The center of the Gale Pavilion was also its most prosperous area. Magnificent and luxurious palaces towered over the summit of Floating Cloud Mountain like gateways to the heavens. Large swathes of clouds would occasionally drift past, making the entire place resemble a paradise. This was the true heart and soul of the Gale Pavilion —the Main Pavilion!
At this moment, in one of the lavish palaces, a young woman leaned against the railing of a balcony, gazing out at the scenic view. As the gentle breeze blew past, tousling her long, silky hair, her youthful and lovely features would be revealed. Her exquisite figure and unique temperament made her look like a celestial maiden who'd descended to the mortal realm. She was the epitome of grace!
She was none other than the girl whose "first light of spring" Xing Jue had stolen, Li Xiaohan, the most outstanding disciple of the Gale Pavilion's Main Pavilion!
As the faint sound of footsteps came from the palace stairs, a slender and graceful girl slowly walked up behind her."Miss, I've found out about that person you asked me about."
"Oh," said Li Xiaohan, snapping out of her daze upon hearing the girl's voice. Turning around, she walked back into the palace. "Xiaoyue," she asked with a smile. "How long until the inner pavilion examination? Also, who's the most likely to win?"
"The inner pavilion examination is in a month. Bai Yunfei has the best chance."
"What is Bai Yunfei's strength?" Li Xiaohan gently frowned upon hearing this name.
"Bai Yunfei joined the pavilion three years ago. He's dedicated himself to his cultivation, and had already reached the Martial Monarch realm last year. However, he didn't participate in the examination. It appears that he's quite ambitious, and obviously has his sights set on first place. He has already reached the mid-rank Martial Monarch realm."
Li Xiaohan fell into deep thought, pondering what Xiaoyue had told her. A mesmerizing smile spread across her innocent face. "Prepare my clothes. I want to go to the outer pavilion," she said.
In the outer pavilion, a rather luxurious attic stood tall. Its entrance was adorned with two large words: Xing Residence. This was where Xing Jue now resided. He had become a celebrity in the outer pavilion, and had even gained the appreciation of the head elder, who was responsible for all general affairs. Naturally, his living conditions had improved dramatically.
At this moment, a large number of disciples were gathered in the plaza outside his residence. Most of them were new to the outer pavilion. They had been bullied by the older disciples and, having heard of Xing Jue's strong sense of justice, wanted him to take them under his wing. Initially, he hadn't wanted to get involved in such matters, but Si Yan loved this sort of thing. Thus, reluctantly, he took them on as his followers. However, he let Si Yan handle everything. He himself was merely the nominal leader.
Some of these new disciples sparred. Some chatted with one another. They livened up the front of the Xing Residence considerably. Some of the more timid disciples didn't even dare pass by, afraid of provoking them. After all, the master of the house was now one of the four great heavenly kings of the outer pavilion!
Among them was a bespectacled young man, currently sparring with two mid-rank Martial Masters. It was Si Yan! Unknowingly, six months had passed since he and Xing Jue had arrived at the outer pavilion. Si Yan had broken through to the high-rank Martial Master realm. What's more, under Xing Jue's training, his timidness was gone. Now, he was brave and decisive!
"Brother Si Yan, please have mercy! We surrender! We surrender!" one of the disciples cried, his face contorted in pain. It was clear that he'd been on the receiving end of a lot of abuse.
"Did you just call me 'Si Yan'? You mustaddress me as 'Brother'!" he barked, glaring at him with his small eyes.
Si Yan was a nickname Xing Jue had given him. That wasn't his real name at all. However, thanks to him, that was what everyone called him.
"Yes, yes … Uh … What's Brother Si Yan's real name?" The disciple quickly agreed, but after thinking for a long time, he came to the shocking realization that he had no idea.
"I don't know!"
"Hahahahahaha … " Everyone burst into laughter.
"Sigh," Si Yan muttered, shaking his head helplessly. His parents had given him a cool and elegant name, but he couldn't even use it now.
"Brother Si Yan, look! Those two look so strange!" A disciple suddenly came over to him, pointing at two people who were walking toward the Xing Residence.
The two individuals weren't wearing the outer pavilion's blue robes. Instead, they were clad in black cloaks, their faces completely concealed by their hoods.
What's more, Si Yan couldn't sense any aura emanating from their bodies. He could only assume that they were much stronger than him.
"Look! They're heading for the Xing Residence!" shouted a disciple.
"Go, tell an elder! I'll stop them!" Si Yan had a bad feeling about this. He hastily issued instructions to one of the disciples beside him before rushing over with the others.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! You think you can just barge in like this?!" One of the disciples shouted angrily as he ran ahead of the rest and stopped in front of the main gate.
"Are you newbies or something? Don't you know the rules?! How dare you not wear your robes?!" Si Yan and the others surrounded them. One of the more obnoxious disciples walked over, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke.
"Get lost!" Suddenly, one of the cloaked figures roared in an extremely hoarse voice. An invisible pressure emanated from his being, radiating outward with terrifying force.
There were no deliberate movements or techniques used. The moment he exerted his will, Si Yan and the others were sent flying backward like ragdolls caught in a fierce wind.
"Who… who … who … who are you?!" Even though he'd already reached high-rank Martial Master, Si Yan was still blown back several meters before he crashed heavily onto the ground. Fear and astonishment were etched on his face as he spoke. He might be putting on a brave front, but inwardly, he knew they were in trouble. This guy was way too strong.
The two didn't seem to care what he thought, and continued walking toward the entrance of the residence.
"Stop right there! Identify yourselves!" Just then, an outer pavilion elder ran over. Pointing at them, he roared angrily. It was unheard of for anyone in the Gale Pavilion to be dressed like this. Naturally, as an elder, he couldn't simply turn a blind eye.
The cloaked man who'd unleashed his aura didn't even slow down, and simply walked right past him.
After he entered, the other cloaked figure stood guard outside the entrance. His message was clear. No one was to enter.
"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?!" The elder was furious that they'd ignored him completely. As an elder of the outer pavilion, there were very few disciples who'd treat him with such disrespect!
Just as he was about to lose his temper, the cloaked man suddenly pulled back his hood, revealing a golden token. The elder's expression underwent a dramatic transformation. All of a sudden, he couldn't even speak.
"Tell them to stay back!" a hoarse voice came from beneath the hood.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes … " The elder finally snapped back to reality and hastily agreed, his voice trembling.
"Si Yan, keep everyone away from here!" he roared at them.
Si Yan and the others were confused. Who was this cloaked figure to inspire so much fear in an elder? It was obvious that they were here for Brother Xing. Could he have offended someone powerful without their knowing? Speculation ran rampant amongst them.
In a spacious room inside the Xing Residence, Xing Jue was cultivating with his eyes closed. He sat cross-legged on his bed, his hands forming a strange hand seal as dense, golden Martial Qi flowed into his body. As more and more energy poured into him, his body actually began to emanate a faint golden glow. After about an hour, it slowly dissipated.
He took a deep breath, savoring the rich flow of Martial Qi within his body, before slowly opening his eyes.
"Still unable to break through?" he sighed.
Over the past six months, he hadn't slacked off in the least. In fact, a month ago, he'd already reached the peak of the early-rank Martial Monarch realm, but he still couldn't seem to make the next breakthrough. This was a clear indication of how difficult it was to progress beyond the Martial Master realm. No wonder the three family heads of Cloud Sect City had only managed to reach the mid-rank Martial Monarch realm after so many years of cultivation.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Suddenly, a rapid knock came at the door.
"Come in," he replied.
The door creaked open, revealing a cloaked figure whose face was concealed.
"Who would've thought to play such a childish game?" he thought to himself with a sigh as he gazed at the mysterious figure.
"My, my! You're really living the good life, aren't you?" Before he could speak, a pleasant, bell-like voice came from beneath the hood. The cloaked figure raised her left hand gracefully, and swept her hood back, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. His sleepiness vanished instantly upon seeing her.