Qu Xiaoxiao was the late daughter of Elder Qu, and as such, she was deeply loved, or rather, doted upon, by him.
Elder Qu worried that Qu Xiaoxiao might get hurt if she went out, so he had always kept her confined, preventing her from leaving the sect to gain experience.
It wasn't until Qu Xiaoxiao recently broke through to the Nascent Soul stage that Elder Qu finally relented.
Even so, Elder Qu couldn't completely put his mind at ease. It was for this reason that upon learning Jin Biao and the others were heading to the secret realm, he entrusted Qu Xiaoxiao to Jin Biao's care.
The reason for this was, naturally, that Elder Qu's trust was earned by the strength of the five individuals, led by Jin Biao.
Setting aside Jin Biao and Hong Shengyi, who possessed the highest cultivation, Long Haotian and the other two had also gained considerable renown within the Xuanqing Sect.
Since the sect competition concluded, Long Haotian and the other two had abandoned their former carefree attitude, dedicating themselves to rigorous cultivation. Their progress was remarkably swift, earning them admiration from the Xuanqing Sect disciples.
By the time Qu Xiaoxiao began her cultivation, Long Haotian and the other two had already become role models for the sect. She found it difficult to reconcile the image of Senior Brother Chen Tao before her with the one described by Wang Yi'an.
"You don't have to believe me, but it's not just Chen Tao. Even Senior Brother Long Haotian and I were immature and acted very childishly back then. If it weren't for subsequent experiences, we might still not have found our way."
Wang Yi'an chuckled again as he recalled how Chen Tao used to secretly glare at him from behind.
They had certainly made quite a few amusing blunders in the past.
Wang Yi'an's words piqued Qu Xiaoxiao's curiosity.
She looked up at Wang Yi'an, "Senior Brother Wang, could you tell me about your past experiences? I want to use them as a lesson for myself."
Qu Xiaoxiao was eager to know what kind of experiences Wang Yi'an and the others had gone through to undergo such significant changes.
"There's not much to tell, really. We simply went on an outdoor training mission and learned that there's always someone better. Our confidence was shattered a few times, and naturally, we came to understand quite a few principles."
"Senior Brother Wang, could you be more specific? Shattered how?"
Qu Xiaoxiao was even more curious.
She widened her eyes and stared intently at Wang Yi'an, her expression remarkably similar to when she had pleaded with him to let her see the Stone Life Flower.
Sensing that Qu Xiaoxiao was gradually emerging from the shadow of that day, Wang Yi'an decided not to withhold anything. He recounted the details of their mission to the荒城秘境 (Huāngchéng Mìjìng - Desolate City Secret Realm) in full.
Wang Yi'an was not only meticulous in his thoughts but also possessed excellent storytelling skills, transforming a somewhat awkward tale into one full of twists and turns.
By the end, Qu Xiaoxiao's small mouth hung open, her eyes glazed over, and she murmured, "So that's how it was."
Wang Yi'an chuckled self-deprecatingly, "If it weren't for Senior Sister Xu, we three might never have awakened from our arrogance."
Xu Yi's appearance changed Long Haotian, and it also changed Wang Yi'an and Chen Tao.
"Senior Sister Xu is so amazing!"
Qu Xiaoxiao cupped her cheeks in her hands, her eyes sparkling, reflecting admiration and reverence.
She had heard of Senior Sister Xu before, but since Senior Sister Xu was from an outer sect, she hadn't paid much attention.
However, after hearing Senior Brother Wang's story today, she felt that Senior Sister Xu was incredibly charismatic.
"Is Senior Sister Xu at Xuanji Sect now? I really want to meet her."
"I'm not sure about that. She's likely either cultivating at Xuanji Sect or training outdoors. Her competitive spirit is even stronger than ours."
The competitive spirit Wang Yi'an mentioned was praise devoid of any negative connotation.
Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Bei were the two most diligent individuals he knew, and it was precisely this diligence that allowed them to reach higher realms.
Not far away, Chen Tao and Long Haotian, who were meditating, both twitched their eyelids.
Qu Xiaoxiao and Wang Yi'an were not far from them, and furthermore, their conversation was not hushed, so all their words reached Chen Tao and Long Haotian's ears.
Chen Tao's face flushed slightly.
He could only be grateful that Chen Tao had saved him some face by not revealing his even more ridiculous past deeds.
As for Long Haotian, he was lost in memories of his youthful impetuosity.
Just as Wang Yi'an had said, he had once believed he would be the pillar of the Xuanqing Sect, and as a result, he was exceedingly arrogant, looking down on everyone.
The true transformation began when they were trapped in the 荒城秘境 (Huāngchéng Mìjìng - Desolate City Secret Realm) and forced to mine day and night.
There, no amount of calling out could elicit a response. Only emotionless puppets guarded them, supervising their mining.
He had attempted to escape multiple times, only to be recaptured by the puppets and subjected to beatings. Although he never gave up, his spirit was inevitably affected.
At that time, he wondered what the situation was for Xu Yi, who had entered the secret realm with them.
It would surely be worse than their own, Long Haotian thought gloomily.
As it turned out, his assumptions were incorrect.
Not only did Xu Yi fare better than all three of them, but she also successfully led them out of the secret realm.
From then on, their interactions with Xu Yi increased, and they were influenced by her more and more.
Looking back now, Long Haotian felt a sense of dreamlike realization.
Xu Yi must be cultivating at Kunlun Academy with Bei Xinghan now, right?
He wondered when they would meet again.
Long Haotian hadn't thought of Xu Yi for a long time.
But Wang Yi'an's words were like a thread, pulling out the thoughts that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time.
His mind gradually emptied until he sensed unfamiliar cultivators approaching.
"Halt!"
Long Haotian's spirit stirred, and he rose into the air, looking westward.
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an also quickly stood up, shielding Qu Xiaoxiao behind them.
Qu Xiaoxiao clutched the attack talisman her father had given her, daring not to breathe.
Who was approaching?
"Look who we've found."
A sharp voice suddenly echoed in their ears.
Long Haotian crushed a communication talisman while cautiously scanning his surroundings.
The intruders were clearly hostile.
This was his immediate thought.
"You are the ones who caused me to be severely injured. Now that I've encountered you, it seems fate itself wishes to aid me in my revenge, hahaha."
Beneath the arrogant laughter, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Long Haotian tightened his grip on his magic artifact, his pupils constricting.
This female cultivator was one of the many who had besieged them earlier for the Star Brilliance Flower.
However, she appeared far less spirited than she had been that day. Her face was sallow, her lips pale, and even her voice, despite its outward toughness, lacked vigor.
Long Haotian instinctively assumed she had been injured during the struggle for the Star Brilliance Flower and that she had clearly failed to obtain it. He deduced that she was now projecting her resentment onto them.
He couldn't gauge her strength, but she was at least at the Soul Splitting mid-stage. Currently, the highest cultivation among the four of them was his own, at the Integration late-stage, a full major realm difference.
Even with Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an joining forces, they would struggle to fend her off.
He could only place his hope on Senior Brother Jin and Senior Sister Hong.
He had already sent them a message, hoping they would return in time.
"My companions are nearby. If you intend to harm us, can you bear the consequences!"
Long Haotian's tone was firm, showing no sign of fear.