Meeting Han Yan

Mo Qingkuang did not immediately rush to catch up with the team led by Chen Kong. Instead, he first went to the Treasure Pavilion to exchange some medicinal pills for healing injuries and restoring true qi. 

During his retreat in the valley, Mo Qingkuang pushed himself to the limit, using Qi Replenishing pills when his true qi was exhausted and Blood Coagulation pills when he was injured. He had long since used up all his resources. 

He had consumed two thousand pills like they were candy, leaving not a single one left. 

Fortunately, even with his third-to-last ranking, he could still earn dozens of points each month. 

This time, he couldn't afford to be as extravagant as three months ago. He only exchanged a few bottles to have on hand for self-defence. 

He also visited the External Affairs Office to accept his first mission since joining the inner courtyard. 

The mission was written in red letters: Acquire the 'Fallen Leaf Compendium' 

Mission reward: Five thousand points 

Such a reward was undoubtedly generous, but in reality, these five thousand points would be divided among everyone the Imperial Academy sent to the Fallen Leaf King's Tomb. 

Points would be distributed according to each member's contribution, with the student who ultimately acquired the 'Fallen Leaf Compendium' receiving one thousand points. 

In the inner courtyard, red-level missions were the highest level, typically requiring teamwork and rarely assigned to individuals. 

The missions ranked below by difficulty were black-level, purple-level, and yellow-level. 

Most students generally focused on yellow-level missions, which offered modest rewards but were sufficient for daily cultivation needs. 

Strong individuals like Chen Kong usually started with purple-level missions, often took on black-level missions, and occasionally teamed up for red-level ones. 

For someone like Mo Qingkuang to take on a red-level mission as his first task was a stroke of luck, coinciding with the timing. 

He didn't ride a horse. Given that the main team was a day ahead, he would have a hard time catching up on horseback. 

His own speed was far faster than that of a horse. By giving it his all, he could catch up in less than ten hours. 

Mo Fan also instructed him to rely on his own legs for travel whenever possible and avoid using transportation. 

If he became exhausted, he could replenish his strength with qi-replenishing pills. Such extreme exertion was also a form of training. 

With a mouthful of qi-replenishing pills, Mo Qingkuang transformed into a blur, racing in the direction the main team had taken. 

By the afternoon of the next day, Mo Qingkuang had indeed caught up with the Imperial Academy's horse convoy. 

The leading instructor was Wu Ming. This time, the Imperial Academy had sent out all its elite members under the age of twenty, totalling nearly a hundred people, including new students from the outer courtyard hoping to try their luck. 

These people were the future backbone of the Imperial Academy and could not be allowed to suffer any losses. Hence, Zheng Tao dispatched Wu Ming to lead the team personally, accompanied by ten grandmaster-realm instructors. 

"Wu Ming," Mo Qingkuang greeted, appearing as a light breeze beside Wu Ming's horse. 

Wu Ming glanced at him. He had noticed Mo Qingkuang as soon as he approached the convoy. 

"You're here? The dean couldn't persuade you after all," Wu Ming said, not surprised by Mo Qingkuang's arrival. From the beginning, he knew Zheng Tao wouldn't be able to dissuade him. 

Despite Mo Qingkuang's usual carefree attitude, he would risk his life for opportunities. 

The Fallen Leaf King's Tomb was no less valuable than the Nianhua King's Tomb. As the biggest winner of the Nianhua King's Tomb, how could Mo Qingkuang willingly give this up? 

Mo Qingkuang smiled, "The teacher means well, but staying in the inner courtyard to cultivate is not what I want." 

"Yes, without striving, there's no achievement." Wu Ming nodded, then looked at Mo Qingkuang, who appeared relaxed, and said helplessly, "Do you plan to keep running like this?" 

Mo Qingkuang's speed was fast, but he wasn't running frantically. With just a light touch of his toes on the ground, he could glide forward nearly ten zhang, and it didn't consume much energy. 

This demonstrated Mo Qingkuang's mastery of speed, wind, and spatial utilization, achieving maximum speed with minimal energy consumption. 

"Just getting some exercise, it's no big deal," Mo Qingkuang replied casually, gradually becoming accustomed to this constant state of training. 

Wu Ming showed a hint of gratification on his face. Despite his flaws, this kid was indeed diligent. 

"Not bad." 

Mo Qingkuang grinned sheepishly, staying close to Wu Ming. 

After a while, Wu Ming noticed Mo Qingkuang still by his side and showed a trace of annoyance on his face. "What are you still doing here?" 

Mo Qingkuang ingratiatingly replied, "Waiting for your orders, Wu Shi." 

Wu Ming was the leader of this Imperial Academy team and the guarantee of everyone's safety. Mo Qingkuang had some personal connections with Wu Ming, so staying by his side was definitely the safest place. 

Mo Qingkuang's reasoning was sound, but he overlooked one thing. 

Wu Ming suddenly showed a strange smile. "Kid, I suggest you look back." 

Mo Qingkuang turned around and was almost startled into falling under the horse's hooves by a pair of beautiful eyes filled with resentment staring at him. 

Just five zhang behind Wu Ming, Han Yan, dressed in white and wearing a delicate veil, was riding a beautiful maroon horse, following closely behind. 

Seeing this, Mo Qingkuang's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, how could he have forgotten about this lady? 

He quickly leapt and floated to Han Yan's side. "Yan'er..." 

Han Yan turned her head away angrily, refusing to look at him. 

Mo Qingkuang swiftly moved to the other side of the horse. "Yan'er." 

Han Yan frowned, snorted, and turned her head away again. 

Mo Qingkuang knew she was angry. After signing up, he had gone to the depths of the Fulong Mountains to seclude himself and hadn't even stayed a single night in the inner courtyard. In his rush, his mind was preoccupied with the hell training technique, and he forgot to notify Han Yan. 

This was a disaster. No girl wouldn't be angry if she was left without a word. 

Seeing Mo Qingkuang's face, which she both loved and hated after three months only intensified Han Yan's uncontrollable anger. 

That day, while Mo Qingkuang was meeting Zheng Tao, Han Yan had found him a residence, conveniently next to hers. 

With full anticipation, she had tidied up the residence, waiting for him to return. 

Only to discover that this jerk was missing! He had disappeared without a trace. 

After much investigation, she learned that some inner courtyard senior brothers had seen him heading into the depths of the Fulong Mountains. 

'Fine, he must have something important to do.' Han Yan wasn't unreasonable, so she waited. 

But this wait lasted three months. Mo Qingkuang disappeared for three months without a single word. If it weren't for her insufficient strength to enter the depths of the Fulong Mountains, she might have already gone looking for him, knife in hand. 

Seeing that it had been so long and not knowing when Mo Qingkuang would return, she decided to join the main team at the Fallen Leaf King's Tomb to take her mind off things. 

Just then, this jerk suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Han Yan spotted him immediately and urged her horse closer. 

Not noticing her, he just followed Wu Ming without saying a word, making Han Yan grit her teeth in anger! 

Seeing that Mo Qingkuang had finally noticed her and came over, she had already decided not to pay him any attention.

***

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