Chapter Six: A Bad Omen

It had been a long time since Chen Fan last returned to Yandu City. During his previous rushed visit, he had not even had the chance to meet with his fellow senior and junior disciples. This time, his master, Dong Guzhi, immediately summoned all the disciples currently in Yandu City for a gathering. It is worth noting that over the past year, Dong Guzhi had taken on two new apprentices—one a local from Yandu City, and the other, surprisingly, also from Feiling County.

"Come, come, meet your Seventh Senior Brother, Chen Fan!" Dong Guzhi beamed, his face glowing with pride.

Chen Fan was taken aback when he saw the two newcomers. The young girl among them was none other than He Hongshan, his former classmate from the White Cloud Branch Dojo!

Dong Guzhi continued, full of vigor, "I’ve always said that you people from Feiling County have a special bond with me. Your Junior Uncle went there to head a branch, and both you and Feng Yuancheng came from Feiling County. Now, with Hongshan here as well... Feiling County truly is my lucky land!"

In truth, Feiling County was one of the largest and most prominent counties surrounding Yandu City, and it naturally produced many elite disciples. Among the core disciples of the White Cloud Dojo, aside from the locals of Yandu City, the largest group hailed from Feiling County.

He Hongshan was understandable; she was younger than Chen Fan. However, the other junior disciple was seventeen, older than Chen Fan himself. Upon seeing Chen Fan, this Eighth Junior Brother was quite agitated and grabbed Chen Fan’s hand firmly. "Senior Brother Chen Fan! I’ve finally met you!"

It turned out he was a fan of Chen Fan. Last year, when Chen Fan had crossed cultivation levels to slay a demon and then entered the Martial Academy as the top-ranked candidate, some people in smaller county towns might have missed the news, but this man, coming from Yandu City, was well aware of it.

Dong Guzhi looked at Chen Fan with a smile and teased, "Since you achieved the top rank at the Martial Academy, enrollment at our White Cloud Dojo has increased by at least twenty percent this year. Many talented disciples came specifically for your name."

"Rather than coming for me, they are likely coming for the enrollment quotas to the Martial Academy," Chen Fan replied with a self-deprecating laugh.

With a genius disciple like Chen Fan paving the way, the Martial Academy had granted the White Cloud Dojo more recommendation slots. Previously, although the White Cloud Dojo was strong, the master was an outsider with less foundation, and without Academy recommendation slots, it lagged behind the other four schools and two dojos in terms of elite disciples. Ever since Dong Guzhi aligned with the Martial Academy and produced a talent like Chen Fan, the Dojo had received more slots. Combined with Chen Fan’s celebrity effect, it naturally attracted more gifted youths.

Chen Fan shook his head and turned his gaze toward the young girl beside him. He Hongshan’s expression was complex as she looked at Chen Fan, yet she still cupped her fists respectfully. "Senior Brother Chen Fan!"

"Ahem, Junior Sister." Reconnecting, Chen Fan felt a twinge of awkwardness. With the strong backing of the He family in Feiling County, this Junior Sister had mastered the "White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm" in less than two years, and she was a year younger than him. In terms of age, her talent was indeed impressive. Now that she had arrived at the main White Cloud Dojo and gained the Master’s favor, she would have access to more cultivation resources. She might potentially master two or more first-rate secret manuals, allowing her foundation to surpass even Feng Yuancheng, and perhaps even reach the limit of her blood and qi.

Everyone’s blood and qi limit was different; some were born with better family conditions or unique constitutions, allowing them to reach their peak earlier. Of course, Chen Fan had seen too many geniuses at the Martial Academy to be surprised by this. Not to mention someone with a body like Yan Linchu’s, even someone like Cha Wentong—who had placed fifth in the same assessment year—was someone He Hongshan would struggle to catch up to. Nevertheless, for a martial artist coming out of Feiling County, she was already quite exceptional.

Yet, as Chen Fan recalled what Bao Tianyou had said back then—that the He family wanted to mold her into the next Li Linliu—it seemed like a joke to him now. The horizons of people in county towns were simply too limited. They thought Li Linliu was ranked among the top ten young masters because of his Sixth-Stage cultivation, but in reality, his status as a Dharma Body was the true key to his ranking.

Soon, Yun Wei, Guan Longping, and the others, including Feng Yuancheng, arrived one by one. Feng Yuancheng had now broken through to the Third Stage of martial arts. He also intended to participate in the upcoming Martial Academy entrance examination. With his foundation, coupled with Dong Guzhi’s training and improved mastery of martial skills, even without "micro-control," he should be able to pass by the second year if not the first.

Seeing Chen Fan return, Feng Yuancheng, whose relationship with Chen Fan had once been awkward, seemed to have forgotten the past unpleasantness. He pulled Chen Fan aside, asking him to recount the details of the Martial Academy exam. The other junior disciples, including the Fourth Senior Brother, Guan Longping, also showed great interest in the Academy. Chen Fan spoke freely and eloquently.

Watching his disciples in such harmony, Dong Guzhi felt both comforted and sentimental. He couldn't help but think of the other three disciples not present in Yandu City, especially Fan Zhong and Tao Xilan, and his heart grew heavy. He wondered if there would ever be an opportunity for them all to reunite.

...

In Qinghe Prefecture, near the border of the Western Wilderness, Fan Zhong stood straight atop the city wall with his blade at his waist, frowning as he looked into the murky, dark night. A soldier behind him yawned.

"Captain Fan, what's wrong? For these past few days, there have been few beast attacks on our borders. Isn't it a good thing that the men are more relaxed? Why do you look so troubled?"

Fan Zhong shook his head. "The Great Qian and the Myriad Demon Ridge have been in constant conflict for over a hundred years. The beasts have breached our cities more than once. Faced with such a formidable enemy, how can we be anything but vigilant?"

He held his blade across his chest, staring into the vast, gloomy landscape, and sighed deeply. "Even in the most peaceful years, the beasts have never been this quiet. The more they act this way, the stronger my sense of foreboding..."

...

In Yandu City, following reports of bizarre beasts attacking humans, the City Lord gathered forces from various factions to launch an investigation, venturing into the mountains where the creatures had first appeared. As a disciple of the Martial Academy, Chen Fan joined the main party, while Master Dong Guzhi accompanied them as the representative of the White Cloud Dojo.

Indeed, they discovered traces of the strange beasts in the wilderness. Two days passed. In the middle of the mountain forest, with a sharp *shing*, Chen Fan’s blade swept forth. Even without channeling his Intent of Thunder, he easily sliced the beast in front of him in two. This particular beast had already reached the Fifth Stage!

Dong Guzhi nodded from the side, laughing heartily. "To slay a Fifth-Stage beast in a single stroke—not bad! Even without achieving a cycle of blood and qi, your strength is already fully equal to that of a Sixth-Stage expert!"

Chen Fan smiled and stood still, sheathing his sword. He hadn't even revealed his true strength yet. Over the past two days of clearing the area, they had indeed encountered attacks, though the numbers were small—only twenty or thirty in total. Their strength varied, with the strongest being the Fifth-Stage beast he had just killed; they possessed limited intelligence and posed no real threat.

"We have already combed through this part of the forest and only found these few. We can head back now."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he felt uneasy and suspected the matter wasn't as simple as it seemed, he nodded in agreement. They could return to Yandu City for the time being, while the follow-up investigation teams would continue to scour the surrounding wilderness. After all, despite having searched this forest, it was nothing compared to the vast, untamed reaches of Qinghe Prefecture. No one knew how many more of these creatures might be hiding in the wild...