Chapter 443: Chapter 411: Luoying City

「The next day.」

Having eaten well and slept soundly, Li Qian was in peak condition.

"We’re leaving." After bidding farewell to Elder Tie and Teacher Han Ke, they left the Garrison Mansion.

The two elders were now the Guardian Envoys of Feihua City. While Feihua City was only a small city, it was home to over a hundred thousand people, so its security couldn’t be taken lightly.

That was why neither of them could accompany Li Qian to Luoying Valley.

The task of accompanying him naturally fell to Senior Sister Yilina.

Li Qian had originally planned to refuse. After all, with the trump cards he had up his sleeve, he really didn’t need to worry about his safety.

However, Senior Sister Yilina had insisted on coming along, reasoning that as a special talent being cultivated by the university, Li Qian’s safety had to be guaranteed.

Li Qian could only agree with a sense of helplessness, as Principal Park had specifically warned him not to reveal certain trump cards unless it was a last resort.

Therefore, he couldn’t explain the situation to Irina in detail.

’Besides, with Senior Sister Yilina around, a guy and a girl traveling together... this training trip would definitely be more pleasant.’

For the sake of that potential pleasantness, Li Qian tacitly allowed her to come along.

"Senior Sister Yilina, do you know why that valley is called ’Luoying Valley’?"

On the way, Li Qian asked doubtfully, "Is it named for some poetic reason, like ’the poignant beauty of fragrant grass and a shower of falling petals’? Because when I went there for the evolution last time, I took a look around. There didn’t seem to be any scenery worth mentioning."

"’The poignant beauty of fragrant grass and a shower of falling petals’? You’re quite the wordsmith. A pity that’s completely wrong."

Irina’s voice was placid as she said, "The valley is called Luoying Valley because the Dimensional Rift there leads to a Deep Elemental Plane. Within that plane is an abandoned ancient city. According to ruinologists, that city was named Luoying City."

Li Qian gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, so that’s how it is."

In truth, Li Qian wasn’t just trying to make conversation for the sake of it. The atmosphere had become a little awkward, and he wanted to liven things up.

As they walked side by side, Senior Sister Yilina suddenly spoke up. "Don’t take what my mom said last night to heart."

Li Qian was taken aback for a moment before quickly recovering. "I won’t, I won’t. I understand where Teacher Han Ke is coming from."

"Still, these things depend on fate."

Li Qian could only offer some platitudes. He was really starting to regret bringing Senior Sister Yilina along.

A strange atmosphere always seemed to develop between them.

It was the same kind of awkwardness he remembered from his past life on Earth, like after a matchmaking session when the parents would leave the two kids alone to "get to know each other."

A bit constrained, a bit uneasy, and a bit guarded.

After a few more brief exchanges, silence fell between them once more.

Luoying Valley wasn’t far, and they arrived before long.

"Uncle He!" Upon entering Luoying Castle, Li Qian was led by Senior Sister Yilina to a middle-aged man in armor.

According to Irina’s description, this man, surnamed He, was a former colleague of Elder Tie. His power had also reached Dominator Peak.

He was just one step away from breaking through to the Emperor Level.

With the recent opening of the Deep Dimensional Rift, this new outpost, Luoying Castle, had been established in Luoying Valley. He was the person in charge here.

"Ah, it’s little Irina." Seeing Irina leading a young man inside, the middle-aged man’s expression was a little strange.

"Uncle He, this student is named Li Qian. He’s a new student from our Shazhou Beast Taming University, here to get some experience." Irina introduced Li Qian.

"Hello, Vice Envoy He!" Li Qian nodded, greeting the man with what he hoped was a friendly smile.

"Young man, very impressive. Reaching Commander Level as a freshman... your future is limitless." Vice Envoy He returned the gesture with a kind smile.

"Uncle He, please don’t call me ’little Irina.’ I’m not little anymore—I’ve already graduated with my doctorate."

In front of the kind Vice Envoy, Irina, for once, showed a hint of her younger, more girlish self.

She continued, "Besides, I’ve already submitted my application. It won’t be long before I’m transferred to Feihua City to become a Vice Guardian Envoy, just like you!"

"That would be wonderful. Then we’ll be colleagues," Vice Envoy He said, smiling at Irina.

The three chatted warmly for a few more moments before going their separate ways. Vice Envoy He had his duties, and Li Qian and Irina couldn’t linger for long.

Normally, Li Qian’s Adventurer’s Badge Level wouldn’t be high enough for him to enter a Deep Elemental Plane.

However, since Irina was with him, and her level was more than sufficient, she could bring him along.

This was the second reason he had to bring her along.

Otherwise, his only option would have been to see if he could get in through a special application.

Arriving before the Deep Dimensional Rift, they stepped inside. With a flash of light and shadow, Li Qian and Irina’s figures abruptly disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, they reappeared in another world entirely.

The world was a hazy gray, and the light was dim, reminiscent of the Ancestral Star just before a storm.

There was neither a sun nor a moon in the sky, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

"So this is a Deep Elemental Plane?" Li Qian murmured, taking in his surroundings.

"Deep Elemental Planes are different from Shallow Elemental Planes. The deeper the plane, the more chaotic its natural order—the cycles of yin and yang, the changing of seasons, and the alternation of day and night."

Irina glanced at the sky. "This is a Third-Layer Elemental Plane, so conditions are still relatively stable. Even though there’s no sun or moon, there is still a day-night cycle."

Li Qian was a little dumbfounded. "No sun and no moon? Then how does day alternate with night?"

’No matter how you looked at it, it seemed completely unscientific.’

’But then again, this was a Deep Elemental Plane. Unscientific was par for the course.’

Irina continued to explain, "How does it work? It’s simple. It’s like being in a room. When it’s time, the light just switches off. When it’s time again, it switches back on."

Hearing this, Li Qian’s brain short-circuited for a moment, but he quickly understood what she meant.

He felt a flicker of anticipation, curious to see what this so-called "switching off" and "switching on" of the lights would actually be like.

For now, however, he pushed aside those stray thoughts and began to observe his surroundings with concentration.

Buildings filled his vision. All kinds of structures, tall and short, were packed densely together, covering a vast area.

A quick scan was enough for Li Qian to realize that this abandoned city was no smaller than Feihua City.

The city was filled with all sorts of buildings, all of them built from stone, giving them a primitive and desolate appearance.

This place must have once been an extremely prosperous city, the kind bustling with people. Now, it was desolate and dilapidated, a complete wreck.

Many of the buildings had collapsed, worn down by the river of time, and the city was overgrown with weeds and scrub.

"So this is Luoying City!" Li Qian exclaimed, gazing all around.

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