Huoyan Valley.
Early morning.
Whoosh!
A male disciple strode across the water. Dressed all in white and carrying a long sword on his back, he cut a dashing figure. With just a few steps, he crossed the Azure Water Cold Pool and leaped ashore.
"Senior Brother Gao Huan, you've come out of seclusion?"
A passing male disciple spotted the man in white and immediately bowed, his expression respectful.
Although Gao Huan had not yet advanced to a True Disciple, he had ranked first among the Inner Disciples in the competitions over the years. He was the person most likely to become a True Disciple in recent years and was quite famous in Huoyan Valley.
"Heh, staying behind closed doors in seclusion all the time won't do."
"I just came out of seclusion and heard that a major upheaval took place in Moyun Prefecture. Our Huoyan Valley even gained an honorary guest elder. I intend to seek some guidance from this senior and hope to gain something from it."
A few days earlier, Gao Huan had suddenly felt inspired and entered seclusion, perfectly missing Huoyan Valley's rise to prominence. Now that he had emerged, he even felt as though he had awakened in another age, as if the times had changed.
As he strolled through the valley, the name he heard most often was Jiang Yan's. He had grown curious about this newly arrived honorary guest elder and decided to seek his guidance.
"Senior Brother, may I have a word with you?" The disciple tugged at Gao Huan's sleeve and led him aside. After glancing left and right, he lowered his voice and said:
"According to the rumors, Elder Jiang has been somewhat moody lately. Quite a few disciples who went to seek his guidance got what they wanted, but they