The first to appear before Li Yan was a young girl in an ink-green robe. She was like a reclusive orchid in a secluded valley, her face filled with curiosity as she looked into the side hall. To her left, a burly man had his hand on the door, looking menacing.
More than a dozen people followed behind the girl, many of them with angry expressions.
Li Yan just stood there in the hall. The burly man who had pushed open the door was about to shout, but when he saw Li Yan's face clearly, his expression instantly changed dramatically, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out.
The stunningly beautiful girl also saw Li Yan at a glance, and for a moment, she seemed to be in a daze.
"Senior Sister Bai, after being apart for several years, your cultivation is even greater than before!"
The girl had bright eyes and white teeth, a petite figure, and skin fairer than snow. She was like a lily in the dark night. Hearing Li Yan's words, her face, which had been hesitant, blossomed into a brilliant smile.
But then, two blushes immediately rushed to her cheeks. She quickly lowered her head and murmured, "Junior... Junior Brother Li..."
This girl was none other than Bai Rou. Bai Rou's cultivation was now at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but she still had a timid demeanor, blushing before she even spoke.
Li Yan examined Bai Rou carefully. This made Bai Rou's beautiful face even more shy, and her hands didn't know where to put themselves. She could only hide them quietly behind her back, her slender, jade-like fingers intertwining, looking like a young girl.
The reason Li Yan was sizing up Bai Rou this way was not intentional. It was because he had just seen in his Divine Sense that these people were all led by Bai Rou, and they even addressed her as "Captain" with respectful expressions.
Li Yan had discovered that among the dozen or so male and female cultivators behind Bai Rou, many had cultivation at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, and three were even in the Pseudo-Core Realm . Yet they were still very polite to Bai Rou. This surprised Li Yan a little, so he couldn't help but look a few more times.
All of this happened in just one or two breaths. Then, a few others also seemed to recognize Li Yan.
"Oh? It really is Junior Brother Li! You've actually reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"
"Hahaha, Junior Brother Li, long time no see. I don't know where you've been all this time. I haven't seen you on Little Bamboo Peak."
"Junior Brother Li's sudden appearance here today is quite a surprise..."
These people were all behind Bai Rou and all knew Li Yan, such as Chu Weixiong from Four Symbols Peak .
Li Yan remembered that he and his brother, Chu Weili, had worked together to set up the Sky-Locking Interlocking Four Symbols Formation. At that time, it was a powerful formation that gave even Foundation Establishment cultivators a headache.
As for the one or two others who greeted him, Li Yan could at most know their surnames. Most of them were strangers to him.
Among the dozen or so people behind Bai Rou, some were from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, and others were cultivators in different attire.
Seeing these people greet him, Li Yan also returned the courtesy with a smile one by one. But Li Yan saw more surprise in their eyes. Their gazes were constantly sizing him up.
Some of the older ones of course knew about Li Yan's spirit root aptitude, so their expressions were more of shock upon meeting him.
"I just arrived at Windy Cool Mountain today. Master arranged for me to join the Ninth Squad of the 'Heavy Peak Battalion.' I didn't expect Senior Sister Bai to be the leader. What procedures do I need to follow next?"
Li Yan had now walked from the corner of the side hall to the center. He took out the Jade Slip Wei Zhongran had given him and gently pushed it, sending it floating towards Bai Rou.
Bai Rou, on the other hand, had been standing timidly at the door. Seeing Li Yan take out the Jade Slip, she quickly raised her slender hand to catch it. With light lotus steps, she led the group into the side hall.
With Li Yan's composure, it seemed for a moment as if they were the guests.
Bai Rou just lightly touched the Jade Slip to her smooth forehead, then took it back into her hand. By now, Bai Rou's complexion had returned to normal.
"Junior Brother Li's arrival at the Ninth Squad is a great boost to our strength. Fellow Daoists, Junior Brother Li is the personal disciple of Martial Uncle Wei of Little Bamboo Peak. A few senior brothers here know him. The rest of you should be aware."
As soon as Bai Rou's voice fell, the crowd of cultivators behind her had a sudden realization. This person was a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak. No wonder he was assigned to their squad as soon as he arrived. The one with the most say on Windy Cool Mountain now was that Peak Master Wei.
So, one by one, they quickly came forward to greet him. There were even three or four young and beautiful girls who came forward shyly to greet Li Yan. At this time, Chu Weixiong, who was at the side, chuckled.
"Junior Brother Li, with your arrival, I, your big brother, have one more 'rival'."
After speaking, he even gave an ambiguous wink towards the few female cultivators, which made them spit lightly in disdain.
Hearing this and seeing the expressions of the others, Li Yan of course knew what Chu Weixiong meant and couldn't help but look embarrassed.
At this moment, Bai Rou shot a glare at Chu Weixiong, then finally parted her red lips.
"Senior Brother Chu, Martial Uncle Wei's Jade Slip says that Junior Brother Li just arrived today and hasn't gone through many procedures, nor has a Cave Residence been arranged. In a moment, I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Chu to take Junior Brother Li to 'Wanjian Hall' to handle it." Chu Weixiong laughed upon hearing this and readily agreed.
Li Yan watched this, secretly grumbling to himself, 'Senior Sister Bai hasn't been seen for several years. Although her personality is still weak, she now has a bit of an air of command. But I don't know how she got the position of captain with her personality and cultivation.'
But it wasn't a good time for Li Yan to ask. So he looked at Chu Weixiong. "Senior Brother Chu, why don't I see your brother here? The combined power of you two brothers is enough to make your opponents tremble. Could it be that he was assigned to another squad?" Li Yan hadn't seen his senior brothers and sisters from Little Bamboo Peak this time, but seeing a familiar face still put him in a good mood, so he asked curiously.
He knew the power of the two brothers, Chu Weixiong and Chu Weili, when they worked together. If they weren't together, their combat power would be reduced by more than just a little.
At this time, the others had found stone benches to sit on without needing to be told. Chu Weixiong sighed upon hearing this. "Alas, my second brother failed to establish his foundation this time. He is still in the sect now, in seclusion with Wei Feng and a few others, waiting for another chance to break through."
So Chu Weili had failed to establish his foundation. That was no wonder. Among the few geniuses of Four Symbols Peak back then, even Wei Feng was still in the Qi Condensation stage. It had to be said that even cultivators with good aptitude might not necessarily shine.
"Hehe, with you and your brother's cultivation, Foundation Establishment is just a matter of time. I believe it won't be long before we see the two of you fighting side by side again," Li Yan said flatteringly.
Then, the few Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators chatted with Li Yan for a few sentences. Only those who were more familiar, like Chu Weixiong, tried to inquire about Li Yan's cultivation in their words. But Li Yan just played deaf and dumb and didn't follow up.
It should be known that Chu Weixiong had established his foundation less than a year after Li Yan. He couldn't figure out how this junior brother had gone out for a trip and returned at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Li Yan was starting to regret it now. He was used to traveling outside. If his cultivation was too low, it would attract unnecessary trouble, so he had suppressed his cultivation to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. If he had known, he would have suppressed it to Initial-stage Foundation Establishment.
The nine team members who were not from the Malevolent Spirit Sect also listened with a smile as Li Yan and the others chatted, wanting to take the opportunity to hear some inside information about the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Especially the burly man who had pushed open the door at the beginning, he was listening with an even more serious expression.
The only answer they got was that this newly arrived Li Yan had been sent out on a mission for the past few years and had just been assigned here today. But Li Yan didn't mention a single detail about his mission, so they could only suppress their curiosity.
After a cup of tea's time, Bai Rou, who had only said two sentences, raised her voice slightly.
"I will go to the 'Mission Hall' in a moment to hand over today's mission. If there are any new missions then, I will notify everyone. Otherwise, everyone can rest in their Cave Residences for the next few days. As for Junior Brother Li's matter, I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Chu."
With someone to help, Li Yan didn't expect everything to go so smoothly. Then everyone dispersed, and Chu Weixiong led Li Yan to the "Wanjian Hall" behind to handle the procedures.
Li Yan's subsequent procedures went exceptionally smoothly. Even choosing a Cave Residence was unexpectedly easy. With Wei Zhongran as his backer, Li Yan spent less than half an incense stick's time in "Wanjian Hall" to get everything done. This made Chu Weixiong complain in a low voice.
When they first reported to Windy Cool Mountain, it had taken them a full half-day, and that deacon martial uncle hadn't given them a single pleasant look. The few of them had been filled with resentment but didn't dare to say a word.
Today, that deacon martial uncle was so "amiable and approachable." This made Chu Weixiong sigh to himself. No matter what, he was also quite famous in Four Symbols Peak. 'It's good to have a good master!'
Afterward, Li Yan parted ways with Chu Weixiong and flew alone to his Cave Residence.
According to Chu Weixiong, this place used to be the outer sword courtyard of the Ten-Pace Courtyard, with as many as six or seven thousand disciples, so there were many Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
So there were many independent Cave Residences here. Now that the disciples of the Ten-Pace Courtyard had withdrawn, for the cultivators stationed here, even if each person was assigned a Cave Residence, there were more than enough.
Soon, Li Yan arrived in front of a Cave Residence. He had been assigned a temporary token. This token could be used by all cultivators on Windy Cool Mountain to transmit information to each other, and it was also an important item for verifying their identity and opening their temporary Cave Residences.
The token was made on the spot by the deacon martial uncle, who took a trace of the cultivator's Divine Sense.
When the cultivator fell, or the token was taken, the dissipation of the Divine Sense or the cultivator withdrawing the Divine Sense from the token would cause the token to self-destruct immediately. This was a very important protective measure.
In fact, Li Yan hadn't flown far after separating from Chu Weixiong before he reached his Cave Residence. It was very close to the "Heavy Peak Battalion" mountain in front, almost reachable in a few breaths. It seemed to have been intentionally arranged.
After opening the Cave Residence with the token, the furnishings inside were also simple, with just a few stone tables and chairs scattered around.
The Cave Residence was quite large, with a living room, a cultivation room, a resting room, as well as a beast-rearing room and an alchemy room, all in place. Li Yan could still see traces of previous use in each stone room.
It was just that many things had been taken away by the previous owner, leaving only simple furnishings.
Then, with a great wave of his sleeve, several formation flags turned into streaks of light and instantly disappeared into various corners of the Cave Residence. Then, with a soft "ding," a protective formation replaced the original Cave Residence formation.
Li Yan did not set up the "Great Dragon-Elephant Formation" , because he knew that in the coming days, he would be spending more time out on missions than in his Cave Residence, so he naturally had to carry the "Great Dragon-Elephant Formation" with him.
Thinking of the "Great Dragon-Elephant Formation," Li Yan couldn't help but shake his head. Ever since the Purple God Dragon-Elephant entered the "Earthen Patch" space, it seemed to have forgotten him, its master. It rarely took the initiative to come out anymore. Instead, it would swagger around the various parts of the mountain peak in the "Earthen Patch" all day.
Occasionally, it would even wake up the Snow Mosquito King from its cultivation. The two would then fly far away from the mountain peak and mutter to each other. Li Yan didn't know what they were doing and was too lazy to care, which brought him some peace and quiet.
After Li Yan performed a simple spell, the inside of the Cave Residence became much cleaner than before. This was probably not a permanent residence. And in fact, the places Li Yan frequented most were the cultivation room and the living room. He rarely even went to the resting room.
At his realm, meditation was usually more useful for recovery than rest, and it could restore his stamina more quickly.
After tidying up simply, Li Yan brewed some tea. He did not enter the cultivation room but just sat quietly in the living room, sipping his tea, as if waiting for someone.