Dali City, located in the northwest province of the Gamma Empire, may not match the size of the major cities in the imperial capital, yet it still surpasses Utan City significantly. Thanks to its proximity to the Great Dragon Mountains—spanning nearly half the empire—the city serves as a vital hub for adventurers and trading companies, continuously infusing it with vibrant energy. The northern city gate is nearly choked with foot traffic, with streams of travelers constantly moving in and out. Just beyond the northern gate lies the endless expanse of the Great Dragon Mountains. Small, varied contingents of mercenaries move in and out like ants migrating, while occasionally, a group arrives on horse-drawn carts, carrying the remains of slain dragons, leaving a trail of yellow dust as they emerge from the forest—drawing admiration and envy from onlookers who wish to hunt satisfactory prey in the mountains, a pursuit far from simple. "For heaven's sake, today's just terrible—lost two comrades after a hard-fought battle against a second-tier beast, only to end up with a mere stone egg, devoid of any magic core!" Several bloodied men, around eight or so, stepped out from the forest entrance, muttering under their breath. Behind them, on the wagon frame, lay the corpse of a sizable beast. However, upon closer inspection, the beast's head had been split open, revealing only brain matter and blood—no magic core at all. In the mercenaries' specialized terminology, such a beast, lacking a magic core, was known as a "stone egg." "If this cursed creature had carried a second-tier magic core, we'd have enough funds to purchase a yellow-tier advanced technique at the auction," one of the men said, his face full of frustration. "A yellow-tier advanced technique... sigh. That one costs eleven thousand gold coins—purely draining, like a vampire." Another man, appearing to be the leader, spat out a stream of saliva and added, "Right?" "Hehe, the Yunlan Sect has issued a warrant—anyone who provides leads will receive a Xuanyuan-level cultivation technique, and possibly even be admitted as a disciple. Why don't we go try our luck? That way, we wouldn't have to so tirelessly sacrifice our lives just to buy techniques." A slightly thin man wiped the blood from his face and chuckled, his eyes gleaming with unmistakable greed as he spoke of the Xuanyuan-level cultivation technique. "You're out of your mind, Thin Monkey—have you no idea who the Yunlan Sect is chasing? Xiao Yan! That anonymous champion of the Alchemy Grand Tournament who twice reached the Yunlan Sect, who defeated a Douwang-level warrior, Yun Ling, and even escaped unscathed from a Douzong-level warrior, Yun Shan—such a formidable figure. How could we possibly stand a chance against someone like that?" "Hehe, I was just saying that out of enthusiasm. How could someone so exceptional ever be caught by us?" The thin man stammered, "But it seems that Yunlan Sect has already issued this warrant across the entire country. With such enticing terms, it's hard not to be impressed. I believe even if Xiao Yan escapes Yunlan Sect's pursuit, he'll be unable to move within the Gamma Empire at all." "Does any of this have anything to do with us? Stop dreaming so天真ly! Even if you happen to meet them, can you possibly carry your broken blade and stop them?" the leading man scoffed. "Stop hesitating—get back to the city right away. Rest for one day; we have another day's work ahead. Otherwise, with our current Yellow Stage mid-level techniques, when will we ever break through to the Battle Master level?" As the leading man shouted, several men covered in blood and wounds only sighed in resignation, and began to call out, heading toward the city gate within their line of sight. As the group of men surged past, a figure wrapped entirely in black robes emerged slowly from the deep forest, his gaze sweeping across the scene before him, then gently lowering his head, the cloak's shadow nearly concealing half of his face. "Has the nationwide manhunt officially begun? Yunshan truly is spending considerable resources," the man murmured, lifting his head slightly to reveal a refined half of his face. The familiar outline was unmistakable—Xiāo Yīn, the one who had escaped the Yunlan Sect's pursuit just days before! Since Yun Yin had allowed Xiāo Yīn to escape, he had relied on the map provided by Ya Fei, taking a long detour through the forest, traversing nearly ten days of forest trails before finally shedding the relentless pursuers. After resting for one day, he followed the map steadily westward through the Beast Mountains, eventually reaching this city near the northwest border of the Empire—after another seven or eight days of travel. According to the map, as long as one passes through this large mountain city and proceeds through a few more checkpoints along the way, the border of the Gamma Empire will be reached. Once one steps outside the Gamma Empire, the Cloud岚 Sect's pursuit order against Xiao Yan will completely lapse. Abroad, while the Cloud岚 Sect still retains some influence, its prestige is far less than within the Gamma Empire. Other powers naturally disregard its pursuit orders. For years, the Cloud岚 Sect has remained firmly within the Gamma Empire, actively resisting external influences, which has consequently led to its lack of favor abroad. During this nearly month-long journey through the Dragon Mountains, Xiao Yan endured countless hardships. Although ordinary beasts generally avoided obstructing him due to the presence of the Sky-Consuming Python's aura, the Dragon Mountains were vast and home to many powerful, formidable creatures. While these beasts feared the Sky-Consuming Python, they did not—thus, even after successfully eluding the Cloudspire Sect's pursuing forces, Xiao Yan remained constantly on the move, hunted and nearly driven to panic. Despite the grueling journey, what excited him most was that, after two weeks of recuperation, the soul of Yao Lao, which had been weakened, finally recovered. As a result, the constant tremor and anxiety that had plagued him since the beginning finally eased. With Yao Lao by his side, he now had a solid safety net. Moreover, during the month-long period of evasion, perhaps due to the residual medicinal energy still within his body, Xiao Yan had, following his previous major breakthrough, gradually shown a subtle yet steady improvement—this gradual progress unexpectedly surged after he escaped from the mouth of a monarch-tier beast, and as a result, Xiao Yan suddenly ascended to the rank of four-star grand warrior. Including the growth stimulated by the medicine in the cave, Xiao Yan had actually surged three star levels in just one month—an achievement of such speed that it could truly be described as astonishing. Although this progress was undoubtedly influenced by the series of life-or-death encounters he had endured and the lingering medicinal energy within him, it still concealed the exceptional cultivation talent of Xiao Yan, one that even the senior physician, Yao Lao, would have been amazed by. Of course, beyond these, what delighted Xiao Yan the most was the "Heavenly Fire Triple Transformation" — the valley's secret method of cultivation at Fengyan Valley. After a month of study, supplemented by guidance from the old herbalist, Xiao Yan finally grasped the essentials of this secret method three days ago. Though several experiments had ended in failure, the significant gains in strength observed even during those setbacks clearly indicated the method's power. Xiao Yan now felt confident that, with sufficient time, he would surely master the "Heavenly Fire Triple Transformation" completely. Once fully realized, his strength would surely make him a formidable opponent among the Great Combatants. In sum, the benefits Xiao Yan gained during this month of flight were so substantial that they left him beaming with joy. "Hehe…" Thinking of this month's harvest, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle, ignoring the strange glances from others. He pulled his cloak down further, shielding his entire face in shadow, and then slowly walked toward the bustling city gate. Right now, he felt it was best to leave the Gamma Empire as soon as possible. The accounts he had today still weren't within his reach—yet he wasn't in a hurry. He knew his greatest advantage: he was young, and he had plenty of time to wait... "The Jagang royal family is also quietly supporting Yunlan Sect?" Xiang Yan furrowed his brows, murmuring, "With Jia Xingtian's keen political instincts, he should be well aware that by targeting me now, the Jagang royal family would create a formidable enemy should I escape. Moreover, the relationship between Jagang and Yunlan Sect isn't exactly cordial." "Exhaling a stream of air, the man muttered disdainfully, though he didn't resort to the sharp outbursts he had earlier. Clearly, he still held some respect for the man named Mu Sang. "So, you're one of the Yunlan Sect's disciples..." Listening intently to their conversation, Xiao Yan finally began to grasp the situation. The Yunlan Sect had disciples spread throughout the Gamma Empire, many of whom held prominent positions in government. With their influence, it was only a matter of exerting a little authority to swiftly establish interception points at various imperial checkpoints. Now, Xiao Yan was beginning to appreciate just how vast and powerful the Yunlan Sect's network truly was within the empire—no wonder even the imperial royal family, which held sway over the entire nation, felt a sense of apprehension toward them." After a brief pause, Xiao Yan slowly stepped out of the advancing column, turned, and made his way to a quieter corner of the city wall. He glanced up at the patrol soldiers dozing off along the wall, his back slightly trembling. The Purple Cloud Wings gently unfolded, his feet slightly bent. At a certain moment, as his back wings vibrated, his body surged upward, and with a subtle point of his toes against the wall, he became a streak of black shadow, darting swiftly up the wall. When the soldiers turned to look, he had already leapt down to the other side. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he hurried into a nearby building,拍了拍 hands to draw the Purple Cloud Wings back onto his shoulders, then calmly entered one of the few cities outside the Gamma Empire that he had yet to visit—here, he needed to gather intelligence about Yunlan Sect during this month.