Shen Zhaoyue paused for a moment, then shook her head:

"I use a knife, not a sword."

Ye Qingfeng shook his head slightly:

"This jade slip contains not only sword techniques, but also the fundamental methods of cultivating Qi. Anyone who cultivates must begin with cultivating Qi."

He looked at Shen Zhaoyue, his tone flat:

"Don't you want to give it a try?"

Shen Zhaoyue remained silent for a moment.

She looked down at the azure flying sword in her hand, then at the jade slip, and finally shook her head:

"I practice with a sword. I've been practicing for over ten years, and I can't change it."

She paused, then said:

"Besides, I already have enough luck with official positions. To practice this would be like biting off more than I can chew."

Ye Qingfeng looked at her, a hint of barely perceptible approval flashing in his eyes.

This woman was indeed different from ordinary people.

He didn't try to persuade him further, but simply nodded and looked at Lü Yang:

"And you? Do you really want to learn, or do you just want to learn how to fly on a sword?"

Lu Yang was taken aback for a moment, then said seriously:

"Immortal Master, I truly want to learn! You've guided me along this journey, and I've seen and thought about so much. I've long understood that cultivation is not a trivial matter. If I'm going to truly learn, I'll learn properly and never give up halfway!"

Ye Qingfeng looked at him without saying a word.

Lu Yang felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly said:

"Immortal Master, rest assured, this disciple will definitely do my best! If I slack off, you...you can punish me!"

Ye Qingfeng's lips twitched slightly.

He handed the jade slip to Lü Yang:

"Take it."

Lu Yang accepted the jade slip with both hands, holding it as if it were some extraordinary treasure; his hands were trembling.

"Immortal Master, this...this is for me?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer, but stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"This jade slip can only be viewed with divine sense. You don't have divine sense right now, so you can't view it."

The smile on Lü Yang's face froze:

"Then...how should we look at it?"

Ye Qingfeng didn't speak, but gently tapped Lü Yang's forehead with his fingertip.

The information that his divine sense had just obtained from the jade slip entered Lü Yang's mind.

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.

But her face kept twitching.

He took a deep breath, solemnly put the jade slip into his robes, then knelt down and kowtowed three times to Ye Qingfeng:

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

......

Down the mountain, the flames had long since died out.

It didn't gradually fade away; rather, shortly after Ye Qingfeng and the other two disappeared into the darkness, the golden-red flames gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared completely.

Only a faint scorch mark remained on the ground, forming a perfect circle, as if someone had drawn a circle on the ground with a charcoal pencil.

Several hunters stood in the circle, looking at each other in bewilderment.

The young hunter looked down at the scorch mark at his feet, then looked up at the dark forest all around him, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Big brother...this round...is it over?"

The bearded man glared at him:

"Destroy what? The Taoist priest said that as long as we don't leave this circle, nothing can hurt us. The mark under your foot is still there, which means the circle is still there."

The young hunter looked down at the scorch mark again and muttered to himself:

"But the fire's gone..."

The bearded man slapped him on the back of the head:

"What do you know? Do you think your brain can comprehend the Taoist priest's magic? Just because the fire is out doesn't mean it's gone. Is the heat still there?"

The young hunter was taken aback and carefully sensed it.

indeed.

The situation in this circle is different from the outside world.

The night wind outside was icy cold, and it felt like a knife scraping my face.

But inside this circle, it was warm and cozy, like sitting next to a campfire.

Even though the flames had gone out and only a scorch mark remained on the ground, the heat still lingered, warmly enveloping them and keeping out the chill of the night.

What's even stranger is that although the heat was warm, it wasn't hot at all.

If you put your hand near the scorch mark, you can feel a distinct heat wave, but when you put your hand on it, nothing happens.

The young hunter cautiously reached out and peered beyond the scorch mark.

The moment his fingertip pierced the line, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, making him shiver.

He quickly pulled his hand back, and the warmth enveloped him again.

He stared blankly at his hands, then at the invisible "wall," and murmured:

"Big brother... this circle is still around..."

The bearded man snorted:

"Of course. Could the Taoist priest's magic be fake?"

Another hunter remarked:

"That Taoist priest is truly a living deity... This circle, though invisible and intangible, is able to protect us..."

The young hunter nodded repeatedly, then couldn't help but ask:

"Brother, who exactly is that Taoist priest? That circle he drew just now, and that wine, that inner elixir... I've lived for thirty years and never seen anything like it..."

The bearded man was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"I don't know their background. But I do know that we've met a true deity today."

The hunters fell silent.

They stood in the invisible circle of flames, gazing in the direction where the three had disappeared, feeling both awe and relief.

The night wind whistled through the mountains and forests.

In the distance, a tiger's roar could be faintly heard.

The hunters felt a chill, but none of them moved.

They believed the Taoist priest's words.

As long as they stay within this circle, nothing can hurt them.

......

Deep in the mountains, several dark figures were creeping towards them.

The one leading the way was the old fox.

Its fur had faded to a dark brown, appearing dull and unremarkable in the moonlight. Behind it followed two ghosts, a man and a woman, their faces pale and their eyes vacant, floating in mid-air with their feet not touching the ground.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" the old fox urged in a high-pitched voice.

"The king said those hunters are in the ravine ahead. If we do a good job, we'll be rewarded when we get back."

The two ghostly companions didn't speak, but simply sped up and floated forward.

The old fox ran while calculating.

The king sent it down with two cougars to deal with those hunters.

Those hunters who dared to go up the mountain to hunt tigers are quite bold. The king's intention is to make an example of them, to let them know whose territory this mountain is.

It wasn't worried about the hunters. They were just ordinary people; two ghouls could handle them. It didn't even need to lift a finger; it could just watch from the sidelines.

After this matter is finished, we'll go back to collect our reward. If the king is in a good mood, he might even give us something nice...