Chapter 7: An Unforeseen Intervention and a Grand Inquiry

The clash had persisted for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Considering the Overlord Bear was a half-step Foundation Establishment demonic beast, and new disciples typically hovered around the sixth or seventh stage of Qi Condensation, such prolonged combat was a clear testament to truly formidable inherent strength.

Yet, the thought of his junior brothers awaiting his return soon crossed his mind.

‘Would a delayed return be perceived as him putting on airs?’

“Never mind,” he murmured. “I should just head back.”

As Qin Yangjun softly mumbled to himself and turned to depart, a sudden surge of earthy-yellow spiritual energy erupted from the direction of the ongoing battle.

Completely caught off guard, Qin Yangjun was directly flung to the ground by this potent energy, even rolling several times before he came to a stop.

“What the hell!”

Under normal circumstances, a Golden Core stage cultivator would never be so easily felled by such an attack.

However, with his memories only recently resurfacing, he was still acclimating to his true identity, neglecting to constantly extend his divine sense.

This lapse, coupled with his preoccupation, had allowed the attack to strike him.

Qin Yangjun scrambled to his feet, grateful no one else was present; otherwise, his dignified image as Chief Disciple would have been utterly shattered.

This unprovoked assault ignited an inexplicable surge of irritation within Qin Yangjun.

With a single raised hand, a powerful aura began to swirl in his palm, and he unleashed a fierce palm strike directly towards the source of the earlier ambush.

The ethereal palm print cleaved trees in half, one after another…

Boom!

As a cloud of dust billowed upwards, Qin Yangjun distinctly heard a mournful cry, and the palpable aura of battle in the distance swiftly dissipated.

No sooner had Qin Yangjun withdrawn his stance than the calls of his junior brothers reached his ears once more.

With a sigh of resignation, he could only turn and depart.

Yet, what Qin Yangjun remained oblivious to was this…

Meanwhile, with Yu Lingyue.

She sat upon the ground, still trembling with lingering fear, while beside her, Qian Xiaoyu remained utterly petrified.

Yu Lingyue had initially intended to use the Overlord Bear as a weapon against Li Xuanyang, but the situation had spiraled unexpectedly out of her control.

Li Xuanyang, possessing an escape talisman, had managed to evade harm from the Overlord Bear, though several of his subordinates had been eliminated.

It was truly befitting of the imperial family; a teleportation talisman, worth thousands of spirit stones, was discarded without a moment’s hesitation.

Following this, Yu Lingyue and Qian Xiaoyu became the Overlord Bear’s primary targets.

While Yu Lingyue could have easily escaped, Qian Xiaoyu was not so fortunate.

To shield her friend, Yu Lingyue found herself forced into a direct confrontation with the furious Overlord Bear.

The disparity in their cultivation realms, however, proved insurmountable, especially with the Overlord Bear now in a state of berserk fury.

Just as she was on the verge of being gravely injured and eliminated by the Overlord Bear…

A powerful palm strike abruptly manifested, sending the colossal Overlord Bear flying with a single blow.

While others might have remained oblivious, Yu Lingyue’s unique cultivation technique, which allowed her to perceive the subtle energies of heaven and earth, instantly revealed the identity of the aura’s master.

‘Chief Disciple Qin,’ she thought, ‘but why would he help me?’

Yu Lingyue murmured, pondering this unexpected turn.

Assisting trial participants was strictly forbidden, tantamount to cheating.

Furthermore, Chief Disciple Qin was an examiner—the chief examiner, no less.

For him to intervene on behalf of a trial participant would be a far graver offense.

She was a stranger to him; he had absolutely no reason to perform such an act.

‘Could he truly harbor ulterior motives towards me…?’

It wasn’t born of narcissism; Yu Lingyue had encountered such scenarios countless times before.

The ‘hero saves the beauty’ acts she’d experienced in the past were always meticulously orchestrated, but this one, perhaps, was a genuine coincidence.

In her experience, the next moment should see the person appear, offering solicitous words.

Yet, after several breaths, Qin Yangjun did not materialize.

In fact, his aura had completely vanished from her perception.

“Perhaps… he was simply impressed by your talent,” Qian Xiaoyu ventured.

It was then that Qian Xiaoyu, who had been silent beside her, suddenly spoke.

“My talent?”

“Yes! Look at you, merely at the eighth stage of Qi Condensation, yet you battled a half-step Foundation Establishment demonic beast for so long without a scratch.

You’re clearly an exceptional prospect.”

Having said this, Qian Xiaoyu rose from the ground and extended a hand to Yu Lingyue.

“I know exactly what’s running through your mind.

You’re wondering if he’s coveting your beauty?”

“I admit your charm is potent; sometimes even I find myself captivated.While vigilance is certainly wise, don’t let it blind you to genuine acts of kindness.”

Having known Yu Lingyue for seven years, Qian Xiaoyu had virtually shared every experience with her.

As a steadfast companion through thick and thin, she could effortlessly divine Yu Lingyue’s inner thoughts.

‘Pure kindness, then…’

Yu Lingyue placed her hand in Qian Xiaoyu’s, yet her gaze remained fixed on the direction where the aura had vanished, her expression thoughtful.

The realization that she hadn’t received help due to her allure, but perhaps something else entirely.

For some inexplicable reason, a warmth bloomed in her heart at this thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the trial grounds, Qin Yangjun had just arrived back at the designated finishing point.

There, he discovered four additional figures: three women and one man.

Two of them, roughly his age, were familiar faces.

Hua Yaoyao’s distinctive red attire stood out so prominently even in the dim light that Qin Yangjun recognized her instantly.

The other woman…

She was clad in a white lotus-petal dress, a golden jade phoenix hairpin adorned with tassels meticulously fastened within her elegant hair.

A pristine white veil obscured her face, yet her beautiful eyes conveyed an unmistakable aura of cool aloofness.

As a gentle breeze stirred, a pair of slender, fair legs were subtly revealed beneath the elegant folds of her dress.

Her pale, rosy feet were nestled within a pair of small, exquisite blue embroidered shoes.

From a distance, her entire being seemed like a pristine, untouchable moon, high in the celestial expanse.

Yueyao.

She was the second-ranked on the Yuqian Sect’s Heavenly Ranking, the dream goddess of countless cultivators across the Great Cosmos Continent, and simultaneously, the Grand Elder’s most favored disciple.

Qin Yangjun, however, remembered her for entirely different reasons.

Firstly, the original Qin Yangjun had relentlessly pursued her, only to be met with numerous unequivocal rejections.

Secondly, in the novel, this woman was destined to become one of Yu Lingyue’s inner circle.

Furthermore, after the second grand competition, he was fated to suffer defeat at her hands, leading to her ascension as the Yuqian Sect’s Chief Disciple.

The original protagonist in the novel, while offering superficial congratulations, secretly harbored a deep-seated hatred for her, resenting her for usurping his illustrious status and honor.

Compounded by the sting of past rejections and his wounded pride, he had secretly orchestrated a malicious scheme during the demonic invasion, ensuring Yueyao suffered severe injuries.

It was precisely due to Yueyao’s injury that she subsequently became entangled in numerous affairs with Yu Lingyue.

Thus, Yueyao’s eventual devotion to the female lead was, in essence, a consequence wrought by the original Qin Yangjun of the novel.

He, of course, would never stoop to such clownish behavior.

Still, this was hardly the moment for such reflections.

Qin Yangjun redirected his attention to the remaining two individuals.

One was a man clad in a white robe.

Though his features were unremarkable, he radiated an air of profound inscrutability.

The other was a woman, simply dressed in plain robes, with short hair, undeniably a beauty in her own right.

These were none other than the masters of Yueyao and Hua Yaoyao.

The Grand Elder and the Third Elder of the Yuqian Sect.

Qin Yangjun approached the group, cupped his hands in a respectful salute, and spoke:

“Esteemed Elders, Junior Sisters, may I inquire about the meaning behind such an impressive gathering?”

Qin Yangjun was no fool.

For both Grand Elders to have arrived, it was unequivocally not for the mere supervision of an entrance examination.

Had that been their purpose, they would have appeared far earlier, not lingered until this moment.

Just then, the Third Elder, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them.

“Qin Yangjun, what crime do you believe yourself guilty of?”

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