Zhuo Yifeng was just about to return to the central college when Yun Ruoyan called him back. He turned around. Yun Ruoyan was just about to speak when someone interrupted her.

“Brother Zhuo, Sister Ruoyan!”

The two of them both turned to the source of the voice: Lin Qingxue, along with Lin Qingchen, Zong Yang, and a male student neither of them were particularly familiar with, were walking toward them.

“Qingxue, Qingchen, Senior Zong Yang, what are all of you doing here?” Yun Ruoyan asked.

“Brother Zhuo, your new shield’s beautiful!” Lin Qingxue commented.

“I just received it, and it really is a work of art,” Zhuo Yifeng replied coolly.

“May I touch it?” Lin Qingxue walked past Yun Ruoyan and approached Zhuo Yifeng’s side. Zhuo Yifeng lowered the shield in his hands and allowed her to admire it, as though the two of them were in their own little bubble.

Yun Ruoyan became more worried about Lin Qingxue, and Lin Qingchen also shook her head at her sister’s naivete. “Provost Cang was the one who sent us here, saying that the first elder wants to speak with us.”

“The first elder wants to speak with you?” Yun Ruoyan had an uneasy premonition. During the elders’ meeting, the first elder had stated that the southern college would supply four more students for the otherworld expedition. Did these four students include the Lin sisters and Zong Yang?!

“Junior Sister Yun, Junior Brother Zhuo, we’re going to head in now. It wouldn’t do to make the first elder wait for too long.” Zong Yang waved.

“Sister Ruoyan, we’ll head in now!” Lin Qingchen firmly pulled Lin Qingxue away from Zhuo Yifeng, then followed Zong Yang and the other male student into the southern tower.

“Brother Zhuo, Sister Ruoyan!” Lin Qingxue called back. “When I’m free, I’ll go find both of you to play!”

“Wait for me!” Yun Ruoyan called out, joining their group. “I’ll follow you in.”

She turned to Zhuo Yifeng. “I’ll find you some other day in the central college.”

Zhuo Yifeng nodded, then turned and left. Meanwhile, Yun Ruoyan followed the Lin sisters and Zong Yang into the southern tower.

“Ah, you’re here.” The first elder was just stepping out of the tower with Li Mo, and he met the group of five at the door.

“You four, come with me.” The first elder turned and walked inside. The Lin sisters, Zong Yang, and the other male student all followed behind him. Yun Ruoyan glanced at Li Mo and walked inside with the group, and Li Mo naturally followed.

“Sister Ruoyan, do you know why the first elder wants to talk with us?” Lin Qingchen asked. She saw that Yun Ruoyan’s face was very serious, and that she was glancing at the two of them worriedly.

Rather than answer Lin Qingchen’s question directly, Yun Ruoyan mumbled, “I just hope it’s not what I think it is…”

As they headed into the conference room, Yun Ruoyan subconsciously walked in front of the Lin sisters, stepping forward and shielding them from the first elder. The first elder glanced at her for a moment, then motioned for everyone to sit.

The southern tower was where Li Mo and the first elder resided, and the Lin sisters had never been inside it before. They were both a little excited and somewhat nervous; their backs were straight against the seats of their chairs, and their expressions, though serious, were interlaced with curiosity and anticipation. There had to be some exceptional reason for them to be sent here.

“Today, I’ve sent for all of you because I have something to announce.” The first elder looked at everyone gathered with a solemn expression. “Nine of the students chosen to participate in the expedition to the alternate dimension have passed away during training, so these slots will be replenished from the various colleges. I’ve chosen you four to fill the four vacant seats left for the southern college.”

“First Elder!” Yun Ruoyan hurriedly stood up, but he signalled for her to sit down and remain silent.

“Yan’er, sit. Let the first elder finish.” Li Mo patted Yun Ruoyan’s back; despite her anxiety and misgivings, she sat back down in her chair.

In sharp contrast to Yun Ruoyan’s misgivings, the Lin sisters, Zong Yang, and that other male student were all excited and honored to be chosen for something so important.

“This expedition will be particularly dangerous,” the first elder continued. “You may choose not to participate—”

“No, we’ll go!” Before the first elder could finish, Lin Qingxue stood up excitedly.

Yun Ruoyan was sitting right by Lin Qingxue’s side, and she hurriedly tugged on her hand. “Qingxue, going to the otherworld isn’t going to be a fun excursion. I recommend that neither you nor Qingchen go.”

“Why not?” the Lin sisters asked simultaneously.

“It’s dangerous.”

“We know! The first elder mentioned it himself.” Lin Qingxue replied, a bright smile still on her face. “But as long as we stay with you and Brother Zhuo, I believe we can overcome any danger!”

“Right, Sister Ruoyan. We’ve been together through the imperial realm and the incoming students’ training, haven’t we? Qingxue and I believe that, as long as we’re with you, we’ll be able to overcome whatever danger comes our way.” Lin Qingchen also seemed set on participating in the expedition.

“No, you don’t understand—in those cases, the danger came from the beasts we faced, as well as students with about the same cultivation as us. This time, however, we’re going against beasts and cultivators from another dimension, and the dangers and difficulties involved will be far greater.”

“Junior Sister Ruoyan, as cultivators, how can we back down from adversity? Only with adversity comes opportunity and growth.” Even Zong Yang disagreed with her. “As a senior student of Kongming Academy, I’ve heard quite a bit about the otherworld, and particularly about how only one-tenth of students will ever make it back. Allegedly, most of the others will die, and a rare few will choose to make that alternate dimension their new home. However, everyone that returns becomes a person of note on the Mingyuan continent, so this is both a challenge and an opportunity. I thought that I’d missed my chance, but now…!”

“But—” Yun Ruoyan wanted to persuade them against the idea further, but Lin Qingxue broke her off.

“Sister Ruoyan, Sister Qingchen and I have both grown up, and we have the ability to protect ourselves. Won’t you let us go with you?”

“Sister Ruoyan,” Lin Qingchen murmured, “of the new students in Kongming Academy, Qingxue and I have the most advanced cultivation. If we don’t go, these other students will have to go instead. Won’t they be in greater danger than we are?”

Yun Ruoyan couldn’t deny that they had valid points, but she had another cause for reservation: all students had to be eighth-rank of above to enter the otherworld, and all those who didn’t meet this criterion would be forced to raise their cultivation by ingesting a particular spiritual pill. However, doing so implied that they would forever remain eighth-rank blademasters.

“I have eight gathering-spirit pills, which are particularly efficacious in helping you gather spiritual energy and break through a bottleneck in your cultivation. These were made from four heavenly spirit fruits which I obtained during my own excursions into the otherworld,” the first elder began. “Take these four pills for now—they’ll help you reach the peak of seventh rank quickly. Zong Yang’s already an eighth-rank blademaster, and the rest of you are all seventh rank. With two pills each and the next two months’ training, it’s not impossible that you’ll make it to eighth-rank by the date of the expedition.”

The Lin sisters and Zong Yang were all overjoyed to be able to receive such a precious spiritual pill. In general, it took between three and four years for an average cultivator to break through from seventh to eighth rank, and those who weren’t talented would be stuck at seventh rank for the rest of their lives. However, now that they had an opportunity to progress so quickly…

When Yun Ruoyan saw that the first elder was even willing to hand them such precious pills for the expedition, she couldn’t object to their participation despite her reservations. Zong Yang and the male student eagerly accepted the pills that the first elder handed them, then consumed them without a second thought.

“Sister Ruoyan…” The Lin siblings both looked anxiously and expectantly at Yun Ruoyan, and she finally nodded.

The Lin sisters immediately accepted the pills from the first elder and downed one each.

“The medicinal effects of the pills will be apparent within the hour. Head back to your cottages now and prepare to cultivate,” the first elder instructed.

As they left the southern tower, Zong Yang and the male student walked back together towards the male housing complex, whereas Yun Ruoyan had Lin Qingxue accompany Lin Qingchen to her bamboo garden to cultivate. She would keep guard over them both.

Because Li Mo had something to say to her, Yun Ruoyan had the Lin siblings leave first.

“What’s the matter?” she asked Li Mo.

Li Mo sighed. “I had intended on cultivating with you tonight, Yan’er, but my mother bade me talk to her urgently. It looks like our plans will have to be delayed until tomorrow.”

His tone and indecent, lascivious expression caused Yun Ruoyan to laugh, letting her temporarily ignore the burdens that were plaguing her.

“That’s right, my dear consort, you should keep smiling like that.” Li Mo cupped her cheeks and promised, “The outerworld might be dangerous, but it is a place filled with opportunities. With both of us present, I’m sure we can guarantee the safety of your cousins.”

Yun Ruoyan nodded, placing her petite hands in his larger ones, feeling the warmth that radiated from him. “When you return, I’ll be waiting for you in my cottage. Please pay my respects to your mother on my behalf as well.”