Swords Drawn and Bows Bent

"That Ice Queen?"

Upon hearing this, everyone showed surprise, including Luo Jun.

Xue Lan was his neighbor when he stayed at the "Five-Star Hotel" during his training in the Savage Wilderness. Her brother, Xue Song, was also with him at the time. The two claimed to be from the Mo Bei Xue Family, but Luo Jun checked and found no related discussions on the forum, so he guessed that they were probably a small Lineage that cultivated Yuan Qi, and did not pay any further attention.

However, the Mo Bei Xue Family had never heard of the Ice Queen, whose name was legendary.

In the entire Zhendan, there have only been four people who have Feather Transformation. The first is Grand President Wan Guiyuan, the Grand Master of the Yuan Cultivation Society; Ling Ao, the head of the Ling Family family on Lingyun Island; Ji Wushuang, the president of the Tianjing Branch of the Yuan Cultivation Society; and the last one is the legendary Ice Queen.

The Ice Queen, as her name suggests, is most skilled in Elemental School ice and snow powers. When unleashed, these abilities are enough to reverse the climate and alter the terrain. Legend has it that a Dormant Volcano in Zhendan once showed signs of erupting, plunging nearby towns into panic. In the end, it was the Ice Queen who intervened and froze the volcano, which was about to awaken, to death.

Luo Jun estimated that the glacier that suddenly appeared on Xia Yue Island to stabilize the Otherworld Gate was the work of this powerful being.

However, strictly speaking, the Ice Queen should be considered a Rogue Cultivator. Although she maintains a good cooperative relationship with the Yuan Cultivation Society and often helps solve some problems, because she is not an official member of the Yuan Cultivation Society, very few people know her specific information, and even her name is unknown to the public.

But judging from Zhai Xixi's words, this Ice Queen seems to have the surname Xue, and this Xue Lan is her granddaughter!

Xue Lan had obviously heard the discussion. Her gaze swept over Ningdong's group, and she paused slightly when she saw Luo Jun, but she didn't react much. She simply found a quiet corner and sat down.

As for the others in Tianjing, they all sat together laughing and joking, but for some reason, they all kept a certain distance from Xue Lan.

This girl is still so socially awkward... Luo Jun shook his head. She's clearly kind at heart, yet she exudes an aura that keeps people at arm's length. "Are you Ningdong's classmates?" At this moment, a man with small eyes from Tianjing walked over. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Xu Lin, a professor of the Elemental School from Tianjing. May I ask which professor is leading Ningdong's team this time?"

Hearing his question, everyone turned to look at the back row, but they didn't see Yu Qiudi.

Seeing their reaction, Xu Lin took two steps forward, tiptoed, and peeked over the shoulder. Finally, he saw Yu Qiudi lying in the last row, fast asleep, her body hidden by the back of her chair...

"Oh, it's Senior. No wonder, no wonder..." Xu Lin shook his head with a smile, "You guys have it tough too."

Lao Miao Miao stood up and replied, "Professor Yu has been too tired these past two days. He's still very responsible when he's training and guiding us."

Xu Lin nodded and said, "I can roughly imagine... We were rivals in the Exchange Meeting back then. When Senior got serious, she was incredibly formidable! In the years she participated, Tianjing never gained an advantage over Ningdong."

"Unfortunately, Ningdong is probably doomed this year."

At this moment, a somewhat disdainful voice came from the front row. The group looked up and saw a boy with long dyed blond hair shaking his head and sneering, "Shi Yong and the others have graduated, so you have no successors? This year's team has changed so many people... Even someone like Zhai Xixi can be selected?"

Upon hearing his words, Zhai Xixi stood up abruptly. "Ouyang Yu, how dare you talk about others like that? If your brother hadn't been admitted early, do you think you would have had a chance to be selected?"

"If I didn't have a chance, wouldn't you be even worse off?" Ouyang Yu also stood up. "A defeated opponent!"

"That's because your abilities are perfect counters to mine!" Zhai Xixi glared and said angrily, "Everyone in our team can handle you except me!" "Alright, alright..." Xu Lin hurriedly tried to mediate, but just as he Soothing the two down, another voice from the Tianjing Team rang out.

"But this year's Ningdong Team has indeed undergone a major overhaul." The speaker was a tall, bear-like man. He turned and scanned the Ningdong team: "Only Lao Miao Miao, Lu Fei, and Xiao Tian are familiar faces. Aside from Zhai Xixi, are the rest all freshmen?" "Dacheng, you're joining in the commotion too!" Xu Lin scolded, but while he could control his own students, he couldn't control the other side. "Lu Dacheng, don't look down on people just because they're freshmen!" Lu Fei stood up: "Our freshmen this year are quite formidable!" "I've heard about Golden Edge Witch!" A disheveled man with Wine Gourd hanging from his waist stood up on the other side. He looked at Ling Xin: "This beauty must be you. Everyone says you're the strongest freshman in the country this year. I'd like to see what you're made of!"

"East Sea Wanderer!" Lei Tianyang stood up. "Freshman versus freshman, Ling Xin doesn't need to lift a finger, I can handle you!"

"That's right." A cute girl with wispy bangs and a petite figure laughed, "The Ling Family's Genius Girl should naturally be handed over to Lan Lan. They are all geniuses with Ascension Expert family guiding them, so it's naturally a battle of kings against kings, generals against generals!"

"I..." Xue Lan glanced at Ling Xin before looking away. To others, this attitude clearly showed she didn't take her opponent seriously, a display of confidence and arrogance. Only Luo Jun knew that this girl was simply flustered and unsure how to respond after being suddenly called out. But who would have thought that this socially awkward girl who used to live next door was actually a genius capable of going toe-to-toe with Ling Xin?

Luo Jun was just sighing to himself when he was suddenly called out by someone.

"So, who is this junior? To be able to participate in the Exchange Meeting in his first year, he must be someone special, right?"

Luo Jun looked up and saw that the blond Ouyang Yu was looking at him, his words carrying a hint of provocation.

Luo Jun quickly understood what this guy was thinking. Zhai Xixi's comment that he had taken advantage of an easy opponent was probably not meant to belittle him. This guy was probably the weakest one on the opposing team. Apart from Zhai Xixi, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against anyone else. And because of their ability counter, Zhai Xixi would mostly avoid him during the match. So this guy was eager to find another easy opponent and said this to test his strength.

Luo Jun was too lazy to even bother with this kind of person, and originally intended to just laugh it off, but Zhai Xixi retorted, "Trying to pick a pushover? You've got the wrong idea! This junior is the real hidden trump card for this Exchange Meeting!"

Hearing her say that, everyone, including Xu Lin who was busy mediating, turned their attention to Luo Jun: "By the way, we haven't yet asked who this student is..." Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Luo Jun was taken aback. He looked at Zhai Xixi, wondering how he had become Secret Weapon.

Just then, a soft voice came from the other end. "It's Luo Jun!"

The one speaking was none other than Xue Lan!

Luo Jun hadn't expected the socially awkward girl to call his name, so out of politeness, he raised his hand in greeting, "Long time no see." "You're really Luo Jun?!" Everyone in Tianjing exclaimed in surprise.

Luo Jun's feat of conquering an unsolvable mission and rescuing Old Yuan, a titan of the Zhendan cultivation world, has spread throughout the country, making him incredibly famous. Because the official announcement didn't provide much detail about solving the mission, many people have been speculating about the abilities of this young man named Luo Jun. In the eyes of the people of Tianjing, the name Luo Jun represents mystery and power. Furthermore, Xue Lan's greeting to Luo Jun, "Long time no see," suggests that the two are old acquaintances!

This young man has a connection with Feather Transformation's granddaughter? Could it be that the two have fought before? Xue Lan's personality is always cold and aloof, always looking down on everyone. The fact that she remembers Luo Jun and even introduces him means that this kid has gained Xue Lan's approval and is definitely a master! Everyone in Tianjing looked at Luo Jun with eyes full of apprehension. Little did they know that although Xue Lan was socially awkward, she wasn't nihilistic. On the contrary, she longed to have normal conversations with people. Just now, everyone was arguing heatedly, and she also wanted to join the conversation, but she couldn't find a starting point. Just as she was worrying about it, Luo Jun was mentioned. This was a question she knew the answer to, so she raised her hand to answer.

Who would have thought that after she answered first, the car would fall into complete silence, and the previously lively conversation would come to an abrupt end?

I immediately fell silent as soon as I opened my mouth. Am I really bad at conversation? I killed the talk again...

Xue Lan sensed the awkward atmosphere around her, her lips twitched, and she was almost in tears, but to others, it looked like she was gritting her teeth at Luo Jun.

This must be some deep-seated grudge... Could Xue Lan have been defeated by Luo Jun? Just how strong is this kid?

"Alright, alright..." Xu Lin finally found a chance to speak, "We're all here to exchange ideas and make progress together, not to be You Die, I Live enemies. Why worry so much about who's stronger or weaker? As long as we gain some insights and improve in the end, whatever the outcome, it'll be worth the trip! Okay, let's stop this kind of topic and stop arguing!"

At Xu Lin's urging, the two sides finally ended their verbal sparring, and the minibus sped along the ring road, soon arriving at the territory of Puhua Mountain. Puhua Mountain is both the name of the city and the name of the mountain, or rather, the city was originally named after this mountain. Puhua Mountain Academy and the [Paranormal] Gate are both located in this mountain.

Unlike Ningyuan Peak, Puhua Mountain is also a famous mountain in Zhendan, with stunning scenery and numerous ancient temples and monasteries. Before the appearance of the Otherworld Gate, it was always bustling with activity and incense offerings. Now, it has been developed into a tourist attraction, drawing visitors year-round. The car exited the highway and drove into the scenic area, bypassing the most popular attractions and heading towards the remote mountainous region. "Whether it's Ningdong Academy, Tianjing University, Guanxi University, or Dongchuan Academy, they are all Explorer Academy built upon existing institutions of higher learning," the man in sunglasses explained while driving. "But Puhua Mountain Academy is different. There was originally no university here. Because the [Paranormal] gate is located here, a hidden academy was specially built. Currently, only the front of Puhua Mountain Scenic Area is open to tourists. The academy and the gate are located in the remote and steep Back Mountain, protected by a barrier, making it very secluded."

As they were talking, the car drove onto a winding mountain road. When they reached the halfway point, the man in sunglasses suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the car made a sharp right-angle turn, crashing directly into the rock wall beside the road.

Everyone was startled by the sudden change. Before they could react, the scenery outside the window changed, and the car suddenly drove through the rock wall and into a cave!

"That was just the entrance to the barrier. Our vehicle has special equipment that synchronizes with the barrier's frequency, so it can easily transmit through. If an ordinary vehicle had driven like that, it would have crashed into a mountain!"

As we spoke, the car had already driven out of the tunnel, and the view suddenly opened up, revealing a mountain valley. Here, birds sang and flowers bloomed, surrounded by green trees, and in the distance, we could see well-arranged, antique-style buildings, truly a scene of paradise.

"We're here! This is Puhua Mountain Academy!" The man in sunglasses drove the car to the parking lot, where staff were already waiting. Everyone got out of the car, took their luggage, and followed the staff to their accommodation.

"This is the dormitory for the Puhua Mountain Academy," a staff member introduced. "The courtyard on the east side is for the Ningdong Academy, and the courtyard on the west side is for Tianjing University. Don't be fooled by the classical architectural style; the courtyards have all the necessary facilities, such as hot water and air conditioning, and there are plenty of rooms. Please make your own arrangements."

Looking at the dormitory before him, which resembled the mansion of an ancient noble family, Luo Jun couldn't help but click his tongue. "Look at their dormitory conditions, and then think about our little wooden house built on a cliff... Sigh, comparison is the thief of joy."

"What's the point of saying all this? Professor Yu isn't listening at all." Lu Fei patted him on the shoulder. "Let's hurry up and move in and pick a good room!" Actually, there was no need to pick. The dormitory compound consisted of two- or three-story buildings, with dozens of rooms in each compound. According to the Puhua Mountain Academy's plan, one compound was just enough for one class, which was also convenient for management. Their exchange group of six or seven people could occupy only one corner if they all stayed together. Luo Jun was busy taking out his luggage and distributing it to everyone when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

"Luo Jun, Ling Xin, you're here too?"

The two turned around and saw two girls walking towards them from not far away. One was tall and had long legs and a natural temperament, while the other was petite and had a quiet temperament. They were Sun Xiaowei and Zhuge Zi.

Needless to say, these two must be members of the exchange group from the Dongchuan Academy and Puhua Mountain Academy.

The two walked forward, looked at the houses next door, Zhuge Zi nodded, saying, "You Ningdong live here? You're lucky, these houses get a lot of sunlight..."

"I've always been lucky!" Luo Jun chuckled. "Otherwise, how could I have escaped from such a difficult maze?"

"Don't get too cocky!" Sun Xiaowei reminded her, "You're famous now, and many contestants are eager to challenge you... For example..." Just as she finished speaking, a voice came from not far away. "Xiao Wei, I think I just heard you call him... Luo Jun?"