Chapter 63: You Are the Talented One I've Been Looking For

Jiang Fan’s forehead veins throbbed. What eighteen-year-old could stand being called “Uncle”?

“You’re the uncle, old woman!”

Xu Yining realized Liu Qingxian had misunderstood something. She explained, “Senior Sister Liu, our Shadow Guard team is composed of young prodigies selected from Solitary Boat City. The oldest among us is no more than eighteen.”

Liu Qingxian gasped, gazing at Jiang Fan in disbelief. Eighteen years old, at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, yet he single-handedly defeated a Foundation Establishment Stage Two cultivator! She was far from capable of that at his age!

She and Chen Zhengdao had instinctively assumed that Shadow Guard Number One’s formidable power came from years of cultivation and extensive experience. But he was only eighteen years old.

Wait!

Liu Qingxian suddenly shivered, her eyes burning as she asked, “A while ago, was it you who defeated the projections of me, Chen Zhengdao, and Yun Tianzhou on the Soaring Dragon Path?”

Jiang Fan calmly replied, “What if it was?”

Liu Qingxian’s heart pounded wildly. It was him! It really was him! The peerless prodigy of the Soaring Dragon Path!

She exclaimed excitedly, “I’ve searched high and low, only to find you right here! You really made me search!”

Watching her alternate between shock and laughter, speaking incomprehensible words, Jiang Fan couldn't help but feel uneasy. He glanced at Zhu Jianshen, confirming he was completely dead, then decisively left.

“Wait! Don’t go yet!” Liu Qingxian hurriedly chased after him.

Her pursuit only made Jiang Fan more anxious. He decisively activated Solitary Swan’s Shadow to its peak, swiftly scaling walls and leaping onto rooftops, then vanished after a few flashes, disappearing onto an unknown street.

Liu Qingxian chased for a while but couldn’t catch up. She couldn’t help but be surprised: “What’s going on? With my cultivation, I actually can’t catch him? Could he have used a movement technique? Movement techniques are incredibly difficult to master; even within the Azure Cloud Sect, few have succeeded. Doesn’t this mean his comprehension is extraordinary?”

Xu Yining caught up, curious, and asked in astonishment, “Senior Sister Liu, why are you chasing him?”

Liu Qingxian replied, “Vice Pavilion Master Chen and I have been waiting for him to appear for almost half a month. With his talent, he could be directly promoted to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, and his future achievements won’t be inferior to my father’s.”

“What?” Xu Yining covered her red lips, her beautiful eyes reflecting profound shock.

She knew Shadow Guard Number One’s talent was astonishing, but hearing it from Liu Qingxian made her realize just how truly astonishing it was! The esteemed daughter of the Azure Cloud Sect Master and Vice Pavilion Master of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets had actually waited specifically for him for half a month. A trace of admiration surged uncontrollably within her.

“I must thoroughly investigate who Shadow Guard Number One truly is!” Liu Qingxian’s eyes gleamed with determination. She was determined to get such a peerless prodigy.

Xu Yining was also extremely curious about Shadow Guard Number One’s true identity and said, “I’ll help Senior Sister investigate as well.”

Soon after, at the Zhu family estate, wailing filled the air, and Zhang Yuxiu was in tears. “Shen’er, my Shen’er, you died so tragically!”

Beside her, an unfamiliar young man was squatting. “Young Master Zhong, you must get justice for my Shen’er.” Zhang Yuxiu pleaded, her eyes filled with entreaty. “You are an inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect; besides you, no one else can help us seek justice.”

Just moments ago, the city lord’s guards had brought Zhu Jianshen’s body back and relayed the city lord’s words: Zhu Jianshen deserved his death, and the matter was concluded.

However, with her son’s unexplained death, how could Zhang Yuxiu possibly let it go? It just so happened that Zhong Qizhen, the inner disciple who had always protected Zhu Jianshen, arrived to retrieve the Fire Spirit Pearl.

Zhong Qizhen, meticulous in his ways, examined Zhu Jianshen’s body, a hint of gravity in his eyes. “This person’s swordplay is highly skilled—fast, precise, and ruthless; one strike was fatal. It seems Junior Brother Zhu provoked a formidable individual.”

He then discovered a line of words written in blood on the inside of Zhu Jianshen’s sleeve. Though the writing was shaky, after careful deciphering, he recognized it: “Do Not Provoke Jiang Fan?”

“Who is Jiang Fan?” Zhong Qizhen asked.

Zhang Yuxiu also quickly looked over, a puzzled expression on her face: “Jiang Fan? Xu family’s live-in son-in-law, a good-for-nothing. Why would Shen’er leave a message not to provoke him?” She didn’t believe for a moment that Jiang Fan had killed her son.

Zhong Qizhen’s eyes glinted with coldness: “No matter who he is, since my junior brother left his name before he died, he is undoubtedly involved in his death! Coincidentally, I need to make a trip to the Xu family to prepare for my master’s arrival. I’ll just interrogate this Jiang Fan!”

As for the phrase “Do Not Provoke Jiang Fan,” Zhong Qizhen completely disregarded it. He was an inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. Zhu Jianshen was merely an outer disciple. Those whom Zhu Jianshen couldn’t afford to provoke, Zhong Qizhen could!

Completely unaware that Zhong Qizhen had set his sights on him, Jiang Fan, after resolving the Xu family’s major problem, returned to his room as if nothing had happened, eager to cultivate with the 'Dragon Seeking Scripture'. As soon as he activated this cultivation method, he discovered its extraordinary nature. The speed at which it absorbed spiritual energy was more than five times faster than before! Spiritual energy from across the entire Xu family estate surged in like a tidal wave, causing the spiritual power within his spiritual pool to continuously increase.

However, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, cultivation advancement became much more difficult. Even with such a powerful cultivation method, a full day of practice yielded only a slight increase in his cultivation. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to break through to Foundation Establishment Stage Two even in a month.

Suddenly, he thought of the Soaring Dragon Path. It was said that excellent performance there came with rewards. Last time, he stopped at the eleventh level. If he successfully completed the challenge this time, would there be a reward?

With anticipation, he returned to the Soaring Dragon Path, put on the Shadow Guard Number One mask, and immediately began the challenge. Level One, Level Two, Level Three... Level Eight, Level Nine, Level Ten. When he defeated Yun Tianzhou on the tenth level, his expression was relaxed. Their last encounter had lasted hundreds of rounds. This time, he cleared it in just two or three moves.

He solemnly stepped onto the eleventh level. The projection was a graceful and handsome young man, who elegantly stated, "Nangong Liuyun, Foundation Establishment Stage One. Please enlighten me."

The two quickly engaged in combat. Jiang Fan immediately felt immense pressure. Although both were in the Foundation Establishment Stage, and he was using a high-grade Yellow-tier sword technique, after dozens of moves, they were still evenly matched. The opponent's combat experience was exceptionally seasoned, not inferior to his own in the slightest. His attacks were methodical, revealing no flaws. The cultivation method he practiced was also far superior to Jiang Fan's. Several times, Jiang Fan nearly lost. Fortunately, relying on the boost from his movement technique, he was able to keep fighting. Finally, after two hundred rounds, he found a flaw in Nangong Liuyun's defense and defeated him with a single sword strike.

Phew— Jiang Fan was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. “What happened? The projection on the eleventh level was several times stronger!” He felt that this person was even more formidable than the Foundation Establishment Stage Two branch master.

However, the effort was worth it. As the projection dissipated, a snow-white pill appeared in its place. “This is... a Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill?” Jiang Fan was overjoyed. This was a unique elixir of the Azure Cloud Sect, capable of enhancing the cultivation of Foundation Establishment Stage martial artists! It wasn’t even sold on the outside!

He immediately swallowed it and began to cultivate on the spot. As the elixir went down, a powerful medicinal force transformed into incredibly dense spiritual energy, permeating his spiritual pool. The spiritual power within it rose at a visible rate. When the medicinal effects dissipated, his cultivation had increased by a full ten percent.

Jiang Fan couldn't help but exclaim, “One Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill is ten times more effective than a night of rigorous cultivation! If it were a Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, one might be worth a hundred days of cultivation, right?”

He glanced at the twelfth level, then left without hesitation. If the eleventh level was so difficult, what about the twelfth?

Downstairs, he pondered for a moment and muttered, “I should prepare some Qi Condensation Fluid and cultivation methods for Xu Youran.”

He had barely left when Liu Qingxian and Xu Yining arrived. Liu Qingxian, noticing her projection had been defeated, quickly rushed over. Xu Yining watched Shadow Guard Number One's retreating back and lamented, "We're a step too late."

However, Liu Qingxian's eyes shimmered with a subtle light. "Xu Youran... who is that?"