Chapter 175: The Supreme Elder

Nie Yunxi's expression shifted. By this point, she felt her younger brother had already lost. Jiang Fan's resources and the help he provided the two girls were far superior to anything her brother could offer. It was highly improbable he could win over the two junior sisters now. Giving up would be the sensible decision.

Fighting again for this was simply not worth it. After all, Jiang Fan was the Sect Master's disciple. If he were to be injured at Sky Sword Peak, it would be inexcusable.

"Yun Zhuo, stop this foolishness!" Nie Yunxi scolded, "Come with me!"

But Nie Yunzhuo had already made his harsh declaration publicly. He had painted himself into a corner.

"Don't worry! I won't do anything serious to him!" Nie Yunzhuo shook off her hand and glared fiercely at Jiang Fan. "What, are you scared?" he taunted. "If you're scared, just admit defeat and get out of Sky Sword Peak! You're not welcome here!"

Xu Youran and Chen Siling both glared furiously. They detested Nie Yunzhuo to the extreme.

"Nie Yunzhuo!" Xu Youran bit her lip, saying, "You're the one who should leave!"

Chen Siling also stepped in front of Jiang Fan, stating coldly, "If you want to bully my husband, you'll have to go through me first!" Although they had great faith in Jiang Fan's strength, Nie Yunzhuo was a powerful cultivator at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. His strength placed him among the top thirty within the sect. How could Jiang Fan possibly compare?

Suddenly, Jiang Fan put an arm around each of their waists, drawing them close. He embraced the two beauties and smiled faintly. "My dear wives, your husband appreciates your concern," he said. "However, I don't like hiding behind women." He raised a hand and looked at Nie Yunzhuo. "Very well then, let's have a sparring match."

Everyone present was greatly surprised. Jiang Fan was widely known as a disciple with no spiritual root, infamous for his lack of cultivation. Nie Yunzhuo, in contrast, was a celebrated figure within the sect. A sparring match between them would be no different than a formidable warrior bullying a dog. What audacity did Jiang Fan possess to dare accept the challenge?

"He must have reluctantly agreed because he didn't want to lose face in front of the beautiful women, right?""He's still too young. He should have humbly admitted defeat now and sought revenge later when he was stronger."Some expressed regret, while others gloated.

Seeing that the situation couldn't be stopped, Nie Yunxi could only say, "You may spar, but it must be a friendly match, understand?"

"No problem!" Nie Yunzhuo smirked. He didn't intend to seriously injure Jiang Fan. He merely wanted to thoroughly humiliate him in front of the two junior sisters! To avenge the earlier humiliation! Jiang Fan had no objections either.

And so, the group moved to a nearby sparring platform. To prevent the situation from escalating, Nie Yunxi dismissed all spectators. Only a few of them remained present.

Meanwhile, Li Qingfeng was personally welcoming a white-haired old man with a scraggly beard and tattered clothes.

"Grand Elder, why have you returned so suddenly?"

The white-haired old man before him was none other than Shi Kaitian, the Grand Elder of Sky Sword Peak! Unlike other Grand Elders who guard crucial sect locations after their retirement, he freely roamed the world. He had been gone for over a decade.

"If I hadn't returned, would you all be waiting for me to collect your corpses from monster dung?" Shi Kaitian had a fiery temper and a blunt way of speaking. Li Qingfeng, accustomed to his ways, was touched. "We are grateful that the Grand Elder remembers us disciples and grand-disciples," he said.

Upon reaching the peak, seeing how much things had changed, Shi Kaitian couldn't help but ask, "How is Sky Sword Peak doing these days?" Li Qingfeng looked ashamed. "This disciple is incompetent," he confessed. "Currently, Sky Sword Peak ranks fifth among the ten peaks." When Shi Kaitian was here previously, Sky Sword Peak had always been among the top three. After he took over, it had fallen two ranks.

Hearing this, Shi Kaitian didn't blame him. He patted Li Qingfeng's shoulder and said, "It's not entirely your fault. If there's anyone to blame, it should be me. For years, I've been wandering far and wide, unlike the other Grand Elders who remained in the sect to protect their respective peaks. It's already quite impressive that you haven't been pushed to the very bottom."

These words deeply resonated with Li Qingfeng, and his eyes welled up. Only he truly understood the hardships Sky Sword Peak had endured over the years. Resources were withheld, and when problems arose, there was no one to turn to for assistance. He had navigated the peak's path with extreme caution.

"Please be at ease, Grand Elder," Li Qingfeng said. "By chance, I have recently found two disciples with exceptional talent. Once they are fully trained, they will surely shoulder the responsibility of Sky Sword Peak and restore its former glory!"

Shi Kaitian was surprised. "Is that so?" he asked. "Take me to see them; let's assess their talent."

Suddenly, they noticed many disciples gathered around a rockery in the distance. Li Qingfeng checked the time; it was already past mealtime. His face instantly darkened, and he scolded, "It's already past time for cultivation. What are you all doing gathered here?" The disciples scattered like startled birds. Only then did Li Qingfeng notice that through a crack in the rockery, he could see a sparring platform nearby. Two individuals were sparring there.

Shi Kaitian also saw it and became interested. "Oh? Are disciples from our peak sparring?" he asked. "Let's go see." Concerned about startling them, the two did not reveal themselves. They simply stood behind the rockery, observing through the cracks.

After seeing the two on the platform, Li Qingfeng's expression turned odd. "Why is it Jiang Fan?" he muttered.

Shi Kaitian asked, "Who is Jiang Fan?"

Li Qingfeng sighed. "He's the husband of the two female disciples standing in the corner, a new disciple under Sect Master Liu," he explained.

Shi Kaitian was surprised. "Then his talent must be excellent, right?" he mused. "Liu Wenchen barely won the Sect Master position by a single move back then, so he must have been constantly threatened by Feng Guchan over the years. He should spare no effort in cultivating his disciples. Anyone with even slightly inferior talent wouldn't catch his eye."

Li Qingfeng gave a wry smile. He cupped his hands and said, "Grand Elder, your insights are keen. The Sect Master has indeed been under constant pressure from the Grand Elder all these years. And all the disciples under the Sect Master are indeed elites. However, Jiang Fan is an exception. He is a disciple with no spiritual root."

Shi Kaitian looked completely bewildered. "No spiritual root? Are you certain? Liu Wenchen wouldn't pick a disciple with no spiritual root even if his brain was addled."

Li Qingfeng replied, "While I also don't understand why the Sect Master took him as a disciple, he truly has no spiritual root. Both the testing tower and I have confirmed it; there's no mistake."

This... Shi Kaitian was utterly confused.

He pointed to Nie Yunzhuo. "Is that person from our peak?" he asked.

Li Qingfeng showed a hint of pride. "Yes, he is one of my proud disciples, already at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment."

Shi Kaitian appraised him, then slowly nodded. "To be at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment at such a young age is indeed impressive; he's a promising talent. But how could Jiang Fan, with no spiritual root, be sparring with him?"

Li Qingfeng's face was equally bewildered. "I don't understand either," he admitted. "From my interactions with him, he doesn't seem foolish! Sparring with Nie Yunzhuo is just asking for trouble, isn't it?"

After a moment of thought, Li Qingfeng said, "I'll go stop them. Although this child, Jiang Fan, has no future in martial arts, he is exceptionally good to my two female disciples, and he's humble and polite. There's no need to watch him suffer."

Just as he was about to reveal himself, on the sparring platform, the two parties had already begun their match!