At the foot of the Qilin Volcano, several spirit beasts waited.
There were rare mounts like the Ice-Snow White Lion, the Five-Colored Deer, and the Liuli Beast—each one a prized creature of noble bloodlines.
Their owners were all young elites from the great clans of the Horn Constellation Realm.
"Ouyang brother!"
"Haha, not easy at all! You actually managed to invite the Divine Maiden Tang and Liu Hongfu out!"
When those clan heirs saw Tang Xingyu arrive, their eyes instantly brightened.
Yang Cheng glanced over them. He recognized quite a few faces—many of these people would become well-known gods in the future.
"And this one?" someone asked, noticing Yang Cheng.
Ouyang Yi smiled politely. "This is Tang Xingyu's junior disciple."
Hearing that, the others all smiled and nodded in greeting.
Even if they secretly looked down on Yang Cheng, they had to pretend to be friendly—for Tang Xingyu's sake.
"Welcome, welcome."
"Didn't expect our Divine Maiden Tang to have a junior brother."
Everyone spoke warmly, as if Yang Cheng were already an old acquaintance.
"Today's gathering is really something. Not only Divine Maiden Tang, but also Divine Maiden Cang are here—our Sword Institute's two brightest stars together."
A young man with blue eyes chuckled.
"Senior Sister Cang Xuanji is here too?" Liu Hongfu said excitedly.
Cang Xuanji?
Yang Cheng remembered the woman he would meet in the future—aloof, proud, untouchable.
But for now, Cang Xuanji could still rival Tang Xingyu in reputation. A century later, however, Tang Xingyu would completely surpass her.
After a quarter of an hour, the group arrived at the top floor of a luxurious tavern.
From here, one could overlook the winding Wudong River.
On the way up, Tang Xingyu quietly introduced the people around them to Yang Cheng.
But he already knew them—Yu Yuan, Chen Tingfeng, Liu Zhenglin, and others.
They were all future geniuses from beyond the realms, people who in his past life had stood high above him.
Now, those same people greeted him with polite smiles—but their eyes still carried that same familiar contempt he remembered.
It was obvious: deep down, they didn't take him seriously at all. They were only pretending for Tang Xingyu's sake.
On the top floor sat a woman in white.
Her aura was cold and serene, like an ice goddess. If Tang Xingyu was a blooming begonia, then this woman was a pure white snow lotus.
She was Cang Xuanji.
Her gaze was calm as frost, but for some reason, it lingered on Yang Cheng.
Most people thought Yang Cheng stayed silent because he was timid or reserved.
But Cang Xuanji sensed something different—his quietness came from composure, from an unshakable ease that disregarded everyone else.
'This person is either ignorant and arrogant,' she thought, 'or he has a kind of confidence none of us can see.'
Cang Xuanji always made private judgments about others. For those who were mediocre, she didn't even bother to remember their faces.
'According to the others,' she mused, 'this boy is just a little native junior from the Wasteland Realm. Facing so many geniuses from the Horn Constellation Realm, he should be nervous at least—but he's not. Where does that calmness come from?'
Still, she didn't dwell on it. A native from the wasteland, no matter how composed, could never truly match those of the Horn Constellation Realm.
Soon after, everyone began to offer Cang Xuanji drinks.
That alone showed who among them held the highest status.
Yang Cheng sat quietly, not moving. Some of the others shook their heads subtly, thinking he lacked the refinement to even fit in.
Just then, Tang Xingyu reached for her own cup, seemingly ready to join in the toast.
But Yang Cheng gently pressed down her hand. "You're not sixteen yet. No drinking."
Tang Xingyu smiled sweetly.
She had only meant to play along for fun, not out of real respect for Cang Xuanji.
Now that Yang Cheng had stopped her, she felt a warm sense of familiarity—as if she were back in her childhood days. It didn't annoy her at all. In fact, it felt comforting.
This small moment, however, made many of the men at the table frown inwardly.
Tang Xingyu actually listened to him that obediently?
Trying to reassert their presence before Tang Xingyu and Cang Xuanji, the men began to talk about matters far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.
They spoke of the vast heavens and countless worlds—how many great forces had already turned their attention toward the Wasteland Realm, and how several major powers, like the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, intended to establish permanent footholds there.
The Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy had clearly seized the upper hand.
Because these geniuses knew some of the inside information, they had agreed to follow the academy into the Wasteland Realm. Otherwise, given their noble status, they could have easily stayed behind in the Horn Constellation Realm instead of coming to such a remote place.
They discussed matters like divine wars erupting in the Horn Constellation Realm, or some powerful faction unearthing a legendary divine artifact.
Tang Xingyu didn't join their conversation, but she didn't look the least bit uncomfortable either. She simply laughed and joked with Liu Hongfu.
Liu Hongfu had been tense at first, but Tang Xingyu's lightheartedness quickly made her relax.
By contrast, Yang Cheng seemed entirely out of place among them.
'Looks like Yang Cheng doesn't hold that high a place in Tang Xingyu's heart after all,' several people thought to themselves. 'Otherwise, she wouldn't just ignore him like that.'
What they didn't know was that Tang Xingyu understood Yang Cheng far better than they did.
She knew perfectly well that he wasn't someone who would ever feel uneasy in a situation like this.
If Yang Cheng wasn't talking, it wasn't because he was intimidated—it was because he simply wasn't interested.
That was why she hadn't tried to chat with him. Instead, she focused on helping Liu Hongfu loosen up, in her own way.
Once Liu Hongfu relaxed, her curiosity naturally shifted toward Yang Cheng.
When Cang Xuanji pulled Tang Xingyu aside for a private chat later, Liu Hongfu took the chance to smile and walk over to Yang Cheng.
"Starting to see the difference between yourself and them?" she asked.
"Difference?" Yang Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"The Wasteland Realm is just a tiny well," Liu Hongfu said softly. "The sky you've seen is only that small circle above your head. But they grew up seeing the boundless world beyond."
She added, "So, don't overthink it."
Yang Cheng smiled faintly. "I appreciate your concern. But I'm not overthinking anything. I'm just not interested in the things they talk about."
Liu Hongfu chuckled. "Then what does interest you? The petty wars of your little Wasteland kingdoms? Or the daily gossip of ordinary folk?"
"The great Dao of all heavens," Yang Cheng said calmly, "that's where my interest lies."
"'The great Dao of all heavens,' huh?" Liu Hongfu shook her head with a wry smile. "Forget it. For Xingyu's sake, I won't bother arguing with you."
The banquet passed without any major drama and ended an hour later.
Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu didn't stay to socialize. They walked side by side back toward the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy and parted ways only outside Tang Xingyu's courtyard.
Along the way, countless students saw them together.
Before long, the entire academy was in an uproar.
The Divine Maiden of the Sword Institute—one of its two dazzling flowers—was seen walking intimately beside a young man.
"Damn it! Who's that bastard that caught Divine Maiden Tang's eye?"
"I heard he's her junior disciple from before—some native kid from the Wasteland Realm."
The rumors spread like wildfire.
Within hours, Yang Cheng had practically become the public enemy of every male disciple in the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy.
When he finally returned to his residence, Xu Letian, Dongfang Sheng, and Zeng Niu were all waiting, staring at him.
"You finally decided to come back, huh?"
"So tell us, what's it like to go on a date with Divine Maiden Tang?"
"I thought you were just bragging before, but damn—you really went and did it."
All three had eyes red with envy.
Yang Cheng only laughed. "I told you before—I never lied. You just didn't believe me."