Ye Ling's breath grew weaker and weaker until, in the end, it was barely detectable.
Ye Xuan held Ye Ling tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, and blood kept dripping from the corners of his mouth.
All around, countless people watched the brother and sister.
Looking at them, Lu Xiaoran's expression was complicated. He never expected things to escalate to this point, nor did he expect Ye Xuan to have no dantian.
No dantian meant it was impossible for him to ever condense Qi in his lifetime!
At this moment, Cang Zhong sneered, "Men, drive these two siblings down Cang Mountain."
As several warriors rushed towards Ye Xuan and Ye Ling, an old man silently appeared in front of them. The old man was disheveled, his clothes ragged, and his entire body reeked of alcohol.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the old man, Cang Zhong frowned. He hadn't noticed how this man had appeared!
The warriors who were charging at the siblings also stopped in their tracks.
Cang Zhong stared at the old man, "Who are you?!"
The old man did not answer Cang Zhong but instead looked at Ye Xuan and Ye Ling in front of him. He glanced at Ye Ling and then said, "I can save her."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xuan looked up sharply.
The old man stared directly at Ye Xuan, "Would you be willing to join Canglan Academy?"
Canglan Academy?
The surrounding people erupted in discussion.
Canglan Academy had once been a rival of Cangmu Academy—though not anymore. Canglan Academy no longer had the qualifications to stand against Cangmu Academy!
Cang Zhong glared at the old man, "You are from Canglan Academy!"
The old man ignored Cang Zhong and continued looking at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan stared at the old man, "If you can save my sister, I, Ye Xuan, will serve Canglan Academy with all my heart!"
The old man pointed up at Cang Mountain, "From the foot of the mountain up, there are thirty-six bodies of Canglan Academy students—each one died horribly. In the future, you might become one of them."
Ye Xuan met the old man's gaze, "If you can save my sister, even if I become one of them, I will have no regrets!"
The old man looked at Ye Xuan for a long time, "Will you bring back the bodies hung along the narrow paths of Cang Mountain?"
Ye Xuan nodded, "If you can save my sister, I will do everything in my power."
The old man gave Ye Xuan a deep look, "From this moment, you are a student of Canglan Academy."
With that, he squatted down, placing a hand on Ye Ling's wrist. After a moment, he gave Ye Ling a deep look, then touched a black ring on his index finger lightly. A small flame lotus appeared in his palm. As it did, the temperature around them rose rapidly.
"A Fire Spirit!"
Someone in the crowd gasped.
Cang Zhong was also stunned.
In this world, there were certain rare and precious treasures, such as the Fire Spirit—a priceless entity, beyond what money could buy. Even in Cangmu Academy, such treasures were extremely rare.
Under everyone's gaze, the old man flicked his finger, sending the Fire Spirit into Ye Ling's forehead. Soon, the cold air around Ye Ling receded like a tide, and the old man's right hand stayed pressed on her shoulder, a mysterious energy constantly flowing into her body. Gradually, under Ye Xuan's anxious gaze, color returned to Ye Ling's face.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan was overjoyed.
After about a quarter of an hour, Ye Ling slowly opened her eyes. Ye Xuan immediately grabbed her hand, his voice trembling, "How... how are you?"
Ye Ling looked around in confusion, then turned to Ye Xuan, tears welling up, "Brother, am I... am I not dead yet?"
Ye Xuan smiled, but his face was already covered in tears.
At that moment, a tiny flame appeared between Ye Ling's brows.
The old man said, "The Fire Spirit has temporarily suppressed the cold energy within her, but I estimate that it will last for only about a month. After that, the Fire Spirit will vanish."
Ye Xuan helped his sister stand and bowed deeply to the old man, "This kindness, I, Ye Xuan, will remember for life!"
The old man nodded slightly, "Come back to Canglan Academy with me."
Ye Xuan nodded, "Alright!"
The three were about to leave when Cang Zhong, standing nearby, suddenly sneered, "Ridiculous, Canglan Academy has fallen so low that it's picking up the trash my Cangmu Academy doesn't want. Well, understandable, who would still join Canglan Academy nowadays?"
The old man glanced at Cang Zhong, saying nothing and simply ignoring him.
And so, under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, the old man led Ye Xuan and Ye Ling away.
Behind them, Cang Zhong laughed without restraint, "How laughable, Canglan Academy now stoops to picking up the trash my Cangmu Academy doesn't want, haha..."
Just then, a white figure suddenly flashed from a distance. Upon seeing it, everyone was stunned.
"It's An Guoshi!"
Someone shouted, and the place erupted.
An Guoshi!
The representative of the younger generation in Jiang Country, and an idol for all the young people.
The crowd watched the white figure with eyes full of admiration and respect—for An Lanxiu was the pride of Jiang Country!
She was so exceptional that no one could even feel jealous!
Under everyone's gaze, An Lanxiu stopped in front of the old man and the siblings. Her eyes fell on Ye Xuan, "I'm sorry."
Ye Xuan shook his head, "This has nothing to do with you."
An Lanxiu extended her right hand, "The jade pendant."
Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll keep it."
An Lanxiu looked at him, "Why?"
Ye Xuan looked her in the eye, "It represents a bond."
After staring at him for a long time, An Lanxiu nodded and turned to the old man. The old man looked at her and sighed softly, "No wonder you are the best of Jiang Country. You've already reached this level."
An Lanxiu remained silent for a moment, "Jiang Country cannot be thrown into chaos."
The old man shook his head, smiling faintly, "There are still thirty-six bodies hanging along the narrow path."
An Lanxiu fell silent.
The old man said no more and turned to walk down the mountain.
Ye Xuan cupped his fists to An Lanxiu, "Farewell."
He then led Ye Ling away.
Left behind, An Lanxiu closed her eyes slowly. At that moment, Cang Zhong hurriedly approached her, bowing respectfully, "Instructor An, I..."
Suddenly, Cang Zhong was sent flying several meters away!
Everyone was shocked, turning to look at An Lanxiu in confusion!
It was An Lanxiu who had struck!
She looked coldly at Cang Zhong, "You dared trouble the one I recommended."
Cang Zhong was horrified, just about to speak when a spear came hurtling through the air.
Slash!
Cang Zhong's arm flew off, blood splattering!
The crowd fell into a dead silence!
Everyone looked at An Lanxiu in shock—what was she doing?
Under everyone's gaze, An Lanxiu raised her head and looked up towards Cang Mountain, "Li Xiu, get down here!"
As her voice echoed, she flicked her finger lightly, and a silver spear shot up. Around it, a hundred-meter-long dragon manifested, heading straight for Cang Mountain.
A dragon's roar echoed throughout Cang Mountain!
There was a moment of silence.
Boom!
Suddenly, a tremendous noise erupted from the top of Cang Mountain, followed by a startled voice, "Manifestation of spear intent... You've reached the level of a spear grandmaster..."
Spear Grandmaster!
Upon hearing this, gasps of astonishment echoed around!
Spear Grandmaster!
An Lanxiu had already reached the level of a spear grandmaster?
She was only nineteen years old!
A nineteen-year-old spear grandmaster—no one could believe it! There had never been anyone like this in the history of Jiang Country, nor in any of the previous dynasties!
Truly an unprecedented genius!
Soon, Li Xiu appeared before An Lanxiu, his expression extremely solemn.
A spear grandmaster was not necessarily terrifying; what was terrifying was a spear grandmaster this young. In the history of Cangmu Academy, only one person could match such talent—Gu Qianchen, who had once saved Cangmu Academy single-handedly!
That legendary figure of Cangmu Academy!
And now, An Lanxiu was just as impressive!
Li Xiu collected his thoughts, "Why is An Guoshi so angry?"
An Lanxiu looked at Li Xiu, "Can't stand you."
With those words, she tapped her toe lightly on the ground, and her whole body soared forward. At the same time, her spear shot out like lightning.
Facing her, Li Xiu's eyes widened, not daring to be careless. He stepped back half a step, then extended his right hand. The wind around suddenly gathered, forming a vortex filled with razor-sharp wind blades.
Then, the spear arrived.
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out, and the wind blades shattered. A figure flew backward—it was Li Xiu, retreating dozens of meters before stopping. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his entire right arm was cracked like a spider's web!
Silence filled the scene!
An Lanxiu had defeated a vice principal of Cangmu Academy!
No one knew Li Xiu's true realm, but to be a vice principal of Cangmu Academy, he couldn't be weak. At the very least, he was beyond the Void Realm, possibly even higher!
And now, he had been defeated by An Lanxiu!
Li Xiu stared at An Lanxiu, his eyes filled not with anger but with deep fear!
Others might not understand what An Lanxiu represented, but he did. When she chose not to join Cangmu Academy, they dared not retaliate. For some geniuses, if you couldn't recruit them, you either left them alone or destroyed them!
And An Lanxiu was someone Cangmu Academy dared not touch!
An Lanxiu did not strike again. She looked up at Cang Mountain and shook her head, "From this moment on, I have nothing to do with Cangmu Academy."
With that, she turned and left.
Hearing her words, Li Xiu's expression changed drastically, "An Guoshi, this must not be so. If we have offended you in any way, we apologize. Please—"
In the distance, An Lanxiu had already disappeared from view.
Li Xiu's face was extremely grim.
Just then, on the Nine Palaces platform, the eight wooden figures suddenly returned to their positions. A shadow appeared on the platform.
Everyone who saw the shadow's face turned pale!
It was Gu Qianchen, who had left Jiang Country nearly three hundred years ago!
With his appearance, the entire leadership of Cangmu Academy was alarmed. Except for the academy head who was in seclusion, the other two vice principals and several elders rushed to the Nine Palaces platform, bowing deeply.
Gu Qianchen scanned the surroundings, smiling faintly, "I'm a bit late... Where is the one who broke the array? Such a young age, yet with a solid foundation—not only understanding battle intent but also a great sword cultivator. Sword and martial dual cultivation to this level—rare, truly rare!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiu trembled, and Cang Zhong's face turned deathly pale!