Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Since his chance encounter with Chen Qiaoqian that day, Murong Fan often discussed the Dao with her, and over time he came to regard her as the first friend of Huangfeng Valley.

Murong Fan had genuine feelings for his gentle and unambitious junior sister, but he never forgot the survival rules of the cultivation world—all the herbal techniques he taught were carefully selected, and he never mentioned the altar. Chen Qiaoqian seemed to have noticed this as well, and never questioned the origin of those mutated spiritual plants; the two maintained a tacit understanding.

That evening, Murong Fan had just returned from listening to the Dao at Hong Fu's place when he passed by "Listening to the Wind Cliff" in the valley. Suddenly, he heard the sound of sword energy cutting through the air. He concealed himself and looked over, only to see a white-clad figure practicing swordsmanship at the edge of the cliff. The sword light split into nine beams, and the sword energy was sharp and fierce—it was Lu Yunfeng.

Lu Yunfeng had also heard that his Daoist partner, Chen Qiaoqian, was most sensitive about his close relationship with Murong Fan, and the rumors circulating in the valley made him feel utterly humiliated. In truth, what he really cared about was the word "Daoist partner."

Murong Fan's gaze narrowed slightly. He was no stranger to Lu Yunfeng—a wind-type spiritual root who had become a disciple of a Golden Core elder, possessing exceptional talent and reaching the twelfth level of Qi Refining. Judging from his sword aura at this moment, there were already faint signs of him entering the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

Chen Qiaoqian never mentioned this matter. Murong Fan recalled their several discussions on the Dao, and the female cultivator did occasionally show signs of worry in her words, but she only said it was due to pressure from her clan and never mentioned that she was already engaged. This made him somewhat wary—the "Daoist partners" in the cultivation world are often involved in conflicts of interest, far from being as simple as ordinary couples.

The sword light vanished abruptly. Lu Yunfeng sheathed his sword and stood there, then suddenly spoke: "Junior Brother Murong has been watching for a long time, why not show yourself?"

They've been discovered. Murong Fan remained calm as he emerged from behind the rock, cupping his hands in greeting, "Senior Brother Lu, your swordsmanship has improved so much that I was momentarily lost in thought. My apologies."

Lu Yunfeng turned around, a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were icy cold. He was handsome, dressed in white, and exuded a calm and composed demeanor.

"Junior Brother Murong, you're too kind." He approached slowly. "I've heard that you've been spending a lot of time with Junior Sister Qiaoqian lately?"

Murong Fan already understood, but feigned surprise: "Junior Sister Chen is quite accomplished in pharmacology. Is it offensive for me, Junior Brother, to ask her about herbal medicine?"

"May I ask for your advice?" Lu Yunfeng chuckled. "Qiaoqian is my betrothed. If word gets out that you, junior brother, are seeing her so frequently, it will damage her reputation."

His tone was calm, yet it concealed a sharp edge. Murong Fan noticed that his right hand remained firmly on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles slightly white—a posture of poised readiness.

"I see." Murong Fan looked enlightened, then said seriously, "It was my oversight, Junior Brother. It's just that Junior Sister Chen never mentioned this matter, so you assumed she was still free."

These words were laced with barbs. Lu Yunfeng's smile faltered, and a flash of malice crossed his eyes.

"She's soft-hearted and doesn't know how to refuse," he said calmly. "I came to see you today to ask you to be lenient and stop bothering her."

The word "entanglement" was emphasized very heavily.

Murong Fan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Lu, do you know why Junior Sister Chen personally washed the clothes?"

Lu Yunfeng frowned slightly, clearly not expecting him to ask this.

"It's just that the menial disciples aren't doing their jobs properly."

"No," Murong Fan shook his head. "She said she's used to doing it herself. For cultivators, cleaning their robes only requires a dust-removing spell, yet she's willing to spend time and effort fetching spiritual spring water to wash them—has Senior Brother ever considered the reason behind this?"

Lu Yunfeng's expression darkened slightly: "What does Junior Brother want to say?"

"What I want to say is," Murong Fan looked directly at the other person, "Junior Sister Chen may seem gentle, but she is actually resilient and has her own opinions. Did you ask her opinion before making this decision for her in the name of 'Daoist partner'?"

The wind suddenly picked up at the edge of the cliff.

Lu Yunfeng's hand on his sword slowly tightened, and the spiritual pressure of his near-13th level Qi Refining surged forth like a tidal wave. He stared at Murong Fan, enunciating each word clearly: "Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me?"

"Junior brother wouldn't dare." Murong Fan's expression remained unchanged, but a faint blue light emanated from his body—the spiritual energy of the plants and trees circulated on its own, dissipating most of the oppressive force. "However, with the Blood Trial imminent, if senior brother were to fight with junior brother because of personal grudges, wouldn't you be afraid of punishment from the sect?"

Lu Yunfeng's pupils contracted slightly. The sect strictly forbade disciples from fighting privately, especially on the eve of the trial; violators would be disqualified. He was practicing his sword here today precisely because he had calculated that Murong Fan would definitely pass through this route, intending to provoke him into making a move with words, and then retaliate.

But to his surprise, this "idiot" saw through his scheme.

"Good, very good." Lu Yunfeng suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Junior Brother Murong is indeed cunning. No wonder he can make Qiaoqian so shrewd."

He withdrew his spiritual pressure and took something from his sleeve, tossing it over. Murong Fan caught it; it was a jade slip.

"Three days later, at the 'Sword Debate Platform,' life or death will be irrelevant." Lu Yunfeng turned and left, his voice carried on the wind, "If you dare not, then stay away from Qiaoqian. If you dare to come..."

"There is no improper relationship between me and Junior Sister Chen. You are no match for me, and you should not doubt his loyalty. You are no match for me, I do not want to hurt you, nor will I allow you to insult him, and I do not want Junior Sister Chen to be put in a difficult situation because of this," Murong Fan said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunfeng paused, feeling more disgusted than if he had swallowed a fly. However, instead of being angry or agitated, he gave a meaningful smile like a gentleman: "I will show you that a different spiritual root is no worse than your mysterious heavenly spiritual root. I do not rely on unorthodox methods to win."

The white-clad figure disappeared at the edge of the cliff. Murong Fan looked down at the jade slip in his hand, his expression solemn.

The Sword Debate Platform is a duel venue specially authorized by the sect. After signing a life-or-death agreement, even if one party dies, the other party will not be held accountable. Lu Yunfeng is forcing him to either give up Chen Qiaoqian as a "friend" or fight to the death.

What's more troublesome is that he sensed a wisp of divine consciousness imprint attached to the jade slip—if he didn't accept the challenge, Lu Yunfeng could use this to make a big fuss, claiming that he was "cowardly and disgraced his sect," and even implicate Hong Fu in the scandal.

"What a scheming man," Murong Fan murmured.

He recalled the worried look on Chen Qiaoqian's face when she mentioned the pressure in the clan, the fact that she had never used the word "Daoist partner," and the fact that her ears turned slightly red when she said, "My senior brother is just like that to me"—that was clearly a cherishing of the friendship between fellow practitioners, rather than romantic love.

Lu Yunfeng was probably aware of this. But what he needed was a docile and obedient Daoist partner, a Chen family woman who could help him cultivate and enhance his reputation, not an independent cultivator with her own opinions and social connections. Murong Fan's existence shattered his control over Chen Qiaoqian.

"Senior Brother Murong?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Murong Fan turned around and saw Chen Qiaoqian standing at the entrance of the cliff path, looking flustered: "I sensed your spiritual energy fluctuations just now, and I also saw Senior Brother Lu leave... Did he make things difficult for you?"

Murong Fan put away the jade slip and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing. What are you doing here, Junior Sister?"

"I..." Chen Qiaoqian bit her lip. "The clan elders sent a message today saying that Senior Brother Lu has formally proposed marriage to the Chen family, and that I... I should have less contact with men outside the family."

She looked up at Murong Fan, her eyes filled with guilt: "Senior Brother Murong, I didn't mean to hide it. That marriage was arranged when I was young, and I've never acknowledged it, it's just that the clan..."

"I understand," Murong Fan interrupted her. "Junior sister, there's no need to explain. Cultivators have too many things beyond their control."

He hesitated for a moment before finally telling her about the jade slip, omitting Lu Yunfeng's provocative words. Chen Qiaoqian's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this: "The Sword Debate Platform? How dare he… Senior Brother Murong, you absolutely mustn't agree! You've reached the peak of Qi Refining, while Senior Brother Lu is only at the twelfth level and has just entered the thirteenth. He's no match for you."

"If I refuse, he will use this as an excuse to cause trouble," Murong Fan said calmly. "Junior Sister, are you truly willing to marry this man?"

Chen Qiaoqian was stunned.

A mountain breeze swept by, causing her green robes to flutter. She gazed at the boy before her, who was even younger than herself, and recalled his resolute decision to exchange injury for life in the junior competition, his earnestness when teaching her the art of plants, and his composure when he said, "Junior sister is just such an existence to me."

"I..." she said softly, her voice gradually hardening, "but I don't want my senior brother to be dragged into this conflict because of me. Life and death are irrelevant on the Sword Debate Platform; if either Senior Brother Lu or you were to suffer any harm, I..."

"That's enough." Murong Fan smiled slightly. "Since Junior Sister remains silent, I will fight for her."

Chen Qiaoqian remained silent upon hearing Murong Fan's words.

Murong Fan turned to look at the sea of ​​clouds beyond the cliff, his Qi Refining Perfection spiritual power flowing through his body. The plant totems deep within the altar glowed faintly, seemingly responding to his fighting spirit.

"Three days from now, I will make him understand—" Murong Fan's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable power, "Some things cannot be obtained through scheming."

Although Murong Fan thought that defeating Lu Yunfeng would be a piece of cake, he ultimately underestimated Lu Yunfeng's cunning and scheming!