Chapter Thirty-Three: My Name Is Yan Ruoqing

At the same time, the smile on Cong Gui's face instantly froze, for a fiery phoenix came soaring directly at him, claws extended and wings unfurled. Even before it reached him, a terrifying heatwave had already swept across the area.

“No—!” Cong Gui roared hoarsely, recalling his longsword, desperately gathering all the true energy in his body as he slashed toward the fire phoenix!

But it was all in vain. The fire phoenix opened its beak and inhaled, swallowing Cong Gui's sword energy whole and refining it within its belly. Then, it spat out a crimson flame, and the violent heat caused the temperature within a hundred feet to skyrocket.

“So powerful! Is that a master from the Phoenix Pavilion?” Xiao Leng’s brows furrowed deeply. He cultivated ice-based true energy, and even his spiritual bones were those of a snow mink, both of cold affinity. The heat radiating from the fire phoenix left him shocked and extremely uncomfortable.

Long Yun, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. Hailing from Divine Dragon Island, he had seen countless supreme experts. Here, the Phoenix Pavilion's master might be second to none, but compared to the many masters on Divine Dragon Island, this was no more than the middle tier. Thus, surprise did not show in his eyes.

As the flames gradually dissipated, Cong Gui’s figure vanished as if evaporated from the world—leaving not a trace, not even his sword, which was completely refined into nothingness.

Xiao Leng gasped. No one could help but yearn for the life of the strong, and Xiao Leng was no exception; a fire seemed to burn within his chest.

As the light faded, the phoenix let out a long, clear cry and then abruptly vanished. At the same time, a middle-aged woman slowly appeared before the three of them.

She wore a fire-red gown that hugged her graceful figure, appearing to be in her early thirties, radiating mature charm.

“Master Aunt!” the woman in white called softly. Forcing herself to stand, she walked toward the middle-aged woman.

“Ruo Qing!” A flash of astonishment passed through the middle-aged woman’s eyes, but it quickly turned somber. She placed her hand on the white-clad woman’s shoulder, and a rush of robust true energy surged into her body.

“Oh? What powerful vitality!” The woman’s brows arched as her true energy swept through, dissolving the last remnants of the Bi Sheng Pill’s medicinal force and merging it into the white-clad woman’s body.

Her wounds were grave, but with the combined aid of her master aunt’s true energy and the Bi Sheng Pill, she was recovering with remarkable speed. When she had regained nearly seventy percent of her cultivation, both women stopped.

“Such a petty Jade Sword Sect dares to show disrespect to my Phoenix Pavilion—this sect ought to be erased!” the middle-aged woman said lightly, as if destroying a sect was nothing worth mentioning in her eyes.

Long Yun’s brows knitted, a sense of revulsion rising in his heart. As a castaway from Divine Dragon Island, he despised nothing more than the way these great sects decided the fates of others with a single word.

So he remained seated cross-legged, continuing to channel his energies and heal his wounds.

“Master Aunt, this was my fault and has nothing to do with the Jade Sword Sect!” the woman in white said quietly, for she noticed her master aunt’s gaze had already shifted to Long Yun and Xiao Leng.

The middle-aged woman snorted, “Our Phoenix Pavilion has been absent from the martial world for too long. These petty clowns must have forgotten our former might. Had I not arrived in time today, how could you have saved yourself, Ruo Qing? The Jade Sword Sect has no right to exist. Those two boys must be disciples of Jade Sword Sect as well. Let’s start with them.”

“Master Aunt—” The woman in white flashed forward, blocking the path between Long Yun and Xiao Leng. “Master Aunt, they are my friends!”

“Ruo Qing, you are new to the martial world and still cannot discern right from wrong. We of Phoenix Pavilion have no need for friends outside our ranks. Let me kill them and sever your mortal attachments!” The middle-aged woman was adamant. With a surge of true energy, she sealed all of the white-clad woman’s energy, then strode briskly toward Long Yun and Xiao Leng.

Long Yun had completely entered a state of serene cultivation, utterly unaware of the woman’s approach. Xiao Leng, however, watched her intently as she drew near.

“Originally, I found it beneath me to kill two ants like you. But you dared hurt Ruo Qing, so you must die!” she declared, raising her palm as crimson flames visibly enveloped her hand.

“Master Aunt, he’s the first man to see my face,” Ruo Qing suddenly said. As soon as the words left her lips, it was as if all her strength had been drained, and her chest heaved with emotion.

“What?” The middle-aged woman’s movements halted abruptly. Spinning around to face the woman in white, her arms trembled slightly.

Perhaps only the two of them knew what that face truly meant—it was tied to a great secret of the Phoenix Pavilion.

“Ruo Qing!” After a long pause, the woman gritted her teeth. “Kill them, and I will help you keep this secret. No one will ever know what happened here!”

The woman in white shook her head. “Master Aunt, I will not agree! This is my vow!”

“Who has seen you?” The middle-aged woman sighed, then asked softly.

The woman in white did not answer. She walked slowly toward her master aunt, gently grasping her arm. “Master Aunt, let’s leave. I promise you—I will never see him again.”

“Alas!” The woman finally let out a heavy sigh, a trace of helplessness crossing her face. She had watched the girl grow up and had never seen her so moved by anyone, for any reason. Yet now, she displayed a maiden’s shy vulnerability, her emotions in great turmoil. It was not what the woman had hoped to see.

“Very well, I promise you. Let’s go.” She glanced at the two young men, then shook her head.

The woman in white stepped over to Long Yun, who was deep in healing meditation. She lifted her forefinger and traced three characters on the back of his hand, then turned and followed her master aunt away.

Xiao Leng stared at the departing figures, momentarily dazed. His gaze fell on Long Yun, marveling that Long Yun could still immerse himself so completely in healing amidst such turmoil.

Such composure was beyond his own reach. Xiao Leng was renowned in his sect for his calm demeanor, but now he realized that compared to Long Yun, his own calm was mere child’s play.

With a soft sigh, Xiao Leng too entered a meditative state. He had suffered minor injuries himself, and with nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to heal.

The two sat side by side until the sun set behind the western hills. Four hours passed before Xiao Leng finally awoke, his first act being to glance at Long Yun.

What he saw brought fresh astonishment to his face.

He found Long Yun’s entire body suffused with a faint golden glow, the radiant traces twisting and shifting in the air.

The Soul-Gathering Realm! He’s breaking through to the Soul-Gathering Realm!

Xiao Leng was shocked. Long Yun had only broken through to the Yuan-Gathering Realm less than a month ago, and now he was about to break through again. This fellow was truly a monster.

The Soul-Gathering Realm was about condensing the spirit, fusing it with true energy, and thus gaining far more subtle control over one's power.

Long Yun had long touched upon this realm, so breaking through now was not difficult. With the aid of his sword intent, gathering his spirit once more was not a challenge.

Recent battles had pushed him to his limits. The Bi Sheng Pill’s potent energy had been transformed into true energy, making up the difference.

At last, Long Yun slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance flickering within. With his spirit now forged, he had become a true master of the Soul-Gathering Realm.

With his current cultivation, even if he faced Cui Huaigu once more or his Fourth Senior Brother, even if he could not win, he would not be as helpless as before. And if he forcefully used “Dragon’s Ascent,” defeating them might not be difficult at all.

“Yan Ruoqing… Yan Ruoqing… So this is your true name?” Long Yun traced the back of his hand, remembering the sensation of her slender finger, the strokes still vivid in his mind, even as he had been lost in cultivation.

But she was gone now, leaving behind only a name.