Once, soaring on the sword brought unparalleled exhilaration.

Qin Yue examined himself inwardly and found that the fist-sized mass of spiritual energy within his body had vanished, replaced by a single drop of spiritual liquid, suspended like a water droplet in his core—it seemed he had successfully established his foundation. He slowly opened his eyes, only to discover a thick, foul layer of some unknown substance coating his body, utterly repulsive. With a shiver, he hurriedly fetched some spring water and scrubbed himself clean.

Meanwhile, Luo Yu was happily gathering Yin Grass when suddenly a familiar voice sounded in his mind: “Come back and refine the fire.” Luo Yu blinked in surprise and glanced around: Where is he? Is he hiding? How is the voice echoing in my head?

As he puzzled over this, the voice came again, tinged with a hint of amusement: “Idiot, what are you looking for? I’m by the spirit spring!”

“Wha?” Luo Yu cried out in astonishment, “Transmitting thoughts directly?”

Qin Yue walked over with a smile, his lips unmoving, yet Luo Yu heard once more: “Still spacing out? Hurry up and get over here!”

Luo Yu quickly gathered his Yin Grass, bounded over with a few leaps, and called out excitedly, “You’ve learned a new skill!” But as he drew closer and caught sight of Qin Yue, he abruptly froze, staring blankly at him.

Qin Yue waved a hand before his eyes and asked in confusion, “Has your brain been corroded by Yin energy?”

At that moment, Luo Yu felt as if he were floating in a surreal dream: Who is this beauty? He looks like my Qin Beauty, doesn’t he? He rubbed his eyes to look closer—indeed, it was Qin Beauty! He’d always been a delicate flower, but now he was even more ethereal and pure, surpassing ice and snow; handsome beyond compare, like an immortal banished from the heavens—absolutely breathtaking...

Seeing the shifting expressions on Luo Yu’s face, Qin Yue frowned, “Are you truly addled?”

Luo Yu’s gaze was dazed, his cheeks flushed red as he muttered, “Can you still walk the streets looking like this? Who’d believe you’re human...?”

Qin Yue touched his face. “Is it really that bad?”

Luo Yu nodded like a pecking chick. “I’m about to turn gay!”

Suddenly, Qin Yue burst out laughing, then turned away, saying, “Then go ahead and turn.” With that, he headed toward the formation.

Luo Yu shouted after him, “Don’t you smile at me like that! If I turn, my dad will hold you responsible!”

Qin Yue replied, “He can barely manage his own affairs; where would he find time to worry about others’ troubles?”

The two exchanged a few more jests before arranging the formation to collect the fire. Luo Yu set up several fire-control arrays on the ground—whether they’d withstand the flames or not, it was better to have them than not.

As before, Luo Yu carefully released a sliver of the True Yang Fire. Qin Yue waited at the gap, controlling his strange fire, and as soon as the True Fire emerged, he wrapped it completely, beginning the refinement process.

This Yang Extreme True Fire was as formidable as expected; even with a large mass of fire seed, it took enormous effort to manage just a needlepoint’s worth of the True Fire, consuming quite a bit in the process.

Thus, the two of them painstakingly refined the fire, and by the time the True Fire in the outer formation was finished, there was little of the toxic fire seed left. Qin Yue checked his inner vision—what he’d refined had all been drawn into his core, at that moment orbiting the drop of spiritual liquid like a satellite. Having devoured the strange fire seed, it had grown larger, now resembling a sesame seed.

So, they continued to release fire from the inner formation, using the already-refined True Fire to collect it. The pace picked up exponentially, and in less than a week, Qin Yue had consumed the entire mass of Yang Extreme True Fire.

Luo Yu exclaimed excitedly, “Now you’re amazing! If you let all that fire loose, wouldn’t Nine Yin Mountain turn into a sea of flames?”

Qin Yue toyed with the golden fireball in his palm, a smile on his lips. “Indeed! Now, even if I face a Golden Core cultivator, I might be able to put up a fight.”

The fireball was now entirely under Qin Yue’s control, its scorching heat withdrawn, making it seem perfectly harmless.

Luo Yu eyed him with envy. “You’ve taken it all. Next time you’ll have to share some with me.”

Loaded with spoils, the pair, along with their ghostly companion, left the illusion formation and set up another refining array outside. Qin Yue drove away the wandering spirits with fire, herding them into the formation to be burned. After acquiring another large mass of strange fire, the two and their ghost companion finally prepared to return.

This time, they didn’t leave the valley on foot. Qin Yue tossed Chiyuan into the air and, with a burst of magical energy, saw it spin and transform into a massive blade. Grabbing Luo Yu’s hand, together they leapt up and landed steadily atop Chiyuan.

“What about the rabbit?” Luo Yu shouted.

“Leave it,” Qin Yue replied.

“No way! I’m taking it home to be a rabbit! We don’t have any ghosts at home!” Luo Yu protested.

At this, Qin Yue waved a hand at the rabbit, and with a series of startled squeals, the rabbit was compressed by an invisible force, finally transforming into a black pearl that flew into Qin Yue’s hand.

“You’re abusing it!” Luo Yu cried.

Qin Yue calmly tossed the bead into the Soul Capturing Box. “Traveling outside can’t compare to being at home. It’ll just have to endure for now!” With that, he wrapped an arm around Luo Yu’s waist, formed a seal with his hand, and Chiyuan carried them away like a shooting star, vanishing over the mountaintops in an instant.

On the River of Three Crossings, at the gates of the Underworld, several ghostly boatmen were gathered, playing cards. Suddenly, a fierce wind swept past, scattering the cards everywhere. From afar, they heard a voice cry out, “Ah—! Wonderful! So exhilarating! Faster! Even faster…”

The boatmen exchanged glances. “I heard that immortals all have a taste for handsome men—what could they be doing to make such heavenly sounds…”

Luo Yu, held tightly in Qin Yue’s arms, whooped with excitement—this was better than any roller coaster! The panoramic view and dizzying speed made the journey from Nine Yin Mountain to home take only a few dozen minutes; it was like flying on a plane!

Qin Yue stood behind him, steady and smiling. “You’ve been yelling for ages, and your voice still isn’t hoarse?”

“I have a strong voice! I could sing all night without trouble!” Luo Yu replied exuberantly.

Qin Yue chuckled, hugging him tighter. “We’re about to enter the cave—hold on!”

Now, Qin Yue’s spiritual sense was far beyond what it had once been; the mountain cave ahead was clear to him without any need to probe. He selected the nearest passage, and in a flash, Chiyuan shot through.

Beside the “Celestial Pit” in Dudu Township, a group of hikers was exploring the cave entrance. Suddenly, a strange cry echoed from deep within, startling them into staring wide-eyed at the opening, convinced a monster lurked inside. After a while, the sound ceased, and they relaxed—only for a mysterious object, unseen but powerful, to burst from the fog, whipping up a gale before vanishing into the sky. Several women screamed, “UFO!” “It’s a UFO!” “Oh my god, there are aliens underground!” “Did anyone get a picture…”

While the people below erupted into chaos, Luo Yu and Qin Yue were already high above, hidden in thick clouds. Chiyuan soared ever higher; the gray mist brightened, turning yellow, then red… and suddenly, they burst through into sunlight, beholding the sun and a magnificent, boundless sea of clouds.

Here, Luo Yu fell silent.

Heaven and earth felt too vast; the sense of speed vanished. The sky before them was a pure, delicate blue, not a wisp of cloud overhead, infinite and borderless, as though they’d flown out of time itself and into space. The dazzling sun hung to their left, with no horizon below—only the junction between the sea of clouds and the sky, a straight, white line glowing like mist. There were no buildings, no birds in flight. Everything seemed frozen in stillness; only by looking down could one see the slow drift of the clouds.

The clouds, white as cotton combed by the wind, bore soft striations. Layer upon layer, they blocked any view of the world below.

Though bright above the clouds, it was already late. Qin Yue oriented himself and steered toward Qingning. Both gazed hungrily at the unfolding panorama, too enraptured for conversation.

The sun began to sink, darkening the cloud sea. Only the highest clouds remained white, looking like floating cotton on water. Between clouds of different colors, the air was as clear as water, stretching endlessly. As the sun disappeared, a golden edge lined the boundary between clouds and sky, only to vanish in a blink. The morning star appeared in the distant heavens.

They drifted through the air for more than two hours, until the sky was strewn with stars and they finally reached Qingning. Circling above, they saw the suburban roads glowing with lights, strung out in lines like divine bracelets fallen to the mortal world; the bustling parts of the city were ablaze, a halo casting its glow over only a patch of sky, as if an invisible luminous orb hung above. Farther away, the lights snaked on, dimly, resembling fissures in a volcano glowing with molten red.

Qin Yue and Luo Yu spotted their own street, descended quietly under cover of darkness, and landed at their doorstep without a soul noticing.

Luo Yu, still riding high on excitement, bounded through the door. “Aunt Flo!”

Old Master was cuddling a cat while watching cartoons. On hearing the commotion, he turned with delight. Luo Li scrambled from her grandfather’s arms and threw herself at Luo Yu, nuzzling him. “Did you and brother elope for a honeymoon? You were gone so long!” The old man bustled over to examine them head to toe—nothing was missing, but how had they gone to the Ghost Mansion and come back even more handsome? Was there something in the water there?

His mind whirled with curiosity, but he scolded Luo Li, “Your brother’s a boy! He should get a girlfriend!”

Luo Li pouted. “I don’t want a girlfriend—I want brother and you to get married! Like Daddy and Mommy, and only one child—me!”

The old man sighed, exasperated. “Your dad and mom are different—ah, your mom and dad weren’t married; in the future, they’ll have their own families.” Luo Li’s lips trembled, about to cry. “Mommy and Daddy are married! Their child is already this big! No marrying other women and having more kids!”

Seeing tears on the verge, the old man surrendered. “Don’t cry, dear! Alright, Grandpa was wrong—Daddy and Mommy are married! And you’re the only precious child!”

Luo Li said, “Brother and you have to get married too!” The old man nodded desperately, “Yes! They’ll get married! If anyone objects, Grandpa will deal with them!”

Luo Yu, embarrassed and blushing, sneaked a glance at Qin Yue, who remained poised and unruffled, making Luo Yu feel oddly dissatisfied, though he couldn’t say why.

Father Chu had heard the commotion and came downstairs, a young servant trailing after.

“Hey, my beloved children! How did it go? My fire…” the servant asked eagerly.

Father Chu interrupted coldly, “Do you know how many days you were gone? Why didn’t you call home?”

Luo Yu choked—this was definitely nitpicking on purpose!

With a sincere face, he replied, “I tried to call several times, but the signal was bad and then my phone died.”

Cultivation Chronicles of Best Friends, Chapter 47—Sword Riding Thrills Complete!