Fire Virtue Immortal Clan

Chapter 96 Conflict Testing (Please Subscribe!)
"Oh, that's not what I meant either!"

Xu Shao scratched his head impatiently and said with a hint of helplessness, "Fine, I'll show you around the sect first. After you meet them tonight, just interact with them based on your own intuition!"

As Xu Shao spoke, he led Lu Cheng'an down Qingzhu Peak. They had just reached the foot of Qingzhu Peak when they encountered Lin Tao, who was preparing to go up the peak.

Like Xu Shao, Lin Tao had just broken through his cultivation. After learning that Lu Cheng'an had moved into Qingzhu Peak, he prepared to come to Qingzhu Peak to find Lu Cheng'an.

Xu Shao, who originally planned to take Lu Cheng'an around the Dan Ding Sect, also brought Lin Tao along.

Xu Shao had already said quite a bit, but Lin Tao was even more talkative than Xu Shao.

Lu Cheng'an was not a man of many words to begin with, and standing beside these two fellow disciples, he became nothing more than a listener.

The Dan Ding Sect is quite large, but there are many areas that Lu Cheng'an, as an outsider, cannot enter.

Even so, the areas that Lu Cheng'an could enter still gave him a feast for the eyes.

The three of them were not moving fast. By the time they had seen all the sights of the Dan Ding Sect and returned to Qingzhu Peak, it was almost time to meet Shi Ningyu and the others.

Xu Shao loved wine and food, and on his Green Bamboo Peak, he kept a spirit chef and a spirit wine master who weren't particularly talented in cultivation.

Xu Shao usually cherished the spirit chef and spirit wine master he kept, and rarely asked them to do things for cultivators other than himself.

Xu Shao specially hosted a banquet for Lu Cheng'an, and Shi Ningyu and the other two accepted Xu Shao's invitation, whether for Xu Shao's sake or for Lu Cheng'an's.

After 5 PM, Shi Ningyu and the other two arrived at Qingzhu Peak together.

Although Xu Shao had introduced Shi Ningyu and the other two to Lu Cheng'an beforehand, he gave them a new introduction after they arrived at Qingzhu Peak.

Of course, he omitted his opinion on Shi Ningyu and the other two.

“Junior Sister Shi, this is Lu Cheng’an. His strength is about the same as mine, and he is a first-grade high-level weapon refiner. The Cloud-Stepping Boots that Junior Brother Lin and I are wearing were made by him. He will be entering the Azure Spirit Secret Realm with us next.”

Xu Shao smiled and introduced Lu Cheng'an to Shi Ningyu and the other two, showing that he valued Lu Cheng'an highly.

"Lu Cheng'an greets the three fellow Daoists!" Lu Cheng'an smiled as he looked at Shi Ningyu and the other two, cupping his hands in greeting.

"This is the first time I've seen Big Guy value someone so much. He said your strengths are evenly matched, and we should have a match sometime."

Shi Ningyu's gaze fell on Lu Cheng'an, her eyes filled with amusement, as if she were examining a fun toy.

When Xu Shao felt Shi Ningyu's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a chill. This little pervert's gaze clearly meant she wasn't up to anything good.

"Xu Shaoni isn't exaggerating, is he? He comes from a newly established Foundation Establishment power. Does he really have the formidable strength you claim?" Song Qingzhi asked, frowning.

Song Qingzhi and Xu Shao didn't get along, and she did look down on Lu Cheng'an's background.

Therefore, after seeing how much Xu Shao valued Lu Cheng'an, she simply spoke her truest thoughts.

“Indeed, Xu Shao has exaggerated my strength too much. There is still a considerable gap between my strength and Xu Shao’s.” Lu Cheng’an smiled and glanced at Song Qingzhi, saying gently.

Lu Cheng'an was eager to hide his strength. If Song Qingzhi looked down on him, so be it, it wouldn't affect him anyway.

His goal was to successfully enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm, harvest the spiritual essence of the Replenishing Yuanzhi Ganoderma to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill from the Pill Cauldron Sect. He didn't care about anything else.

His gaze swept over Shi Ningyu, Song Qingzhi, and Liu Muyuan, and he sighed with some admiration, noting that Xu Shao's judgment was indeed very accurate.

Although Liu Muyuan did not speak and always had a gentle smile on his face, he looked like a refined gentleman.

However, Lu Cheng'an was unaware that it was due to preconceived notions, but he felt a strong sense of hypocrisy from Liu Muyuan.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, please don't take offense. Junior Sister Song was just a bit too outspoken!"

Liu Muyuan chuckled and said, "Junior Brother Xu, I've long wanted to taste the cooking of that spirit chef from your Green Bamboo Peak. Let's start the feast quickly!"

Although Xu Shao disliked Liu Muyuan, he didn't want any further conflict between Lu Cheng'an and Song Qingzhi at this time.

Furthermore, there is Shi Ningyu, who is extremely interested in Lu Cheng'an.

Therefore, Xu Shao agreed to Liu Muyuan's suggestion and led everyone to the reception room where the banquet was being held.

Xu Shao's wealth wasn't particularly bad, but compared to alchemists like Shi Ningyu, it was somewhat meager.

Fortunately, the chefs on Green Bamboo Peak are highly skilled, and the food they cook tastes excellent.

At the banquet, Shi Ningyu and the others stopped dwelling on Lu Cheng'an's identity and instead started talking about the arrangements after entering the Qingling Secret Realm.

This time, the Dan Ding Sect was not the only Foundation Establishment force to enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm; there were also the Yuan Dan Sect and the Zhang Family of Secret Pills, both Foundation Establishment forces.

The three families don't have a good relationship. Once they enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm, they become rivals. In order to seize the treasures nurtured within the Azure Spirit Secret Realm, they will inevitably have to fight against the cultivators of these two families.

“Jin Yufan of Yuandan Sect has cultivated both the Golden River Sword Technique and the Golden Serpent Entanglement Technique to perfection. His strength should be the strongest among us.”

“Zhang Yuanqing of the Secret Pill Zhang family isn’t particularly strong in combat, but he’s skilled in using poison, and the methods he’s practiced are extremely strange and difficult to deal with!”

…………

Shi Ningyu, Xu Shao, and others spoke from time to time, discussing the cultivators of the Yuan Dan Sect and the Zhang family of Secret Pills, and how to deal with their attacks.

The Yuan Dan Sect and the Secret Pill Zhang Family are both thousands of miles away from the Lu Family, and the Lu Family has very limited knowledge of these two Foundation Establishment forces.

Therefore, when Xu Shao and others were discussing the situation of these two Foundation Establishment forces, Lu Cheng'an did not speak, but instead acted as a listener.

By listening to Xu Shao and the others' conversation, he gained some understanding of the Yuan Dan Sect and the Zhang family of Secret Pills.

Both of these Foundation Establishment forces are stronger than the Dan Ding Sect, and the number of people from both of them entering the Azure Spirit Secret Realm this time is also greater than that of the Dan Ding Sect.

Among the three Foundation Establishment factions, the Yuan Dan Sect is the strongest, holding eight spots for entering the Qingling Secret Realm; the Zhang Family of Secret Pills ranks second, with seven spots for entering the Qingling Secret Realm.

The Dan Ding Sect is the weakest, with only six slots available for entering the Azure Spirit Secret Realm.

Jin Yufan is the senior disciple of the Yuandan Sect and also the leader of the Yuandan Sect's expedition into the Qingling Secret Realm.

His situation was similar to Xu Shao's. Although he came from a sect like the Yuan Dan Sect, which specializes in alchemy, he did not practice alchemy.

However, his talents far surpassed Xu Shao's. Xu Shao had experience fighting Jin Yu Fan before, and he was no match for Jin Yu Fan. Jin Yu Fan's background was also far superior to Xu Shao's. Jin Yu Fan was the only son of Jin Buyun, the sect leader of the Yuan Dan Sect, and he enjoyed the best cultivation resources from a young age.

Yuan Dan Sect hopes that one day Jin Yufan will become a Golden Core True Person!

Apart from Jin Yufan, the other seven members of the Yuan Dan Sect were also quite strong, all of them being cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining!
The leader of the Zhang family who entered the Azure Spirit Secret Realm this generation was Zhang Yuanqing. Zhang Yuanqing's talent for cultivation was not considered top-notch, but he was extremely outstanding in alchemy, especially skilled in refining various poison pills.

Zhang Yuanqing also likes to use dirty tricks during battles, and you might fall victim if you're not careful.

The relationship between the Zhang family of Secret Pills and the Pill Cauldron Sect was even worse, so when Shi Ningyu and the others mentioned the cultivators of the Zhang family of Secret Pills, their tone was full of strong disgust.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, although the big guy said you are very strong, none of us have ever seen you truly fight. Why don't you have a match with me now and let us see your strength? This will give us a better understanding when we enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Shi Ningyu's gaze fell on Lu Cheng'an. At this moment, her face was serious. She didn't just think Lu Cheng'an was funny, but wanted to really see Lu Cheng'an's strength.

Lu Cheng'an and Xu Shao exchanged a glance. After sensing the meaning in Xu Shao's eyes, Lu Cheng'an smiled and agreed.

"Then let's go to the back of Qingzhu Peak. It's more open there, making it easier to fight!" Xu Shao was the first to stand up from his seat and lead the group toward the back of Qingzhu Peak.

That area was specially designated by Xu Shao for practicing magic.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you must go all out. If I accidentally hurt you, I will not be responsible!"

Shi Ningyu smiled and glanced at Lu Cheng'an before summoning a snow-white magic sword.

This magic sword is of the first-tier superior grade and of excellent quality, even surpassing the quality of the Fire Fiend Sword meticulously crafted by Lu Cheng'an.

The moment Shi Ningyu finished speaking, she raised her magic sword and launched an attack on Lu Cheng'an.

After sensing the sharp sword intent contained within the magic sword, Lu Cheng'an immediately activated his Cloud-Stepping Boots and simultaneously used the Fire Shadow Technique to create distance between himself and Shi Ningyu.

At the same time, Lu Cheng'an summoned the Fire Fiend Sword and used the Starfire Sword Technique to meet Shi Ningyu's attack.

There may be some difference between the Starfire Sword Technique and the sword technique practiced by Shi Ningyu, but Lu Chengan has cultivated the Starfire Sword Technique to perfection.

Moreover, after the panel was modified, this spell became more compatible with Lu Cheng'an. The power that Lu Cheng'an wielded with this spell was even stronger than the swordsmanship that Shi Ningyu practiced.

After exchanging several blows with Lu Cheng'an using her magic sword, a serious expression appeared on Shi Ningyu's face.

She made a hand seal with one hand, and instantly a beam of jade-white light shot out from her fingertip.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, be careful!"

"Shi Ningyu, you've gone mad! You actually used the Jade Soul Technique to attack Lu Cheng'an!"

When Xu Shao saw the jade-white light shooting out from Shi Ningyu's hand, his expression changed drastically.

The Jade Soul Technique is a simplified version of the second-tier technique Jade Soul Cold Light. This technique was obtained by Shi Ningyu from the cave dwelling of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Shi Ningyu has cultivated the Jade Soul Technique to perfection. She once used this technique to kill a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining with a single finger.

At that time, Shi Ningyu's cultivation had just broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining!

The moment Xu Shao finished speaking, he instantly summoned the Xuan Iron Rod, preparing to block Shi Ningyu's Jade Soul Technique attack for Lu Cheng'an.

However, Liu Muyuan stopped him.

"Junior Brother Xu, please calm down. Junior Sister knows her limits. At most, she will only cause Fellow Daoist Lu some injuries!" A blue light surged in Liu Muyuan's palm, and he instantly gripped Xu Shao's arm.

At this moment, Liu Muyuan also activated one of the spells he had practiced, which allowed him to easily hold back Xu Shao, who was much bigger than him.

"Xu Shao, didn't you boast about Lu Cheng'an's formidable strength? If he can't even withstand Junior Sister's Jade Soul Technique, then he's a complete waste!" Song Qingzhi sneered.

"Look, Lu Cheng'an has blocked it!"

"Fire Void Finger is just an ordinary first-tier technique, right? He actually used this technique to block Junior Sister's Jade Soul Technique!"

Lin Tao exclaimed in surprise. He did not participate in the argument between Song Qingzhi and the other two, but kept his eyes on Lu Chengan and Shi Ningyu.

As Shi Ningyu unleashed the Jade Soul Technique to attack Lu Cheng'an, Lu Cheng'an activated the Fire Void Finger to meet the attack of the jade-white light.

A fiery red finger mark instantly materialized. This was the first-order technique that Lu Cheng'an had cultivated to perfection, and it was also the first-order technique that Lu Cheng'an used the most.

As Lin Tao said, although the Fire Void Finger is an ordinary first-tier technique, its power has been greatly changed after the panel was quietly modified.

When the Fire Void Finger Imprint touched the jade-white light condensed by the Jade Soul Technique, a violent impact sound immediately rang out.

In an instant, the Fiery Void Fingerprint and the Jade White Light collapsed simultaneously, and their power was not much different.

Lu Cheng'an used the Naruto Technique to enhance the Cloud-Stepping Boots on his feet, instantly creating distance between himself and Shi Ningyu.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, shall we stop here? I presume you have already ascertained my strength!" Lu Cheng'an spoke loudly, smiling as he looked at Shi Ningyu.

"Sure, but you have to answer one question for me!"

Shi Ningyu smiled as she sheathed her magic sword, her gaze fixed on Lu Cheng'an with amusement, and asked, "How old are you this year?"

Lu Cheng'an was slightly surprised, wondering why Shi Ningyu would ask about his age, but he still answered honestly, "Not yet twenty-two!"

Shi Ningyu glanced at Lu Cheng'an with a flicker of her eyes, then turned and walked toward Xu Shao and the others.

"Lu Cheng'an is very strong. He didn't use his full strength just now. I think he might be even stronger than the big guy!"

Shi Ningyu spoke softly. She was the granddaughter of the sect master of Dan Ding Sect, and her own strength was the strongest among Xu Shao and the others.

The effect of her affirming Lu Cheng'an's strength was completely different from that of Xu Shao simply stating how strong Lu Cheng'an was.

"Haha, Song Qingzhi, are you still being stubborn? I told you Lu Cheng'an is very strong!"

Xu Shao's gaze fell on Song Qingzhi, and he smiled broadly, continuing, "You don't believe what I'm saying? Do you also think Junior Sister Shi is lying? Or do you want to fight Lu Cheng'an yourself?"

(End of this chapter)