After that, the chubby boy and his friends got up, ate breakfast together, and headed towards Tianxu Mountain.

When they first reached the foot of the mountain, the chubby boy and his companions, like Sui Xin and his companion from yesterday, didn't find anything special about the mountain. But later, they were all surprised and marveled at how much it had changed.

The same applies to Sui Xin; even though she had seen many sights yesterday, she was still awestruck.

"How beautiful!" Qianyu couldn't help but exclaim.

Girls are always drawn to beautiful things.

“Indeed,” the chubby boy agreed.

"But where can we find a sword turtle?"

We've come all this way without any clue, not even a trace of any monsters.

However, it's still early, as we've only just entered the upper part of Tianxu Mountain.

"According to the book, sword turtles are timid by nature and mostly live in low-lying and remote places such as canyons. Why don't we go and take a look at the West Canyon?" Sui Xin said slowly.

Xixia, the westernmost point marked on the Tianxu Mountain map, is a remote area where there may be traces of sword turtles.

“Yes, I think it’s a good idea,” Lu Cheng nodded and spoke first.

The others agreed and they all headed west together.

They chatted and laughed all the way, the beautiful scenery surrounding them complementing the several fine young people—a truly picturesque scene of a mountain excursion…

...

"Old Peng, you said you want to be a weapon refiner in the future?" Sui Xin asked, puzzled. Apart from Peng Fei, the others had all studied medicine refining, and the little fat boy had mentioned that Peng Fei liked weapon refining.

Peng Fei scratched his head and laughed, "No, it's just that I'm a little interested. My family makes a living by refining weapons, and I've become somewhat interested in it under their influence."

"Oh, I see."

"Old Peng, you're being modest. Your weapon-refining city is one of the best in the entire Xuanxing," Lu Cheng said in a gentle voice, his face expressionless, though one could sense a hint of lightness in his voice.

Peng Fei frowned and shook his head. "Sigh, it's all just praise from the world. Besides, the reputation of the weapon-refining city has nothing to do with me. Improving myself is the right path."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, clearly indicating that he also had his own story to tell.

Lu Cheng nodded, completely agreeing with Peng Fei's opinion.

"Oh, don't talk about me like that."

“Look at Lao Lu, it’s been five years and I haven’t seen him smile once,” Peng Fei said, turning to look at the calm Lu Cheng.

"It really is true," the group stared intently at Lu Cheng, as if he always wore the same expression.

Lu Cheng felt a little embarrassed by the stares and rolled his eyes. "Ahem, stop looking. It's the same no matter how much you look. It's always been like this since I was a kid."

"How could that be? Old Lu, can't you laugh?" the chubby boy asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either. My dad said it's like being cursed or something, but it's not a big problem," Lu Cheng explained.

"curse?……"

The chubby boy chattered on and on until the topic was gradually moved on, and the group was quiet for a while, which was a rare treat.

The surrounding scenery was also subtly changing. The tall trees gradually disappeared, and tender wild grass began to take over the land in front of them. Looking further ahead, the entrance to the West Gorge appeared not far away.

Suddenly, the chubby boy spoke up again, "Speaking of which, Suixin and Xiyun, you two aren't biological siblings, are you?"

He had met Sui Xin and his family. Xi Yun and Ye Hao and his wife did not resemble each other at all, and Xi Yun's hair color was also very unique.

"No, and besides, we're siblings, not brothers," Xi Yun replied, not forgetting to correct the little fat boy's mistake.

"Huh? Suixin looks older than you no matter how you look at it," the chubby boy said, looking at Suixin questioningly.

He chuckled and looked at Xiyun, "Haha, Yun'er is just a little bit older than me, only a little bit."

Xi Yun looked smug upon hearing this.

"You guys have such a good relationship, unlike me and my sister, we fight at the drop of a hat, like we were mortal enemies in our past lives," the chubby boy couldn't help but sigh.

The person who annoyed him the most in the family was his younger sister, who was two years younger than him. A big reason for his running away from home was because of her.

“That’s right, we’ve never been apart since we were little, and we never will be,” Xi Yun said playfully, linking arms with Sui Xin.

"Why won't you stay together? You'll both start your own families eventually, won't you?" Peng Fei wondered.

"Hehe, I already said he's not my biological son, you know what I mean," the chubby boy looked at Peng Fei and gave him a meaningful smile.

Peng Fei was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh~".

"Ahem, it's getting late, let's hurry up," Xi Yun said, feeling a little guilty. She pulled the equally embarrassed Sui Xin along and walked quickly forward.

The chubby boy and Peng Fei smiled and immediately followed.

Qianyu was slightly lost in thought, standing there blankly, looking somewhat dazed.

"Qianyu? Let's go quickly," Lu Cheng patted her shoulder from behind, seemingly having noticed something, but he didn't say anything more.

"Ah, oh"

…

The group joked with each other, chatting about almost everything, from the chubby boy's house to Lu Cheng's house, and then to Qianyu.

However, she didn't seem very interested, and she glossed over the topic of herself.

"Everyone be careful, we're about to enter the canyon, and we don't know what the situation inside will be like," Sui Xin said, looking at the somewhat eerie canyon in front of them.

Unlike the previous Sword Gorge, it lacked that chilling atmosphere, but the gusts of cold wind still sent shivers down one's spine.

The chubby boy shivered. "It looks a little scary."

"It shouldn't be a big problem. Tianxu Mountain is a key area under the control of the sect, so there shouldn't be any overly powerful monsters there. We can rest assured about that," Peng Fei said. He had done a lot of research before setting off.

"Um"

Without saying anything more, the group walked forward one after another. Lu Cheng and Peng Fei led the way, Sui Xin, whose cultivation level was relatively low, walked in the middle of the group with Xi Yun, and then Qian Yu and Fatty brought up the rear.

The canyon was truly cold and gloomy. The mountainsides were lined with jagged rocks and lush green trees that blocked out the sun, as if concealing all life.

"Drip...drip...thump," the echo of dripping water came from time to time, like the tinkling of jade pendants, crisp and clear, but it was this sound that made everyone feel an excessive silence.

"Are there really sword turtles here?" Qianyu asked first, her heart pounding at the oppressive and desolate atmosphere.

Sui Xin, who was walking ahead of her, continued, "It's hard to say, but this place is indeed a bit strange, we..."

Before they could finish speaking, a whooshing sound rang out, followed by a strong wind carrying icicles that swept towards them.

"Be careful!" Peng Fei shouted immediately, and together with Lu Cheng, they set up a protective barrier in front of them.

The others, including Sui Xin, also realized what was happening and began to take precautions.

"Clang clang..." The ice spikes struck the shield, but fortunately, they weren't very powerful and were all blocked.

Before long, the strong wind dissipated, leaving behind ice shards all over the ground and a few people who breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Cheng turned around. "This place is really strange."