After seeing off the satisfied Tana, Xu Wuyi stood alone in the Cultivation Room, slowly calming his surging Qi and Blood.

He looked at the growing point balance on his personal terminal, then recalled Tana’s half-joking, half-serious words from earlier.

’Marry into the Royal Family?’ He shook his head and chuckled.

It wasn’t that he enjoyed needless hardship. He truly felt that his current pace of earning points wasn’t slow at all, and even if it were a little slower, he wouldn’t mind.

Xu Wuyi had never considered himself a chosen one, because he was someone who had climbed up from the bottom.

He could fully accept falling behind, and he could accept being surpassed by others. He focused only on his own cultivation.

In fact, Xu Wuyi was already very satisfied with his current rate of progress. He would even deliberately suppress his advancement to solidify his foundation and pursue the Nine Transitions of Heart Fire.

’He could advise Zeng Bonan to persevere, to accept being "slow," so how could he not accept it for himself?’

That made no sense. Xu Wuyi wasn’t a hypocrite who fished for fame; this was what he truly believed in his heart.

’I’ll walk my own path. What others do is none of my concern.’

He took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged again, and sank his consciousness into his body. He guided his Qi and Blood, continuing to build the foundation for the Nine Transitions of Heart Fire.

All the noise and temptations of the outside world were shut out from this personal cultivation space.

...

The next few days were peaceful and uneventful.

In early April, on another Tuesday, the weather was slightly cool. The trees in Hidden Dragon Garden had already sprouted tender green buds.

Xu Wuyi finished his routine morning cultivation. After tidying up, he set off for the faculty housing area, heading to Teacher Han’s residence.

Ever since Teacher Han was injured, he had been visiting him in person every Tuesday, rather than contacting him on the Battle Network.

Standing once more before the small, gray-white building, Xu Wuyi rang the doorbell.

The door opened quickly. When Xu Wuyi saw who was inside, his eyes instantly lit up with joyful surprise.

Han Mo was standing in the entryway, a calm smile on his face as usual.

But what truly shook his Heart and Spirit was that Han Mo’s right arm had been reattached, completely intact!

The skin of the new arm was slightly paler, a subtle difference from his left arm, but it moved freely and was now hanging casually at his side.

"Teacher Han! Your arm..." Xu Wuyi’s voice was filled with excitement.

Han Mo raised his right arm, made a fist, and said with a smile, "Yes. My teacher came out of seclusion and took care of it for me. Come in, don’t just stand at the door."

Xu Wuyi hurried inside, his gaze still lingering on Han Mo’s right arm.

The terrifying, deep blue film of Energy had vanished without a trace, as if the severe injury had been nothing more than a bad dream.

’The abilities of a Grandmaster,’ he marveled inwardly, ’are truly heaven-defying.’

Han Mo gestured for Xu Wuyi to sit. A single glance was all he needed to discern his current Realm. "You haven’t neglected your training in the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, have you?"

"I wouldn’t dare slack off," Xu Wuyi replied respectfully. "I was actually hoping for your guidance. My Heart Fire has reached the Seventh Transition, but the further I go, the more difficult and obscure the refinement process feels. When I gather my Qi and Blood in my Dantian, I always feel like I lack the final push to advance any further."

This was the biggest problem he was currently facing.

After the Seventh Transition, the amount of accumulation and mental effort required for each refinement grew exponentially, far beyond what the first six transitions demanded.

Upon hearing this, Han Mo nodded, as if he had expected it.

"This is normal," he said, picking up a teacup with his newly restored right hand and taking a sip. He explained, "The first six transitions of the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace focus on ’ignition’ and ’strengthening,’ like piling on firewood to make a fire burn brighter. But from the Seventh Transition onward, the focus shifts to ’Purification’ and ’Compression’."

"The total amount and quality of your Qi and Blood are already top-tier among Martial Artists. But in the later stages, the refinement of the Heart Fire requires ultimate control and a deeper understanding of the fundamental nature of Qi and Blood."

"It’s no longer just an accumulation of quantity, but a qualitative transformation... So, what do you think you should do?"

Xu Wuyi was a little lost, but looking at Teacher Han’s faintly smiling eyes, he had a sudden flash of insight and blurted out, "Control my Qi and Blood with my Spirit?"

Only then did Han Mo burst out laughing. "The boy is teachable!"

He put down his teacup. With a flick of his left index finger, a thread of extremely condensed Qi and Blood Power emerged and traced a simple pattern in the air.

"Imagine your Qi and Blood not as a raging river, but as countless fine grains of sand."

"The first six transitions are about gathering these grains of sand into a mass. After the Seventh Transition, what you need to do is use the power of your Heart and Spirit to repeatedly refine these grains, remove impurities, and polish them into diamond-like crystals."

"This process is, naturally, far more difficult than before."

Xu Wuyi listened with Concentrating Spirit, a flash of inspiration streaking through his mind.

Han Mo’s metaphor cut straight to the core, clearly articulating the vague feeling he’d been experiencing.

He had indeed been relying on his old habits from the earlier stages, trying to break through the bottleneck with sheer, overwhelming Qi and Blood, forgetting that the True Intention behind "refinement" was "purity."

"So, when you feel you lack that final push, it’s not because you don’t have enough Qi and Blood. It’s because your ’mental effort’—your Spiritual Will—and your micro-control over your Qi and Blood haven’t kept up with the demands of the Heart Fire’s transformation."

Han Mo had pointed out the crucial issue with pinpoint accuracy.

"I understand now," Xu Wuyi said, suddenly enlightened. "In my future cultivation, I need to be more calm and composed, focusing on ’condensation’ rather than ’impact’."

"Good comprehension," Han Mo said with an approving look in his eyes. "Remember, haste makes waste. The path of the Nine Transitions, especially in the later stages, is a matter of painstaking, gradual effort."

"Only those who can endure loneliness will achieve true mastery."

Xu Wuyi nodded solemnly in agreement.

Next, Xu Wuyi asked a few minor questions about application, and Han Mo answered each one in detail.

The consultation, which lasted over half an hour, was incredibly fruitful, clearing away all his accumulated doubts.

Seeing that he had asked all his questions, Xu Wuyi stood up to take his leave, wanting to let his teacher rest.

"Teacher, please get some good rest. I’ll be heading back now."

"Mm," Han Mo nodded and stood up as well.

He seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He turned and walked into an inner room, emerging a moment later with a palm-sized, dark-red wooden box.

The box was simple and unadorned in style, yet it faintly radiated a gentle warmth.

Han Mo handed the box to Xu Wuyi and said in a calm voice, "After my teacher came out of seclusion, I mentioned to him that you were attempting the Nine Transitions of Heart Fire. When he heard, he told me to give this to you. Consider it a helping hand."

’A personal gift from Grandmaster Yue Lianshan?’ Xu Wuyi’s heart skipped a beat.

He hurriedly accepted it with both hands. The box was warm and smooth to the touch.

"My thanks to Grandmaster Yue," Xu Wuyi said solemnly.

"My teacher said you should only open it when you cultivate the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace today," Han Mo instructed, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "Alright, you can go."

"Yes! I will take my leave."

Xu Wuyi suppressed the urge to open the box immediately. He carefully put it away, bowed again, and then left Han Mo’s residence.