At Zhuge Mountain Villa, Lu Fan's injuries had completely healed. Just as he was preparing to leave, Zhuge Qingyun delivered a message: the ancestors of the six great families had all returned and wished to meet Lu Fan.
Lu Fan hastily followed Zhuge Qingyun to the Zhuge family's ancestral hall. Like Zhuge Mountain Villa, the ancestral hall was simple, containing only ancestral tablets and about a dozen bamboo chairs.
The hall was already filled with people. Besides a few venerable, white-haired elders seated in prominent positions, the heads of the six great families and several Zhuge elders were also present.
Upon entering, Lu Fan saw Master Yi Qing and Master Haidu. Old Nun Suzhen was also seated with the elders. As Lu Fan entered, the nine elders immediately stood up, and everyone else quickly followed suit.
"Hua Thirty-Five! These are the ancestors of our six great families!" Zhuge Qingyun quickly introduced.
Lu Fan cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, esteemed seniors! Junior Lu Fan pays his respects!"
"Indeed, the youth are formidable! At such a young age, you have accomplished what we, in our hundred years, have not. It seems we old fellows have truly fallen behind!" The leading Zhuge ancestor sighed inwardly as he looked at Lu Fan. If they hadn't personally seen the corpses of Old Ancestor Duanmu and the others, they would never have believed that such a feat was accomplished by this young man.
"Young hero, please take a seat!" The Zhuge ancestor said to Lu Fan again.
The Zhuge family members' expressions shifted slightly. The ancestral hall was a place to honor their ancestors. While the ancestors sitting at the head of the hall was acceptable, allowing a young man to sit there seemed...
"Esteemed seniors, I will sit here," Lu Fan said, glancing at the empty seat beside the Fourth Elder.
"Young hero, there's no need to be polite. You are a great hero now. We were originally stationed at Qingcheng Mountain, but that old scoundrel Duanmu colluded with external forces and expelled us. This allowed outside powers to infiltrate our Huaxia and attempt to gain complete control, forcing the six great families into seclusion. It is you who has helped us reclaim Qingcheng Mountain. We rushed back as soon as we heard the news. Furthermore, we have withdrawn from Han Shi Xuan and are recruiting rogue cultivators of the Soul Realm from Huaxia to jointly guard the immortal mountains of Huaxia, ensuring no further invasion opportunities. We have considered this and decided to rename the organization Hua Rong Fu! We unanimously nominate you as the Prefect of Hua Rong Fu."
As the Zhuge ancestor finished speaking, all the Zhuge family members, except for Zhuge Qingyun, were stunned. Had the ancestors gone mad? To let such a young man stand above them?
"Ancestor! This小子's abilities are only slightly superior to mine. How can he become Prefect? If you say he killed Old Ancestor Duanmu, we don't believe it! It must have been Master Yi Qing and other seniors who assisted him to succeed," the Fourth Elder immediately stood up and declared loudly.
"Hmph! Nonsense! Sit down!" The Zhuge ancestor's face darkened, and he roared angrily. Not to mention whether Duanmu could be killed, just being able to invite Master Yi Qing and the others, who had been in seclusion for a hundred years, out of seclusion was something they could not achieve. Based on this alone, they were convinced.
"I..." The Fourth Elder was still somewhat unconvinced but dared not argue with the ancestor. He sat down huffily.
"Young hero! Please take a seat!" The Zhuge ancestor said to Lu Fan again.
"Then... I won't be polite!" Lu Fan glanced at the Fourth Elder, a slight smile playing on his lips, and walked forward to take the main seat.
"We greet you, Prefect!" Nine Soul Realm powerhouses suddenly cupped their fists and bowed in unison. The six family heads and elders behind them also quickly rose, cupped their fists, and bowed.
"Everyone, please be seated!" Lu Fan said with a faint smile. The nine elders then sat down, followed by the six family heads and elders.
"Fourth Elder! I know you are unconvinced. I will give you an opportunity," Lu Fan said, taking out two apples and holding them. He continued, "These two apples are like your head and mine. Now, we will place them on ourselves. If you can shatter my apple, I will not be Prefect and will leave Zhuge Mountain Villa immediately. If I can shatter your apple, hehe..."
As Lu Fan spoke, one of the apples in his hand flew towards the Fourth Elder.
"Good! I will compete with you again!" *Pa...* The Fourth Elder reached out and caught the apple, then tucked it into his embrace. *Shua...* Simultaneously, he drew his sword.
Lu Fan smiled slightly, placed the apple on his shoulder, and slowly stood up. Everyone was surprised. The young man placing an apple on his shoulder meant he was treating the apple as his head. However, the Fourth Elder had already tucked the apple into his embrace, which was clearly...
"Make your move!" Lu Fan said, walking towards the Fourth Elder.
"Then I won't be polite!" The Fourth Elder, having not won last time, was filled with resentment. He felt that this young man was not much stronger than him and that if he put in more effort, he might win. Seeing Lu Fan place the apple on his shoulder, he sneered, "Boy, you're asking for death!" *Whoosh...* He thrust his sword towards the apple on Lu Fan's shoulder.
*Shua...* Suddenly, a sword flower flashed before the Fourth Elder's eyes. The sword flower was incredibly fast; the Fourth Elder didn't even see what happened. Lu Fan suddenly turned and walked back. The apple on his shoulder remained steadily in place.
"Hmph! Don't go..." the Fourth Elder roared and chased after him, swinging his sword.
"Fool! Stop!" The Zhuge ancestor beside him roared. The Fourth Elder stopped abruptly, looking at the ancestor in confusion. How could they call a halt before the fight even began? What was going on?
"Take out the apple," the Zhuge ancestor glared at the Fourth Elder and said sternly. The Fourth Elder reached into his embrace and froze. His clothes had a hole, and the apple in his pocket had been shattered into six pieces. The neat cuts clearly indicated three strikes, yet he hadn't noticed anything at all. If that had been his head, it would have been chopped up like a watermelon. The Fourth Elder broke out in a cold sweat. The people beside him who had been somewhat unconvinced immediately fell silent. Everyone was in awe of the young man's incredible swordsmanship and speed.
"Prefect! If I'm not mistaken, you were using the Falling Goose Sword Technique of the Falling Goose Sect, but it seems much more powerful than the original," the Zhuge ancestor suddenly said.
"That's right! This is indeed the Falling Goose Sword Technique! Moreover, I have already taught this sword technique to the training team of Hua Rong Fu. In the future, everyone from each family will have the opportunity to learn this sword technique!" Lu Fan nodded and said.
"This is a secret of the Falling Goose Sect that is not to be passed down. How do you possess this sword technique, Prefect?" Master Yi Qing suddenly asked.
"Because I am now the Sect Master of the Falling Goose Sect!" Lu Fan said calmly.