Inside the cool cave, the woman pressed her long sword against the young man's throat, creating a strange and perilous scene. The cool sensation transmitted through his throat caused small bumps to rise all over Xiao Yan's body. Gently lifting her hand, she offered a clear, slightly bitter smile. "I haven't done anything to you." Upon hearing this, the delicate flush on Yun Ji's pale face warmed slightly. In her heart, she thought fiercely: You haven't done it—yet what difference does it make between what you've done and what she's imagined? Her eyes sparkled, yet the long sword in her hands remained motionless. Her gaze shifted suddenly, catching the faint red palm印 on Xiao Yan's face—clearly the spot where the loud claps had echoed earlier in the cave. Fixing her somewhat comical palm prints, the icy gaze of Yun Zhi softened slightly. After a long while, she sighed wearily, lowered her long sword with a sense of resignation, and walked inward toward the cave. As she passed by Xiang Yan, brushing shoulders with him, she murmured softly, "Let's just treat today's events as if they never happened. Otherwise, it won't do you any good." Standing still, gazing at Yun Zhi's graceful, alluring silhouette retreating into the cave, Xiang Yan exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. A touch of helpless bitterness curled at the corner of his mouth. Indeed, such incidents should have been forgotten. Compared to her status, he truly felt like the frog sitting in a well—though he had briefly caught a glimpse of the swan when it was in distress, he had been fortunate enough to meet her. But once the swan recovered and returned to the vast sky, that became her true home. And the frog remained, still squatting in the well, gazing up at the sky. A Duke-level achievement was a chasm that was hard to cross—perhaps Xiao Yan might one day bridge it, but not now. Moreover, this proud and noble woman would never believe that a young man with merely a Fighter's strength could reach that level, even if his talent was strong; after all, it wasn't a necessary condition for becoming a Duke-level warrior. "Ah, like the spring dreams fading without trace..." Xiao Yan gently shook his head, then slowly stepped into the cave, gazing at the reserved expression on her face. He raised his shoulders, closed his eyes, and began to dissolve the cloud mushroom's seal, then settled down beside her to meditate on his Qi. As the two remained silent, the cave fell into a quiet, awkward stillness. After today's events, it seemed they would never return to the harmonious rapport they once shared. The quiet atmosphere persisted until midday. During this time, Xiao Yan went out again and returned with several fish, then sat by the fire, idly rolling the wooden sticks, when suddenly he raised his head with a sense of awareness—and found himself meeting the bright, lively gaze of Yun Zhi. The two exchanged a brief glance, then quickly pretended not to have noticed, shifting their eyes away. After rolling the fish once more, Xiao Yan took one and offered it to Yun Zhi. "Have it. I'm not hungry," Yun Zhi said softly, lowering her eyelids. Yet as soon as the words left her lips, she felt a slight tightening in her abdomen, though she remained resolute, closing her eyes and refusing to acknowledge the protest of her stomach. "Don't worry," Xiao Yan said, smiling at Yun Zhi, who had declined the offering, "I've already lost that bottle." Opening her eyes, Yunzhi saw the young man standing by the fire, smiling warmly. A softness flickered in her gaze—undeniably, Xiao Yan's refined features, matched with his age, gave him a particularly harmless, approachable air. Fixing her attention on the grilled fish, Yunzhi recalled that all this had stemmed from her own grilled fish. The young man, in fact, had merely suffered an undeserved misfortune—though such misfortunes were typically borne willingly by any man. She sighed gently, then reached out to take the grilled fish from before her. As her lips parted to touch it, the young man suddenly spoke, "It's a bit hot—be careful." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yunzhi blinked in surprise, then gave him a withering look, saying, "Have you ever seen a Duke-level warrior care about such a slight temperature?" With a slightly embarrassed smile, Xiao Yan picked up the fish and devoured it eagerly. Chewing slowly and tearing off pieces of fish to bring them to his mouth, perhaps the off-the-wall concern from Xiao Yan earlier had eased Yun Zhi's mood. After swallowing, she said softly, "Tomorrow, I should be able to break the seal." Her mouth, which had been vigorously chewing, suddenly paused. Xiao Yan swallowed the food in his mouth and exhaled gently. For some reason, he always felt that once Yun Zhi once again became a fully-fledged Duke-level warrior, the subtle connection between them would inevitably dissolve. Then, she would remain a lofty Duke-level warrior, while he would still be just a struggling rookie striving to reach the level of a Battle Master—two paths that might never truly intersect again. With this thought, Xiao Yan found the delicious grilled fish suddenly bland. He finished it off in three or four bites, speaking vaguely, "Really? Then congratulations." "Once I regain my strength, I'll go find the Purple Crystal Wing Lion King again." "As if she hadn't noticed Xiang Yan's mood, Yun Zhi went on speaking to herself. "I actually hope you remain sealed by it for good..." Suddenly, Xiang Yan, who had been intently chewing on the fish, blurted out a sentence. Upon hearing this, Yun Zhi raised her brows sharply and angrily slammed the roasted fish she was holding straight at Xiang Yan, scolding, "You're such a pessimist—what do you keep saying?" Receiving the flying fish in her hands, Xiang Yan looked at the small tooth marks on the fish, smiled, and slowly began to chew it with the care of a treasure. Watching Xiang Yan constantly flipping the fish over and over, as if eating it again and again, Yun Zhi's delicate cheeks flushed gently. She lightly spat, "Eat then—starve you to death!" After finishing the roasted fish, Xiang Yan belched contentedly and turned his head to ask, "Though it may sound like mere small talk, I still wanted to ask—do you need anything from me?" "Heard this, Yun Zhi paused slightly and nodded gently, her eyes scanning Xiang Yan's expression of surprise. "The Purple Spirit Crystal is usually kept within the cave of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. I originally planned to sneak into that cave last time, but I was eventually detected. Once I recover my strength tomorrow, I'll lure the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King away again. As for you—I'd like to invite you into the lion king's cave to help me locate the Purple Spirit Crystal." "I'm happy to assist with that," Xiang Yan said, spreading his hands. "However, I'm only a Battle Rank warrior. To be honest, this might sound a bit embarrassing, but within this Mountain of Beasts, even a single three-stage beast that emerges at random could easily overpower me." "You needn't worry about that," she replied. "Once I break the seal tomorrow, I'll use a special technique to grant you a temporary boost in strength. With that strength, you should be able to reach the inner parts of the cave. After all, few other beasts dare to enter the lion king's cave." "Yun Zhi said. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. "Wear this crystal on your body. As soon as you approach the Purple Spirit Crystal, it will warm up. Simply rely on the intensity of the heat to find your way." From a jade ring on her finger, Yun Zhi took out a small rhombus-shaped crystal and handed it to Xiao Yan with a smile. Receiving the crystal, Xiao Yan attached it to his neck and smiled up at her. "I'll do my best." Seeing Xiao Yan's smile, Yun Zhi nodded gently. After saying this, the two seemed to have no further topics, and the atmosphere once again grew quiet. "You rest now. I need to practice a bit more." Breaking the silence, Xiao Yan smiled at Yun Zhi and then sat cross-legged on the stone platform, closing his eyes and entering a meditative state. Sitting on the bed, Yun Zhi gazed at the boy's refined face, and after a long while, sighed softly before slowly lying down, murmuring quietly to herself, "Sleep now. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will have slipped your mind." As the quiet within the stone cave gradually deepened, it was only after a long while that Xiao Yan, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them. He turned his head slightly to gaze at Yunzhi, who lay on the stone bed like a sleeping beauty, and then slowly descended from the stone platform to stand beside the bed. His gaze swept over the graceful and alluring curves, finally settling on the beautiful face, with its delicate willow brows slightly furrowed. Fixing his eyes on that face—perhaps one he would never be able to gaze upon so directly again—he paused. After a moment, he withdrew a large black robe from his storage amulet, gently laid it over Yunzhi’s body, and then turned to face the mountain cave’s entrance. With the night being the peak time for wild beasts to emerge, he had to remain ever on guard. As Xiao Yan turned around, Yunzhi, who had been quietly sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes and gazed steadily at the figure now carrying an odd, massive black staff, slowly fading into the darkness beyond the cave. Her jade hands gently traced the black robe covering her, and the serene calm within her heart stirred with quiet ripples. "Oh..." A soft sigh echoed within the cave, gradually fading away. His gaze swept over Yunzhi, and Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, then turned and asked, "The seal—has it been broken?" "Indeed," Yunzhi nodded gently. Her form subtly shifted, and when she reappeared, she had already stepped directly in front of Xiao Yan. Lowering her gaze, she fixed her eyes on the young man's face, saying, "Let's go. Once we're outside, I'll temporarily enhance your strength." With that, she turned and began walking toward the entrance of the cave, her graceful steps elegant and alluring.