"Now, can we go in?"

Yun Xiao paid no mind to crippling a half-step Origin Seeking Realm guy. He didn't care about them stopping others, but bullying his teacher was another matter. He wasn't some benevolent man; sparing his life was already an act of great mercy.

"Do you... do you know this is the rule set by Li Gongnian of Spirit Fighting Commerce and the two Thunder Sons of Sky Thunder Valley? If you wreak havoc, they won't let you off easily!"

Although his Dantian was broken, the man had once been a half-step Origin Seeking Realm expert, so he wasn't too defeated and defiantly spoke a few words at this moment.

Only when this person's words were spoken did the others finally understand whose idea it was to be stopped outside Xuanyin Hall, and why these originally unruly people were obediently staying here.

If it was commanded by those top geniuses from various major powers, this matter wouldn't be so strange. But this made everyone's impression of Li Gongnian and the two Thunder Sons of Sky Thunder Valley worsen a bit.

Even if those few came from pinnacle or first-class forces on Dragon Continent, their actions couldn't be so arrogant. Using such means to stop others, even if obtaining quota for Refining Cloud Mountain discipleship selection, wouldn't be honorable, right?

"Oh? Li Gongnian? Xu Changgui? Lu Zhang?"

Suddenly hearing a few slightly familiar names, Yun Xiao's heart moved, recalling the situation at the trade fair, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Do you know, even if they stood in front of me, they wouldn't dare utter a single nonsense, let alone you guys?"

They thought mentioning those few backgrounds would cause the young man in front to retreat or at least show restraint, but unexpectedly, such words came from the rough-clothed youngster's mouth, quieting the scene further.

"What is his background, to disregard Li Gongnian and Xu Changgui? Could he be from Wuyan Palace or Xuanyin Hall?"

Everyone pondered but could not help thinking this way. On Dragon Continent, among the younger generation, who doesn't take Li Gongnian seriously? Likely only top geniuses from the other few pinnacle forces.

Dragon Continent has four top forces, excluding Spirit Fighting Commerce itself, now everyone is attending Refining Cloud Mountain discipleship selection. So this youngster couldn't be from the Meridian Refining Master Association, leaving only two pinnacle forces.

Yet, no matter how much they racked their brains, they couldn't match the rough-clothed boy with any genius profile from Wuyan Palace or Xuanyin Hall.

After all, anyone comparable to Li Gongnian wouldn't be a nameless figure in those two forces; they've at least seen portraits of top talents to avoid offending untouchable individuals.

After saying this, Yun Xiao beckoned behind him, then amidst the open-eyed shock of those obstructors, he casually passed them, stepping into the path to Xuanyin Hall.

Because of Yun Xiao's strong action earlier, at this moment, no one dared to obstruct again. They didn't want to follow the leader's footsteps, understanding well a hero doesn't suffer at the present.

"Hey, hey, hey, Yun Xiao, wait for me!"

Seeing Yun Xiao's swift pace, Yu Shu didn't dawdle either. When he uttered a name, many faces changed slightly, suddenly realizing who the rough-clothed youth was.

"Yun Xiao? It's him!"

Like Qing Yang, whose hand was severed by Yun Xiao, many in the scene had heard about the happenings at the Refining Cloud Mountain trade fair, if not seen it firsthand, later learning from others.

It's said that not only did the two Thunder Sons of Sky Thunder Valley get flustered by a youth named Yun Xiao, even Li Gongnian of Spirit Fighting Commerce didn't fare well in the end.

Some believed Yun Xiao relied on Xuanyin Hall's lady, Xue Ningxiang's protection to make Li Gongnian relent, but those knowing more thought otherwise.

Deep thinkers among Meridian Refining Masters, after learning Yun Xiao clashed with Li Gongnian, Xu Changgui, they investigated the rough youth's origins. The findings startled them greatly.

Yun Xiao causing trouble at Thunder King Mountain and Bianlei City's Jiantian Lake was no longer secret; people from Southern Domain heard of it.

The youth named Yun Xiao once demolished Yulei City Spirit Fighting Commerce branch and killed Spirit Fighting Commerce's envoy Xia Yong at Thunder King Valley.

Moreover, later at Jiantian Lake in Bianlei City Northern Domain, various forces tried encircling Yun Xiao, yet he extinguished them, only Killing Heart Sect's Ye Suxin escaped.

It's said that in that battle, Yun Xiao killed the Xiao family genius Xiao Qiming, two Earth Rank Middle Level stewards from Sky Thunder Valley, the Xiao family Origin Seeking Realm Late Stage member Xiao Baishi, and finally, even exterminated Seven Killings Guardian Zheng Qiming from Killing Heart Sect who had reached the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm.

Such a record might mean nothing to some uninformed cultivators, but when those who are aware connected the simply dressed youth they just saw with the famed Yun Xiao who accomplished such great deeds, they couldn't help but gasp collectively.

The ferocity of someone who can easily slay even Peak of Seeking Origin Realm experts is laughable to the ant-like cultivators who haven't reached the Seeking Origin Realm yet, daring to make a move against his mentor and even attempting to block him from entering the mountain. It's truly the height of naivety.

"Eh? This is an opportunity!"

Seeing that among the blockers, quite a few were dumbfounded, the crowd's eyes brightened and those at the forefront surged forward, rushing into the path leading up the mountain.

Thus, the entrance to Xuan Yun Peak instantly descended into chaos. Perhaps due to being intimidated by Yun Xiao's presence earlier, the original defenders at the mountain entrance suddenly lacked much fighting spirit, and were eventually overwhelmed, collapsing completely.

It can be said that Yun Xiao invisibly did everyone a big favor—it wasn't for him, these people wouldn't even have the chance to try their luck atop Xuan Yun Peak, let alone complete the final goal of finding ten types of herbs.

...

Yun Xiao naturally heard the commotion behind him, but he didn't bother with it. To be honest, if those blockers hadn't troubled Yu Shu, he wouldn't have meddled at all, for he had no ties with ordinary Meridian Refining Masters.

"Teacher, how many types of herbs have you found?"

After walking up the peak for a moment, Yun Xiao suddenly turned around and asked this question, which left Yu Shu momentarily stunned. With no delay, Yu Shu rubbed his waist, and several herbs appeared in his palm out of thin air.

"Only five types. It seems my strength is not enough to find all ten types. Why not give them to you!"

Yu Shu is actually quite generous to this disciple. Especially considering that most of the time has now passed, he has only found half. Expecting to gather all the herbs within the remaining days is not something he himself even believes.

After all, Yu Shu's Meridian Refining Technique has barely broken through to Earth Rank Low Level, but his Meridian Qi Cultivation is too low—encountering some Eighth Rank vein demons would surely mean defeat.

Among the five types of herbs he's found, there's at most one Earth Rank Middle Level herb, and even that was barely swapped at nearly the cost of his life.

"Hehe, Teacher's luck is indeed much better than mine!"

Yun Xiao didn't reach out to receive them and rubbed his own waist, revealing three lone herbs in his palm. Speaking of luck, sometimes it's hard to define, but at this moment, Yun Xiao is no match for his teacher.

Moreover, Yun Xiao discovered that the herbs he and Yu Shu found included three overlapping ones, which means the two combined still only have five herbs, missing half to complete the task of finding ten.

"Teacher, let's put these away for now. Since we're on Xuan Yun Peak, it's not entirely without opportunities. I heard most of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the vicinity have been snatched by an Eighth Rank Advanced Evil Demon!"

Yun Xiao put away his three herbs and signaled Yu Shu to also secure his. Then he turned his gaze to the towering mountain peak, speaking with a peculiar fervor of battle intent.

Though Yun Xiao's current cultivation is only at the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage, with all his techniques in play, he's comparable to cultivators at the Origin Seeking Realm Middle Stage.

In addition, Yun Xiao's body has Red Feather and Xiao Wu as formidable combat powers, and if allies join forces, facing an Eighth Rank Advanced vein demon isn't beyond their might.

Moreover, this time, the ultimate aim is merely the herbs, not a life-and-death battle with that Eighth Rank Advanced Evil Demon. Yun Xiao even knows that Li Gongnian, Xu Changgui, and other acquaintances might also be on the mountain, potentially making it unnecessary to fight solo.

"You rascal!"

Seeing Yun Xiao had no intention of taking the herbs from his hand, Yu Shu could only sigh, putting the five types back into his Waist Storage.

It seems Yu Shu understands Yun Xiao's disposition quite well. For items that are beneficial to him, this disciple wouldn't accept them regardless, making his earlier gesture appear somewhat imprudent.

"Let's go, let's see if Li Gongnian and the others have dealt with that Eighth Rank Advanced vein demon."

Yun Xiao chuckled lightly, then shifted forward, heading straight for Xuan Yun Peak's summit, with Yu Shu quickly following. By this point, he no longer displayed the pretense he had initially.