Outside the front courtyard, not far away, there was a pavilion on a lake. Wen Ting'an, who had just left the disciples' grand examination site, was sitting here. He poured himself a cup of tea and another cup of juice, placing it opposite him. Then he said, "You deliberately called me over, why don't you show yourself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Luo'yi's figure appeared in the pavilion and she sat down opposite Wen Ting'an, smiling, "Senior Brother, long time no see."
"It hasn't been that long, only about a year and over four months," Wen Ting'an replied. After taking a sip of tea, he asked, "Speaking of which, how is Master?"
Ling Luo'yi also picked up the juice and took a sip. It was sweet and still warm, perfect for drinking in this season.
Putting down the cup, Ling Luo'yi answered, "They are all doing well. Master and his friends have established a small force on the Ancient Xuan Continent. They haven't recruited any disciples from the Ancient Xuan Continent, and I suspect it's being kept for you all."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ting'an chuckled, "Master thinks very far ahead. We can't ascend that quickly yet."
"One must prepare. Otherwise, when you ascend, you will know nothing about the Ancient Xuan Continent, and that could lead to serious trouble."
"Have you experienced it?"
"I have."
Hearing this, Wen Ting'an was taken aback. However, seeing that Ling Luo'yi's expression hadn't changed, he didn't press further. "Junior Sister, you haven't appeared for the past year. This time you've come to tell me alone, is there something important?"
"Since Senior Brother is so direct, I won't beat around the bush. I need twenty-one regional tokens. Their function doesn't need to be too great, just enough to allow me to travel freely across the entire continent."
Wen Ting'an was speechless. Did she call this "not too great a function"? However, the tokens from the Ancient Spirit Academy did indeed allow free travel across the continent.
Not hearing Wen Ting'an's reply, Ling Luo'yi looked at him curiously and said, "Senior Brother, you are the Dean of the Ancient Spirit Academy now. Is this matter difficult?"
"The matter is not difficult. I'll get them for you shortly."
Wen Ting'an was now the Dean of the Ancient Spirit Academy, so giving out a few tokens was easy. He was just very curious about what Ling Luo'yi intended to do with these tokens, but he didn't ask.
Ling Luo'yi, however, seemed a little surprised. "Senior Brother is so straightforward? Aren't you afraid I'll use them for something bad?"
Wen Ting'an smiled and said, "Junior Sister, although we haven't met many times, we are from the same sect. Even if we don't have much affection, I have immense trust in Master. He took you as a disciple, which means in his heart, your nature is not bad. Even if you use them for something bad, it shouldn't be too terrible."
Hearing this, Ling Luo'yi also smiled, "It seems the old man was right."
Wen Ting'an became interested and asked, "Junior Sister, what did Master say?"
"The old man said that you are the one among all his disciples who understands him the best, and also the one with the most ideas."
Wen Ting'an was stunned, then smiled. Seeing Ling Luo'yi also smiling relaxedly, he suddenly asked, "Junior Sister, since you need tokens from the Ancient Spirit Academy, may I ask what you intend to use them for? That way, I can prepare in advance and help you clean up any mess."
Ling Luo'yi was just thinking about how to ask Wen Ting'an for help, and it was like a pillow arriving just as she yawned. "Senior Brother, it's not a big deal, so I won't hide it from you. My people are coming to the Ancient Spirit Continent to find something. I'm afraid there might be unnecessary trouble, so I came to you. If possible, I'd also like your help in searching."
Originally, this matter should have been kept secret, but the number of her people who could come was limited, and they were all unfamiliar with the Ancient Spirit Continent. To find something here, it would naturally be better to have someone familiar with the place. Thus, she could only ask for his help.
Wen Ting'an heard Ling Luo'yi's words and was a bit curious, asking, "Looking for something? Junior Sister, what are you looking for?"
"A fragment. I don't know its appearance, but it's a fragment of a cauldron from ancient times."
"Is it urgent?"
"Very urgent. Other races are also looking for it, and we must get it before them! Otherwise..." Ling Luo'yi's eyes instantly turned icy.
Wen Ting'an clearly saw the change in Ling Luo'yi's eyes and finished her sentence for her, "Otherwise, the human race will face utter destruction?"
"No, not just the human race. If the fragment falls into the hands of other races, the Six Realms will fall into chaos, and we might even become their livestock."
"Is it related to the Outer Realm Demons?"
Seeing that Wen Ting'an had guessed this far, Ling Luo'yi had nothing left to hide. "The Six Realms have been at war with the Outer Realm Demons for tens of thousands of years, weakening them to their current state. Now, some races want to restore them to their full power, and the fragment is the key. If we still want to live peaceful and tranquil lives, the fragment must remain in our hands!"
Hearing that the Outer Realm Demons were already weakened, Wen Ting'an recalled the Outer Realm Demons that had entered through the black hole in the sky. His back shivered. If he remembered correctly, only a hundred Outer Realm Demons had entered that day, and they had already caused such chaos in the Heavenly Profound Domain. If these were already weakened, how strong would they be at full power? With a hundred of them being so strong, what would more of them turn the Ancient Spirit Continent into?
Ling Luo'yi saw the fleeting fear in Wen Ting'an's eyes and comforted him, "Senior Brother, there's no need to panic. Although the Outer Realm Demons are strong, don't underestimate our human race. As long as we can obtain that fragment, the Outer Realm Demons will still have to obediently stay in the outer realm."
Seeing the fleeting aura of a superior being on Ling Luo'yi, Wen Ting'an was startled and suddenly asked, "Junior Sister, I'm suddenly very curious about your identity in the Upper Realm. Can you tell me?"
Regarding this, Ling Luo'yi still didn't say. "This, well, let's wait until Senior Brother goes to the Ancient Xuan Continent. When you reach the Ancient Xuan Continent, some things you've always been curious about will have answers. However, by then, I hope Senior Brother won't be too surprised."
Ling Luo'yi finished the juice in her cup and then extended her hand to Wen Ting'an, saying, "Senior Brother, the tokens?"
Wen Ting'an took out twenty-one ownerless tokens from his storage ring and said, "Junior Sister, these are all ownerless tokens and don't require them to be bonded. As long as you hold them, you can travel freely on the continent. However, Junior Sister, remember to return them to me after you're done."
"Understood." Ling Luo'yi put away the tokens. Just as she was about to leave, she said to Wen Ting'an again, "Senior Brother, if you are to help me find the fragment, please proceed in secret. Otherwise, alerting the enemy would be troublesome."
"I understand, Junior Sister, rest assured."
Ling Luo'yi didn't see anyone else and left the Heavenly Profound Domain directly. In the forest outside the Heavenly Profound Domain, Ling Luo'yi informed the Fourth Elder, then opened a passage, and Mu Anning led twenty people out of it.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ling Luo'yi closed the passage.
"Your Highness." The group of twenty-one people saluted Ling Luo'yi in unison.
"Fourth Elder should have told you everything, so you know your mission, right?"
"Yes, your subordinates will definitely obtain the Heavenly Star Cauldron fragment and live up to Your Highness's trust!"
"Take this." Ling Luo'yi took out the tokens Wen Ting'an had just given her and said, "The Ancient Spirit Continent is a place with a clear hierarchy. Having this will make things easier. Remember, your mission is to obtain the Heavenly Star Cauldron fragment. If it's not necessary, do not interact with the people of this continent! Also, after obtaining the Heavenly Star Cauldron fragment, remember to send a signal, and then everyone gather here before returning to the Holy Realm together."
"Yes!"
"Go."