On the lush, verdant cliff, the young girl slowly turned around, gazing at the green figure kneeling on one knee. After a while, a gentle, warm smile bloomed on her refined and elegant face. She murmured softly, "It's been over a year now—finally, Brother Xiao Yan has reached that place." Observing the tender expression on the girl's face, the green figure wisely remained silent. Only when her gaze returned to his own form after a while did he begin to recount the various, thrilling events that had unfolded during this period involving Xiao Yan. Standing at the cliff's edge, Xun quietly listened as each dramatic episode poured forth from the figure. Upon hearing of Xiao Yan's severe injuries sustained in battles against two powerful Du Phong-level warriors, the soft, clear eyes of the girl flickered with both concern and astonishment. "The Snake Spirit is the Green Barbarian; the eight-winged black serpent emperor—these days, the people from the Heavensnake Court have truly become more and more assertive..." With a graceful, slender hand, Xun gently caught a leaf drifting down from above her head. Her tone remained calm and even, yet beneath the surface there lay a subtle frost—no matter what their intentions were, the fact remained that they had nearly caused Xiao Yan to suffer grievous injury, even death. "I'll settle this with them later. But have you learned anything about the Battle Emperor who has been accompanying Brother Xiao Yan?" The green leaf hovered just an inch above Xun's palm, slowly swirling, sometimes curling, sometimes twisting. She glanced at the kneeling figure, her willow-like brows slightly furrowed. "After investigation, that person was Hai Bodong, one of the former Top Ten Powers of the Gamma Empire, renowned as the 'Ice Emperor,' with strength at the level of a Battle Emperor, highly skilled in ice-based battle energy, and seemingly having deep ties to the Mitel family... He had been sealed by Queen Medusa of the Tagoor Great Desert decades ago and then retired in the city of Moshi, until recently, when Xiao Yan, the young lord, successfully broke the seal. Since then, he has remained by Xiao Yan's side, though his motives remain somewhat unclear." The green figure spoke respectfully. "Unclear motives?" Li Mei slightly furrowed her brows, her expression indicating mild dissatisfaction with this rather perfunctory response. Whenever anything connected to her beloved one came up, she instantly became as attentive and critical as a mother fox guarding her cubs—highly sensitive and demanding. She could not tolerate such a significant, unforeseen danger, like a bomb, quietly poised beside Xiao Yan. "Sorry, madam, as you know, there resides within Xiao Yan's body the soul of a mysterious and powerful master. To date, we have no information about him at all—yet he seems to know us quite well. During the time Ling Shi has been accompanying Master Xiao Yan, though he has remained perfectly concealed, the information Ling Shi has transmitted suggests that the mysterious master has, in fact, detected Ling Shi's presence while secretly protecting Master Xiao Yan. However, the master has taken no further action—presumably recognizing Ling Shi's intentions." The green figure sighed. "Even Ling Shi's movements have been noticed by him?" Upon hearing this, Xun'er's eyes flashed with astonishment as she murmured softly, "What is this person's identity? How could he have detected Ling Shi... Ah, if it weren't for Master Xiao Yan's reluctance to have others investigating him, he would surely have wanted to uncover this mysterious figure's identity. Clearly, this person possesses extraordinary strength—certainly not someone of ordinary standing in the past." "Although the mysterious figure had discovered Ling Shi's movements, fortunately he had not informed Master Xiao Xiang of this, so Master Xiao Xiang remained unaware that, since his departure from Wutan City, Miss had secretly dispatched people to protect him. Thus, he could not fully feel Miss's deep care for him..." The green-robed figure smiled, yet before finishing his sentence, he was gently interrupted by Xun'er, who flicked the leaf from her palm. Observing Xun'er's slightly flushed, delicate face, the green-robed figure wisely chose to remain silent. "Remember, absolutely do not let Master Xiao Xiang know about this—I don't want him to think we've been sending people to follow and monitor him; he dislikes such things." As the gentle blush slowly faded from her face, Xun'er then solemnly reminded him. "Yes." The green figure naturally understood the delicate, youthful thoughts of Xu'er. With respectful nod, he acknowledged, yet a subtle sense of admiration stirred within him. Though the lady's face always bore a smile, the green figure—who knew her well—knew that this reserved, composed smile often proved more difficult to approach than a cold, distant expression. Since arriving at the Cangnan Academy a year ago, Xu'er's beauty and her extraordinary talent in cultivation had captivated countless outstanding men. Indeed, many of them were among the strongest in the academy, even among its ranks of prodigies. Yet, none of them had ever managed to truly engage in meaningful conversation with her. "Hm, it seems I've completely forgotten about the personal aspect. That remarkable young man—said to be a once-in-a-century phenomenon at Canaan Academy—was just barely able to make Lady Xu loosen her reserve and engage in genuine conversation. Yet, it appears, he has only reached this point. How pitiful for him. It seems his hopes for a lasting connection have been dashed. Thinking back to that striking young man who stood out so vividly in the academy, the green figure silently shook his head, filled with sympathy. The delicate, almost coldly composed lady he had been enchanted by—this rare, ethereal bloom—had only truly blossomed in the presence of one man: Xiao Yan. The green figure knew well that as soon as the name Xiao Yan was mentioned before Lady Xu, the composed, slightly aloof young woman would shed her protective smile and reveal herself as a woman genuinely in love. That rare blend of bashfulness and gentle irritation—something only the closest observers would ever witness—would remain unseen by others. "What a truly admirable and enviable fellow... I can't believe how he managed to win over the lady's heart. It's hard to imagine, given her proud nature, that she would ever take a liking to any man." Shaking her head in quiet admiration, the green-clad figure expressed a touch of bewilderment. If only he knew that the man in question had, as a child, accidentally stumbled into the room where young Xu was still just a little girl, and, under the pretext of warming her bones, had thoroughly explored her body—without a single shred of modesty—thus unexpectedly capturing her attention and taking her away, he would surely have fainted on the spot. "That woman named Yun Zhi—she must be Yun Yun, the abbot of Yun Lan Sect." Not quite aware of the warmth radiating from her own body, Xu glanced at the kneeling figure and suddenly murmured softly. “Hmm…” Hearing the question, the green figure paused slightly. According to the information, he naturally knew that the woman named Yun Zhi had a somewhat unusual relationship with Xiao Yan. With a sigh, he nodded and said, “Indeed, she is Yun Yun, the abbot of Yunlan Sect.” Though he already had the answer in mind, upon confirmation, Xun'er still couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh, her facial expression lively with emotion. After a while, she shook her head and said with a pained smile, “Xiao Yan, you’re truly quite oblivious. Isn’t it obvious? Once you join Yunlan Sect, I’ll be curious to see how you’ll manage this complicated situation.” “Miss, that woman seems to have a special feeling for Xiao Yan…” The green figure’s words were still halfway out when he noticed the young lady’s delicate face had grown slightly stern. He promptly swallowed his words and held his peace. “You’ve misunderstood me…” The calm tone in her voice carried an undertone of subtle resentment. "Yes... yes..." The green-clad figure wiped sweat from her brow and hurriedly nodded, no longer daring to bring up the matter. Though she knew the young lady across from her was no ordinary person, no matter how distinguished, she was still just a woman—and jealousy, for a woman, was an innate, unshakable trait. "Send a message to Ling Master. When Xiao Yan's brother visits Yunlan Sect, have him secretly protect him. Ling Master slew the chief elder of the Mo family, and the old guard at Yunlan Sect, eager to preserve the sect's reputation, will surely not let him go easily." Xun'er said, her dark brows slightly furrowed. "Also, keep a close eye on Haibo Dong. There's something about him that feels hard to read. If anything should go wrong, and Ling Master—" As she spoke, Xun'er gently swept her hand through the air in front of her, a touch of intimidating coldness now evident on her delicate features. "Understood," the green-clad figure nodded respectfully. "By the way, according to you, the seven-colored Devouring Sky Serpent by Xiao Yan's side should be the Queen Medusa, isn't it?" Xun'er said, brushing aside a strand of green hair that had fallen over her forehead. "Yes, but currently, the Queen Medusa seems to be suppressed by the soul of the seven-colored Devouring Sky Serpent. She'll need some time to regain control—perhaps even a while. Once the Queen Medusa fully masters the body of the seven-colored Devouring Sky Serpent, she will ascend to the Douzong level. Then, if she decides to take action against Xiao Yan, it will become quite troublesome..." the green figure mused. "Oh, I didn't expect there to be so many hidden threats lurking around Xiao Yan's side—this is truly troublesome..." Shaking her head with a sigh, Xun'er gently rubbed her smooth forehead, pausing to think before saying, "In the near future, Queen Medusa won't be able to fully control the Seven-Colored Devouring Python's body. When Xiao Yan arrives at the Cahan Academy later, we'll need to work on resolving all these issues then..." "Agreed." "Alright, you go ahead and leave the academy now. Don't stay here too long—should anyone discover you, you'll be intercepted once again by that rather brusque old dean." After finishing all her instructions, Xun'er waved her hand and added a reminder. "Heh, that old man is quite strong—during a direct confrontation, even Ling Shi might find him a bit of a challenge. But when it comes to staying hidden, I'm confident." The green figure smiled and nodded, then bowed respectfully once more to Xun'er before leaping forward—disappearing into the trees beside her. The tree swayed gently, then settled into stillness. Gazing at the figure now vanished, Xun'er slowly turned around, gazing at the swirling mist below the cliff. After a moment, she smiled softly—a smile that was breathtaking. "Xiao Yan brother, in just one year, your progress has even surprised me. You've already reached the Cloud Rains Sect—will you be able to come to the Cangnan Academy soon? I've felt rather lonely here."