"Junior Brother Lin Han!"
Seeing the newcomer, Zhao Changming, who had just worn a solemn expression, hurriedly greeted him with a flattering smile.
"Junior Brother Lin Han, what brings you out for a stroll today?"
Although he was an outer sect elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he held no real power. Lin Han, on the other hand, was not only an elite disciple of the sect but also the personal disciple of Deputy Sect Master Mu Bingjie; their statuses were worlds apart.
"Just taking a stroll, nothing much."
A cold glint flashed across Lin Han's eyes. A slender figure flashed through his mind, and he sneered inwardly.
He wanted to see if that reckless brat really had the guts to show up!
"Elder Zhao, are there any exceptionally talented individuals among the new recruits in this assessment?" Lin Han asked casually.
Hearing this, Zhao Changming instantly grew interested.
"To be honest with you, Junior Brother Lin Han, I took in a disciple recently. Not only has she awakened the Ice Body, but her cultivation has also broken through to the True Profound Realm Ninth Layer. She has a very strong chance of taking the championship this time."
"And then there's my good-for-nothing son. Though it might be a bit difficult for him to squeeze into the top three, passing the assessment will be no problem at all. When the time comes, I must ask Junior Brother Lin Han to look after the two of them," Zhao Changming said eagerly.
Lin Han nodded.
"No problem."
Joy surged in Zhao Changming's heart, and he asked with intense curiosity, "I heard a major figure of incredible standing arrived at the sect a few days ago. Does Junior Brother Lin Han have any insider information about this?"
At this, Lin Han's eyes lit up.
"I do know a thing or two about that. Rumor has it that even the Sect Master has to show him the utmost respect."
Zhao Changming was shaken to his core. If even the Sect Master couldn't afford to provoke this existence, it had to be a truly colossal figure!
"I wonder what such a great figure could possibly want at our Heavenly Sword Sect," Zhao Changming sighed, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Word is that the bigwig is here to look for someone. The Sect Master has turned the entire sect upside down over this lately, but still hasn't found him."
As Mu Bingjie's disciple, the inside information Lin Han had access to was naturally beyond the reach of an outer sect elder like Zhao Changming.
"Looking for someone?"
Zhao Changming froze for a second.
"Yes, and the person he's looking for seems to be called Su Qianyu!"
Zhao Changming nodded and asked no further.
Matters of that level were not something he needed to worry about.
At the same time.
Inside the highest-specification grand hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a figure emanating a powerful aura sat in the main seat.
Even Mo Yuntian, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, could only sit stiffly and properly in a secondary seat, followed by Deputy Sect Master Mu Bingjie and a gathering of the sect's top brass.
Everyone sat obediently in their places, not daring to let out a loud breath, casting awe-filled gazes toward the figure in the main seat.
"Senior Qi, over the past few days, we have meticulously checked every single record in the sect, and even investigated the families of all our disciples. We truly haven't found anyone by the name of Su Qianyu."
Mo Yuntian gave an awkward smile, then spoke with utmost caution.
The pressure he was under right now was immense!
The person before him was a genuine heavyweight, the kind of existence who could make the entire Northern Spirit Domain tremble with a mere stamp of his foot.
When the other party arrived at the Heavenly Sword Sect a few days ago and straight out demanded to find someone, Mo Yuntian hadn't taken it seriously at first and had intended to step up and chase him away.
But the moment the man slapped him straight into the side of a mountain—so deep they had to dig him out—Mo Yuntian instantly became obedient and mobilized the entire sect to help him search.
Yet, despite searching for so many days, they simply could not find anyone named Su Qianyu, which filled him with profound terror.
If he provoked this person, the Heavenly Sword Sect would likely be wiped off the map of the Northern Spirit Domain entirely. That was why he had no choice but to drag all the sect's higher-ups here to accompany and do their absolute best to serve this grandmaster.
"Then keep looking."
Qi Xiaoyao said expressionlessly.
Inwardly, however, he was starting to feel a shred of doubt.
Could the empress have made a mistake? Was there really no kid named Su Qianyu here at all, or was he looking in the wrong place?
Right now, though, he had no way of contacting the Crimson Flame Empress, so he could only stay here and observe for a little longer.
"Yes, yes, yes. I've already given the orders. The moment there's any news, we will notify Senior Qi immediately," Mo Yuntian replied.
"How about this? I shall take Senior to observe our Heavenly Sword Sect's newcomer assessment this year. That Su Qianyu might just be in there."
Hearing this, Qi Xiaoyao gave a faint nod.
Waiting around idly was still just waiting around; going to take a look wouldn't hurt.
"Right this way, I'll lead the way for Senior Qi!" Seeing that the man wasn't enraged, Mo Yuntian felt a huge weight lift from his heart and hurriedly stood up to welcome him.
...
Meanwhile.
Over ten thousand young geniuses rapidly poured into the Death Great Forest, everyone pushing themselves to the limit to dash out first, secure a top ranking, and win those generous rewards.
Yet, there was one person among them who bypassed the crowded throng and headed down a quiet path.
"If I take this path, it should only take a little over two hours to successfully walk out of the Death Great Forest," Su Qianyu said with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
In his past life, he had been a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect and had frequently come to the Death Great Forest for trials. He was extremely familiar with the terrain here, knowing where the dangers lay and which paths could avoid fierce beasts.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be the first to charge out of the Death Great Forest.
"There's movement."
At that moment, Su Qianyu heard intense sounds of fighting coming from up ahead. He pushed through a dense patch of jungle and strode forward.
He saw a woman in white kneeling on the ground in absolute terror. Most of her clothes were already torn away, exposing patches of snowy skin to the open air.
Standing directly in front of the woman in white was a smirking man, eyeing her with the gaze of a wolf appraising a little white rabbit.
"Please, let me go..."
The woman in white looked at him in desperate helplessness and begged.
Yet, the man only replied with a playful leer, "I've been holding back for days now, how could I possibly let you go? Today I'm finally going to have a good time!"
With that, he lunged forward, ripping at the few remaining garments on the woman.
"Ah, no!"
The woman screamed out in shock.
Then, she caught sight of Su Qianyu, who had just arrived. As if she had seen a savior, she cried out for help, "Kind sir, please save me!"
Hearing this, the man furrowed his brows.
He turned back to look at Su Qianyu, asking in a cold voice, "Brat, are you looking to stick your nose in where it doesn't belong?"
Su Qianyu smiled faintly.
"Just passing by. Carry on."
He recognized the man before him.
His name was Zhao Xuan, the son of Elder Zhao Changming. In his previous life, this fellow had a terrible reputation, constantly relying on his status to bully the weak and harass women.
It was just that, having been reborn into this life, he didn't care to waste time on trivial matters. Besides...
Unless someone was extremely familiar with the Death Great Forest, it was impossible to know about this secluded path. The fact that Zhao Xuan appeared here was quite intriguing.
To avoid any complications, he turned around and started to walk away.
Seeing Su Qianyu about to leave, the expression of the woman in white shifted drastically.
She hurriedly cried out, "Sir, wait! I have Profound Crystals, I have lots of Profound Crystals! As long as you save me, I'll give you all of them!"
Hearing these words, Su Qianyu's departing footsteps immediately stopped, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Deal!"
If there were Profound Crystals involved...
Then this naturally wasn't a waste of time anymore!