Behind Ye Xuan, An Lanxiu glanced at him but remained silent.
In front of Ye Xuan, the man sized him up and said, "Kid, looks like you need a beating!"
With that, the man swung his iron rod fiercely at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan clenched his right hand into a fist, battle intent gathering around it.
He struck out!
Whoosh!
A burst of air exploded!
Boom!
With the sound of a blast, the man was knocked back several meters along with his iron rod, which trembled violently. Ye Xuan also stepped back a meter, his right hand slightly trembling.
The man looked at his iron rod, then at Ye Xuan, "Not bad!"
He then threw the rod fiercely at Ye Xuan.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling filled the air!
Ye Xuan's face remained expressionless. As the rod neared, he swung his right fist with full force!
It was a simple punch.
Fist Break!
With one strike, it shattered metal and stone!
Boom!
The iron rod vibrated violently, flying backward. At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Ye Xuan, and a flash of cold light aimed directly for his throat!
Danger!
Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly—his first instinct was danger. He dared not hold back. His right hand twisted slightly.
Hum!
A deep sword hum echoed, and in an instant—
Bang!
The figure was sent flying back ten meters!
It was the man!
After coming to a stop, the man looked at Ye Xuan in shock, "A sword cultivator, you're actually a sword cultivator!"
Ye Xuan looked at the man, "Want to continue?"
The man grinned, "Fight? Of course, we fight! I, Mo Yunqi, have never been afraid of anyone in my life! I..."
At that moment, Ye Xuan suddenly appeared in front of him. A flash of cold light swung down in the next moment.
The man's face changed, "Hey, you didn't even say anything before attacking..."
As he spoke, he swung his iron rod upwards!
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and Mo Yunqi was sent flying back ten meters.
Ye Xuan didn't continue, instead retreating to An Lanxiu's side. Mo Yunqi glanced at them but didn't make another move.
Principal Ji appeared not far from An Lanxiu. He nodded slightly at her and then looked at Ye Xuan and Mo Yunqi. The two, however, did not stop fighting.
Ji Lao suddenly looked at An Lanxiu, "An Guoshi, do you care about him?"
"Him," clearly referring to Ye Xuan.
An Lanxiu gently brushed her hair behind her ear, "Yes."
Principal Ji squinted, "Do you realize what you're saying, An Guoshi?"
An Lanxiu smiled, "Just because he dared to stand up against thousands of Tang troops, he is worthy of being my friend. In fact, we are already friends now."
Friends!
Principal Ji sighed softly. In all of Jiang Country, there were very few people who could be called a friend by this girl!
Boom!
Suddenly, a blast echoed from afar, and Mo Yunqi was sent flying back ten meters.
Ye Xuan did not pursue. He retreated to An Lanxiu's side. Mo Yunqi glanced at Ye Xuan and An Lanxiu but made no further move.
Principal Ji glanced at Mo Yunqi, "From now on, both of you are students of Canglan Academy!"
Ye Xuan and Mo Yunqi were both stunned.
Canglan Academy students?
Mo Yunqi pointed at Ye Xuan, "Him? He's also a Canglan Academy student?"
Principal Ji said calmly, "What? Is there a problem?"
Mo Yunqi glanced at Principal Ji, "Old man, how many students are there in our Canglan Academy?"
Principal Ji replied, "Including you, three in total. But another one will be here soon, making four."
Four!
Mo Yunqi was stunned. After a while, he turned around to leave, "I'm going to Cangmu Academy!"
Principal Ji looked at Mo Yunqi calmly, "Do you not want the second volume of the Overturning Sky Staff Technique?"
Mo Yunqi stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Principal Ji, "Old man, grandpa... great grandpa... only four students in the academy... Do you really think this academy has a future?"
Principal Ji said calmly, "You've already signed the enrollment form for Canglan Academy. Even if you go to Cangmu Academy now, they won't take you."
Hearing this, Mo Yunqi pointed angrily at Principal Ji, "Old man, you tricked me!"
Principal Ji shrugged, "I didn't force you. You begged me to join Canglan Academy."
Hearing this, Mo Yunqi was so angry he almost coughed up blood, "You even had the nerve to say... you said Canglan Academy was comparable to Cangmu Academy..."
"It is comparable," Principal Ji replied, "Both are in the capital, both are academies... What's the problem?"
"I..."
Mo Yunqi was fuming. If he could beat Principal Ji, he might have tried!
At that moment, Principal Ji flicked his fingers, and a black scroll landed in front of Mo Yunqi. Mo Yunqi looked at it and his eyes lit up instantly, quickly putting it away.
Principal Ji gestured towards the mountaintop.
Mo Yunqi hesitated, glancing at the scroll in his hand before sighing deeply. Reluctantly, he headed towards the mountaintop.
However, as he passed Ye Xuan and An Lanxiu, he looked at Ye Xuan, "When I master this scroll, we'll fight again!"
Ye Xuan shrugged, "Anytime."
Fighting?
He liked it too!
From not far away, Principal Ji said, "Kid, this is the capital—you should keep a low profile."
Mo Yunqi snorted, "Low profile? Old man, someone as excellent as me needs to keep a low profile? Let me tell you, is there anyone in the capital better than me? The number one genius in Jiang Country used to be An Lanxiu, right? Well, that was before. Now that Mo Yunqi is here, what is An Lanxiu compared to me? Just wait, I'll make her cry one day!"
Ye Xuan's expression turned strange.
Principal Ji shook his head, "This is the first time I've seen someone so eager to die."
Mo Yunqi was about to say something when suddenly a white figure appeared behind him. His face changed, and he quickly turned, swinging his iron rod down fiercely.
Boom!
With the sound of an explosion, Mo Yunqi was thrown back. The ground trembled violently as his body bounced repeatedly, and he howled in pain...
This continued for almost fifteen minutes before Mo Yunqi finally stopped.
Mo Yunqi lay on the ground like a puddle of mud, his face swollen like a pig's head.
An Lanxiu looked at Ye Xuan, "Walk with me?"
Ye Xuan smiled slightly, "Okay."
The two walked side by side down a nearby path.
Behind them, Mo Yunqi shouted, "Just wait, if I don't get revenge for this..."
"That's An Lanxiu," Principal Ji suddenly appeared beside him.
Mo Yunqi went silent instantly. A moment later, his head drooped, and he went still.
Principal Ji kicked Mo Yunqi, "Don't play dead. Get up and keep shouting—what is An Lanxiu? Go cry, make her cry!"
Mo Yunqi didn't move.
Principal Ji said no more, grabbed Mo Yunqi by the leg, and dragged him up the mountain.
On a secluded path, Ye Xuan and An Lanxiu walked side by side. An Lanxiu said softly, "I never imagined you would join Canglan Academy."
Ye Xuan remained silent.
He hadn't expected to join Canglan Academy either—sometimes life was just full of surprises.
An Lanxiu suddenly stopped, "I'm leaving Jiang Country. I came today to say goodbye."
Leaving Jiang Country?
Ye Xuan looked at her, and she looked back, "I'm a little worried about you."
Ye Xuan shook his head, "I don't understand."
An Lanxiu took a step forward—now she was very close to Ye Xuan, close enough that he could smell her light fragrance.
An Lanxiu stared at Ye Xuan, "Everyone has underestimated you. Maybe even I have underestimated you. I don't know what kind of fortunate encounters you've had, nor do I know your true trump cards, but you give me a sense of danger."
She shook her head with a smile, "Very few people in Jiang Country give me a sense of danger. And this kind of danger isn't the normal kind."
Ye Xuan said nothing.
An Lanxiu continued walking, and Ye Xuan followed slowly.
After a while, An Lanxiu spoke again, "After I leave, no one in Jiang Country may be able to suppress you. Your character is too impulsive and straightforward—I fear one day the capital will fall into chaos because of you."
She turned to Ye Xuan, "Promise me one thing—after I leave, if it's within your power, take care of Jiang Country."
Ye Xuan smiled bitterly, "You may be overestimating me."
An Lanxiu smiled, "But you still haven't answered me."
Ye Xuan said seriously, "I promise you that if it's within my power, I will do my best for Jiang Country."
"Do you know what I like about you?" An Lanxiu suddenly asked.
Like him?
Ye Xuan was stunned, his mind going blank.
An Lanxiu also froze for a moment, realizing she had misspoken. But she didn't explain, just smiled and continued walking.
After a moment, Ye Xuan followed.
For a while, neither of them spoke, simply walking together.
After some time, An Lanxiu stopped and handed Ye Xuan a black jade pendant.
"What's this?" Ye Xuan asked, puzzled.
An Lanxiu replied softly, "In the northern part of Jiang Country, near the border city, some mountain factions have discovered a relic—a legacy left by a Sword Master. They're about to finish opening it up, and in about a month, people can enter. This pendant is a token granting access to that relic. It doesn't mean much to me, but it could be very helpful for you as a sword cultivator. Also, it's located in a volcanic area—there might be something of great heat there. If you find it, it could help your sister. But be cautious—besides the top few in Jiang Country, some top geniuses from other nations will also be there."
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then accepted the pendant.
An Lanxiu smiled, "Farewell."
With that, she walked away.
"Will we meet again?" Ye Xuan suddenly asked.
An Lanxiu paused, "My journey may take me far."
Ye Xuan grinned, "I'll surpass you."
An Lanxiu turned to look at him and smiled, "Good luck."
With those words, she turned and disappeared at the end of the path.
Ye Xuan watched her figure fade into the distance before finally snapping out of it. He opened his left palm—within it lay another jade pendant given to him by An Lanxiu.
Two jade pendants!
Looking at them, Ye Xuan suddenly smiled—a silly smile.
Growing up with only his sister for company, very few people had ever been kind to him. And even those who were, mostly did so for their own benefit. But An Lanxiu was different... He would never forget someone who had treated him well!
After a moment, Ye Xuan clutched the two pendants tightly, turned, and walked back up the mountain—still smiling, a silly grin plastered on his face.