Chapter 681: Han Yan, you’ve been wronged.
Over the past month, Mu Hanyan had been continuously refining and absorbing the Star Power left behind by Mu Tianlie. The Qi in her Heart Meridian had been consistently improving, and the once-dim stars within her began to emit faint glimmers of light, yet she was unable to fully ignite them and was perpetually unable to break through the last barrier.
"Why is this happening?" After several attempts, Mu Hanyan was puzzled and stopped.
Her Qi strength at this point was comparable to an ordinary Initial Stage Sword Master, perhaps even brushing against the threshold of Sword Master. It was within reach, yet she frustratingly couldn’t break through.
Could it be, as Han Jinglun mentioned, due to the incomplete and fragmented Heaven and Earth Qi? But in her previous life, she’d ascended to the Sword Master Realm with ease and didn’t encounter this problem. And according to Han Jinglun, it wasn’t until after becoming a Sword Saint that one would be affected by it. She only wished to break into the Sword Master’s rank now; why couldn’t she make the breakthrough?
Could it be because of her Washing Marrow and Cutting Veins and the Cultivation Technique? A thought struck Mu Hanyan. Her aptitude, as well as her Cultivation Method, was vastly different from ordinary people, so naturally, the requirements for her advancement would also be different.
This was the only possibility that Mu Hanyan could think of.
Having identified the reason, Mu Hanyan felt no joy, only a desire to cry without tears. Although her aptitude and techniques far surpassed those of ordinary people, and her future achievements were unimaginable for a regular Swordsman, it was all predicated on having a future in the first place.
If she couldn’t even break through to the Sword Master Realm, what future was there to speak of?
What could she possibly do? She couldn’t think of going to the forbidden lands with just the strength of a Great Swordsman—that wouldn’t be cultivation, that would be suicide.
Mu Hanyan racked her brains but could not come up with a solution.
"Mu Hanyan, come out here this instant." Just as Mu Hanyan found herself at her wits’ end, the angry roar of the Great Elder echoed from outside.
"What’s this old geezer ranting about now?" Mu Hanyan grumbled as she discontentedly opened the door.
"Great Elder, what are your orders?" Mu Hanyan wasn’t in a good mood and lacked any pleasant tone when addressing the Great Elder.
"Where has Mu Feng gone? How come the rest of you have returned, but not Mu Feng?" The Great Elder glared at Mu Hanyan as if to incinerate her with his gaze and interrogated her.
"Mu Feng hasn’t returned?" Mu Hanyan was taken aback by the Great Elder’s words and couldn’t remain upset any longer; she asked in surprise. After all, Mu Feng had left the Exotic Beast Valley unharmed, though perhaps he was too ashamed to join them because of his conscience.
"Nonsense. If he had returned, why would I be looking for you? The three of you went for the trial together; you and Mu Cheng have been back for so many days, but Mu Feng is nowhere to be seen. Has something happened to him?" The Great Elder was seething with rage, obviously very anxious.
By now, the other Mu Family’s Disciples, hearing the commotion, had gathered as well.
"No, nothing happened to him. I saw with my own eyes as he left the Exotic Beast Valley," Mu Hanyan asserted.
"Then why hasn’t he come back?" The Great Elder pressed on insistently.
"Why are you asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Mu Hanyan replied impatiently. It wasn’t her problem that such a big, alive person had gone missing. Why this old man had lost his marbles and was fixated on her, she had no idea.
"No, no, something must have happened to him," the Great Elder stared at Mu Hanyan, speaking to himself insistently.
"What?" Mu Hanyan was surprised by the old man’s vivid imagination.
"It must be so, it must be," he continued, "otherwise, it’s impossible that you and Mu Cheng came back unscathed while only Mu Feng is missing. Mu Hanyan, although our Mu Feng has some grievances with you, as a member of the Mu Family’s Disciples, how could you stand by and watch him die? You... have you forgotten that you’re also a descendant of the Mu Family?" The Great Elder’s voice choked up as he pounded his chest and stomped his feet in distress.
Hearing his words, the surrounding Mu Family’s Disciples pondered the situation. It was no secret that Mu Feng and Mu Hanyan didn’t get along, but could it be true that Mu Hanyan had callously let Mu Feng die in Exotic Beast Valley? Otherwise, there was no reason for the three of them to go on a trial together, with two returning unharmed and the other completely missing.
But upon further reflection, they felt that Mu Hanyan wasn’t someone who would do such a thing.
Mu Hanyan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry; she truly didn’t understand why the old man was so prejudiced against her to concoct such an idea.
"Great Elder, Mu Feng really didn’t have any accident. I personally saw him leaving Exotic Beast Valley," Mu Cheng also hurried over to explain to the Great Elder.
"Hmph, who doesn’t know you’ve fallen low and are in cahoots with Mu Hanyan now? Can your words be trusted?" the Great Elder said disdainfully.
"Great Elder, Brother Han Yan and Mu Cheng are not those kinds of people. Brother Mu Feng must have been delayed by something; he’ll return in a few days," Mu Ze and Mu Yuying couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up to defend Mu Hanyan and Mu Cheng.
"That’s right, Brother Han Yan isn’t that kind of person; you must be wrongly accusing him," other younger members of the Mu Family also chimed in.
"Shut up! Do you think I don’t know that you’ve taken benefits from Mu Hanyan and would naturally speak for him?" the Great Elder shouted furiously in embarrassment and anger.
It was only then that he realized it wasn’t only Mu Ze and others who had received benefits from Mu Hanyan; many other disciples of the Mu Family had also received her favors. Coupled with her remarkable strength, unbeknownst to him, Mu Hanyan had already surpassed the image of the once worthless playboy in their minds and had become the leading figure among the young generation of the Mu Family in Heishi City.
All of this should have belonged to Mu Feng, but now, with Mu Feng’s whereabouts unknown, apart from himself, there was no one else to plead his case.
With that realization, the Great Elder’s resentment towards Mu Hanyan deepened even further.
"Grandfather, you have indeed wronged Hanyan," just then, a hoarse voice came from the doorway.
Mu Feng appeared at the entrance, supported by several servants, his clothes tattered and stained with blood, his face as pale as paper, obviously severely injured.
"Feng’er, how did you get injured like this?" The Great Elder was shocked and rushed over to Mu Feng, abandoning Mu Hanyan and asked anxiously.
"Hanyan, Hua Yuezi, and Zirong, as well as Jiang Yuzhe were ambushed at Shishan Ridge. I tried to save them, but I was too weak. I barely escaped to bring this news... You must rescue them quickly, or I’m afraid it will be too late," Mu Feng struggled to prop himself up and urgently said to Mu Hanyan. Once he finished speaking, he collapsed again.
Hua Yuezi injured! Mu Hanyan was taken aback.
Both Hua Yue and Zirong were Eighth Rank Swordsmen, certainly not weak, and Jiang Yuzhe possessed strange techniques. They couldn’t cope, and even Mu Feng had to escape to report; how strong could their opponent be?
Without time to think further, Mu Hanyan rushed out, but stopped by Mu Feng’s side to say, "Thank you."