"Tch," Li Yao clicked her tongue in frustration, the sound sharp against the mountain's ambient noises. For two full days, she had hunted relentlessly for the mysterious 'beast' disturbing her senior brother's training, yet her search had yielded nothing but disappointment. Despite scanning the mountain repeatedly with her powerful spiritual sense, she'd detected nothing unusual—just ordinary wildlife that couldn't possibly have frightened someone like Xiang Yu.

Her patience finally snapped. With a graceful movement belying immense power, she kicked the nearest tree, her delicate foot connecting with enough force to send the massive trunk crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact that echoed throughout the forest.

As the dust settled around the fallen tree, a peculiar voice whispered in her mind, [If there isn't one, why don't you just create one?]

Li Yao froze, the suggestion hanging in her thoughts like a suspended dewdrop. Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization, sparkling with mischievous brilliance as the perfect solution crystallized.

"That's right! If there is no beast here, I can just catch one elsewhere and make it take the blame!" she exclaimed to the empty forest, her eyes gleaming with calculated excitement. Her reasoning followed a twisted but logical path—if the original creature had already departed, Xiang Yu wouldn't know the difference. She could capture any formidable beast, present it as the culprit, and naturally, request a suitable reward for her heroic deed.

The mere thought curved her lips into a smile so wickedly delighted that she remained oblivious to how truly frightening she appeared. Even Elder Guo, observing from his chambers, found himself frowning at the sight.

"What's that girl up to now?" the elder wondered, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. After a moment's consideration, he decided against intervention. The girl clearly wasn't in her right mind, and experience had taught him that interfering with her schemes often created more problems than it solved.

His attention shifted to Xiang Yu, training diligently in his secluded clearing. A smile of approval replaced the elder's earlier concern. Initially, he'd believed the boy had abandoned the Mountain Heart Scripture due to its difficulty, disappointing but expected given his limitations. However, during their shared meals, Elder Guo had observed subtle changes in the boy's physique that told a different story—Xiang Yu had actually broken through to the Body Refining realm in just one short week!

"Quite impressive," the elder thought, genuinely pleased by this unexpected development. Perhaps he hadn't misjudged the boy's potential after all. The elder had also noticed Xiang Yu's advancement to the intermediate stage of his knife technique, Elder Guo began contemplating which technique to offer him next.

While the elder acknowledged Xiang Yu's talent, he remained realistic about the boy's limitations—reaching the intermediate stage was commendable, but advancing further in a short amount of time typically required genius-level aptitude like Li Yao's. Xiang Yu might be talented, but he hadn't yet demonstrated that level of exceptional ability.

In his training grounds, completely unaware of his master's thoughts, Xiang Yu continued his practice with methodical precision. Even if he had known the elder's assessment, he wouldn't have cared. In fact, he would have preferred that his master continue underestimating him. When people thought highly of you, they inevitably expected more from you—exactly the kind of attention Xiang Yu desperately wanted to avoid.

…

A massive lion bounded through the dense forest, its powerful muscles propelling its five-meter length with surprising agility. Despite being a fearsome predator that would normally command respect from all creatures in its territory, the magnificent beast moved with unmistakable terror etched into every frantic leap. Its golden mane fluttered wildly as it crashed through undergrowth, knocking aside branches and sending smaller animals scurrying for cover.

Any observer would have questioned what terrifying force could possibly strike such fear into a creature that stood at the apex of the food chain. The answer came in the form of a delicate-looking young woman in flowing azure robes, her elegant appearance belying the relentless determination with which she pursued her prey.

"Dammit! Why don't you just lay down and let me catch you? It's not like I'm going to do anything to you!" Li Yao shouted, her voice laced with irritation as she effortlessly matched the beast's desperate pace. The contrast between her sweet appearance and the menacing smile that twisted her features was jarring enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

The lion's thoughts, if they could have been heard, would have been incredulous. Do you think anyone would believe you with that expression on your face? But instinct prevailed over indignation, and the beast continued its desperate flight, its survival instinct screaming louder than its pride.

Li Yao's mind worked rapidly as she maintained pursuit. She hadn't expected to find such a perfect candidate so close to the mountain—a level two beast, and a high-level one at that. In the cultivation world's hierarchical system, beasts were categorized in levels that corresponded directly to human cultivation realms: level one matched the Body Refining realm, level two matched Qi Gathering, and so on. Each level further subdivided into low, medium, high, and peak classifications, with low encompassing the first three layers, and peak representing the tenth layer of that cultivation realm.

This lion was precisely what she needed—powerful enough to be a convincing culprit for disturbing her senior brother's practice, yet not so formidable that it would have attracted her master's attention. It was the perfect scapegoat for her scheme, if only it weren't so frustratingly fast.

Where is the pride of beasts? she wondered with mounting frustration, unaware that the lion had started running the moment it sensed her predatory aura and glimpsed her terrifying expression. From the beast's perspective, fleeing was the only rational response to encountering such a clearly dangerous predator.

Growing tired of the extended chase, Li Yao suddenly halted her pursuit. Her delicate features hardened with concentration as she activated her Foundation Establishment aura, releasing a wave of spiritual pressure that crashed through the forest like an invisible tsunami.

The lion faltered mid-stride, its primal instincts recognizing a power far beyond its comprehension. The girl is actually in the Foundation Establishment stage? shock registered in its animal consciousness as it sensed her overwhelming strength. Worse still, she didn't seem to be at the lower levels of that realm. The beast's golden eyes widened with the dawning realization that it might not survive this encounter.

Li Yao closed the distance in a blur of motion that the beast's eyes couldn't even track.

Back at Mountain Heart Pavilion, Xiang Yu was executing the final sequences of his knife practice before breaking for lunch. The rhythmic swishing of his blade through air was interrupted by a tremendous gust of wind that ruffled his robes and sent fallen leaves swirling around him. He turned toward the disturbance, only to find Li Yao landing gracefully beside him, a massive, battered lion dangling from her grip as if it weighed nothing at all.

"Senior brother, I caught the beast that has been causing you trouble!" she announced with unmistakable pride, her chest puffed out slightly as she presented her trophy. Her expectant gaze fixed on him, clearly awaiting praise for her accomplishment.

Xiang Yu stared at the pitiful creature she held, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily. Is that what you call capturing? The once-majestic beast appeared to have received quite the beating—its golden fur was matted with dirt, one eye was swollen shut, and it hung limply in her grasp, too traumatized to even attempt escape.

Despite his misgivings, Xiang Yu raised his hand and gently patted Li Yao's head, prompting a radiant smile that transformed her features entirely. He marveled at the duality of her nature—how could this seemingly innocent, delighted girl be the same person who had so mercilessly subjugated a high-level beast?

Her smile brightened further as she looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Brother, since I captured the beast for you, you should give me a reward, right?" she asked, her voice sweetly persuasive.

Xiang Yu appeared thoughtful as he considered her request. It was true that she had seemingly eliminated the source of his discomfort during practice, allowing him to train without that unsettling sensation of being watched. Yet something felt strangely off about the entire situation, a nagging intuition he couldn't quite place.

Nevertheless, he responded with measured appreciation. "Thank you so much. What reward do you want?"

Li Yao's response came without hesitation, her eyes gleaming with anticipation: "Go on a date with me."