As Zhi Xuan glanced to the side, he saw an unfamiliar face kneeling there, breathing heavily. She appeared utterly exhausted, sweat flowing down from her forehead and covering her face.
Her breathtaking appearance and unrivaled beauty caused Zhi Xuan to be momentarily stunned.
The next second, he suddenly shook his head, cleared his throat lightly, and asked,
"Were you the one who called me just now?"
When Zhi Xuan's question reached the woman's ears, she immediately raised her head and looked at him with a terrified gaze.
The woman instantly cupped her fists and knelt respectfully as she said,
"This junior greets Senior!"
Her personality was completely opposite to her appearance.
She looked like a cold and distant woman, but the moment she spoke, it completely shattered Zhi Xuan's impression of her!
"Senior, could you please restrain your aura? Although it's no longer as powerful as before, it's still... far too overwhelming for juniors like us..." the woman said while pointing toward her companions, who were kneeling helplessly in the distance behind her.
Hearing this, Zhi Xuan immediately held his breath, and the pressure of his aura gradually faded from their senses.
The aura that had once felt overwhelmingly oppressive could no longer be felt at all, causing everyone to let out sighs of relief.
Zhi Xuan suddenly asked the woman,
"Who are you?"
The woman swallowed nervously before once again cupping her fists and replying,
"This junior is named Zhou Rouxue, and you are...?"
Zhou Rouxue raised her head and looked at Zhi Xuan's face with hesitation.
Zhi Xuan suddenly shook his head with a smile and intended to introduce himself.
"My name is—"
He abruptly stopped and fell into thought for a moment before making a decision.
In an instant, countless thoughts filled his mind.
"My name is Lin Xuan," he said with a smile.
He had taken the surname Lin and his given name from his previous life, combining them into the name Lin Xuan.
For now, he still wished to conceal his true identity and strength.
"Hm?"
Zhi Xuan frowned slightly before asking,
"What are all of you doing here?"
Zhou Rouxue's companions, who had just arrived beside her, immediately exchanged glances as Zhi Xuan's question entered their ears.
The female disciple standing to Zhou Rouxue's right suddenly asked enthusiastically,
"Senior, did you happen to see the battle between Masters that took place here four days ago?"
Zhi Xuan's eyes widened slightly before he touched his chin and recalled the events of four days earlier.
The only thing that came to mind was...
Wasn't that the day he fought Zhou Yu's father?
Zhi Xuan's gaze shifted toward the female disciple.
Her eyes sparkled brightly as she eagerly awaited his answer.
Zhi Xuan merely smiled and replied,
"No. Perhaps the battle between those Masters had already ended before I arrived here."
Upon hearing that, the female disciple's expression immediately soured.
She looked thoroughly disappointed by the answer.
Zhou Rouxue observed the female disciple's disappointed face for a moment before suddenly asking Zhi Xuan a question.
"Senior, what are you doing here? Are you undergoing special training? Or..."
Her expression suddenly turned serious.
"Do you not have enough money to rent an inn?"
"Eh?"
Hearing that, Zhi Xuan immediately asked in surprise,
"Why would you think that?"
As his words reached Zhou Rouxue's ears, her eyes calmly swept over Zhi Xuan's appearance from head to toe.
Touching her chin, she muttered,
"Your clothes..."
His clothes were ragged, and his body was covered in dust.
Anyone would think he was a beggar, wouldn't they?
If not for the fact that Zhi Xuan possessed an aura capable of suppressing even Peak Zhu Ji Realm cultivators, Zhou Rouxue would have already convinced herself that the man before her was nothing more than a vagrant.
And what puzzled her the most was...
Why did someone with such immense strength look like this?
Shouldn't a master normally have more than enough wealth to rent, or even buy, a residence?
The more she thought about it, the more numb her scalp became.
In the end, she could only reach a single conclusion.
The master standing before her was a truly low-profile expert.
Such humility was genuinely rare among powerful cultivators.
Zhou Rouxue's previously serious expression suddenly transformed into a smile.
She even let out a small laugh.
The master before her had completely shattered her image of experts as arrogant and aloof figures.
Zhi Xuan rose from his seat and lightly dusted off his shoulders and somewhat dirty clothes.
As he did so, dust filled the surrounding air and scattered away with the strong wind.
After finishing, he asked Zhou Rouxue,
"Do you know the way to Mount Taihuang?"
Zhou Rouxue's expression changed as she asked in surprise,
"Mount Taihuang? The one located near Zhuque City? Isn't it thousands of miles away from here? Do you need something there?"
Zhi Xuan nodded and replied,
"There's something I need to find there. Do you know the route?"
Zhou Rouxue nodded.
"Yes, I do. But escorting you there... wouldn't that be far too great a distance?"
Hearing that, Zhi Xuan touched his chin and pondered for a moment.
Seeing this, the female disciple and the two men standing behind Zhou Rouxue exchanged confused glances.
The next moment—
Zhi Xuan suddenly said,
"Judging by your clothing, it seems all of you are disciples of a sect."
Zhou Rouxue nodded and replied while bowing with cupped fists,
"Yes. We are disciples of the Xuanwu Sect."
Her companions did the same, bowing respectfully toward Zhi Xuan with their fists cupped.
Raising a hand, Zhi Xuan asked,
"Would it be possible for me to meet your Sect Leader? There is something I need to discuss with him."
Upon hearing Zhi Xuan's request, Zhou Rouxue and her companions exchanged astonished looks.
However, none of them dared to ask any questions.
Perhaps it was something of great importance—something they were not qualified to know.
And so, Zhi Xuan followed Zhou Rouxue and her companions as they made their way toward the Xuanwu Sect.
From time to time, Zhi Xuan glanced around, observing every area along their route.
He did not want this journey to be interrupted and waste valuable time.
Thus, he secretly drove away any approaching monsters using nothing but the aura contained within his gaze.
It carried an incomparably intense aura of death!