Luo Die, Nan Yunfeng

"Ah!"

The young girl let out a cry of surprise, her pretty face instantly turning bright red with embarrassment.

Then, in a fluster, she hurriedly bowed to Ye Qing.

"This humble girl... this humble girl is Luo Die. Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life!"

Ye Qing waved his hand, signaling it was nothing, and then asked, "Why are there so many people in this Wan Yun Mountain Range? Are they all heading for the Sacred Academy?"

Hearing this, Luo Die looked at Ye Qing in surprise. She hadn't expected that he actually didn't know about this.

She then spoke up, "Does the Young Master not know? The Jixia Sacred Academy's recruitment ceremony is about to begin."

"Everyone received the news and came to participate in the Sacred Academy's entrance trial."

Ye Qing nodded upon hearing this, thinking to himself that this explained it.

Then he casually remarked, "Are you also here to take the trial and join the Sacred Academy?"

Hearing these words, the flicker of spirit that had just returned to Luo Die's eyes instantly dimmed.

She shook her head bitterly, "That was my original plan... but now, I no longer have that intention."

"Oh? Why?"

Ye Qing was somewhat surprised.

Luo Die lowered her head, and her voice became somber as well.

"This is still just the outer region of the Wan Yun Mountain Range. Further ahead, there is a designated 'Teaming Zone'."

"Many people like me, whose strength isn't great enough, will group up there to cross the mountain range together and reach the Sacred Academy."

"But my family told me that if I can rely on my own strength to cross the Wan Yun Mountain Range alone and reach the Sacred Academy, then I would be considered qualified to participate in the entrance trial. Otherwise, even if I reached the Sacred Academy, the chance of passing the trial would be infinitesimal..."

The more the girl spoke, the more dejected her expression became.

She was very unwilling, but also very rational.

Reality was right before her eyes; she had nearly lost her life in even this outermost region.

If she continued deeper, it would be impossible for her to pass through the Wan Yun Mountain Range on her own.

Ye Qing nodded upon hearing this but didn't say much.

Luo Die continued, "My father is waiting for me in the Teaming Zone ahead. I... I'm planning to give up on the entrance trial."

"In a moment, my father will take me to the Sacred Academy and then... try another way to get me in."

"Another way?"

Ye Qing was surprised again.

Then he thought: Could it be a Sacred Academy qingyun token?

Ye Qing knew that with a qingyun token, one could enter the Sacred Academy.

But if she had a token, she probably wouldn't be here trying... Luo Die's head was buried even lower now, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "My father... has scouted a Prodigy for me. It's said that person has a certain hope of passing the entrance trial and becoming a Sacred Academy Disciple. My father plans to... send me to his side as a maidservant, to enter the Sacred Academy that way..."

Ye Qing understood.

No wonder this girl's face was full of struggle and resentment when she said she was giving up.

Getting in through one's own merit versus sneaking in as someone else's maidservant.

They were worlds apart.

Ye Qing shook his head and spoke, "You could also continue your cultivation and just try again at the next entrance trial."

Why go to be someone's maidservant?

However.

"It won't work..."

Luo Die shook her head vigorously, her eyes reddening.

"My family... is facing some trouble. I must enter the Sacred Academy as soon as possible, even if it's just as a maidservant to a Sacred Academy Disciple."

"Only by doing this, by borrowing the reputation of the Sacred Academy, can we ward off those troubles for my family..."

Hearing this, Ye Qing nodded and said no more.

Every family has its own difficulties; as an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for him to criticize.

Afterward, the two traveled together and soon arrived at the Teaming Zone Luo Die had mentioned.

Ye Qing glanced around and found that many Cultivators had indeed gathered here, discussing teaming arrangements in small groups.

It appeared quite lively.

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing gold-threaded loose robes and an anxious expression appeared.

Upon seeing Luo Die, he immediately rushed forward.

"Die'er! Are you alright? Who is this?"

As he spoke, his wary gaze fell upon Ye Qing.

Ye Qing glanced over and noted that this man was at the Spirit Transformation First Layer.

Presumably, he was Luo Die's father.

Luo Die hurriedly explained, "Father, this Young Master just saved my life."

Upon hearing this, the wariness in the middle-aged man's eyes did not decrease; instead, it grew a bit stronger.

He sized Ye Qing up and down, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Seeing that Ye Qing was only at the Nascent Soul Sixth Layer, his cultivation seemed average here, and he was a very unfamiliar face.

He didn't seem to be any famous Prodigy.

Saved his daughter?

After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a jade box from his storage ring, handing it to Ye Qing.

"My daughter was saved by you, Young Master. This Luo thanks you! Here is a fourth-grade Spirit Medicine, 'Purple Cloud Ginseng', as a small token of my gratitude. Please accept it, Young Master."

Ye Qing glanced at the middle-aged man, seeing the detachment and wariness in his eyes.

This Spirit Medicine was clearly intended to ensure Ye Qing didn't get too involved with them.

Smiling, Ye Qing didn't call him out and reached out to take the jade box.

"It was just a small effort, don't worry about it."

With that, he turned around and walked straight toward the depths of the mountain range.

Without the slightest hesitation.

A chance encounter, a meeting and a parting, it ended here.

Back at the spot, Luo Die watched Ye Qing's departing back and couldn't help but stomp her foot.

She shouted in dissatisfaction, "Father! How could you do that!"

The middle-aged man's face darkened as he lectured her in a low voice: "Die'er! What do you know! Right now the family is in a moment of crisis and needs you to enter the Sacred Academy to resolve it. At such a time, you happen to encounter danger in the outer mountain range, and then someone just happens to appear and save you? How can there be such a coincidence in the world!"

"Perhaps it really was a coincidence, but at this juncture, I dare not be the slightest bit careless!"

He was afraid—afraid that Ye Qing might be someone sent by an enemy to intentionally get close and cause sabotage!

"Furthermore, I've never heard of or seen this person before. He probably has no reputation, and his cultivation is mediocre. I don't think he can necessarily pass the entrance trial or enter the Sacred Academy. There is no point in you being entangled with him. We are destined to be from two different worlds; you and he will likely never meet again."

Luo Die was very dissatisfied and argued, "But..."

"Enough! No more words!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand, cutting her off directly.

He spoke, "Next, I will take you to the gates of the Sacred Academy. If we see this person again on the way and he is in trouble, I will help him once, which will settle this Karma!"

With that, the middle-aged man ignored his daughter's dissatisfaction, pulled her along, determined the direction, and sped toward the Sacred Academy.

However, what made him slightly puzzled was that throughout the rest of the journey, he actually never saw Ye Qing's figure again.

"Strange, I didn't see him... Was I not paying attention, or did our paths diverge?"

A thought flashed through the middle-aged man's mind, and then he shook his head.

"Forget it, it's not important..."

He pushed this trivial matter to the back of his mind.

Then he began to ponder what he felt was a more important matter at hand.

"Let me think again, is the gift I prepared for that Young Master Nan substantial enough?"

"As long as he can agree to take Die'er as a maidservant and successfully pass the trial to bring her into the Sacred Academy..."

"The crisis of our Luo Family will surely be resolved!"

He thought that the gift he sent must show his sincerity!

This matter was of great importance.

To him, it could only succeed; it absolutely could not fail!

At the end of the Wan Yun Mountain Range, a towering giant gate stood between heaven and earth.

Behind the giant gate, clouds and mist swirled, Immortal Qi permeated the air, and one could vaguely see jade buildings and pavilions, a scene of magnificent grandeur.

This was the Jixia Sacred Academy.

At this moment, the gates of the Sacred Academy were tightly closed.

On the massive White Jade Square in front of the gate, many Cultivators had already gathered.

These people were all Prodigies from various parts of the Central Region, each with a steady aura and high spirits.

They had all come for the upcoming entrance trial.

The middle-aged man pulled his daughter, Luo Die, and arrived at this place.

Passing through the crowd, his eyes quickly scanned the square.

Soon, his eyes lit up as he locked onto a man in white sitting cross-legged in the middle section of the square.

That man had a handsome face and his eyes were tightly shut.

Although the spiritual energy fluctuations around him were not released, he gave off a feeling of being as stable as a mountain and as deep as an abyss.

Clearly, his Foundation was incredibly solid.

"Found him, it's him, Young Master Nan, Nan Yunfeng!" the middle-aged man said in a low voice to Luo Die beside him.

He was about to pull his daughter forward, but Luo Die bit her lip and somewhat hesitantly pulled on his sleeve.

"Father, will... will he be okay?"

She was uneasy in her heart.

Relying on her own strength, she had already clearly realized that it was impossible to pass the Sacred Academy's entrance trial.

Placing one's hopes on others was inherently an unsettling thing.

Moreover, if the Prodigy her father chose also failed, then their Luo Family... would truly have no way out!

The middle-aged man saw his daughter's worry and gently patted the back of her hand, comforting her: "Die'er, don't worry. Before coming here, I already investigated thoroughly."

"This Young Master Nan Yunfeng is a direct descendant of the 'Tianfeng City Nan Family' and possesses extraordinary talent."

"He has quite a reputation among the younger generation. I've assessed that his chance of passing the Sacred Academy entrance trial, with a bit of luck, should be around forty percent!"

"Only forty percent?"

Hearing this, Luo Die couldn't help but be stunned; this number was much lower than she had imagined.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and she couldn't help but say, "Forty percent... isn't that too risky? Father, should we... consider other Prodigies?"

She thought that even if they had to pay a higher price.

Finding someone with a higher chance of passing would be better than forty percent.

However, the middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile.

He gave a long sigh and said, "Die'er, do you think I don't want to?"

"Of course there are Prodigies more excellent than Young Master Nan with a higher chance of passing the trial, but... such figures are no longer people I can come into contact with!"

When he spoke, there was a trace of powerlessness in his voice.

"To put it bluntly, even if we wanted to give gifts, it wouldn't be our Luo Family's turn to give them."

The middle-aged man looked at his daughter's disappointed expression.

Patiently, he continued to explain, "Young Master Nan is already the best candidate I can reach. Those even more powerful Prodigies never lack people around them and have high standards; they won't just agree to take a maidservant. Even if I emptied the Luo Family's entire fortune to give a gift, they might not even spare it a glance."

Hearing this, Luo Die couldn't help but fall silent.

She knew that what her father said was the truth.

The Luo Family's strength really didn't amount to much here.

The middle-aged man was also silent for a moment.

Then he took a deep breath, a flash of determination in his eyes, and spoke, "Let's go, it's better to do this sooner than later!"

With that, he no longer hesitated, pulled Luo Die along, and quickly walked to the front of that man in white.

The man in white, Nan Yunfeng, whose cultivation was impressively at the Nascent Soul Ninth Layer, sensed someone approaching and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was indifferent as it swept over the middle-aged man, then looked at Luo Die beside him, and he asked flatly, "What is it?"

Seeing this, the middle-aged man's heart skipped a beat.

He thought to himself that he was indeed a Prodigy!

Even though he was at the Nascent Soul cultivation, he was still calm and composed when facing a Spirit Transformation Cultivator like himself.

However, the middle-aged man also knew that for truly top-tier Prodigies, it was not uncommon for the Nascent Soul Ninth Layer to defeat the Spirit Transformation First Layer.

Moreover, since he was the one asking for a favor, he naturally kept his posture very low.

A flattering smile appeared on his face as he said respectfully, "I have heard that Young Master Nan has extraordinary talent, so I have specifically brought my daughter, Luo Die, to pay my respects..."

Before he could finish his words, Nan Yunfeng directly waved his hand to interrupt.

His tone was cold and serious as he said, "My time is limited, state your purpose directly."

The middle-aged man was choked up for a moment, but he didn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction.

He immediately said decisively, "My daughter Luo Die has always been well-behaved and sensible. I am willing to send her to your side to be a maidservant and serve you."

"Oh, and this is a small token of my appreciation that I have prepared. Please, Young Master Nan... see if you are satisfied with it?"

As he spoke, he hastily pushed Luo Die forward gently and simultaneously offered a storage ring with both hands.

Nan Yunfeng took the storage ring, swept his Divine Sense inside, and a flicker of satisfaction that was hard to detect flashed in his eyes.

This gift was actually quite good.

Only then did he raise his eyes and glance at Luo Die, who looked uneasy.

He pondered for a moment.

He nodded slightly and spoke, "Very well. Since that's the case, you two can stand by my side. If I can pass the entrance trial, I will naturally take your daughter into the Sacred Academy."

"Thank you, Young Master Nan! Thank you, Young Master Nan!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was overjoyed, his expression excited, and he hurriedly cupped his fists in thanks.

Luo Die could only follow suit and bow, "Thank you, Young Master Nan."

Nan Yunfeng casually waved his hand, signaling no more words were needed, and then closed his eyes again to rest his mind.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man and Luo Die didn't dare to disturb him further.

He pulled his daughter aside and whispered instructions, "Die'er, when the Sacred Academy opens its doors in a moment, Young Master Nan will go in to participate in the entrance trial."

"At that time, I will wait with you outside the Sacred Academy. When the trial is over, the names of those who passed will be revealed on the golden list outside the Sacred Academy gates."

"At that time, you will follow Young Master Nan into the Sacred Academy. Remember, must not cause trouble inside, and follow Young Master Nan's instructions in everything..."

"Yes, I understand."

Luo Die nodded in agreement to each point.

Just then, her gaze inadvertently swept across the crowd and suddenly saw a familiar figure.

That person wore a green robe and had a calm expression.

It was precisely Ye Qing, who had saved her earlier in the Wan Yun Mountain Range.