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Yan Yi walked through the misty passage and arrived at the grassy field of Dan Peak.

Due to the shifting light and shadows, his vision was impaired. Before his sight could fully recover and before he could clearly see the situation on the field, his danger sense alerted him to something perilous flying toward him.

The object was razor-sharp—capable of slicing him in half with ease. Startled, he barely had time to react before it whizzed past his head.

As his vision cleared, before he could take in the scenery of Dan Peak, he first noticed locks of his hair fluttering down from his scalp.

Heart still racing, he turned to look at the sharp object that had flown past—it was a long, transparent streak of energy. A sword aura.

The translucent sword aura circled through the mist, flying far into the distance before vanishing into a peach grove, sending a flurry of blossoms scattering through the air.

"Li An! Chasing the Wind!!" A woman's furious voice rang out. "What have you done this time?!"

Yan Yi followed the sound and saw the graceful figure of Dan Peak's Sword Immortal, Li Shiyin, rising from beneath the Old Spirit Pagoda Tree. She soared into the air, grabbed a boy of about seven or eight by the collar, and in a flash, seized the scruff of a small white tiger as well.

Holding one in each hand, she landed in front of Yan Yi and scolded the boy sharply, "You nearly hurt someone! Apologize right now!"

The boy had an adorably round face, but his large, mischievous eyes darted around, brimming with impish energy—clearly, he was no well-behaved child.

The moment Li Shiyin glared at him, he clasped his hands together and bowed to Yan Yi, his voice soft and sweet like a well-behaved little boy. "Uncle Yan, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Yan Yi replied with a smile, waving his hand.

A clever and cute child could be forgiven for being a little mischievous... right?

Li An had apologized, but the small white tiger squirmed in Li Shiyin's grip, trying to maintain his image as the Great King of Dan Peak.

Unable to break free, he huffed dismissively, "It was only almost hitting someone—nothing actually happened! Just a few strands of hair. They’ll grow back in a few days."

His fierce tiger eyes glared at Yan Yi as he demanded, "Right, Yan Yi? Isn’t that so?"

Faced with Dan Peak’s notorious troublemaker, Yan Yi didn’t dare disagree.

He nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Great King is absolutely right."

"See, Shiyin?" The white tiger pointed a claw at Yan Yi. "He said it’s fine."

Smack! Li Shiyin slapped the tiger across his feline face and scolded, "It’s always you, leading Li An into trouble every day! You’ve corrupted him!"

Still fuming, she tossed Chasing the Wind into the air and kicked him away like a ball. "No returning to Dan Peak today—and stay away from Li An!"

"Ah—yah—! The Great King of Dan Peak will be back!" Chasing the Wind’s wails faded into the distance before disappearing into the mist of the Guardian Mountain Formation.

"Wow!" Li An gasped. "Brother Wind flew away again."

"Eh? Why did I say 'again'?"

Then he noticed Li Shiyin’s icy glare and immediately straightened up, standing obediently.

The boy had been brought to Dan Peak by Li Shiyin earlier in the year. Under Chasing the Wind’s influence, he spent his days chasing spirits up the mountain and catching river demons—never learning anything proper, just growing more unruly by the day. But for all his fearlessness, there was one thing he truly feared: his aunt.

Auntie was terrifying—the only thing he was scared of.

Once Li An stood properly, Li Shiyin turned to Yan Yi. "Looking for the Peak Master?"

Yan Yi gestured to the papers in his hand. "The cultural exams are finished. I brought the fifth-grade test papers for the Peak Master to review."

"Mm." Li Shiyin nodded and pointed toward the Old Spirit Pagoda Tree. "He’s over there."

Yan Yi cupped his hands in salute, then walked past Li Shiyin and Li An toward the ancient tree.

After a few steps, he heard movement behind him and turned to see Li Shiyin conjuring a whip from sword aura in one hand while pulling out paper and a brush with the other.

She pointed the whip at Li An and thrust the writing materials at him. "All you do is cause trouble—never any real work! Have you even finished the assignments your uncle gave you?! Copy this section of the Analects today, or I’ll whip you!"

Li An was clever enough not to test his aunt’s temper. With a pout, he took the paper and brush and trudged toward the Sword Washing Lake.

"The Analects?" Yan Yi muttered to himself. "Lately, the ‘Swinging Analects’ has been trending in the sect… Must be the influence of the Great King and Li An."

Mentally noting the antics of Dan Peak’s two lawless troublemakers, he crossed the field and reached the Old Spirit Pagoda Tree.

The Peak Master of Dan Peak lounged leisurely on a rocking chair, reading a book. Noticing Yan Yi’s approach, he gestured for him to take a seat.

Yan Yi remained standing, placing the exam papers on the table beside the Peak Master. "Peak Master, these are the fifth-grade disciples’ test papers. The exams just concluded."

Regarding the conflict among the three sects, Yan Yi knew some inside details. He understood why the three sects had clashed, why Zhican Valley had fallen, and the current state of affairs between the Dao Sword Sect and the Boundless Sword Sect.

As for Dan Peak’s development, he was also privy to certain truths. He knew the origin of the Water Method Spirit Plant Technique, that the Peak Master had compiled numerous alchemical texts, and that the entire training and teaching system for Dan Peak’s disciples had been designed by the Peak Master himself.

Thus, toward this man, Yan Yi could only hold the deepest respect.

"Leave them there," Qin Ran said. "I’ll look at them later."

He glanced at Yan Yi. "Any issues among the disciples lately?"

"Everything’s been normal," Yan Yi replied. After a pause, he added, "Though the new children are quite curious about the upper peaks. They might come and disturb you."

"Let them. If they want to visit, they’re welcome," Qin Ran said dismissively.

"Understood."

Qin Ran then asked, "You reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment recently. How’s your stability?"

"Very stable," Yan Yi answered. "Thank you for the Peak Master’s generous elixirs."

After a few more perfunctory exchanges, Yan Yi soon took his leave.

Watching Yan Yi’s retreating figure, Qin Ran sighed. The excessive formality left little room for genuine camaraderie.

But once Yan Yi had passed beyond the Guardian Mountain Formation, Qin Ran immediately raised his voice. "Qiqi! Qiqi!"

Before long, a girl who looked about eight or nine years old stomped out from the Research Building, her chubby face twisted in annoyance.

"What do you want now?" she snapped.

Qin Ran gestured to the exam papers with his book. "Fifth-grade cultural exams are done. Sort through these—pick out the ones who passed. Once tomorrow’s practical exams are over, arrange for the qualified ones to seek out Dan Fire and Dan Water."

"Again?!" Long Qiqi fumed. "Will you ever stop? I have my own research to do!"

"The capable bear more burdens," Qin Ran said placatingly. "With your exceptional alchemy skills, you should contribute to Dan Peak’s growth!"

"Whether Dan Peak thrives or not is none of my damn business!" Long Qiqi scoffed, but she still took the test paper. "I'll help you one last time!"

Qin Ran grinned cheekily. "Many thanks, Lady Long!"

"Hmph!" With that, Long Qiqi headed back to the Research Building, test paper in hand.