Ling Feng stood atop the mountain peak, his Star-Patterned Armor already retracted into the system space. He observed the destruction wrought by the residual shockwaves of the lightning tribulation, clenching his fist slightly.
Feeling the surging power within him, he felt capable of shattering a multi-ton boulder with a single punch. Compared to his current strength, his previous power was but a drop in the ocean.
Before, he would have been instantly defeated if he arm-wrestled Shen He. Now, he felt like he could take her on again!
"Right, I recall the Yuan Ling Jue stating that upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one can briefly hover in the air. Should I give it a try now?"
Ling Feng checked the true qi within his body. The once overflowing true qi had been significantly depleted as his dantian transformed from gaseous to liquid state. However, this also greatly stabilized his cultivation. He still had a small amount of true qi remaining, enough to attempt something.
No sooner said than done, Ling Feng, excited, began to practice flying. While sword riding was cool, hovering in the air was equally so.
Above the Cloud Recesses, Xiao, Cloud Retainer, and Moon Carver watched as the tribulation clouds slowly dissipated overhead. They extended their spiritual senses to scan the peak of Qingyun Peak and found Ling Feng alive, his aura now significantly stronger. They knew he had weathered his tribulation.
"It seems Ling Feng has passed his tribulation. Let us go and see," said Moon Carver.
"I shall not. My task is done, and I should be leaving," Xiao shook his head.
"Indeed, Great Sage is busy. We shall handle matters from here," Cloud Retainer nodded. Among the immortals, Xiao, the Demon-Queller, was currently the busiest.
"Understood," Xiao nodded, and then his figure vanished in a flash.
"Let's go," Cloud Retainer said. The crane and the deer flew towards Qingyun Peak. Upon arriving, they witnessed a scene that was both familiar and strange.
"This… why does this scene feel so familiar?" Moon Carver's expression was somewhat bewildered.
"Amusing, amusing. Ling Feng has a connection with Ganyu; even the way he fell down the mountain is identical," Cloud Retainer said with a smile.
Indeed, as Ling Feng was trying to practice flying, he had nearly exhausted his limited true qi. Just as he was about to leave, his foot slipped on a wet, smooth stone. He tumbled down the mountain path, and with the ground being slippery, it resulted in a comical spectacle.
Following Ganyu's tumbling descent down the mountain, there was now Ling Feng, tumbling down the mountain.
At noon, within Ling Feng's room in Cloud Retainer's abode, Ling Feng's screams could be heard.
"Hiss! Senior Sister, be gentler! It hurts!"
"Master said the medicine works best when applied with force."
Inside the room, Ling Feng lay on the bed, exposing his back. Shen He was applying medicine to a bloody wound on his back, a wound inflicted during his tumble down the mountain that morning.
Since he had run out of pills for recovery, he had to resort to topical medicine.
"Senior Sister, this is your first time applying medicine to someone, right?"
"Yes."
"No wonder. Ouch! Senior Sister! You've gone too deep! The cotton swab has pierced the flesh again!"
"Oh, endure it."
"Ah!!!"
Ling Feng's screams continued to echo from the room. Ling Feng was astonished by Shen He's "superb" application technique.
In the evening, Ling Feng sat on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages. Shen He held a bowl of radish and vegetable soup, feeding him spoonful by spoonful. Ling Feng had wanted to feed himself, but Shen He adamantly refused.
"This soup is truly delicious! The chef who made this is incredibly skilled. Who made it?" Ling Feng asked, enjoying Shen He's feeding and praising the soup.
Since acquiring Intermediate Cooking skills, he could now discern a cook's proficiency from a dish. With this bowl of radish and vegetable soup, he knew that the person who made it was an absolute master, perhaps even comparable to Xiangling.
"Master," Shen He said faintly.
"Nani? Master cooked this?" It was almost unbelievable. Cloud Retainer actually cooked? This was as rare as the sun rising from the west.
"Yes. As I recall, Master has only cooked twice. Once was now, and the other was when I was severely injured fighting monsters in the past. That was when Master cooked. Master actually cares about us a great deal."
Seemingly sensing the surprised tone in Ling Feng's voice, Shen He put down the empty bowl and spoke.
Ling Feng recalled his experiences during his cultivation.
Once, while climbing during his cultivation, he slipped from a cliff tens of meters high. Although he reacted quickly and reached for crevices in the rock face, he couldn't grasp them, and his hand sustained a long gash. It was Cloud Retainer who appeared in time, using anemo to support him, and gave him a bottle of wound medicine before leaving.
Another time, during cultivation, he encountered a juvenile Geo Dragon. At that time, he was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining and could not defeat it. Just as he was about to summon Tu Shan Hong Hong, Cloud Retainer quickly intervened, dispatching the juvenile Geo Dragon with an anemo blade.
The most serious incident was when he was cultivating by the cliff edge one morning. As soon as he exited his cultivation state, the stone beneath his feet suddenly crumbled, and he nearly fell off the cliff. It was Cloud Retainer who saved him that time.
Although in the last instance, he had practiced the Carefree Swordplay and was not afraid of falling, it proved that Cloud Retainer was always watching over them. She would act immediately in times of true danger, and that was care, wasn't it?
Although Cloud Retainer was very strict and stern in her cultivation guidance, recalling those cultivation experiences, Cloud Retainer's care was often subtle.
"A tsundere master who cares about appearances." Ling Feng didn't say this aloud, merely smiling and shaking his head helplessly.
After two days of recuperation, Ling Feng's injuries had completely healed. During these two days, his Foundation Establishment cultivation had also been thoroughly consolidated.
During his recuperation, Ganyu and Granny Ping had also visited. However, Ganyu did not stay long. After offering Ling Feng a few words of concern, she left in a hurry.
Later, Ling Feng learned from Granny Ping that upon hearing about the anomaly in the Cloud Recesses, Ganyu had dropped her work, found Granny Ping, and inquired about it. Upon learning that Ling Feng had undergone a tribulation, she had come with Granny Ping.
After his injuries healed, Ling Feng resumed his cultivation. On the same day, he and Shen He headed to Hu Laohu Mountain to find Master Yun, who had returned from his travels. Of the five immortal masters, he had now been taught by three. Granny Ping was difficult to teach as she was often in Liyue Harbor.
On the way to Hu Laohu Mountain, Ling Feng and Shen He did not use the teleportation array but chose to walk. The reason was to test Ling Feng's current strength.
They encountered two groups of Hilichurls attacking midway, including a Hilichurl Shaman. However, Ling Feng and Shen He dealt with them together.
Of course, the Hilichurl Shaman was not dealt with by Ling Feng; Shen He resolved it on her own. Ling Feng was primarily responsible for dealing with the Hilichurl Berserkers and Hilichurls.