Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

Hearing the familiar voice, Fan Luokui turned around in surprise and happened to see her former vice-captain and subordinates.

A rare look of surprise appeared on her usually cold and aloof face. "Liang Jue? Xiao Yu? What are you two doing with Senior Brother Jiang?"

Liang Jue paused, "...This is a long story."

At this moment, Jiang Yuetian, who was about to unleash the Cold Spear Shadow ability, also withdrew the spiritual energy within his body and looked at the two junior sisters who appeared in front of him with some surprise.

"Luo Kui, Yuan'er... how... did you find us?"

"Senior brother, senior brother, let me tell you something—" Lin Yuan raised her little hand, jumped up and down a couple of times, looking very happy: "I met Junior Sister Luo Kui right away, I was so lucky! Then Junior Sister Luo Kui said she was going to look for you, but she couldn't find any trace of you after searching for a long time..."

"Then Junior Sister Luo Kui brought Yuan'er to this thorny forest, but after searching for a long time, they still couldn't find many people."

"But just as we were about to leave for another area... Junior Sister Luo Kui told me that she couldn't find her way back..."

Fan Luokui's face stiffened.

She coughed twice, a blush gradually rising to her cheeks. "I just have a slightly poor sense of direction... and this thorny thicket is a bit complicated... so..."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jue and Luo Xiaoyu, who knew Fan Luokui well, understood and said almost in unison:

"So, Captain, you got lost and wandered here?"

These two really don't give their former captain any face at all.

The cherry-haired girl sighed, accepting the truth with resignation: "If I had to say, I guess you could say that..."

"That's really amazing... I never thought I could just happen to bump into someone while I was lost." Jiang Yuetian chimed in.

"Let's not talk about getting lost yet, compared to that—"

Fan Luokui scratched her face awkwardly, then turned around to make the atmosphere less awkward, looking at Jiang Shengxuan in the distance with a complicated expression. A smile slowly rose on his face.

I think—

"There are more important things to deal with now, aren't there?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Before I knew it, I'd typed 5,000 words...emmmm

128. A close call

“Fan Luo Kui…”

Jiang Shengxuan uttered the name with great nostalgia.

His gaze toward the cherry-haired girl suddenly became exceptionally sharp, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Ten years have passed, and he truly never expected that he would actually see the woman who had left such a deep impression on him ten years ago in this very place, or rather...

He had assumed that Fan Luokui had died from her injuries ten years ago.

After all, he had left dozens of bloody holes in her delicate body. Although Fan Luo Kui avoided hitting any vital organs, she was still able to survive such injuries...

And now it stands perfectly intact in front of me.

This is truly unbelievable.

Fan Luokui stood tall in front of Jiang Yuetian, using her not-so-tall body to block Jiang Shengxuan's sharp gaze.

She spoke coldly, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm: "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Don't you recognize me?"

"Your appearance has changed a lot compared to ten years ago, but that feeling hasn't changed much." Jiang Shengxuan chuckled twice. "It's like a silent assassin hiding in an iceberg, waiting for the right moment to strike. I still remember your incredibly fast swordsmanship very clearly. I may forget anyone else, but I will never forget you."

"I dream of fighting you again."

Fan Luo Kui's lips curled into a slight smile: "You dream of being stabbed a dozen more times by me?"

Yes.

Ten years ago, in the battle where all the sects clashed, Fan Luokui was not defeated by Jiang Shengxuan with overwhelming force. On the contrary, the two fought for a long time.

Although Fan Luokui ultimately lost, she still left no fewer than ten bloody marks on Jiang Shengxuan's body, tearing through flesh and penetrating deep into his bone marrow—

If Jiang Shengxuan hadn't broken through to the peak of the Transformation stage at the crucial moment and overwhelmed Fan Luokui with his cultivation level, the final ranking on the temporary list would have been hard to predict.

Jiang Shengxuan simply smiled and shook his head at Fan Luokui's slightly mocking words.

His gaze swept over Fan Luokui again, and then an endless, boundless hostility surged forth, transforming into countless flying swords that pierced towards the slender figure behind Fan Luokui.

"Although I really want to catch up with you... I have more important things to do right now."

"Second brother, no... Jiang Yuetian!" He shouted the name of the second disciple of Yuntian Academy as if he were proclaiming the name of a sinner: "Are you going to be a good-for-nothing hiding behind a woman?"

"Come out and face me!"

……

Jiang Yuetian trembled violently; the other party's commanding tone made him subconsciously feel that he could not disobey.

Yes... he has to face Jiang Shengxuan.

He knew that his elder brother's cultivation level was quite high, at least at the Lesser Completion of the Opening Yuan stage. However, in order to prevent the strength levels of Lan-level cultivators from becoming too differentiated, the Ten Thousand Sects Competition would not allow cultivators at the peak of the Opening Yuan stage to participate.

In other words, his elder brother... had already reached the pinnacle of the Lan-level cultivators.

Fan Luokui – Peak of the Transformation God Stage.

Lin Yuan—although her exact cultivation level is unknown, the spiritual energy she exudes is only around the peak of the Transcendent God stage…

If we're talking about cultivation level alone, given their current level, they probably wouldn't last ten moves against Jiang Shengxuan.

—No...no...I can't let my junior sisters be affected by my situation.

"Junior Sister Luo Kui..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Fan Luokui stood firmly in front of Jiang Yuetian, without even turning around, simply showing Jiang Yuetian her back, which was not particularly generous but seemed incredibly reliable.

The cold words, carrying an unyielding tone, reached my ears.

"Senior Brother Jiang, you don't need to listen to him. Just stay behind me."

“If he’s just a nobody from the Jiang family, then Senior Sister Lin and I are enough. There’s no need for you to get involved—we’ll teach him a lesson ourselves.”

Lin Yuan, holding the guqin, stood in front of Jiang Yuetian, imitating Fan Luokui.

The little girl's bright eyes were fixed on Jiang Shengxuan in front of her, her face full of indignation. "Junior Sister Luo Kui is right. This bad guy is targeting Senior Brother Jiang too much. We junior sisters can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"Senior Brother Jiang, don't worry! Yuan'er will teach him a lesson for you right away!"

……

Jiang Yuetian was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say in this situation.

He wasn't stupid; he could tell that Fan Luokui and Lin Yuan were protecting him indirectly. They both knew about the bet between the Jiang family and Yun Ping, and they also knew that if he were eliminated here, he would be taken back to the Jiang family because of the bet.

The reason I said those things to stop him from taking action was simply because...

Protect him.

Unwittingly, Jiang Yuetian suddenly became the person these two junior sisters were protecting.

This feeling...

It was a gift called warmth that the cold Jiang family could not give me.

……

Jiang Shengxuan stared at Jiang Yuetian, who stood frozen in place, and his eyes flashed with disgust once more.

"Are you just going to hide like a coward?! If you still think you have the blood of the Jiang family flowing through your veins, then don't cower behind a woman. You're disgracing your bloodline!"

"Get out here, Jiang Yuetian!"

His angry shouts echoed through the dense forest.

A fierce wind, accompanied by terrifying spiritual energy, rapidly spread in all directions, shattering the giant trees closest to Jiang Shengxuan.

Liang Jue and Luo Xiaoyu felt their legs sink and their chests sweeten; they almost collapsed to their knees.

The power of just one sentence almost caused these two elite disciples from the Northern Ice Palace to lose their senses and faint on the spot!

Fan Luokui and Lin Yuan, who had higher cultivation levels, remained calm. As the former captain of the Northern Ice Palace Judgment Team, Fan Luokui turned her head slightly and looked at her former subordinates.

"Liang Jue, Xiao Yu, you two should leave this place first."

"The upcoming battles... may affect you. Get out of here, the farther the better."

Liang Jue's body stiffened. He hesitated for half a second, then asked urgently, "But... Captain, can we help..."

"I can't help."

Fan Luokui coldly interrupted Liang Jue, "With your cultivation levels, you're no help at all. Leave here."

"Although I am no longer your captain, I am now advising you as a friend... to leave now, the farther away the better, so as not to get involved."

Liang Jue and Luo Xiaoyu: "..."

They had finally managed to see Fan Luo Kui, whom they had been longing for day and night, and they had finally had a chance to reunite...

So we've barely exchanged a few words before we have to leave?

They were naturally unwilling, and of course they wanted to help Fan Luokui... but as she said, with their current strength, they were no match for Jiang Shengxuan.

Staying will only make them a burden, holding back Fan Luokui and the others.

Liang Jue quickly composed himself, slowly stood up, bowed deeply to Fan Luokui, and then clasped his hands in a salute.

"Well... Captain... we'll take our leave now."

He pulled Luo Xiaoyu back, who seemed to want to say a few more words, and bowed again.

"...Don't fail here! We'll be waiting for you when you climb the rankings!"

"Do not worry."

Fan Luokui turned around and stared at Jiang Shengxuan, whose face was full of anger that he had nowhere to vent.

"You will wait for me—as long as you don't fall first."

"Yes!"

Taking this as an order, Liang Jue straightened his back, then exchanged a glance with Luo Xiaoyu. After letting out a deep sigh, the two quickly ran away from Jiang Shengxuan.