Yuan and Haoran were currently walking toward their group's house. The stone-paved path was lined with trees on both sides, and the Loose Long Camp, built within a small forest, offered a naturally beautiful view that was easy on the eyes.
The only things that seemed out of place were the man made structures, the buildings, the paved walkways, and the pavilions of varying sizes. Aside from birds flying in from above, no animals were ever seen within the camp.
The air was crisp and fresh, like the kind found atop a mountain. Yuan walked with his hands calmly folded behind his back, his posture more fitting for an elder than a nine year old child, making the sight somewhat unusual.
He wore his usual black and white robe, marked with a tail like pattern at the center of his sleeves, an emblem that signified his status as a prince of the Loose Long Family.
Beside him walked Haoran, grinning from ear to ear. He even hummed softly in delight, occasionally letting out cheerful chuckles for no apparent reason. Like Yuan, he too wore a black and white robe, but the pattern on his sleeves depicted a pair of wings.
As they followed the stone path that led directly to their group house, Haoran's grin widened even more, slowly transforming into a mischievous, arrogant smirk.
"Hehe, Brother Luanyuan, it's time to enjoy our childhood! Hehe," Haoran said, his voice full of excitement. He turned to glance at Yuan, then covered his mouth with one hand as he added teasingly, "So enjoy the show!"
Without waiting for a reply, Haoran dashed toward the house and burst through the entrance without hesitation. As he disappeared from Yuan's view, his loud voice echoed from within.
"SURPRISE! BIG BROTHER HAORAN IS BACK, HAHAHA!"
Hearing this, Yuan sighed in annoyance. He rubbed his eyes, already anticipating the drama that was about to unfold.
"Endure it... the benefits are worth it, so just endure," Yuan thought to himself. With a second sigh, he walked toward the house and pushed open the door.
Inside the hallway, he saw all four of them gathered, Meilan, Yuxin, Haoran, and Tianyu. They were all present. Tianyu stood a step away from his door, eyes locked on the smirking Haoran. Yuxin stood nearby with her usual cheerful smile, while Meilan simply watched Haoran talk nonstop.
Of the four, only Tianyu looked visibly annoyed.
Haoran's voice could already be heard from outside the door, but the moment Yuan stepped inside, he fell silent. The others turned to look at Yuan as well, and they began to greet him
"Hello, Brother Luanyuan. Welcome back," Yuxin was the first to greet him, offering her usual bright smile. Meilan gave a small nod, quiet as always, only that her eyes looked a little like she was amused.
Tianyu, however, didn't even glance at Yuan, his glare remained fixed on Haoran.
"Hehe, Brother Luanyuan has finally decided to grace us humble ones with his presence, eh?" Haoran said with a teasing grin, then immediately returned to pestering Tianyu.
"Anyway, Tianyu, looks like you haven't awakened another sense yet? Are you even cultivating properly? Maybe you need this Big Brother's help. After all, I've already awakened my third sense, while you're still struggling with your second. Just say the word and this big brother of yours will surely help you out. Hahaha"
Haoran's words were direct, with a sharp edge of mockery. Tianyu's lips twitched, but he said nothing.
Before the tension could build further, Yuxin chimed in with a cheerful tone.
"Wow! Brother Haoran has already awakened his third sense? That means you're now at the same level as Brother Luanyuan! You're the second third sense awakened among us, congratulations!"
A sweet smile bloomed on her face. Haoran froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard, and coughed awkwardly before regaining his smug expression.
"Indeed, I'm truly amazing, aren't I, Sister Yuxin? Hehe," he replied. Then his gaze slid back to Tianyu, and his grin widened.
"Oh, now that I remember, Tianyu, didn't you say something to me before? Something like, if I ever awakened the third sense, you'd run around the entire camp naked? Haha! Brother Tianyu, it seems it's time to honor your word... or are you planning to lose face?"
Tianyu's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth and glared at Haoran, then without a word, spun around and stormed into his room, slamming the door shut and locking it.
Hearing the click of the lock, Haoran burst into loud laughter.
"Good! Good!" he shouted, clearly enjoying himself.
Seeing Tianyu enter his room, Meilan also quietly left the hallway and slipped into her own room, closing the door behind her. That left only Haoran, Yuxin, and Yuan standing in the hallway.
Haoran glanced at Meilan's retreating figure but said nothing. His gaze then shifted to Yuxin, but before he could speak, Yuan addressed her first.
"Sister Yuxin, could you tell me what happened during the past month?" he asked calmly.
Yuxin's eyes were still lingering on Tianyu's door. Hearing Yuan's sudden question, she blinked in surprise. Then, composing herself, she turned toward him and gave a small nod.
"Brother wants to know what happened over the last month? Well… nothing particularly special. But a lot of people were really upset that they didn't get to go to the Founder's Manor. Some were angry enough to demand answers from the teacher. But he just told them that if they wanted the chance, they had to train harder and prove themselves next time."
She paused, then added with a faint smile, "After that, many of them did start training more seriously. Not all of them lasted the full month, but still, quite a few managed to improve. At least, that's what Teacher said."
"Oh? So that's what happened. How unexpected," Yuan replied thoughtfully. He was quiet for a moment before asking, "So how much did you guys improve?"
"Hehe..." Yuxin suddenly looked embarrassed. She lowered her head, avoiding Yuan's gaze, and mumbled softly, "I couldn't keep up with the intense training. I gave up after a week and went back to my usual routine."
"Oh," Yuan said, slightly stunned, though he had already suspected that much. Yuxin had always struggled with hardship and pain, she was the weakest among them, both mentally and physically.
He then followed up with another question. "What about the others? How did Brother Tianyu and Sister Meilan do?"
"Yes!" Haoran added quickly, clearly interested now. "Tell us! How much did they improve?"
Hearing that the conversation had shifted away from her, Yuxin brightened visibly and lifted her head again.
"Well, Brother Tianyu and Sister Meilan were among the few who managed to endure the entire month of training. They improved their cultivation techniques quite a bit. Teacher praised them often," she said, smiling. "But the ones who improved the most were Group Five!"
"Group Five?" Yuan asked with surprise. He didn't have much of an impression of that group.
After all, the different groups rarely interacted outside of the weekly free spars, where anyone could challenge anyone, as long as both parties agreed.
Yuan had fought many children from the other groups. Group Six had always been the weakest, only two of their five members were serious about combat. The rest treated the camp more like a political opportunity, trying to build connections rather than grow stronger.
Yuxin continued, her voice lively. "Yes! Group Five improved the most. Longyi Haodao, Longshou Jianhai, and Longtui Yayang all made significant progress. Teacher even said he didn't expect such a leap from them and raised the difficulty of their training because he saw more potential in them."
"Longyi Haodao?" Yuan repeated, surprised. He turned to Haoran with a questioning look.
Haoran immediately understood and nodded. "Yes, Haodao is my stepbrother. I didn't know about him for long. My father only told me shortly before I entered the camp, so we're not particularly close."
"Ah, I see. That explains it," Yuan replied with a small nod, then turned back to Yuxin, signaling her to go on.
"Right," she said, hesitating slightly before continuing. "Well… Well… Haodao has earned quite a notorious reputation. Please don't take any offense now, Brother Haoran." She glanced at him apologetically.
But Haoran simply smiled and waved her concern away. "No offense will be taken."
"Well, Haodao was the one who stood out the most, but not in a good way," Yuxin began, her tone shifting slightly. "He injured quite a few people during sparring. He's been incredibly arrogant, acting like no one else is worthy to stand on the same path as him. In just a month, he turned into a complete tyrant."
She hesitated, then added quietly, "He even tried to bully Sister Meilan, Brother Tianyu, and me during the first week. After that, he and his teammates were moved to another area, and he stopped sparring with others altogether."
She stopped speaking as she noticed Haoran's expression darken. His fists were clenched, and anger burned in his eyes.
"How dare he act so arrogant?" Haoran snapped. "Does he want to shame Father and embarrass our family in front of everyone? I'll beat him up!"
Haoran was about to storm off, but Yuan grabbed his arm and shook his head calmly.
Seeing Yuan's silent refusal, Haoran clicked his tongue in frustration, snorted, and stomped off to his room without another word, leaving Yuan and Yuxin standing in the hallway.
"Haa..." Yuxin let out a tired sigh. "I'll be going too. Goodnight, Brother Luanyuan." She offered a small wave, then turned and walked toward her room.
Yuan remained still for a moment, then silently entered his own room and resumed his cultivation in silence.