Knocked Out by the Handsome Little Tiger

The sun was scorching hot, and though they were all cultivators, the disciples couldn't quite bear it. As soon as the cultural exam ended, they immediately scattered.

However, among them were four disciples who had dispersed—yet not entirely.

On their way back to the dormitory, they quietly veered off the main path, slipping along a narrow trail until they reached the back of the dining hall. The four gathered there, and the eldest among them—a youth of about sixteen named Lan Xinyu—used a flight spell to carry the other three, one by one, up the cliff behind the dining hall.

Then, they traversed the cliffside, entered the forest, and made their way through the dense woods toward the mountaintop.

Of the four disciples—two boys and two girls—apart from Lan Xinyu, who knew the flight spell, the others ranged from thirteen to fifteen years old.

Pushing aside the branches, one of the girls, who had a delicate and fresh appearance, asked, "Senior Brother Lan, you have the alchemy practical exam tomorrow. Won’t exploring the forbidden area today affect your review?"

Lan Xinyu, the youth who could use flight magic, was a fifth-year disciple. He had joined Dan Peak five years ago and witnessed the entire construction process of the mountainside.

In fact, the mountainside of Dan Peak had been built by their generation of disciples… Those who had joined Dan Peak four or five years ago had all carried their share of bricks.

"Silly junior sister, this is precisely the best time to sneak into the forbidden area!" Lan Xinyu led the way, explaining to the girl behind him. "Everyone’s busy reviewing now, so no one will notice. Normally, there are too many eyes around—when else would we get the chance?"

"Exactly!" chimed in another disciple, surnamed Cai, who had only joined Dan Peak two and a half years ago. "Senior Brother, what’s really inside the forbidden area?"

"No one knows for sure," Lan Xinyu replied from the front. "But have you heard the rumors about Dan Peak Chief Qin Ran and Dan Peak’s Sword Immortal Li Shiyin?"

In recent years, Qin Ran and Li Shiyin had rarely appeared in Dao Sword Sect, so newer disciples had only occasionally heard their names.

Legend had it that Dan Peak Chief was the strongest alchemist in Dao Sword Sect, unmatched in pill refinement, and a peerless strategist who could shape the world with his schemes.

As for Dan Peak’s Sword Immortal, she was said to be the peak’s most formidable combatant, with countless slain Nascent Soul cultivators to her name. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sword Peak’s Ruthless Sword Immortal Tian Wenjin and was considered equal to the Land of Immortal Legacy’s greatest swordsman, Lu Junxing.

Yet, despite their legendary status, none of Dan Peak’s current disciples had ever seen them.

"I heard Sword Immortal Li is as beautiful as a celestial maiden and invincible in battle. Her Nine Revolutions Star Sword technique summons the cosmos with a single strike, forcing the sun and moon to retreat… She was the most dazzling genius of her generation," said the other girl, who had an adorable face, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "When will I ever be as strong as her?"

"They say the Battle of Hengduan Mountain five years ago…" the Cai disciple muttered solemnly, "Dao Sword Sect’s victory was entirely due to Dan Peak Chief’s strategies. A man like that!"

"Exactly. Dan Peak might seem poor and run-down, but the real powerhouses are all hidden away," Lan Xinyu sighed.

"The Great Demon King Chasing the Wind and the Little Demon King Li An—both undefeated in the Sect’s Arena—are said to have emerged from the forbidden area.

"Rumor has it that Dan Peak is actually the strongest in Dao Sword Sect, but because the Sect Leader grew jealous and suppressed them, they had to conceal their strength and seal themselves within the forbidden area for the sake of sect stability. Sigh…

"With such a legacy, how can we not explore the forbidden area?"

"Right!" the delicate-looking girl agreed. "Disciples from other peaks bully us, thinking Dan Peak is weak. But in truth, we’re the strongest!

"Cultivators can go without food, they can do without magical artifacts—but who can do without pills? Dan Peak is the most important of all."

As they spoke, they all became convinced. Pills were indispensable to cultivators—how could Dao Sword Sect’s Dan Peak truly be as weak as it seemed?

While talking, they continued trekking through the dense forest. The terrain was rough, and it took nearly two hours before they finally reached the mountaintop.

Standing there, gazing at the thick mist shrouding the summit in the distance, its ethereal, immortal aura only reinforced their belief—this was the seal hiding Dan Peak’s true power.

"They say Dao Sword Sect once had a Guardian Mountain Formation, but it was destroyed in the great war. The formation’s effect was just like this mist," Lan Xinyu said.

"A seal is just a variation of a formation," the delicate girl reasoned. "This mist must be the formation’s manifestation."

"Could it be…" the adorable girl wondered, "that this is Dan Peak’s own Guardian Mountain Formation? The mountainside is the outer peak, and the summit is the inner peak?"

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible," the Cai disciple shook his head, sprinting ahead toward the mist. "This is Dan Peak’s forbidden area—the sealed heart of Dan Peak. We must uncover the truth!"

The other three followed, and after another short sprint, they finally stood before the wall of mist.

The Cai disciple, at the front, looked up at the towering mist barrier—dozens of feet high—and gulped. He turned to Lan Xinyu. "S-Senior Brother… are we really going in?"

Though Lan Xinyu also felt an eerie dread emanating from the mist, as if monstrous horrors lurked within, he steeled himself. "The greatest secret of Dao Sword Sect is right before us. How can we turn back now?"

With that, he clenched his fists, bolstered his courage, and took the lead—plunging headfirst into the mist.

The remaining three exchanged glances. The adorable girl whispered, "Should we go in?"

"Senior Brother already went…" the delicate girl said. "We can’t stay behind."

She stepped forward.

"Hey! You lot!" Suddenly, a deep, authoritative voice boomed at them. "What are you doing there?!"

The three young disciples jumped in fright, turning to see a massive black-striped white tiger striding toward them on mist-laden steps. Even on all fours, its shoulders stood taller than a man. A single glance sent chills down their spines.

"A—a monster!" the adorable girl shrieked before her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"Hm?" The tiger demon tilted its head. "Did she faint from my majestic presence?"

"Ahhh! The—the Great Demon King! It’s the Tiger King!" the Cai disciple screamed, terror gripping him as the beast’s murderous aura crushed his spirit.

His mind blanked, and he turned to flee.

"Run! Run!!"

One companion had fainted, another had fled—leaving only the delicate girl, too petrified to move, as the colossal white tiger approached.

"What’s your name?" the tiger rumbled.

"J-Jiang Chen," she stammered.

"Jiang Chen, is it?" The white tiger stalked closer, its obsidian-gold eyes fixed intently on her. "You're from Dan Peak?"

The tiger was too close. Jiang Chen was too terrified to speak, managing only a faint "Mhm."

"What are you doing here?" The tiger's voice rumbled low, brimming with authority. "Did no one warn you not to wander up here without reason?"

Jiang Chen couldn't even muster a sound now, shrinking back in fear.

Seeing her pitiful state, the white tiger subtly retreated two steps before asking again, "What year are you?"

Jiang Chen couldn't answer.

"Why aren't you running?" the tiger pressed. "Planning to slide under the Tiger King with a shovel?"

"Ah—ahh—!" Jiang Chen shrieked, finally passing out as she'd secretly hoped.

"Tsk…" The white tiger crouched, staring at the unconscious girl with a conflicted expression. "This is the downside of being too handsome… What am I supposed to do with her now?"

After a moment's thought, it recalled the overseer halfway down the mountain and dashed off to fetch him.