Chapter 62

In the guest room, the furnishings were quite simple, with only one bed and two white cushions on the floor. There was nothing else.

"Brother Lu, I am about to start my cultivation. Please make yourself comfortable," Sima Ye said indifferently as he entered the room, leaped up, and sat cross-legged on one of the white cushions. He slowly closed his eyes and did not look at Lu Tianyu again.

"This Brother Sima is truly an odd person, so few words," Lu Tianyu thought to himself. He was still very excited from the first round of the competition today and had many topics to discuss with Sima Ye. However, he did not expect Sima Ye to be so peculiar and start cultivating without a word.

Lu Tianyu glanced at Sima Ye and shook his head with a bitter smile. Since he was unwilling to talk more, it was fine.

So, Lu Tianyu walked to the other white cushion, ready to sit down cross-legged.

"Brother Lu, you should go to the bed. I don't like being too close to others during cultivation," Sima Ye suddenly opened his eyes and said indifferently.

As he spoke, Lu Tianyu could clearly smell a faint, peculiar fragrance emanating from Sima Ye.

"Uh, alright then," Lu Tianyu could only nod with a bitter smile, muttering to himself, "This Brother Sima is truly an odd person, with many quirks."

Lu Tianyu got on the bed, sat cross-legged, and glanced at Sima Ye sitting on the white cushion. After taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, he slowly entered a state of cultivation.

After completing two cycles of his cultivation technique, Lu Tianyu immediately opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

It was now midnight, and the room was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the window lattice, casting a dim light on the floor.

But with Lu Tianyu's current strength, he could see clearly in the dark. As his gaze swept the room, he was surprised to find that Sima Ye was gone, leaving only the two white cushions on the floor.

"Where did Brother Sima go?" Lu Tianyu jumped off the bed, worried.

At this moment, they were in the headquarters of the Flowing Cloud Sect. It was the middle of the night, and Sima Ye had mysteriously disappeared without a word, which made Lu Tianyu worry that something might have happened to him.

If it were anyone else, Lu Tianyu would not be so anxious, but Sima Ye was different. He had saved his life. If not for him, Lu Tianyu might have already died in Xishui City.

Such a great favor could not be repaid even if he were to die a thousand deaths.

After jumping off the bed, Lu Tianyu thought for a moment and immediately pushed the door open, intending to go out and search for Sima Ye. If anything happened to him, he could at least offer some help.

The moonlight was hazy tonight, and the scenery ahead was faint and indistinct, all shrouded in a pale darkness.

Standing at the door, Lu Tianyu felt a bit at a loss. The Flowing Cloud Sect was so large; where should he start looking?

A cool night breeze blew, making Lu Tianyu pull his collar up. Then, he moved quickly, rushing out of the building and standing in the mist outside.

The mist surrounding the headquarters of the Flowing Cloud Sect was clearly different from the mist outside. As Lu Tianyu extended his divine sense, he immediately detected faint energy fluctuations within the mist. It seemed that the mist enveloping the headquarters of the Flowing Cloud Sect was likely artificially created.

This was similar to the golden path constructed by the senior of the Flowing Cloud Sect using great power earlier today.

But at this moment, Lu Tianyu was worried about Sima Ye and had no time to think about the strange mist. After a moment's thought, he immediately moved and rushed into the vast mist ahead.

With no leads, he could only follow a direction and hope to find Sima Ye.

As he ran at high speed, the mist ahead immediately dispersed, and the wind whistled in his ears.

"Whoosh!" At this moment, the mist ahead suddenly moved, dispersing to reveal a blank area. A giant immortal crane suddenly descended from the sky, landing in front of Lu Tianyu and blocking his path.

On the back of the crane sat a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a green dress. She was very beautiful, especially her large eyes, which sparkled with a lively and mischievous light.

"Who are you? How dare you intrude on the Flowing Cloud Sect at night?" The girl deliberately put on a stern face and glared at Lu Tianyu.

"Miss, you have misunderstood. I am Lu Tianyu, who came to participate in the disciple selection competition. A friend who came with me has disappeared, and I am worried, so I came out to search. I did not mean to intrude on the Flowing Cloud Sect at night. I hope you do not misunderstand," Lu Tianyu immediately explained.

"You are Lu Tianyu?" The girl suddenly chuckled, her large eyes staring intently at Lu Tianyu as she looked him up and down with interest.

"Yes, do you know me?" Lu Tianyu was taken aback by her words.

"Hehe, although I have never met you, I have heard the other senior brothers talk about your deeds. You are quite impressive, and they all admire you," the girl immediately replied with a smile.

"Miss, I am in a hurry to find my friend. Please let me pass," Lu Tianyu said.

"Brother Lu, if you rush around like this, you might easily enter the forbidden areas of the Flowing Cloud Sect, which could have serious consequences. How about this: I have nothing to do anyway, so I will help you find your friend. What do you think?" The girl smiled, pointing to the crane and gesturing for Lu Tianyu to get on.

"This..." Lu Tianyu hesitated. It was so late, and if someone saw him riding the crane with this girl, it might damage her reputation.

"You are so hesitant. I am a girl and I am not afraid, so why are you?" The girl pouted, displeased.

"Since that is the case, I will not refuse. Thank you, miss. May I ask your name?" Lu Tianyu said, no longer being overly formal, and quickly leaped onto the crane's back.

"Everyone calls me Xiaoyu. You can call me that too," the girl immediately smiled sweetly, gently patting the crane's head. "Let's go, Hong'er."

"Ga..." A loud, high-pitched sound echoed through the sky, and the crane, which was as large as a small mountain, quickly spread its wings and flew up, weaving through the mist.

"Brother Lu, you may not know, but the mist around us is all part of a great protective array set up by a senior of our sect using great power. Impressive, right?"

"Brother Lu, look, that building below is the outer gate of the Flowing Cloud Sect. This is not the true entrance of the Flowing Cloud Sect. The true entrance is located in the center of the mountains ahead."

"If you become an inner disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect, you will have the privilege to meet the sect leader. Brother Lu, you are so capable, you will surely pass the disciple selection and become an inner disciple, right?"

"Uh, Brother Lu, why are you not speaking? You are always frowning. Do you not like talking to me?"

The girl, Xiaoyu, chattered like a little bird, constantly talking to Lu Tianyu. However, Lu Tianyu was worried about Sima Ye's safety and did not say much, only occasionally responding. This made Xiaoyu very unhappy, thinking that Lu Tianyu did not like talking to her.

"Xiaoyu, you misunderstood. I am just worried about my friend's safety and have been paying attention to the situation below. I have no mood for conversation. Please do not be angry," Lu Tianyu explained with a bitter smile.

"Oh, I see. Brother Lu, you don't need to worry. The Flowing Cloud Sect has strict defenses and many disciples. Even if your friend got lost, nothing will happen to him. He will be found and returned soon," Xiaoyu immediately smiled and explained.

"En, I hope so," Lu Tianyu nodded absentmindedly, continuing to stare at the ground below.

Along the way, the mist occasionally revealed the figure of a Flowing Cloud Sect disciple. However, upon seeing the giant crane, these sentries quickly disappeared into the mist without a word, not daring to block their path.

Seeing this, Lu Tianyu also guessed that Xiaoyu must have a high status in the Flowing Cloud Sect to be able to ride the crane freely.

"Brother Lu, we have searched the entire outer gate and haven't found your friend. Could your friend have already returned on his own?" After about a quarter of an hour, Xiaoyu gently patted the crane's head, making it stop, and looked at Lu Tianyu with a frown.

"Is there no other place to look?" Lu Tianyu asked, disappointed.

"En, there is one more place, but it is the back mountain of the outer gate, very remote. Few people go there. Your friend probably wouldn't be there," Xiaoyu explained.

"Can you take me there?" Lu Tianyu immediately asked. Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well check there.

"Sure, let's go, Hong'er," Xiaoyu pointed to the back mountain and gently patted the crane's head.

The crane seemed to understand Xiaoyu's words and immediately let out a loud cry, breaking through the mist and flying towards the back mountain.

"Rushing water!" As they entered the back mountain area, Lu Tianyu immediately heard a loud rushing sound from a few thousand meters ahead, like the sound of a waterfall.

"Hehe, Brother Lu, there is a waterfall ahead. It is very beautiful. Although few people come here, I often secretly come here to bathe in the mountain stream below..." As she spoke, Xiaoyu realized she had said too much and blushed, closing her mouth.

But when she looked at Lu Tianyu, she was surprised to see that he was also blushing, staring at the mountain stream below with wide eyes, looking incredulous.