Qingshan Town.
A young man carrying a large black ruler curiously walked through the bustling marketplace, looking around. His body bore several scars, though they had healed, faint marks still remained. An inconspicuous black ring was worn on his right hand.
This young man was Xiao Yan. He had finally arrived at the small town closest to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Xiao Yan walked through the market, occasionally stopping to buy some needed items while also subtly gathering information.
Originally, Xiao Yan had left home with the intention of preparing to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training as soon as he reached Qingshan Town. However, due to being attacked by agents sent by Gu Yao earlier, Yao Lao had to expend his soul power to save Xiao Yan, causing him to fall into a deep sleep. As a result, Xiao Yan was severely injured.
Although his injuries had mostly healed, Xiao Yan was not confident enough to enter the mountain range alone. Therefore, he planned to join a mercenary company to ensure his safety.
While gathering information in the marketplace, he heard about several significant events that had recently occurred in Qingshan Town.
Xiao Yan had already heard of the famous Wolf Head Mercenary Company. When he heard someone passionately praising the group leader, Mu She, and mentioning that Mu She was a two-star Dou Master, Xiao Yan felt a surge of longing for power.
However, the well-informed shopkeeper then mysteriously pulled him aside and whispered, "The Wolf Head Mercenary Company, the strongest group with a Dou Master expert, was completely wiped out!"
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted upon hearing this, surprised by the unpredictable nature of the world. But the shopkeeper's next words shocked him even more.
"Apparently, they were destroyed by a mysterious young alchemist, who looked only about sixteen, all by himself!"
After hearing this, Xiao Yan left the shop, still in a daze. "Such terrifying strength... someone so powerful is surely far beyond even Nalan Yanran, the so-called young sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect…"
At this moment, Xiao Yan was only an ordinary Dou Practitioner, so he could only marvel at such things without any further thoughts.
The reason Xiao Yan had chosen to come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range was because Yao Lao, before exhausting his soul power and falling into a deep sleep, had hoped Xiao Yan would train there for a year. Xiao Yan also intended to search for spirit medicines that could restore Yao Lao's soul during his training.
Yao Lao's soul was likely severely damaged this time. Xiao Yan had called out to him countless times along the way but received no response. Despite his concern, there was nothing Xiao Yan could do but take things one step at a time.
At noon the next day, Xiao Yan finally chose a mercenary group to enter the mountain range with. After two days in the mountains, Qingshan Town welcomed two other distinguished guests.
A beautiful young girl with flowing hair walked through the marketplace, occasionally stopping with bright eyes to look at various items, tugging at the elder beside her to pay for them.
Ling Ying could only sigh, helplessly buying things for the young lady.
Many shopkeepers and mercenaries subtly eyed the wealthy strangers, their gazes lingering on them.
In fact, this high-profile behavior was intended to lure out the big fish she was looking for.
'If Brother Xiao Yan were here, he should have already known of her arrival and come to find her. Why hasn't he shown up?'
Seeing that this method wasn't working, Xun'er had no choice but to personally inquire if anyone had seen a young man with a large black ruler in the past few days.
After inquiring for half a day, from dawn until dusk, she finally gathered some clues.
The information she obtained suggested that Brother Xiao Yan had already left for the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Xun'er returned to her residence, resting her chin in her hand with a sigh.
"It seems we arrived too late. Brother Xiao Yan has already entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
Ling Ying nodded, saying nothing, knowing that Xun'er would have her own ideas.
Sure enough, after a moment of contemplation while gazing at the distant mountains outside the window, Xun'er clapped her hands excitedly and said to Ling Ying, "Why don't I enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range myself to find Brother Xiao Yan?"
Although the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range posed no threat to Xun'er, the interior was filled with unknown dangers. To ensure Xun'er's safety, Ling Ying chose not to dissuade her and planned to follow her closely.
With that decision made, Xun'er entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, following in Xiao Yan's footsteps.
Fortunately, Xun'er had a treasure to track his trail, but finding one person in the vast Magical Beast Mountain Range was still incredibly difficult.
On the other side, although Xiao Yan had joined a mercenary group to enter the mountains, he soon secretly parted ways with them to train alone. After all, the mercenaries, seeing how young Xiao Yan was, would protect him when facing magical beasts, which prevented Xiao Yan from truly honing his skills.
Thus, gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan chose to take the risk and explore the Magical Beast Mountain Range on his own.
Because Xiao Yan separated from the group and left behind a more hidden trail, Xun'er, even with Ling Ying's help, had not yet found him.
Xun'er remained patient, following Ling Ying deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Suddenly, a voice interrupted her steps.
"Miss, I seem to smell something familiar here, something not quite right."
Ling Ying spoke up, slightly surprised, his expression full of astonishment.
Xun'er stopped, looking back at him with a serious expression. She knew Ling Ying's abilities; if Ling Ying said something was wrong, it definitely was.
Ling Ying was most skilled in stealth and reconnaissance. However, the faint scent he detected, belonging to Gu Fei, was already several days old, making it difficult to identify.
Ling Ying hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I cannot determine who this scent belongs to, but there is no doubt it comes from a member of the Gu Clan, and their strength is unknown."
Gu Fei was skilled at concealing his aura, and the traces he left behind were days old. Ling Ying's ability to detect it was already impressive. Although Ling Ying was highly skilled, he could not identify the owner of this aura.
Xun'er's expression grew tense after hearing Ling Ying's words. Ling Ying's discovery caused a surge of panic and anger within her.
Due to the previous attack by Gu Yao, even though this time there was no solid evidence, Xun'er couldn't help but worry that another member of the Gu Clan was here to kill Brother Xiao Yan.
This intensified Xun'er's urgency to find Xiao Yan and ensure his safety.
Brother Xiao Yan's strength was still not strong enough to face an assassin sent by the Gu Clan. If no mysterious person saved him this time, what would Brother Xiao Yan do?