Chapter 42

On the island of Chixia, in the Wang family's cave dwelling.

"Good, just as I expected, this woman can't hold back any longer. In that case, I must help her along."

Wang Pan stood up, his tall figure towering. He slapped the letter in his hand onto the long table with a "slap," his eyes gleaming with excitement. He had a rough and imposing appearance, with a beard like needles, and a robust build that set him apart from ordinary cultivators. At this moment, his presence was even more intimidating.

A young cultivator sitting at the same table chuckled, "It's just a fairy maiden. Why are you so concerned, Brother?"

This person was named Feng Zhen, a disciple of the Shende Feng family from Donghua Continent, who cultivated under the same master as Wang Pan, Master Du.

Wang Pan glanced at him, sat down, and picked up a wine glass, playing with it in his hand. "Brother Feng, as a disciple of the Feng family, how could you understand the difficulties of a small family like ours?"

The Lingcang Sect had been established for ten thousand years. Within the sect, there were five major surnames, twelve grand families, forty-six noble families, two hundred prominent families, and three thousand prosperous clans, which together formed the majority of the sect's power, known as the Xuanmen families. Apart from these, there were also the "cold-spectrum" fallen noble families and those like Zhang Yan, who were merely called "commoners" and were not even considered by the noble families.

Although the Xuanmen families were renowned and unreachable, apart from the major surnames and grand families, the status of other families often fluctuated. The Feng and Du families were among the twelve grand families, with a thousand-year lineage. The Wang family, where Wang Pan belonged, was originally just a prominent family, but in recent years, several of its members had become Core Formation cultivators, allowing them to barely rank among the prominent families.

Feng Zhen, puzzled, asked, "Just a woman, how can she help your cultivation, Brother?"

Wang Pan chuckled, "Brother Feng, having grown up on Panchi Island, you don't know. These fairy maidens are originally attendants of the four Cave Heaven True Immortals. If one can gain their recognition, even if not as a cultivation partner, just having them as attendants brings countless benefits. Not only can one enter the Xuan Pavilion to read books three times, but also use the vast Qi waterfall to cleanse the body, and enter the Cave Heaven to cultivate for a year, seeking guidance from the True Immortals on cultivation problems. How could I let go of such benefits?"

He then added with a hint of ambiguity, "Moreover, this woman is beautiful and graceful. Everyone knows I, Wang Pan, have a fondness for beautiful things. Even if I don't use her, just keeping her for admiration is fine."

Feng Zhen suddenly understood. He smiled, drained his wine glass, and nodded.

He had always thought that although Brother Wang looked rough, he was not rash. He wouldn't lose his head over just a woman. Now he realized there were deeper reasons.

Wang Pan threw aside his wine glass, ordered his servant to bring two silk scrolls, and quickly wrote on them with a brush, then placed each in a bamboo tube, tying them with black and red ropes, and sealing them with wax. He then called a river-flipping warrior and instructed, "Take these two letters to Zhang Yan's cave dwelling. Give him the one with the black rope first. If he refuses, give him the one with the red rope. Go."

The warrior took the order and left.

Feng Zhen found it interesting and asked, "I thought you would send a challenge letter. Why two letters?"

Wang Pan laughed, "Zhang Yan is a true disciple, but he has only been in the upper academy for over two months. What can he achieve? If I challenge him, it would be a loss of face. The first letter proposes a trade of elixirs and cultivation books for the woman. If he agrees, I will invite him here, treat him well, and avoid a conflict. The second letter is a challenge. If he refuses, we will have a fair fight to see who gets the woman."

Feng Zhen clapped in admiration, "Brother, your strategy is excellent. First, you show your strength, then you offer a tempting deal. Zhang Yan has no choice but to comply!"

Wang Pan laughed heartily. Although he said this, he had his own considerations. When Tang Yan's letter arrived, he didn't want to rush over and look too eager, and he was also afraid of provoking Ning Chongxuan. So he decided to take a more cautious approach. If Zhang Yan agreed to the trade, that would be best. If not, he would have a reason to cause trouble.

The river-flipping warrior left, riding a flying boat to the Lingye Island. Seeing the island's defenses activated and traps everywhere, he didn't dare to act rashly. He called out from the clouds, "Is Master Zhang here? My master has sent me to deliver a letter."

Zhang Yan had recently cultivated three more streams of Qianling Clear Qi. To achieve the first level of the Ming Qi realm, he needed to cultivate eighty-one streams of Clear Qi. At his current speed, it would take about two years, even with the advantages of the blessed land and continuous consumption of Danyuan Pills. For ordinary disciples, it might take three to five years just to cultivate the first stream of Qianling Clear Qi.

To avoid Ning Chongxuan noticing any discrepancies, he also cultivated twelve streams of Lan Yun Clear Qi according to the Lan Yun Secret Manual. However, compared to the Qianling Clear Qi, the Lan Yun Clear Qi was impure and weak, lacking the powerful momentum of the Qianling Clear Qi.

So he stopped cultivating it and left it in his dantian.

At this moment, it wasn't time for his daily cultivation, so he was sitting quietly in his cave dwelling. Hearing someone call his name, he walked out and saw a flying boat in the sky. He looked up and asked, "Who is your master?"

The warrior replied, "My master is Wang Pan, a member of the Haopu Wang family, who cultivates on Chixia Island, three hundred miles away. He is a neighbor to Master Zhang."

Zhang Yan was intrigued. He had heard from Ai Zhongwen about the various Xuanmen families. The Haopu Wang family had been rising in prominence in recent years, and Wang Pan, as a rising star, had been mentioned. These noble family disciples never took people like him, a "commoner," seriously and had no interactions. Why did he send someone to deliver a letter today?

He took out his token, deactivated the defenses, and let the warrior land.

The warrior immediately handed over the bamboo tube tied with a black rope, respectfully saying, "This is a letter from my master."

Zhang Yan took it and opened it without hesitation. The letter first introduced Wang Pan's cultivation level and background, then proposed that Tang Yan, whom he knew well, was unhappy on Lingye Island and wanted to take her to his side to cultivate. He offered to trade a hundred bottles of high-quality elixirs and two Rujin flying swords for her.

After reading the letter, Zhang Yan understood the purpose of the visit.

Tang Yan was of no use to him, and he thought it might be better to trade her away. However, the arrival of this letter made him realize Ning Chongxuan's intentions. This was a test to see which side he would choose. If he agreed to the trade, it would mean compromising with the noble family disciples, and Ning Chongxuan would likely leave him alone. Since he had no foundation in the sect and Ning Chongxuan had been kind to him, he could not agree to this and had to clearly refuse.

Zhang Yan put down the letter and said calmly, "I understand Brother Wang's intentions, but his proposal seems to be an attempt to pressure me. Although I am just a Pulse Opening cultivator, I have a strong sense of pride and am not afraid of the powerful. Tang Yan is now my possession, and how I deal with her is none of his business. Please tell him not to waste his time."

The warrior's expression changed slightly. He reached into his pocket and took out another bamboo tube tied with a red rope, presenting it to Zhang Yan. "My master said, if Master Zhang does not accept the previous offer, please read this letter."

"Ah?" Zhang Yan took it and opened it, but after a few lines, he coldly snorted. Wang Pan was using a strategy of first being polite and then forceful!

The letter was a challenge. It stated that if Zhang Yan did not accept his offer, he should choose a place for a battle, and Wang Pan would come to the appointment. After the battle, they would decide who gets Tang Yan. If Zhang Yan did not fight, he could hide on the island like a turtle, but he would be ridiculed later.

Zhang Yan laughed coldly and said to the warrior, "Wait a moment."

He returned to his cave dwelling, took a brush, and quickly wrote a few words, then handed it to the warrior. "Tell your master that I have heard that his true palace 'Chixia' has unique scenery and abundant spiritual energy. I am interested in it, and since he is willing to offer it, I cannot refuse."

The warrior was taken aback, then understood Zhang Yan's meaning. If not for his status, he would have jumped up and cursed, "Arrogant!" A mere Pulse Opening cultivator, speaking so boldly, daring to look down on a cultivator who had just entered the third level of the Ming Qi realm!

Zhang Yan ignored his reaction, continued speaking, and said coldly, "I have said my piece. If you don't leave quickly, I will activate the defenses and start my cultivation. You won't be able to leave then."

The warrior hurriedly boarded the flying boat and returned to Chixia Island, delivering the letter back to Wang Pan.

When Wang Pan opened the letter and saw the two large red characters "Absolute Struggle" at the top, his eyelids twitched.

In the Lingcang Sect, inner disciples were encouraged to challenge true disciples, known as "Struggle." The loser would only lose some elixirs and spirit shells, and if the inner disciple won, they would receive rewards from the sect.

However, "Absolute Struggle" was different. If a true disciple lost, they would lose their cultivation cave dwelling and true disciple status. If the challenger lost, their life and all possessions, including the cave dwelling, would belong to the victor.

"Absolute Struggle" meant a fight to the death!

Wang Pan had initially considered that since Zhang Yan was new to the sect and their cultivation levels were different, if Zhang Yan activated the island's defenses and avoided the fight, he would have no way to deal with him, and his reputation would not suffer much. So he used a provocative tone in the first letter. He didn't expect Zhang Yan, despite his low cultivation, to be so determined. Just this spirit was extraordinary.

Wang Pan snorted, "What else did Zhang Yan say?"

The warrior replied, "Zhang Yan said, three days from now, he will be waiting for you on Lingye Island."

Wang Pan was stunned, then burst into laughter, "Zhang Yan, if you don't fight, I have no way to deal with you. If you do, you are seeking your own death. Others fear the golden wind and fierce fire on your island, but I do not! This time, I will take your blessed land and your woman, and become a true disciple, enjoying the benefits of the sect."

He thought, "I already have thirty-five streams of clear and turbid Qi. One more will make it thirty-six. Then, after swallowing the Chisheng Pill given by my master, I can hope to reach the third level of the Ming Qi realm, 'Heavenly Rain Descending.' Since I have to fight Zhang Yan, I will delay a bit and wait until I win to make further plans."

He took a brush and quickly wrote his name, then handed it to the warrior. "Give this to Zhang Yan. Tell him that I, Wang Pan, will be there in three days to decide our fates."

...

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PS: I am currently adjusting the outline for the subsequent chapters, so I have slowed down. I apologize for the delay. I have decided to set a regular update schedule based on the feedback from readers.

From now on, there will be two updates per day. The first update will generally be around 2 PM, and the second around 8 PM. Starting tomorrow (if the first update is in the morning, there will be three updates).

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