Qingyun Sect.

Qi Changfeng was sitting on a high cliff, breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Since returning from the Floating Life Pavilion, he has been cultivating diligently every day, and in a short period of time he has broken through the tribulation barrier and entered the mid-stage of the tribulation.

Perhaps it was during the fight against the demons that he had a sudden enlightenment, sweeping away the illusions he couldn't see through before, and his cultivation level naturally rose to a higher level.

Perhaps it was the approaching Five Gates Grand Competition of Jade Mountain that urged him on even more; in any case, he was now a major cultivator in the Tribulation Transcending stage, just one step away from becoming a demigod.

The abundant spiritual energy, like the light of fireflies, seeped into his body bit by bit, and only when it gradually faded did he slowly open his eyes.

Upon seeing the beautiful scenery before him, Lu Chang walked over from a distance and stood beside him before speaking, "Senior brother, Li Jiang and her group have been at Tianqi Academy for quite some time now. According to the journey, they should be returning by now. Why haven't we heard from them yet?"

He sighed and said, "The Five Sects Grand Competition is in two months. The top disciples from the five major sects will all be going to observe. What if they can't make it back in time?"

Qi Changfeng, unlike him, was not anxious. He calmly said, "Don't worry, I have already sent them a message using the mecha bird. They will come back soon."

"But I'm worried they might not receive it. Should I send a disciple to find them?"

Qi Changfeng thought for a moment, "Alright, who do you plan to send?"

Lu Chang pondered for a moment and said, "Jun Qian, perhaps."

In the square in front of Lingxiao Palace, many disciples diligently practiced their skills day after day for ten years. However, their faces still bore the bluish-green and bitter-yellow hues unique to Qingyun Sect disciples, making them look like rows of zombies from afar, which was too much for people to bear.

In a short while, a figure moved with incredible speed through the rows of zombies and headed towards the sect entrance.

He was dressed in black, handsome and dashing, with cold eyes that seemed devoid of warmth, only occasionally revealing a hint of tenderness when he thought of something as he walked.

But this tenderness didn't last long.

A person blocked his way. Mo Junqian looked up at the person, his gaze turning cold and indifferent again.

Han Jinliang stopped and asked with a smile, "Senior Brother Mo, are you in such a hurry because something urgent has happened?"

The smile on his face seemed fake, as if it had become a fixed pattern, automatically activated whenever he met someone he didn't know well. In the few times the two of them met, Mo Junqian seemed to have never seen him make any other expressions.

He disliked this insincere way of talking and there seemed to be no reason to waste time on him.

So he turned aside and walked past Han Jinliang, heading towards the door without saying a word the whole time.

As he walked further and further away, until his figure disappeared through the doorway, Han Jinliang finally stopped smiling, his eyes narrowed, and became somewhat sinister.

They were from the same cohort and were both selected to join the Qingyun Sect at the same time. Why was Mo Junqian appreciated and became Qi Changfeng's disciple, while he wasn't even qualified to be Lu Chang's disciple and could only be a nobody?

He's always hungry and cold, do you think it's easy for him?

If he had known that Qingyun Sect was in such a state, he would never have come!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until the disciples who were cultivating ran past him, which brought him back to his senses.

“However…” he muttered to himself, “Soon, my luck will change for the better. Mo Junqian, just you wait!”

...

The journey to Tianqi Academy wasn't far, and with the teleportation talisman Qi Changfeng gave him, he arrived at his destination in less than three days.

Seeing the red ribbons hanging high above the academy gate and the double "double happiness" characters, even if Mo Junqian was completely clueless about social etiquette, he knew that a happy occasion was being celebrated.

This is the first time I've ever heard of a college holding a celebration.

The banquet in the courtyard was arranged perfectly, and the disciples were running around with a mixture of anxiety and joy on their faces, no one knew what they were busy with.

No one greeted him; they treated him as just a guest at a wedding banquet, giving him only a fleeting glance as they passed by.

Mo Junqian walked in, completely bewildered. All he could see was red. He looked around but couldn't find Qing or the others.

"Excuse me, where are Qing and Senior Sister?"

The person who was stopped seemed very busy. He was holding several sheets of red paper with many words written on them. Before being stopped by Mo Junqian, he was loudly directing his disciples to move this and that, and he was extremely busy.

"Where are the guests from the Qingyun Sect?" Mo Junqian asked again.

Only then did the man have a moment to glance at Mo Junqian, casually point in a direction, and say impatiently, "Ask him, ask him."

Mo Junqian looked over and saw two mahogany chairs placed directly in front of him. A person was sitting casually in one of them. The person seemed boneless, with his feet on the armrest and his body straddling the chair. He was also holding an apple and eating it with relish.

Even so, the man carried a huge sword on his back without feeling any discomfort. It's a mystery how he managed to do that.

Mo Junqian stepped forward and noticed that the person looked somewhat familiar.

After a moment of recollection, "You were the swordsman who sparred with the senior brother at the Qingyun Sect that day?"

Suddenly, a shadow blocked the sunlight. Zhuge Changdeng stopped eating his apple, looked up at Mo Junqian, and asked, "Who are you?"

Although the two had met at the Tianqi Kingdom Inn, one was carefree and the other was cold-hearted, so neither remembered the other.

Mo Junqian politely said, "I am a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, sent by my master to find my senior brothers and sisters to return to the sect."

Zhuge Changdeng looked him up and down, and when he saw the jade pendant unique to the Qingyun Sect hanging at his waist, he said, "Then you've come at a bad time. They went to the Liu family a long time ago and are probably sailing at sea right now."

"The Liu family?" Mo Junqian asked, "Where is the Liu family?"

Zhuge Changdeng thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be in some mountain... what mountain was it again? Right, Wuji Mountain."

“Wuji Mountain…” Mo Junqian repeated the place name, then bowed again and said, “Thank you, brother.”

As he was about to turn and leave, Zhuge Changdeng said again, "Don't rush off. Even if you go now, you won't know the exact location. And even if you do, you won't get there without a few top-grade space-penetrating talismans."

Mo Junqian hesitated. Qi Changfeng had only given him an ordinary teleportation talisman. After all, he hadn't expected that Qing and his senior sister would end up at the Liu family.

If what Zhuge Changdeng said is true, then going to the Liu family will indeed be quite troublesome.

He stood there, unsure of what to do. After a long while, Zhuge Changdeng finished his apple and said to him, "How about this? You are Li Jiang's junior brother, which means you are my friend. I'll have my old man give you a few space-traveling talismans and tell you the location. That will ensure you arrive at the Liu family smoothly. What do you say?"

Mo Junqian exclaimed in delight, "Really? Then thank you very much, brother."

Zhuge Changdeng waved his hand casually: "It's nothing, it's nothing."

With that, he led Mo Junqian to the pharmacy.

Walking through the narrow path, Zhuge Changdeng walked in front, with Mo Junqian following closely behind. From his perspective, he could only see the back of Zhuge Changdeng's head and that long ancient sword.

Suddenly, without warning, the ancient sword was drawn from its sheath, flashing red light, and stabbed straight at him!

He raised his hand to block, his figure instantly leaping backward, the spiritual power in his palm suddenly surging, meeting the sharp blade in an instant.

The two forces instantly canceled each other out, vanishing into nothingness in mid-air. The ancient sword returned to its sheath, but Mo Junqian did not withdraw his spiritual power. He asked warily, "Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

Zhuge Changdeng then revealed a smile, but his face was so fierce that even his smile became somewhat unfriendly. "Don't take it to heart. I was just testing you. Now that it seems you are indeed from the same lineage as Li Jiang, I'm relieved. Let's go."

After saying that, he walked forward as if nothing had happened. Mo Junqian followed behind him, but his expression was no longer as calm as before.

He stared at the back of Zhuge Changdeng's head, secretly surprised. This man seemed carefree, but he was surprisingly vigilant. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.