Feeling that there was nothing more to discuss, Gu Qinghe stepped onto his flying sword and shot across the rolling hills, heading back toward the Winter Region.
Gu Han had no intention of staying any longer at the Yin-Yang Sect.
The relationship between the Gu Clan and that sect was far too complicated, always leaving him uneasy.
His objective had already been fulfilled—informing Qinghe about Wang Yunxi, delivering the letter, and personally observing his reaction.
The result was exactly as expected.
Without wasting any time, Gu Han left the sect together with two guards from the Gu Clan.
High in the air, Gu Qinghe suddenly turned his head sharply. His hand lifted as qi surged outward, forming a defensive barrier.
A blue sword shot out from the forest below, right at the boundary between the Spring and Winter Regions.
CLANG!
Gu Qinghe deflected the strike perfectly. His body wasn't injured in the slightest.
"Who's there?!"
From among the trees, three cultivators at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage emerged, standing atop their flying swords.
Their auras clearly belonged to the Spring Region.
"Gu Qinghe!" one of them shouted angrily. "You dared to insult our senior, Xiao Yan!"
"I will never forgive you!"
He immediately formed hand seals. Blue runes flared to life, summoning hundreds of sword projections into the air.
Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he turned and accelerated toward the Winter Region.
There, the Yin element was far stronger—enough to suppress their power.
"Don't run!" they shouted as they chased after him.
Hundreds of swords flew forward at once, locking onto Gu Qinghe's body.
Their intent was obvious—to injure him so he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength in tomorrow's quarterfinals.
Gu Qinghe controlled his flying sword with extreme precision, dodging through the rain of attacks.
However, his opponents were no pushovers. With refined qi control, the swords constantly shifted direction, sealing off his escape routes.
Gu Qinghe came to an abrupt halt.
He realized he was completely surrounded.
Hand seals formed. The Golden Bell Technique activated, golden light enveloping his body.
Hundreds of swords slammed into the defense, colliding and bouncing away without a single one breaking through.
"You should understand this much," Gu Qinghe said coldly. "You won't be able to kill me."
"We don't need to kill you!" one cultivator shouted. "Crippling you is enough!"
All the sword energy converged. Hundreds of blue blades merged into a single giant sword, radiating razor-sharp pressure.
Gu Qinghe glanced at it calmly. Though they were only at Mid Foundation Establishment, their qi control was indeed efficient.
"Only Mid Foundation Establishment, yet you dare act so recklessly."
He altered the structure of the golden bell. His qi transformed, taking the shape of a golden dragon.
With a flick of his hand, the dragon coiled around the massive sword, slowing its advance.
When Gu Qinghe clenched his fist—
CRACK!
The blue sword shattered into countless fragments. The cultivator was blown backward, coughing up blood from the backlash.
"What kind of power is that?!"
"You two! Attack him!" he shouted in panic.
The remaining two cultivators moved at the same time. One activated a black-ink technique, while the other summoned a blazing fire spear.
Gu Qinghe sharpened his gaze.
If I'm careless, I could end up injured until tomorrow.
He formed hand seals—not to attack, but to defend.
Formation runes appeared beneath his feet, emitting a dazzling blue light.
"Eastern Wind Formation… activate!"
A violent gust exploded outward from within the formation, shaking all three cultivators.
Using a formation consumed a massive amount of qi, but it was enough to block the combined assault of ink and fire.
BLAST!
The explosion wiped out their attack—and shattered Gu Qinghe's formation as well. His body was pushed backward, his chest tightening from the recoil.
"What?! That's impossible!"
Gu Qinghe's eyes suddenly glowed gold. A transparent panel appeared before him.
[Heavenly Path Insight]
[Detecting physical fatigue and reduced qi reserves]
[Conclusion: Avoid prolonged combat]
[Do not use high-level techniques]
[Immediately cultivate and consume qi recovery pills]
[Probability of victory: 25%]
Gu Qinghe took a deep breath.
Not worth it.
Without hesitation, he turned and shot toward the Winter Region. His hand tapped his storage pouch—two qi recovery pills went straight into his mouth.
The effects were immediate. His flying sword accelerated sharply.
The three cultivators tried to pursue him, but the moment Gu Qinghe crossed into the Winter Region, they could do nothing.
For now, he had escaped.
However, the pills didn't restore everything.
The best option—cultivation.
On a snow-covered hill, Li Xiaoman turned her head when she sensed an approaching aura.
She saw Gu Qinghe land, his breathing heavier than usual.
"What happened to you?"
Gu Qinghe glanced at her briefly, then shook his head. "Nothing."
He didn't head to his room. Instead, he sat cross-legged on a rock—the same spot where Li Xiaoman usually cultivated.
His eyes closed, seals opened. The Silent-Yin Extraction Technique activated.
Li Xiaoman stared in confusion as Yin energy from the snowy hill surged into Gu Qinghe's body—the same technique as before.
"What kind of technique is that…?"
Suddenly, Gu Qinghe coughed up blood.
"What happened?!" Li Xiaoman asked in shock.
"I was attacked," Gu Qinghe replied without opening his eyes.
"By who?"
Gu Qinghe fell silent, then shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her—he simply felt she didn't need to be dragged into his troubles.
After a moment, he spoke softly, "I don't want to involve you. But be careful."
Li Xiaoman clenched her fists. For some reason, seeing Gu Qinghe injured made her uncomfortable.
To her, Gu Qinghe was someone she had to defeat herself. And if he was going to be injured, then she alone had the right to do it.
"They've gone too far," she said coldly. "Tomorrow, I'll defeat all of them."
Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and watched Li Xiaoman as she trained with renewed intensity. For a brief moment, he set aside his hostility.
If Li Xiaoman loses, I'll be the only one left in the Winter Region.
That wasn't a good situation.
Her abilities… have proven sufficient to help me later.
After some time, Gu Qinghe stopped cultivating. His body had almost fully recovered.
"Li Xiaoman."
She turned around. "What?"
Her cultivation level is the same as mine. Maybe… I can teach her a few techniques.
Gu Qinghe raised two fingers. Golden light flickered to life.
"Let's fight."