"Yun Shan, the mysterious and unknown Dou Emperor?"
Gu Han felt it probably wasn't Yun Yun.
Five days ago, the opportunity indication clearly stated that in Yun Yun's letter to Nalan Yanran, she mentioned returning to the sect in seven days - the timing didn't match.
But there was no need to know the other party's identity in advance. Since the opportunity indicated that swimming out from the other end of the Cold Spring at the first quarter of the midnight hour would gain a Dou Emperor's favor, he only needed to follow the instructions.
Collecting his thoughts, Gu Han decided to first find the diving entrance as indicated by the opportunity.
Drawing his sword, he headed down the mountain, arriving half an hour later at a forest by the cliffside.
On the other side of this forest stood a massive exposed rock, before which there was unexpectedly a hidden open-air hot spring.
After sensing through the Black Tortoise Mystic Realm, Gu Han discovered this hot spring wasn't deep, with the deepest point being only about ten feet to the bottom.
"Splash."
Removing his outer robe and storing it in his Storage Ring, Gu Han emerged from the mystic realm and dove into the hot spring.
After some searching, he found an underwater passage on the pool's bottom wall large enough for two people to swim through simultaneously.
"Wait until the warm jade transforms into ice jade before acting."
Gu Han didn't rush into action, instead surfacing from the hot spring to soak for a while before cultivating.
"Huh?"
While circulating the Mystic Ice Force in the hot spring, Gu Han found his internal Dou Qi moving extremely slowly, and the speed of refining absorbed heaven and earth energy was also poor.
If he had cultivated at this speed before, he probably wouldn't have reached the Dou Master level even with three to five years of effort.
Yet despite the slowness, the ice-attribute Dou Qi seemed to become more refined under some kind of pressure.
Slow had its benefits.
Seizing the opportunity, Gu Han entered a cultivation state to purify his Dou Qi.
Time always passes quickly when immersed in cultivation.
Before he knew it, the bright moon was already high in the sky.
Having been keeping track of time, Gu Han withdrew his hand seals and dove into the hot spring, reaching the bottom passage.
Maintaining rhythmic breathing, he plunged into the passage.
The passage length exceeded Gu Han's expectations - after swimming about a hundred feet, he still couldn't see the end.
As breathing became difficult and he was considering returning to the Black Tortoise Mystic Realm for air, he suddenly sensed intense cold energy surging from ahead.
Clearly, the Century Jade Embryo was forming at this moment, transforming into a piece of Century Cold Jade.
If continuously influenced by the Cold Jade, this hot spring would permanently become a Cold Spring.
The faint suppression instantly dissipated, and Gu Han felt every pore in his body opening, all his cells becoming extremely active.
His swimming speed increased again, and after a few breaths, he saw a faint blue glow in the dark spring bottom - the source of all the cold energy.
"Collect."
Arriving before the Cold Jade, Gu Han brought it with him back to the Black Tortoise Mystic Realm.
After several deep breaths, he focused his attention on the Century Cold Jade.
It appeared like an oval-shaped piece of ice on the surface, extremely cold to the touch yet feeling comfortable to him.
Sitting cross-legged, placing the Cold Jade on his lap, Gu Han formed seals and attempted cultivation.
Under the effects of the Mind Awakening Pill, his perception of external heaven and earth energy had already become much more acute.
The cold attribute energy from the Cold Jade continuously poured out, and the circulation of his Mystic Ice Force suddenly accelerated.
It was like playing an online game that was lagging badly, then suddenly turning on an accelerator.
The sensation was so comfortable he nearly moaned, momentarily intoxicated in the feeling.
Meanwhile, above the mountains directly behind Cloud Mist Mountain, a green figure swiftly passed by.
As they approached Cloud Mist Mountain, the figure suddenly changed direction, flying toward the third peak of the mountain range behind and arriving at a cave situated on a cliff.
A gentle breeze swept by, and at that moment, the bright moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its light onto the figure in cyan, illuminating her form.
A simple dress enveloped her voluptuous and delicate figure, her fair, snow-white skin seeming to glow under the moonlight. Her dark hair was styled into an elegant phoenix updo, with a few strands dancing in the wind, exuding an indescribable grace and nobility.
Her jade-like face was calm and serene, her eyes tender as water, yet as clear as a mountain spring that could see through one's heart.
Behind her, ethereal wings formed from externalized Dou Qi added an otherworldly beauty.
She was like a butterfly fairy, dancing gracefully under the moonlight.
This woman was none other than Yun Yun, the current sect leader of the Cloud Mist Sect, one of the top ten powerhouses in the Jia Ma Empire, a female Dou Emperor whom Gu Han believed would not appear tonight.
A Dou Emperor powerhouse could control the forces of heaven and earth, mobilize vast amounts of external energy of the same attribute, and possessed an extremely sharp perception of their surroundings.
Yun Yun circulated the Dou Qi within her body, gaining a clear understanding of everything within a radius of several dozen feet.
Confirming that there was no danger in the cave, she swiftly entered, and the Dou Qi wings behind her dissipated.
Many years ago, when she had broken through to the Dou King realm, she had discovered this hot spring within the cliffside cave and made it her secret base, coming here to rest or bathe and relax whenever she felt weary.
Walking step by step toward the hot spring deep in the cave, Yun Yun shed her clothes one by one, storing even her inner armor into her Storage Ring, until only a silk-made bellyband and undergarments remained.
"Splash."
Yun Yun dipped her perfectly arched jade-like feet into the hot spring.
The sensation that followed caused a flicker of doubt to cross her eyes.
"Today's water temperature doesn't seem as warm as usual."
But a hot spring was still a hot spring, and for a Dou Emperor powerhouse like Yun Yun, it made little difference.
She walked to one side of the hot spring pool, slowly sat down, and leaned against the rock wall she had polished herself long ago, allowing her entire body to relax.
"It's time!"
In the Black Tortoise Mystic Realm, hidden within a spatial node at the bottom of the hot spring, Gu Han, who had been diligently cultivating, opened his eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he left the mystic realm and emerged into the outside hot spring, swimming upward toward the light above.
"Splash."
Breaking through the surface of the hot spring, Gu Han stood on a nearby rock, revealing half of his body as he shook the water from his hair.
But the next moment, his pupils contracted, and all his movements came to a halt.
Before his eyes was a beauty, most of her body hidden in the hot spring, her hands raised as she tied up her long hair.
Her current posture perfectly accentuated the alluring curves wrapped by her bellyband, stirring primal desires.
Yet, in just an instant, Gu Han closed his eyes and simultaneously activated the Mystic Ice Force to forcibly calm himself.
Some beautiful sights, if gazed upon for too long, could be fatal.
He couldn't understand how such a situation could be considered an opportunity.
It would be fortunate enough not to be silenced by Yun Yun—how could he possibly gain her favor?
"Splash!"
Gu Han's reaction jolted Yun Yun back to her senses.
A man had suddenly appeared while she was bathing!?
Although the lighting in the cave was poor and she wasn't completely undressed, so she hadn't been fully exposed, this was still an unprecedented experience.
Even though Yun Yun had faced countless life-threatening dangers and weathered many storms, an unprecedented sense of shyness and panic surged from the depths of her heart.
Along with the anger of being spied on, Gu Han's reaction kept her remarkably calm, and she refrained from acting hastily.
"You can open your eyes now." Yun Yun's ethereal voice rang out, sending shivers down one's spine.
Gu Han opened his eyes, a flicker of astonishment flashing within them.
Mystic Ice Force—a mere low-tier Profound rank technique—was truly insufficient.