Chapter 61: Sneaking Out of the Mountain

"Hmph, if you don't endure hardship, you'll age quickly later." Yuan Yao said.

"Don't worry, I have the Youth-preserving Pill."

"Then I'll steal your Youth-preserving Pill and turn you into an old man."

"Yuan Yao, are you asking for a beating?"

"Pfft."

Yuan Yao kept climbing as she spoke, then suddenly she recalled something, turned her head and looked down at the martial arena.

There was no sign of the Youngest Senior Brother on the martial arena.

Yuan Yao frowned slightly, unable to help but loudly ask Qianjue Shan, "Master, where did the Youngest Senior Brother go?"

"He has already set off for Cloud Nether City." Qianjue Shan replied.

Cloud Nether City?!

Yuan Yao's heart stirred; how could the Youngest Senior Brother go to Cloud Nether City? Could it be that the Eldest Senior Brother and the others encountered some mishap?

Lu Xiangxiang, who had been full of bad mood, upon hearing Qianjue Shan's words, slightly raised her eyebrows.

Ying Wuji actually went too?

Lu Xiangxiang secretly mused, knowing Qianjue Shan's personality all too well. If it weren't for Song Yan and the others truly facing a thorny problem or falling into trouble in Cloud Nether City, given Qianjue Shan's cautious and careful manner, he would absolutely not lightly allow Ying Wuji to leave the sect and rush to Cloud Nether City.

As expected, something happened.

Lu Xiangxiang's lips curled slightly.

Yuan Yao's gaze swept over Lu Xiangxiang, and she happened to see the other's ambiguous smile, her heart sinking sharply.

Lu Xiangxiang surely knows the inside story of Cloud Nether City!

Yuan Yao suppressed her unease, she stopped asking and continued climbing upward, layer after layer.

Cang Li saw her distracted, instantly guessed her thought, and lowered his voice: "You wouldn't still be thinking about..."

Yuan Yao quickly gave him a glance.

Cang Li closed his mouth.

Afterwards, he silently accompanied Yuan Yao as she continued climbing upward.

After Lu Xiangxiang rested a moment, she also mustered her strength to climb upward, but she always lagged behind Yuan Yao.

Lu Xiangxiang stared gloomily at Yuan Yao's back, her face somewhat embarrassed.

After all, constantly being at a disadvantage and falling behind others feels utterly unpleasant, especially for someone with an extremely strong competitive spirit like Lu Xiangxiang.

…

In the evening.

Yuan Yao finally climbed to the 280th step, while Lu Xiangxiang only reached the 236th.

Yuan Yao was utterly exhausted; as she walked down, her legs went soft.

Lu Xiangxiang was the same.

As for Cang Li, he had long been accustomed to the process of climbing the heavenly ladder, so his condition was much better than Yuan Yao's and hers.

When the three of them arrived before Qianjue Shan, they heard him say: "Continue tomorrow."

The three all replied: "Yes, Master."

Qianjue Shan looked at Yuan Yao and said earnestly: "You must not, in your haste to raise your cultivation, ruin your own foundation."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao nodded firmly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

"The path of cultivation is long and arduous; only by staying grounded and progressing step by step can one achieve anything." Qianjue Shan glanced at the three of them, then said: "Go back and rest."

The three agreed, then they bowed to Qianjue Shan.

Qianjue Shan gave a slight nod; only seeing him lightly flick his sleeve, his figure like a ghost, in the blink of an eye he vanished from before the three of them, leaving only a faint afterimage still lingering in place.

"Let's go!" Yuan Yao stretched her waist, then, while loosening her muscles and bones, walked toward her dwelling.

Lu Xiangxiang lifted her foot to follow, she didn't want to fall behind them.

The sky gradually darkened.

As they walked, Cang Li suddenly spoke up: "Do you two want to eat noodles?"

Lu Xiangxiang blinked slightly, she lifted her gaze to the boy beside her, her brow unconsciously furrowing: "I'm not hungry."

"And you?" Cang Li looked toward Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao smiled: "I'm not hungry either."

"You really aren't hungry?" Cang Li raised his eyebrows, "Or are you plotting something?"

Yuan Yao shrugged, speaking very candidly: "What scheme could I possibly have? Third Senior Brother, I'm no longer the person I used to be."

Cang Li couldn't help but let out a puff of laughter.

Yuan Yao glared at him.

Immediately, Yuan Yao's gaze fell on the usually quiet Lu Xiangxiang: "Seventh Junior Sister, where are you from?"

Lu Xiangxiang felt wary, she replied lightly: "I come from the Seventh Continent."

Cang Li exclaimed in surprise: "So Seventh Junior Sister, you're from the Seventh Continent! I have a friend there too, what a coincidence."

Upon hearing that, Lu Xiangxiang felt a flicker of doubt: how could she not know he had a friend in the Seventh Continent?

"Who is your friend?" Lu Xiangxiang probed.

"The Gui Clan, Gui Yanqing."

Upon hearing the three characters "Gui Yanqing", Lu Xiangxiang felt they were somewhat familiar; soon she recalled that although she didn't know Gui Yanqing, she knew his sister Gui Yanhong.

Upon thinking of Gui Yanhong, Lu Xiangxiang coldly snorted in her heart.

Gui Yanhong liked her man, and even deliberately stripped naked in the lake to seduce him—truly despicable.

As for Wei Yanqing, she only remembered that he died young.

No wonder, she didn't know that Cang Li actually had a friend from the Seventh Continent.

Cang Li asked curiously, 'Junior Martial Sister Seven, do you know him?'

'I don't know him,' Lu Xiangxiang said coldly.

Yuan Yao saw her strong reaction and knew she definitely knew Wei Yanqing, and perhaps even had some grudge against him.

Cang Li, upon hearing that, showed no reaction.

【Target person Cang Li, Awakening Value reaches 23.】

Yuan Yao suddenly heard the system's broadcast, and raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise.

Lu Xiangxiang seemed to sense that the atmosphere was off, she softened her tone, 'I mean, I've never heard of this person.'

'He's not a famous person, so it's normal not to know him,' Cang Li said with a carefree smile.

【Target person Cang Li, Awakening Value reaches 24.】 The voice of the 250 system sounded again.

Yuan Yao couldn't help but sneak a glance at Cang Li, and their eyes met.

'Hehe,' Yuan Yao gave an embarrassed laugh.

Cang Li raised his hand and lightly tapped the back of her head, 'Like an idiot.'

After a pause, he asked, 'If you don't want noodles, what would you like to eat?'

'I don't want to,' Yuan Yao shook her head.

Cang Li: 'Then starve to death.'

Yuan Yao: 'Hehe.'

…

Upon returning to the bamboo hut, Yuan Yao began packing, stuffing anything she might need into her storage ring.

Afterward, she quickly wrote a note.

——Don't worry about me.

——Yao.

After finishing her preparations, she quietly opened the door; the gap widened, she peered through the crack to check the surroundings, confirming no one was around, then swiftly slipped out, closed the door, and sprinted toward the foot of Heaven Martial Peak.

At that moment, a disciple on Heaven Martial Peak suddenly changed complexion and shouted, 'Did you just see a black shadow flash past here?'

His words drew the attention of the other disciples, who quickly scanned the surroundings but found no trace of that mysterious figure.

One disciple wondered, 'Could it be the little rabbit that Junior Martial Sister Zhou keeps got out?'

That disciple shook his head and objected, 'How could a little rabbit run that fast? And it's not that big either…' While saying that, he deliberately spread his arms to gesture.

'Could someone have invaded our Heaven Martial Peak?'

'Search immediately!' a senior martial brother said in a deep voice.

Thus, they immediately sprang into action.

They spread out, each carefully searching every corner along different routes, missing no suspicious detail.