Chapter 1: The Seven-Colored Dragon Boat, Azure Pearl...

  "Caixi is usually very arrogant and has high standards. Is it possible that this Luobei is truly a genius, and even Caixi looks at him with different eyes?"

  Ming Hao looked at Luo Bei and Cai Shu who were walking towards him, somewhat astonished in his heart.

  "Master Minghao", as soon as he saw Minghao, Luobei quickly walked up to him and asked anxiously, "Just now we saw someone releasing flying flame talismans in the mountain, did Master encounter any danger? Is everything alright?"

  "Without asking about anything else, he first asked about the safety of his fellow disciples, which is a very good quality." Ming Hao secretly praised him in his heart, but on his face, he was expressionless and shook his head slightly. "It's Gong Yang Bojin and Zou Shenyu who encountered a saber-toothed tiger, Gong Yang Bojin was scratched once, but it's just a flesh wound, and his life is not in danger."

  "Rodent tiger?" Luo Bei was stunned, and his mind suddenly flashed back to the old man's description of this fierce beast: eyes like bronze bells, with blue light at night, exposed rodent teeth, sharp as a blade, body length one zhang two feet, long tail like scissors, coming and going like the wind, it is a rare ferocious beast, ten times more ferocious than ordinary tigers. "There's such a fierce beast inside Tian Zhu Peak?"

  "Luobei, aren't you ashamed? The saber-toothed tiger isn't some rare thing, if you dare to go to Tianyou Peak, it's not just the saber-toothed tiger, you can even see the eight-armed demon ape." Hearing Luobei's muttering, Cai Shu beside him curled up his small mouth with a hint of disdain and said this sentence.

  "The eight-armed demon ape, what is it again? Did the lotus-picking nun also cultivate for a period of time before coming to Shu Mountain like Zi Xuan Valley? But he seems to know much more than Zi Xuan Valley and that Zong Zhen."

  "Luobei, have you found all the herbs?" Just as Luobei was thinking this, Zixuan Valley and Ling Dongshan walked out of the nearby mountain forest and approached Luobei, greeting him.

  "Found them all." Luo Bei nodded, "How about you?"

  "Luobei Shidi, you guys are so formidable." Zi Xuan Valley and Ling Dongshan both shook their heads with some disappointment, "We still lack two kinds."

  "Still missing two kinds?"

  "Really, Luo Bei, you and Cai Shu have found everything. That's impressive." The several boys who had already arrived heard Luo Bei say that they had found everything, and immediately began to chatter: "We're still missing a stalk of Ling Dan wood..." "We're still missing a stalk of Xi Jian leaf..."

  Luobei was stunned, listening to their conversations, and found that among the five groups of people, only Luobei and Cai Shu's group had all the herbs, while the others were missing one or two kinds.

  "Luobei, Caiyu, you guys are really something!"

  Listening to this, Luo Bei couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, "Actually... we just got lucky."

  With a "pfft" sound, Cai Ou couldn't help but secretly smile and purse her lips. Because she knew that Luo Bei actually wanted to say: "Actually, our Tetrastigma obtectum was stolen."

  "It's just gathering herbs, what's the big deal!" Just then, a short-haired, slightly thin-eyed, yet spirited-looking young man with a square face glared fiercely at Luobei.

  The young man's name was Miao Mu, and since he first met Cai Shu, he had a good impression of this beautiful girl. However, Cai Shu's personality was elusive, and she never showed him any favor, but Miao Mu saw her secretly smiling at Luo Bei's side, and his heart involuntarily grew hostile towards Luo Bei.

  But at this moment, Luo Bei did not notice his gaze filled with hostility.

  The sky has gradually darkened and a thin fog has begun to envelop the mountains and forests.

  "Brother Lian Hang!"

  Suddenly, he let out a cheer, and from in front of him, a familiar frail figure emerged from the mountain forest.

  "Lo... Lo Beishi..." Lu Bei looked at him with a glance, but immediately lowered his head again. While Xiao Sanqian beside him glared at Lu Bei with an ugly expression.

  "What's wrong?" Luo Bei walked up and asked, looking at Xiang Hang who seemed even more introverted and shriveled.

  "I... I didn't notice... Xiao... Little Brother Xiao's herb pouch is gone."

  "What a waste!" Xiao Sanqian, who was standing beside, heard Lin Hang's words and silently spat out these words in his heart.

  It turned out that Cui Hang, who had been in Shu Mountain for more than two years, was not unfamiliar with these herbs. After Luo Bei chose the people to be in his group, Ming Hao let Cui Hang choose the people to be in his group. In this regard, Ming Hao was fair and just, but sometimes a person's success or failure depends on luck. Cui Hang chose Xiao Sanqian to be in his group, not because Xiao Sanqian's abilities far surpassed those of his fellow disciples, but because Xiao Sanqian's temperament was relatively gentle and he was the least likely to look down on or mock him among his fellow disciples. However, even though they were familiar with the herbs, after searching for a whole day on Tian Zhu Peak, Cui Hang and Xiao Sanqian only managed to find three of them. Moreover, more than an hour ago, Xiao Sanqian discovered that the cloth bag containing the herbs had been blown away by the wind at some point. The two of them searched for half a day but still couldn't find the lost bag.

  A day's hard work went down the drain, and although it wasn't because of Jian Hang that the cloth bag containing herbs was lost, Xiao San Qian couldn't help but think that if it were someone else, they might have discovered the missing bag. And Jian Hang deeply blamed himself for this. At this time, Jian Hang, who was hanging his head in distress, kept thinking to himself, "I'm really useless, and I've even dragged down Master Xiao."

  But can we blame him entirely?

  "Lin Hang, don't be too hard on yourself," Luo Bei patted Lin Hang's shoulder. "It's not entirely your fault either. If I were with Xiao Shixiong, I might not have noticed his lost pouch in time either. The mountain forest was dense and dark, and your attention must have been focused on searching for herbs among the surrounding trees."

  Luo Bei turned his head again, smiled at Xiao Sanqian and said, "Xiao Shixiong, I know you lost the herbs and are unhappy, but look at Lin Hang Shixiong, he is also deeply regretful. You should forgive him."

  Xiao Sanqian was taken aback, thinking about what Luo Bei had said, and then looked at Lin Hang with his head down. Suddenly, he felt a lot of anger dissipate, nodded, "Lin Hang Shixiong, it's also my fault for not being careful, don't mind it."

  "Xiao... Xiao Shidi, I'm really sorry." When Lin Hang hastily lifted his head, looking at Luo Bei who was smiling at him, he suddenly felt a sour nose and quickly lowered his head again. "Luo Bei Shidi, your kindness to me, I will definitely... remember it in my heart!" This introverted young man, with hot tears welling up in his eyes, said heavily to himself.

  "Yanran Shijie, Nanfeng Shixiong..."

  With the arrival of that round-faced girl, Huāchī Shījiě with apricot eyes and Nánfēng who was with her, everyone else had arrived, except for Gōngyáng Bójǐn who encountered a weasel and Zōu Shēn, as well as Xuán Wú Qí and Gēshū Bān.

  "How come those two haven't returned yet? Did they encounter some unexpected event?"

  It had been about an hour since Ming Hao released the Flame Talisman, and the sky was already dark. The mountain forest in front of him was pitch black, and even Ming Hao's face was unknowingly filled with a worried expression.

  With a loud "boom", in an instant, a red light shot up into the sky, and in the black night sky, it transformed into dozens of bright halos.

  Flying Flame Seal!

  For a moment, standing beside the iron chain bridge, some anxious waiting young men couldn't help but burst out in surprise.

  But a sudden flash of sword light was faster than their exclamation, and it seemed that only in an instant, the slightly blue sword light that started from near the top of the mountain had already been thrown into the mountain forest shot out by the flying flame talisman.

  "It's Master Tianya!"

  In an instant, the sword light lit up again and almost instantly poured down from the sky. As soon as the sword light was retracted, his face sank like water, and Duan Tianya in black clothes had already landed in front of everyone. His right hand held Geshu Ban's face, which was extremely pale.

  After putting Ge Shu Ban down, Duan Tian Ya didn't say a word, his eyes were fixed on the dark Heavenly Candle Peak. "What's going on?" Ming Hao asked Ge Shu Ban anxiously, "Where is Xuan Wu Qi?"

  "Master Minghao," Ge Shuban composed himself and hastily said, "Xuan Wuqi and I were still one lotus fruit short. He insisted on finding it before returning. I advised him to no avail, and when our conversation became urgent, he set off alone. The sky was too dark, and I couldn't see the path clearly, so I could only release the flying flame talisman."

  "What! Nonsense!" Ming Hao couldn't help but shout out in anger, after taking two deep breaths, he turned his head to ask Duan Tianya, "Duan Shidi, do you want to inform Master? And search the mountain with other brothers?"

  "Wait again."

  Duan Tianya simply said this sentence, but Ming Hao, who had been holding back for a while, gritted his teeth and endured it, his face pale as he stared at the dark Tian Yan Peak in front of him.

  Luo Bei and the others didn't dare to say a word, and after more than half an hour had passed, everyone's ears picked up the sound of someone stepping on dry branches. Xuan Wuji's figure finally appeared in everyone's line of sight.

  "How strange!"

  In the midst of a long wait, the suppressed anger suddenly erupted, and Minghao, who had always been gentle like a harmonious man, revealed his strong side. With a loud roar, the withered branches and leaves within a radius of one or two meters around him instantly turned to powder, and the deafening air wave caused Luo Bei and others standing behind him to unconsciously retreat several steps.

  The momentum was like a barrel of gunpowder exploding.

  "Haven't you heard me say that when I release the flying flame token, it's a signal for everyone to gather back?"

  "The apprentice knows."

  "You abandoned your companions and went on alone!"

  "The disciple knows his mistake and is willing to accept punishment."

  "Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Heavenly Law Peak myself and accept my punishment." Ming Hao suddenly swept his sleeve, turned around abruptly, ignoring Xuan Wuqi who was lowering his head, and left with other disciples.

  Tianlu Peak!

  The disciples of Mount Shu who committed great mistakes all have to go to Tianlv Peak for punishment.

  Xuan Wuqi knew that Ming Hao was truly angry this time, and as soon as he stepped onto the Heavenly Law Peak, his punishment would not be light. However, Xuan Wuqi did not feel a single thread of regret in his heart at this moment, because he had already anticipated such an outcome.

  "Luobei, I won't be worse than you! I've found all five herbs!" He clenched his fists, his fiery gaze fixed tightly on Luobei's back.

  "Don't you know what's wrong?"

  At this moment, a cold voice sounded in his ear, Duan Tianya didn't move or leave, standing still, looking at him coldly.

  Xuan Wuqi was taken aback by his words. Duan Tianya lowered his eyes, "Competing and striving for victory isn't a bad thing. I can also sense your determination to not be inferior to others. Only with such an unyielding determination can one achieve great accomplishments."

  "It's a great injustice to abandon a fellow student in danger! The rules are set, if you exceed the time limit, even if you find all five herbs, it's still a failure!"

  "To defeat your opponent, you must first understand why you failed last time, only then can you win next time!"

  "You are acting against the rules and will be punished, which will also hinder your progress. If you continue to be obstinate and unenlightened, no matter how brave and diligent you are, you may not be as good as others!"

  Duan Tianya's face was indistinct in the darkness, but his voice was stern and solemn, like a series of heavy hammers pounding on Xuan Wuji's mind. After a few sentences, Xuan Wuji's back was already drenched with sweat. "Master Duan Tianya, your disciple has learned!" he said, before sincerely bowing to Duan Tianya.