Of course, this required sufficient nourishment. Grain Avoidance Pills alone were likely not enough; he would also need plenty of medicinal supplements and a substantial amount of food.
When Fang Mushan returned and descended into the tunnel, he looked around in astonishment.
"Are you two planning to move in here?"
Li Haomiao replied helplessly, "He's addicted to mining. He digs so fast and so deep, I almost thought he was a Mountain-piercing Beast."
He made a face and jerked his chin toward the depths of the tunnel.
"Take a look. He's planning to dig out a whole room in there. For all I know, he might have already finished a side chamber."
"Don't listen to his nonsense."
Xu Yunfan emerged from the tunnel. His muscles rippled, and the dirt covering his body was instantly shaken loose.
"I'm doing this for my martial arts. Training requires strength, and building strength requires tempering the body. The Kung Fu I practice demands physical exertion."
Fang Mushan heard this and nodded in approval. "Practicing the Martial Dao is like rowing upstream; to advance, one must train diligently every day without fail. Take the King of Yan, Li Haomiao, for example. Hailed as the greatest Martial Dao genius in Jade Capital, he spends his days either socializing or admiring the scenery, completely wasting his innate talent."
Xu Yunfan coughed dryly. He glanced at Li Haomiao, who was standing silently in the corner with his eye twitching. Feeling he had also reached his limit and was completely exhausted, Xu Yunfan decided to take a break as well.
He scooted over to Li Haomiao and nudged him with his elbow.
"Sounds like the King of Yan is quite the socialite."
Li Haomiao didn't say a word, but Fang Mushan chimed in. "That's right. Rumor in the palace is that he wants to become the Crown Prince."
Fang Mushan held up the rabbit he was carrying.
"In these eight hundred li of frozen, barren mountains, it's hard to find any prey besides the plateau sheep. I had to go to great lengths to find this. If I hadn't learned to hunt from my family's huntsmen, I'd have come back empty-handed."
'Hunting?!'
An idea struck Xu Yunfan. Watching Fang Mushan prepare the rabbit, he asked, "Could you teach me how to hunt? That way I can also look for prey, which should increase our chances of finding food."
Fang Mushan considered it for a moment. Hunting techniques weren't some precious secret; plenty of old hunters knew them.
He nodded in agreement.
Over the next few days, everywhere the trio stopped, Xu Yunfan would enthusiastically dig out a new tunnel.
The daily flood of Skill Level notifications in his vision invigorated his Heart and Spirit. As his Skill Level increased, he became more and more proficient at both the Copper Body Skill and mining, the movements becoming second nature.
'Name: Xu Yunfan
Skills: Mining 779/1000 (Minor Achievement)
Effects: Cold and Heat Resistance, Rock-Steady Hands, Keen Eyes, Effortless Digging
Copper Body Skill 668/1000 (Minor Achievement)
Effects: Abundant Vitality, Full-Body Strength, Leather-Tough Skin, Rippling Muscles
Flying Leg 368/500 (Initiate)
Effects: Fleet-footed Movement, Agile Body, Forceful Steps, Abundant Endurance
Hunting (Uninitiated)
Linn Character Technique (Uninitiated)'
Looking at the Skill Level on his Attribute Panel, Xu Yunfan was overjoyed. At this rate of Cultivation, it wouldn't take ten days or half a month—just two or three more days—and he could push his Copper Body Skill to Great Success.
'When the time comes, I'd really like to test myself against that Yang Gan and his Great Success in Horizontal Training.'
-----------------
「In the direction of Xu Yunfan's escape from Ninggu Tower.」
Yang Gan crouched down, examining the jumbled footprints on the ground. His brawny torso bore four or five gashes of varying sizes. His clothes were stained and discolored with blood—whether it was his own or from the men in black, it was impossible to tell.
The whole of Ninggu Tower had fallen completely silent. The ground was littered with the corpses of Supervisors, soldiers, men in black, and Mining Slaves.
In the center of the Ninggu Tower basin, Lian Yuanzhang lay dead. His mountainous corpse was pinned to the ground by the Coiling Dragon Long Spear. A large hole was torn in his Armor, the shaft of the spear having pierced straight through his chest, its tip buried deep in the earth.
Blood no longer gushed from his headless neck. All that remained was a pool of thick, dark gore that stained the ground beneath him a grim, brownish-red.
His arms hung limply at his sides, his fingers slightly curled, a clear sign of his final struggle before death.
His legs were frozen in a kneeling posture, unable to move an inch.
The cold wind carried with it the stench of blood. A sickening silence hung around the corpse, as if time itself had frozen. Only the flutter of his clothes in the wind spoke of the brutal battle that had just taken place.
Yang Gan took a quick glance before averting his eyes. He didn't dare to meet the gaze of Zhang Shuyang. The general's face was deathly pale and his Armor was bloodstained, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.
"General Zhang, Prince Yan fled in this direction."
At these words, Zhang Shuyang turned his head to look at a young woman standing near Lian Yuanzhang's corpse.
The young woman wore a gown of light, white gauze, so fine it seemed like mist, as if it might disperse on the wind at any moment.
She was barefoot. Her jade-white toes rested lightly on the blood-soaked mud, yet remained completely unstained. Through the ethereal gauze, one could faintly glimpse her graceful form. Yet there was no hint of Charm; instead, she exuded an air of mystery and inviolability. Her face was stunningly beautiful but utterly devoid of color. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were as cold as distant stars.
She stood there silently, radiating an aloof coldness that kept everyone at a distance. The very air around her seemed to freeze, making people afraid to approach, a chill seeping into their hearts.
'A terrifying woman.'
'Just a moment ago, she killed Lian Yuanzhang in a single move. A master on the verge of stepping into the Muscle Training Realm, easily beheaded. Her power is unthinkable.'
'She's Li Miaoyun, from the Celestial Strategy Mansion. Rumor has it she's a member of one of the Empress's secret organizations.'
Zhang Shuyang's mind raced. He quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look any longer. Lowering his eyes, he cupped his fists.
"Mr. Li, the King of Yan is injured. He was carried away in this direction on the back of a former Jiang Family servant."
Whether to give chase or to wait was no longer Zhang Shuyang's decision to make. He had to wait for the girl-like woman to give the order.
After a long moment, Li Miaoyun tore her gaze from Lian Yuanzhang's corpse and turned to look at Zhang Shuyang.
Zhang Shuyang's heart went cold under her stare. His heart began to pound uncontrollably, and he quickly bowed his head.
"Find him. He is now the only remaining bloodline of the late Emperor. Her Majesty needs him."
Her voice, as cold and ethereal as if she didn't belong to the mortal world, reached Zhang Shuyang's ears, shaking his Heart and Spirit. He scrambled to reply.
"Yes!"
By the time he looked up, Li Miaoyun had vanished from the scene like a phantom.
Zhang Shuyang fell silent, his expression incredibly complex. 'Of the entire Royal Family bloodline, only Li Haomiao remains…'
After a long while, he clutched his aching chest and slowly regulated his breathing. He had been badly injured by Lian Yuanzhang's desperate final blow. If Li Miaoyun hadn't intervened, he would likely be the one lying dead on the battlefield.
Furthermore, his own side had suffered disastrous losses. Too many people had gathered at Ninggu Tower, involving numerous factions and mysterious experts. If Li Miaoyun hadn't appeared and scared the others off, his forces would likely have been completely annihilated.
He turned to look back at Yang Gan.
"You said you're skilled at tracking. I'll give you thirty elite soldiers. Bring back the King of Yan, and I'll officially credit you with a great merit."