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The moonlit night will eventually disperse, giving way to the dawn that tears through the darkness, shaking the already tense earth. For both Shang Qing and Gui Mei, as well as for Qian Wen far away at the Trial Grounds, a moment that will determine the future situation is filled with uncertainty, much like standing at a crossroads of fate. The decision is no longer directly influenced by Qian Wen, but rather by Yu Long and Meng Jiang's group, who are seeking to break the Five Elements Seal. They are about to step out from the cover of the moonlit night and stride towards the light of dawn on the horizon.
"It’s too smooth; has Teacher Yu Long already cleared out all the evil spirits around here?" Ran Xing murmured uneasily while standing before the damaged Golden Seal.
"Yeah, such an important thing—wouldn't Shang Qing leave someone to guard it? Or perhaps letting you and me go was part of that person's plan?" Shao Meng paused in his steps, recalling the scene when Fire made its move, Long Shan's cold smile, and the four Liu Hen who were itching for a fight. The unfamiliar figures of Teacher Yu Long and Luo Yue loomed like a fog filled with obstacles to thought.
Shao Meng contemplated that he and Ran Xing were positioned to the west of where they needed to reverse the Five Elements Seal. To the northeast lay the Water Seal in the north, while directly ahead was the path that might lead them to Teacher Yu Long at the Earthly Seal of Kun. If they encountered Teacher Yu Long, perhaps their team would have more possibilities. But would they also be falling into that person's intentions, getting caught all at once? With uncertainty in his mind, Shao Meng relaxed his facial muscles and furrowed brows.
"I think this is part of that person's plan; we are just bait. The real fisherman may already have prepared a straight hook, waiting for the fish to bite!" Shao Meng offered his thoughts. Ran Xing nodded in confusion; the morning mist added to their divergence in direction.
"That person? What are you talking about? We should find Teacher Yu Long right now; he understands Shang Qing. If we break this seal, Shang Qing will naturally appear, and everything will become clear," Ran Xing explained his reasoning: since two of the five seals had been broken, Teacher Yu Long would surely come here upon discovering the damage to the Golden Celestial Qian Seal. He and Shao Meng would head east while Teacher Yu Long went west to break the Seal of Wood Thunder Shaking. They would likely meet near the Earthly Seal of Kun, where perhaps Teacher Yu Long could provide them with more clues. However, this smooth process also caused beads of cold sweat to form on Ran Xing's forehead.
"That may be true, but can you be sure there are no hidden obstacles between east and west? Don't forget you slept in that person's territory for so long; there’s much you don’t know. While it’s a good idea, it’s too ambitious—could it bring unnecessary trouble? Can you guarantee that?" Shao Meng's somewhat righteous response made Ran Xing flinch; what had gotten into this guy? But continuing their argument would only waste precious time. Without Earth attribute power to assist them, they had no way to break through the northern Water Seal. Uncertain if there were allies beyond the mist, they decided it was better to take a chance and head towards Teacher Yu Long for their next strategy.
Taking a deep breath, Shao Meng calmed down and nodded. "Don't act impulsively; I'll explain everything slowly, but not now."
Ran Xing turned his back with an indifferent expression. Seeing Shao Meng agree eased his tense facial muscles. "Alright, alright; I did lose my composure earlier. But whether there’s sunshine or thunder behind this mist, we’ll find out when we get there. If we encounter problems, you can decide! How about that?" As he spoke, Ran Xing took out a cloth bandage to wipe away Shao Meng's sweat from his forehead, lowering his tone significantly.
Shao Meng snorted and pressed down on Ran Xing's bandage. "Enough; I appreciate your kindness—I know this is your first time being so warm-hearted!" He then brushed off dust from his clothes and took a few steps forward. "Let’s go; whether it’s cloudy or sunny doesn’t matter—the road must be walked ourselves. Let’s see what lies ahead."
With that, they resumed their journey with laughter and conversation towards the mist—directly facing the Kun seal at the center of reversing the Five Elements.
Meanwhile, their concerns about Teacher Yu Long and Luo Yue had also passed through the morning mist and caught sight of a ray of sunlight.
A bald eagle pierced through the silent sky, delivering Qian Wen's letter to them.
"Luo Yue, let’s begin our exploration," Yu Long quickly read through the letter. At this moment, all decisions rested on him alone; his brow furrowed further under sudden pressure as he realized that after Ran Xing's disappearance following the shattering of the Golden Seal and with Luo Yue's vitality restored, it could be concluded that somewhere deep within the mist or in an easily visible location were Ran Xing and another companion searching for theirs as well. With Luo Yue's exploration coming to an end, everything was confirmed.
"What did you find?" Yu Long asked as he saw Luo Yue rise after retracting her exploration; his own furrowed brow relaxed slightly—there must be new discoveries!
"Teacher Yu Long, there are two types of vitality, water and fire, just four miles ahead of us, and they are approaching. To the south, there are three types of vitality: earth, metal, and water, also drawing near." Luo Yue had already shown some excitement at the discovery of her companions, her eyes brightening from their previous dullness.
Yu Long fell silent for a moment. The front, in the direction he was returning from east to west, was near the area where he had previously fought with Shang Qing. The Kun seal in that area had long been cleared by him when he dealt with the residuals. The group from Meng Jiang coming from the south would not be affected, and if they made any discoveries regarding the southern Fire Attribute, they would handle it accordingly. As for the northern Water Seal, if he and Meng Jiang were to head there together now, with Meng Jiang and his students' help, they could liberate the last Ran Xing. At that point, his team would have restored vitality, making it easier for Shang Qing to respond after a counterattack. However, if a variable arose, he could lead his already recovered students to the northern Water Seal to test his judgment.
Luo Yue seemed to recall that moment when she couldn't see her hand in front of her face; it was the first time she had leaned on a boy's shoulder. An indescribable feeling stirred within her. She had never experienced such proximity to fire during her years of closed training; even her breathing became less comfortable. Why did she always think about this incident and feel compelled to see that boy who gave her such strange feelings? It seemed that girls at this age often had such worries, especially someone like Luo Yue who had never interacted with boys from outside the Trial Grounds.
"Damn it, why do I keep thinking about this?" Luo Yue scratched her head. What kind of technique did that boy from outside use to leave such a deep impression on the young lady of a family from the Trial Grounds? Was he really safe? Was he truly near the end of the mist—close to the Earthly Seal? What happened after that incident? She needed to clarify all these questions and understand everything that transpired after that brief moment when they linked arms.
While her mind raced, a large hand caused Luo Yue to momentarily lose focus. It reminded her of her entrance exam with Teacher Yu Long; when Ran Xing wanted to cheer for her, it felt somewhat similar. However, the illusion was fleeting; a sneeze was enough to break those inappropriate thoughts.
"Alright, it seems you're eager," Yu Long chuckled, choosing not to expose Luo Yue's little thoughts. The innocence and purity of student days might be some of the most cherished memories in life. Whether this was true or not didn't matter; for their upcoming task, it could serve as a good catalyst.
"Since that's the case, let's not just stand here. Let's go find our companions and seek out the real enemies!" Yu Long coughed lightly. Luo Yue immediately understood her teacher's intention as they stepped through the mist together. Gradually, as they moved forward, the mist began to dissipate, and soon faces would appear to confirm Yu Long's suspicions.
"I understand now, Teacher Yu Long! We need to find our companions and protect them; we still have many things to do!" Luo Yue lifted her head. Although restlessness or some youthful stirrings still plagued her heart, all answers must be explained in front of her companions!
With this unknown ahead was Meng Jiang Squad entering the reversed Five Elements Seal at that moment. They were in the southern part of the seal near the Fire Attribute and temporarily paused under Meng Jiang's instructions to rest.
"Yumeng, extend your sensing ability and see where our target is," Meng Jiang recalled his knowledge of Bagua and Five Elements. If Yumeng sensed that vitality explosion was directed northwest while they were positioned in the south or southeast, then they were approaching the Fire Attribute located in the southern formation. If someone from the north broke through the Golden Seal with fire vitality, wouldn't that be Yu Long's student Shao Meng? Was there an error in the earlier report about Yu Long Team's two missing members or had some variable occurred preventing Yu Long from investigating further? Since Shao Meng went missing alongside that child taken in by Commander, it was highly likely they were traveling together now; gold was in the west while earth held central ground; wood had been broken by Luo Yue—it seemed Yu Long's progress was faster than he imagined.
"Teacher, we have vitality in both northwest and northeast directions: metal, wood, water, and fire. It should be people from Teacher Yu Long’s side; it looks like we will meet soon," Yumeng concluded as she retracted her sensing ability and glanced back at An Qi and others while calculating in her mind.
"Very good! It seems your recent seclusion for cultivation has paid off," Meng Jiang praised his student. Now that he understood their current situation—the disappearance of Shang Qing and potential counterattacks—Meng Jiang decided against calling for Bald Eagle at this time: "At this point, Commander Qian Wen should believe we can accomplish this task."
Yumeng nodded as An Qi hurried over with steamed buns. "You must be hungry after all this walking Yumeng! My dad personally made these buns; want one?"
Yumeng wasn't surprised by An Qi's unexpected kindness; she merely brushed her hair lightly and took a small step back while glaring slightly at An Qi: "Eat eat eat! Ever since we left Trial Grounds territory you've been feeding me buns! If I get fat it's all your fault!"
Then, with a gentle hum, he swatted away An Qi's bun and sat down to ponder something.
An Qi clenched her trembling fist, swallowed hard, and gulped down the bun. "What is this! This is Grains' bun. Such good food, and you don't eat it? How can you talk about gaining weight? You really don't understand gourmet food!" She was soon won over by her father's cooking, enjoying her bag of buns.
Yumeng began to recall the day she met Shao Meng. This person was cold and taciturn, with a slanted fringe that covered one eye, a rare hairstyle in the Trial Grounds. After that glance, Yumeng seized every opportunity to find Shao Meng during his breaks, whether in the cafeteria at Divine Tree Square or on the mountain paths. Just catching a glimpse of him would bring her a sense of satisfaction, to the point where Shao Meng would involuntarily take three steps back in respect whenever he saw Yumeng. Since Shao Meng had gone on a mission with Yu Long, they hadn't seen each other for nearly half a month; this time, Yumeng would not let the opportunity slip away.
The students' absence left Meng Jiang quite dissatisfied: "You two, don’t just sit around doing nothing. Did anyone hear about the location of the Fire Attribute?"
The three shook their heads; none among them were heroes of the Fire Attribute. However, Meng Jiang did not feel the seal's drain on their vitality. Could it be that the Earthly Seal had already been broken?
"That's very possible, Teacher Meng Jiang," Lan An said as he lifted a leaf wrapped around his vitality, which floated in mid-air, pointing northward. In contrast, Yumeng's leaf, mimicking Lan An's, remained stationary. Combining this with previous information allowed them to conclude that the northern Water Attribute vitality still existed, while their recent Fire Attribute seal had to be dealt with last. They would head north to search for the Water Attribute seal.
"It seems we need to find Yu Long first," Meng Jiang concluded as he casually took An Qi's bun. "Once we've rested enough, let's set off!"
An Qi immediately stood up. What was going on with someone suddenly snatching her bun? Her efforts to be attentive had backfired again, and now her teacher had taken it—her luck couldn't be worse!
As the mist gradually dispersed near the Earthly Seal, two groups faced each other across the remnants of Shang Qing's barrier—indeed, they were converging at this moment!
In the distance, Qian Wen's chess game finally revealed a situation where three black pieces aligned in a straight line on the board. Although the tea had lost its warmth, it did not dampen Qian Wen's spirits; the last remnants of mist before dawn had dissipated with the strong push of morning light and sun. Several small teams were about to converge, and Ziyuan's reconnaissance indicated that Gui Mei had not yet made any moves. Although Long Shan's retreating group was unaccounted for, under Yu Long's leadership, both teams still had fighting strength. If Yu Long could quickly break the seal and withdraw Fire, it would be Qian Wen's best outcome at this moment.
Just like Meng Jiang and Yu Long observed along their way, the smoke cleared as light and morning breeze swept through; their direction remained clear as scattered powers were about to gather together to welcome the brilliant light after dawn.
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