Chapter 444 - 230: Abnormality, Takeout (3)

Chapter 444: Chapter 230: Abnormality, Takeout (3)

Qin Zhenyang’s voice came from outside the door.

Xie Yuan was already packed and ready. He opened the door, stepped out, and bowed to Qin Zhenyang.

"Senior Brother Qin, good morning."

Qin Zhenyang looked at Xie Yuan, whose expression was reserved and whose eyes were calm. He was momentarily stunned, then gave a slight nod.

"It seems you’ve made some gains recently."

"After seeing so many young heroes at the Little Hidden Dragon Gala, how could I not?"

Xie Yuan said with a faint smile.

Qin Zhenyang felt a surge of emotion. This junior brother of his was improving at an astonishing rate. He could sense a subtle change in his aura compared to just ten days ago.

It was as if, having seen a great mountain and climbed it himself, ordinary hills no longer posed a challenge.

A steady, restrained confidence had settled over him. In layman’s terms, it was the air of an expert.

To be able to fight a Grandmaster and win, regardless of the circumstances, made one an expert by any standard.

When he thought about it, Xie Yuan’s rate of progress was far faster than his own had been back in the day.

’If this keeps up, is he going to surpass me one day?’

’Hmm, probably not anytime soon. The gap in our cultivation levels is still quite large.’

’But as for the future... who can say for sure?’

Lost in thought, Qin Zhenyang left the Sword Sect’s courtyard with Xie Yuan. They followed a servant from the Yao family out of Jinling Prefecture and met up with the others outside the east gate.

Two rows of great trees lined the road, their leaves already turning a faint yellow. The path was steeped in autumn.

In a long pavilion by the roadside, a group of young talents had already gathered.

Xie Yuan’s gaze swept over them, and his heart tightened slightly.

’So many at the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm...’

When young prodigies gathered, there was always a bit of a competitive spirit. They made no effort to restrain their auras, allowing Xie Yuan to immediately discern the level of the Blood Qi roiling within the pavilion.

He had rarely seen so many at the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm gathered in one place. For the first time, he felt that his own Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm cultivation was a bit low.

And that went for Zhang Junyi, standing nearby, as well.

However, even though he was one of the few Second Transformation Realm Martial Artists and wasn’t participating in the youths’ silent contest of auras, no one there dared to look down on him.

His status as a direct disciple of the Xuanzhen Sect, his eight-win streak to take first place at the Little Hidden Dragon Gala, and, yes, the fact that he was part of the trio that had sent Yao Yilong running... all this was reason enough.

Even though his cultivation was a realm lower than most of theirs, these young experts from the various sects and clans didn’t dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

Xie Yuan and Qin Zhenyang joined the group of a dozen or so people, a sightseeing tour bound for Jianzhen Lake. Qin Zhenyang greeted the others one by one on Xie Yuan’s behalf, his calm and proper demeanor showcasing the bearing of a Major Sect’s leading disciple.

After a short while, everyone had arrived. Including Xie Yuan, there were thirteen people in total.

Aside from Xie Yuan and Zhang Junyi, who had earned spots originally belonging to the Yao family through the Little Hidden Dragon Gala, the rest belonged to various major sects and families. They had obtained their spots by leveraging their own strength to trade with the Yao family after an initial distribution among the powerful factions.

’That young master from the Wang family of Langya is extremely strong. I suspect he’s no weaker than Senior Brother Qin. He just gave me a subtle glance; I can’t tell if it was intentional or not.’

’The Spring Rain Building’s lists aren’t omniscient, after all. Some people don’t fight often and have no notable record, but that doesn’t mean they’re weak.’

’A nun from Mingxin Nunnery at the Third Transformation Realm... Hiss... Does Mingxin Nunnery only recruit stunning beauties? But what’s the point of being good-looking if you’ve become a nun?’

’Someone from the Qian family, another one at the Third Transformation Realm. So young, but no weaker than that Mr. Qian.’

’That burly scholar from Quning Academy... you don’t build muscles like that without reaching the Third Transformation Realm... They must all be figures from the Hidden Dragon List, right? They’re probably all here seeking a breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm.’

All thirteen of them were Core Disciples and star prodigies of their respective sects. If they didn’t have a realistic hope of reaching the Grandmaster Realm, they wouldn’t have spent a fortune to buy a spot here.

Under Yao Qinglai’s guidance, the group of thirteen rode on horseback to Purple Gold Mountain, east of Jinling Prefecture.

It was the Mid-Autumn season, and Purple Gold Mountain was covered in red leaves, like a wildfire in the autumn sun. A single glance was enough to stir the heart, making one feel restless.

"How beautiful."

Someone sighed in admiration.

Several others voiced their agreement.

None of them seemed particularly wary of the journey; it felt just like a genuine autumn outing to appreciate the scenery.

The Yao family had been sharing access to Jianzhen Lake for over a decade. The system was well-established and had run without a hitch all these years. The disciples from the Major Sects had either been here before, like Qin Zhenyang, or were very familiar with the process, so they felt no anxiety.

Although Yao Qinglai was an external affairs elder of the Yao family, he was dealing with rising stars whose cultivation levels were, for the most part, no weaker than his own. No, that wasn’t right—at the Third Transformation Realm, they were already experts who could command respect in any region.

It was just that for these young geniuses, their futures held even greater potential. Despite their already high cultivation, they could still be called rising stars.

Yao Qinglai was quite courteous to them all. He waited with a smile as they leisurely admired the scenery, strolling through the mountain forest. They slowly made their way deeper into Purple Gold Mountain until, in a valley encircled by peaks, they saw the great, placid lake.

Below the red and yellow slopes on all sides, it lay like an inlaid pearl. A thin mist drifted over the pearl’s surface. A gentle breeze sent faint ripples across the water, creating a hazy, dreamlike image, like a painting by the heavens themselves.

The group stood quietly on the mountaintop for a moment, gazing down at the legendary Jianzhen Lake.

Legend had it that an ancestor of the Yao family had glimpsed his true self in Jianzhen Lake. He didn’t just break through from the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm directly into the Grandmaster Realm of the Heaven and Earth Bridge; in just a few short years, he advanced with unstoppable momentum, soaring all the way to the Great Grandmaster realm, his might overwhelming the world and leaving all other heroes in his shadow.

This was a place no less significant than Cloud Mountain’s Sword Peak.

Xie Yuan nodded slightly. He faintly glimpsed what seemed to be hidden Yao family guards lurking among the seemingly tranquil surrounding peaks—and there were quite a few of them.