Chapter 107: The Frenzied Fire Sunbird

“Hey, senior apprentice brother, couldn’t you have said something before taking action? And your soul imprint jade token—can’t you spare me just one?”
“Enough nonsense. Go handle the situation outside.”

...

The voices reached Liu Pan’s ears, and he suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that the spatial confinement around him had been lifted.

As the author, though he had long known subconsciously the terror of a Martial Emperor realm expert, facing it in reality was an ordeal beyond words.

His entire body was soaked through, and he had forgotten even how to breathe. Liu Pan felt it was already a great feat that he could still stand upright at this moment.

He stiffly raised his neck and saw two figures: one clad in red, the other in black.

“I’m coming immediately,” Yang Yi replied, but his gaze fell on Liu Pan with a hint of oddity. “Senior apprentice brother, weren’t we supposed to be capturing an evil cultivator? Why bring this kid back? There’s no trace of evil energy on him.”

“We’ll talk later,” the man in black frowned, scrutinizing Liu Pan with a strange look in his eyes.

Nodding, Yang Yi said no more. With a wave, a long blade rose into the air, carrying him through the window and out.

In the square, though the man in black had left, many remained frozen in place, not daring to breathe, trembling and sweating profusely.

“All disciples participating in the assessment, pay attention!”

A sudden voice exploded, drawing everyone’s gaze skyward.

Casting a glance at the nearly hundred cultivators surrounding the disciples of the Burning Heaven Sect, Yang Yi spoke calmly, “That was the first round of assessments. Now, all those still standing may proceed to the second round. Those who have fallen are eliminated.”

Despite Yang Yi’s words, the square remained silent. In truth, many were still unable to fully recover from the previous spatial confinement.

Ignoring the bewildered faces, Yang Yi’s eyes shifted to a disciple of the Burning Heaven Sect. “Yang Jin! You’ll arrange the next assessment.”

With those words, Yang Yi wasted no time, mounting his blade and returning to the inn occupied by the Burning Heaven Sect.

Only after a long while did the square gradually regain some vitality...

...

“Tell me, who are you?” The man in black glanced at the fiery sunbird in the cage, lively and alert, then back at Liu Pan, his eyes filled with increasing curiosity.

Though the presence of a Martial Emperor realm expert startled Liu Pan greatly, as an author, his capacity for acceptance and comprehension far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. Thus, he gradually regained his composure as the man in black questioned him.

“Respectfully, I am Liu Pan, a disciple of the Cloudflow Sect,” he answered with reverence, though his voice trembled slightly.

Liu Pan was somewhat familiar with the man in black—after all, there were only two Martial Emperor realm experts in the entire Southern Commandery.

The man’s name was Li Feiyang, the second-in-command of the Burning Heaven Sect and the Southern Commandery, ranking just below the sect leader. Although he appeared to be about thirty, he was actually over three centuries old.

For martial cultivators of a certain level, their physical functions were vigorous, and appearances could be altered at will. Only near death or when their inner energy depleted would their true visage be revealed.

In Liu Pan’s writing, Li Feiyang seemed outwardly kind and approachable. Yet, due to various reasons, his inner self was far more restrained and oppressive. If he ever lost control, Liu Pan dared not imagine what he might do.

Though Li Feiyang’s inner torment was profound, he generally maintained normalcy. What surprised Liu Pan was that Li Feiyang had come all the way to this remote border near the Southern Commandery.

“Cloudflow Sect?” Li Feiyang paused slightly, as if recalling something. “Wasn’t there someone named Zhang Zu who recently went to your sect recruiting disciples?”

“Yes, senior,” Liu Pan replied respectfully.

“What did he do and say at the Cloudflow Sect? Tell me everything you saw truthfully,” Li Feiyang demanded.

“Well...” Liu Pan hesitated, a bit puzzled by the question. After a brief pause, he chose honesty. “Senior, when Zhang Zu came to the Cloudflow Sect, I was away on a mission and didn’t witness the event firsthand. I only know from other disciples that Zhang Zu recruited two people—one named Liu Kuang and another named Xiao Hanyi...”

Before Liu Pan finished, a voice outside interrupted, and Yang Yi flew in through the window.

“What did you say? Zhang Zu recruited two people? Damn! No wonder that old fellow fled so quickly—looks like he was afraid we’d steal his credit!” Yang Yi said exasperatedly, glancing at the man in black and then smirking slyly, “If that old guy knew you came this time, he’d understand it doesn’t matter whether he escapes or not.”

Li Feiyang ignored Yang Yi’s words but fixed his gaze on Liu Pan with an inscrutable stare. “You weren’t at the sect when Zhang Zu came?”

Liu Pan’s heart skipped an imperceptible beat. He had assumed Li Feiyang’s attention was on the Cloudflow Sect or Zhang Zu but hadn’t expected it to remain focused on him.

“Yes, senior. I was assigned an external mission and didn’t even catch a glimpse of Zhang Zu, let alone the recruitment,” Liu Pan answered respectfully, now understanding why Li Feiyang’s questioning had taken such a circuitous route.

Ultimately, Li Feiyang never trusted him from the start; the seemingly irrelevant questions were merely probes.

Liu Pan sighed inwardly. When facing these true old monsters, his thoughts were still too naive. More importantly, under the aura of such an ancient expert, he dared not lie.

Glancing at the fiery sunbird still lively in the cage, Li Feiyang pondered briefly, then produced a transparent crystal orb from his storage ring and handed it to Liu Pan.

“Let’s test your aptitude,” Li Feiyang said, though half his gaze remained on the fiery sunbird.

Liu Pan’s heart tightened. Since his tribulation crossing, he had become aware of his body’s condition.

Previously, during the spatial confinement, he had concealed all his aura. He had only guessed his body had issues, but when the fiery sunbird appeared before him, he realized his condition was indeed severe.

Under Li Feiyang’s watchful eyes, Liu Pan didn’t hesitate and placed his hand on the crystal orb.

In fact, he was not overly worried because his cultivation method was the Profound Ice Technique—a popular and orthodox martial art, certainly not a demonic or forbidden technique.

As he activated the skill and channeled his inner power into the orb, his carefully concealed aura burst uncontrollably outward.

Instantly, all three of them were startled.

At the moment Liu Pan’s aura scattered, the fiery sunbird in the cage suddenly became frenzied, its feathers fluffing wildly as it crashed against the cage, screaming and bleeding, blood splattering everywhere.

But within moments, the sunbird calmed, collapsing bloodied and trembling inside the cage. It was clear that it had sustained serious injuries during its earlier rage.

Though down, its mood remained fiercely agitated.

“Senior brother, this...” Yang Yi’s voice was full of confusion and surprise as his gaze flickered between the crystal orb in Liu Pan’s hand and the fiery sunbird.

Li Feiyang’s eyes also showed puzzlement, but deep within them was an inexplicable gleam.

Just as Li Feiyang was about to speak, a knock suddenly sounded on the door, followed by voices from outside.

“Sect Leader Li, two disciples from the Cloudflow Sect have arrived requesting an audience.”

Li Feiyang furrowed his brow, glanced at Liu Pan, and after a moment’s thought, said, “Let them in.”

He then put away the crystal orb and looked at Yang Yi. “Take the fiery sunbird somewhere to heal. Don’t let it die—we only have this one. If it dies, any future complications will be difficult to manage.”

Yang Yi nodded but still looked at Liu Pan with suspicion before flying out the window with the sunbird.

Soon, another knock sounded, and the voice from earlier came again.

“Sect Leader Li, the visitors have arrived.”

“Bring them in,” Li Feiyang said, glancing once more at Liu Pan.

The door creaked open, and two figures cautiously entered.

One was a man in his thirties, dressed in a purple robe—someone unfamiliar to Liu Pan. The other was familiar: Elder Zhao Huan, the Cloudflow Sect’s water alchemy elder.

Once inside, both scanned the room, exchanged a subtle nod, then approached Li Feiyang and bowed.

The man in purple spoke respectfully, “I am Lü Hongqing, leader of the Cloudflow Sect. Greetings, senior.”

Elder Zhao also bowed, “I am Zhao Huan. Greetings, senior.”

“What brings you here?” Li Feiyang asked, giving them a once-over.

Lü Hongqing bowed again before turning his gaze to Liu Pan. “Senior, this disciple you took from the square is from our Cloudflow Sect. We are uncertain why he was taken and are deeply anxious. We come to entreat your magnanimity. If this disciple has committed unforgivable offenses, we beg you to show mercy and not punish our sect.”

Li Feiyang frowned but suddenly said coldly, “Coming here at this hour to spout nonsense—you Cloudflow Sect leader is quite clever.”

Lü Hongqing was startled, trembling involuntarily, and quickly bowed again. “We are most fearful.”

“That’s enough,” Li Feiyang said, producing a storage ring from somewhere and tossing it to Lü Hongqing. “Take this—it’s what your Cloudflow Sect deserves. Also, we want this person for the Burning Heaven Sect. If there are no problems, you may leave.”

His gaze fixed on Liu Pan, leaving no doubt about his intentions.

Shortly after, Lü Hongqing and Zhao Huan withdrew.

Li Feiyang looked at Liu Pan, an odd expression deepening in his eyes. After a long pause, he said, “Is there something different about how you cultivate compared to others?”

Liu Pan was momentarily taken aback, but before he could answer, a knock sounded again.

“Sect Leader Li, someone has arrived claiming to know secrets about Liu Pan and Liu Kuang. He hopes to meet with you.”

(To be continued.)