Hearing Yuan Lu speak this way, Ming Li wasn’t surprised.

Long ago, Ming Li had understood that Yuan Lu, as the only Pilgrim without background or affiliation, believed in the vastness and freedom of heaven and earth. He was unrestrained and impulsive, often doing whatever he felt like without reason. As long as he wanted to do something at that moment, no one could persuade him to stop.

But Xiang An’ge, standing behind them, laughed at his words, prompting Yuan Lu to point at him: “You’re not planning to intervene, are you?”

Before Xiang An’ge could answer, Ming Li had already responded: “He won’t.”

Even if Xiang An’ge wanted to intervene, she wouldn’t allow it. Xiang An’ge needed to preserve his best condition to heal Qing Ying.

“You two seem so close. Surely he wouldn’t just stand by and watch me kill you,” Yuan Lu lowered his hand and stroked his chin. Though he spoke of killing, his murderous intent wasn’t evident. His expression was somewhat roguish. “Two against one isn’t fair. When Ming Li died in Bei Jing Gui Yuan back then, you didn’t intervene. Surely you wouldn’t know…”

Xiang An’ge raised his chin slightly toward him: “If you two want to fight, then fight. Just don’t harm the flowers and plants of my Wu Fang Nation.”

Yuan Lu widened his eyes and gestured in a circle: “This still counts as your Wu Fang Nation’s territory?”

Xiang An’ge: “Yes.”

“Shameless,” Yuan Lu remarked.

Xiang An’ge narrowed his eyes: “You coming to kill her when she only has Three Meridian Full-Boundary is even more shameless.”

“I call it seizing the opportunity. When she left Nan Que, she only had a Single Meridian. Now she already has Three Meridians. I’m already late,” Yuan Lu explained systematically. “Besides, I only said I came to kill her, not how I would kill her. Since you think it’s unfair, I’ll just use Three Meridians to fight her, how’s that?”

Xiang An’ge asked: “Which three meridians?”

Yuan Lu counted with his fingers: “Body Techniques, Spiritual Court, and Pulse of the Heart.”

Apart from the Body Techniques Meridian, Ming Li’s other two meridians weren’t at Full-Boundary state—her Spiritual Court Meridian was at the sixth boundary, and her Pulse of the Heart Meridian at the fourth boundary.

These three meridians were also Yuan Lu’s specialties, especially the Body Techniques Meridian, which could be considered the strongest among current Pilgrims.

In battle, his figure shifted so rapidly that opponents couldn’t track him. His instantaneous speed was always the fastest. If someone arrived before him, it could only be because he didn’t want to arrive first.

The Full-Boundary enhancement for the Body Techniques Meridian was 180 times, and for Pilgrims with the Eight Meridian Full-Boundary, this enhancement would increase again to 360 times.

He was considered the strongest, mainly because Yuan Lu’s Star Meridian Awakened Divine Miracle ability was in the Body Techniques Meridian.

Spiritual techniques known as Divine Miracle abilities all possessed special properties that couldn’t be learned through cultivation but required awakening or bloodline inheritance.

A Pilgrim would inevitably awaken a Divine Miracle ability in one of their eight meridians—always just one. Yet remarkably, when Ming Li broke through her boundary, she awakened two Divine Miracle abilities.

She was the first Pilgrim in the history of the Tong Gu Continent to awaken two Divine Miracle abilities after breaking through her boundary.

This was something only known among the Pilgrims themselves.

The Pilgrims currently existing on the continent knew best about Ming Li’s talent and strength.

However, now Xiang An’ge understood this most clearly. He didn’t mind Yuan Lu fighting Ming Li at all. Recalling how he couldn’t resist engaging with Ming Li earlier, even in their brief exchange where he controlled his strength to avoid injury, the intensity was low, yet it still elevated her boundary.

If Yuan Lu were to fight her, who knew what boundary she might reach?

Yuan Lu said: “I’ll fight you with the same Three Meridian Full-Boundary. That’s not taking advantage, right?”

Though he was speaking to Ming Li, his eyes were on Xiang An’ge. Seeing Xiang An’ge step back several paces, he knew the man truly wouldn’t intervene. Only then did he look back at Ming Li, smiling with narrowed eyes: “It’s been a long time. You’ve gotten shorter.”

Ming Li raised her hand to smooth her long hair. Her junior brother had tied a new small braid for her before leaving. She touched the hairpin and the hair band to make sure they were secure before asking: “Do you want to kill me?”

Yuan Lu sighed: “This is my only chance. I can’t bear to give it up.”

Ming Li asked again: “For what reason?”

“You don’t know?” Yuan Lu was very surprised. “The reason I want to kill you should be obvious!”

Ming Li looked at him with confusion: “It’s not obvious.”

Yuan Lu said, “Because you’re stronger than me! I’m already an Eight Meridian Full-Boundary Pilgrim, yet there’s still someone stronger than me. What’s the point of cultivating to Eight Meridian Full-Boundary? It’s to kill you and become the strongest person.”

“Previously, the people from the north beat me to it. This time, I’ve finally caught the opportunity.”

It sounded reasonable, yet utterly insane.

Ming Li said, “I never thought you would be someone with such high aspirations for cultivation.”

Yuan Lu smiled brightly, spreading his hands: “You don’t need to pretend to be confused when you understand perfectly well. You know better than anyone that you’re stronger than others, which is why you’re so willful and independent.”

Ming Li: “The last part describes you better, doesn’t it?”

Yuan Lu released the reins of his black horse and placed one hand on the back of his neck, twisting left and right with a cracking sound: “Well, yes, so there only needs to be one such willful and independent Pilgrim.”

Ming Li said, “I’m not a Pilgrim now.”

Yuan Lu was stunned: “What are you saying… You don’t want to fight me? Are you going to run?”

Ming Li nodded: “Perhaps.”

“That won’t do. If you run away, I’ll go to Bei Dou,” Yuan Lu said quite seriously.

Ming Li glanced at him without speaking. Star Power surrounded her body, clearly showing she was prepared for battle.

“That’s more like it.”

Yuan Lu narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and suddenly moved as the morning light spilled across the water’s surface. Moving at a speed imperceptible even to the wind, the water surface where he had stood showed no ripples, yet he had already appeared in front of Ming Li.

In that instant, the vast water surface was covered by the immense Star Power released by the Pilgrim. Countless bubbles visibly churned up from beneath the water, and under the pressure of the Star Power, the water surface beneath their feet became dense and hard.

Yet Ming Li stood firmly within this overwhelming Star Power that was targeted at her alone, unaffected in the slightest.

Yuan Lu’s punch, infused with pure Star Power, only pushed her back without shattering her.

This punch was genuinely meant to kill—a lethal attack that no Three Meridian Full-Boundary cultivator should be able to withstand.

All the Star Power attacks directed at Ming Li were consumed by the Pilgrim’s Fire within her body. But Yuan Lu’s attacks didn’t stop due to this unexpected outcome; they continued without pause.

His speed was too fast. In battle, this alone was a deadly threat.

Excessive speed would prevent opponents from sensing which direction his Star Power attacks would come from. The strength of the Body Techniques Meridian was judged first by speed, then by power.

Even though the lethal Star Power attacks were devoured, the force from Yuan Lu’s punches still required Ming Li to carefully evade. When the wind from his punches grazed her cheek, it left a momentary stinging pain.

Under Yuan Lu’s intense attacks, Ming Li was constantly retreating. She couldn’t match Yuan Lu’s speed. The only reason she hadn’t fallen yet was because of her rich experience in predicting whether Yuan Lu’s attacks would come from the left or the right. Her body and mind acted in unison, using the combination of the Yin Meridian and Body Techniques Meridian to enhance her body’s execution speed when her brain issued commands.

She continuously increased her Body Techniques Meridian enhancement to its limit of 180 times, yet she was still pushed back five steps with each blow.

“You can’t retreat any further. If you do, you’ll enter Wu Fang Nation,” Yuan Lu said, instantly appearing behind her. As Ming Li turned her head, she avoided an attack aimed at her heart and grabbed Yuan Lu’s other hand.

Yuan Lu pressed forward, intending to pin her down, but Ming Li saw through his intention first. Using a clever technique, she deflected his strength, broke free, and created distance between them.

Again, he was seen through.

Yuan Lu kept his word; initially, he didn’t take too much advantage and had only used the Body Techniques Meridian so far.

Looking at Ming Li, who had distanced herself from him, he laughed: “It seems Ye Yuanqing was right—Star Power is ineffective against you.”

Such an ability was impossible even for a Pilgrim.

Ye Yuanqing had discerned that Ming Li was borrowing the power of a natural formation. Fighting her within the formation would be disadvantageous, so he left immediately, uncertain whether Star Power attacks were truly ineffective against her.

Cui Yaocen only realized this after being imprisoned in the Mirage Tower, simultaneously discovering that Star Power attacks were ineffective against Ming Li.

Besides them, only the deceased Li Yansi knew about this.

With Cui Yaocen confined in the Mirage Tower, she shouldn’t have been able to transmit messages to the outside.

How did Ye Yuanqing know?

Unless he witnessed her stopping the fake Chen Zhou at the Zang Xiu Pavilion and her battle against the Infinite Mirror. Yet Ye Yuanqing wasn’t in Nan Que at that time. If anything, only someone present then could have told Ye Yuanqing.

Excluding the people from Bei Dou, only the abducted fake Chen Zhou and Earth Ghosts from different factions remained.

Seeing Ming Li frown, Yuan Lu reminded her: “Don’t get distracted now. One careless moment could be fatal.”

Ming Li flexed her wrist. Although she had dodged every lethal attack, after taking three of Yuan Lu’s punches, her hand was already becoming numb. If she took two more punches, she might not even be able to lift her arm.

This was the difference between a Pilgrim’s Body Techniques Meridian and a non-Pilgrim’s.

She had to avoid confrontation with his punches as much as possible.

“Since Star Power alone won’t work, I’ll have to spend some time using spiritual techniques.”

As soon as Yuan Lu finished speaking, his next attack on Ming Li was no longer pure Star Power pressure but the advanced Body Techniques Meridian spiritual technique: Celestial Spirit Possession.

Ming Li reacted quickly, using the same spiritual technique.

Their previous exchange seemed like probing. Now, with initial judgments made, they began fighting in earnest.

Celestial Spirit Possession, while strengthening the skeleton a second time, could connect one’s physical form with the possessed entity, inheriting its abilities.

Both fighters’ punches carried tiger roars, their strength like a lion’s bite. Their eyes, transformed to golden, exuded tremendous pressure, with vaguely half-beast, half-human forms appearing wild and fierce.

The Pilgrim’s Fire inside Ming Li burned vigorously. It devoured the Pilgrim’s Star Power, transformed it, and nourished her body, washing away impurities and selecting pure power to fuse into her Star Meridian:

Sixth Boundary, Third Heavenly Layer.

Sixteenth Layer.

Twenty-eighth Layer.

Ming Li raised her hand to block another of Yuan Lu’s punches, being pushed back four steps.

Yuan Lu raised his eyebrows slightly, his attacks unceasing. He had an absolute advantage, but noticed that the distance Ming Li was pushed back had shortened.

From five steps to four steps.

The Pilgrim’s Fire burning made the temperature of her hands rise.

Forty-sixth Layer.

With another tiger’s roar, Ming Li blocked Yuan Lu’s second punch. Their Star Power swept across the water’s surface. Her right hand was already numb, gradually dropping after being struck by Yuan Lu’s punch. Yuan Lu saw the abnormality in her right hand and was about to press his advantage—

Seventy-ninth Heavenly Layer—Spiritual Court Meridian Full-Boundary!

During the Full-Boundary advancement, her Star Meridian operated automatically, repairing her body’s injuries. Her right hand regained sensation. The right hand that had been forced down by Yuan Lu was raised again to block his third punch.

Hmm?

This shouldn’t happen.

When they exchanged punches again, Ming Li was pushed back, but wasn’t as miserable as before. Instead, she shook her hand and smiled.

Xiang An’ge, who had been observing the battle, clicked his tongue. In such a short time, she had advanced one boundary. If Yuan Lu continued fighting her, she might break through and return to being a Pilgrim before sunset.

Yuan Lu’s mind raced, looking at Ming Li strangely: “Did you just advance?”

Ming Li lowered her gaze to look at her palm, burned by the Pilgrim’s Fire—it was completely red. After closing her five fingers, she looked up: “Let’s continue.”

Unlike Xiang An’ge, who had engaged with Ming Li earlier just for practice, all of Yuan Lu’s attacks were lethal. Although he had kept his promise by only using the Body Techniques Meridian, he showed no mercy.

The fiercer a Pilgrim’s attack, as long as Ming Li could survive, the more she could convert this pressure into Star Power supplies needed for cultivation advancement.

Being able to break through one boundary to the seventy-ninth Heavenly Layer in such a short time was also due to the immense Star Power that Yuan Lu had released earlier while probing her.

This was much faster than her daily morning routine of absorbing the Star Power of heaven and earth for cultivation.

So Ming Li was no longer in a hurry to leave. She looked at Yuan Lu, battle intent appearing in her eyes.

But Yuan Lu wasn’t a fool. He was extremely perceptive. From Ming Li’s immunity to Star Power attacks to her sudden advancement after fighting him briefly, he deduced several cause-and-effect scenarios and finally chose one possibility to ask: “Don’t tell me I deserve credit for your advancement?”

Ming Li knew he was clever, so she answered: “Indeed, I should thank you.”

“Haha, not funny,” Yuan Lu frowned and looked at Xiang An’ge, who was watching the battle. “If fighting a Pilgrim could make her advance quickly, wouldn’t you have helped her already?”

Xiang An’ge: “I’m busy.”

Yuan Lu: “Are you THAT busy?!”

Xiang An’ge: “I am very busy.”

He was busy saving Qing Ying and couldn’t spare time or energy to help Ming Li. Besides, Ming Li didn’t need his help.

Yuan Lu sensed deep foreboding and danger, instantly becoming wary of Ming Li. He knew Ming Li’s survival must have made her different, but the fact remained that she wasn’t an Eight Meridian Full-Boundary, not the Pilgrim she once was. As long as this was true, there was no need to fear.

But he hadn’t expected things to be so absurd.

If he hadn’t noticed this and continued fighting Ming Li, wouldn’t he directly help her break through her boundary?

What kind of situation was this? It completely contradicted his original intention!

Yuan Lu asked: “Which Star Meridian did you just reach Full-Boundary in?”

Ming Li saw his intention to retreat and asked: “Not fighting anymore?”

Yuan Lu snapped: “If I keep fighting, I’ll help you reach Eight Meridian Full-Boundary?”

But Ming Li raised her hand. Her sleeve fell back, revealing black symbols moving across her fair skin. A purple star line on her wrist connected to Yuan Lu’s wrist. She said softly, “That wouldn’t be so bad.”

Yuan Lu’s pupils contracted as he looked down at the star line on his wrist. Now he knew without Ming Li saying anything—she had just reached Full-Boundary in the Spiritual Court Meridian.

Spiritual Court Meridian Advanced Formation: Star Meridian Synchronization.