Chapter 83 - 58: Who is the Number One Genius

Yan Xiao hurriedly said, "I don’t know about the others, but most of us official disciples are grateful for your kindness, Senior Sister. For over twenty years, you managed everything on Lingxu Peak, from our daily necessities to our cultivation and enlightenment. Anyone with a shred of gratitude couldn’t bring themselves to say anything resentful against you."

Li Shuang fell silent for a moment before replying, "I thought you would all resent me."

She remembered that back in the Sword Sect, the disciples of Lingxu Peak had always looked at her with faint hostility.

Yan Xiao scratched his head in embarrassment. "We don’t dare defy the Peak Master’s will."

Regardless of what they truly thought, as long as they remained on Lingxu Peak, they had to obey Master Lingxu’s will.

Li Shuang raised an eyebrow. "Then aren’t you afraid Ye Zhaozhao and the others will target you after you return this time?"

Yan Xiao stood frozen in place, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.

Given how petty those two were, he would most likely become their target...

However, what they had been trying to do crossed his bottom line. No matter what, he couldn’t stoop to luring demon beasts to intentionally harm Senior Sister Li.

Li Shuang found his reaction rather amusing. "Alright, you don’t need to worry too much. The Eldest Senior Brother of Lingxu Peak is now Sheng Yuan. Sheng Yuan... generally wouldn’t deliberately target anyone. If anything happens, just go to him."

Li Shuang spoke calmly.

She had raised Sheng Yuan single-handedly; ultimately, she still had some understanding of this junior brother.

"Senior Sister Li, you have no idea! Our cultivation resources for this month haven’t been distributed. Eldest Senior Brother sold them all, claiming it was to help Ye Zhaozhao tide over her current difficulties first..." Upon hearing this, Yan Xiao immediately started complaining.

Li Shuang was dumbfounded.

Taking other disciples’ cultivation resources to fill the deficit caused by Ye Zhaozhao...

Was Sheng Yuan out of his mind?

For a moment, she was utterly speechless.

Along the way, Yan Xiao endlessly complained about the affairs on Lingxu Peak.

Li Shuang simply listened in calm silence.

Those matters no longer had anything to do with her. Other than listening, she couldn’t offer any help.

Yan Xiao soon realized this as well. He stopped complaining and said softly, "Senior Sister Li, after you left, Lingxu Peak was never the same again."

Before Li Shuang’s departure, no one could have imagined she was this important. It wasn’t until she left and the entirety of Lingxu Peak descended into absolute chaos that her true value became glaringly apparent.

Thinking about it carefully, Li Shuang had truly done far too much. Managing the peak, instructing the disciples... was there a single disciple on Lingxu Peak who hadn’t benefited from her grace?

But now, she had just been chased away like that. Meanwhile, those who had received her kindness didn’t even have the courage to speak a single word to her back in the sect.

Suddenly at a loss for words, Yan Xiao fell silent, and the surroundings sank into quietude.

Li Shuang glanced back at him and said evenly, "It’s fine."

With the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique circulating, she could sense the deep-seated guilt within Yan Xiao’s heart. However, it was fine. It really was. These matters could no longer leave the slightest mark on her heart.

Yan Xiao hummed a low acknowledgment, only looking even more dejected.

The outer region was vast. Li Shuang led Yan Xiao to explore the surroundings, and both of them managed to gather some harvest.

Along the way, Li Shuang also rescued several sect disciples who were being hunted by demon beasts. None of these disciples belonged to the Sword Sect.

This made Li Shuang even more worried about Liu Juncheng’s situation. She had no idea where her Second Senior Brother was now.

But the outer region was simply too expansive. Running into one specific person was incredibly difficult. The fact that those four from Lingxu Peak had managed to group up right from the start, and were all in her vicinity to boot, felt like a sheer fantasy.

Li Shuang couldn’t figure out if it was a mere coincidence or something else entirely. Even if it were a coincidence, it seemed a bit too absurd. But if it wasn’t a coincidence, then what was it?

Seven days later.

By now, Li Shuang had rescued four people.

Looking at them, Li Shuang said, "The four of you should try to stay together. Ordinary Demon Clan members shouldn’t be your match anymore."

"Senior Sister Li, are you heading to the inner region?" Yan Xiao instantly realized.

Li Shuang nodded, her expression indifferent.

She didn’t offer any further explanation, simply turning and walking away.

Watching her receding figure, the four disciples couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

A disciple from the Cangyuan Sect couldn’t help but ask, "Is Li Shuang... really just at the Qi Cultivation Stage?"

Earlier, several of them had been relentlessly pursued by a member of the Demon Clan and were hesitating over whether to use their tokens to escape. Yet Li Shuang, a mere Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator, had forced the demon away with a single strike.

This level of strength... was somewhat terrifying.

Come to think of it, if she were currently at the Foundation Establishment Stage... wouldn’t she be invincible within the Langya Secret Realm?

"Of course! Our Senior Sister Li has always been a peerless genius. She isn’t the slightest bit inferior to your Yan Fan," Yan Xiao stated proudly.

The Cangyuan Sect disciple immediately retorted, "I admit she’s a genius, but I’m afraid she’s still a notch below Senior Brother Yan Fan."

"Not necessarily!" Yan Xiao shot back.

"I think that if they were at the same Cultivation level, Yan Fan might not actually win," a Jueyi Sect disciple chimed in.

"It’s hard to say, seeing as they’ve never faced off before," a Thousand Mechanism Sect disciple added.

Although Li Shuang was currently still at the Qi Cultivation Stage, debates over who was the true number one genius between her and Yan Fan had begun to spark once again.

Li Shuang was unaware of this, and even if she knew, she would only brush it off with a smile.

Though she was still worried about Liu Juncheng and the others, it was hard to pinpoint locations within the Secret Realm. She could only proceed toward her original destination: the Ice Lake.

The Ice Lake was situated at the border between the inner region and the core region.

To reach it, one had to traverse nearly the entire inner region. The inner region was largely unexplored, boasting more treasures, but it was also far more dangerous. The Demon Clan would undoubtedly focus their disruptive efforts on the inner and core regions as well.

Li Shuang wasn’t afraid of those demons. As long as their strength remained restricted to the Foundation Establishment Stage, she was confident she could put up a fight, no matter who it was.

Without further hesitation, Li Shuang rushed toward the inner region at top speed.

Inside a hidden cave.

Chang Le’an and Ye Zhaozhao had barely managed to regulate their breathing and recover.

Chang Le’an looked at Ye Zhaozhao, hesitating to speak.

Ye Zhaozhao glanced at him and put on a shocked, unsettled expression. "Third Senior Brother, I used my only Fifth-rank Acceleration Talisman earlier. That was the only way I could get us out."

So it was a Fifth-rank Talisman.

Realization dawned on Chang Le’an, and he gritted his teeth. "Thank goodness you were prepared, Junior Sister! Otherwise, we really would have been eliminated because of Li Shuang."

Ye Zhaozhao sighed. "Senior Sister Li... Sigh, I truly don’t know why she would do such a thing."

Chang Le’an scoffed coldly. "Why else? Some people are just born malicious!"

Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes flickered. On the map provided by the system, she could already see Li Shuang’s red dot rapidly moving toward the inner region.

She had to follow her as soon as possible!

This Chang Le’an was nothing but a burden. She couldn’t possibly bring him along to the inner region.

Ye Zhaozhao began to ponder how to shake off Chang Le’an and slip away for a while.