In short, after a whole night of turmoil, Li Tan successfully brought Li Xiu and Li Jiaying back to Linjiang. It was the hottest time of the day, with the sun hanging high in the sky, scorching the earth. There were only a few pedestrians on the streets, and the vendors had disappeared. Only the noisy chirping of cicadas filled the air.
Li Tan didn’t want to return to the Lin family residence, so he headed straight to Li Yang’s home with the two of them.
The reason they went to see Li Yang first was because of Li Jiaying. The little girl seemed very eager to let Li Yang know about her achievements. Li Tan also wanted to reassure Li Yang, so they went. Since the martial arts competition was about to begin, Li Xiu followed along too.
However, as soon as they arrived at the Zhenbao Pavilion, Li Tan discovered that Li Zhen was already inside, sipping tea and chatting with Li Yang. Upon seeing them, both rushed out to greet them.
“Tan’er, are you all safe?”
Li Zhen was the fastest to approach, his face filled with concern. “Something terrible seemed to have happened at that place yesterday.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Father. The events of last night didn’t affect us at all,” Li Tan replied.
Li Zhen exhaled in relief, then smiled as he turned to Li Jiaying and Li Xiu. “How did the training go?”
Li Yang had come out as well, albeit a little slower due to his leg. Immediately, Li Jiaying giggled and ran to hug him. “Daddy, I have good news to tell you!”
“Good news?”
Li Zhen and Li Yang exchanged glances, both looking expectantly at Li Jiaying.
Li Jiaying proudly lifted her head. “I’ve already broken through to the middle stage of the Later Heaven realm!”
“Middle stage of the Later Heaven! Tan’er, is this really true?”
Although Li Zhen had somewhat prepared himself mentally, he was still momentarily stunned.
“Of course it’s true,” Li Tan replied.
Li Yang was even more excited, hugging Li Jiaying so tightly that she could barely breathe, as he kept muttering, “That’s wonderful! My Jiaying has already reached the middle stage of the Later Heaven at just thirteen years old. Even in the Feiyu Sect, such talent is rare indeed! Hahaha!”
It was obvious how delighted Li Yang was, and Li Jiaying became even happier seeing her father’s joy. The two seemed to be competing to see who could smile wider.
“You’re the child of the third brother, right?”
“Yes.”
Noticing Li Xiu, who was standing quietly with his head lowered, trying his best to minimize his presence, Li Zhen smiled and asked, “What achievements did you make yesterday?”
“I’m not as talented as Jiaying younger sister. I haven’t made any progress at all,” Li Xiu replied, his voice tinged with self-doubt.
Li Tan, somewhat helplessly, said, “How much lack of confidence does it take to say you’ve made no progress at all? You’re practically on the verge of breaking through to the middle stage of the Later Heaven. Although you can’t compare to Jiaying, among your peers, you’re definitely not inferior.”
“Exactly. Xiu, you must learn from this and stop thinking you’re worse than others all the time.”
Li Zhen nodded in agreement, his eyes shining with even more excitement and curiosity as he looked at Li Tan. “Tan’er, what exactly did you do last night?”
A breakthrough in cultivation overnight—such news would surely shake the entire Linjiang if it spread.
The person responsible for such shocking news was Li Tan, and as a father, Li Zhen felt the heavy stone on his heart finally lift, leaving him feeling completely relaxed and at ease.
There was no need to hide anything about this, so Li Tan told the truth, though only briefly. He mentioned the battle with fierce beasts, but after listening, Li Zhen asked further, “Even the outskirts of the Zhuixian Domain at night are filled with fierce beasts. As soon as a fight breaks out, other beasts will notice immediately. Tan’er, how did you handle it?”
Li Tan was momentarily stumped by the question, but quickly came up with a ready-made excuse.
“Did you hear the commotion last night?
An elder was fighting a beast that had somehow wandered into the outskirts, and all the nearby beasts were scared away.”
“Brother, are you talking about the beast near me when I just started cultivating? Didn’t you scare it away?” Li Jiaying asked, puzzled.
Li Tan skillfully replied, “Haha, I did deal with one, but it wasn’t that powerful. It wasn’t the same one that caused the big commotion.”
This explanation was actually full of holes, but Li Jiaying, out of trust, readily accepted it. Li Xiu felt something was off, but due to his timidity, he didn’t ask further questions, so the matter was brushed over.
They were also fortunate that Li Zhen didn’t continue asking questions like, “If all the fierce beasts were scared away, then what were Li Xiu and the others fighting against?” Otherwise, the entire situation would have blown up, and they would have had to bring in the mysterious master again to clean up the mess.
“Jiaying, can you tell Daddy about the details of your training yesterday?”
Li Yang asked curiously.
Li Jiaying’s face showed hesitation, and as she recalled the night’s events, she still felt some lingering fear.
Noticing this, the smiles on Li Zhen and Li Yang’s faces faded somewhat. They realized that nothing comes easily—every achievement comes with a price, and such astonishing accomplishments must have come at a significant cost.
“It’s all in the past now. Don’t be afraid. Just tell us,” Li Tan said with concern.
Li Jiaying nodded and began recounting her experiences in halting speech. Although she didn’t use any storytelling techniques, her account still left Li Yang and the others on edge.
If any mistake had occurred at any point, the outcome could have been completely different—one they dared not even imagine.
“Tan’er, are you really sure about the safety of this?”
Li Yang’s voice, filled with worry, doubt, and lingering fear, quietly reached Li Tan’s ears.
Although Li Tan seemed to have many secrets, he was still under twenty years old, and his cultivation was only at the middle stage of the Later Heaven. It was only natural for Li Yang to be concerned. If he weren’t worried, that would be strange—perhaps even earning him the label of an unfit father.
Li Tan nodded, firmly reaffirming his promise, “There absolutely won’t be any accidents. I was watching over them the entire time.”
After Li Jiaying finished telling her story, it was naturally Li Xiu’s turn.
His story, though less fantastical than Li Jiaying’s, was no less dangerous.
He was chased by a four-legged beast that moved with incredible speed. The beast’s speed equaled that of a Later Heaven cultivator at full power, and although its strength was slightly weaker, it could still tear a person to shreds with its fangs in an instant.
In the end, Li Xiu managed to win without serious injury. As he recounted the event, his words brimmed with excitement, clearly satisfied with his performance.
However, he didn’t realize that Li Tan had secretly helped him.
Li Tan had no intention of revealing that secret.
“The martial arts competition will begin in three hours, just as the weather starts to cool down. Everyone should go rest for a bit,” Li Zhen suggested.
Li Yang agreed. Li Jiaying and Li Xiu were genuinely tired and fell asleep as soon as they entered their rooms. Li Tan, however, said his farewells and headed toward the Pill Pavilion.
This competition was related to the black-robed figure, and before it began, he had to discuss matters with Tang Leyin. Based on Li Tan’s understanding, she definitely hadn’t been idle yesterday and must have discovered something as well.
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