At such times, Lin Xuan would step in to save the day.
He had coincidentally passed by several times, always managing to find out the reason behind Di Haoao's low spirits after the fact.
Putting it all together, he had a rough idea of the situation.
Since he knew the reason, solving the problem became much easier.
First, he told Long Xinxin why Di Haoao had gone missing, helping her understand why he was acting this way.
Only then did Long Xinxin realize her own responsibility and hurriedly went to find Di Haoao.
At this time, Di Haoao, who had gone off alone, was being surrounded and attacked by the Seven Disciples. It was a pitiful sight—he couldn’t even handle two of them, let alone seven.
There was actually a hidden subplot here.
Although the Left Envoy had said there was no one else to help the Seven Disciples, he had secretly sent the North End Demon Lord, one of the Four Great Demon Kings, to protect them.
Coincidentally, the North End Demon Lord was a mole planted in the Emperor Heaven Sect. He relayed this information to Elder Wei, Di Haoao's protector, and also revealed the Seven Disciples' plans.
Elder Wei didn’t interfere but instead played along, as he wanted to use the Seven Disciples to provoke Di Haoao.
He had always felt that Di Haoao was too insecure, which was unacceptable given his status and position.
So, many things were quietly allowed by Elder Wei, all in the hope that these events would help Di Haoao find a new lease on life.
However, it didn’t seem to be working. Even after being beaten badly, Di Haoao still hadn’t snapped out of it, and Elder Wei was extremely worried. He desperately hoped someone would come to save Di Haoao.
He couldn’t do it himself, as he felt that if he intervened, everything would be resolved too easily, and Di Haoao wouldn’t change.
So, when Lin Xuan arrived, he was the first to find Di Haoao, which deepened Di Haoao's impression of him.
The two of them fought against the Seven Disciples, and it was a bit of a struggle, mainly because Di Haoao was holding them back.
Lin Xuan kept encouraging Di Haoao, even as he himself was being pummeled. His unwavering determination deeply moved Di Haoao.
From Lin Xuan, Di Haoao saw a glimmer of hope. He suddenly felt like he was nothing, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of defiance.
At that moment, Long Xinxin arrived. After a heartfelt conversation, the two reconciled.
At the same time, Di Haoao was fully awakened, bursting with energy and no longer the one dragging them down.
The three of them fought against the Seven Disciples, and it was a close match, but the Seven Disciples had the advantage in numbers, so their chances of winning were slightly higher.
However, a higher chance of winning doesn’t guarantee victory.
At the critical moment, Lin Xuan used his words to once again awaken Di Haoao's inner pride and self-respect.
Di Haoao learned to face and accept himself.
At that moment, Di Haoao became unshakably determined and then broke through, becoming a Nascent Soul expert.
At this point, the Seven Disciples were naturally no match for them and could only flee in disarray, looking utterly defeated.
Meanwhile, Elder Wei, who had been watching from the shadows, breathed a sigh of relief and then felt a surge of joy. He secretly marveled at how remarkable this young man, Lin Xuan, was.
After this incident, Lin Xuan and Di Haoao naturally became close friends, and Elder Wei also developed a favorable impression of Lin Xuan.
This set the stage for Lin Xuan's journey north in the future.
Having sorted out his feelings, Di Haoao no longer refused the arranged marriage.
So, the wedding officially began, and it was happening very soon.
On this joyous day, the Seven Disciples naturally came to attend, but not to offer congratulations. Instead, they were there to settle old scores, or at the very least, to cause some trouble.
They had planned a series of steps to disrupt the event.
Liao Duci was the first to act, attempting to poison the festivities. As mentioned before, he was confident in his ability to succeed, but confidence doesn’t always translate to success, especially with Lin Xuan around.
Having crossed paths with Liao Duci before and having studied extensively at Medicine King Valley, Lin Xuan easily detected the poison and realized that the Seven Disciples were up to something.
So, he set a trap, waiting for them to fall into it.
And fall they did. As soon as they stepped out to cause trouble, they were immediately subdued, unable to move.
It was the quickest failure imaginable, and none of their subsequent plans could be put into action.
It was laughable. The Seven Disciples, who had spent so much time planning their sabotage, couldn’t even make a ripple. It was utterly embarrassing.
All they could see was Lin Xuan's condescending gaze.
Tsk tsk tsk, they were really losing their edge.
Of course, they didn’t die. In the end, the North End Demon Lord showed up and rescued the Seven Disciples.
Elder Wei made a token effort to stop them but ultimately let them go. He didn’t want to make things difficult for the North End Demon Lord, as he still needed him to continue feeding information as a mole.
The North End Demon Lord didn’t particularly care about the Seven Disciples either. He wasn’t loyal to the Demon Sect or the Emperor Heaven Sect. When he had informed Elder Wei about the Seven Disciples' plans, he had already extracted some benefits.
Now, after rescuing the Seven Disciples, he would return to the Left Envoy to demand more rewards. He was playing both sides, reaping benefits from each.
A mole? Please, it had been years—three years, then another three—and he had already taken on the shape of a Demon Sect member.
Su Luo closed the diary.
[Diary completed. Reward: Constitution +1, Speed +4.]
[Acquired special ability: Flame Monarch.]
[You can now control all visible flames with mastery.]
The special ability was good, but controlling fire?
To put it mildly, Su Luo's fire control was already second nature.
After testing it out, it didn’t seem to offer much help—it felt similar to using fire spells before.
The ability was decent, but for Su Luo at this stage, it felt a bit redundant.
Perhaps the only useful aspect was the ability to control other people’s flames?
Oh well, as his cultivation progressed, it was normal to acquire abilities that became less useful over time.
......
Jiang Ningshu noticed the diary update but found it to be filled with unimportant plot points and no useful information.
So, she continued focusing on recovering her strength.
She was in the final stages and would soon regain the strength she could achieve in the first phase.
......
Nangong Xiyun thought it was alright. She’d wait and see how Su Luo would perform.
......
Li Siyi closed the diary and turned to Little Yu, who was beside her. “So, do you want to see Su Luo?”
“Yes!” Little Yu immediately snapped out of her cultivation state.
They had been cultivating together using the Moonlight Pendant.
Little Yu was puzzled. “How do you always know Su Luo's whereabouts?”
“Hehe, want to know?”
“Actually, I’m more curious about why you’re telling me.”
“What are you talking about? Do I seem like someone who holds a grudge against you?”
“You did, especially when it came to Su Luo,” Little Yu added. “Before, at least.”
“And now?”
“Hmm... not so much anymore. Why?”
“Maybe I’ve come to terms with some things.”
Li Siyi gazed into the distance, lost in thought.