Lu Fan smiled slightly, and with a swish, the Luoying Sword appeared beneath his feet as he flew towards the peak.
Since he could no longer evade it, he decided not to. That scruffy old Taoist called him a raw gem, huh! He'd settle the score with him later.
Soon, the two of them flew to the summit of Yuxu Peak. Holy cow... Lu Fan was stunned by everything before him. He had expected the peak to be conical, but instead, it was a vast expanse. The summit housed a large dojo, and behind it stood a luxurious palace. Three large characters were inscribed above it: Kunlun Palace.
Lu Fan could feel that the spiritual energy on the peak was indeed several times stronger than at the mountainside. It seemed a massive spirit-gathering formation had been laid out, covering the entire mountaintop.
"You?"
On the grand dojo, several people practicing were the same youths who had been practicing sword flight on the mountainside. Ling Xue, upon seeing Lu Fan ascend with her master, her eyes lit up. With a whoosh, she ran over.
"Hey! Why aren't you hiding better? I didn't tell anyone," Ling Xue said with pure innocence, quickly trying to prove she hadn't revealed his presence.
"I know you didn't. It's your master who's too formidable!" Lu Fan replied with a slight smile.
"Hmph!" The raw gem shot Ling Xue a glare, but said nothing, directly entering Kunlun Palace. Ling Xue immediately stuck out her tongue, scared into obediently returning to her practice.
The raw gem was quite doting on these children! Lu Fan's eyes darted around as he followed the raw gem into the grand hall.
"Senior Raw Gem! Is it just you and a few young disciples living on this entire mountain peak? It's so spacious!" Lu Fan exclaimed, looking around with an air of someone who had never seen the world.
"Hua Thirty-Five! These gems were left by Zhu Han and have nothing to do with you! Moreover, Zhu Han is dead. Therefore, starting today, you need to take over Zhu Han's task and submit three gems each month. Failure to do so will result in punishment by one hundred purple vine whips."
The raw gem sat on the high throne in the hall, exuding an aura of royalty as he spoke to Lu Fan. As soon as he finished speaking, a purple vine whip, several feet long, flew out from within the hall and landed in the raw gem's hand.
"Senior! But I haven't decided to stay yet!" Lu Fan shrugged.
"Hmph! You have no choice anymore! Unless you want to die too!" the raw gem snorted.
Lu Fan's gaze swept across the hall, his expression shifting slightly. His eyes pierced through the hall's walls, and he saw several... women in the side hall!
"I don't want to die, nor do I want to be your slave. I suspect... you haven't truly become an immortal, have you?" Lu Fan suddenly said calmly.
The raw gem's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Lu Fan to be so composed and audacious. Even though he was still one step away from becoming an immortal, killing this brat should have been effortless. Who gave him this courage?
"Brat! Do you wish to die?" With a whoosh, the purple vine whip in the raw gem's hand lashed out towards Lu Fan.
Swish... Lu Fan immediately executed the Chasing Wind Art, dodging to the side. However, the purple vine whip seemed to have eyes, swiftly changing direction and pursuing Lu Fan.
Whoosh, whoosh... Lu Fan swiftly moved, darting around the hall. Behind him, the purple vine whip seemed unwilling to let him escape, crackling... whip shadows relentlessly chased Lu Fan.
Moments later, the entire hall was filled with the figures of Lu Fan and the purple vine whip.
Outside the hall, the young disciples had stopped practicing and were staring wide-eyed at everything unfolding within. The former Zhu Han had cried out loudly when he was beaten, but he hadn't run this fast.
The high-seated raw gem couldn't help but frown, a glint of killing intent flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected Lu Fan to possess such speed, to the point where the purple vine whip couldn't even hit him. Such a person made him feel threatened; this individual could not be kept.
Swish... The raw gem drew a treasure sword. With a whoosh, he charged down, the sword cutting a silver arc towards Lu Fan.
Clang... A crisp sound, whoosh... Lu Fan was sent flying back over ten meters, crashing against the wall with a thud. However, Lu Fan was unharmed, as he was now clad in a set of silver-white armor. The silver-white Blazing Dragon Armor emanated a faint, clear radiance, causing the raw gem to freeze in surprise.
"Brat! You... how do you possess armor?" The raw gem's face contorted, even becoming somewhat ferocious. How could a mere mortal possess armor? This was unscientific...!
"Hmph! Raw Gem! You want to kill me?" A cold smile flickered across Lu Fan's lips. He had been guarding against this old fellow, the raw gem, all along. He just hadn't expected this old guy to be so strong and fast, more than ten times stronger than Zhu Han. Fortunately, his reaction was swift, and he managed to don this armor in an instant.
Of course, he also hadn't expected this armor to possess such formidable defensive capabilities. The raw gem's sword had only sent him flying about ten meters. Now, he was also curious how the six great families had obtained such incredible armor! This was no ordinary item.
"Hmph! You're asking for death!" The raw gem snorted, and the sword in his hand instantly thrust towards Lu Fan.
Swish...! The Luoying Sword also appeared in Lu Fan's hand, and in an instant, they clashed. Clang, clang, clang...! The sounds of clashing weapons echoed incessantly. The two fought from within the hall all the way outside, locked in a fierce, indecisive battle.
Outside the hall, the young disciples covered their mouths in astonishment. They hadn't expected Lu Fan to be so powerful, capable of fighting their master to a standstill. In their minds, mortals shouldn't be like this!
Ling Xue, in particular, was surprised that the mortal who used to hide in the heavy snow whenever they encountered him could be so formidable. It seemed even her master couldn't defeat him.
Lu Fan was exhilarated. Although he had felt overwhelmed at first, with the armor and his robust physique, he gradually adapted. He grew less tense under the raw gem's attacks.
As the two fought until midnight, Lu Fan even felt a growing momentum, his battle spirit soaring. For some reason, he felt as if he could finally unleash his full potential. This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
An opponent! A good opponent was the best form of cultivation. They could force out all of a person's energy, pushing it to its limit. Then, maintaining that state, you were the victor!
"Brat! You indeed have some skill! I refuse to believe I can't kill you!" The raw gem's expression turned ferocious, and he suddenly leaped backward.
Bang... A formation rose from the previously flat dojo, instantly trapping Lu Fan in the center.