That's enough.
The matter concluded, everyone began to discuss the new item enthusiastically.
"Bro, can you 'Teleport' like swish, swish, swish non-stop and keep refreshing the shield?"
Li Changzhou initiated the Teleportation, a vortex forming in front of him, taking one second.
He then turned off the Teleportation and said,
"It's not practical in combat, it opens too slowly. In a fight between experts, thousands of attacks can be launched in one second. Besides, Teleportation can't overlap with my original position; it requires some distance, and that's also a downside for me. I also need reaction time for constantly changing positions."
"How about long-distance raids?" Turquoise Pool mused, "Seeing the enemy and teleporting right up to their face, using that second of the shield for a fierce attack."
"Shall we try?"
"Sure."
The two stood up, distancing themselves because Li Changzhou was just an ordinary person now. Hence, Turquoise Pool lightly tapped her toes, and like a butterfly, she landed on the edge of the Bird Nest Plain, her white hair ethereally dancing like snow.
A vortex unfurled behind Li Changzhou.
Li Qianxia watched intently while scooping melon into her mouth, as Yang Qinglan carved a peach with the Emerald Bee Sword as if it were a fruit knife.
Boom! Breaking through space, Li Changzhou appeared to Turquoise Pool's left almost like a raid.
Rumble, as if thunder struck his spine, a glint flashed through Li Changzhou's eyes.
Pop!
His right fist shot towards Turquoise Pool like lightning.
Laughing so hard her stomach hurt, Turquoise Pool slightly shifted her body to dodge Li Changzhou's punch. The moment his shield disappeared, her slender white hand caught his left fist.
"Weak and soft, you—" she laughed.
Another flash of lightning, Li Changzhou's left fist, now enveloped, snapped forward like five iron spikes!
She too spread her fingers to meet his, utterly unimpressed by his strike.
—So you're this naughty when Qing Lan can't see? Or do you prefer playing with me in front of Qing Lan?
"...I'm done." Li Changzhou withdrew his left hand.
As they separated, Turquoise Pool subtly and imperceptibly slid her fingers along his index finger.
—It's you who likes to play in front of Qing Lan! (Li Changzhou projected his thoughts to her)
"Mhmm!" Turquoise Pool nodded eagerly, her heart beating wildly. That move just now made her involuntarily think of combat.
Would she have to use her hands like that in the future?
Li Changzhou wouldn't expect her to use her mouth, would he?
The two returned to the dining table.
"Is it feasible?" Li Qianxia asked.
"Probably," Turquoise Pool pondered, "but I can only guarantee it would work on an Immortal, not sure about an Earth Immortal."
"When facing an enemy stronger than oneself, it's better to adopt a more prudent approach," said Yang Qinglan as she cut a peach into slices and delicately placed one in her mouth with her knife.
It wasn't the most elegant way to eat, but she made it look delightful.
"For the 'Candle', it'll consume 2000 points of energy each time. Qian Xia can ignite it once with the 'Flame Butterfly', but we also need to consider how to quickly replenish mana," said Li Changzhou.
"I've looked already," said Turquoise Pool, "the Special Warfare Bureau either doesn't have it or won't sell such items. There are some Elixir Pills, but they're useless for an Immortal."
Qi Aura can speed up recovery, but on the battlefield, it's still too slow.
"I'll try to see if I can use Qi Aura for Alchemy," said Yang Qinglan.
"I'll pay attention to the abilities of Tribulation Players recently and have Yafeiluna keep an eye out too," said Li Changzhou.
Yafeiluna would also help collect materials, artifacts, Identity Cards, intelligence, and so on.
"I've asked someone to look into it on my end too," said Turquoise Pool, pinching a blueberry with her fingers, "by the way, once we regain our strength, let's go look for the Eternal Spring together. The Jade Engraving still reacts in modern times."
When she ate the blueberry on her fingertip, she licked her finger, making Li Changzhou's eyelids twitch—she was using the hand that had interlocked with his.
This person was indeed very dangerous; he must not get close to her, Li Changzhou warned himself internally.
The four of them chatted into the night and, being in a weakened state, went to bed early.
Then, Li Changzhou Teleported to Yang Qinglan's room.
She was still awake, pondering over the Faith Law she was considering exchanging, randomly manipulating the Emerald Bee Sword in her hand.
"Working so hard?" Li Changzhou whispered.
Yang Qinglan looked up and smiled faintly.
With a flick of her finger, the room became a simple heaven-and-earth furnace, isolated from the outside unless forced, keeping whats happening inside a secret.
"Did you come to sleep with me?" she asked with a smile.
"That's exactly why I came," Li Changzhou walked over.
The two lay in bed, Li Changzhou nestled behind Yang Qinglan.
It wasn't until the sky was about to lighten that they finished, neither of them had slept, so they simply cuddled and chatted together.
"Once we find an item that accelerates time, we'll have a child?"
"It would be better if the child could grow up outside."
"Outside?"
She curled up in Li Changzhou's arms like a small animal, a few strands of her hair tickling his lips. Seeing her like this, Li Changzhou couldn't help but hug her even tighter.
As the dawn approached, Li Changzhou got out of bed, Yang Qinglan watched from beneath the covers as he dressed.
Li Changzhou had a well-proportioned figure and tight muscles that mesmerized any woman who saw him.
Li Changzhou himself felt a bit embarrassed being watched.
After getting dressed, he couldn't resist kissing Yang Qinglan and then teleported back to his own room.
Coming out of his room, he walked to the center of the plain. He thought about the previous night for a moment before inhaling deeply and activating "Concentration."
Once in "Concentration," Li Changzhou's wild thoughts instantly reined in.
He first practiced the stance for Sun-shooting Divine Fist for a while, facing the rising sun, posturing as if to shoot down the morning light.
Staring down the sun, he honed his spirit and refined his intent behind the fist.
Only when the sun fully rose above the horizon and he could no longer withstand its fierce rays, did he stop and began to recover his mana by holding a luminous qi stone.
He didn't use "Primordial Fetal Absorption," as it required someone to watch over him, which would interrupt another person's cultivation.
By this time, Yang Qinglan, Li Qianxia, and Turquoise Pool had already risen, each recovering and cultivating on their own.
When hungry, they'd consume vegetable elixir pills instead of wasting time eating, turning the honey jar world into something like a study room, where the four of them each sat in a corner in silence, immersing themselves in their learning.
The Chaos Yang Snake flared its nostrils, drawing in the luminous qi, while the Giant Kun opened its abyss-like mouth. Together, the stone in their hand rapidly shrank.
As his mana gradually returned, Li Changzhou's aura began to climb, and the slightly cool air warmed and became comfortable.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as needles fixed straight ahead.
Rustle, rustle...
Spatial disturbances rustled as if someone were fumbling with the paper on the windows in the dead of night.
Li Changzhou felt a chill down his spine; he'd had a glimmer of this feeling when he returned to Earth!
Back then, he hadn't taken it seriously, assuming it was just the strangeness he felt from seeing the world as a normal person again after a long time.
What on earth was it?
It seemed vaguely familiar...
As Li Changzhou gathered his thoughts to remember, a voice suddenly echoed in his heart.
[It's an Ancient God, a Space Life Form, it has followed you here.]
'And who are you?' Li Changzhou asked, composed on the outside, yet his inner world was tumultuous.
The voice also sounded somewhat familiar...
[As your mana recovers, as the energy within you is replenished, your presence becomes more noticeable, making it easier for It to locate you.]
In Li Changzhou's mind's eye, a spotless and beautiful woman in white appeared, strikingly resembling Guanyin!
...