The next day, she almost arrived late for the test. Rushing to the Special Martial Arts Arena at the last minute, she found everyone already gathered. From afar, Li Fei spotted Lei Xiuyuan standing there composed and at ease. When he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, he actually smiled—that innocent, harmless smile that seemed utterly malicious in her eyes.
Fuming, Li Fei turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge him. She had always known this brat was no good, full of schemes!
The academy seemed to place great importance on today’s two tests. Incense smoke curled upward from the central high platform of the Multiple Palaces. The enormous Bronze Cauldron, usually covered in icy snow, had been meticulously cleaned until it was spotless, its faint, elegant fragrance permeating the halls. Below the platform, the academy’s five instructors had arrived even earlier than the disciples, each dressed in formal Mianfu robes. Even Hu Jiaping, who usually lacked any trace of an Immortal’s demeanor, now exuded an otherworldly air.
Baili Gelin, whose palms had been sweating from nervousness, completely forgot her anxiety the moment she caught sight of Mo Yanfan in his ceremonial robes.
"Even if I fail the test today, I’ll have no regrets," the girl murmured, clearly entranced by his ethereal beauty, her words becoming incoherent in her daze.
Two months after the incident with the fake Lin You, they had all assumed Mo Yanfan would no longer teach fist and sword techniques. Yet, he had returned as usual, instructing the disciples in boxing and swordsmanship. Zuoqiu Xiansheng had specifically reminded Li Fei and the other two who knew the truth not to disclose Mo Yanfan’s involvement with A Jiao. Grateful for Zuoqiu Xiansheng’s kindness, Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan kept their lips sealed. Aside from Ji Tongzhou occasionally grumbling that Mo Yanfan had tarnished his idealized image of the prestigious Star Rectitude Hall, the matter had indeed been successfully buried.
At exactly mid-morning, the resonant toll of a bronze bell echoed through the academy. On the high platform, several figures materialized as if painted in ink wash. Li Fei’s sharp eyes immediately recognized Zuoqiu Xiansheng among them. The others mostly had youthful faces with white hair, though some appeared extremely young. Yet, their bearing and demeanor set them apart—these were likely the other founders of the Young Phoenix Academy.
Hu Jiaping turned and bowed respectfully, announcing, "Greetings, esteemed seniors. The hour has arrived. Shall we commence the tests?"
Zuoqiu Xiansheng gave a slight nod. "Begin. These tests are of particular importance. I ask the five instructors to be thorough and meticulous."
Li Fei had assumed today’s tests would be like the previous ones, but the sudden formality and grandeur made her nervous. Behind her, a few male disciples whispered among themselves:
"I heard the Spiritual Root Attribute Test is extremely strict. In previous years, at least half the disciples were eliminated. This year, there are only sixteen of us. If half are cut, won’t that leave just a handful?"
Half of the disciples eliminated in previous years? Her tension grew. Perhaps because Ri Yan had been asleep for two months without waking, she felt somewhat lacking in confidence. Could she manage on her own? Sigh. She really had become too reliant on Ri Yan. That wasn’t good—not good at all.
Hu Jiaping flicked his long sleeves, and a gentle breeze swept past the disciples. Suddenly, the doors of all sixteen Special Martial Arts Arenas vanished, revealing only darkness within—unnerving and unsettling.
He glanced at the sky and declared, "Any disciple who fails to leave Reed Mountain before the hour of the Goat shall be deemed eliminated."With that, he flicked his sleeves once more, and the children felt as if an invisible hand suddenly pushed them from behind, forcing them to scatter toward the sixteen Special Martial Arts Arenas. The moment Li Fei stepped through the gate of the arena, the scenery before her abruptly transformed. A cold wind carrying snowflakes lashed against her face as she passed through the doorway and found herself standing in a desolate snowfield.
Was this Reed Mountain? But where was the mountain? She carefully surveyed her surroundings. Unlike the forest of the Second Selection or the Restricted Area, which were filled with miasma, the biting wind here was sharp as a blade, yet the air smelled crisp and clean. In the distance, countless steep and perilous peaks stretched like stark brushstrokes against the gray sky. Thick snowflakes settled on her head and shoulders, and aside from the howling wind, there wasn’t a single sound.
Hu Jiaping was truly an irresponsible instructor. Today’s test was so important, yet he had only mentioned it casually, leaving them completely unprepared. The winds from all directions buffeted her, making it hard to stand firm, but the breeze from the west was weaker, carrying a faint scent of mountain forests. Li Fei untied the stone sword from her waist and tossed it into the air, swiftly mounting it to fly westward.
Time was short—only two hours. The requirement to pass was to leave Reed Mountain, which suggested it was similar to the Second Selection: she likely had to fulfill a certain condition before the exit would appear. In any case, she needed to find the other disciples first. There was strength in numbers.
After flying for a while, she found the snowfield seemingly endless, with towering cliffs so daunting they chilled the heart. Compared to these perilous peaks, the Tiger Jaw Cliff of Green Mound seemed like a mere hill. As she scanned the surroundings for traces of other disciples, she suddenly heard a rush of wind behind her. Reacting swiftly, she conjured a layer of ochre Earth Element Defense Wall around herself. A loud clang echoed as something struck her back with tremendous force, dimming the ochre glow of the defensive barrier.
She immediately reinforced the wall and spun her sword midair, turning around—only to find an enormous bird demon behind her. Its pitch-black wings spanned wider than two of her combined, and beneath its long beak hung a grotesque fleshy lump. Its blood-red eyes made it look utterly hideous.
A demon was attacking her! This was the first time in her life!
Li Fei quickly cast a Mist Illusion to obscure herself while gathering spiritual energy. In an instant, bursts of flame erupted across the bird demon’s body—this was the basic fire-element Immortal Technique, the Li Fire Art. The demon’s feathers were scorched, sending it into a furious rage. It opened its beak, spewing thick black smoke from its mouth.
Li Fei, still hidden behind the Mist Illusion, couldn’t evade in time and inhaled a mouthful of the acrid smoke. The stench was overwhelming, making her vision blur and her legs wobble. She nearly fell off her sword—if she had, she’d have been flattened into a pancake! She dispelled the Mist Illusion and, with a flash of golden light, dove toward the ground, summoning Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy to envelop herself and purge the demonic poison she’d inhaled.
The bird demon, its feathers half-burned, wasn’t about to let her escape. It pursued relentlessly, its massive iron wings catching up to the stone sword in just a few flaps. It opened its beak again, spewing another cloud of black smoke.
As she dodged, Li Fei was baffled. Her constitution was unique—since childhood, she had never encountered beasts or demons. Even when she fell into the Academy’s Restricted Area, the monstrous creatures there had avoided her at all costs, even bringing her food. Not one had ever laid a finger on her. Why wasn’t this bird demon afraid of her? Weren’t her traits supposed to repel evil and ward off corruption?There was another loud "clang" from behind as the bird demon struck again with its beak. This couldn't go on—she needed to end this quickly. Li Fei focused her spiritual energy, preparing to deliver a fatal blow, when suddenly countless golden lights rained down from above, instantly piercing through the bird demon's body. With a shrill cry, its massive form instantly turned into a torn sheet of white paper, scattered by the mountain wind.
White paper? Li Fei immediately understood—this demon was a counterfeit empowered by immortal techniques and demonic energy, no wonder it had attacked her! It seemed the Academy had really put effort into this test.
More eerie cries of bird demons echoed from behind. She turned to see a young man flying on his stone sword not far away, surrounded by over a dozen bird demons spewing black smoke. Yet he deftly dodged every attack.
"Lei Xiuyuan!" Li Fei couldn't help but feel excited at the sight of her companion. The Supreme Harmony Art that had killed the bird demon must have been his doing! No one else could wield it with such overwhelming force.
He seemed to hear her call and waved a hand, as if telling her to leave quickly. How could she leave? With so many bird demons chasing him, how could he handle them alone?
Li Fei flew toward him at full speed, channeling spiritual energy to cast an Earth Defense around him. Seeing the nearest bird demon open its beak to spew demonic poison smoke, she immediately threw out several emerald-green leaves—the basic Wood-element immortal technique, Vine Entanglement.
The leaves stuck to its long beak, instantly transforming into countless vines that tightly bound its mouth shut. The next moment, another barrage of golden lights shot forth, reducing the bird demon to tattered cloth before it unwillingly dissolved into scattered white paper.
As Li Fei reached Lei Xiuyuan's side and was about to speak, he suddenly grabbed her waist without warning and dove sharply toward the ground. Just as they were about to crash into the snow, he leaped off his stone sword, sending both of them tumbling into the soft snow, rolling several times.
"Hey!" Li Fei, dizzy from the roll, immediately flared up.
"Wait," Lei Xiuyuan said, standing up and closing his eyes in concentration. Golden light gathered and pulsed in his palm, gradually forming what looked like a tiny sun in his hand.
"Go!" he shouted sharply. The golden light shattered into countless golden fragments that shot into the sky, transforming in the blink of an eye into countless golden beams that rained down, covering several miles. The pursuing bird demons were instantly pierced through, all turning into white paper. From the forest, faint roars of other monstrous creatures could be heard—it seemed his Metal-element immortal technique, Golden Arrow Rain, had wiped out all the demons within several miles.
This was a technique exclusive to Metal Spirit Root cultivators like Lei Xiuyuan. Metal-element immortal techniques were known for their unparalleled destructive power, making them the most offensive among the five elements.
Lei Xiuyuan let out a long exhale and turned to Li Fei with a smile. "If you hadn't come, I would've lured more demons to kill them all at once. What a shame."
Li Fei was speechless. Her good intentions had only gotten in the way?
She stood up, brushing snow off herself, and said coolly, "Seems like you can handle things alone. No need for my help. I'll go find others to team up with."
As she turned to leave, she noticed Lei Xiuyuan slowly crouching down behind her. Unable to resist, she glanced back and saw him clutching his ankle with a pained expression.
"What's wrong?" Li Fei hurried over. "Are you hurt?"Lei Xiuyuan spoke softly, "My ankle seems to be sprained. Looks like I still need your help. What should I do?"
Li Fei was speechless again. This kid's stubbornness even surpassed Ri Yan's! If he didn’t want her to leave, he could just say so! If he wanted to show off like Ji Tongzhou, he could just say that too!
Shaking her head, she nonetheless took off his shoe and sock. Sure enough, his ankle was slightly swollen and red—likely injured when he jumped off the sword earlier.
She cast an ice-blue Healing Net over his ankle. Among the four of them, since Zuoqiu Xiansheng had determined her Spirit Root to be primarily water with a secondary earth attribute, she was the only one who had learned this water-based Healing Net. Even Baili Gelin, with her secondary water Spirit Root, hadn’t yet mastered it.
Suddenly, a hand brushed the hair away from her forehead. Li Fei looked up in surprise to see Lei Xiuyuan sitting across from her, smiling faintly. "Your hair was messy."
Annoyed, she ruffled his hair in return. "Yours too."
He fell silent again, his damp, misty eyes fixed on her. At first, she met his gaze curiously, but he simply stared without a word.
Gradually, his unwavering stare made her skin crawl. Unable to bear it any longer, she blurted out, "What are you looking at?"
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