Yin Long casually sauntered away from the stage, a refreshed expression adorning his face. He formed quite a stark contrast to the other people that had lost their duels on the stage, their faces were generally so downcast that they were practically dripping water. He had just hopped down from the stage when his senses picked up something behind him, his left hand reaching behind him and catching a bottle filled with three crimson pills. He turned his head slightly to glance at Xiao Yin Yu, who simply pointed the tip of her weapon at the bottle.

"They're known as Blood-Mend pills, they contain the blood of three different Demonic beasts and a body cultivator who has at least reached the Earthen Door equivalent. One should be enough to repair what little bruising your bones got, consider the other two a repayment for the wine you tossed me the other day."

Yin Long slid his gaze over to the three pills, removing the lid of the bottle and pouring one onto his palm. He could sense the blood within the pill thanks to his law of blood, and without hesitation, he popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. He corked up the bottle again as the pill dissolved in his mouth, tossing the bottle containing the two remaining pills back to Xiao Yin Yu.

"That wine was my gratitude for making your companions accept the challenge, I don't need repayment for it. If you're really intent on forcing repayment on me, just share some good wine with me if you have time."

Xiao Yin Yu caught the bottle of pills while somewhat flustered. Resources were incredibly important to cultivators, especially wanderers like Yin Long, they were the difference between life and death. But he had just... tossed the gift back without much care at all? She had personally never experienced something like this, it felt so far removed from how a normal cultivator acted that she was temporarily uncertain how to respond. But when she coupled his current actions with how he had acted so far, especially after losing a battle, she quickly understood.

"Alright, I'll bring over a good wine for our next meeting, but it won't be for repayment but just for enjoyment. It'll go well with my lecture on how to use whip-like swords. But at the same time, I want you to teach me how you sharpened your senses to such a degree. You shouldn't have been able to follow me with your eyes, but you could still react, and reacting is the first step to responding so I could stand to learn from you."

This was the conclusion Yin Yu had come to, just toss aside everything she had learned from childhood, ignore every notion she had about how to treat cultivators. Simply show sincerity in both your actions and your desires. Luckily, she, Yin Long, and Fang Yau all had one thing in common that made it extremely easy for them to show sincerity to each other, their desire to improve their skills.

They had different reasons, some probably not as pure as others, but the end goal they sought was still the same so there was no reason they couldn't walk at least part of the path together. And at least at the moment, her conclusion proved itself to be the correct one, Yin Long nodding his head with a clear smile.

"Great, I was already preparing to spar with you many more times to slowly steal the secrets behind the whip-like sword, but being taught it makes it much easier to properly integrate. And indeed, I wasn't able to follow you with my eyes when you used your Qi. You can just find me at my inn when you've got time, I'll teach you, but you'd best prepare yourself. Oh, Fang Yau, I'd like it if you came too, I still want to learn more about your dual-sword style."

Yin Long turned towards Fang Yau as he started walking again, the corners of his lips turned up a few degrees more than earlier. He had found not just one, but two people who could teach him new techniques and skills, two people who he could spar with without reservation, it was truly a joyous thing.

It could be considered a bit funny that Yin Long had invited Fang Yau and Xiao Yin Yu at the same time, Fang Yau had after all already warned Yin Long that Yin Yu's reasons for seeking strength didn't feel as pure as his so there was a chance that he might be targeted. Yin Long hadn't given any response to Fang Yau's accusation back then, but what clearer answer was there than this?

He simply didn't care. The reasons weren't pure? He might become a target? So what, how did any of that matter to him? She could help him improve his skills, and she herself also sought to sincerely improve her skills, so he drew her closer. The reasons didn't matter, all that mattered was the pursuit. And if someone really did end up targetting him or those around him in the end, then they would all just have to share the fate of Xue Qiuling, strung up to suffer a slow death.

Fang Yau's eyes lit up slightly when Yin Long extended his invitation, the way he seemingly reacted in time to any attack no matter how fast it moved was something that made him extremely annoying to actually fight. If they could learn that then they would be able to greatly enhance their strength. But Lan Yun knew Yin Long better than any of them, so she understood exactly what was awaiting them.

"Ah, those poor guys have no idea what they're diving into, the Young Master's way of sensory training isn't something that you can smile about."

She shook her head as she stood up from her seat, a slightly crooked smile on her face as she walked towards Yin Long. Jin Wang had also gotten up and was sauntering over, the two meeting up with Yin Long just as he turned to head towards the exit of the arena, shrugging his shoulders in response to Lan Yun's smirk.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about, I enjoyed it quite a bit so it can't be that bad. But oh, I think I'll need your help, they're stronger than I was back then so there should be no problem with increasing the intensity right off the bat."

He stretched out his arm after he finished shrugging his shoulders, his left arm wrapping around Lan Yun's arm while his right hand rested on Jin Wang's furry head. He gave off such a carefree air that it was hard to compare the current him to the brutal side he had displayed during the Underdog challenge. Lan Yun obviously wouldn't resist his advance and simply intertwined her fingers with his, faking a sigh as she shook her head.

"Ah, Young Master really is sadistic. Could it be that all those years of ignoring me was actually just your way of teasing and marinating me?"

She knew how Yin Long had trained, it was hardly something that could be called comfortable or kind, it wouldn't be wrong to call it cruel. And he actually wanted to intensify that training for Xiao Yin Yu and Fang Yau? If she didn't know better then she might actually think that he had some sort of grudge with them.

Yin Long simply shrugged his shoulders with a small smile, the silhouettes of the seemingly flirting couple quickly vanishing from the sight of the spectators in the arena. Yin Long had a feeling that he would receive a visit from the two others quite quickly, they only had a limited number of days before they had to head out after all.

And sure enough, after the two returned to their room in the inn, it only took Xiao Yin Yu and Fang Yau a single day to arrive. Yin Long had only received minor bruises on his ribs, so that single day of time, coupled with the Blood-Mending pill, were more than enough to remove any traces of those wounds. And even if he didn't have that pill, he could still draw upon the lifeforce contained within his blood sword to hasten his healing process.

"Alright, there's no point in wasting any time so let's just get right to it, please take good care of me."

Yin Long lowered his head slightly to Yin Yu and Fang Yau, the entire group gathered in front of the small illusory mountain that housed their room. There was plenty of space on the plain that had been constructed using a space-expanding array so the group didn't even have to leave the inn to indulge in their training.

Jin Wang was lying lazily at the side, only keeping an askance glance at the group, so it was only Yin Long, Lan Yun, Yin Yu, and Fang Yau who engaged in any training. Lan Yun didn't really need to participate in this training, the dual-sword style or whip-sword styles weren't really suited to being used in conjunction with her greataxe-style.

But Yin Long was training so how could she possibly let herself be outdone and just sit by the side and watch. He was doomed to become a sun that would soar high above any other star, but she would do her best to tag along with him as far as she possibly could, even if it meant indulging in training that may not seem useful at first glance.

And indulge in training they did, Yin Long wanted to learn as much as possible within the few days they had before it was time to leave. Luckily, Yin Yu and Fang Yau had quite similar desires, so they were more than fine with skipping out on sleep for a bit. They had all reached the Immortal Door realm at the very least, it wasn't really any problem going without sleep for a few days, especially if they had training that they could focus on.

So Xiao Yin Yu ended up spending two entire days teaching Yin Long, and by extension Fang Yau, about how to use a whip-sword. Naturally, two days was far from enough to teach someone everything about a style, but it was enough to show them the basics and hammer it into their heads.

Next up was Fang Yau, who could focus a bit more on specialized defensive aspects of the dual-sword style since he had already taught Yin Long the basics when they trained in the past. But his two days also ended in a flash, far too quickly for Yin Long's liking. But end it did, so that meant that it was time for him to teach them a thing or two.

"Alright, put on these, they'll completely block out your sight."

The one who handed out the items, two bands that looked like they were made from murky brown scales, was Lan Yun. They were items she and Yin Long had used in the past when they still worked as assassins, they were made using the hide and scales of the Earth-Cloak Salamander that came from Underearth Forest.

They had slight sensory-blocking capabilities thanks to the natural properties of the scales, and the hide beneath the scales was so dense that not even a single sliver of light could pass through them, it even absorbed the light so that it didn't reflect properly. They could be used to form makeshift robes that were extraordinarily suited to camouflaging you, especially in darker areas or in a forest where you could embrace a tree or just lie down.

Yin Yu and Fang Yau looked at the bands with tinges of curiosity, the Earth-Cloak Salamder only existed in Underearth Forest, it had evolved this hide to increase its odds of survival through hiding in that particular environment. But neither Yin Long nor Lan Yun had any reason or desire to explain the origin of the scaly bands, the two others tying them around their eyes.

"Good. Have you both honed your senses to their sharpest points?"

Yin Long nodded his head after the two covered their eyes, swiping his interspatial ring and bringing out two normal wooden swords, tossing one to Lan Yun. Both Yin Yu and Fang Yau nodded their heads, their bodies and expressions visibly tensing up as they eagerly waited to see how Yin Long was going to train their senses. But just as they were focused on that question, two dull thudding sounds rang out as the wooden swords held by Yin Long and Lan Yun smashed into their skulls from the side.

"Hmm, apparently not sharpened enough."

That was the only response the two people heard from Yin Long as their heads rattled from the unexpected hit. But before they even got the chance to open their mouths, two more dull thuds rang out, this time somewhat softer as Yin Long and Lan Yun slowed their attacks in hopes that the two would sense it.

But as the dull thuds proved, they had failed to react. This was exactly the result Lan Yun had expected, her smile a strange mixture of crooked and bitter. After all, how many people could be like Yin Long, who had been trained in a manner like this since he was just half a year old? He hadn't even missed a single day, it was to the point that it could only be considered child abuse. But he had persevered and pushed through, and that honest perseverance was something that Lan Yun considered part of his charm, and it was also part of the reason he had gotten this far.

"Your senses aren't actually properly honed. No matter how fast something is, it will still affect the world around it. The sound of the weapon moving through the air, the little bit of wind it pushes forward, the sound of tiny granules of dirt colliding with it, or even just the smell of the weapon as it gets closer. All of these can be used to determine the location of the weapon, how fast it moves, where it's going. Focus, detect it, otherwise, it's just going to keep hurting."

Yin Long spoke calmly and confidently, his arm already swinging again and delivering another smash, this time hitting Yin Yu's left knee from behind. Only now did they realize a bit of the truth behind Lan Yun's earlier words, but neither of them had any regrets. Yin Long was younger than them but had managed to endure training like this, so there was no way they would fail and give up.

And so, the sound of dull thuds continuously rang out across the plain, Yin Long or Lan Yun's voice occasionally sounding out to give a pointer. Lan Yun had much better advice than Yin Long, she had after all received a far more normal training, albeit one that geared her towards being both an assassin and an information gatherer.

But just like the training he received from them passed by far too quickly, time also passed far too quickly during Yin Long's segment of the training. Hours turned to days before anyone knew it, and all of the sudden, the three of them received a message on their communication treasures. The appointed time had come, it was time for them to head out to the Province Championship.