Seeing himself discovered, Xiao Yan no longer concealed himself and stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the black-robed man before smiling, "I was just passing by—please don't be nervous." The black-robed man stared at Xiao Yan with a cold, sharp intensity. Though Xiao Yan appeared younger than himself, the man's years of combat experience had sharpened his senses, and he subtly sensed a faint undercurrent of danger. This caused a slight surprise within him. Though he knew that those who could reach this location at this moment were all accomplished individuals, it was rare for someone to evoke even a whisper of such a sense of threat. "I am Tang Ying from the Ten-Thousand-Jian Pavilion. You seem rather unfamiliar," the young man said, bowing slightly. While he had heard of several rising stars in the northern region of Zhongzhou, this person was indeed the first he had ever met. "The Ten-Thousand-Jian Pavilion?" Hearing this name, Xiao Yan was also slightly surprised, not expecting that this person was from the Ten-Thousand-Sword Pavilion. In fact, the name Tang Ying had already been heard by him during the time outside the mountain range, and he was known to be a young talent on par with Feng Xiao'er from the Wind-Thunder Pavilion. After a brief pause, Xiao Yan bowed slightly and said, "Xiao Yan." "Xiao Yan?" Upon hearing these two words, Tang Ying's composed expression instantly turned to a look of surprise. He glanced at Xiao Yan and asked, "The Xiao Yan who's been recently at odds with the Wind-Thunder Pavilion?" Xiao Yan smiled lightly and said, "It's just a minor disagreement—nothing serious." "Healng this indirect acknowledgment, Tang Ying's gaze toward Xiao Yan subtly shifted. He was well aware of Xiao Yan's prolonged tensions with Fenglei Pavilion. The fact that Xiao Yan had managed to break through the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison array, which had been held firm by three senior elders, was no small feat—indeed, even if it were said that Xiao Yan had drawn upon external assistance, his achievement was still impressive. Thus, in this contest at Tian Shan Blood Pond, beyond the three other pavilions, another formidable opponent had now emerged. 'A little skirmish won't stir up Fei Tian, that old dragon,' Tang Ying seemed not particularly talkative. After a few casual remarks, he didn't wish to linger further, saying, 'Now isn't the time for conversation. I hope to meet you again at the Tian Shan Platform—then perhaps we can collaborate.' With those words, he didn't wait for Xiao Yan's response. His figure moved swiftly, and within moments, he had vanished into the thick mist, disappearing completely." Seeing how fast this guy was moving, Xiao Yan could only shake his head in resignation. It seemed these people were all quite cautious—he'd really wanted to find someone familiar with the route to walk together, but no one seemed willing to share their resources. It made sense; if one more person reached the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool, that would mean one more competitor. Who would want to sit idle and create rivals for themselves? ... During the subsequent journey, Xiao Yan gradually lost his earlier ease, as the wild beasts surrounding him grew increasingly stronger in power. Many of them proved particularly tenacious, and even though Xiao Yan relied on his soul perception to anticipate their movements, he could not easily evade them. As a result, he had to intervene directly, which significantly slowed down their progress. Aside from this, Xiao Yan had no other choice—he lacked a clear route map. Without the energy flow acting as directional markers, he simply could not have reached this point. The Tianmu Mountain was vast and enveloped in thick mist, resembling a maze. As he ventured deeper into the mountain range, the number of human figures around him gradually diminished. After meeting Tang Ying, Xiao Yan encountered only two others—both of whom were strong, at the Duke of Battle level. When Xiao Yan spotted them, the two were engaged in fierce combat against a six-tiered beast. However, they seemed less perceptive than Tang Ying and thus failed to notice Xiao Yan's presence. After a brief observation, Xiao Yan quietly continued on his way. Time swiftly passed as Xiao Yan moved forward, steadily. As the sky darkened, visibility within the forest declined, eventually making even his five fingers indistinct. As night approached, the creatures of Tianmu Mountain grew increasingly active, their deep, resonant roars echoing continuously and reverberating throughout the mountain range. This environment is already extremely unsuitable for traveling. Even the elegant Feng Miss, along with Tang Ying and the others who have clear route maps, would likely have to halt their journey at this point. A full day of continuous travel and combat against the beasts has been a significant drain on all of them. Without promptly recovering now, they would truly struggle to make it all the way to the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool. Facing such adverse travel conditions, Xiao Yan also hesitated, but after a moment's contemplation, he suddenly clenched his teeth, made only a brief rest, and then resumed their journey. Xiao Yan clearly knew that, even though he had gained a slight advantage by sensing the direction of energy flow, he had not yet pulled himself far ahead of Tang Ying and the others. From the moment he met Tang Ying during the day, it became evident that no matter how hard Xiao Yan pursued, he could never catch sight of Tang Ying—Tang Ying seemed to be even further ahead. Therefore, to truly catch up with them, he would have to travel all night. Though this posed risks, it was manageable, as his soul perception abilities would help mitigate those dangers. With a powerful kick against the tree trunk, the force was so strong that the entire massive tree trembled. Xiao Yan then transformed into a blurred silhouette, swiftly moving through the dark forest. ... "Thud!" In the profound darkness of the forest, a figure suddenly darted into motion, then delivered a powerful palm strike upon the body of a hidden beast. The surge of force sent the creature crashing against a tree trunk, its roar cut short as it lost consciousness before it could fully emit it. "Ah…" The figure gently landed on the trunk, drawing a deep breath. A moonstone was raised, emitting a soft glow that reflected off the surrounding mist. Though the light was diffused, it clearly revealed the young face of Xiao Yan. The journey through the night had proven far more challenging than Xiao Yan had anticipated. Many powerful and cunning beasts remained concealed, like hunters patiently waiting for their prey to fall into their trap. Without the aid of his soul perception, he likely would have sustained at least a dozen wounds along the way. The peril of the Tianmu Mountain range far exceeded his expectations. Glancing at the魔兽's body nearby, Xiao Yan withdrew a pill from his storage ring, swallowed it, and promptly settled into a meditative posture. After a night's journey, his energy had been significantly drained, especially from the strenuous battles against the tenacious魔兽 along the way. After resting in this position for nearly half an hour, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, once again sensing the flow of energy within the mountains. A sense of satisfaction spread across his eyes—the flow was becoming increasingly evident, clearly indicating that he was drawing closer to that destination. "Give it your all—hope to catch up with them before dawn..." After licking his lips, Xiao Yan chuckled and moved swiftly, becoming a shadow once more, darting into the dark forest again... A towering giant tree, upon which Xiao Yan lightly settled, his hand briefly sweeping through the air before him. The rich, potent energy swirling within the thick mist caused numerous expressions of astonishment to appear on his face. "The energy here is remarkably concentrated—no wonder it can coalesce into such a miraculous phenomenon as the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pond. It seems we've now reached deep within the Tianmu Mountain Range..." Xiao Yan murmured softly, his spirit suddenly brightening. So, the destination must be near, then? A gentle smile of relief spread across his face as he cracked his lips. Just as he prepared to move forward, his ears suddenly caught a subtle movement—faint sounds of sword and blade clashing, along with waves of energy explosions, drifting from a distance to his left. He glanced briefly toward that direction before turning back. This scenario he had encountered many times during his journey. Far from being a sage, he simply didn't have the time or energy to assist every single traveler. With a slight shake of his head, he shifted his foot and continued on his way. And just as he was about to take off, a clear, captivating female voice cut through the thick mist and reached his ears, causing his nearly sweeping figure to instantly freeze in place. That voice was enchanting and beautiful—her mistress must surely be a beauty—and the tone was one that Xiang Yan was not unfamiliar with, in fact, it carried a particularly vivid sense of memory. Gently gripping the tree trunk, Xiang Yan raised his head, took a deep breath, and then, with a touch of recollection, uttered a name he had known for a long time.