Chapter 1022: Collapsing Azure Fairy

Fairy Qianlan stepped out of the gate. She checked the number on the lintel, then scanned her familiar surroundings. Finally, her gaze landed on Jiang Fan. After confirming she hadn't mistakenly entered the wrong courtyard, she gasped, exclaiming, "Jiang..." She nearly blurted out Jiang Fan's name but quickly swallowed the last syllable. The person the Fire Worship Cult had been searching for relentlessly, the very Jiang Fan that old man was furious about not finding, was actually hiding in her own cave dwelling? If anyone discovered this, the consequences would be dire! That dreadful jinx! She swiftly rushed back inside, slammed the door shut, and activated several layers of isolation formations. Only then did she angrily bellow, "Brat! Are you trying to get me killed? Why are you hiding in my cave dwelling?"

Jiang Fan chuckled mirthlessly, placing her jade pendant on the table. "You have the gall to blame me? I came looking for you, but you haven't been home for five days!"

"Jiang Fan had been inside for five days?" Fairy Qianlan frowned deeply. "Who brought you here? How did you know this was my cave dwelling?"

Jiang Fan's expression shifted slightly, and he said sheepishly, "It was a very friendly senior."

Fairy Qianlan pondered. A friendly senior? Five days ago? Then, considering Jiang Fan's age... Suddenly, something clicked. She stared fixedly at Jiang Fan. "That person was Venerable Wan'an, wasn't he?"

Jiang Fan averted his gaze, giving a dry cough. "I suppose so."

Fairy Qianlan began to tremble. "Did you tell him you were my illegitimate son?"

Jiang Fan said guiltily, "I swear to the heavens, I didn't say that. My original intention was to tell them I was your junior disciple from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, separated for eighteen years. They're the ones who misunderstood me as your illegitimate son; you can't blame me."

Fairy Qianlan had witnessed Jiang Fan's cunning firsthand. How could she not understand that Jiang Fan was deliberately leading them to a misunderstanding? She shrieked in exasperation. Drawing a sword, she lunged at him furiously. "Brat! You've completely ruined my reputation! The entire sect now knows I have an illegitimate son who is handsome, powerful, and very protective of his mother! Even the Cult Master had a private word with me! Ah! I'll destroy you!" It was bad enough that this brat made her furious at the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Now he'd traveled thousands of miles across the sea just to tarnish her reputation. It was utterly infuriating!

Jiang Fan quickly dodged, then hastily deployed the Soul-Binding Lock to immobilize her. He gave a dry cough. "Madam Pavilion Master, calm down, please calm down!"

Fairy Qianlan retorted frantically, "Calling me Madam Pavilion Master ten thousand times won't help! I want to take you down with me!"

Realizing further communication was impossible, Jiang Fan grabbed the bewildered Hua Wuying and pulled her along. "I'm here to deliver a message on behalf of the Pavilion Master. On the day of the sect's grand opening ceremony, please ensure Madam Pavilion Master and Senior Yunhuo do not miss it. As for the location... the Pavilion Master didn't tell me." It was strange. The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion Master had only instructed Jiang Fan to inform the two of them, but hadn't provided a location or time. Never mind that. It was time to make a quick escape.

Only after ensuring he was far from Fairy Qianlan's courtyard did Jiang Fan release the Soul-Binding Lock. By the time Fairy Qianlan burst out, Jiang Fan was long gone. She stomped her feet in the courtyard, furious. "Ah! Brat, I'm not finished with you!" Jiang Fan fled the Fire Worship Cult in a hurry.

All the way, Hua Wuying stared at him with an incredibly strange gaze. "Senior Tyrant, your actions are truly... unconventional." She had genuinely believed Jiang Fan was there to find his mother. It turned out the person had no illegitimate son at all.

Jiang Fan glared at her. "Your master and disciple's actions are quite unique too. It's been ten days now, hasn't it? Why hasn't your master come to redeem you yet? Not a single message!"

Hua Wuying said sheepishly, "It should... it should be soon. My master won't abandon me. Definitely not!"

Beep, beep, beep! Just then, the communication jade pendant at Hua Wuying's waist chimed, breaking the awkward silence. She immediately picked it up and read the message, her eyes lighting up with joy. "Senior, tomorrow is the time to claim the Sacred Flame. The chosen talents from all over have arrived and are currently gathered for a meeting. I'll find a way to get you a Sacred Flame Token!"

Jiang Fan wasn't particularly keen on going. However, since Fairy Qianlan wished him, her "illegitimate son," dead, a Sacred Flame Token from her was out of the question. He could only see if Hua Wuying's friends had a spare one.

So, the two arrived at a martial arts arena within the Fire Worship Cult's market. Three disciples from the Divine Sects had spent a hefty sum to rent out the entire arena.

"Wuying! Wuying!" Before Hua Wuying even reached them, a girl in a beautiful dress with a black braid waved excitedly from the entrance of the martial arts arena. Hua Wuying's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran forward, embracing her affectionately. "Yun Che! I missed you so much!" Yun Che beamed back.

Suddenly, she sensed something unusual about Hua Wuying's cultivation and exclaimed in surprise: "You successfully passed your tribulation?"

Hua Wuying boasted proudly, "Yes, pretty impressive, right?"

Yun Che looked envious. "As expected of someone from one of the Three Divine Sects, you succeeded in your tribulation without much preparation. I, however, failed."

After the Ancient Path to Ascension concluded, all the major chosen talents attempted their tribulations. Despite having sect protection and being chosen talents, only about two out of ten succeeded. This wasn't much higher than the success rate for ordinary cultivators. Some unlucky individuals even perished due to unforeseen accidents, despite being protected by powerful sect members. Those who successfully passed their tribulations and cultivated a Nascent Soul were indeed enviable.

Hua Wuying pouted wistfully. "Don't even get me started on my unreliable master. It was Senior Tyrant who helped me break through to the Nascent Soul realm."

"Tyrant?" Yun Che looked up at Jiang Fan, who was approaching, and only then realized that he, too, was a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Which major sect does this senior belong to? He looks unfamiliar. Such a young Nascent Soul realm cultivator could only be a renowned prodigy from one of the Three Divine Sects or Seven Great Cults, right?"

Jiang Fan gave a casual smile. "No sect, no faction. May I participate in this exchange gathering with fellow cultivators?"

Yun Che quickly replied, "Of course! Senior, you jest. Your willingness to join us is a blessing for us juniors." A chosen talent who has cultivated a Nascent Soul — who would be foolish enough to turn away someone like that instead of befriending them? Who would be crazy enough to do such a thing?

Jiang Fan said, "Thank you, Senior Sister Yun Che."

Yun Che politely produced a wristband and a jade slip, explaining: "Senior, the wristband serves as an entry pass; it will display your seating based on your cultivation level. The jade slip outlines the topics for this exchange gathering. Senior, please familiarize yourself with them, and later, we hope you will not hesitate to offer us your valuable guidance."

Jiang Fan felt a slight aversion to the wristband. But since he was on their home turf, he decided to follow the rules. He reluctantly put it on his wrist. A subtle, invisible wave flowed into Jiang Fan's body, scanned his Nascent Soul, and then retreated back into the wristband. Within the wristband, a red light flared, condensing into a number. It was clearly the number 'one'.

Jiang Fan's gaze remained calm as he held the jade slip, reading it while stepping into the martial arts arena.

"This exchange gathering has three main topics. First, the subjugation of Jiang Fan from the mainland. We urge everyone to participate enthusiastically and severely punish this scoundrel."

Jiang Fan's mouth twitched. He shook his head, put away the jade slip, and went to find his assigned seat.

Yun Che stared dumbfounded at Jiang Fan's retreating back. It took her a moment to regain her composure. She grabbed Hua Wuying's arm, exclaiming in surprise: "Where did you meet this senior? He's incredible! He actually got the number one seat? But the number one seat is already reserved for Feng Yuanzong; won't there be a conflict later?"

Hua Wuying smirked. "Conflict? Don't worry, there won't be any conflict at all! Jiang Fan can easily suppress a Nascent Soul cultivator with four apertures. Would Feng Yuanzong dare to even object?"