Chapter 204: Everyone's Worries

Afterwards, he bowed, then slowly opened his mouth and said: "Since that's the case, the disciple will first withdraw and go prepare for tomorrow's Qingzhou Grand Competition."

The Grand Elder nodded, looked at Shi Hao and said: "Alright, you may withdraw first; tomorrow at the Qingzhou Grand Competition you must give it your all and display the demeanor of our Qingyun Sect."

Shi Hao gave no response, turned and left.

After leaving the annex, he took out an invitation, glanced toward the direction of the Elders' Meeting Hall, then looked at the invitation again.

In the end, he still left.

And on that invitation.

Boldly written on it were the large characters "Daodao Sect Invitation."

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At the same time.

In a tranquil, deep forest, Li Yilan held a sharp sword, sword qi crisscrossing around her.

She resembled a sword immortal descended into the mortal world.

Her gaze locked firmly on the stout, iron-haired wild boar ahead.

This boar was a ferocious beast of the Late Transformation God realm.

Its iron-like hair was as hard as metal, emitting a chilling, cold light.

Li Yilan gave a soft shout, her body shooting forth like lightning as her long sword traced a brilliant arc, like a flash of lightning tearing the sky.

Only a muffled "pfft" sound was heard.

The sword pierced the boar's body without any hindrance.

The iron-haired wild boar let out a painful roar, blood spurting like a fountain and dyeing the surrounding grass red.

Li Yilan, however, was light as a feather, performing an elegant spin in midair, her toes lightly touching a falling leaf.

She used the force to land steadily before an old man, her robes fluttering, unstained by a trace of blood.

Following Li Yilan's splendid strike, elsewhere.

Five Flame Wolves of the Transformation God realm bared fangs and claws, surrounding Ye Xiaodie.

These Flame Wolves were engulfed in raging flames, their scorching breath seeming to ignite the surrounding air.

Ye Xiaodie, however, remained calm, circulating her internal technique and instantly executing the Shadow Assassination Heart Sutra.

Her whole body vanished like a ghost from the spot.

The five Flame Wolves instantly lost their target.

They frenziedly roared in place, crashing around, trying to find Ye Xiaodie's trail.

Just then.

Five soft yet sharp "pfft-pfft-pfft" sounds rang out in succession, like deadly notes from the void.

Immediately afterward, the five Flame Wolves emitted shrill cries, then collapsed limp to the ground, lifeless.

Ye Xiaodie's beautiful eyes blinked, a flash of lively light crossing her gaze as she looked up at Li Yilan and said in a crisp voice: "Senior Sister, Senior Jiang, I'm here."

Having said that, she employed her movement technique, darting toward Li Yilan at extreme speed.

In each leap and flicker, she actually cleverly mixed in an invisibility ability.

Each teleport carried a mysterious aura, showing that her mastery of this invisibility had reached a terrifying, divine level.

As the two descended lightly before the old man.

They spoke in unison: "Senior Jiang, we have successfully slain those beasts."

Jiang Tai Mu slightly raised his eyes, unhurriedly took a sip of Heavenly Dao Tea, smacked his lips, and slowly said: "Deep in this forest, there are still a few Spirit Sea Realm beasts; go slaughter them."

Upon hearing this, Li Yilan and Ye Xiaodie's faces instantly showed helpless expressions.

The two glanced at each other, their hearts full of speechlessness.

Li Yilan stepped forward respectfully and said: "Senior Jiang, I know you brought us here to let us train well and improve our strength."

"But now, tomorrow is the day of the Qingzhou Grand Competition; I think we should head to Yun City immediately, we can't delay any further."

Ye Xiaodie also quickly echoed: "Yes, Senior Jiang, those few Spirit Sea Realm beasts—we can help you hunt them after the Qingzhou Grand Competition ends; it's not too late."

Li Yilan also nodded heavily in agreement.

These days, not having seen Master Lin Yang, their hearts are filled with longing.

Just thinking that arriving early in Yun City would let them see their master, their hearts filled with anticipation.

Jiang Tai Mu heard this, his expression turned serious as if he just remembered the Qingzhou Grand Competition, and he slowly said: "It's coming up so soon?"

"If that's the case, then let's go."

Actually, Master Lin Yang had instructed him to bring these two girls here for training; in these few short days, their strength has advanced by leaps and bounds, which he has witnessed.

Now that both girls have said this, he cannot well keep them against their will.

Upon hearing Jiang Tai Mu's assent, Li Yilan and Ye Xiaodie's eyes instantly flashed with delight, their gazes full of anticipation.

"Alright, Senior Jiang, let's hurry."

The two again spoke in unison.

Immediately, Jiang Tai Mu first released a communication talisman toward the direction of Yun City.

Then, with a sweeping gesture, his spiritual power surged, turning the two little girls into a dazzling stream of light that raced toward Yun City.

In the blink of an eye, they had vanished into the dense forest.

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Meanwhile, in the annex where the Qingyun Sect members resided, the meeting hall atmosphere was solemn.

Grand Elder Mao Ping sat upright in the chief seat, his expression solemn as he organized a crucially important meeting.

The core of the meeting was to strongly emphasize that Qingyun Sect members must not participate in the activities related to the invitation issued by the Five Great Sects of Zhongzhou.

Grand Elder Mao Ping slowly swept his gaze over the crowd, his voice deep and powerful: "This meeting concerns the future of our Qingyun Sect; you all must keep it in mind."

"The Li Yilan and Ye Xiaoji of our sect have outstanding talent, and they are disciples of Lin Yang; such excellent seedlings must not let the Five Great Sects know in advance."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, their faces full of determination.

An elder stepped forward and said, "Grand Elder, rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut like a sealed bottle, not leaking a single word."

Another elder promptly added, "That's right, I guarantee it with my integrity; there will be no leak whatsoever."

Yet another elder slapped his chest, speaking with slight exaggeration: "I swear on my sixty-year-old wife that if I let the news slip, my wife will……"

For a moment, everyone spoke up one after another, solemnly declaring their determination.

Seeing everyone cooperating like this, Mao Ping gave a slight nod, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"'In this competition, our Azure Cloud Sect will exert effort secretly, act low-key, secure excellent results in one go, astonish everyone, and pocket all the rewards we deserve.'"

Everyone echoed in agreement, continually praising the Grand Elder's lofty insight, the scene filled with harmony.

However, just then, an elder slightly frowned and voiced his concern: "Grand Elder, we ourselves can naturally keep this under control and will not proactively leak it."

"'But what if the Five Great Sects of Central Province come to us proactively to inquire?'"

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally lively meeting chamber fell silent instantly, and everyone sank into contemplation.

This is indeed a concern not to be ignored, after all human hearts are unfathomable; one can control oneself but cannot guarantee others will keep their mouths shut.

For a moment, everyone stared at each other, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.