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"Junior Sister, for someone so young, your level of understanding is truly admirable. It makes us feel ashamed—I've lived for over three hundred years, and yet it feels like I've aged for nothing," Lu Li sighed.

Qin Shu, having unintentionally impressed him yet again, stared at him in shock. It was truly baffling—this cultivation world was nothing like her previous one. In the past, people judged age by appearance, but here? Someone who looked like they were in their early twenties could actually be older than her great-grandfather.

"Perhaps... I should call you Martial Uncle instead?" she suggested seriously, attempting to correct this increasingly absurd form of address.

Lu Li: "?"

He had just praised her, yet she was already trying to change the subject? That wouldn't do!

"Junior Sister, are you saying I'm old?" Lu Li asked in an eerie tone.

Qin Shu wouldn't dare to confirm that, so she immediately shook her head. "Senior Brother, your age is the prime of youth in the cultivation world. You mustn't look down on yourself!"

Lu Li's expression finally softened. "These past two days with you have been enlightening. Just now, your words gave me some insight. I need to go into seclusion for a while."

Hearing this, Qin Shu was secretly overjoyed—finally, she could train in peace!

She had been worried that if he continued to stay around, her unique physique might be exposed.

"Then let me wish you a smooth breakthrough in advance, Senior Brother," she said, cupping her hands.

As she watched Lu Li leave, she finally retrieved her paper and brush to continue her calculations.

If the sect tournament was postponed, He Xin would be stuck in the outer sect longer than planned. The gap between the inner and outer sect was not just about resources but also the techniques available to them. This delay was not in He Xin's favor.

Qin Shu used the Greater Expansion Divination Method to cast a fortune for herself.

The hexagram suggested that while she might face some gossip in the near future, as long as she remained steadfast, there would be no real danger.

She let out a breath of relief.

Then, a thought struck her—she had a certain snake's inner core in her dantian. Why not divine something for him too?

However, as soon as she started the calculation, things became strange.

At first, the reading was positive—something good was supposed to happen to him soon. But the moment she tried to see further, it was as if some unseen force was interfering. The hexagram became distorted and unreadable.

The more she tried, the messier it became.

"Is it because I'm still a novice?" she wondered. After all, she had only just started learning—maybe it was normal to get an unclear reading.

Meanwhile, deep within the Wàng Xū Valley, a towering black-scaled serpent gazed up at the sky, his golden pupils gleaming with cold amusement.

"Tianji Pavilion?" Xie Shiyuan murmured.

Those pesky diviners were always trying to pinpoint his location.

The inner core he had left in that little girl's dantian served as a natural smokescreen, disrupting their ability to track him. Yet, somehow, they were getting close again—what annoyingly persistent bloodhounds.

He shifted his tail slightly, tapping the ground beneath him—a massive leyline buried under the valley's surface.

"Sealing a Lingti Beast using an entire leyline? What a waste."

His tail flicked lazily against the enchanted barrier, causing it to tremble.

A pair of crimson eyes snapped open from within. A wave of thick, ink-like demonic energy pulsed outward as the beast trapped inside roared in fury.

"You dare return?"

Standing above, Xie Shiyuan stared down with an air of amusement. His golden slit pupils locked onto the raging beast like a predator toying with its prey.

"Why wouldn't I?" he replied casually.

With an effortless motion, his tail lashed against the barrier once more. This time, the beast inside let out a pained howl.

"You coward! If you have the guts, release me! Using a human-made barrier to suppress me—what does that prove?!"

Xie Shiyuan's eyes darkened, the gold intensifying. He ascended, hovering above the formation, and with a flick of his wrist, ripped out the leyline.

The entire formation, reliant on the leyline's energy, immediately began to unravel.

A shockwave rippled outward, shaking the entire Wàng Xū Valley. The disturbance was so intense that even the Xuántiān Sect received the news almost instantly.

"What?! Someone unsealed the Phantom Light Night Lingti?!" Sect Master Qi Nan demanded, his expression severe.

"Yes, Sect Master. According to the disciples investigating the valley, the entire area is now saturated with demonic energy. They tried using protective barriers to enter, but even the strongest shield lasted less than half a minute before breaking apart."

Qi Nan's brows knitted together. "Were there casualties?"

"Three disciples—Qi Condensation stage, ninth and tenth layers. No losses among the Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Qi Nan exhaled heavily. "For the families of those fallen disciples, give each household a Rejuvenation Pill. Assemble all available Golden Core disciples immediately. Those without ongoing missions are to move out—head to Wàng Xū Valley at once!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Back in the Xuántiān Sect, Qin Shu had just finished refining another batch of pills.

At this point, she had 39 years left on her debt to Senior Brother Wen Chi—she was making progress!

Just as she stretched, a sudden gong echoed throughout the sect, reverberating across the sky.

Qin Shu had studied the sect rules.

A gong meant the sect was facing a major crisis.

Her expression shifted.

Could it be... that she had actually predicted this correctly?

What could be so serious that it forced the sect to postpone the tournament?

Qin Shu hurriedly packed up her alchemy furnace and stepped outside.

Other alchemists were also emerging from their rooms, curiosity and concern on their faces.

By the time she reached the courtyard, a large crowd had already gathered.

Above them, a golden scroll slowly unfurled in the sky. Glowing letters formed words across the clouds.

Two official orders were announced:

All Golden Core disciples were to collect ten bottles of top-grade Spirit Recovery Pills from the Alchemy Sect before immediately departing for Wàng Xū Valley.The sect tournament was officially postponed. All disciples were encouraged to stay focused on their cultivation.

"Wàng Xū Valley?"

Qin Shu's mind raced.

Could it be... the creature they sealed away had escaped?

But if that was the case, why was the sect mobilizing so many people?

Last time, they only sent four mid-to-late Golden Core disciples. This time, it seemed like they were pulling out almost all their high-level forces.

Something was off.

Her interest in divination still fresh, she instinctively pulled out her paper and brush to cast another hexagram.

Moments later, she frowned at the results.

"...A completely smooth fortune? How is that possible?"

She stared at the paper in confusion.

She couldn't possibly know that the cause of all this chaos...

Was none other than the "little black snake" she had been raising.

Meanwhile, in Wàng Xū Valley, the Phantom Light Night Lingti burst from its prison.

Black mist rolled off its massive form as it soared into the sky, letting out a triumphant, earth-shaking roar.

The sound echoed for miles, reaching even the disciples stationed outside the valley.

"The Lingti Beast really did break free! But... wasn't it just re-sealed a few days ago?!"

"Who knows?! This thing is ancient—who's to say what tricks it still has?"

"All we can do now is hold our ground until the reinforcements arrive!"