"Creak," before You Tianjiao could answer Ye Tianfan's question, the door was pushed open again, and the short and stout Tian Chu Zhenren walked in. Seeing his master enter, Ye Tianfan quickly cupped his hands and called out, "Master."

Tian Chu Zhenren quickly walked to the bedside and said to Ye Tianfan, "The result? The result is that you still lost."

Ye Tianfan nodded somewhat disappointedly, as the result was as he had expected, so he wasn't too disappointed.

Seeing the somewhat disheartened Ye Tianfan, Tian Chu Zhenren smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, and said, "It's already very good. Being able to achieve this has already brought face to your master and Taihuo Peak."

Ye Tianfan awkwardly smiled, pressed his lips, and said nothing.

"Alright, rest well. I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow morning, you are to go to the Taichu Hall. The sect leader has something to say. The prize has already been awarded to Yun Tian-nephew after the competition ended. Going to the Taichu Hall is most likely to ask you about the matter regarding that cave during your previous training." After saying this, Tian Chu Zhenren patted his butt and turned to leave.

The next day.

After breakfast, Ye Tianfan passed through the large square of Taichu Peak and arrived at the Taichu Hall.

Immortal mist surrounded the Taichu Hall, still like the fairyland in people's dreams.

"You're here quite early."

While waiting outside the main hall, Ye Tianfan suddenly heard a gritting voice behind him.

Ye Tianfan turned around and saw it was Bai Feng, immediately giving a somewhat embarrassed smile.

While Ye Tianfan was talking with Bai Feng, Ma Feiyun arrived. After a brief greeting among them, they were called in by Senior Brother Yun Tian, who had walked out from the main hall.

Upon entering, Tian Chu Zhenren looked at the four people below and smiled, "I've called you here today for one matter: to investigate the demonic stronghold, Polo Cave, which Ye Tianfan discovered on his last training."

The group was astonished; investigating a demonic stronghold hinted that this would not be a small skirmish but rather real combat with lives on the line. Among the four, only Ye Tianfan and Senior Brother Yun Tian had experience in life-and-death situations, while the other two had not.

Then Tian Chu Zhenren motioned for Ye Tianfan to recount the incident at Polo Cave once more. After Ye Tianfan finished speaking, he said, "This matter is of great importance. You four are the top four in this year's nine-vein martial assembly, the elite of the Taichu Sect, and one of you is the person who discovered this event. Therefore, you are being sent to investigate. The demonic scum are insidious and ruthless; you all need to be careful not to be caught by them."

The four replied in unison, "Yes."

Tian Chu Zhenren nodded and said, "Additionally, for this investigation, besides our disciples from the Taichu Sect, I have also contacted several other sects who will be sending disciples to investigate alongside you. When you encounter them, do not let our Taichu Sect's momentum fall."

The four exchanged glances and collectively replied again, "Yes."

Seeing the group agree, Tian Chu Zhenren smiled and said, "Now, return to your respective peaks, pack up, and gather in front of the main hall by tomorrow morning, ready to set off after everyone has arrived. Off you go."

After finishing, Tian Chu Zhenren signaled for them to leave.

The group exited together.

Outside the hall, Ye Tianfan said to the other three, "I'll head back first; Taihuo Peak is somewhat far. If we pack quickly, we can set off this afternoon. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll finish."

The other three immediately agreed, as they didn't have much to pack, probably just some change of clothes and some silver taels.

Seeing their agreement, Ye Tianfan turned, summoned the Free Sword, and vanished in a flash, the speed of the Supreme Magical Treasure being frighteningly swift.

"I forgot," Bai Feng said regretfully, patting his head hard as he saw Ye Tianfan summon the Free Sword.

After they separated, by afternoon, when Ye Tianfan returned, the other three were already waiting for him.

As Ye Tianfan arrived, Senior Brother Yun Tian said directly, "Now that Junior Brother Tianfan is here, let's set off."

Afterwards, Senior Brother Yun Tian summoned the Big Dipper Seven-Star Sword and flew out of the Taichu Sect, with the other three summoning their flying swords and following after him.

They flew for nearly half a day, and as the sun was about to set, they needed to find a place to rest. They happened to see a city below. To avoid suspicion, Ye Tianfan and the others did not fly directly into the city but landed in a secluded spot outside the city.

After landing, they changed out of their Taichu Sect disciple robes into ordinary linen clothes and headed straight for the city, since it was getting late and the sun was about to set within the hour.

"Yu Garden City!"

Upon reaching the city gates, they saw the three big characters above the door.

Well, isn't this a coincidence, Ye Tianfan thought with a smile as he saw the city sign, realizing he had returned to the place where he stayed during his first training.

"Let's go. I've been here before," Ye Tianfan said, leading them onwards.

Seeing that someone was familiar with the place, the others followed Ye Tianfan's lead without question.

No one asked Ye Tianfan why he had been here before, as they were all smart enough to guess why.

Ye Tianfan led the group directly to the Jade Tower Garden. After all, it had an inn and was located on the busiest street in Yu Garden City. He guided them to the VIP hall on the seventh floor, which was still very quiet. This time the spacious seventh-floor hall had eight tables instead of nine, arranged in a Bagua formation, with familiar seats by the window.

Ye Tianfan casually picked a table and sat down—not choosing the window seats as before, since they were now four people and those seats only accommodated two. As soon as they sat, a waiter arrived with the menu.

After ordering a few hearty dishes, they began to ask Ye Tianfan about the Polo Cave. However, it was in vain as Ye Tianfan only knew its location but had never been inside.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Bai Feng said, "It's strange. We are so close to the window, it's open, and it was quite lively outside when we entered this inn. Yet now, we can't hear any sound from the outside."

Ye Tianfan smiled mysteriously and replied, "The owner of this inn has some background. I don't know the specifics, but it seems he's also a cultivator."

"I'm not a cultivator, I just know a lot of them!"

Just as Ye Tianfan finished speaking, someone stood up from a nearby seat and addressed the group.

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