Zi Yan's Greeting

Moon Spirit's base was located at the edge of a tranquil bamboo grove in the Inner Academy, where several exquisite two-story wooden buildings were scattered along the terrain.

The surrounding flowerbeds were planted with many rare spiritual flowers and herbs, and even the air was pervaded year-round by a faint, refreshing fragrance.

At that moment, in the open space before the largest wooden building, several pretty female students surrounded Han Yue, chattering away about the news they had heard.

"...Sister Yue, I heard something huge happened over in the Black Corner Region. It seems some incredible ancient Secret Realm is about to emerge, and lots of elders in the academy are discussing it!"

"Yeah, yeah. There are even rumors coming from the Mission Hall. There might be a major operation. Should we also...?"

Han Yue was not wearing her usual silver skirt armor. Instead, she wore a moon-white dress, its wide sleeves slipping down to her elbows and revealing a stretch of snow-white wrist.

She held a scroll in her hands and was studying it intently.

The moon-white dress was made of thin, light fabric. As she focused on reading, the hem naturally draped down, yet inadvertently traced out an alluring curve.

The loose pant legs fell smoothly with her relaxed posture, faintly revealing the long, graceful lines of her calves.

From her smooth knees to her slender ankles ran a flawless, elegant curve.

Only at Moon Spirit's base would Han Yue display such a girlish outfit and manner. Unfortunately, the male students of the academy were not fortunate enough to witness it.

Yet her cool, beautiful face remained expressionless. Her clear eyes swept over the sisters gathered around her. "The academy's higher-ups will naturally decide matters concerning the Secret Realm.

"What do the disturbances of the outside world have to do with Moon Spirit? Your foremost task now is to cultivate in peace and prepare for the upcoming Strong Ranking Competition.

"If your own strength is lacking, then no matter how great the opportunity, you will only be fish on someone else's chopping block."

Though Han Yue's tone was calm, it carried an innate authority.

She herself was an expert ranked within the top twenty of the Strong Ranking, and besides Zi Yan, the only female student on the ranking.

With both beauty and strength, coupled with her cool temperament, she was a prominent figure in Jia Nan Academy, no less renowned than Lin Xiuyai and the others.

The female students immediately wilted, shrinking their necks and sticking out their tongues as they replied, "Got it, Sister Yue."

"We're going to cultivate now..."

Just as everyone dispersed, a voice carrying a hint of teasing amusement suddenly came from the doorway.

"Tsk, tsk. The Moon'er Sect Leader truly has such imposing authority. A few words from you, and the sisters are completely obedient."

Han Yue looked toward the sound and saw a young man in a sky-blue robe leaning against the doorframe at some point, a lazy smile at the corner of his lips. His eyes swiftly swept over her from head to toe without leaving a trace.

Han Yue's pretty face flushed, and she drew her long legs together as she sat properly.

Qin Han was rarely at Moon Spirit's base, and the sisters in the guild had grown accustomed to it. Whenever they returned to the base, they naturally became more relaxed in both dress and conduct.

She had not expected this fellow to emerge from seclusion so suddenly today.

"You vanish for another two months every time you return to the Inner Academy. Could my authority possibly be greater than yours?"

Han Yue cleared her throat, concealing her embarrassment.

Qin Han felt somewhat awkward.

He had originally promised to help her manage Moon Spirit's affairs after returning, yet he had buried himself in the Heavenly Refining Qi Tower for two whole months.

"Sorry, I promised you that I would..."

"Forget it."

Han Yue gently shook her head.

"Even if you hadn't gone into seclusion, Moon Spirit still wouldn't have been able to replenish its ranks with fresh blood this year."

"The few New Students who took the lead in the Flame Energy Hunting Competition formed a new faction on their own and absorbed nearly all the New Students into it."

"You missed quite a lot during these two months of seclusion..."

Although Qin Han knew how Xiao Yan had stirred up the winds and clouds in Jia Nan Academy, he still patiently listened as Han Yue recounted the changes in the academy over the past two months.

"By the way, did you succeed this time after emerging from seclusion?"

Qin Han smiled and nodded, answering frankly, "By luck, I finally took that step."

Han Yue quietly let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. At least you haven't let everyone's expectations down."

"You came out at just the right time. Elder Su Qian sent someone over earlier with instructions that if you emerged from seclusion, you were to go see him as soon as possible. It seems he has something important to discuss."

"The Grand Elder wants to see me?"

Qin Han raised his brows slightly, his teasing expression fading as he nodded. "Alright, I'll go now. We can talk more when I return."

"That guy really is a freak..."

After Qin Han left, Han Yue could not help but let out a soft sigh.

When they had been selected from the Outer Academy together three years ago, Qin Han had still lagged far behind her. Yet times had changed, and Qin Han had now broken through to the Dou Wang realm.

Even in Jia Nan Academy, where geniuses gathered like clouds, there was now almost no one capable of suppressing him.

Inside the Ancient Plain Pavilion where Elder Su Qian resided, the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

Elder Su Qian, his hair and beard both white, was rubbing his brow as he earnestly lectured a little girl in a purple dress before him.

"Zi Yan, this mission is no trivial matter. The Black Corner Region is a place where dragons and snakes mingle. You must follow Headmaster Hu's arrangements and must not act willfully again or run off alone. If you act as you did last time..."

He wore a pained expression, clearly still traumatized by this little ancestor's past exploits.

Zi Yan's delicate little face looked as if it had been carved from pink jade, her purple ponytail swaying gently with her restless movements.

Her sparkling eyes were filled with excitement at the prospect of going out to have fun. Elder Su Qian's reminders went in one ear and out the other as she nodded like a pecking chick, giving perfunctory replies.

"Got it, got it. You're so long-winded."

The moment she finished speaking, she could no longer hold herself back and sprang from her chair, looking ready to dash out the door at any moment.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Qin Han had just appeared in the doorway.

Almost the instant she recognized him, Zi Yan's already sparkling eyes flashed brightly.

"Ah! It's you!"

Zi Yan let out a crisp cry of surprise, her little face instantly breaking into a smile that revealed a row of small white teeth, with two particularly adorable canine teeth.

"You slipped away during our last match and kept me from having my fill of fighting!"

She giggled, but the content of her words made Elder Su Qian's eyelid twitch.

Without giving anyone time to react, Zi Yan's petite body turned into a streak of purple lightning and vanished from where she stood. The next second, she appeared before Qin Han.

Her seemingly slender, fair little fist shot straight at Qin Han's chest, carrying a piercing howl of wind that made one's scalp tingle!

This sudden way of "greeting" him made Dou Qi surge from within Qin Han's body in an instant.

His right arm sank, and a condensed layer of transparent fiery radiance spread across his palm. He spread his five fingers and met the little fist squarely and steadily.

Bang!

A dull impact rang out.

Qin Han felt an overwhelming force crash into his palm. His arm went slightly numb, and his feet involuntarily took a step back with a thud.

Yet he remained perfectly steady, having taken an attack that would have left an ordinary One-Star Dou King scrambling.

"Huh?"

Zi Yan's eyes grew even brighter. "You've gotten stronger! Take another one of my—"

Before she could finish, a somewhat aged hand reached out from behind and accurately grabbed the back of her collar, lifting her into the air.

A vein throbbed at Su Qian's temple. "Cause any more trouble, and this time you'll stay obediently in the Inner Academy and chew medicinal herbs!"

"Ah! Elder Su Qian, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Zi Yan immediately surrendered, her limbs flailing in the air as she pleaded pitifully.

Elder Su Qian snorted and gently set her aside before turning to examine Qin Han from head to toe.

"Not bad reactions. Your aura is steady and robust. So it happened naturally—you've become a Dou King?"

"Yes. I was fortunate enough to break through just now."

"Good!"

Although Su Qian had already sensed Qin Han's aura, hearing him admit it personally still made his eyes crinkle with delight as he nodded repeatedly.

As had been said at the Elder Council before, Jia Nan Academy had not produced a Dou King-level student in several years. Half-Step Dou Kings like Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing were practically the peak that ordinary prodigies could reach before graduation.

On the Dou Qi Continent, a Dou King had always been a dividing line between ordinary cultivators and true experts.

Su Qian had no doubt that the students ranked in the top twenty, or even the top fifty, of the Strong Ranking would eventually reach that realm.

But that generally happened after graduation.

Who could have imagined that Qin Han would break through to Dou King in his third year after enrolling?

Thinking that Qin Han still had another two or three years to study at the academy, Su Qian could not help but feel a surge of excitement. Qin Han's constitution was far too special. With a few more fortuitous opportunities, he might even be able to challenge the Dou Emperor realm before graduation—and challenge the record of Jia Nan Academy's finest student!

Su Qian pointed at the chair beside him. "Sit down and let's talk. You came at just the right time. There's an important matter that needs your help."