At high noon, Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan waited punctually in the main hall of Literature Ancient Peak. Before the hall stood two elder Celestials accompanied by over a dozen senior elders—only the two of them were junior disciples, an unprecedented occurrence.
Li Fei felt somewhat uneasy. Being among the elders was never as relaxed and comfortable as mingling with fellow disciples. She tightened her grip on Lei Xiuyuan's hand and whispered, "Xiu Yuan, what do you think the elders are discussing?"
She asked twice, but Lei Xiuyuan remained silent. When she looked up at him, she found him staring intently at Cuixuan Xianren, utterly absorbed. Lately, Lei Xiuyuan had been acting strangely—ever since the Martial Competition Tournament, he would often fall into deep thought for no apparent reason.
Deciding not to disturb him, Li Fei turned her attention to the elders. Among the dozen or so present, she only recognized Chongyi, Guangwei, Dongyang Zhenren, and Qingle. The rest were unfamiliar faces. The elders all wore grave expressions—even Dongyang Zhenren, who was usually all smiles, looked solemn, his gourd spinning restlessly beneath his feet.
Soon, the main gates of No Moon Court swung open, and the group soared swiftly on clouds. A fierce gale rushed against Li Fei’s face, nearly knocking her off her cloud. She steadied herself and looked up—the midday sun blazed unexpectedly harsh for early spring, an unusual sight. Far on the horizon, a faint crimson hue tinged the skyline. The relentless wind howled and lashed, while the sparse spiritual energy outside fluctuated wildly, now dense, now thin, in constant turmoil.
Shouzhong Xianren suddenly let out a long sigh. "The spiritual energy fluctuations have already begun. Soon, all manner of strange phenomena will follow. Our time is limited—we must make the necessary arrangements while we still can."
Cuixuan Xianren, seeing his melancholy, chuckled. "There is still ample time. Why be so sorrowful? You’ll only invite laughter from the juniors. Let us proceed."
Their exchange struck Li Fei as odd, and the sudden violent winds and scorching sun only deepened the sense of strangeness. She, too, fell into contemplation.
Could it be… that Sea Fall was coming?
The thought of Sea Fall’s approach brought with it the pain of being forced to confront her origins—a pain that clung to her like a shadow, never to be shaken off. As a child, she had desperately wanted to uncover all the secrets of her past—why she had no parents when others did, why her cultivation methods were so bizarre compared to the ease with which others could channel spiritual energy.
But now, she didn’t want to know anymore. Not even a little.
A blur flashed before her eyes as Ri Yan’s massive form suddenly appeared before her. He, too, was staring at Cuixuan Xianren, lost in thought.
"I’ve been looking for you," Li Fei whispered. "I thought you’d be left behind alone in No Moon Court."
Ri Yan didn’t respond, as if he hadn’t heard. Like Lei Xiuyuan, his gaze remained fixed on Cuixuan Xianren. Unable to hold back any longer, Li Fei asked softly, "What are you all looking at?"
Ri Yan flicked his ears and replied indifferently, "That Celestial isn’t bad—he can open a Lesser World. There seems to be something hidden within his Lesser World… Where are you all headed? Why are you the only two disciples here?"
Setting aside the strange phenomena of Sea Fall for now, Li Fei smiled. "Master said he’s taking me to capture Monstrous creatures to refine Mystical Treasures. As for what the other elders are doing, I’m not sure. Ri Yan, if I use Monstrous creatures to refine Mystical Treasures, will you be upset?"Ri Yan sneered coldly, "Refining a Mystical Treasure? What a waste of heaven-sent gifts. How could any earth-shaking treasure compare to a living Monstrous creature? You clearly have the ability to command living Demons, yet you choose to refine treasures instead! What a fool!"
Li Fei gave a bitter smile. "I don’t want to know how I’m different or stand out from the crowd. Don’t bring it up again. Besides, the sect never taught anything about commanding Demons. If I suddenly started controlling one, wouldn’t that be suspicious?"
Ri Yan let out a long sigh. "Ah, you... If you’re content to remain ordinary, you shouldn’t have entered the Academy or joined a sect. Roaming freely between heaven and earth, self-sufficient, would have been better than living in constant fear and unease like this."
Li Fei fell silent. Back then, she had embarked on the path of cultivation to find her Master. Yet now, after all this time, her Master remained missing—though his identity had transformed from a mere charlatan to a renowned Celestial. Meanwhile, she had accumulated countless bonds—mentors, friends, confidants, a beloved... Whether she wanted it or not, she was already deeply entangled, unable to extricate herself and return to those lonely, endless days.
Ri Yan seemed unwilling to dwell on these troubling matters either. He abruptly changed the subject. "What about the Earthen Guardian? Start practicing it now! Don’t think you can slack off just because we’re traveling!"
Li Fei nearly tumbled off the cloud again. She shot him a resentful glare, but the fox remained unmoved. "If you don’t learn it today, don’t expect me to teach you any more Immortal Techniques in the future!"
With no choice, she buried herself in calculating the spiritual energy—six parts Earth element, three parts Metal Element Spiritual Energy, and one part aquatic spiritual energy. The disparity was too great, making it difficult to control. For a while, bursts of spiritual light flickered around her, drawing praise from the other elders. "What a diligent child, practicing even while traveling."
By nightfall, she could barely maintain the Earthen Guardian for about a quarter of an hour. The elders descended into a massive city, and the sight of red walls and green tiles lining the streets immediately struck Li Fei with familiarity. She vaguely remembered coming here as a child with her Master, who had posed as a great sage and swindled dozens of taels of silver from a wealthy family in this very city!
Yet, as the elders landed, their expressions grew solemn. Chongyi Zhenren promptly affixed two Talisman Papers onto the two disciples, instructing, "We’re only resting here for one night. Remember—do not use any Immortal Techniques or Mystic Arts within the city."
The moment the Talisman Papers touched her, Li Fei felt the fluctuations of her spiritual energy vanish entirely. Even her appearance and clothing changed—she now looked like a village girl, while Lei Xiuyuan had transformed into a mud-stained laborer. The group of Celestials had become indistinguishable from mortals. Were they hiding their identities as cultivators? Just then, Shouzhong Xianren spoke up. "There are many other Immortals from different factions in the city. We must proceed with caution on this trip—do not reveal your identities."
What exactly were these elders here to do, that they needed such secrecy?
Li Fei glanced around but saw that Ri Yan had long since flown off to wander on his own. Surrounded by elders on all sides, she had no choice but to obediently follow them to the inn. Noticing her restless gaze, Chongyi Zhanglao patted her shoulder with a smile. She was still young, after all—easily dazzled by the outside world.
"Wait until the elders finish their business before you go exploring. For today, rest at the inn and don’t wander around."Li Fei nodded silently. In truth, she knew that without the two of them as disciples, the elders wouldn't have needed to stop at an inn to rest—they were merely accommodating their two juniors whose cultivation wasn't particularly advanced.
Since she and Qing Yue Elder were the only women on this trip, they naturally shared a room. Shortly after entering, Qing Yue Elder went out again, leaving Li Fei alone to spread bedding on the floor. Tossing and turning, she found herself unable to sleep. It was still early in the evening, and she had just eaten a bowl of plain noodles, accidentally overeating until her stomach felt uncomfortably full. Ri Yan had wandered off somewhere, leaving her with no one to talk to for amusement, so she got up and paced around the room.
Lei Xiuyuan was likely sharing a room with Guangwei Zhenren. She wondered if he was asleep yet. She wanted to go see him—they hadn’t spoken much today while traveling with the group of elders—but she felt a little embarrassed. What if both he and his master were already asleep? Knocking on their door would be awkward.
Li Fei slowly pushed open the window. The biting March wind rushed in, carrying the scent of hearth and home unique to human towns. She had come here with her master as a child. She vaguely remembered a certain alley where glutinous rice balls were sold. Back then, she had been so greedy-eyed, staring at those rice balls, unable to take a single step away. Her master, helpless, had bought her two. As she ate, he scolded her: "All you do is eat and sleep! Usually, you're as silent as a gourd—not a single sweet word out of you. Later, when we go earn money, if you slip up and recite the lines wrong, just see how I deal with you!"
Remembering these old stories, Li Fei couldn’t help but smile. Leaning against the windowsill, she watched the bustling travelers returning home under the night sky when she suddenly spotted a group of young women in pink silk skirts approaching gracefully from across the street. Leading them were two middle-aged women who appeared to be elders. As they reached the inn, one of the elders instructed, "Strange phenomena have been appearing in the mountains at night recently, making it unsuitable for camping. We’ll rest here tonight. Remember—do not stir up trouble. When traveling outside, causing a scene brings shame to our Fire Lotus Temple."
Fire Lotus Temple? Li Fei immediately perked up. That one… what was her name? Wasn’t she from Fire Lotus Temple? In her haste, she had forgotten the girl’s name—some noblewoman, right? The one who refused to eat with them for an entire year at the Academy, insisting on buying meals in the Disciple Room instead, and even forced Ji Tongzhou to have lunch with her… What was it? Ya-something? She really couldn’t recall.
Fire Lotus Temple seemed to accept only female disciples. The group of over a dozen were all young women, their cultivation seemingly between the second and third bottlenecks—likely out for trials. Was there a Trial Ground nearby?
Li Fei watched as the Fire Lotus Temple disciples entered the inn. Being all girls, the atmosphere was distinctly different from other places. The moment they stepped inside, their lively chatter could be heard even from her room, taking a long while to gradually fade. A short time later, however, she noticed one of the female disciples step outside, standing at the inn’s entrance and looking around as if waiting for someone.
Squinting, Li Fei studied her for a long time, growing increasingly certain she looked familiar. The girl was stunningly beautiful, radiant even standing casually, drawing countless stolen glances from those around her—yet no one dared approach. Her posture, mannerisms, and bearing all carried an air of supreme arrogance, head held high like a phoenix.Wasn't that the princess? Princess Lan Ya! Li Fei finally recalled the name. After nearly six years apart, unexpectedly encountering an old acquaintance here naturally excited her. However, her relationship with Lan Ya had always been rather strained—they'd had an unpleasant conflict over the Disciple Room at the beginning. Later, when Ji Tongzhou became friendly with them, the young princess would occasionally exchange a few perfunctory words with them out of respect for the prince. Even if she called out to Lan Ya now, they'd have nothing to say to each other. Moreover, the elders had repeatedly warned them not to reveal their identities.
Li Fei leaned on the windowsill, merely watching her. When Lan Ya noticed a village girl peering at her from the third-floor window of the inn, she coldly turned her head away, pretending not to see.
Suddenly, as if spotting someone, Lan Ya's face lit up with extreme delight. That expression instantly transformed her from a haughty princess into a lovestruck young woman. She took two steps forward and curtsied gracefully, her demeanor as noble and elegant as ever.
Li Fei stared blankly as a young man in Star Rectitude Hall's disciple uniform approached—handsome brows and eyes, dignified and splendid—it was actually Ji Tongzhou! What was he doing here too?!
His expression was unexpectedly calm, none of his former impetuousness remaining. He stepped forward to help Lan Ya up in a gesture of courtesy. Lan Ya eagerly called out, "Your Highness! After five years and seven months, Lan Ya has finally seen you again!"
Five years and seven months—she remembered so precisely...
Ji Tongzhou replied indifferently, "Ah, I didn't realize the Fire Lotus Temple had Trial Grounds nearby."
Lan Ya gazed at him adoringly, unconsciously clutching his sleeve. "Your Highness, Lan Ya is overjoyed that you could spare time from your busy schedule to come."
Ji Tongzhou smiled slightly, the expression softening his somewhat gloomy features. "I merely came with Master to hunt demons. We happened to pass by and received your Message Transmission Art, so I thought I'd stop by. You've grown quite tall."
Lan Ya said softly, "Your Highness has grown even taller, becoming a truly great man now."
Li Fei was straining her ears to listen to their conversation when she suddenly noticed Ji Tongzhou glance her way, his gaze icy. Startled, she deliberately turned her head away, pretending to admire the scenery.
Just then, there came a light knock at the door. Li Fei immediately turned back and called, "Come in."
The door opened, and a mud-stained laborer entered. It took Li Fei a long moment to remember—this was the elders' Illusion spell. She'd have to get used to Lei Xiuyuan's new appearance.
She stood up to greet him, but the mud-stained man took a step back instead, looking her up and down before suddenly wrinkling his nose in distaste and laughing, "Little village girl."
Li Fei laughed heartily. "Look who's talking! Mud-footed oaf!"
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