"I say, Lady Lin, why are you abandoning the main road and following me? Once we reach Cangyun Mountain, we can't ride anymore. We'll have to walk, climbing and wading through the water. What will happen to your delicate little feet? And besides, we're a man and woman traveling alone. It's really not convenient, you know, like when we need to relieve ourselves or bathe..."

Tang Yan, hunched over on his horse, continued pleading with a mournful expression. "If you still have any sense, you could turn back now. You can easily catch up to us."

The two of them quickly left the city, and once they were out of sight of any onlookers, Lin Dongxue let her guard down. "Enough nonsense. You’re not going to escape me. When you wrote me that love poem before, didn’t you say you’ve liked me for years? Why do you want to get rid of me now? Were you just lying to me that day?"

"Cough cough..." Tang Yan was nearly choked by his own saliva. He had never expected her to be so bold. She looked so graceful and proper in public, but now, she was speaking with such audacity.

In truth, when Tang Yan wrote that "meeting joy" poem for Lin Dongxue, he had no real intention of winning her heart, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Besides, it would be impossible to say he didn’t feel anything at all for such a beautiful and poised lady.

"Fine, fine. But don’t blame me when you cry from exhaustion later. I did warn you," Tang Yan relented, shaking his head in defeat.

"Hmph, don’t look down on me. I’ve endured countless hardships since I was little, and I’ve been to Cangyun Mountain many times," Lin Dongxue retorted with a smug smile.

Tang Yan couldn’t help but wonder if Lin Dongxue's abilities were indeed on par with Liu Zhi’s. If so, this year’s East Domain Grand Tournament might be different from the usual bottom-ranking performance of Yun City.

With nothing else to do, Tang Yan decided to engage in conversation. "How much do you know about the East Domain Grand Tournament?"

"Not much," Lin Dongxue admitted. "I only know that it’s filled with talented individuals. The competitors are all people trained by various families, and the stakes are much higher than Yun City's ‘selection tournament.’" A serious look crossed her face. "Our city’s rank has always been the lowest, but we hope to do better this time."

Back in the city, Liu Zhi and the city lord were preparing to leave in a carriage.

Before boarding, Liu Zhi discreetly handed a small note to one of the guards. "Deliver this to my father. It’s urgent!"

"Understood!" the guard replied, turning to leave for the Liu family estate.

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...

Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue arrived at Cangyun Mountain and immediately urged their horses forward. The horses, accustomed to being ridden, were quick to recognize the familiar route and charged ahead.

Tang Yan pulled out a map and glanced at Lin Dongxue helplessly before saying, "The route I’ve planned for us is more dangerous than what I mentioned earlier. Most of the beasts we'll encounter will be third-grade spirit beasts, and there’s a possibility of encountering higher-level ones as well."

"If we do face danger, you should stay behind me. If I can’t keep up, run immediately. I’m fast enough to escape, but with two people, it’s harder to avoid danger," Tang Yan added seriously.

Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth in frustration, irritated that Tang Yan kept underestimating her. But with a fiery spirit, she shot back, "You think you're fast? How about we race and see who’s quicker? If you lose, you’ll follow me from now on and do whatever I say!"

"No way!" Tang Yan rejected immediately without hesitation.

"Are you even a man?" Lin Dongxue growled in anger.

"Yes, I’ve always been one. But I’m still not racing you. It’s just how the human body works!" Tang Yan shrugged helplessly.

Lin Dongxue, accustomed to being in control and having everyone obey her, couldn’t stand this response. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she shot back, "Then what do you want? If you win, I’ll let you kiss me! If you lose, you’ll follow my orders forever!"

Tang Yan nearly lost his balance, nearly falling off his horse at the shocking proposal.

This girl, who usually appeared graceful and refined, was now acting like a completely different person.

After thinking about it, Tang Yan realized that if he didn’t accept the challenge now, she would pester him all day long. Since the outer edges of the mountain weren’t home to any high-level beasts, he decided it might be a good idea to go deeper into the mountain, so he nodded. "Alright, it’s your race. You make the rules."

"Good!" Lin Dongxue’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she prepared herself. "Half an hour. Whoever is in front at the end wins!"

"Fine," Tang Yan agreed.

"Ready, set, go!" With that, Lin Dongxue leapt forward, her steps fluid as she darted ahead.

Tang Yan could only shake his head in exasperation as she rushed off without waiting for him.

Lin Dongxue was wearing tight-fitting clothes, which highlighted her graceful figure, and as Tang Yan watched her retreating silhouette, he couldn’t help but be momentarily distracted by her curves.

But a moment’s daze was enough for Lin Dongxue to gain a significant lead.

Impressed by her speed and graceful footwork, Tang Yan realized she was likely using a method superior to the yellow-grade techniques he was familiar with.

Observing her aura, he realized her cultivation had likely reached the玄阶 (Xuan Rank), meaning she was stronger than he initially thought.

Clearing his mind, Tang Yan activated his own techniques and began to chase after her.

Minutes later, Tang Yan closed the gap, catching up with her.

At first, Lin Dongxue had pulled ahead, but after running for a while without sensing any change behind her, she started to slow down, enjoying the thrill of the race.

"Do you want to see how far you’ve come, idiot?" she muttered to herself as she turned to look behind.

"Looking for me?" a voice interrupted her.

Lin Dongxue spun around in shock, and her eyes widened as she saw Tang Yan running alongside her.

"You—how did you catch up?" she stammered, flabbergasted. "I didn’t sense your presence at all!"

"Been following you for a while now. Just didn’t want to ruin your fun," Tang Yan shrugged, as casual as ever.