The situation at the Academy was not as bad as he had expected. Only a few buildings had been damaged, but the greatest loss was the disappearance of most of the teachers and the most talented students.

  Some time after Ze Yun sent his message, the first people arrived to help. They were a few soldiers who happened to be in the area. None of them were particularly strong, mostly at the 7th and 8th stages of Qi Refinement. Nevertheless, Ze Yun entrusted them with the care of the children and ordered them to send them home.

  Now it was finally time to search.

  He left the academy grounds and went straight to the forest. His search skills were top-notch. However, the mountain area was absurdly large, so even he was unable to find the person he was looking for right away.

  The forest was vast and full of life and dangerous beasts. However, he did not intend to fight any of the beasts, as it would be a waste of time and energy. All he cared about was finding the girl and keeping her safe. That was his ancestor's request.

  It is surprisingly peaceful here.

  He had visited many dangerous places in his life and knew that the situation in the hills of this mountain was unnatural. Usually, in areas without humans, wild beasts were rampant and one had to be careful with every step. Here, by contrast, it was unnaturally calm.

  Something or someone was keeping order here. He did not yet know if it was a good or bad thing, but his intuition told him that the forests of this mountain were inhabited by a dangerous creature that was capable of keeping even the Archbeasts in check.

  He wandered cautiously through the mountain forest. He moved at great speed, searching through kilometers of mountains in just a minute and checking various corners of the mountain. In just a few minutes, he was able to check a large part of the territory.

  However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Years of war had taught him to recognize even the most subtle signs of being observed. He always trusted his intuition, and the current situation was no exception. He knew that the master of this place was watching him.

  The fact that he had not yet been attacked was a good sign. He decided to pause his search for a moment and wait for the lord of the forest to reveal himself.

  He sat down on a tree stump in the middle of the forest. The person who lived here must have known this place like the back of their hand. If they didn't want to be found, even he, a Golden Core cultivator, would probably have trouble finding such a person, especially considering that he knew that this lord of the forest was not weak.

  “I come in peace. I am looking for a girl named May Shang. Reveal yourself, and I will do no harm.” He said in a loud voice into the forest. It might seem like he was talking to himself, but he knew he was being watched, and most likely listened to as well.

  He preferred to avoid direct confrontation, so he decided to announce his intentions. After all, he was the one who had trespassed on someone else's territory.

  I hope it's not an Evil Cultivator. Although I can't ignore that possibility. If that were the case, May would surely be dead already. But then I'll just kill him.

  He was confident in his abilities. He was one of the strongest people in the entire sect. The chance of meeting someone stronger than him was slim. Most of the cultivators in the region belonged to the Righteous Sects, and evil cultivators were generally rare in this region. And even those that did exist were generally weak.

  He fell into a state of meditation while sitting on a tree stump. He cleared his mind in anticipation. However, he kept a close watch on the surrounding area, waiting for the arrival of the person who ruled this place.

  It took longer than he expected, but finally he sensed someone's presence a few kilometers away. However, it was strange.

  I sense two people with low power. One is probably May. The peak of the fifth stage of Qi Refinement? Huh, she really has talent. And the other one is weaker. Probably some other student? But what's strange...

  There was one more person there. That person's aura was the weakest. However, he knew that meant they were the strongest. If it weren't for the other two children's auras, he probably wouldn't have noticed the third person next to them. A true expert who had almost completely hidden their presence.

  Still. Weaker than me. But the fight could be unpleasant. I'd rather avoid that.

  “Greetings, esteemed cultivator.” said the man hidden under a hood and white mask. He was extremely mysterious, but from the tone of his voice alone, he could tell that he was a person of rather high social standing. The poor and the rich had distinct differences in their accents.

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  Next to the man stood two children, a boy and a girl. They both looked well, which meant that they were generally treated well. This reduced the chance that the man hidden behind the mask was an Evil Cultivator.

  “May Shang?” He addressed the girl, wanting to confirm her identity. He wasn't interested in anything else.

  She nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief. However, not wanting to appear rude, he also asked the boy about his identity.

  “Deng Zhifang.” He replied. It was clear from his expression that he was nervous.

  I don't know anyone like that. I'll drop him off at the academy later. Hmm, now that I look at him, he looks quite strange. Could he have a Unique Physique?

  However, he dismissed these thoughts. It was none of his business, and he wasn't particularly interested in his existence.

  “On behalf of the Island Mountain Sect, I would like to personally thank you for taking care of our underlings.” he said, bowing slightly with respect. Ze Yun had already assessed his strength. It was not much inferior to that of many younger Elders. It was better to treat him with respect. “The Island Mountain Sect will reward you for your help.”

  “I don't need any reward. It just happened as it was meant to be.” he replied briefly.

  “I understand.” Ze Yun decided not to press the issue.“However, if you don't mind, may I ask who you are? What is someone so strong doing here?”

  “I just want to have peace and tranquility. I don't interfere with the outside world." he replied.

  Ze Yun nodded. There were many cultivators who chose to live alone and devote themselves entirely to cultivation. Although he lived on their sect's territory, as long as he didn't cause them any trouble, the sect would not interfere with his affairs.

  “I understand. The sect owes you, so if you wish, I can vouch for you and let you join our sect.”

  There was always room for strong people in the sect. Such people were especially needed in these turbulent times.

  “I am a solitary person by nature,” he replied. “To be honest, I would prefer my presence to remain a secret.”

  “I shall respect your wish. Since, as you say, you do not interfere in the affairs of the outside world, I have no reason to reveal your existence. At least that much I can do for you.”

  “Thank you for your understanding,” he said. “I entrust the children to your care.”

  May and Zhifang left the elf and headed toward the cultivator. May had already said goodbye to Scar, so she had no reason to do so again.

  She felt a slight regret that she had to leave him. She had spent a lot of time with him and had grown quite attached to him. However, it had to come to an end. She had learned almost everything he knew about alchemy from him.

  She looked at the man who had arrived from the Inner Court. She had never seen anyone so massive. Even bodybuilders from Earth couldn't compare to him. She didn't even need to use her Qi Sensing to know how strong he was. He was certainly the strongest person she had ever met in this world.

  She was also a little concerned. Although she concluded from their conversation that he had no bad intentions, she was surprised to learn that he knew her name. She didn't trust him. However, she hoped that he had no bad intentions toward them.

  “It's time for me to go." said Scar. He turned to them and walked away. He soon disappeared from view.

  And so their acquaintance ended. May sighed, sensing that she would not see him again anytime soon. Perhaps never again. But that was how it had to be.

  “It's time for us too.” the man said to them. They nodded and followed him.

  His steps were quick, and they could barely keep up with him. May was still managing, thanks to her high level of cultivation, but Zhifang could barely keep up and was panting heavily the whole time.

  The man did not slow down, and the two children had no intention of asking him to slow down. Neither of them wanted to bother him.

  The journey took them some time, as they were quite a distance from the academy.

  Finally, however, they reached their destination. The academy had changed a lot since the last time they had been there. May was surprised, as she had expected the entire academy to have been destroyed, but in fact it was quite intact, although there was mess everywhere.

  “We're here,” said the man. “Zhifang, go to that building, to the rest.”

  “Yes, sir.” he replied, not daring to say anything else.

  May felt a shiver run down her spine.

  “You, on the other hand... Come with me. We need to talk, Miss Shang.”

  “Senior... what's going on?” she asked timidly, sensing that trouble was coming again.

  “You are to address me with due respect. I am not ‘Senior,’ but ‘Elder,’ and that is how you are to address me.” He answered in a serious voice and with gravity. “Also, do not question my decisions.”

  He turned and walked toward another building. May didn't intend to object, sensing that it wasn't a good idea, and followed him.

  She felt uncertain and weak. Although she doubted that anything bad was happening, she still felt helpless.

  What could he want from me? To ask how I escaped? Or maybe he discovered that Scar is an elf? Or that Zhifang is a demon? Associating with either of them would probably be considered a betrayal of the sect's values. Why do I always have to get into trouble? But it's also possible that it's something completely unrelated to these things.

  She entered the building. She had never been in this building before. Normally, it was intended for professors. Well, at the moment, that didn't seem to be a problem anymore.

  “Sit down.” he ordered, pointing to a seat. She did as he said. He was the High Elder of the sect. Apart from being the leader of the sect, he was at the very top of the hierarchy. He could basically do whatever he wanted. May, on the other hand, was not even an official member of the sect.

  Only after graduating from the academy could she become an Outer Disciple.

  “It's time to talk.” he said, sitting down opposite her.