2 months later:
In a mountain range a few miles north of the Divine Sword sect, there was a vibrantly beautiful young girl sitting on a mountain peak.
As she cultivated, her body was engulfed in flames like a burning candlewick. The qi in her body overflowed her meridians and was pushing the last gate open before it finally broke. Suddenly, the energy in her dantian began to solidify and she felt a tremendous spike in her overall prowess. She finally broke through to the Spirit Core realm.
Her jade-white skin was shimmering under the blinding sunlight and she seemed like an angel sitting on a bed of fire. She was none other than Li Lian.
After breaking through to the next realm, Li Lian woke up from her meditative state, and a magnificent pillar of fire shot up into the sky.
From the way she was now, she was convinced that if she were to slap Xiao Fang he would no longer have to fake being hurt. Strangely enough, this brought her joy.