Zhao Wuji went around giving everyone water.
Tang Lan, meanwhile, was holding Zhu Zhuqing, letting her take small sips from his own water flask.
He pulled a clean cloth from his Blue King storage and laid it on the ground before gently placing her down.
Then, he took out a whole cured cow and had Zhao Wuji chop down a tree to start a barbecue.
Ten minutes later.
The team finally started to recover from their exhaustion.
But they were still too tired to talk, lying motionless on the ground.
It wasn't until the aroma of roasted beef wafted through the air, stirring their hunger, that they forced themselves up.
Their eyes followed the roasting meat, heads turning in sync with Tang Lan as he flipped the whole cow over the fire.
Finally, just as the meat was about to be fully cooked—
Tang San arrived late, still carrying Yu Xiaogang on his back.
Tang Lan sliced off a chunk of beef leg and announced:
"Alright, eat up."
Dai Mubai and the others rushed forward, tearing the roasted meat apart in seconds.
Zhao Wuji, who was just a little slower, was left staring at a pile of stripped bones in a daze.
Weren't you all exhausted?!
How were you still this fast?!
Then he looked over at Tang Lan—
Only to see that Tang Lan hadn't eaten at all.
Instead, he handed a roast beef leg to Yu Xiaogang.
The intention was for Yu Xiaogang to share it with Tang San.
But before Tang San could even recover his strength, Yu Xiaogang had already started eating—
He immediately took a huge bite, not even considering splitting it with Tang Lan, let alone Tang San.
Tang Lan simply smiled.
"Alright, you two share this."
Then, he casually returned to the fire to wait for Zhao Wuji's second batch of grilled lamb.
Just then—
Two pieces of roast beef were offered to him.
One from Zhu Zhuqing.
One from Ning Rongrong.
But there was a difference—
Zhu Zhuqing's was neatly sliced, prepared specifically for him.
Ning Rongrong's still had bite marks on it—she had sacrificed her own food when she saw that Tang Lan had nothing to eat.
It was...
Hard to judge.
One was thoughtful, having prepared in advance.
The other was selfless, willing to share.
Tang Lan immediately made his choice—he accepted Zhu Zhuqing's piece.
At the same time, he glanced at Ning Rongrong with disdain:
"Rongrong, you already chewed on that—just eat it yourself."
Ning Rongrong was furious!
She glared at Tang Lan, then angrily bit into her roast beef, ripping into it aggressively—
As if she were tearing him apart instead.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing remained calm and composed, quietly eating her own portion.
At that moment,
Tang San, having circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill, finally recovered his strength.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang eating so heartily, his expression twitched.
That was meant for me. And you just ate it all yourself?
But Yu Xiaogang felt no guilt at all—
As a teacher, wasn't he entitled to a piece of beef?
Tang San silently took out some dry rations and water, eating by himself.
But inside—
His opinion of Yu Xiaogang had dropped yet again.
Tang Lan, watching this silent exchange between master and disciple, couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Did they really think he chose to walk to Heaven Dou City just for training?
No!
His real goal was to tear this master-disciple pair apart.
—Only through direct, real-life interactions can someone's true nature be revealed.
And—
If there was a clear contrast, the process could be accelerated even more!
Tang Lan stood up and walked over to Tang San.
He grabbed the dry rations out of Tang San's hands and handed him his own roast beef.
"Eat this instead."
Tang San was deeply moved!
In the end,
only his real brother cared about him.
A teacher?That was nothing compared to family!
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Tang Lan didn't linger.
After doing his good deed, he turned and left—the embodiment of selfless love.
He wanted Tang San to slowly process everything on his own.
Just as he sat down—
Zhu Zhuqing handed him another piece of roast beef—she had cut half of her remaining portion and offered it to him.
Tang Lan smiled and accepted it.
Though Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, her actions spoke volumes.
It seemed that—
Xiao Wu's departure had made her realize an opportunity.
"Here!"
Ning Rongrong offered him another piece of roast beef.
This time, she had trimmed off the outer layer, leaving only the perfect center portion intact.
Tang Lan had no reason to refuse this time, so he reluctantly accepted it—
And then immediately handed it to Zhu Zhuqing.
"You used up a lot of energy—eat more."
—After all, she was carrying two extra weights.
Ning Rongrong was livid!
"So you're just using my gift to flatter someone else?!"
Unacceptable!
But she simply glared at Tang Lan, making no further moves.
She knew that her previous actions weren't impressive—
So Tang Lan favoring Zhu Zhuqing wasn't unfair.
Besides—
She had always been surrounded by admirers since childhood.
Tang Lan's indifference only made her more interested.
Soon,
Zhao Wuji's grilled lamb was ready, and everyone took portions according to their appetite.
Tang Lan clapped his hands together, summoning a Tang Sect Inn.
Everyone headed to their rooms and collapsed onto their beds.
—Today had been exhausting!
Tang Lan did the same.
Without Xiao Wu around, it actually felt a little strange.
Midnight.
Zhu Zhuqing silently slipped out of her room—
Only to walk straight into Ning Rongrong, who had been waiting for her.
"Zhuqing, what are you doing out so late?" Ning Rongrong asked sweetly, smiling.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer.
She simply turned back and shut her door, her cold expression tinged with a faint blush.
Her icy demeanor combined with her stunning figure—
An irresistible mix of allure and mystery.
As for why she had come out?
Naturally, it was to replace Xiao Wu and "cultivate" with Tang Lan!
—Of course, her definition of "dual cultivation."
Unfortunately—
Ning Rongrong, being extremely perceptive, had already guessed her intentions in advance.
Otherwise—
Who knew if Tang Lan's "cultivation accelerator" would have survived the night?
The Days That Followed—
Zhu Zhuqing's silent confessions became more and more obvious.
Every time she reached her physical limit, she would instinctively run toward Tang Lan—
Where she felt safe enough to push herself even further.
Because she knew—
Tang Lan would always catch her.
As for Ning Rongrong…
Her progress was practically nonexistent.
She was still dragged along by the Lifebound Blue Silver Emperor.
But instead of being discouraged—
It only fueled her fighting spirit even more.
Every night—
She stood guard in the living room.
She absolutely would not let Zhu Zhuqing sneak ahead!
Toward the end—
Zhu Zhuqing simply stopped trying.
She just slept straight through till morning.
The so-called alliance between her and Ning Rongrong...
Had quietly dissolved along with Xiao Wu's departure.
And so—
A month and a half passed.
When they finally saw Heaven Dou City in the distance—
Even the most composed and cold-hearted Zhu Zhuqing secretly sighed in relief.
—They had finally arrived!
After so many days of pushing past their mental and physical limits,
Everyone had been stretched to their breaking point.
But the results were undeniable—
Each person had gained one level, and their physical endurance had visibly improved.
Most importantly—
Their teamwork had skyrocketed!
Aside from Tang San,
Tang Lan, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, and Oscar had developed a level of coordination and synergy—
Which would be invaluable in future team battles.
Even from far away—
They could already see Ning Fengzhi waiting with Chen Xin at the city gates.
But what stood out even more—
Was the young man beside them.
With a warm and elegant demeanor,
Yet carrying an undeniable aura of nobility and authority.
Neither arrogant nor overly reserved,
Every movement exuded the grace of highborn nobility.
There was no need to ask—
A person like this, personally brought by Ning Fengzhi,
Could only be his disciple, the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Empire—
Xue Qinghe!
But Tang Lan knew the truth—
The real Xue Qinghe had long been dead.
The one standing here was just Qian Renxue,
Using a spirit bone ability to disguise herself.
She had wasted 20 years of her cultivation to infiltrate Heaven Dou Empire—
All for the sake of ensuring that, when Spirit Hall founded its empire,
She could seize Heaven Dou in one fell swoop.
And because of this—
For someone like Tang Lan, who possessed firearms and communication soul tools,
Qian Renxue would definitely try to win him over.
What did this mean?
It meant he could freeload a ton of benefits!
Thus—
Tang Lan didn't bother freshening up after the long journey.
With his team still covered in dust from the road,
He marched straight up to the city gates.
He grinned at Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin,
Jokingly calling out—
"Big Bro, Sword Uncle! Why'd you guys come all the way here? Was it because of Rongrong?"
"Hahaha! How could I not come to greet my little brother when he arrives in Heaven Dou?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly, stepping forward and embracing Tang Lan.
His luxurious robes picked up dust from Tang Lan's clothes, but he didn't mind at all.
Then, holding Tang Lan's hand, he turned toward Qian Renxue.
"Lan, let me introduce you—"
"This is His Highness, the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Empire—Xue Qinghe."
"He is also my disciple."
"Qinghe deeply admires your knowledge. The moment he heard you were arriving today, he came to wait at the city gates first thing in the morning."
Now, the sun was already setting.
Which meant—
He had been standing here for an entire day!
An undeniable display of sincerity.
Qian Renxue stepped forward,
Extending a hand toward Tang Lan for a handshake.
But before their hands could meet—
(End of Chapter)