Yuan Xiaoqi cheerfully led Zhang Yiyi away, heading directly toward her own residence and her senior sister's place.

Lishan Sect's layout was entirely different from Yunxian Sect's, yet it shared a majestic aura characteristic of great sects. The spiritual energy here was exceptionally abundant—an ideal paradise in every sense of the word.

As they walked, Yuan Xiaoqi guided Zhang Yiyi, introducing various sights along the way, treating her as if she were one of their own.

This was partly because of the friendship between her senior sister and Zhang Yiyi, and partly because Zhang Yiyi had saved her life during the Luoxian River Secret Realm expedition.

As for the disputes between the two sects, Xiaoqi couldn't care less. In her view, sect disputes were common, and disciples like them had no reason to get involved in such conflicts.

"Yiyi, Senior Sister has everything prepared for you. You can stay with her for the time being, and there's no need to rush into anything else."

As they walked, Xiaoqi warmly introduced Lishan Sect to Zhang Yiyi and reassured her repeatedly, hinting that she didn't need to overthink or feel conflicted due to the tension between the sects.

In truth, however, Zhang Yiyi didn't have the selfless mindset Xiaoqi imagined. Matters as significant as resolving misunderstandings between the sects were not for a mere Foundation Establishment disciple like her to worry about. The elders, with their wisdom and ability, would handle it just fine.

"Mmm, I understand."

She nodded, not offering any objections. "Has Senior Sister's injury really stabilized?"

Compared to problems that couldn't be resolved immediately, Zhang Yiyi was naturally more concerned about Yuan Ying's health. After all, she was here more as a peace envoy, and pushing her agenda too strongly might cause displeasure or be counterproductive.

Seeing that Zhang Yiyi's foremost concern was her senior sister's well-being, Yuan Xiaoqi's smile grew even warmer.

"Rest assured, Yiyi. Senior Sister's injury has stabilized, and with some recuperation, she'll be fine."

Without others around, Xiaoqi didn't feel the need to exaggerate as she would during formal talks between the sects. Besides, she'd be able to see her condition soon, so there was no need to overstate it.

"That's good to hear. I brought her some spiritual medicine that might be useful."

With Xiaoqi's reassuring words, Zhang Yiyi finally relaxed. With this, Yuan Ying's injury would not truly hinder her future cultivation, and it was likely that the friction between the sects would be somewhat less severe than the worst-case scenario she had anticipated.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Yiyi. Look, up on that peak is where Senior Sister lives, and it's also where I grew up. You don't know this, but every disciple who enters Lishan Sect dreams of reaching that sacred ground and becoming one of its protectors. Later, we'll..."

Xiaoqi pointed toward a majestic peak in the southeast and explained to Zhang Yiyi, her smile growing wider.

Suddenly, an eerie gust of wind swept past her, sending chills through her entire body and making her blood feel as if it had frozen. Fortunately, the strange wind passed quickly and didn't actually touch her, allowing Xiaoqi to snap out of her daze and catch her breath.

Before she could contemplate why that brush of wind had felt so eerie, she turned to look for Zhang Yiyi, only to realize she was nowhere to be seen.

"Yiyi? Yiyi?"

Cold sweat broke out across her body—a genuine cold sweat since she reached Foundation Establishment.

She was gone?

She'd been following her just moments ago, and they'd been chatting only a few breaths earlier. How could she vanish in such a short span?

Xiaoqi shouted her name and searched frantically for her familiar pink figure, but the vast valley was silent, with no response to her calls.

Zhang Yiyi had disappeared, as if she had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiyi was unaware of the enormous tension her sudden disappearance had caused between Lishan and Yunxian Sect. Just a moment ago, she'd been listening to Xiaoqi's enthusiastic description of Lishan's sacred ground, but now, she found herself inexplicably trapped within a bizarre whirlwind.

She didn't even have time to react before an intense, tearing pain overwhelmed her, and she fainted instantly.

At the same moment, Zhang Yiyi lost consciousness, the mysterious copper mirror in her storage ring flew out on its own, casting a layer of dim blue light that enveloped her. This blue light prevented her from being shredded to dust by the fierce wind.

...

It was unclear how much time had passed. When Zhang Yiyi regained consciousness and struggled to open her eyes, a small, exceptionally bright starry sky appeared before her.

"You're awake?"

A deep male voice sounded beside her, carrying a hint of familiarity, though a still-dazed Zhang Yiyi couldn't place where she'd heard it before.

She vaguely sensed that she was lying somewhere safe and, with some effort, turned her head toward the direction of the voice, trying to recall faint memories. The warm glow of the nearby fire gradually brought her foggy thoughts back to clarity. She quickly sat up from the ground, instinctively staring at the man across the fire whose face she could barely make out, and asked, "Who are you? Where is this?"

Now fully alert, Zhang Yiyi didn't sense any immediate danger, but she was cautious in this unfamiliar place and scenario. Her memory had returned; before she lost consciousness, she was walking up Lishan Mountain with Yuan Xiaoqi on the path leading to Senior Sister Yuan Ying's residence.

Then a strange gust of wind came, sweeping her away without any resistance. She couldn't remember what had happened after that, but just before she fainted, she clearly felt the copper mirror in her storage ring emit a dark blue light that surrounded her.

It seemed that the blue light from the copper mirror had saved her in this critical moment; otherwise, the whirlwind would have torn her to pieces, leaving her helpless.

"Luo Qiheng, Lanyu Small World."

The man beside the fire moved slightly, his previously indistinct features gradually coming into focus. Seeing his somewhat familiar face, Zhang Yiyi felt her tension ease a little.

She let out a heavy sigh, surprised to encounter a familiar face, Luo Qiheng from Qingcheng Sword Sect, in such a strange place.

But wait...what was the Lanyu Small World?

Had she misheard? Wasn't their cultivation world supposed to be Huaren World? Could it be that the strange wind had blown her into another microcosm?

Zhang Yiyi's shock was apparent, and Luo Qiheng across the fire clearly understood her reaction, though he said nothing. A month earlier, he had arrived here due to an inexplicable gust of wind. After spending time to get a rough grasp of the place, he found Zhang Yiyi at the edge of a lake yesterday, who had inexplicably appeared there as he had once awakened himself.

He didn't know exactly what had happened to Zhang Yiyi, but meeting a familiar person in this foreign world was still fortunate.

"So, what's this Lanyu Small World all about? Luo Qiheng, are you saying we're no longer in our original world but in a whole new world?"

After confirming Luo Qiheng's identity, Zhang Yiyi couldn't hold back any longer. She immediately moved closer to him, as if seeking further confirmation.

"Mm," he replied with his usual brevity, stirring the fire with a stick, causing the flames to flare higher.

This cave had been his temporary shelter for the past month, and the nearby lake was where they both first set foot in this microcosm. For Luo Qiheng, who had already successfully advanced to the Golden Core stage years ago, the fire in front of him was more a matter of human habit than necessity.

With his confirmation, even if it was just a single "mm," Zhang Yiyi's restless heart finally started to calm. Indeed, her "great luck" had struck again, blowing her into an unknown world.

Upon reflection, she realized that when she was swept into the strange wind, she had almost been torn to pieces. If it weren't for that mysterious copper mirror in her storage bag, she would've died for sure.

Though being transported to an unfamiliar world was terrifying, at least she had survived. She'd been through many ups and downs and quickly accepted her situation.

Remembering the copper mirror that had saved her, Zhang Yiyi instinctively sent her consciousness into the storage ring. As expected, the copper mirror, which had taken so many precious items to recover even a fraction of its power, was once again dormant, no different than when she first found it.

She was aware now that she owed her life to the copper mirror. She made a silent vow to herself: she would never again complain about its insatiable appetite. From now on, she would find a way to feed it anything it desired and help it restore its full power!

Suddenly, she remembered Maoqiu, her little beast companion that had been sleeping in her spirit beast pouch, and hurriedly checked on it, worried it might have been harmed.

"Phew!"

After a moment, she let out a sigh of relief. It seemed her worry was for nothing; Maoqiu was peacefully asleep, blissfully unaware of her brush with death.

With her current situation sorted out, Zhang Yiyi looked back at Luo Qiheng, who was watching the fire intently, and asked, "Brother Luo, how did you end up here?"

Finding a familiar face in this strange world, Zhang Yiyi felt more at ease and had subconsciously started addressing him as Brother Luo.

"Wind," he replied simply, glancing at her briefly instead of just staring at the fire. He didn't seem to care whether she used his full name or addressed him as Brother Luo; it made little difference to him.

When they had exited the Luoxian River Secret Realm, Zhang Yiyi had learned of Luo Qiheng's taciturn nature, so she didn't mind his minimal responses. Rather, having a familiar companion in such a strange world brought her comfort.

"Were you also brought here by a strange wind?" she asked. "It was June 9th when a wind swept me up, nearly killing me. I woke up here. When did you arrive? And what is this Lanyu Small World? Did you save me? Do you know how to return?"

Realizing that Luo Qiheng might have been brought here by the same strange wind, she bombarded him with questions.

Luo Qiheng seemed momentarily overwhelmed by her barrage of questions, but after a pause, he answered, "June 9th, not sure, yes, and no."

"...," Zhang Yiyi was speechless, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Fine, maybe her questions were indeed too much for someone as sparing with words as Luo Qiheng. But at least he'd answered them, even if his responses were excessively brief.

"So, you were also brought here by that strange wind on June 9th," she confirmed. "That means you haven't been here much longer than I have. How did you find out this place is called the Lanyu Small World?"

This time, Zhang Yiyi held back from asking too many questions at once.

She didn't doubt Luo Qiheng's honesty; she just hoped to understand the situation better so she could start looking for a way back to the Huaren World.