The efficiency of Green Lotus Peak was undeniably swift. After just a few exchanges, they had already "fairly and justly" decided on the candidates.

Since the decision was made, Leng Youxue naturally turned and left, showing no intention of "inquiring about the disciples' cultivation progress," "answering their questions," or "caring about their daily lives."

The only thing she left for Xiao Lin and the others was the core of the fruit she had been eating.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

As soon as Leng Youxue disappeared from her seat, Yu Qiaoxi, eager to return to her research, was the first to stand up.

"Wait a moment, Fifth Junior Sister, I have something to say," Lu Xingqiu spoke up.

"What is it? Can you make it quick?" Yu Qiaoxi was straightforward.

"It might not be appropriate, but I'll have to trouble you for a bit more time, sorry."

"You certainly should apologize."

With a sigh, Yu Qiaoxi sat back down.

"Do we need to listen too?" Ning Yunmiao raised her small hand to ask.

"Yes, it's best if everyone listens," Lu Xingqiu said, wasting no time and getting straight to the point. "Yesterday, while I was cultivating in the mountains, I sensed an extremely terrifying aura near the rocky ruins halfway up the mountain."

"Terrifying? How terrifying?"

"......"

Hearing Ning Yunmiao's question, Lu Xingqiu suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

[Fourth Junior Sister, I'm glad you're engaging in the conversation, but how am I supposed to continue with that?]

"A terrifying aura? What kind of terrifying aura?"

Fortunately, Xiao Lin, who could hear Lu Xingqiu's thoughts, steered the conversation back on track.

"I'm not quite sure," Lu Xingqiu exhaled almost imperceptibly, his expression serious as he continued with his pre-prepared lines. "Powerful, savage, ancient... although the aura appeared only for a moment, it left me with such an impression."

[This description should be correct, right? After all, the fiend beast in my previous life gave me such a feeling. I just don't know if it can still emit the same aura in its sealed state... But since Master believed it at first, Senior Brother should believe it too.]

Believe? Believe what? So you're lying to us? But... what exactly is a fiend beast? Why would a fiend beast suddenly appear?

Listening to Lu Xingqiu's thoughts, Xiao Lin was momentarily dumbfounded.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Third Junior Brother, what exactly do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there might be something hidden in that rocky ruins halfway up the mountain," Lu Xingqiu continued with his lines.

But before he could introduce the concept of a "fiend beast," Ning Yunmiao's surprised voice interrupted.

"Wait, Third Junior Brother, are you saying, a fiend beast?"

"?"

Lu Xingqiu turned to look at Ning Yunmiao in surprise.

[Fourth Junior Sister is so knowledgeable? She could think of a fiend beast just like that?]

No, it's not that she's knowledgeable...

Xiao Lin looked at Ning Yunmiao with a blank expression.

[Oh, I remember now! The novel mentioned that a fiend beast appeared in the Flowing Cloud Sect around this time... But in the novel, it was just briefly mentioned that Master easily dealt with it, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?]

With that thought, Ning Yunmiao immediately felt relieved.

[Speaking of which, wasn't there an event in the game where the fiend beast's location was the Flowing Cloud Sect? Tsk, I was so focused on getting rewards that I didn't notice...]

Luo Qingyan seemed to have thought of something as well.

No way, is this for real...

Ever since Xiao Lin awakened his mind-reading ability, life had become increasingly exciting.

A bunch of problems remained unsolved, and now a fiend beast?

Why not just send an immortal to deal with me directly?

Well, if the Sevenfold Tribulation Lightning could find me, an immortal finding me isn't impossible... Ahem, I'm still a child, just speaking innocently, spare me, immortals.

"Fourth Junior Sister's suggestion is a possibility," someone chimed in, saving Lu Xingqiu a lot of trouble as he got straight to the point. "I went back to consult the records and found that this aura indeed matches that of a fiend beast. Although we can't be certain, the rocky ruins might be hiding something extremely dangerous."

"What did Master say?" Yu Qiaoxi asked.

"Uh... Master said there might be an issue, but for now, there's no problem," Lu Xingqiu's voice lowered slightly as he spoke.

"Then that's settled. Since Master said there's no problem, Third Senior Brother, you don't need to worry," Yu Qiaoxi stood up again. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."

"What do you mean?" Luo Qingyan turned to Lu Xingqiu, uttering four words.

"Second Junior Sister means, since Master said there's no problem, what do you intend to do by telling us this now?" Xiao Lin quickly translated based on his thoughts.

"Actually, I just want everyone to keep an eye on the rocky ruins halfway up the mountain in case anything happens," Lu Xingqiu said earnestly. "After all, Master is busy with many things and might not notice everything."

[Actually, I mainly want Senior Brother to know about this in advance...]

No, let's not talk about Master being busy; what good does it do for me to know about the fiend beast? I can't do anything, brother...

Xiao Lin felt utterly helpless.

"But didn't Master say there's no problem?" Yu Qiaoxi was puzzled.

"Uh... since Third Senior Brother mentioned it, we should just keep an eye on it, right? It's not a big deal..." Ning Yunmiao half-raised her small hand, suggesting softly.

[It must be a fiend beast, so it's good to pay attention. This way, we might discover the problem early and lighten Master's burden.]

"Exactly," Luo Qingyan nodded gently.

[What if that thing accidentally harms Senior Brother when it comes out? Such things should be nipped in the bud.]

Thank you, Second Junior Sister, for your concern...

Without feeling touched, Xiao Lin concluded in his mind and finally expressed his opinion, "Third Junior Brother makes sense. The sooner we discover it, the sooner we can deal with it. It's not a big deal anyway."

"Alright... fine."

Seeing everyone support the decision, Yu Qiaoxi had no choice but to nod. "Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."

"Hey, wait, let's eat the Spirit Cuisine first. I managed to get five special servings today!"

"Fourth Senior Sister, just bring it to me later."

"Huh??"

...

...

Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.

According to Yu Qiaoxi, converting spiritual energy into Five-Element Spiritual Qi without the intervention of cultivators was somewhat challenging, and she needed more time, so Xiao Lin didn't rush her.

Moreover, he still needed to prepare for the upcoming sparring match with Gu Qingqing.

Life seemed to have returned to normal.

Then, an unexpected guest arrived.