Inside A City's First High School at this moment, Li Qian seemed utterly lost in thought, barely touching her food after learning of Yang Yi’s disappearance.

“Qianqian… Qianqian!” Liu Qingqing called out softly, her heart tightening with worry as she saw her friend sitting listlessly on the bed, looking utterly worn out.

“Hmm? Oh, Qingqing?” Li Qian responded weakly.

“Sigh—Qianqian, can’t you just try to be a little happier?” Liu Qingqing sighed gently, knowing that Li Qian was preoccupied with thoughts of Yang Yi, and could only offer gentle persuasion.

Li Qian looked up at her friend, fully understanding her concern. She forced a small smile and said, “Sorry, Qingqing, for making you worry.”

“It’s nothing, we’re best sisters!” Liu Qingqing replied with a bright smile.

“Right. Have they got any news?” Li Qian asked.

“They? Who are ‘they’?”

“Stop pretending. Any fool can see that you have feelings for Xu Ming, little girl, don’t deny it?”

“Uh, I have feelings for him? I…” Liu Qingqing trailed off, lowering her head in silence, a flush creeping up her cheeks.

Li Qian gave her a knowing look and said, “Qingqing, if you truly like him, then just let yourself go a bit. Besides, I can tell he likes you too. It would be wonderful if you two could just be together like that, but me… I…” As she spoke, tears threatened to spill, gathering hotly in her eyes!

“Okay, okay, don’t talk about it!” Liu Qingqing called out in a fluster, seeing Li Qian on the verge of tears.

It was understandable that Li Qian was distressed; the person she loved had vanished mysteriously, and there had been no word from him for almost four months. It was truly agonizing. Yet, the fact that Li Qian even knew about Yang Yi’s disappearance had required considerable effort—an effort largely credited to Liu Qingqing.

Initially, even using all her trump cards, Li Qian couldn't force Fatty Lin and the others to talk. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly conceived a honey trap. After all, wolves can never forget a beautiful woman, especially when it involved the duo of Liu Qingqing and Xu Ming. Li Qian, who had been hoping to set Xu Ming and Liu Qingqing up anyway, subtly leveraged Qingqing at that moment, causing Xu Ming to blurt out the information in a confused state.

Once the words were out, Xu Ming instantly realized he was utterly doomed. Not only would he have to endure the brutal beating from Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou, but he also had to worry that if Yang Yi ever found out he’d sold him out because of a beautiful woman, Yang Yi would probably beat the heartless wretch to death. After all, revealing those secrets could only bring Li Qian pain and anxiety…

Returning to the scene at the Dead Man’s Cave, Yang Yi was currently unconscious on a stone slab bed. Murong Lianxue knelt beside him, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. She held a tiny grass stem in her hand. “Hee hee, Brother Yi, wake up! The sun is scorching your backside…”

When her call received no response, Murong Lianxue gently tickled the bridge of Yang Yi’s nose with the grass stem, her playful curiosity evident in her innocent actions.

“Sniff—sniff!”

“Sniff!”

“Hee hee, Brother Yi… Brother Yi?” Murong Lianxue’s voice grew softer, imbued with an intense, teasing quality. She watched with a wide, beaming smile as Yang Yi’s nose twitched, clearly fighting a sneeze, her little mouth making soft clicking sounds of amusement.

“Sniff… Achoo!” Yang Yi let out a violent sneeze and shot upright, seemingly awakened.

“Oh! It’s over.” Murong Lianxue thought to herself, quickly leaping backward and vanishing beneath the stone slab bed.

“Ugh…” Yang Yi stretched languidly, then opened his eyes. He glanced around, his expression shifting drastically before he jolted upright. “Huh? Wasn’t I in the Dead Man’s Cave? Uh, where is that old man? Damn it, was I… raped?”

The sudden jolt seemed to snap him fully awake. He frantically patted down his body. If that unscrupulous old man had seen him now, he would surely have developed a filthy thought: that Yang Yi was essentially ‘self-pleasuring,’ bordering on indecent exposure.

“Tee hee!” Murong Lianxue giggled softly, seemingly relieved that Yang Yi hadn’t noticed her. She immediately hopped out and chirped, “Good morning, Brother Yi!”

“Huh!” Yang Yi stared blankly for a moment, ignoring Murong Lianxue while continuing his frantic patting. After a good while, he stopped his movements and murmured, “What is going on? Didn’t that old man say he was going to transfer sixty years of cultivation to me? This—?”

“Hmph?” Murong Lianxue pouted, looking displeased at Yang Yi, who was completely ignoring her. “Brother Yi, what are you doing!”

“Lianxue, tell Brother Yi, what exactly happened? After I passed out in the Dead Man’s Cave, what transpired?” Yang Yi asked.

“Let me answer that for you!” Suddenly, a figure entered from the cave mouth. The newcomer was none other than Mu Qingfeng, the unscrupulous old man himself.

“Hey—you damned, smelly old man, did that old fellow yesterday really transfer sixty years of power to me?” Yang Yi thought, still outwardly resistant, even though such a massive windfall had dropped into his lap. He seemed reluctant about it.

The unscrupulous old man was momentarily surprised, then glared at him. “Don't be such a wise-ass. You’re probably ecstatic right now. Hell, others might not even get sixty years of power suddenly, even if they begged for it. You’re standing in a pile of gold and don't even realize it!”

“Damn it, don’t try to pull my leg. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. That old man demanded I become his chief disciple and also fight you for some damn Xuan Sect position. To hell with it, I just want to be comfortable, not be controlled by someone else! So what if I’m angry?” Yang Yi’s voice grew heated. While he was becoming agitated, his words held truth.

After all, Mu Senluo had been perfectly clear: Yang Yi must become his chief disciple and succeed him as the Master of the Xuan Sect. Putting aside what the hell the Xuan Sect even was, the mere prospect of becoming Mu Senluo’s chief disciple was something Yang Yi inherently rejected. Moreover, it was clear that Mu Senluo had essentially ‘assaulted’ him, forcefully transferring the power without any regard for his willingness. He already had enough problems; now this complicated matters further, leaving him unsure what to do.

“Ugh!” Hearing Yang Yi’s hysterical roar, the unscrupulous old man’s heart sank. He understood Yang Yi’s point and his feelings. Once one accepts the mantle of the Xuan Sect Master, one must bear the associated responsibilities. Now that the deed was done, it was inevitable that Yang Yi would react so strongly.

……………

After a long pause, Yang Yi finally took a deep breath, calming the excitement in his heart. He looked sternly at the unscrupulous old man and asked, “Has all of that old man’s power been transferred to me now?”

“Yes!” The unscrupulous old man didn't want to elaborate further. After all, he dared not refer to his own ancestor as an ‘old man.’ Only the young man before him might have the right to do so. Sigh… the old man sighed inwardly…

“Transferred to me? Then why can’t I feel anything?” Yang Yi asked, bewildered.

“Uh, you’re already a Xuan-rank Grandmaster, and you can’t feel it?” Hearing this, the unscrupulous old man dared not delay. He immediately stepped up to Yang Yi, grabbed his hand, and began to probe his energy flow. Yang Yi was stunned, still processing the joy of becoming a Xuan-rank Grandmaster, before Mu Qingfeng had seized his hand to examine him.

“Hmm, it seems you can’t fully utilize the Ancestor Master’s power yet. Give it some time. Once the Yi Jin Jing internal energy in your body slowly digests that power, you should be able to advance to Yellow-rank Grandmaster. Even though you are currently only at the lower stage of Xuan-rank Grandmaster, that’s still quite good,” the unscrupulous old man said, sounding visibly relieved.

“Wow! Brother Yi is one rank higher than Lianxue!” Murong Lianxue, who had been silent until now, exclaimed in surprise.

“Hey, get your pig paws off me.” Yang Yi shot him an irritated glance, then looked at Murong Lianxue with a hint of affection. “Hehe, Lianxue, Brother Yi will protect you from now on!”

“Mmm!” Murong Lianxue replied with a sweet smile.

Knowing he was in the wrong, the unscrupulous old man did not argue with Yang Yi, merely offering a wry smile. Only after watching him finish speaking with Murong Lianxue did he finally open his mouth and say, “What do you want to know now?”

Hearing this, Yang Yi glanced at him, understanding that even if he refused now, the die was already cast. Although he saw himself as a rogue, he couldn't be ungrateful, especially since that old man had transferred his power to him. He sighed inwardly, then said, “Just tell me about the Xuan Sect!”

“Good!” At this, the unscrupulous old man’s eyes flashed keenly, and he slowly began to introduce the Xuan Sect to Yang Yi.

The Xuan Sect was, in essence, a lineage passed down from ancient times. Their core belief, their singular pursuit, was summed up in two words: the Martial Way. In modern China, despite advanced technology and the age of aircraft and artillery, the ancient, simple national arts of China were still preserved. The Xuan Sect, the Carefree Sect, the Demon Sect, and the Dragon Gate were the last four major schools currently struggling against decline in China.