The same place, the same gathering—yet when Zhang Tie finally faced the few unexpected people who had come, he understood at last what it meant for things to remain while people changed.
The scene of a crowd of young people and companions gathering here in wild celebration was still vivid in his mind. Yet Zhang Tie had never imagined that after merely four years, bringing those people together again—a thing once so simple—would have become a luxury beyond reach.
"Yang Yuankang, Chu Wenqiang, and the others reached level nine last year. They completed their training at Hidden Dragon Hall, were summoned by their families, and left Hidden Dragon Island long ago. Senior Sisters Gu Caidie and Ma Aiyun finished their training at Hidden Dragon Hall around the second half of last year as well, and likewise left Hidden Dragon Island. I heard that the senior sisters were all sent by their families to the Eastern Continent. Before leaving Hidden Dragon Island, Senior Sister Gu and the others came to Golden Crow Castle looking for you, wanting to get together, but since there was never any news of you, they had no choice but to let it go."
"What about Zhang Keliang, Zhang Yunfei, Wei Wu, and Zhang Hongsheng? Their training progress shouldn't have reached level nine yet. Did they leave Hidden Dragon Island too?"
"They've reached level eight already. They're carrying out Hidden Dragon Hall missions now, joining several Jin-Yun Kingdom legions on the mainland to suppress the demon calamity, and they've all scattered to different places. Apart from the family male students who have completed their training and left, most of those above level seven in Hidden Dragon Hall have joined the demon-suppression missions, training directly on the battlefield. It's hard for them to return even once a year.