"You--!" An Ran listened to this absurd reasoning, her face instantly a mix of crying and laughing without words, pointing at him, too angry to speak.

However, seeing Xiao Jie with that familiar mischievous smile, with an edge of roguishness, and eyes that differed from the previous day’s indifference, now brimming with lively energy, she faintly sensed something different.

"Something’s not right..." An Ran scrutinized Xiao Jie suspiciously, "Today you seem a bit... strange? Not sure, somehow... more alive? And even more... annoying!" She finally found an appropriate word.

"Just learned a new skill, gained some insight, and my mindset has changed," Xiao Jie vaguely explained, then shifted the topic, "By the way, you’re nearing level 10, right? I’m planning to head to Red Flame Peak in Flowing Fire State to visualize the Golden Crow, interested in joining and seeing what it’s about? We can also learn ’Qi Refining Skill’ on the way."

"Absolutely, yes!" As soon as spells and the Immortal Path were mentioned, An Ran’s attention was instantly diverted, her eyes glowing, immediately casting aside the earlier awkwardness and teasing.

"That ’Thousand Illusion Transformation Technique’ you gave me is truly exquisite! But some parts are too profound and mysterious, much of it leaves me feeling confused. However, even the basic content on the first few pages has benefited me greatly! I tried several times yesterday and managed to regain the lynx transformation!" She excitedly shared her achievements, and then asked worriedly, "Is ’Qi Refining Skill’ difficult to learn? What if I can’t master it?"

Xiao Jie looked at her expectant yet anxious expression and couldn’t help but smile with confidence, patting his chest: "No worries, isn’t that why I’m here? Guaranteed success!"

With that, he summoned a soft yet sturdy cloud, gently lifting both of them, swiftly soaring towards the distant direction of Konglao Mountain.

Konglao Mountain, as always, shrouded in mist, full of immortal energy. But unlike before, near the entry platform midway up the mountain, crude yet practical defense structures had appeared—wooden arrow towers and low walls of stacked rocks. There was even a squad of about ten NPC soldiers from Dragon Soaring Country, clad in standard leather armor, guarding and patrolling.

Dragon Soaring Guild clearly values this resource point at Konglao Mountain Skyfall Cave, which produces rare herbs and materials, and has consequently dispatched troops to take control.

Though in a remote location unlikely for players to pass by, soldiers have still been stationed.

Xiao Jie was not keen on interacting with these NPC guards nor disturbing players who might be leveling or doing quests here. He casually formed an invisibility spell, a gentle glow passing, perfectly concealing their figures within the air, silently bypassing the guards from high above, accurately landing within the waterfall-covered entrance of Skyfall Cave.

The cave scene was much quieter compared to his last visit. The rare herbs and minerals that once emitted various hues of light had been almost completely collected, leaving only a few newly sprouted buds or not yet mature seedlings growing gradually in the humid air, awaiting the next harvest cycle.

Seeing no one inside, Xiao Jie led An Ran directly to the ancient wall engraving depicting the ’Qi Refining Skill’ secret books.

"Here, this is the original ’Ancient Qi Refining Skill.’ Can you understand it?" Xiao Jie pointed at the mysterious, ancient texts and the qi flowing diagram on the wall and asked.

"I recognize the characters, and I can sort of grasp the diagram, also learned the skill..." An Ran watched for a while, then frowned, "But when I try sensing and guiding as it says, there’s no effect at all! The system keeps indicating ’insufficient spiritual energy, cannot perform qi refinement practice.’"

Xiao Jie nodded and explained, "That’s not surprising. The spirit vein of Konglao Mountain has long been depleted; back in the day, its spiritual energy might have been abundant, but now it’s almost completely dispersed. Currently, locations with rich nature’s spiritual energy may only be unknown secret realms or deep within ancient sect relics."

After pausing, he recalled something: "Oh, right, within Mountain and Sea Painting Realm in Gu Yun State, spiritual energy should still be ample, sufficient for you to practice ’Qi Refining Skill’ to a certain level. But..." he glanced at An Ran, "It’s a residence of immortals, as a mortal, I’m not at liberty to directly take you there, due to rules."

Seeing a disappointed expression on An Ran’s face, Xiao Jie laughed and added, "But don’t worry, didn’t I give you the ’Demon Refining Gourd’? Its core purpose is exactly this. You can collect demons’ inner cores, refining them with the gourd into the most pure spiritual essence qi for direct absorption, which is much faster and more stable than merely sensing nature’s spiritual energy."

"Remember the five steps to immortality I told you about? Just follow them step by step. The Demon Refining Gourd is crucial in helping you quickly bypass the ’qi refining’ stage."

"Let’s go, it’s done here. Next, I’m heading to Flowing Fire State to visualize the Golden Crow, first I’ll send you back to Ginkgo Village..."

"Golden Crow?!" Upon hearing, An Ran’s eyes lit up, grabbing onto Xiao Jie’s arm, "Is that the legendary divine bird residing in the sun? I want to see it too! Take me to see it, please!" Her face was filled with curiosity and desire.

"It might be somewhat dangerous," Xiao Jie warned, "Red Flame Peak is not a tourist spot; its environment is extreme, and there might be powerful fire element monsters."

"What to fear!" An Ran slapped Xiao Jie’s shoulder, her tone filled with trust in Xiao Jie, "Isn’t that why you’re here? You’re an immortal!"

This trust-filled remark made Xiao Jie feel delighted, involuntarily revealing a confident smile: "That’s true."

"Such confidence?" It was An Ran’s turn to be surprised, as Xiao Jie usually appeared strong but cautious and discreet.

Xiao Jie laughed heartily and candidly said, "Absolutely, I’m an immortal! Protecting you fully is more than feasible. Besides..." he intentionally dragged his tone, teasing, "If you accidentally do get wiped out, I can always go to the Netherworld and retrieve you once more, familiarity breeds success!"

"Hey! Stop jinxing it!" An Ran playfully punched him, yet her excitement remained undiminished.

As they chatted and laughed, Xiao Jie once again raised the cloud, naturally wrapping an arm around An Ran’s waist, transforming into a flowing light, adjusting their trajectory, directly heading towards the southern Red Flame Peak of Flowing Fire State!

The cloud moved swiftly and smoothly through the mist. The mountains and lands below quickly receded, farmlands, villages, rivers, forests gradually replaced by barren red wastelands and continuous volcanic landscapes. The air temperature noticeably began to rise, filled with a faint sulfur smell. The closer they got to the center of Flowing Fire State, the more inhospitable the environment became, land cracking, magma rivers flowed like scars on the earth, heat waves in the air distorted vision.

Only a few oases scattered across this red earth, where signs of human settlements and towns appeared.

After flying for a while, as they gradually reached the extreme west of Flowing Fire State, finally, a towering mountain entirely crimson red, as if it was ablaze, appeared at the edge of the vision. Even from afar, the overwhelming heat waves and soaring fire spirit qi already made breathing feel scorching and skin burning. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Here it is—Red Flame Peak." Xiao Jie lowered the cloud, halting in a safe airspace distance from the mountain.

Looking at the terrifying crimson mountain below, with heat waves rising high, seemingly setting the air on fire, Xiao Jie could clearly sense An Ran’s breath becoming rapid, her blood volume starting to slowly decrease—this was the sustained environmental high-temperature damage.

"I can’t breathe!" An Ran suddenly exclaimed, gasping for air.

Without hesitation, he waved his hand, instantly enveloping An Ran in a crystal-clear, water wave-patterned spiritual light.

"Fire Avoidance Technique. Now you won’t feel unbearably hot," he explained. Given An Ran’s current level and blood volume, the surrounding high temperatures of Red Flame Peak would be unbearable, without protection, she might soon be roasted.

Having made thorough preparations, Xiao Jie maneuvered the cloud, cautiously approaching the peak of this perpetually burning Red Flame Mountain. The real challenge had just begun.