At the restriction area of Gufeng Mountain’s entrance, Tian Fangfang and his group were sitting at the gate waiting.

Zanxing’s personal relationships were mediocre, but Tian Fangfang was extremely well-liked. Therefore, quite a few close brothers accompanied him, waiting at the mountain gate until dawn, planning to enter Gufeng Mountain to search for her as soon as the restrictions were lifted.

With the dawn rooster’s crow, the mountain scenery of Gufeng Mountain brightened.

Tian Fangfang, sitting under the tree, perked up and stood to urge those beside him: “It’s dawn, it’s dawn! Let’s go, let’s go, hurry inside!”

The disciple beside him yawned: “Senior Brother Tian, why are you in such a rush? Don’t blame me for speaking harshly, but didn’t you hear what those inner sect disciples said last night? People who spend the night in Gufeng Mountain usually never return. That Junior Sister Yang is just a woman – I’m afraid she’s already…”

“What nonsense are you spouting,” another person patted Tian Fangfang’s shoulder. “Senior Brother Tian, don’t listen to this crow’s mouth talking nonsense. Junior Sister Yang is blessed by heaven – maybe she’s just missing an arm or leg, but her life should still be intact.”

Tian Fangfang became frantic: “Stop talking nonsense and hurry…”

Before he could finish speaking, a loud noise suddenly came from the mountain entrance, accompanied by a woman’s breathless voice: “My god, finally made it out.”

Everyone looked toward the entrance.

The woman who emerged from the mountain gate was disheveled and dirty, her clothes covered with branches and mud. Her long skirt had become a short skirt, but her spirits seemed quite good. She was holding a golden egg in her arms and steadied herself against a tree. Seeing so many people gathered at the entrance, she was also startled and said, “You’re all here?”

“Junior Sister Zanxing!” Tian Fangfang rushed over and hugged her: “Wonderful, you’re still alive!”

Zanxing patted his shoulder, signaling Tian Fangfang to calm down. Tian Fangfang released his grip, and the surrounding new disciples crowded around, asking one after another: “Junior Sister Yang, how do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“Are you missing any arms or legs? Or poisoned?”

“You don’t look like it. Last night on the mountain, how exactly did you get through it?”

Zanxing: “…”

She raised her hand: “Wait. Let me ask something first – where is Hua Yue?”

Tian Fangfang answered: “Senior Brother Hua Yue went to sleep last night and should still be in the wooden building now. What do you want with him?”

Zanxing smiled slightly, stuffed the golden egg in her hands into Tian Fangfang’s arms: “Hold this for me. I’ll be right back.” She turned and walked toward the wooden buildings.

…

Early in the morning, in the wooden buildings, disciples who heard the dawn rooster’s call got up one after another to wash.

From the initial discomfort to now rising with the rooster’s crow, not much time had passed. The remaining disciples treasured this opportunity even more and were particularly diligent in their cultivation.

Hua Yue got up from his bed and stretched. His room was near the cliff edge. Opening the second-floor window in the morning, with dawn light filtering down from the third-floor terrace, the scenery was extremely beautiful – an enjoyment that ordinary people couldn’t imagine.

He had just finished tying his hair and smoothing down loose strands with water, and hadn’t yet had time to put on his outer garments, when he heard a commotion outside. Hua Yue frowned and looked outside, pushing open the door, about to scold these disciples for not knowing the rules and disturbing his peace. As soon as the door opened, a murderous gust of wind flew toward him.

“Who is it!” Hua Yue shouted, summoning his long sword with a wave of his hand. When he saw clearly who was in front of him, he couldn’t help but be shocked: “Yang Zanxing, you’re not dead?”

Zanxing looked at him and smiled: “Very disappointing, isn’t it?” With those words, the iron staff in her hand struck toward his head.

Hua Yue met her with his sword.

In his shock, he was momentarily disrupted by Yang Zanxing’s staff techniques and fell at a disadvantage. Only one thought filled his mind: Yang Zanxing wasn’t dead – how was this possible?

Setting aside the fact that even he had to avoid the miasma in the black swamp, Yang Zanxing had fallen into the black swamp right before his eyes. Moreover, spending a night in Gufeng Mountain completely unharmed – such a person had never appeared in the Taiyan Sect’s several hundred years of history.

And Yang Zanxing was only at the early Foundation Establishment!

Hua Yue’s gaze suddenly turned cold: “You do have a secret treasure.”

If not for this, there was no way to explain the current situation.

Zanxing said coldly: “That’s still no reason for you to harm a fellow disciple!”

The staff wind rushing toward Hua Yue suddenly began to layer upon layer of flowers, each flower like a gentle knife, seemingly beautiful and charming, but hiding deadly intent at every step. Hua Yue’s long sword could no longer advance even one step, and those flowers seemed like a maze. From within the maze, an iron staff suddenly charged out, rushing toward his throat with fierce momentum.

Under such fierce staff techniques, Hua Yue had no way to avoid it.

At the critical moment, a spear tip suddenly appeared from the side.

This spear tip was silver, like a silver dawn. With just a light flick, Zanxing’s iron staff was deflected, and countless soft flowers collided with the spear wind, instantly transforming into thousands of flowing snow streaks. Like winter, yet also like early spring. You couldn’t tell if the flowers were like snow, or if the snow was like flowers.

In just a moment, all the fierce killing moves were resolved. Flowers and snow flew, murderous intent dissolved, and in the quiet of heaven and earth, flowers and snow intertwined tenderly, actually adding several shades of romantic color.

Zanxing was forced by the enormous spiritual energy carried by the spear tip to retreat several steps before standing steady, only then looking ahead.

The silver spear danced in a circle before returning to its master’s hand. The person standing ahead turned around, revealing his face.

This was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth, handsome to an almost arrogant degree. His long hair was bound with red and white silk ribbons, his eyebrows were very thick, and his eyes were a beautiful deep tea color, appearing particularly clear. His lips were also rosy. While the Taiyan Sect disciples favored ethereal, otherworldly gauze robes, this youth wore a pearl-colored cloud brocade robe with vermilion cuffs and collar. The phoenix pattern on his chest was also different from the disciples’, bright and dazzling in color.

Because he was tall and handsome, this fitted, narrow-sleeved brocade robe made him particularly bright and brilliant among the pale, bland senior brothers. Like adding several touches of vivid earthly color to a misty fairyland. One glance made it impossible to look away.

He looked at Zanxing, slight impatience between his brows, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: “Within the Taiyan Sect, disciples are not permitted to fight.”

Zanxing looked at the cool snowflakes falling in her hand and asked: “Snow?”

Hearing this, the youth looked at her with some surprise: “You can’t even see through illusions?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zi Luo came running with Xuan Lingzi. Zi Luo ran to Zanxing’s side while Xuan Lingzi approached and shouted angrily: “Who allowed you to fight here?” Then he asked the youth with concern: “Junior Brother, are you alright?”

The youth put away his silver spear, tilted his head to look at Xuan Lingzi, and sneered: “Senior Brother, your eye for choosing disciples is getting worse and worse.”

“Senior Brother?” Zanxing was confused.

Zi Luo tugged at Zanxing’s sleeve and whispered: “This is our sect’s Seventh Master Uncle, Gu Baiying.”