"A formation to trap! Hmph! Not much better than the Zhuge family's formations," Lu Fan scoffed, dismissing it with a flick of his lips. However, he didn't rush to break the formation. Instead, he slowly sat down within it.
The battle just now, the surging battle intent, made him feel a subtle change in his body. Upon careful observation, he discovered that in his Sea of Consciousness, as still as a lake, a shadow resembling an infant seemed to be present at its center. It was merely a hazy silhouette, more substantial than the surrounding lake water.
Simultaneously, Lu Fan also noticed that his golden Core in his dantian had changed. Within the golden core, there appeared to be a dimly discernible infant. With the dantian and Sea of Consciousness simultaneously condensing into Nascent Souls, was this the prelude to breaking through to the Dual Soul Realm!
Breaking through would mean becoming a pseudo-immortal. However, he hadn't heard of anyone achieving the Dual Soul Realm. Heh! A sense of anticipation immediately filled Lu Fan's heart.
"Kid! Do you think you're safe just by staying still inside? Hmph! Ignorant fool! Today, I'll let you die in here." Yuan Shizi, seeing Lu Fan sitting motionless within the formation, let out a cold snort. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… The grand formation immediately began to spin. A fierce wind roared, and with a rumble… suddenly, a massive boulder hurtled towards Lu Fan.
"Hmph! Although I only glanced at the aspects of formations within the Gu Fu Zhen Lu, your broken formation won't stump me!" Lu Fan's eyes snapped open, and with a boom… he unleashed a punch. Bang… the colossal boulder instantly turned to dust.
Swish… Lu Fan leaped up abruptly, his Falling Blossom Sword striking out instantly. Bang… the grand formation was shattered.
"What? You… you actually broke my trapping formation?" Yuan Shizi was utterly astonished. For most people to escape a formation was already formidable; for someone to directly destroy it, this brat seemed to be the first.
"Even if you can break the grand formation, you must die today!" Yuan Shizi brandished his treasured sword and charged at Lu Fan once more.
"Hmph! You can't kill me." Lu Fan swiftly drew his Dark Blade, channeling his internal energy. The Dark Blade instantly transformed into a black treasured sword. Clang, clang, clang… The two of them engaged in battle once more.
The several youths nearby watched, dumbfounded. The two seemed to fight with increasing ferocity, unleashing their full might, locked in a fierce, evenly matched struggle. They fought until dawn, yet neither could gain the upper hand.
Lu Fan, relying on his self-created sword techniques, his formidable armor, and the Wind Chasing Art movement technique, fought Yuan Shizi to a draw. The entire night passed without a victor. This began to make Yuan Shizi impatient. If this continued, he would lose. His strength was nearly depleted, yet this brat seemed to grow stronger as the fight wore on.
"I'm not fighting anymore! Hmph! I'm not fighting!" Yuan Shizi suddenly stopped and shouted.
"Hmph! You really aren't fighting anymore?" Lu Fan replied with a cold snort.
"I'm not fighting! You can leave. However, you don't need to mention anything about the Kunlun Palace to anyone else!" Yuan Shizi sheathed his sword and said.
"Hmph! A pseudo-immortal putting on airs here, misleading disciples." Lu Fan let out a cold snort and turned to leave. This fellow actually considered himself an immortal and had taken several young disciples. Hmph!
However, defeating this fellow wouldn't be easy, at least not yet. But with a little more time, Lu Fan was confident he could completely defeat him.
Seeing Lu Fan walking down the mountain, Yuan Shizi let out a long sigh of relief. This brat was a monstrous talent. How could someone so young be so powerful? He could even break formations instantly.
"Master! Are you alright!?" Ling Chun and the others rushed over to ask.
However, Ling Xue's gaze remained fixed on Lu Fan's departing back.
"Ling Xue!" Yuan Shizi called out in a deep voice.
"Master! Even a mortal can be this powerful. I will definitely be stronger than him in the future!" Ling Xue suddenly turned around and said.
"Indeed! Ling Xue is right! He is merely a mortal, and not old at that. To have cultivated to such an extent. As long as you diligently practice your skills in the future, you will surpass him, and by a great margin!" Yuan Shizi immediately said. Looking at his young disciples, a hint of affection appeared on Yuan Shizi's face.
Lu Fan arrived at the barrier of the formation, sat down to cultivate, and waited for the barrier to open. By the time the sun reached the peak, the barrier was indeed opened, and Lu Fan stepped out instantly. With a thought, he stepped onto the Falling Blossom Sword and flew down the peak.
At the foot of the peak lay two corpses. They were precisely the long-faced and round-faced, chinless individuals.
"Hmph! I originally intended to bury you. But considering you chose to be dogs for the Shadow Organization instead of remaining Chinese, I'll let you lie here as exposed corpses!" Lu Fan cursed, and then flew away directly on his sword.
As soon as Lu Fan left, Yuan Shizi appeared beside the barrier, stamping his feet and wringing his hands as he looked at it. Damn it! How could he have sealed this barrier shut, preventing it from opening? That scoundrel would definitely return! But he didn't know how to do it!
"Grand-disciple! What are you doing?" Ling Xue and Ling Chun suddenly appeared behind Yuan Shizi and asked.
"N-nothing. Your master needs to go into seclusion for cultivation. During this period, no mortals must be allowed to disturb me again. From today onwards, you must take turns guarding here. If you find anyone outside the barrier, strike the barrier and let the Sky-Shaking Thunder strike them down the mountain. Remember, absolutely do not let them ascend!" Seeing Ling Chun, Ling Xue, and the others, Yuan Shizi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said urgently.
"Yes, Master!" The young disciples quickly agreed.
Only then did Yuan Shizi feel relieved and hurried back to his secluded cultivation. If he couldn't ascend to become a true immortal, he feared that the next time Lu Fan returned, he wouldn't be able to handle him.
Lu Fan returned to the foot of Kunlun Mountain, found his car, and sped back to the capital. He first went to the Yan family. It had been some time since he last visited the Yan family. He should go and tell Yan Menghan that Old Ancestor Yan was doing well, so they wouldn't worry.
Upon arriving at the Yan family, it was Yan Mengxi who came out to greet Lu Fan. The moment she saw Lu Fan, Yan Mengxi rushed forward with a joyful expression, calling out, "Master!"
"Mengxi! Where is brother?" Lu Fan asked with a slight smile.
"Father is out managing the business, and brother is in seclusion cultivating in the Golden Palace!" Mengxi replied quickly.
"Cultivating in seclusion?" Lu Fan was slightly taken aback. Yan Menghan usually focused on business and making money. Why was he suddenly concentrating on cultivation?
"Yes! In a few days, Jian Wushuang of the Jian family will have a martial arts competition with brother, so brother needs to focus on his cultivation." Yan Mengxi suddenly said.
"Jian Wushuang? His meager abilities… Alright, take me to see brother!" Lu Fan's expression shifted slightly. Why would Jian Wushuang suddenly have a martial arts competition with Yan Menghan?