"What’s going on?"

Outside the forest, the disciples within the Sect were all drawn by the violent explosion. All eyes turned toward Linglong Peak.

"Who’s so bold as to cause such a commotion on Linglong Peak? Don’t they know that She Master prefers peace and quiet?" On Linglong Peak, numerous female disciples frowned as they looked down at the forest below.

Meanwhile, within the forest, smoke billowed and steam filled the air. Suddenly, a figure shot out from within.

"THUD THUD THUD..." The figure was none other than Shen Haoran. His body tumbled across the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

*Cough, cough...* Shen Haoran clutched his chest, unable to stop a mouthful of blood from spraying out. ’This girl really doesn’t hold back!’

The girl in the sky stared at the site of the explosion, utterly astonished. Her Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens was her strongest attack, yet it had been blocked by a mere Tier Eight Spirit Pupil!

The girl now snapped out of her rage. Causing such a disturbance on Linglong Peak would surely lead to punishment! But then she thought about what Shen Haoran had done to her, and her anger flared anew. ’No one has ever dared to touch my body before!’

’No, I have to cripple him today! Otherwise, I’ll never be able to quell the hatred in my heart!’ The girl’s gaze turned icy. With a flash, she shot toward Shen Haoran once more!

"She’s coming again!" Shen Haoran’s face soured as he watched the murderous girl approach. He tried to dodge backward, but his weakened body couldn’t keep up, and he tumbled to the ground.

"They say beautiful women are nothing but trouble, and it looks like it’s true," Shen Haoran said with a bitter smile. ’It’s all my fault for not keeping my hands to myself. I wouldn’t be in this mess otherwise.’

"Elder Yan, I’m counting on you!" Shen Haoran was completely drained and could only cry out to Elder Yan for help.

"DING..." A crisp sound suddenly rang out by Shen Haoran’s ear. An ice wall had bizarrely materialized in front of him, blocking the girl’s ice-blue longsword.

"Senior Sister Ruolan, please show mercy!" A familiar voice then called out from the distance.

Hearing this voice, Shen Haoran felt as if he were hearing the music of the heavens. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and looked back to see Ji Lingxuan, dressed in green robes, rushing over.

"Ling Xuan, what are you doing here?" Shen Haoran asked quietly, looking at Ji Lingxuan standing before him.

"I should be asking you that! How did you end up on Linglong Peak without even telling me?" Ji Lingxuan asked, her heart aching as she saw Shen Haoran’s pale face.

Hearing Ji Lingxuan’s words, Shen Haoran was stunned. "This is Linglong Peak? Not Red Flame Hall?"

Seeing Shen Haoran’s expression, Ji Lingxuan guessed what had happened. ’He must have gotten lost in the Five Elements Sect, stumbled onto Linglong Peak by mistake, and then accidentally offended one of the senior sisters. That’s why...’

However, Ji Lingxuan never expected that the person Shen Haoran had offended would be She Master’s most beloved disciple, Senior Sister Shui Ruolan. This gave Ji Lingxuan a major headache. At that thought, she rubbed her forehead and quickly stepped forward to dispel the ice wall.

"Junior Sister Ling Xuan, don’t stop me! I’m going to kill this lecher, this damn hooligan, today!" The cold gleam of the longsword in Shui Ruolan’s hand made Shen Haoran gulp involuntarily.

"Senior Sister Ruolan, don’t be rash! We can talk this out. Please don’t attack. It will be hard to explain when Master arrives!" Ji Lingxuan hurried forward to block Shui Ruolan, bringing up She Master to de-escalate the situation.

"I don’t care! I have to kill this bastard today!" Shui Ruolan’s furious expression didn’t soften in the slightest.

Ji Lingxuan’s headache returned. She shot a curious glance at Shen Haoran. ’What on earth did he do to Shui Ruolan to make her this furious? Not even the threat of She Master can hold her back.’

Seeing Ji Lingxuan’s questioning gaze, Shen Haoran rubbed his nose sheepishly, not knowing what to say.

"Senior Sister Ruolan, there must be some misunderstanding. Brother Haoran isn’t that kind of person!" Ji Lingxuan continued to plead.

"Senior Sister Ruolan, I am deeply sorry for what happened earlier. It was indeed my fault for being so presumptuous. But it was truly an accident. I never expected something like this to happen, so I beg for your forgiveness..." Shen Haoran said with sincerity. He really didn’t want this to escalate any further.

"Hmph! You think an apology is enough? I’m going to kill you today, no matter what!" Shui Ruolan declared, raising her sword to strike at Shen Haoran.

"Stop right there!" Suddenly, an aged voice rang out as She Master emerged from the woods.

"Master!"

"Master!" Ji Lingxuan and Shui Ruolan quickly bowed in respect.

"She Master!" Shen Haoran also forced himself up and bowed respectfully.

She Master nodded slightly, then walked over to Shui Ruolan. "Our guest has just arrived. What is the meaning of you being dressed like this? It’s improper! Go back at once!"

"Master, he was the one who..." Shui Ruolan tried to explain, but She Master cut her off.

"Go back!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Yes..." Seeing She Master’s stern expression, Shui Ruolan left, her face full of grievance. Before she left, she shot Shen Haoran a vicious glare, as if to say, ’Just you wait.’

"You must be Shen Haoran. My apologies for that embarrassing display," She Master said, turning to Shen Haoran with a kindly expression.

"Not at all, Hall Master She. You’ve wronged Senior Sister Ruolan. The fault is actually mine. You can punish me instead," Shen Haoran said, a little embarrassed.

"It’s nothing. Just consider it a small lesson for the little lass. Come with me," She Master said dismissively, waving her hand.

"Master, then I’ll go too..." Ji Lingxuan grew anxious when she saw She Master about to lead Shen Haoran away.

"Ling Xuan, go and keep your Senior Sister Ruolan company. I’d like to have a word with him alone," She Master said with a smile.

Shen Haoran also gestured to Ji Lingxuan to let her know he was fine, then followed behind She Master toward the summit.

Before long, the two arrived before a palace at the summit. This seemed to be She Master’s personal Palace. Inside, there was nothing but a few cattail-leaf cushions.

"Here, have a seat," She Master gestured.

Shen Haoran shook his head and said, "I wouldn’t dare. May I ask why Hall Master She has summoned me?"

Seeing how direct Shen Haoran was, She Master smiled and said, "It’s nothing much. I just wanted to talk to you about Ji Lingxuan."

"Ling Xuan? What about Ling Xuan?" Shen Haoran was puzzled.

"You’re in love with Ling Xuan, aren’t you?" She Master didn’t answer, instead asking Shen Haoran a strange question.

"That’s right!" Shen Haoran admitted directly.

"Then do you know anything about her background or origins?"

"I don’t." Shen Haoran shook his head. "Every time I ask about her background, she always brushes it off with some random excuse. I can’t press her too much, but I know her origins aren’t simple."

"Boy, I know Ling Xuan has feelings for you too, but I must advise you: that little girl’s background is far from simple. She is beyond the reach of people like us. So, it’s best not to dwell on certain things. Continuing down this path won’t be good for you, or for Ling Xuan," She Master said, her tone heavy with meaning.

The moment Shen Haoran heard this, he understood what She Master was implying. He cupped his fist and declared, "Hall Master She, I know that with my current status, I’m not worthy of Ling Xuan. But that’s only for now, isn’t it? If I must reach the Spirit Emperor realm to be worthy of her, then I will break through to Spirit Emperor! If Spirit Emperor isn’t enough, I’ll become a Spirit Venerable, then a Spirit Saint, and even a Spirit God! Ling Xuan is the person I love most. No one can stop us from being together—not the bottleneck in my strength, not her family, not even the heavens and the earth themselves!"

In that moment, an overwhelming, heroic aura erupted from Shen Haoran, making even She Master look at him with new eyes.

’This boy will surely achieve great things in the future!’