The Qingyun Grand Competition officially concluded, and Lu Xuan was invited to the celebration banquet and to receive the rewards for the top four. This time, the Six Harmonies Mirror fell into Lu Xueqi's hands.
After the banquet ended, Lu Xuan walked out of the hall. He paused slightly before heading towards the distant woods.
Not long after entering, footsteps came from behind. It was Cangsong Daoist, the peak master of the Dragon Head Peak of the Qingyun Sect.
"Sect Master Lu doesn't seem surprised."
"Master Cangsong, you've been keeping an eye on me ever since I arrived. Although you've been discreet, I've still managed to sense something. Tell me, what brings you here, fellow Daoist?"
Cangsong looked intently at Lu Xuan's face, as if trying to discern something. After a while, he spoke.
"What do you think of the Qingyun Sect, fellow Daoist?"
"How is it? It's absolutely wonderful. There are many disciples, and quite a few have achieved great success. Moreover, there are several peak masters overseeing the area. It's a land of abundant resources and outstanding people, truly a thriving holy land for cultivation!"
"Holy Land!" Cangsong didn't seem to like the title. But he didn't say anything more.
"Qingyun Sect has stood here for thousands of years. It has never had a neighbor before. Yinxian Sect is our first neighbor. Our two sects can have more exchanges."
The two chatted idly for a while, exchanging pleasantries. Lu Xuan knew Cang Song's identity. Due to some old grievances, he harbored resentment towards the Qingyun Sect, especially its current leader. Over the past century, this resentment had accumulated to its peak. Now, Cang Song had likely already sided with the Wan Du Sect, secretly preparing to overturn Qingyun's plan to kill Dao Xuan.
However, the appearance of Lu Xuan's Hidden Immortal Sect seemed to have disrupted his plans. He was openly and secretly probing Lu Xuan's attitude towards the Azure Cloud Sect, seemingly considering how to deal with this suddenly appearing sect.
Their conversation didn't last long before it was interrupted by a commotion.
Cangsong glanced at Lu Xuan, then quickly turned and left. Lu Xuan thought for a moment, then followed.
Unexpectedly, the whole thing was caused by Zhang Xiaofan.
Lu Xuan stared speechlessly at Zhang Xiaofan and the group of unconscious Qingyun Sect disciples lying on the ground not far away. Upon closer inspection, he recognized one of them as Qi Hao, who had just won second place in the Qingyun Grand Competition. At this moment, Lin Jingyu and Lu Xiaofan stood back to back. Clearly, the people on the ground were the work of the two of them.
"What are you all doing? What kind of behavior is this?" Cangsong roared, startling the surrounding disciples who scattered slightly, but they still did not give up surrounding the two people in the middle.
"Master, those two injured Senior Brother Qi Hao, and also injured so many of our fellow disciples," one of the disciples complained to Cang Song.
Upon hearing this, Cangsong's expression turned even uglier.
"A bunch of useless trash! What on earth caused this fight?"
"It was him, he provoked Senior Brother!" the disciple said, pointing at Zhang Xiaofan.
These words left Lu Xuan, standing behind, with a strange expression. A provocation? Zhang Xiaofan? Was there some mistake? Zhang Xiaofan's personality was such that he wouldn't utter a word. Would he really provoke Qi Hao?
Upon closer inspection, Lu Xuan understood. The young man's face was flushed; he was clearly drunk.
His cultivation was still shallow, and he probably drank some kind of spiritual wine, resulting in him inadvertently drinking too much. Of course, it's also possible he was plied with alcohol by disciples of the Qingyun Sect. What might a young man experiencing his first stirrings of love do when drunk, especially when facing a rival? The answer is anything is possible. Including provoking someone on someone else's turf.
"Hmph, Sect Master Lu, look at what your disciple has done!" Cangsong immediately turned his attention to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan walked up with a relaxed expression.
“Young man, it’s not a big deal to earn some money. But for the two of you to take on one is really embarrassing for me. You’d better apologize right now.”
"No, it wasn't two against one; I started the fight myself."
"Bullshit! Qi Hao's cultivation is ten times greater than yours. How could you possibly defeat him?"
Cangsong was furious. Lu Xuan's very first words made Cangsong feel uneasy. He didn't believe Qi Hao would lose to such a brat. Zhang Xiaofan's current cultivation level was completely transparent to him.
Lu Xuan wasn't in a hurry and spoke slowly.
"Whether it is or not, there are so many disciples watching here. Why don't we just ask them?"
Cangsong snapped out of his daze and fixed his gaze on the disciples who were watching the spectacle.
"Tell me, is that really the case?"
"...Reporting to Master, it's like this. Senior Brother Qi Hao was defeated by Zhang Xiaofan all by himself."
"Nonsense, their cultivation level..."
“Fellow Daoist Cangsong, I can explain this matter. Xiao Fan has only recently entered the sect and his cultivation is still shallow. So I gave him a few more magic treasures for self-defense. Qi Hao must have been careless, which is why Xiao Fan was able to get his hands on him.”
Cangsong then looked at the disciple. The man nodded slightly.
This enraged Cangsong even more. Despite such a significant difference in cultivation level, he had been outmaneuvered by a few magical treasures. It was utterly disgraceful to Dragon Head Peak.
"If he lost a one-on-one duel, then I suppose it's because he's not skilled enough. But I wonder what kind of magic weapon this young brother possesses. Could you perhaps broaden my horizons?"
"Fellow Daoist is joking. I am merely an entry-level disciple of the Hidden Immortal Sect. How could I be qualified to fight with you?"
"Fellow Daoist Lu, rest assured, I just want to see what he's like, I will absolutely not hurt him."
Lu Xuan nodded helplessly at Zhang Xiaofan.
A fierce look flashed across Zhang Xiaofan's face, and his entire body shimmered with more than a dozen rays of light of various colors.
More than a dozen different magical weapons were unleashed, attacking the pine tree.
Cangsong was also startled. With a flick of his right hand, a cyan Tai Chi diagram appeared in front of him, blocking Zhang Xiaofan's attack.
"That's enough, Xiao Fan," Lu Xuan said, stopping Zhang Xiao Fan. This made Cang Song withdraw his hand with a livid expression.
"Sect Master Lu is incredibly generous, willing to spend so much for a mere entry-level disciple!"
However, Lu Xuan was also completely bewildered.
"Wait a minute, Xiao Fan. I remember I only gave you one set of magic weapons. The number you used just now seems a bit off."