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--- Chapter 301 ---
At night, Yun Yun remained wide awake.
She stared out of the small window nearby, gazing at the starry sky with a complicated expression.
When someone opened the door, she instinctively reached for her sword, only to remember that her storage ring wasn't on her finger.
As the door swung open, Yun Yun saw a gentle-looking woman in an azure white dress.
The woman smiled and said, "I heard that you're finally awake, Sect Master Yun. I am Ruo Ling, an Outer Court Teacher from the Jia Nan Academy."
She displayed a badge featuring a familiar tower and relief. Yun Yun sighed in relief upon recognizing it.
Yun Yun bowed slightly, saying, "Nice to meet you, Teacher Ruo. I am very grateful to you and your student for saving me."
"Ah, please don't bow to me, Sect Master Yun," Ruo Ling replied with a flustered expression because Yun Yun was a genuine Dou Emperor while she was merely a Dou Grandmaster Expert.
"I didn't do much besides cleaning your wounds. If it weren't for Han Yuan, I can't say I would have had the skills to bring you out of that critical condition."
Yun Yun smiled bitterly, "Still, I must thank you for not leaving me by that river..."
"I thought my own condition was bad enough, but from what you and he have said, I realize now that I could have truly died there."
"Can you tell me more about how you found me, Teacher Ruo?"
Ruo Ling nodded amiably, "Well, we have time."
"But before that, I have a few things to return to you." She sat down in a chair and began to set an inner armor, a storage ring, and a cracked sword on the bed.
"I believe these are yours."
Yun Yun stared at the cracked sword with a sad look and caressed it gently, saying, "Azure Light, I have shamed you..."
"Thank you for retrieving them for me, Teacher Ruo," she added.
Ruo Ling shook her head helplessly and smiled, "You're welcome. If you're ready, I can start telling you our side of the story."
Yun Yun nodded slightly, "Please..."
Ruo Ling compiled the details of her journey to the Jia Ma Empire from the Black Corner Region into short but concise stories.
When she recounted meeting Han Yuan in Wu Tan City, the beautiful sect leader gasped, finally remembering something.
"Is Han Yuan the rumored genius from the countryside who got taken by the rising Dou King Meng Xi?" Yun Yun asked curiously.
Ruo Ling nodded, smiling. "Yes, he is."
Yun Yun sighed wistfully, "To think it was actually him."
"Oh, does Sect Master Yun have any connection to Han Yuan or Dojo Master Meng Xi?" Ruo Ling inquired, her curiosity piqued.
Yun Yun sighed again, "We don't have any direct connections, just a sense of regret. As you may know, the Misty Cloud Sect cultivates wind dou techniques, but we also train others."
"When I heard that Soaring Wind Dojo's Meng Xi had taken a genius disciple with innate pure Wind and Lightning Dou Qi— the purest ever recorded in Jia Ma Empire history— I dug deeper into his background and regretted not being able to recruit him first."
Ruo Ling was at a loss for words. She wondered what expression Yun Yun would have if she revealed that Han Yuan also possessed pure Water and Wood Dou Qi, and that he could wield them skillfully. Even Ruo Ling felt that Han Yuan surpassed her abilities.
Yun Yun recalled the handsome face of that young man. "I suspect Han Yuan possesses a unique physique to have such pure innate Dou Qi."
"That is why I established a branch in Wu Tan City to keep an eye on him. It's no surprise that Han Yuan's cultivation has progressed rapidly in such a short time."
"The last report I received mentioned that Han Yuan might have reached the Dou Grandmaster Realm, and he's only twelve..."
"Even the student I recently took, while a genius herself, isn't as extraordinary as Han Yuan."
"Sect Master Yun, anything could happen in this world," Ruo Ling said, shaking her head helplessly. "After I recruited Han Yuan and brought him to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, we somehow found you."
"So, while you may not be able to take Han Yuan as your disciple, he still saved your life."
"That's true, I guess." Yun Yun got struck by Ruo Ling's words and then giggled in realization.
Ruo Ling stared at Yun Yun and asked solemnly, "Sect Master Yun, if I may know, what actually happened that made you injured that badly in the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"
Yun Yun closed her mouth, putting on a weary look, "I got some news that the Rank 6 Amethyst Winged Lion King recently gave birth to a progeny, which means it also produces Amethyst Birth Essence."
"Amethyst Birth Essence is a rare treasure, capable of strengthening one's foundation, which is just what my new student needed to break through."
"I underestimated the Amethyst Winged Lion King and got injured by its corroding fire Dou Qi, which sealed my own Dou Qi, and in the end, I was barely hanging on to my life."
"This..." Ruo Ling didn't expect the mighty sect master to experience such a downfall.
Yun Yun shook her head gently, "Honestly, it was my fault. I should have checked the information more carefully first."
"Normally, the Amethyst Winged Lion King should have gotten weakened upon giving birth, the news said so, but who said there is only one Amethyst Winged Lion?"
"What?" Ruo Ling was shocked. "Are you saying that there are two Amethyst Winged Lion Kings, Sect Master Yun?"
Yun Yun nodded solemnly, "To be exact, it was Amethyst Winged Lion King and a female Storm Dragon Lion."
"Storm Dragon Lion! That's an extinct Magical Beast with pure dragon's blood!" Ruo Ling was even more shocked.
Yun Yun nodded, "Indeed, it was the long extinct Storm Dragon Lion who mated with the Amethyst Winged Lion King. So, while the news about the Amethyst Winged Lion King giving birth is true, the informant actually lied to me, or more precisely, didn't have the whole truth themselves."
Then, she added confidently, "But don't worry, as long as I recovered my strength, the Amethyst Winged Lion King wouldn't catch me off guard anymore."
Ruo Ling believed in Yun Yun, but still had to say something on her part as well, "That's natural, Sect Master Yun, but I am afraid we don't have much time left."
"What do you mean?" Yun Yun tilted her head in confusion.
Ruo Ling sighed, "I am afraid the Amethyst Winged Lion King is chasing you, no, us, in this regard. We don't have much time left, which means we will leave this town soon."
'Right! How could I be so naive?' Yun Yun regretted her foolish decision immediately.
Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion from outside the town.
BOOM!
Outside the town, a giant purple-furred lion with bat-like wings hovered in the sky.
"ROAR! SHAMELESS HUMAN, FACE MY WRATH!"
"Oh, no..." The two women paled upon this.
"Sect Master Yun, please recover your strength quickly!" Ruo Ling said while gripping Yun Yun's hands. "I need to evacuate my students and townspeople to safety first!"
Yun Yun gave Ruo Ling a determined look, "Leave it to me."
Meanwhile, on the top of the inn, Han Yuan and the girls perched casually while enjoying snacks.
"Wow, what a big lion~!" Qing Lin said while stuffing her mouth with candied fruits.
"I have told Ling Ying to evacuate the residents of the towns away from the area," Gu Xun'er said while enjoying her candied fruit as well. "What should we do next, Han Yuan?"
"We wait." Han Yuan replied casually.
Xiao Yixian rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me you're going to wait until the opportunity to show off comes?"
Han Yuan faked a cough, "Ehem, you don't have to expose me like that right away."
"As long as no one is getting hurt, everything is okay, right?"
"I will also reimburse the residents for their loss later."
"That's true, I suppose..." Xiao Yixian murmured, gazing at him somewhat suspiciously.
Gu Xun'er stared at the Amethyst Winged Lion King, "Even then, this lion is much stronger than I expected. A peak Rank 6? It's close to Rank 7 because it already shows a sign of manifesting Spatial Power."
She glanced at the bedroom a few meters below, "Is the Sect Master Yun going to be okay facing such a powerful beast?"
"She's going to be alright," Han Yuan answered confidently. "I healed all her injuries, even the old ones, and infused my abundant Life Force into her body, which restored her potential."
'I also bestowed her with more luck using my Purple Dawn Mist martial soul.'
"Let's just hope she plays her part well..."
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Alternative Title: Night Attack, the Stage is Set!