At the bottom of the mountain stream, an old sage sat cross-legged, levitating over the water.

Of course, that was a quarter of an hour ago. At this moment, the old sage was already sitting in the water.

Fortunately, the pool at the bottom of the mountain stream was shallow, reaching only up to the sage’s chest at most.

Han Yu was also standing in the water, the old and the young staring at each other for a quarter of an hour without saying a word.

In the Sea of Consciousness, after letting out a word of warning, the Artifact Spirit clawed with both hands, as if pulling a curtain, instantly dragging the mist emitted by Ping in front of itself.

It hid away; it had to hide.

You have to hand it to Han Yu’s rotten luck; even asking someone for directions halfway can attract a strong presence.

Although it wasn’t clear how strong the other party was, the aura it occasionally leaked was no less fierce than purple Tribulation Thunder.

For this, the Artifact Spirit truly wanted to curse.

Are you blind? Even if you haven’t practiced properly and can’t sense the other’s cultivation.

There’s a living person sitting on the water, even vaguely merging with the surrounding world.

"Use that walnut-sized brain of yours to think about whether you can provoke this old sage."

Those were the last words of the Artifact Spirit before it disappeared, leaving Han Yu speechless.

The old sage looked unusually upset, especially when he saw a foolish youngster. Anger welled up inside him.

"Do you know you’ve ruined a whole year of my cultivation?"

Those were the first words the old sage spoke, instantly breaking the silent atmosphere.

Han Yu’s expression was strange, wanting to speak but stopping.

"Senior, it’s my fault for disturbing you, but..."

"Claiming I’ve ruined a whole year of your cultivation—that’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?"

It has to be pretty shameless to come up with something like that. He was indeed reckless, causing someone to fall into the water, disturbing their quiet cultivation, but saying he ruined their cultivation was too much!

The old sage stood up in the water, his robe moving without the wind. The parts that were supposed to be wet suddenly became dry.

"A year ago, I made a bet with myself to see if I could go a whole year without eating, drinking, moving, or speaking."

God help him, there were only a few days left to complete it, but out of nowhere came someone who directly ruined his cultivation.

How could he not be angry about this?

Han Yu was dumbfounded. Whether or not the sage was bluffing, the method of cultivation he spoke of indeed opened Han Yu’s eyes.

Betting with oneself?

This guy—he looks quite eccentric, maybe even a bit sick in the head.

"Well, senior, you be at ease. I was in a rush when I left, and I didn’t close my door."

Han Yu clasped his fists and slowly backed away, resolute in his decision not to interact with this person.

Trying to escape?

The old sage seemed to see through Han Yu’s intentions, not stopping him but smilingly allowing him to retreat continuously.

Once Han Yu decisively turned around, flames wrapped around his body as he rose into the air with the wind.

But then Han Yu was shocked!

His so-called rising with the wind amounted to only three feet off the ground, as if something like an invisible tether was firmly binding him.

At the same time, an odd expression crossed the old sage’s face. Only now, as Han Yu moved, did many issues come to light.

Divine Techniques?

An outsider?

You sure have landed in the right place, bumping into me.

The old sage waved his hand, and Han Yu felt as if the force drawing him back was like being leashed, pulling him back, and even more so towards the old sage.

Han Yu could easily guess what was happening.

"Spare me, senior! I have people here; you can’t harm me."

Han Yu quickly pleaded.

"People? An insider?"

The old sage perked up, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Han Yu.

Seems like life is getting better for this old man; I even get to do the right thing for my disciple.

At this thought, the force wrapping around Han Yu became more playful.

Han Yu watched in terror as his body, out of control, did splits in mid-air, bending backward and watching his own splitting legs wrap slowly around his head.

What a damn embarrassing posture!

Han Yu, both angry and scared, realized the old sage’s powers were beyond his comprehension—no, they weren’t even within his comprehension.

There was no escaping, not even blocking this kind of power.

The old sage kept playing with him, apparently enjoying himself.

"Tsk tsk, quite a surprise; your body isn’t bad. No, it’s rather good."

If he were an ordinary cultivator, he wouldn’t have been able to survive this kind of treatment; he now considered this posture beyond humanly possible.

Indeed beyond human; Han Yu gritted his teeth, curled up like a ball, even starting to bend backward.

For ordinary cultivators, their backs would likely snap.

"Senior, I really do know people; why don’t you listen first?"

Han Yu, nose against his butt, pleaded tearfully.

"Oh! Then tell me, who is here to meet you?"

The old sage, intrigued, stopped playing and looked at him with interest.

Having a moment to catch his breath, Han Yu quickly spoke, "I’m really good friends with Su Xiaoxiao; I’m here to find Mu Zili."

He said this without blushing or skipping a beat, unfazed by the strange look from the old sage.

"You’re good friends with Su Xiaoxiao?"

"And you’re here to find Mu Zili?"

For some reason, the old sage wore a half-smiling expression.

The force on Han Yu’s body suddenly pulled, the ball-shaped Han Yu, nose still against his butt, was brought in front of the old sage.

"And do you know who I am?"

The old sage asked in return.

Han Yu cluelessly shook his head; how could he possibly know who the old sage was? This was his first time in this strange place!

Thus, the old sage laughed oddly.

Recognizes my two disciples, but not me?

He couldn’t believe it; this was boasting right in front of the old man!

"I’m telling the truth; I’m here to help Su Xiaoxiao call for reinforcements."

Han Yu also noticed the disbelief in the other’s expression and quickly explained.

Call for reinforcements?

The old sage waved his hand; the power enveloping Han Yu’s body instantly dissipated. Han Yu, barely able to enjoy the taste of freedom with his body back to normal, was immediately pressed down by a new force.

Saying he knows people, the old sage might consider it.

But claiming he’s calling for reinforcements for Su Xiaoxiao, the old sage somehow believed him by a third.

"Explain what’s going on first."

...

Half a two-hour later, Han Yu finally finished explaining the background details, not leaving out even the matter of Tribulation Thunder.

From the initial Tribulation Thunder to the appearance of the red Tribulation Thunder.

From hiding in the small cave to Su Xiaoxiao’s terrible idea.

The more the old sage listened, the stranger his expression became, overwhelmed by the sudden chaos of information and finding it hard to sort out.

But in essence, he believed that Su Xiaoxiao was now blocked by Tribulation Thunder, and calling for reinforcements was real.

"Such a terrible idea, only they could think of it."

The old sage sighed deeply.

The details seemed accurate, largely correct.

One point stood out, the old sage scrutinized Han Yu closely, thinking about where the last disciple found this oddball, only cultivating the physical body and Divine Techniques, yet surviving a strike from Tribulation Thunder.

Could such a person come from that broken place in Central Continent?

Noting the old sage’s prolonged silence, Han Yu couldn’t help but softly remind, "Senior, you see, I still have to deliver the message, so should we part ways here?"

He had no desire to spend another moment with this old weirdo, too damn perverse.

"No need, I’ll call someone over for you."

The old sage clasped his hands and smiled, his old face smiling in a way that made Han Yu feel uneasy in his heart.

He doesn’t intend to let me go?