Hua Min'er Arrives at Qingyun Peak

The next morning, Ling Tian woke up early. As the time drew nearer, he found himself surprisingly not anxious. Stretching comfortably, he got out of bed. Ling Tian went into the courtyard, facing the gentle morning breeze, and took a few deep breaths before exhaling softly.

"It's still early, Hua Min'er and the others should still be a while before they reach Qingyun Peak," Ling Tian thought, a flicker of longing crossing his mind. He then murmured, "No rush, I'll communicate with the magical artifacts from yesterday that I haven't finished with yet."

As he spoke, Ling Tian sat down cross-legged and took out the hidden weapons and other items from yesterday. There were many things, but he wasn't in a hurry, slowly communicating with them using his Spiritual Sense. After an unknown amount of time, he had almost finished communicating with everything, only the bow and three arrows were left. Ling Tian had a faint premonition that the bow and arrows would be useful today, so he slowly began communicating with them. Spirit artifacts could be communicated with better, but spirit artifacts had their own sentience and required more Mental Power. For a time, Ling Tian became immersed in communicating with the bow and arrows.

"Phew, I'm exhausted," Ling Tian finally exhaled a long breath, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. His pale face was devoid of any color.

"I didn't expect it to consume so much energy and take so long. If I go to see Hua Min'er like this, she'll probably worry about me again." Ling Tian glanced at the time; two hours had passed. He figured Hua Min'er must be close to Qingyun Peak. Looking at his disheveled state, he couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

"I should wash up," Ling Tian said and went to do so.

After a quick wash, Ling Tian changed into a new set of clothes, and his complexion improved significantly. At fourteen or fifteen years old, he looked even more handsome and upright. Ling Tian surveyed himself with satisfaction before heading out, feeling a bit pressed for time.

Ling Tian activated his movement technique and headed towards Qingyun Peak without stopping.

On the plaza in front of the Great Hall of Qingyun Peak, the usually somewhat empty plaza was already crowded with people. People from Qingyun's main lineage and those who had heard the news from other peaks had packed the Qingyun Peak plaza so tightly that it was impossible to move. Occasional shouts and curses could be heard, and people constantly bumped into each other. However, everyone's enthusiasm remained undiminished as they looked expectantly towards Qingdie Peak.

Time passed slowly, and finally, several streaks of Mysterious Light shot out from Qingdie Peak. The crowd became even more excited, with occasional screams and cheers. Green Cloud Master and the other peak masters, who had arrived early in the Great Hall of Qingyun Peak, couldn't help but smile wryly at this. Their respective lineages would likely be suppressed by Qingdie Peak for a long time; this was the effect a genius could have.

A moment later, those streaks of Mysterious Light flew to the mountainside of Qingyun Peak. Several figures jumped off the Mysterious Light and slowly ascended towards the summit of Qingyun Peak.

"They're here, they're here!" some people in the crowd shouted loudly.

"Look quickly, the girl that Peak Master Ye Feidie is holding must be that genius," someone in the crowd with sharp eyes was the first to identify Hua Min'er.

"Look at her demeanor, her calm and icy expression, she truly has the air of a genius," someone couldn't help but exclaim, their tone filled with envy.

"Hmph, what's so great about that? Her looks are ordinary, not even as good as my sister's," a woman's voice rang out. As she spoke, she swayed her hips, with a hint of flirtatiousness and jealousy.

"Ugh, auntie, please don't scare us," the people around the woman immediately couldn't stand it. Looking at her face, which wasn't much better than Xi Shi's, they felt like vomiting.

"You, you..." the woman was furious, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the crowd's noise.

"Hua Min'er, don't be nervous, your master is here with you." Feeling Hua Min'er's slightly trembling hand due to nervousness, Ye Feidie gently squeezed her hand and comforted her softly.

Hua Min'er took a deep breath. She had never seen such a scene before; a crowd surrounding her made her extremely nervous, her palms were sweating. However, after hearing her master's words and looking at her master's encouraging gaze, she silently thanked her, steadied her mind, and said, "Yes, I understand, Master."

Ye Feidie smiled with satisfaction and continued to lead Hua Min'er forward, with several disciples following closely behind them.

"I wonder if Ling Tian brother is here? Is he in the crowd watching me?" Hua Min'er thought to herself, a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Thinking this, Hua Min'er couldn't help but look towards the crowd, but with the throng of people, how could she possibly discern if the Ling Tian she longed for was there? She felt a slight disappointment and lowered her head.

"What's wrong, Hua Min'er?" As if sensing the change in Hua Min'er's emotions, Ye Feidie couldn't help but ask.

Hua Min'er looked up at her master, hastily concealing the deep disappointment in her eyes, and whispered, "Nothing, Master, I'm just a little nervous."

Hearing Hua Min'er's words, Ye Feidie could tell there was something else behind them. Her brow furrowed slightly, but since Hua Min'er said she was fine, and knowing her stubborn nature, Ye Feidie knew she would get the same answer if she asked again. Ye Feidie could only glance at the disciples behind her, her eyes holding a hint of inquiry.

"She still hasn't found Ling Tian, she's worried he won't come," Yun Ying blurted out under Ye Feidie's imposing gaze. As soon as she spoke, she remembered her promise to Hua Min'er not to reveal their relationship with Ling Tian, and then looked at Hua Min'er with apology.

Ye Feidie's brow furrowed even tighter upon hearing Yun Ying's words. She stared fixedly at Hua Min'er and asked, "Hua Min'er, is this true?"

"Master, I, I..." Hua Min'er was bewildered and at a loss, lowering her head even deeper.

"Hua Min'er, you are the hope of my Qingdie Peak. You must not let romantic matters interfere with your cultivation," Ye Feidie sighed softly and said to Hua Min'er earnestly.

"Master, I, I know," Hua Min'er said, a little flustered, her eyes filled with conflict, but she still agreed.

"Alas, think of your parents' revenge; everything rests on you," Ye Feidie said, seeing Hua Min'er's hesitation, and delivered another heavy blow.

Hua Min'er's expression dimmed, but after a moment, her eyes were filled with fierce hatred. She said sternly, "Master, please rest assured, I will cultivate diligently."

"Good, that's my good disciple," Ye Feidie nodded with satisfaction and said no more.

Compared to Ye Feidie's slight relaxation, Hua Min'er's heart was in turmoil: one moment she thought of Ling Tian, the next she thought of her parents' revenge. However, when she recalled Ling Tian's promise to protect her, the scales gradually tipped towards Ling Tian, and her heart filled with tenderness and deep longing. Of course, she didn't let Ye Feidie know this; if she had, she would likely have been furious at her lack of focus and lectured Hua Min'er at length.

The master and disciple spoke in low voices, and the surrounding people were far away, so they couldn't hear. A moment later, the master and disciples arrived at the Qingyun Peak plaza. The surrounding people wisely made way for them. Of course, even if they hadn't, they would have had to, with Ye Feidie's menacing glare and the release of her Spiritual Energy, they had no choice but to make way, as Ye Feidie's cultivation was far superior to theirs.

"Peak Master Ye, you're fashionably late," a sharp, sarcastic voice rang out, tinged with some dissatisfaction.

"A girl has many things to attend to, doesn't Peak Master Huang not know? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot Peak Master Huang is a bachelor," Ye Feidie retorted, not backing down.

"Enough, don't you two be ashamed in front of so many disciples," a voice of considerable authority rang out. Green Cloud Master gently reprimanded the two.

"Sect Master, forgive my transgression," Huang Se bowed slightly to Green Cloud Master, clasping his fists.

"Sect Master, Feidie is late, I hope the Sect Master will forgive me," Ye Feidie respectfully bowed slightly to Green Cloud Master. After all, Green Cloud Master was the Sect Master of Qingyun, and she couldn't be too presumptuous.

"It's fine, take her for the test," Green Cloud Master said, lightly waving his hand, and then looked at Hua Min'er.

"Yes," everyone replied hurriedly.