On the twenty-fifth day of August, Qin Ran, unusually punctual, left work on time to prepare for the assessment interview scheduled in five days. He worked diligently until five o'clock before getting up to organize his files.
Holding a stack of papers, he approached Yan Yi's desk and handed the papers to him, saying:
"These are alchemy exam questions I compiled based on fundamental alchemical knowledge, along with some basic arithmetic questions. Prepare to use them as the first screening for recruiting disciples. Take a good look, attempt the questions, and note whether they are leaning towards difficulty or simplicity. Record everything truthfully, and I'll review it tomorrow."
"Yes," Yan Yi responded respectfully.
Ever since the terrifying experience on Dan Peak, his respect and fear for Qin Ran had increased exponentially.
As Yan Yi glanced at the paper, he saw a series of questions labeled as multiple-choice, fill in the blanks, and the like. Each question had a designated score, giving him an inexplicable sense of awe.
Qin Ran then casually left, and Yan Yi, eager to remind Qin Ran about the possible impending actions of Ke Yue in the next few days, raised his hand and stood up. However, he hesitated, realizing that Qin Ran probably didn't need a reminder.
Ke Yue did. The cute girl sitting diagonally across from him suddenly seemed pitiful, and he felt it was necessary to caution her to be careful.
Just then, Qin Ran remembered something, stopped at the door, turned around, and said to him, "Oh, I have something to attend to. Pack your things; we're leaving together."
Yan Yi didn't know what was going on, but he obediently packed up and followed Qin Ran out of the Medicine Hall.
Strangely, after leaving the Medicine Hall, Qin Ran didn't mention anything; he simply walked ahead.
The two walked out of the Disciple Hall, along the stone path, descended from the main peak, and headed towards Dan Peak.
By this time, Yan Yi couldn't contain himself and asked, "Elder, what's going on?"
"Wait," Qin Ran said. Suddenly, he stopped because he noticed someone in the forest beside the road, watching them.
"Who's there?" The person's gaze was unfriendly, and Qin Ran questioned.
Yan Yi was startled. Following Qin Ran's line of sight, he couldn't help but feel the person in the forest looked familiar. After a closer look, he exclaimed, "Elder Jian!"
"Jian Yuanjie?" Qin Ran's gaze sharpened, recognizing a resemblance to Jian Yuanjie.
But as he tried to get a clearer look, the person suddenly turned and ran deep into the forest.
"Halt!" Qin Ran's expression changed, and he quickly used his body techniques to chase after.
"Hey, Elder Qin, be careful!" Yan Yi thought this might be Ke Yue's scheme and hurriedly reminded Qin Ran.
However, Qin Ran and "Jian Yuanjie" were too fast and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Yan Yi felt anxious. These days were precisely when Ke Yue and her people might make a move. How could Elder Qin act so recklessly?
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He wanted to chase after them, but suddenly he realized, even if he caught up, he would just be a bystander.
"Senior Sister Li!" He remembered Li Shiyin and swiftly employed his body techniques, rushing towards the peak of Dan Peak.
He soon arrived outside the mist surrounding Dan Peak and, without catching his breath, shouted, "Help! Senior Sister Li! Help!"
The mist parted, creating a pathway. He ran inside and saw Li Shiyin flying towards him from a distance. Hastily, he said, "Senior Sister Li, Sect Leader Qin, Sect Leader Qin is in danger! Hurry, go save him!"
"Master is in danger?" Li Shiyin furrowed her brows, looking puzzled as she glanced towards the old Spirit Pagoda Tree. "Where is Master? How could he be in danger?"
Following her gaze, Yan Yi looked at the swing under the old Spirit Pagoda Tree and saw Qin Ran sitting there, reading a book while a large Xuanming Spirit Tiger gently pushed the swing with its tail.
"Why is Sect Leader Qin here?" Yan Yi was dumbfounded.
"Master hasn't left today, so why wouldn't he be here?" Li Shiyin wondered.
"Ah?" Yan Yi was suddenly speechless.
Qin Ran chased after "Jian Yuanjie," leaving Dao Sword Sect and heading southeast.
Whether it was intentional on "Jian Yuanjie's" part or Qin Ran's, Qin Ran could never catch up, no matter the speed. He always trailed behind "Jian Yuanjie" by several meters.
And within ten miles, it didn't take long.
Suddenly, "Jian Yuanjie" ahead stopped, turned around, and coldly asked the panting Qin Ran, "You didn't think I was still alive, did you?"
Qin Ran caught his breath and respectfully said, "You're indeed alive!"
"If you're not dead, how could I be?" "Jian Yuanjie" replied.
"Hehe! It's you who killed Elder Jian!!" Ke Yue's voice suddenly came from the side. Qin Ran looked over, seeing her cute face twisted in anger. "You deserve to die a thousand deaths, daring to harm Elder Jian."
"You..." Qin Ran couldn't believe it, shocked. "How do you know?"
"Humph!" The "Jian Yuanjie" figure transformed into a burly man with a beard, "Alchemy Master, how did you discover my mysterious transformation technique!?"
"You...you..." Qin Ran pointed at the bearded man and asked, "Who are you!?"
"You Shi!" The bearded man drew a sword, holding it menacingly. "The one who will kill you!!"
With his words, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and the figures of Ke Yue and You Shi disappeared.
"Formation!!!" Qin Ran's face changed drastically. "You've planned this from the beginning?"
"Die, Qin Ran..." Ke Yue's voice came from the darkness.
Following that, there was an atmosphere of solemn killing and blood...
After experiencing a life-and-death situation, Qin Ran finally broke free from the formation. He was covered in injuries, on the verge of collapse.
At this moment, a dozen people holding magical instruments surrounded him, including Ke Yue, Shi Yuan, and You Shi.
"We are about to kill a Golden Core cultivator!" Ke Yue laughed heartily.
Looking at the dozen people around him, Qin Ran weakly asked, "Everyone is here?"
"Of course, united as one, we aim to eliminate you!" Ke Yue smiled, "We will carry your head to Zhican Valley. This great feat will ensure that we never lack cultivation pills again."
"Now that everyone is here, let's get started!" Qin Ran weakly spoke, "It saves me the trouble of killing one by one, too troublesome."
"Get started?" Ke Yue sneered, "Do you even have the ability?"
"Shi Yuan!" she shouted.
So Shi Yuan stepped forward, holding a runic sword in one hand and a Kill Immortal Pill in the other. He looked at Qin Ran and then shoved the Kill Immortal Pill into his mouth!
"?" Qin Ran widened his eyes, puzzled, "What are you doing?!"
"You... are seriously injured, close to death!" Shi Yuan's blood and mana boiled, his veins bulging, "Ah! Ah!! Did you really think I would betray Ke Yue? Ah ah ah... I'm going to kill you!!"
The runic sword in his hand began to charge, transforming into a massive sword...
Watching Shi Yuan go berserk, Qin Ran was initially puzzled, but soon he figured it out:
This guy, having only seen his true self and You Shi, probably thought he was the true self? Seeing the true self injured, he probably thought it was an opportunity...
In reality, he's just a jumping clown.
Qin Ran shook his head and said aloud, "I wasn't asking you to act, I meant... You Shi! It's your turn to act!!"
Then, to Ke Yue's disbelief, You Shi transformed into Qin Ran's appearance, wielding the sword and performing "Flying Immortal Inquiry." With little effort, he slaughtered all these Foundation Building disciples... including Ke Yue.
If it weren't for the sake of a clean kill, he really wouldn't need to act like this...
As for Shi Yuan?
A person who took a Kill Immortal Pill, destined to die, why bother fighting him head-on?
The clone, You Shi, led by the clone Qin Ran, used Flying Immortal Inquiry to leave the scene, leaving Shi Yuan alone to go mad.
...Qin Ran No. 3 luckily survived. Congratulations!
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