Leaving the small secret realm was a straightforward process. After sensing a brief fluctuation, the scene in front of them changed and the exotic plants from the small secret realm were nowhere to be seen. They were back on the edge of the Secluded Valley.
The fluctuation was detected by everyone and naturally they attributed it to a spatial fluctuation. Now that they had left the small secret realm and returned to reality, it was only natural that the scenery they saw would change. However, locating that fluctuation and the position of the secret realm was not an easy task.
As soon as they emerged, Jiang Yan and the others spotted the contact signal left by the elders from their school. They promptly contacted them and in a day, personnel from both the Skyfu Academy and Qianxue Gate arrived.
Upon seeing Jiang Yan's group, Elder Gan's face turned extremely grim, "Why are the disciples of Qianxue Gate not with you?" The implication was clear, why were all the survivors from the Skyfu Academy but none from the Qianxue Gate? If they did not tell the truth, she would be willing to go to war with the Skyfu Academy.
Jiang Yan let out a sigh. It wasn't like they didn't want to save the disciples of Qianxue Gate, but at that time only a few companions were left by Lu Qiusheng's side. The rest who entered the secret realm had all lost their lives to the consciousness fighting for control of Qiusheng's body. If it weren't for their timely arrival, or the decisive strike by Chi Changye, even Qiusheng might not have survived.
Upon returning, Jiang Yan took two storage bags and handed them over to the two senior officials, briefly explaining their experience:
"We accidentally entered this small secret realm here. We found Zhao Min's body not long after entering, and realized that something strange was happening. If it weren't for Chi Changye forcibly increasing his strength at a crucial moment, perhaps we would have suffered the same fate. Afterwards, we found Qiusheng and the others unconscious. We waited for them to wake up while recuperating inside, then left immediately after they recovered."
Elder Gan delved into the storage bags with her divine sense. A single glance was enough to darken her expression even further. The evidence left on the bodies was sufficient to explain what they had been through before their death. She couldn't pin blame their deaths on Jiang Yan and Lu Qiu Sheng, but she was hardly content to let them escape unscathed.
"Where's the small secret realm then? Since you just came out of it, you must know how to enter, right?"
With neither humility nor hubris, Jiang Yan replied, "We stumbled upon it, and to leave we just walked in a certain direction. Unfortunately, we're not sure how to re-enter, I'm afraid."
"Indeed," Lu Qiusheng jumped in, unwilling to let Elder Gan bully his brother, "At that time, we simply entered the small secret realm at the end of this Secluded Valley. If the elder wishes to enter, it would be best to stay here and search carefully. Perhaps you might accidentally stumble upon the entrance."
Headmaster Fang glanced at Elder Gan, and turned to look at Lu Qiusheng with approval, "Well said. Some people are just less fortunate. What's gained is a blessing, what's lost, fate. Luck isn't something that can be forced. Alright, since we've come out alive, let's return to the academy. Be more cautious next time; luck may not always be on your side."
The last words seemed to be a rebuke to his own students, but in reality, he was subtly defending them. Elder Yi, who was present, looked at Chi Changye with approval. Noticing his successful foundation-building, he showed a contented expression. As for what Elder Gan had said, it held no weight in his heart. Flipping his sleeve, he said, "Let's go. Those who are still interested in the small secret realm can wait here. We're heading back. You guys follow!"
He pointed at Chi Changye and Gu Yao, who had been singled out by Master Hu for recognition. Knowing what Gu Yao had done, Elder Yi held him in high esteem.
"Yes." Gu Yao and the others followed Master Fang and Elder Yi obediently, leaving Elder Gan fuming helplessly. She had no choice but to return and contemplate her next move.
On the way back, Gu Yao found out that it was not uncommon for secret realms to appear in the depths of Quqiu Mountains. Both large and small realms have appeared, prompting both the Tianfu Academy and Qianxue Gate to compete for this location. In the end, neither party gave any ground; hence, the place became a joint training ground for both factions.
Regarding people who couldn't make it out alive, this trial area is not only rich in resources, but also highly dangerous. Countless practitioners lie in this place every year with no state of departure, which is a reality in the cultivation world.
However, upon hearing that Chief Hu is still atop the Danfeng, Gu Yao cast an inquiring glance at the Little Fatty. Was Little Fatty going to continue hiding or accept Chief Hu? What if these people, including those around him, came to know about Little Fatty's true identity? That would certainly drop a few jaws.
Little Fatty should've known that his grandfather wasn't likely to leave easily after watching Gu Yao refine pills, but he hadn't made up his mind on whether to see him. So on his way back, he lost quite a few hairs due to his worry. This prompted Tian Feirong to ask Gu Yao with curiosity, "What happened to Little Fatty? The closer we get to the academy, the more depressed he becomes."
Gu Yao replied, "I know the reason, but it's up to Little Fatty to tell it himself."
Tian Feirong stomped his feet, "So I am the only one who doesn't know? Is this how friends should be?"
Gu Yao laughed and said, "Who told you to be slow? Brother Ye and I figured it out ourselves."
When Tian Feirong's inflated mood was deflated, he said disdainfully, "Not everyone can be like Gu Yao and Chi Changye, who are unusually gifted. Every time we rest during the journey, Chi Changye was taken aside by Elder Yi to practice their sword skills."
Lu Qiusheng felt itchy and went up to join in the fun. He wanted to know how remarkable Chi Changye was, that his elder brother spoke so highly of him. However, relying only on swordsmanship and physical strength, without using any spiritual power, Chi Changye easily defeated Lu Qiusheng. If they were to use spiritual power and sword aura, Lu Qiusheng would lose even more miserably. In the end, Lu Qiusheng could only run to his elder brother for consolation.
People from Qianxue Gate, though they didn't want to speak to anyone from Tianfu Academy on the road, they had to change their mind when they learned that Chief Hu was still in Tianfu Academy.
During this journey, the most interesting and troubling thing for Gu Yao was that many female disciples from Qianxue Gate came to ask him about alchemy. While he was willing to exchange ideas with those who were genuinely interested in alchemy, he found that these girls were merely using this as an excuse to approach him. They all had one thing in common, they were beautiful. Though Gu Yao was quite slow, he had experienced enough things to understand this situation clearly.
If he had been a typical Gu Yao who rose to power, he might not have understood so quickly, or he might have been overjoyed. But he had experienced a lot of similar situations in his previous life in the Star World. In that life, countless people tried to seduce him, and there were even girls from big families who lowered their status to approach him. This troubled him greatly. Now, in his current life, he finds himself quickly involved in a romantic relationship, which made him blush as he unconsciously looked over at Chi Changye.
Lu Qiusheng sat down with his elder brother, narrowing his eyes while watching the comings and goings of Gu Yao, just for a good laugh.
"Adding fuel to the fire, Little Brother Gu (referring to Gu Yao) has quite good fortune, isn't that guy with the surname Chi (referring to Chi Changye) worried at all? Qianxue Gate (a sect) has really made efforts, specifically bringing Ren Yufeng from the sect. If Ren Yufeng's admirers and suitors knew about this, how many enemies would Little Brother Gu Yao have to increase?"
Those people wouldn't blame Elder Gan, who arranged this, or Ren Yufeng, who came with a goal. They would only blame Gu Yao, seeing him as an enemy. Even if Qianxue Gate could dig Gu Yao over to them, I predict that once he enters the gate there would be a lot of provocations, and his days wouldn't be good.
Jiang Yan, beaming with smiles: "Chi Brother isn't worried, it's not our turn to worry about. Moreover, you are underestimating Junior Brother Gu. Junior Brother Gu may look simple, but he's not stupid, in fact he is very clever, how could he fail to see through?"
Of course Little Brother Gu fully understood the situation.
While they were watching the drama, on the other side, Gu Yao had already politely refused the request of the female cultivator named Ren Yufeng. If not thinking of Elder Gan's words, the heaven's proud maiden Ren Yufeng almost left in a huff; even now, she couldn't keep a straight face to say anything more, and she turned around and left with a cold face.
Ren Yufeng had just departed when Chi Changye came back. Seeing that he was present, Gu Yao breathed a deep sigh of relief. This kind of "good fortune" was really hard to bear.
"That guy is too much, Sister Ren personally appealed to him and he didn't agree. Is he still a man? He did not show a bit of compassion!" Right after Ren Yufeng came back, someone was indignant on her behalf. Her appearance was indeed remarkable, that even the male students in Tianfu Academy would be moved when they saw her and would want to pursue her.
"Exactly, I heard that he only has the talent of a four-spirit root, what is there to be proud of? His current cultivation level, we don't even know how it came about, maybe he used some tricks to take shortcuts. Foundation building is not that easy. But Sister Ren is a good seedling that even the Sect Master ensures her key training."
"He is just lucky to receive the inheritance of alchemy. Don't look at Elder Gan's current importance to him, it's all for Hu Guzhu's sake. Haven't you seen that because of him, Hu Guzhu is still staying in Tianfu Academy? If it were our Qianxue Gate, we might have got Hu Guzhu to cultivate a good alchemist for us, even if he didn't cultivate, it would be much easier for Qianxue Gate to go to Cuayan Valley to ask for a pill in the future."
Ren Yufeng listened to these appeasing words for her, but her face didn't get any better. This was because she knew the purpose of Elder Gan and others, which made her feel even worse. She didn't dare to resent Elder Gan, but she transferred her anger onto Gu Yao.
Just as she glared towards Gu Yao, a sharp gaze was shot over. Ren Yufeng turned pale, she knew who this person was. Actually, this person was more charming and attractive than Gu Yao, but it was well known that this person was protective of Gu Yao.