Li Fei couldn’t help but chuckle as she tilted her head to observe him for a while. Suddenly, she noticed that the tie holding his hair was loose, and a few unruly strands had fallen beside his ears. Upon closer inspection, it looked somewhat comical.
She reached out to adjust his hair. “Your hair is loose; re-tie it quickly.”
His hair was still a bit damp, suggesting that he must have emerged from the Dan Cave in a disheveled state and cleaned himself up before coming to see her. Was he too anxious? His hair wasn’t even properly tied, and it had come undone shortly after he stepped out. The thought of the usually composed Lei Xiuyuan flustered and struggling to tie his hair made her find it increasingly amusing, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Lei Xiuyuan remained silent. He found a piece of blue stone to sit on, raised his hand, and gently pulled off the hair tie, causing his dark hair to sway wildly in the mountain breeze.
“I can’t do it,” he said, his voice as faint as a whispering wind.
Here he was again, this awkward little brat. Couldn’t he just ask her for help directly? Three years had passed, and he was still the same.
Li Fei shook her head, gently pressing down his hair that was blown about by the wind. She took out a wooden comb from her sleeve and slowly began to smooth and arrange it. His hair was jet black yet soft, feeling like cat fur to the touch. Despite being a person with a peculiar temperament, his hair grew so obediently.
The midday sun poured over the peach orchard, and in the distance, the faint sounds of disciples laughing and playing could be heard. Aside from that, there was only the gentle sound of the wind. Flowers of unknown types bloomed on the cliffs, creating a colorful scene, and a sweet fragrance filled the air, refreshing and uplifting.
As she tied his hair, Li Fei remarked, “It smells so good! What kind of flower is that?”
He paused for a moment before softly replying, “I can only smell other fragrances.” The faint, unique scent surrounding her filled the entire space.
Other fragrances? Li Fei was momentarily taken aback, finally realizing he was referring to the scent on her. Since her shedding, the fragrance on her body had become increasingly noticeable, and many had commented on it. However, hearing Lei Xiuyuan mention it made her particularly nervous and flustered, nearly causing her to tie his hair incorrectly.
Before coming here, she had a whole list of things she wanted to tell him—every interesting event he had missed over the past three years. Every time something happened, she thought about how she would share it with him later. But now, her mind had turned to mush, and her hands felt clumsy. She couldn’t tie his hair properly, and she was sweating with anxiety.
After an unknown amount of time, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly asked softly, “Are you sure you want to go to Li Lie Valley?”
Li Fei was almost moved to tears. Finally, he reminded her of all the things she wanted to say! She nodded vigorously, “Yes! What about you?”
He replied with a gentle “Mm”: “Then I will go too.”
She was somewhat surprised. “Aren’t you supposed to stay behind?”
Lei Xiuyuan replied indifferently, “Breaking through the second bottleneck, it doesn’t matter whether I go or not.”
Was he showing off his genius? Li Fei felt both amused and exasperated. “Then why do you want to go? Do you think this is a game?”
“Let’s team up to go to Li Lie Valley,” he suddenly smiled, “and see how well you’ve cultivated over the years.”
“What does teaming up mean?”
He paused for a moment. “You know nothing and still say you want to go to Li Lie Valley?”
Could she be blamed for that? Her master had gone into seclusion, and her senior sister had never been to Li Lie Valley. Who was supposed to tell her?
It turned out that, like Sha Cuiwu, Li Lie Valley was not part of the Wuyue Court sect. The Central Plains were vast, and even the largest immortal sect was just a drop in the ocean. There were countless dangerous places filled with monsters and fierce beasts suitable for disciples to cultivate, and it was impossible to bring them all into the sect. Therefore, these places were mostly sealed to prevent mortals from wandering in and to contain the various monsters and fierce beasts within.
Some of these dangerous places were shared among the various immortal sects in the Central Plains, often sending disciples to merge their cultivation efforts. Others were exclusive to a single sect. Li Lie Valley was unique to the Wuyue Court, located a thousand miles away, serving as a trial ground for outstanding young disciples who had broken through the first bottleneck. To unlock the seal of Li Lie Valley, at least twenty disciples were required.
For the twenty disciples who could go to Li Lie Valley, this journey was not easy and could even be quite brutal. Almost every senior brother and sister who had previously gone to Li Lie Valley had been injured, with some suffering severe injuries that prevented them from continuing their cultivation for decades.
Li Lie Valley was extremely vast, filled with numerous fierce beasts and monsters. The twenty disciples often had to act in teams. As for how to divide the twenty people and how many teams to form, it was up to the disciples to decide. This also tested their observational and planning abilities. Subsequently, each group would hunt monsters and fierce beasts in the valley, further testing their cooperation and leadership skills.
After listening for a long time, Li Fei exclaimed in astonishment, “Isn’t this a bit like the test at the academy last time?”
She still remembered that first test with the four-person group, where she had been severely injured and nearly forced to shed her shell. At that time, they had encountered the fierce beast, the Tiger Jiao.
“Similar, but the grouping is no longer decided by the teacher; it depends on yourself. Moreover, the fierce beasts and monsters in Li Lie Valley won’t be weakened beforehand.”
Because of this, going to Li Lie Valley was a trial that the disciples both wanted to undertake and feared. Those who could go were the cream of the younger generation, and being selected meant their abilities were recognized. However, the journey was fraught with danger, and if they encountered uncooperative teammates, they would have no time to cry.
Li Fei finally managed to tie Lei Xiuyuan’s hair properly and smiled, “Xiuyuan, are you sure you want to team up with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll hold you back?”
He did not answer that question but reached up to touch his neatly tied hair, suddenly saying, “It’s not tied well; do it again.”
“Do it again, you big-headed ghost!”
Li Fei rolled her eyes at him, sitting beside him. In the distance, the sea of clouds was vast, and the mountain peaks appeared and disappeared. After three years, she was once again gazing at this scenery with him.
“When you were cultivating in the Dan Cave, Ji Tongzhou and Ye Ye went with their masters to other places to cultivate. Also, Ge Lin said a few days ago that he caught a centipede spirit as a mount. When we meet next time, should we ride it together? Oh, and my senior sister…”
She chattered on, sharing everything he had missed over the years. On this mountainside at noon, only her clear voice floated in the air.
Soon, the twenty disciples going to Li Lie Valley were confirmed, with the most being from Yao Guang Peak, totaling five. Three days later, at the hour of the rabbit, the selected twenty disciples gathered in the main hall of Wengu Peak, the closest to the main gate of Wuyue Court, waiting for the elders to send them to Li Lie Valley.
Among the twenty disciples going this time, there were five female disciples, which was quite a lot compared to previous years. Most of the arriving disciples were young people aged fifteen to twenty. No matter how diligently they cultivated, their natural inclinations could not be erased. Who didn’t have a fondness for the opposite sex? Moreover, all five female disciples were exceptionally beautiful.
Those with spiritual roots often attracted spiritual energy into their bodies, and it was rare for cultivators refined by spiritual energy to lack good looks, especially among girls, who were all as graceful as willows in March. Although the fifteen male disciples were tense due to the trial, most were still pleased to have female disciples accompanying them.
However, being happy was one thing; lowering oneself to cater to them was another. The twenty disciples here were all young elites, usually accustomed to others coming to greet and flatter them. Most were reserved and proud, and as a result, none of them approached the five female disciples until they left Wuyue Court. Li Fei rarely enjoyed such peace.
After leaving Wuyue Court, they flew southward. With their current cloud-riding speed, they would soon reach Li Lie Valley.
This was Li Fei’s first outing after five years at Wuyue Court. Without the oppressive spiritual energy, she felt somewhat unaccustomed. The white clouds beneath her feet felt incredibly light as if they required no effort to control. Countless mountains and rivers flashed by in an instant. Compared to her previous sword riding at the academy, this felt as slow as a cart.
She looked around for Lei Xiuyuan’s figure and suddenly noticed that he was surrounded by a group of disciples, both male and female, who were chatting and laughing happily! He could joke with strangers! And there were girls among them!
He had previously been quite unlikable; not to mention the male disciples, even the female disciples were particularly reluctant to get close to him because he always exuded an air of “anyone who approaches me is a fool.” His words were often unkind, and aside from himself and Ye Ye, he could hardly converse with other disciples, who generally felt both hatred and fear towards him.
What had happened in the past three years in the Dan Cave? Had he been spending every day with Hu Jiaping, and was that why he had changed his temperament? It was good that he had become more amiable, but had Hu Jiaping taught him anything strange? It seemed that the two girls beside him were laughing particularly heartily. Was he telling jokes?
Li Fei was filled with curiosity and couldn’t help but want to move closer to listen. Just then, she heard a male disciple beside her say, “Excuse me, junior sister, may I ask about your spiritual root attribute?”
She quickly turned her head and saw several unfamiliar male disciples standing nearby, presumably not from Yao Guang Peak. The leading male disciple appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, handsome and composed, exuding a demeanor reminiscent of Ye Ye. Seeing her look puzzled, the male disciple smiled and said, “Li Lie Valley is vast and fraught with danger. It would be difficult to traverse alone, so I took the liberty of asking about your spiritual root attribute for the sake of forming a team. I am Ying Yuan Kai, a disciple of Dongyang Zhenren, with a primary water attribute and a secondary earth attribute.”
Elite disciples were indeed different; they would never be as incoherent as those from Yao Guang Peak. Ying Yuan Kai was calm and composed in front of her, making a good impression. Li Fei smiled back, “I am Jiang Li Fei, a disciple of Chong Yi Zhenren, with a primary water attribute and a secondary earth attribute as well. I’m afraid I cannot team up with you, Senior Brother Ying.”
The male disciples inevitably showed some disappointment, but none pressed the issue and quickly left to inquire with others. It seemed that the disciples understood that the trial in Li Lie Valley required teamwork, and forming a team necessitated prior acquaintance. While inquiring about spiritual root attributes, they were also establishing connections. After Ying Yuan Kai and his companions asked Li Fei, they flew toward another female disciple.
However, the female disciple being questioned at that moment did not have Li Fei’s amiable demeanor. The coldness of the female cultivator was fully displayed as she didn’t even glance at them, turning away to avoid them, truly as proud as a cold plum.
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