A group of people walked along the broad street, and at the back of this team, Ye Ziyun and Nie Li strolled side by side.
"When did you meet Chen Linjian?" Ye Ziyun asked, scrutinizing Nie Li, as if she intended to see right through him.
"I'm not very familiar with him. We just chatted once in the library," Nie Li shrugged.
"Yet he actually allowed you to join?" Ye Ziyun was surprised.
She had known Chen Linjian since childhood; their relationship wasn't particularly close, but it was decent enough.
Chen Linjian was proud and rarely regarded his peers with respect.
However, he wasn’t the type of person one would dislike; otherwise, Ye Ziyun wouldn’t bother interacting with him.
Thinking about Nie Li's extraordinary abilities, Ye Ziyun began to understand.
She didn’t know how Nie Li managed to convince Chen Linjian; Nie Li was quite capable.
There seemed to be no hardship that could deter him.
Watching Ye Ziyun and Nie Li laughing together, with each smile and frown captivatingly charming, Shen Yue was nearly driven to jealousy.
In his eyes, Ye Ziyun should only smile at him! Nie Li had taken away what should have been his position!
Nie Li must die! Shen Yue’s expression turned sinister; once they were in the wild, Nie Li would never set foot in Glory City again.
Yet this matter couldn't be known to outsiders, especially Ye Ziyun.
Shen Yue began plotting how to target Nie Li in his heart.
The group exited Glory City and progressed along the rugged path of the Saint Ancestor Mountain Range.
Just to reach the Ancient Orchid City ruins would take five to six days.
They would need to endure hardships along the way, and there was a chance of encountering some demon beasts.
However, Nie Li was born with a keen sensitivity to danger and intuition.
Coupled with the experience from his previous life, even though his current cultivation level was below Bronze, general demon beasts would not be a threat to him.
Moreover, the routes they were taking were relatively safe.
Among the thirty-seven people in the group, their strength was commendable, with six at Silver level and the majority being above Bronze rank three stars.
Ye Ziyun had also reached Bronze rank one star, leaving Nie Li and Shen Yue as the weakest in terms of cultivation level.
Nevertheless, the news of Ye Ziyun reaching Bronze rank one star had not been disclosed, so the rest of the group remained unaware.
After more than ten hours of walking through the rugged mountain paths, the group arrived at a flat clearing as night approached.
Chen Linjian glanced around; the towering trees offered decent cover.
He spoke, "Let’s camp here for tonight!"
Shen Yue approached Ye Ziyun, saying, "Ziyun, let’s set up camp together; this way, I can protect you."
"That's not necessary," Ye Ziyun replied with a slight frown on her fair face.
She had no desire to camp with Shen Yue; after their previous encounter, her impression of him had plummeted.
Ye Ziyun chose a spot to camp with several other women.
Although Nie Li wanted to camp near Ye Ziyun, he did not approach her like Shen Yue did, looking to avoid embarrassment.
Instead, he found a quieter place to set up camp, resting under the shade of a tree.
As night deepened, the sounds of insects filled the air in the jungle.
Nie Li’s thoughts wandered as he remembered events from his past life.
He wondered how his family was doing.
While he deeply wished to see his father, mother, and uncles again, he held back.
Saint Orchid Academy was a boarding institution, and apart from the privileged children of peak families, ordinary students would face punishment for sneaking home.
Moreover, if his family discovered that he had skipped classes, they would scold him severely.
After two months of testing, he would have around a month to reunite with his family.
Before the destruction of Glory City, although Nie Li’s family had encountered financial difficulties and somewhat fallen from grace, they were getting by.
Thinking back to the scenes from the city’s demise, Nie Li clenched his fists.
Years from now, Glory City would undergo a frenzy of attacks from demon beasts.
He must become a super strong cultivator, achieving at least Black Gold or even Legendary level in order to help Glory City avert disaster.
Time was indeed pressing; he needed to stick to his plan and elevate his skills step by step as quickly as possible.
The next task was to obtain that spirit lamp! It was critical for his future cultivation!
Nie Li sat cross-legged under the tree’s shade, channeling his Soul Realm.
It felt as though something was hidden within the Soul Realm, causing him curiosity.
In his previous life, he had never experienced such a sensation while cultivating.
However, at this moment, with his current cultivation level, he was unable to explore the depths of the Soul Realm.
Originally shapeless and ethereal, the Soul Realm began to form a faint azure glow as Nie Li's soul force strengthened, gradually taking on a spherical shape.
As his cultivation deepened and soul force increased, changes began to manifest within the Soul Realm.
The Heavenly Dao Divine Technique was slowly taking effect.
As the night grew quiet, at the Wyvern Family within Glory City, Xiao Ning'er gazed quietly out the window.
Earlier that afternoon, she received a letter from Nie Li, saying he would be away for a while and urging her to rest at home.
He even provided her with a prescription.
After Nie Li’s massages and practicing the profound Wind-Thunder Wyvern Technique, Xiao Ning'er’s health had improved significantly, and she was currently doing well.
Later, Xiao Ning'er learned that Nie Li had ventured out with Chen Linjian’s team, and Ye Ziyun was with them.
She couldn't help but feel a touch of resentment as to why Nie Li hadn’t taken her along.
“Miss, the family head requests your presence in the council hall!” A servant rushed in, speaking urgently.
Xiao Ning'er frowned, unsure of what was happening.
She stood up and walked outside.
In the Wyvern Family council hall, the family head, Xiao Yunfeng, sat at the front.
To his side, six middle-aged men, all of whom were Xiao Yunfeng’s cousins and elders of the family, occupied the remaining seats.
“Father, may I ask why you summoned me?” Xiao Ning'er bowed slightly to Xiao Yunfeng, glancing at the six elders beside him before asking.
“I called you to inquire about a few matters,” Xiao Yunfeng said, a slight displeasure lingering on his face.
Xiao Ning'er understood that it had to do with these uncles and cousins.
Since Xiao Yunfeng had become the head of the Wyvern Family, three of his uncles had not been in agreement with him.
Elder Xiao Yi, sitting beside him, smiled lightly and said, “Ning’er, I heard that recently you spent a fortune acquiring a lot of Violet Orchid Grass. The price of Violet Orchid Grass has skyrocketed several hundred times, and it must be worth billions of demon spirit coins now. With so many demon spirit coins, the day when our Wyvern Family rises again is near. You've done such a huge service for the family; you really are the luck of the Wyvern Family!”
Upon hearing Elder Xiao Yi’s words, Xiao Ning'er immediately understood.
Elder Xiao Yi must have gotten hold of the news and was intentionally pressuring her father to take away part of her Violet Orchid Grass!
Of course, Xiao Yunfeng was unwilling to agree.
Regardless of how much Violet Orchid Grass Xiao Ning'er had bought, it was an individual matter and had nothing to do with the family! How to handle the Violet Orchid Grass was also not the family’s concern!
But Elder Xiao Yi was relentless, insisting that Xiao Ning'er must provide an explanation.
Xiao Ning'er stood proudly, her delicate face firm as she spoke, “Elder Xiao Yi, I purchased the Violet Orchid Grass with my own money; how is this a matter for the family to decide? Do you expect Elder Xiao Yi to hand over money spent on medicinal herbs or armor to the family as well?”
“You…” Elder Xiao Yi never expected the usually gentle Xiao Ning'er would rebut him so fiercely.
What Elder Xiao Yi didn’t know was that Xiao Ning'er had always been rather submissive within the family.
However, ever since she met Nie Li, subtle changes had taken root in her heart.
Nie Li taught her an important lesson: whenever encountering injustice, one must stand up and resist!
Hearing Xiao Ning'er’s words, Xiao Yunfeng felt a slight relief.
He looked at Elder Xiao Yi and said, “Xiao Yi, Ning’er is right; I don’t think this is the duty of a family member!”
Elder Xiao Yi stubbornly continued, “This matter cannot be compared to ordinary affairs. That Violet Orchid Grass is worth billions, potentially alleviating the family’s current crisis and freeing us from the control of the Divine Sacred Family.” He glanced at Xiao Ning'er and added enticingly, “If Ning’er contributes this Violet Orchid Grass to the family, she won’t have to marry Shen Fei!”
In reality, Elder Xiao Yi didn’t truly believe that.
His plan was to first mislead Xiao Ning'er to hand over the Violet Orchid Grass, and as for her marrying Shen Fei, that was beyond their control; it depended on the Divine Sacred Family.
The other five elders concurred with Elder Xiao Yi’s sentiment.
If the Violet Orchid Grass remained in Xiao Ning’er’s possession, it had nothing to do with them.
However, if it was given to the family, then the entire clan would benefit.
Even two elders who usually supported Xiao Yunfeng held this perspective.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunfeng cast a guilty glance at Xiao Ning'er and let out a sigh.
Xiao Ning'er felt quite wronged.
Why was it that every time the family faced difficulties, she was expected to make sacrifices while others remained uninvolved? Fortunately, Nie Li had taken away all the Violet Orchid Grass.
Standing her ground, she declared, “That Violet Orchid Grass was purchased on behalf of a friend. Long before its value increased, I had fully delivered it to him, and he has already returned the money for the purchase. So now, that Violet Orchid Grass has nothing to do with me!”
“What?” Elder Xiao Yi’s expression soured immediately.
Xiao Yunfeng turned to Xiao Ning'er, asking, “Ning’er, is that true?”
“Yes,” she nodded firmly, “The Violet Orchid Grass is indeed no longer in my possession!”
Elder Xiao Yi’s face darkened as he demanded, “What’s the name of that friend of yours? What’s his background?”
“I promised him that I would keep it confidential!” Xiao Ning'er replied earnestly.
She was absolutely unwilling to divulge Nie Li’s name to anyone.
She had made up her mind that no matter the pressure, she would protect this secret for Nie Li.
(End of Chapter)