Chapter 19: That is, if he even takes a fancy to you.

Su Yun leisurely stood up, arms crossed as she leaned against the table. Her eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of slyness. "I’m afraid I can’t help with this matter. However, you might want to speak to the Third Prince. Su Yunqi is his fiancée; let him handle it."

After she said this, she noticed Su Yunqi’s expression darken further, which only lifted her spirits more, especially as she saw Xiao Jinghuai approaching with a grim face, glaring at her fiercely. "Su Yun, this doesn’t concern you! Don’t think you can catch my attention and win my favor with such nonsense. Dream on!"

Su Yun rolled her eyes inwardly. Since their engagement had been broken off, she no longer needed to pretend with him.

"Save those words for your fiancée. There’s nothing between us now, Your Highness, so please don’t be presumptuous. And even if I were to favor someone, it would be Master Pei. Remember, he was recommended to the Qingwu Sect. I’m not foolish enough to ignore good opportunities," she said coolly. If he insisted on coming over to disgust her, then she wouldn’t hesitate to give as good as she got.

Pei Ling raised an eyebrow and glanced at her with a teasing smile.

Xiao Jinghuai clenched his fists, utterly surprised by her boldness. His face flushed with embarrassment. How dare a useless person like her look down on him? And she wanted to seek out Pei Ling? What arrogance! Did she really think Pei Ling would find her appealing?

"Even if you fancy Master Pei, it’s only meaningful if he fancies you back. Sometimes, it’s best not to indulge in unrealistic dreams," Xiao Jinghuai growled. He disliked Pei Ling, but now he disliked Su Yun even more for daring to disdain him.

"Master Pei, what do you say?" she asked, suppressing her disgust.

"That’s not necessarily true," Pei Ling replied, catching Xiao Jinghuai off guard and making him feel a burning shame.

He could practically feel everyone around watching him as a laughingstock. Losing all pretense of dignity, he sneered coldly, "If Master Pei enjoys being pestered by trash, then I suppose it’s none of my concern."

"Glad you understand," Pei Ling retorted, effectively silencing him again.

Su Yun watched the scene with amusement, especially enjoying Xiao Jinghuai’s humiliation.

Pei Ling noticed this and gave a faint smile before turning his cold gaze on Xiao Jinghuai. "Third Prince, could you and your fiancée step aside? You’re blocking my way."

"Indeed, Third Brother. If Father finds out how disgraceful you’ve been, even I won’t be able to plead for you," a young man leaned casually by the door, his noble and aloof demeanor lending weight to his warning.

Xiao Jinghuai’s expression changed, and he could only order Su Yunqi, "Let’s go."

Su Yunqi didn’t resist, having realized Pei Ling’s displeasure toward her advances and his impatience with her. Staying would only make her a joke. Furthermore, she sensed Xiao Jinghuai’s growing irritation and wisely followed him out.

As they passed, the youth by the door issued another warning before allowing them to leave.

His gaze then returned to Pei Ling. "Today’s incident was my brother’s fault. I hope Master Pei won’t mind. I’ll make sure to restrain him in future."

With that, he turned and left. The crowd dispersed, knowing Pei Ling disliked being approached closely. It was better not to offend him by forcing familiarity.

"Miss Su, I look forward to seeing you at the Qingwu Sect in the future. I must take my leave now," Pei Ling said, waving his hand as he strode away.

"Fine," Su Yun replied, staring after him with unyielding determination. Even if he left first, she was determined to improve herself over the next six months and would not miss her chance to enter the Qingwu Sect.

Back in her room, she secluded herself, absorbing spiritual energy. The aura at Fengqi Academy was richer than at her home, making cultivation smoother.

She had grown fond of training and, aside from classes, spent almost all her time locked away cultivating.

She didn’t know how far behind she was compared to Xiao Jinghuai and the others; her only thought was to keep practicing.

A month passed quickly, and her cultivation advanced from the early Qi Refinement stage to the middle, now progressing toward the late stage.

Just as she planned to continue, the academy announced they would enter the Shengyue Forest for a trial, accompanied by elders.

Fengqi Academy didn’t endorse isolated training alone; they valued combining cultivation with practical experience. When the time was right, elders were assigned to lead such expeditions.

This time, the team was led by Elder Hongyi and Elder Zhang, who had taught them how to tame spirit beasts. The outing would test both their abilities and those of their spirit beasts, with points tallied for ranking.

Su Yun took this seriously, as the scores would influence their chances of entering a major sect. She had already purchased two weapons in preparation: a longsword and a dagger.

Early the next morning, a group of students whispered outside Fengqi Academy.

"Did you hear? Elder Hong is leading the team. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"Better talk as much as you can now. Once Elder Hong arrives, we'll have to keep quiet."

"Yeah, it’s torture. I love talking. Not being allowed feels like death."

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. Following the gaze, they saw Elder Hongyi and Elder Zhang arrive.

Elder Hongyi glanced at those who had been gossiping, causing them to blanch, then looked away. "I’m leading this expedition. Anyone unhappy can keep it to themselves. Move out."

Leading them toward Shengyue Forest, the journey wasn’t far. Using spiritual power, they arrived within an hour.

"You may now release your spirit beasts to accompany you. I will monitor your combat, while Elder Zhang observes your spirit beasts’ battles. Scores will be based on both," Elder Hongyi explained before they entered.

"Points are earned by the number of monsters defeated. You may team up or fight solo, but only kills by you or your spirit beast count. Go ahead," she waved them on.

The group didn’t rush but chose to form teams.

As Su Yun prepared to step into the forest, a voice called out, "Su Yun, if you apologize to me, I might consider taking you along."

The challenge hung in the air as she paused at the forest’s edge.