Li Fei couldn't help but laugh again, tilting her head to study him for a while. Suddenly, she noticed the ribbon tying his hair had come half undone, with a few unruly strands falling below his ears. Upon closer inspection, it looked rather comical.
She brushed his hair lightly. "Your hair's come loose. Tie it up again."
His hair was still slightly damp—he must have emerged from the Cinnabar Cave disheveled and only cleaned up before coming to see her. Had he been in such a hurry that he didn't even tie his hair properly? It had come undone almost immediately. The thought of the usually composed Lei Xiuyuan fumbling to tie his hair made her chuckle even more, and she burst into laughter.
Lei Xiuyuan said nothing. He found a flat rock to sit on and gently pulled the ribbon free, letting his dark hair flutter wildly in the mountain breeze.
"I don't know how," he said, his voice as light as the wind.
Here we go again—this awkward boy. Couldn't he just ask for help directly? Three years had passed, and he was still the same.
Shaking her head, Li Fei pressed her hand lightly against his wind-tossed hair to steady it. She took a wooden comb from her sleeve and began smoothing out the tangles. His hair was jet-black but surprisingly soft, like a cat's fur. For someone with such a peculiar temper, his hair was oddly docile.
The midday sun bathed the peach grove in golden light. In the distance, faint laughter and chatter from other disciples drifted over, but otherwise, only the whisper of the wind filled the air. Some unknown flowers bloomed along the cliffside, their riot of colors and sweet fragrance filling the air, lifting the spirits.
As she tied his hair, Li Fei remarked, "It smells wonderful. What kind of flowers are those?"
After a pause, he replied softly, "I can only smell another scent." Around him, the faint, unique fragrance that clung to her seemed to envelop the entire world.
Another scent? Li Fei froze for a moment before realizing he meant her own. Since her molting, the scent on her had grown more noticeable, something many had commented on. But hearing Lei Xiuyuan mention it—knowing he had been breathing it in—made her suddenly nervous and flustered. She nearly messed up tying his hair.
She had come with so much to say—every interesting thing that had happened in the three years he'd missed. Each event had made her think, "I must tell Xiu Yuan about this later." But now her mind had turned to mush, her fingers clumsy as she struggled to secure his hair properly. Beads of sweat formed on her back from the effort.
After what felt like an eternity, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly asked quietly, "Are you really going to Chestnut Blaze Valley?"
Li Fei nearly teared up in relief—finally, a prompt for all the things she wanted to say! She nodded eagerly. "Yes! What about you?"
He gave a soft hum. "Then I'll go too."
She blinked in surprise. "You don't have to, do you?"
Lei Xiuyuan replied indifferently, "After breaking through the second Bottleneck, it doesn't matter whether I go or not."
Was he showing off his genius now? Li Fei was both annoyed and amused. "Then why go? Do you think it's a game?"
"Going to Chestnut Blaze Valley—partner with me." He suddenly smiled. "Let's see how your training has been these years."
"Partner? What do you mean?"
He paused. "You know nothing, yet you still want to go to Chestnut Blaze Valley?"
How was this her fault? Her Master was in seclusion, and her senior sister had never been to Chestnut Blaze Valley. Who was supposed to tell her?It turned out that, like Sand Emerald Fort, Chestnut Blaze Valley was also not located within the No Moon Court sect. The Central Land was vast beyond measure, and even the largest Immortal Sect was but a drop in the ocean. There were countless perilous lands teeming with monstrous creatures or ferocious beasts, perfect for disciples' cultivation. Yet, it was impossible to relocate these dangers into the sect grounds. Thus, most of these areas were reinforced with seals—firstly to prevent mortals from accidentally stumbling in, and secondly to contain the various demonic beasts within these hazardous zones, preventing them from roaming freely.
Some of these dangerous lands were shared among the Immortal Sects of the Central Land, often sending disciples to train together within them. Others were exclusive to specific sects. Chestnut Blaze Valley was one such training ground unique to No Moon Court, located thousands of miles away from the sect. It served as a trial site for outstanding young disciples who had broken through their first bottleneck. To unlock the seal of Chestnut Blaze Valley, at least twenty disciples were required.
For the twenty disciples chosen to enter Chestnut Blaze Valley, this journey was far from easy—its outcome could even be brutally harsh. Almost every senior brother or sister who had been there before had suffered injuries, and in the worst cases, some were left so severely wounded they couldn’t continue cultivating for decades.
Chestnut Blaze Valley was vast, filled with an abundance of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. The twenty disciples usually had to form teams to navigate it. How they divided themselves and how many teams they formed were entirely up to them—this was also a test of their observation and planning skills. Later, each group would hunt demonic beasts within the valley, further testing their teamwork and leadership.
After listening for a while, Li Fei asked in surprise, “Doesn’t this sound a bit like that test from the Academy last time?”
She still remembered the first test of their four-person group, where she had been severely injured and nearly forced to shed her shell. Back then, they had encountered the ferocious beast, Tutelary Croc.
“Similar, but the grouping isn’t decided by the instructors anymore—it’s up to us. Also, the ferocious beasts and demonic creatures in Chestnut Blaze Valley won’t be weakened beforehand by injuries.”
Because of this, going to Chestnut Blaze Valley was a trial that disciples both longed for and feared. Only the most outstanding among the younger generation were chosen, and being selected meant their abilities were recognized. Yet, the journey was a life-or-death gamble—if they ended up with uncooperative teammates, regret would come too late.
Li Fei finally managed to tie up Lei Xiuyuan’s hair properly and chuckled, “Xiu Yuan, if you team up with me, aren’t you afraid I’ll hold you back?”
He didn’t answer the question. Instead, he reached up to touch the tied hair and suddenly said, “It’s not done well. Do it again.”
“Do it again, my foot!”
Li Fei rolled her eyes at him and sat down beside him. In the distance, the vast Cloud Sea stretched endlessly, with mountain peaks faintly visible. After three years, they were once again gazing at this scenery together.
“While you were cultivating in Cinnabar Cave, Ji Tongzhou and Ye Ye went to train elsewhere with their Masters. Oh, and Ge Lin mentioned the other day that she caught a Centipede demon to use as a mount. Next time we meet, do you want to ride it together? Oh, right, my senior sister…”
She chattered on, recounting all the things he had missed over the years. For the entire noon on the mountainside, only her clear, wind-like voice lingered in the air.
Soon, the twenty disciples bound for Chestnut Blaze Valley were finalized. As usual, Shining Light Peak had the most representatives—five in total. Three days later, at the hour of Mao, the selected twenty gathered in the main hall of Literature Ancient Peak, the closest to No Moon Court’s main gate, waiting for the elders to transport them to Chestnut Blaze Valley.Among the twenty disciples going together this time, five were female, which was considered a high number compared to previous years. Most of the disciples were young, aged between fifteen and twenty. No matter how dedicated they were to their cultivation, their natural inclinations couldn’t be suppressed—who wouldn’t have some interest in the opposite sex? Moreover, all five female disciples were exceptionally beautiful.
In truth, those with Spirit Roots who frequently channeled spiritual energy into their bodies and refined themselves through it rarely had unappealing appearances. This was especially true for the girls, each as graceful as slender willow branches in early spring. Although the fifteen male disciples were nervous about the trial, most were secretly delighted to have female companions.
However, delight was one thing, lowering themselves to ingratiate was another. These twenty disciples were all outstanding talents of their generation, accustomed to being the ones others flattered and sought after. Most were reserved and proud, so by the time they left No Moon Court, not a single one had bothered the five female disciples. Li Fei finally enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
After departing No Moon Court, they flew southward. At their current speed on the clouds, they would reach Chestnut Blaze Valley in no time.
This was Li Fei’s first time leaving No Moon Court in five years. Without the oppressive density of spiritual energy, she felt oddly unaccustomed. The white clouds beneath her feet were incredibly light, as if they required no effort to control. Countless mountains and rivers flashed by in an instant—compared to sword flying back at the Academy, this was like a galloping steed versus a plodding oxcart.
She glanced around, searching for Lei Xiuyuan, and was startled to find him surrounded by a group of disciples, both male and female, all chatting and laughing merrily! He was actually joking with strangers—and there were even girls among them!
In the past, he had been utterly unlikable. Not only did male disciples avoid him, even the female ones disliked getting close to him because he always gave off an air of “only fools approach me,” and his words were rarely pleasant. Aside from her, Ye Ye, and a few others, most Academy disciples had regarded him with a mix of resentment and fear.
What had happened during those three years in Cinnabar Cave? Had spending every day with Hu Jiaping somehow softened his temperament? While it was good that he’d become more amiable, had Hu Jiaping taught him anything strange? The two girls beside him were laughing particularly heartily—was he telling jokes?
Burning with curiosity, Li Fei couldn’t resist moving closer to eavesdrop when suddenly a male voice spoke beside her: “Junior Sister, may I ask about your Spirit Root attributes?”
She turned quickly to see several unfamiliar male disciples standing nearby—likely not from Shining Light Peak. The leader, around eighteen or nineteen, was dignified and composed, carrying himself with a poise reminiscent of Ye Ye. Noticing her hesitation, he smiled and said, “Chestnut Blaze Valley is vast and fraught with danger. Traveling alone would be difficult, so I took the liberty of asking about your Spirit Root attributes to facilitate forming teams later. I am Ying Yuankai, a disciple of Dongyang Zhenren, with a primary Water and secondary Earth Spirit Root.”
Elite disciples were indeed different—nothing like the incoherent ones from Shining Light Peak. Ying Yuankai was calm and natural in her presence, his demeanor open and likable. Li Fei smiled in return. “I am Jiang Li Fei, a disciple of Chongyi Zhenren. My Spirit Root is also primary Water and secondary Earth, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to team up with Senior Brother Ying.”Several male disciples couldn't help showing disappointed expressions, but none of them persisted. They soon left to inquire with others. It seemed all the disciples understood that the Chestnut Blaze Valley trial required team formation, and forming teams required prior acquaintance. Asking about Spirit Root attributes served as a way to get acquainted. After questioning Li Fei, Ying Yuankai and his group flew toward another female disciple.
However, the female disciple being questioned now was clearly less approachable than Li Fei. She embodied the aloofness of female cultivators to perfection, not even glancing at them as she turned away with the haughty demeanor of a winter plum blossom.
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