The night was as dark as ink, and the lake wind howled fiercely.
The high-level experts and hundreds of elite disciples from the Four Great Sects had all gathered on a sheltered beach on the south bank.
Torches formed a continuous sea of light, illuminating the shoreline as bright as day.
Among the shifting shadows, no one spoke aloud, and the atmosphere was heavy and solemn.
The speed of the Black Flood Dragon Carriage was truly astonishing!
Crossing hundreds of miles from the Star-Plucking Sect to reach Cloudwater Lake had taken only a single hour.
At that time, the Blessed Land had not yet opened.
Although the various factions had occupied their respective corners and were watching each other like tigers eyeing their prey, they had all tacitly held their ground, maintaining a fragile balance.
After the Gangjin Rank experts discussed the situation, they made a prompt decision.
They had the Black Flood Dragon Carriage hover above the clouds, utilizing the miraculous properties of the spiritual treasure to conceal its tracks.
The crowd then rested and built up their strength inside the carriage, quietly waiting for the right moment.
It wasn't until today, as the Blessed Land was about to open, that the carriage suddenly burst through the clouds.
This caught all the other factions completely off guard!
“Brother Shen!”
Just as Wen Qingye stepped off the carriage, he saw an elderly man walking quickly toward him. With a respectful expression, Wen Qingye cupped his hands and smiled. “It has been several years since we last met, and you still possess your majestic bearing, old brother!”
The elderly man was tall and broad-shouldered. Though his hair and beard were already graying, they stood on end like steel needles. His eyes held a restrained glint, and simply standing there, he naturally exuded an imposing aura of authority.
The most eye-catching feature was his large hands, which hung past his knees!
His palms were covered in thick calluses, and the veins on the backs of his hands bulged like gnarled roots. One look was enough to tell he was a master whose hand techniques had reached the absolute peak!
This person was none other than one of the Deputy Pavilion Lords of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion—'Songyang Hand' Shen Cang!
The Qingyuan Sword Pavilion had a total of three Gangjin Rank experts serving as the Pavilion Lord and Deputy Pavilion Lords, all of whom possessed Outer Gang Rank cultivation.
Although he was in the Sword Pavilion, Shen Cang did not practice swordplay. Instead, he carved out his own path, earning fame throughout Nanxiang with his ‘Great Songyang Palm’.
He possessed a fiery temperament and a deep hatred for evil, spending his entire life fighting against the demonic path.
The number of demonic scoundrels who had died under his palms was at least in the dozens!
He was a highly renowned figure among the righteous path of Nanxiang!
“Brother Wen!”
Shen Cang burst into a hearty laugh, his voice booming like a great bell. “You certainly have good luck! Where is that boy? Which young fellow is he?”
“Xiuhan!”
Shen Xiuhan and Wen Zheng stood behind Wen Qingye. Upon hearing his name, Shen Xiuhan took a large step forward and bowed in greeting. “Shen Xiuhan, core disciple of Tingquan Academy, greets Senior!”
“Good boy!”
A sharp glint flashed in Shen Cang’s eyes. He took a step forward and slapped his heavily callused hand onto Shen Xiuhan’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but let out an appreciative grunt and praised, “A bone age of nineteen, Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank, and carrying destiny... tsk tsk tsk!”
Shen Cang turned his gaze to Wen Qingye and teased, “Brother Wen! With a talent like this, if you nurture him carefully for ten years, your Star-Plucking Sect will gain another Gangjin Rank expert. Are you truly willing to let him enter that Blessed Land? Aren't you afraid he might perish inside?”
Hearing this, Wen Qingye shook his head gently. “A luxurious, warm pavilion cannot cultivate a towering sword-bone, and greenhouse flowers cannot withstand the bite of frosty blades. Besides... he wants to go himself.”
Shen Cang stroked his beard, a look of approval flashing in his eyes. “What courage!”
With that, he suddenly turned and called out toward the distance, “Miaoyin!”
Shen Xiuhan instinctively looked over, and his expression instantly froze.
In the distance, a slender figure clad in a jade-green silk dress was walking gracefully toward them.
The woman possessed an exquisitely alluring, fox-like face.
Her skin was as fair as mutton-fat jade, a faint smile played on her lips, and her beautiful eyes were curved like crescent moons, exuding an indescribable charm with every glance.
As she walked with light, elegant steps, her silk dress fluttered gently in the wind. Wherever she passed, the gazes of many disciples from the Four Great Sects were involuntarily drawn to her.
Even Qu Wu of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion stared blankly for a long time, unable to snap out of it.
Seeing this, He Suyi beside him let out a soft, dissatisfied snort.
Qu Wu immediately coughed twice in embarrassment, looking straight ahead toward the distance without daring to glance sideways again.
Among the numerous gazes, only one person remained entirely unaffected.
It was actually Zhang Jiuyang, the Chief Disciple of the Star-Plucking Sect’s Kaiyang Academy!
While everyone else was looking at Shen Miaoyin, this young man was taking the opportunity to steal glances at He Suyi out of the corner of his eye...
Shen Miaoyin walked up and bowed gracefully. Her voice sounded like pearls falling onto a jade plate, crisp yet soft and alluring. “Miaoyin greets Senior Wen.”
Shen Miaoyin! The First Senior Sister of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion! She was also the only female among the ‘Four Prodigies’!
Wen Qingye nodded, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Miaoyin, have you already reached the Great Accomplishment of the Huajin Rank’s second stage, the Essence Tempering stage? At this rate, you will likely soon knock on the door of the Spirit Tempering stage and advance to the late-stage Huajin Rank. You truly are the number one woman of the younger generation in our Nanxiang!”
“Senior flatters me too much,” Shen Miaoyin said, covering her mouth as she chuckled softly. As her eyes rippled with light, her gaze naturally fell upon Shen Xiuhan.
She tilted her head, curiosity flashing in her beautiful eyes, and said with a smile, “This junior brother looks quite unfamiliar. I wonder who...”
Shen Xiuhan quickly cupped his hands and bowed. “This junior brother is Shen Xiuhan. Greetings, Senior Sister.”
“So it's Junior Brother Shen...”
Shen Miaoyin came to a sudden realization, seemingly having heard his name before. Her crimson lips parted as she breathed out like an orchid, “You've made quite a name for yourself recently, Junior Brother. Several of my close friends have asked me about you, wondering if you were my cousin, and they were even thinking of arranging a marriage with you...”
“Uh...”
Shen Xiuhan’s expression froze.
“Hahaha!”
Shen Cang burst into laughter and waved his hand. “Miaoyin, stop teasing him. Your junior brother’s future prospects are limitless; he isn't someone those ordinary women can hope to reach for...”
“Oh?”
Shen Miaoyin’s beautiful eyes darted slightly. Having been intelligent since childhood, she naturally understood her grandfather’s underlying meaning.
‘Is he telling me to associate more with this boy, and even look after him if we run into each other inside the Blessed Land?’
On the surface, Shen Miaoyin remained completely unperturbed, but in her heart, she was somewhat dismissive.
‘Though this boy has some talent, the Anjin Rank is ultimately just the Anjin Rank. Whether he can even enter the Huajin Rank is still up in the air!’
‘Grandfather’s actions are a bit too hasty.’
While she was calculating the pros and cons, the young man in front of her suddenly shifted his expression. Immediately afterward, he retrieved a jade disc from his storage bag.
The jade disc vibrated continuously.
On it, a blue point of light was flickering slightly!
‘Xiao Wu!’
Shen Xiuhan’s heart shook!
Using the blue dot on the jade disc, he identified the direction and looked toward the water’s surface to the north!
In the distance, the water rippled.
A figure was quietly walking out of the Longxiang Army camp. Seeing Shen Xiuhan looking over, a weary smile appeared on Xiao Wu’s handsome face, and he waved at him.
‘It really is Xiao Wu!’
Wen Qingye and Shen Cang were both individuals with highly sharp perceptions.
Almost at the exact moment Shen Xiuhan’s emotions fluctuated, they detected the anomaly.
The two of them instinctively followed his gaze and squinted their eyes in unison.
Knowing the inside details, Wen Qingye immediately realized what was happening. His lips moved slightly as he sent a True Qi transmission into Shen Xiuhan’s ear: “Is that the Child of Destiny?”
Shen Xiuhan gave a barely perceptible nod.
Wen Qingye’s gaze instantly became as sharp as a sword. His lips moved once more, seemingly transmitting a message to someone.
Swoosh! In the next instant, a black-clad figure descended from the sky.
Xu Zhouling landed beside them. His gaze swept across the lake before settling back on Shen Xiuhan, and he said in a deep voice, “Go on without worry. We will all back you up!”
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, suppressing all the surging emotions in his chest.
He nodded slowly, stepping onto the water’s surface with the soles of his boots. Force surged from beneath his feet, generating ripples with every step as he headed toward that figure.
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