166: Chapter 166 Taking a Moment's Rest

The chaotic battle was quelled by Ye Tianhao's sword technique.

Some of the stronger Cultivators didn't advance further and fled one after another, for they could see that even though the trio's spiritual power was significantly depleted...

...they still wouldn't gain much of an advantage, so it was better to leave first.

After all the Cultivators had left, the woods finally regained their tranquility, leaving only the charred smell of burning vegetation and a faint scent of blood.

Ye Tianhao maneuvered his Flying Sword to land in a relatively hidden part of the woods and released Su Wan.

A blush appeared on Su Wan's pretty face as she panted slightly, not quite daring to look up at Ye Tianhao. She quickly took out a Medicinal Pill from another Storage Pouch at her waist and consumed it.

Once the pill was down, she performed a salute as if a weight had been lifted, saying gratefully, "Thank you, both Fellow Daoists, for your assistance. Su Wan will never forget such great kindness. May I ask for your honored names?"

"Ye Tianhao, and this is my sister, Ye Tianyao. It was just a small matter," Ye Tianhao said, pointing to Ye Tianyao, who was feeding Spirit Beast Pellets to Xiao Chi and the Spirit Sparrow nearby.

The three of them had now been briefly introduced.

Su Wan prepared to take the talisman treasure from her sleeve and put it into her Storage Pouch, but seeing Ye Tianhao looking at it, she explained.

"This talisman treasure is a relic left to me by my mother and my trump card. If I hadn't been pushed into a corner just now, I wouldn't have used it so easily."

"Although this talisman treasure is powerful, it consumes an extreme amount of spiritual power. In the battle just now, I nearly exhausted all of mine."

Ye Tianhao's gaze fell upon the talisman treasure. He had seen it glowing with golden light before, but now that the spiritual power had dissipated, it revealed its original translucent white color. It was engraved with complex runes, with a faint golden light circulating within; it was indeed a rare treasure.

However, he showed no signs of greed, merely saying calmly, "I see."

Seeing that Ye Tianhao and Ye Tianyao had no covetous intentions, Su Wan's impression of the siblings improved.

She couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoists, I wonder if I might travel with you for a while?"

After Su Wan spoke, a brief silence fell over the woods.

Her eyes held a hint of apprehension. Having exhausted her spiritual power and exposed her talisman treasure in the previous fight, she would surely be targeted by other Cultivators. If that happened, she wouldn't be able to escape the fate of being eliminated.

Furthermore, if she couldn't enter the Qingyun Sect, all her efforts would be in vain.

Ye Tianyao looked up at the uneasy woman, noting her pale face, which nonetheless couldn't hide the gentle resilience in her features.

She pulled Ye Tianhao aside and whispered, "Brother, it wouldn't hurt to take her along. I see she has such a powerful talisman treasure."

"She risked her life to resist those Cultivators earlier, so her strength is decent. We should keep her as an assistant and an ally. Besides, there are ten spots for Inner Sect Disciples in the Qingyun Sect!"

In the later stages of this assessment, a fierce battle was inevitable.

Ye Tianhao also found this reasonable. His gaze swept across the surrounding dense forest as he said calmly, "I can let you travel with us, but the current assessment is dangerous. There's just one thing: you must not act on your own during the journey; everything must be discussed before making a decision."

Hearing this, Su Wan's eyes instantly lit up. She hurriedly performed another salute, her tone sincere.

"Thank you, both Fellow Daoists Ye!"

Ye Tianyao had finished feeding the Spirit Beast Pellets. Xiao Chi flicked its fiery red tail and affectionately rubbed against the back of her hand, while the Spirit Sparrow circled around Ye Tianyao as if seeking praise.

She said with a smile, "There's no need to be so polite, Fellow Daoist. We're companions now, so we'll just look out for each other from now on."

Su Wan nodded quickly. "What you both say is very true; I will follow your lead. It's just that I've lost too much spiritual power in the previous fight, and I'm afraid I won't be able to use my Flying Sword for the time being. I must trouble you both to wait a moment while I take some Medicinal Pills to regulate my breathing; I'll be able to keep up very soon."

"No matter," Ye Tianyao waved her hand.

She took a bottle of crimson blood wine from her Storage Pouch and held it out to Su Wan. "Miss Su, this is the crimson blood wine we carry to replenish spiritual power. A few sips will help you recover quickly!"

Su Wan looked at the crimson blood wine Ye Tianyao was offering. There was a faint shimmer of spiritual power, and just being near it allowed her to feel the rich energy within. It was clearly incomparable to ordinary spiritual-replenishing pills.

A flash of surprise and a hint of awkwardness crossed her eyes. She quickly waved her hands in refusal. "No, no, Fellow Daoist Ye. This crimson blood wine looks extremely precious; how could I take it for nothing?"

Seeing Su Wan's strong reaction, Ye Tianyao knew that the crimson blood wine her Family brewed was of excellent quality, and Su Wan likely mistook it for some rare treasure.

Ye Tianyao said with a smile, "Miss Su, there's no need to treat us like strangers. Since we're companions, we should naturally help each other."

"Your spiritual power is exhausted. If you rely solely on pills to recover, it will take at least half an hour. The assessment is dangerous right now; every moment of delay increases the risk. The sooner you recover, the sooner we can set off."

Beside her, Ye Tianhao added flatly, "Hurry up. This is not a safe place!"

Su Wan held the flask, a wave of warmth surging in her heart.

She no longer refused and pulled out the cork. A rich aroma of wine mixed with fruit wafted out, and she tilted her head back to take three gulps.

The crimson blood wine was rich and sweet with a long-lasting aftertaste, but its flavor was secondary.

Most importantly, Su Wan could clearly feel a warm energy instantly surge down her throat and into her entire body. Her previously exhausted Meridians felt as if they were being nourished by spring rain. Waves of warmth spread out, and her depleted spiritual power began to recover at a visible rate.

Before long, she felt that her spiritual power had already recovered by thirty to forty percent.

The paleness on her face faded slightly, and a spark returned to her eyes.

After circulating a bit of spiritual power to confirm she was fine, she said softly, "I've recovered half of my spiritual power. It's enough to fly with you on my sword; I won't hold you back."

Three figures swiftly flew into the forest.

These were the high-ranking members of the Qingyun Sect observing the examinees from an Observation Tower.

Qin Yunhe stroked his beard and said with some surprise, "I didn't expect that a Cultivator in this assessment would actually possess a talisman treasure. And that female Cultivator seems quite extraordinary in strength as well!"

Beside him, Yun Jian had a solemn expression as he silently watched Su Wan.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Old Qin, have you forgotten? This girl is a child of the Jingxi Su Family."

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Qin Yunhe's eyes, and he immediately asked, "The Jingxi Su Family? Isn't that one of the families that was wiped out by the Xuanyou Sect?"

Back then, Xuan Ming of the Xuanyou Sect had refined an entire national capital into demon soldiers, and along the way, he had also exterminated those families that were on good terms with the Qingyun Sect!

Yun Jian nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on Su Wan's reflection on the barrier, his tone heavy. "That damned Xuanyou Sect! They're becoming more and more rampant! This is clearly a slight against our Sect for having no Golden Core Immortal Masters!"

Seeing this, Qin Yunhe comforted him, "Yun Jian, you shouldn't be too upset. This Xuanyou Sect is nothing but a rabble. The Sect Master will wipe them out sooner or later!"

"You make it sound easy. Our Sect Master is still in the Core Formation stage, constantly trying to break through to the Golden Core stage. How could he... sigh..."

At this point, Yun Jian also let out a helpless sigh.

Seeing his face full of worry, a hint of craftiness appeared on Qin Yunhe's weathered face, and he simply said, "Enough, Yun Jian! There's no use worrying about these things now. Let's just keep a good eye on those youngsters for now."