And all of this, even with Vice President Qian Sanyuan frequently closing himself off, Mo Qing's guidance was minimal. Even so, Mo Qing's cultivation speed was no worse than Bai Wushuang's at the same stage.

It was precisely these discoveries that sparked an inexplicable interest in Mo Qing for Bai Wushuang, especially after being rejected several times when inviting her as a senior brother. This increased his determination to win her over.

As the saying goes, the more unattainable something is, the more precious it becomes. For Bai Wushuang, Mo Qing was precisely such a thing after refusing several invitations.

Today, Mo Qing took first place in the first internal assessment of the Heavenly Hospital, in the Qi Seeking Realm category. Bai Wushuang thought that only such a woman was worthy of him.

However, upon hearing the words of the tall, thin junior brother beside him, Bai Wushuang's eyes flashed with a trace of light and then a hint of indifference. After all, over the past year, Mo Qing's every move had been under Bai Wushuang's watchful eye.

Apart from matters in her private quarters which he knew nothing about, Bai Wushuang at least knew that this black-clad girl did not usually interact with many male disciples of Lianyun Mountain. If she had a love interest, it was highly unlikely.

"Senior Brother Wushuang, I have a close friend who happens to live in the same courtyard as Junior Sister Mo Qing. From her, I got some news. Would you like to hear it?"

Just as Bai Wushuang showed a dismissive look, the tall, thin young man spoke again, his words causing the former's eyes to brighten.

"You have such connections? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Bai Wushuang glared at the tall, thin young man, responding somewhat irritably. After all, as men, visiting female disciples' courtyards was inconvenient, making this information undeniably important to him.

"Hehe, I just hooked up with her recently!"

This tall, thin young man seemed extremely frivolous, speaking without any reservation. He suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously and said, "Senior Brother Wushuang, actually, it's possible that Junior Sister Mo Qing might already have someone in her heart, and that person might not be from our Lianyun Mountain."

There's no denying the tall, thin young man indeed got some precise information from his close friend. Hearing this, a sharp light burst out from Bai Wushuang's eyes, seeming to carry a trace of murderous intent.

"Who is it? Is it one of the guys from the other three top forces?"

Bai Wushuang gritted his teeth, his words indicating that only the genius figures from the other three top forces were considered his opponents. As for the geniuses from first-class forces, he didn't even consider them worthy of his attention.

"According to my close friend, on several nights, Junior Sister Mo Qing sat alone in the courtyard, staring at the southern sky, muttering the name 'Yun Xiao.' Do you think he might be her love interest?"

The tall, thin young man pondered the information obtained from someone's mouth, remembering the name quite clearly, though its significance was somewhat vague.

"Yun Xiao?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Wushuang was also confused. He went through the young geniuses of the other three top forces in his mind, even filtering through some top geniuses of first-class forces, yet never came across the name 'Yun Xiao.'

"Senior Brother Wushuang, Junior Sister Mo Qing is from the Hidden Dragon Continent. Could it be that Yun Xiao is also from a lower plane?"

The tall, thin young man's mind was quick. After a brief consideration, he proposed a direction, immediately putting Bai Wushuang at ease, his eyes now filled with an undisguised disdainful sneer.

"In the past, Junior Sister Mo Qing was limited by the lower plane. That's why she felt affectionate towards that insignificant guy. Once she gets used to seeing the prominent figures of my Tenglong Continent, a guy from the Hidden Dragon Continent would likely be cast aside in an instant, wouldn't he?"

Knowing the potential rival might be from the Hidden Dragon Continent, Bai Wushuang felt no worry but rather exuded self-confidence. In his view, how could a cultivator from a lower plane compare with someone like him, a top genius of Tenglong Continent?

This conversation under the stage naturally wasn't heard by Mo Qing onstage, but the person she thought about was surprisingly in sync with the dialogue between Bai Wushuang and the other. Perhaps it was just a coincidence?

...

At the same time, at Lianyun Mountain Sky Poison Institute!

This was where poison vein masters from the Meridian Refining Master Association gathered. Anyone who joined wasn't only a poison vein genius with astounding talent but also a formidable Earth Rank Middle-High Level Poison Vein Elder.

Though poison vein masters and medical pulse masters both belonged to the path of meridian refining, their concepts and cultivation directions were entirely different. To ordinary cultivators, the intimidation from poison vein masters was undoubtedly much greater than that from medical pulse masters.

Because most Medical Pulse Masters are kind and gentle, as long as you don't provoke them, they won't come looking for trouble. But it's different with Poison Vein Masters; sometimes, you might not even know how you died.

Just like Heavenly Hospital, today is also the annual internal assessment day of the Sky Poison Institute. At this moment, the eyes of many Poison Vein Elders are all focused on a graceful figure on the central main stage, their eyes shimmering with fervent light.

"Dean, do you think she can really refine the 'Desireless Stiff Pill'? That's a Spiritual Rank Advanced Peak poison pill!"

In the top seat, an elder with slightly bluish skin withdrew his gaze from the stage and questioned a certain green-clad elder sitting in the center, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

The green-clad elder addressed as the "Dean" is actually the Great Elder of the Lianyun Mountain Meridian Refining Master Association, named Qingmu Wu. Although his name sounds quite peculiar, he is a genuine Heavenly Rank Expert, his Poison Meridian Skills also reaching the Heavenly Rank Low Level.

Originally, Qingmu Wu's cultivation and Meridian Refining Technique were on par with Vice President Qian Sanyuan, but for some reason, after Qian Sanyuan returned from the Hidden Dragon Continent a year ago, both broke through together, making Qian Sanyuan somewhat embarrassed as the vice president.

After all, in the Meridian Refining Master Association, seniority is usually determined by the level of the Meridian Refining Technique. It was quite something for a vice president to be slightly weaker than the Great Elder in Meridian Qi Cultivation and Meridian Refining Technique.

During that period, both openly and secretly, Elders and disciples of the Poison Vein Departments gossiped that the vice-president position should rightfully belong to Qingmu Wu.

Fortunately, Qian Sanyuan also broke through shortly before, which stopped the murmurs among the many Poison Vein Refiners. However, who was truly stronger or weaker between the two remained debated among them, and without another match, it would be difficult to determine.

As for the elder calling Qingmu Wu "Dean," it is because Qingmu Wu is the absolute sovereign in this Sky Poison Institute. Even Qian Sanyuan, as the vice president of the Meridian Refining Master Guild, cannot interfere unless the elusive Chairman decides to visit personally.

"I trust Hanyi. With her formidable Poison Fire Ancestor Vein, nothing unexpected should happen!"

Hearing the elder's hesitant words, Qingmu Wu was extremely confident in this newly accepted female disciple. Moreover, with her special Poison Fire Ancestor Vein, almost as if tailor-made, receiving such an extraordinary talent as a disciple pleased him greatly as a strong Heavenly Poison Vein Master.

"Tsk-tsk, Miss Hanyi has only been with us at the Sky Poison Institute for a short year, and she's already on her way to becoming the top in the Qi Seeking Realm group!"

Hearing Qingmu Wu's confident voice, the elder no longer dwelled on it and continued following his words. After all, the Desireless Stiff Pill that Liu Hanyi was refining now was already very close to Earth Rank Low Level pills, something no one in the Qi Seeking Realm group had managed to refine yet.

"How could a disciple of Qingmu Wu be ordinary?"

Qingmu Wu wore an expression of pride, and as his gaze swept over a young figure beneath the stage, his words made the other Great Elders envious and somewhat resentful.

With each selection of disciples from Lianyun Mountain, the best are always chosen by the Great Elder first, so it was certainly extraordinary. However, these Poison Vein Elders were not about to say such words aloud.

"Dean, I heard that when Miss Hanyi was on the Hidden Dragon Continent, she was quite fond of a young man named 'Yun Xiao,' and according to a female disciple living in the same courtyard, she still seems to have lingering feelings for him."

That elder, after mentally grumbling for a while, suddenly remembered something, and as soon as he spoke, Qingmu Wu's eyes shot out a flash of anger, startling the elder.

"Hmph, how could a disciple of Qingmu Wu be paired with an ant from Hidden Dragon Continent? If that boy dares come looking for her, the Black Wood Poison Fire of this Dean is not just for show!"

At this moment, Qingmu Wu appeared somewhat agitated. In his heart, he has always wanted to pair Liu Hanyi with his most outstanding disciple. This unknown lad named Yun Xiao, what qualifications does he have to compete with his prized disciple?

"Black Wood Poison Fire?!"

Upon hearing Qingmu Wu mention those four words, the nearby Poison Vein Elders shivered involuntarily, evidently recognizing the so-called Black Wood Poison Fire, the Dean's best Poison Vein Technique.

"That Yun Xiao is truly unlucky!"

At this instant, all the Poison Vein Elders couldn't help but mourn silently for the lad named Yun Xiao, knowing well that if the youth dared to come to Lianyun Mountain, passing the Great Elder would be an insurmountable challenge.

Boom!

While the few elders were conversing, a powerful wave suddenly erupted on the central main stage. As a wisp of black air emerged from the cauldron in front of Liu Hanyi, the venue suddenly became quiet.