Chapter 3 — Watching Heavens Sun City
Outer Eastern Wall
The second explosion sounded even louder.
BOOOOM!
Several birds instantly scattered into the sky while the ground beneath the courtyard trembled lightly.
Disciples throughout the Xu Family quickly turned toward the eastern walls of Sun City.
"What was that?"
"Beast attack?"
"No… that sounded farther away…"
Third Elder Xu Jian immediately frowned.
"All disciples remain inside the family grounds."
His tone no longer carried its earlier irritation.
Now it sounded serious.
Several guards quickly rushed toward the outer streets while distant alarm bells slowly began echoing across Sun City.
Xu Yuan lazily stood up beneath the tree.
"Well. There goes my peaceful morning."
Lin Hao swallowed nervously.
"You think something happened outside the city?"
Xu Yuan shrugged.
"If something terrible happened, the elders would already be screaming louder."
"That somehow doesn't comfort me."
"It wasn't supposed to."
More people gradually gathered near the courtyard entrance trying to understand what happened.
Even nearby civilians outside the Xu Family streets started pointing toward the eastern mountains beyond the city walls.
Smoke faintly rose in the far distance.
Beside Xu Yuan, Xia Yu quietly narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Spiritual fluctuation."
Xu Yuan looked toward her.
"You can sense it from here?"
"A little."
"Scary."
Before anyone could continue—
another figure suddenly entered the courtyard confidently.
A young man wearing blue robes with a sword hanging at his waist.
Sharp eyes.
Straight posture.
Arrogant expression.
Liu Feng.
Several nearby disciples immediately lowered their voices.
"He's back already…"
"Spirit Vein Realm at seventeen…"
"The Liu Family really spent heavily on him…"
Liu Feng ignored everyone else immediately after entering.
His eyes directly landed on Xia Yu first.
Then slowly shifted toward Xu Yuan beside her.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Lin Hao quietly stepped backward.
"Good luck."
Traitor.
Liu Feng calmly walked closer.
"So you're Xu Yuan."
Xu Yuan nodded once.
"Unfortunately."
Several nearby disciples almost laughed out loud before quickly suppressing it.
Liu Feng's expression twitched slightly.
"I heard you and Miss Xia are engaged."
Xu Yuan looked toward Xia Yu.
"See? This keeps happening."
Xia Yu calmly drank tea without answering.
Liu Feng continued coldly.
"A man should possess enough strength before standing beside someone like her."
Xu Yuan seriously thought about it for several seconds.
"That sounds exhausting."
"…What?"
"You people keep making cultivation sound like full-time work."
Several disciples instantly looked horrified.
Third Elder Xu Jian directly covered his face with one hand.
Liu Feng's eyes narrowed.
"You don't seem very motivated."
Xu Yuan pointed toward Xia Yu beside him.
"My fiancée is beautiful, life is peaceful, and I eat well every day. I'm already satisfied."
Lin Hao nearly choked trying not to laugh nearby.
For the first time—
even Xia Yu's lips curved slightly upward.
Very small.
But enough to completely freeze Liu Feng for a moment.
Because she almost never smiled in front of others.
Liu Feng's expression darkened slightly afterward.
"Cultivators without ambition eventually regret it."
Xu Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
"That sounds wise."
"…You're mocking me."
"No, I'm avoiding unnecessary conflict."
"That sentence itself sounds mocking."
Before the situation could worsen—
a city guard suddenly rushed into the courtyard breathing heavily.
"Third Elder!"
Everyone immediately turned serious again.
"What happened?" Xu Jian asked instantly.
The guard lowered his voice.
"A caravan outside the eastern forest disappeared last night."
Several disciples immediately reacted.
"Bandits?"
"No bodies were found."
Silence spread briefly afterward.
The guard continued nervously.
"Only the spirit beasts remained."
Xu Yuan's relaxed expression faded slightly for the first time.
Spirit beasts normally panicked after attacks.
Remaining behind quietly felt strange.
Third Elder Xu Jian immediately turned toward the disciples.
"All younger disciples remain inside the city until further notice."
"Yes, Elder!"
The guard quickly left afterward while nearby discussions immediately erupted again.
Liu Feng eventually glanced toward Xu Yuan one last time.
"Looks like Sun City won't stay peaceful for long."
Xu Yuan sighed softly.
"…You just had to say it out loud."
Then Liu Feng finally turned and walked away.
Several disciples immediately followed after him.
The courtyard slowly became quieter again.
Xu Yuan stretched lazily before sitting back down beneath the tree.
"See? I knew trouble would eventually come."
Lin Hao stared at him blankly.
"You literally spent the whole morning saying life was peaceful."
"Exactly. That's why this is disappointing."
Xia Yu quietly sat beside him again afterward.
"Are you worried?"
Xu Yuan looked toward the distant eastern mountains silently for a moment.
Then shrugged lightly.
"Not yet."
Above Sun City—
the crimson moon still remained faintly visible even beneath daylight.