"Is that Dragon-Clutching Mountain?"

Ye Qingchen squinted his eyes.

Even from a great distance, he could see the towering mountains, truly resembling a crouching dragon clutching its tail. Recalling the ring his father left behind, Ye Qingchen's heart churned like tumultuous waves.

Is the secret of his father's disappearance hidden within this Dragon-Clutching Mountain?

"I must venture into Dragon-Clutching Mountain to uncover the truth!"

Ye Qingchen clenched his fists secretly.

Previously.

He didn't go because he wasn't strong enough. But now, having reached the Spiritual Sea Seventh Heaven and mastered five kinds of Wind Sword Intent, he was confident that even if he encountered danger in Dragon-Clutching Mountain, he could retreat unscathed.

"This time, the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference is right at Qianlong City, at the foot of Dragon-Clutching Mountain!" Qin Wentian, noticing Ye Qingchen staring intently at Dragon-Clutching Mountain, ended his argument with Kong Shun and said leisurely after taking a sip of wine.

Qianlong City!

Foot of Dragon-Clutching Mountain!

A glint of delight flashed in Ye Qingchen's eyes.

Originally.

He was worried that reaching Dragon-Clutching Mountain would be inconvenient, but now it seemed he could explore it during the interval of the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference!

Entering Daqian Country and on the official road, their speed increased immediately.

They traveled by day and rested by night.

That day, upon spotting an inn, everyone cheered in delight.

For days, the dry food they carried had long been consumed. They had been surviving on the Grain Avoidance Pill provided by Kong Shun. Although just one could satisfy hunger, something always seemed missing.

Especially Qin Wentian, who, deprived of alcohol, impatiently rushed to the inn and ordered a pot of good wine.

"Brother, come quickly!"

Ye Qing called out.

Ye Qingchen sighed inwardly. For days, he had repeatedly attempted to break through to the Spiritual Sea Eighth Heaven but always seemed to be missing something.

"Forget it, maybe it's not the right time yet!" Hearing everyone's urgings, Ye Qingchen decided not to dwell on it further and headed towards the inn. "I'm coming!"

"Did you fail again?" Qin Wentian, seeing Ye Qingchen come over slowly, could guess the reason, "There's no need to rush. Spiritual Sea Ninth Heaven is beyond human limits. The further you progress, the slower the advancement. Right now, you should focus on building a strong foundation."

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen nodded.

Just as he was about to speak, another procession of carriages pulled up outside the inn; this group was even larger, with more than a dozen carriages. A pair of elder and two youngsters alighted from the lead carriage.

The elder had an ethereal presence, with flowing sleeves and dressed in a moon-colored long robe.

The youngsters, a man and a woman, seemed about twentyish. The man was handsome and dashing, the woman valiant and with an extraordinary demeanor.

From the other carriages, many young men and women disembarked. Each exuded strong auras, clearly all were cultivators of the Spiritual Sea Realm.

"What a grand spectacle! So many people!"

Someone in the inn clicked their tongues in surprise.

"Looks like they're from some sect? With so many people traveling out, wonder what's happening..." Someone speculated quietly.

Amid the crowd's gazes, this group entered the inn.

The elder glanced around the inn before his eyes settled on Qin Wentian and Kong Shun. After all, the former was the Sect Leader of Taotian Palace, and the latter the Celestial Peak State Preceptor, both having an unusual air about them.

Then his focus shifted to Ye Qingchen, Hong Man, Jiang Churan, and Ye Qing.

Only when he scrutinized Ye Qingchen did he look a few more times.

However.

After realizing Ye Qingchen merely had the cultivation of Spiritual Sea Seventh Heaven, he lost interest, waved his long sleeve over the table, and pointed to another section, saying to his disciples:

"We'll sit here!"

Immediately.

Many disciples took their seats.

Yet, at the table with the elder sat only the two leading young people while others sat separately at other tables.

Two groups minding their own business occupied opposite sides of the inn. After dining, Ye Qingchen and his group left first but didn't notice a young girl in the group was watching him.

"Feng Wan, what are you looking at? I've called you several times, and you didn't hear!" The young woman at the head table walked over and patted the head of a young girl. "We're leaving!"

If Ye Qingchen were here, he'd surely recognize that the young girl was indeed Feng Wan, whom they previously encountered at Two Realms Mountain.

Feng Wan, hugging her head in grievance, said:

"Sister, I think I saw Ye Qingchen!"

"Ye Qingchen, you mean the one who single-handedly resisted thirty-two Gold Medal Assassins from Blood Rain Tower in Two Realms Mountain and even killed the Third Floor Master!"

The young woman raised an eyebrow and then complained, "Why didn't you tell me, I should've thanked him!"

"I only realized after they left..."

Feng Wan's face was full of embarrassment.

"Feng Wu, what's up?" The young man from before joined them, smiling as he approached.

The young woman named Feng Wu quickly recapped the situation to him.

But as soon as she finished, the young man frowned, "Impossible, just now only those two elders had higher cultivation; the rest were only Spiritual Sea Seventh Heaven, and two were merely Spiritual Sea Fifth Heaven. Feng Wan, did you see it wrong?"

If anyone else criticized her like this, Feng Wan would've exploded.

But this young man, named Zhu Yun, was the current second in Youquan Sect and ranked seventh on the Bronze Platform, here with her sister Feng Wu for the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference.

So she could only argue:

"I spent several days with them at Two Realms Mountain, especially with Ye Qingchen, who's deeply imprinted in my mind... No way could I mistake him."

Hearing this, both were quite astonished.

Achieving such feats at Spiritual Sea Seventh Heaven?

Impossible, right?

"You mean that boy from earlier?" The elder joined the conversation, stating indifferently, "That boy is indeed extraordinary, but with only a Spiritual Sea Seventh Heaven cultivation, it's far too early for him to kill a Half-Step Profound Pill expert!"

Feng Wu nodded repeatedly, agreeing.

Since Feng Wan's return from Two Realms Mountain, she had been frequently recounting this tale. At the time, she thought some expert from Celestial Peak intervened. But now with Feng Wan claiming he's a mere seventeen-year-old boy, it's hard to believe.

"Feng Wan, even Elder Zhou says so. You certainly mistook!"

"Elder Zhou! Sister! Senior Brother Zhu Yun..."

Hearing everyone's remarks, Feng Wan was flustered.

To know.

She personally witnessed everything at Two Realms Mountain. Why does no one believe her when she's telling the truth?

The people of Youquan Sect, after eating and drinking their fill, continued their journey.

By evening, both parties coincidentally met at another inn. After dinner, Kong Shun and Qin Wentian retired to their rooms, while Ye Qingchen suggested a stroll.

Seeing Ye Qingchen about to leave, Feng Wan could suppress herself no longer and approached Ye Qingchen's group directly.

"Ye Qingchen, do you remember me?"

"It's you!"

A glint of recognition appeared in Ye Qingchen's eyes. He immediately recognized the girl as Feng Wan, whom they had met at Two Realms Mountain before. "Why are you here?"

"Our Youquan Sect came for the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference. I'm tagging along to broaden my horizons." Feng Wan blinked playfully, "And you? This time..."

"I've come to participate in the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference!"

Ye Qingchen responded.

Honestly, completing the task at Two Realms Mountain with ease was much thanks to Feng Wan showing them the way.

However, just as he was about to say more, a cold voice interrupted:

"You think you can participate in the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference?"

Ye Qingchen frowned and looked over.

He saw the handsome young man from before, hands behind his back, looking at him with a mocking smile.

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