"You're leaving?" Zi Yun asked suddenly.

Tang Yan had not expected to find Zi Yun standing there. He paused, then said, "That's right. I'm heading to Cangyun Mountain to temper myself for two months, so I won't be able to refine Qi Recovery Pills for you during that time. There are thirty Qi Recovery Pills in here. They should be enough to bring you back to your former strength."

Taking the small jar he handed over, Zi Yun said in a low voice, "These past days, thank you, Young Master Tang, for looking after me."

Having lived two lifetimes, Tang Yan was well-versed in human sentiment and worldly affairs. Reading Zi Yun's expression, he understood, and asked with a smile, "Is Miss Zi leaving as well?"

"Mm. I received a letter from my clan calling me back. They're already waiting for me outside the city," Zi Yun said. "I won't have the chance to wait for your return, Young Master Tang. If you ever run into trouble, come to Purple Bamboo City and find me. Take this."

With that, Zi Yun drew a token from her sleeve and handed it to Tang Yan.

Tang Yan made no false modesty. He accepted the token and studied it closely.

The whole token was carved from top-grade Warm Spirit Jade; worn over time, it brought great benefit to the body. Across it, the two characters "Purple Bamboo" were engraved in ancient seal script.

"This is the Purple Bamboo Token. From now on, once you enter Purple Bamboo City, show this token and no one will dare bar your way." Zi Yun hesitated a moment before adding, "Do your utmost to enter the Azure Dragon Academy. If nothing goes wrong, a few months from now I'll be entering it too."

"Good. Then we'll meet at the Azure Dragon Academy," Tang Yan said firmly.

"I've heard of the Eastern Region Grand Competition. Even topping the rankings there only earns you the chance to be selected for the Azure Dragon Academy. To truly enter, you still have to pass one of the Academy's assessments. Succeeding takes greater strength, so remember to cultivate diligently.

"There are always others beyond yourself. No matter how much you achieve, never grow proud or complacent." Zi Yun cautioned him once more.

"I said I'll get in, and I won't stand you up." Tang Yan smiled easily, his tone as firm as ever.

Watching his confident face, Zi Yun felt herself drift for a moment.

When she first met this young man, his strength had seemed to fall short of even Yellow Rank. In less than two short months, he had already reached Yellow Rank, Seventh Grade.

With such a startling pace of advancement, entering the Azure Dragon Academy was hardly out of reach.

"Good. We'll meet again at the Azure Dragon Academy. Take care, Young Master Tang!" Cupping her fists toward him, Zi Yun put away the jar of Qi Recovery Pills, gave him a deep look, then stamped hard against the ground. Her figure shot off into the distance at once.

Watching her receding back, Tang Yan was surprised to find his heart filled with loss.

Setting aside her beauty, Zi Yun was outstanding in temperament, learning, and every other way. To spend day and night beside such a woman and claim he felt nothing would be a lie.

"Miss Zi, see you at the Azure Dragon Academy!" Tang Yan drew a deep breath and strode out toward the Tang Family gate.

His grandfather had long been waiting beyond the main gate, with Uncle Mo, Mo Yanjun, and other core members of the Tang Family at his side.

After bidding each of them farewell, Tang Yan took several jars of Pills from his robes and handed them out to the three, explaining clearly how each was to be taken. Then, without lingering, he strode away from the Tang Family.

Watching him go, Uncle Mo sighed without end. "The young master truly has the strength to stand on his own now."

"Haha. Come, Old Mo, let's go have a drink. Tonight we don't stop until we're drunk." Old Master Tang was stirred beyond words. Back then, everyone in Yun City had taken Tang Yan for a good-for-nothing wastrel. Who could have guessed it was precisely this wastrel who, without anyone noticing, had slowly lifted the Tang Family from the bottom of Yun City's four great families, until it now showed the faint momentum to contend with the Liu Family?

--

Under the stars and moon, Tang Yan rode his Phantom Step, a figure all in black slipping through the dim night like a ghost.

Before long he reached the edge of Yun City. Circling to a far stretch of the wall, he drew a deep breath and leapt over it.

He landed without losing speed and pressed on toward the Cangyun Mountain Range.

He ran wild for dozens of li and never came across a single Spirit Beast worth his notice. Glancing around, he found a thick, sturdy tree and sprang up into it to rest.

An hour passed quickly. Tang Yan, already settled into meditation, suddenly frowned. A faint, almost imperceptible reek of blood drifted into his nose.

His eyes snapped open, yet he stayed seated on the branch without moving, sending out a thread of True Qi to seek the source of that bloody scent.

"Awoooo-" A long howl rose abruptly from not far off, and Tang Yan's heart jolted. A wolf?

Tang Yan was no fool. Wolves were pack animals.

Sitting in the tree, he looked around and saw a dark, churning mass of wolves surging toward him.

In moments the ground beneath the tree was packed with them.

The pack's eyes burned green, and the howling rolled on without pause.

Looking at the wolves, hundreds upon hundreds of them, even thousands, Tang Yan felt his scalp prickle. Just which deity had he offended? How was it that on his very first day here he had run into something like this?

At least he was up in the tree, and the wolves could not reach him for now. His heart settled a little, and he studied them closely.

These were only the common First-Rank Spirit Beasts of the Cangyun Mountain Range's outer reaches; on their own they posed little threat to him. Their advantage lay in sheer numbers, so Tang Yan did not dare rashly leap down.

"Awoooo-" A piercing howl cut in from far away, and the pack that had milled helplessly beneath the tree suddenly stirred into motion.

"Awoooo-"

Countless great wolves surged toward the foot of the tree, those behind stepping straight onto the backs of those in front, pressing forward wave after wave without the slightest pause.

Tang Yan's eyes went cold. These wolves were building a "wolf ladder"!

The branch he sat on was barely four or five meters off the ground. In the space of a few breaths, a black shadow came hurtling up at him.

Tang Yan did not dodge. True Qi surged through his body as he swung his fist down at the wolf's head.

Bang!

The force of Yellow Rank, Seventh Grade was no small thing. The wolf could not withstand the blow at all; struck by the fist, it loosed a mournful cry in midair and was sent tumbling away.

Wolves were creatures of astonishing toughness and cruelty.

The instant one was knocked flying, two rapid howls answered from a distance, and three more black shapes charged him from three directions.

Perched on the treetop, Tang Yan had little room to move, but his strength served him well, and three wolves left him with plenty to spare.

Bang, bang, bang! His fists swung again, and the three wolves were swiftly hammered away.

He had no chance to catch his breath. As the three fell, a dangerous aura pressed in, and a gray-black wolf shadow shot up at him from behind.

Feeling its speed and power, something stirred in Tang Yan's mind. This wolf seemed different from the others.

There was no time to dwell on it. He unleashed the Thousand Mountains Fist. With a "bang," Tang Yan staggered on the branch and nearly toppled off.

The wolf, unlike the rest, was not blasted straight away. It dropped to the ground in an ungainly heap, then scrambled up at once, two eyes shining a greasy green as they fixed on him with savage intent.

"A Second-Rank Spirit Beast!" Alarm shot through Tang Yan. Looking closer, he saw it truly was somewhat larger than the wolves around it.