Chapter 685: Ice Spirit Root, Peerless Genius

Immortal Fairy believed Xie An made a lot of sense. This kind of thing was indeed very addictive; she often did it with Jiang Lianyi and Ao Ling.

Lu Yang thought to himself, "I knew something was off about you, Xie An. There are no beggars in Great Xia; old beggars are disguised. So are you, a young beggar, really a beggar? What kind of character is being tested here? It's hard to say who's testing whom. Senior Brother Dai, what kind of terrible list did you give me? The very first person on it isn't normal."

"Then I wish you a pleasant cultivation, Venerable One. We'll take our leave first." Lu Yang subtly signaled Old Meng. He had been thoughtless earlier, revealing Xie An's identity in front of Qiao'er, which interfered with Xie An's scheme of an older man pursuing a younger woman. He felt incredibly guilty. The two backed away from the ruined temple.

"Wait," Xie An said, looking displeased at Lu Yang. "You brat, calling out my true identity in front of Qiao'er. How am I supposed to interact with her in the future?" Qiao'er's expression turned blank after learning Xie An was a Tribulation Transcending Grand Cultivator; she was clearly startled by the revelation. "Senior, do you need something?" Lu Yang asked, plastering on the most respectful smile he could manage.

"Since you called me Senior, I can't be stingy. How about this: I'll suppress my cultivation to the early Nascent Soul stage, and we'll have a spar. Let me teach you how to fight!"Lu Yang: "..."

"Senior, if you want to hit me, you can just say so, no need for such elaborate pretense.""Are you fighting or not?" Xie An clearly had the demeanor of a senior, not suppressing others with his cultivation. Lu Yang sighed, realizing a fight was inevitable."Then please enlighten me, Senior."

The two walked out of the ruined temple. This was outside the city, where pedestrians were rare, which was why the temple had fallen into disrepair.

Xie An released some of his suppressed power, and his cultivation level rapidly ascended: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, early Nascent Soul! He used immense power to simulate his former Nascent Soul appearance, even mimicking a Nascent Soul. Simulating the Nascent Soul stage was effortless for him; he had done it before when he recovered his Dao heart. "Come on, little Lu!" Xie An struck a pose, displaying the bearing of a senior, and gestured for Lu Yang to make the first move.

Lu Yang dared not be careless. He countered with the Azure Edge Sword, drawing it like flowing water. The sword's gleam was incredibly sharp, his essence, qi, and spirit unified, and his sword intent ethereal, shaming all sword cultivators in the world.

"Good swordplay!" Xie An's eyes lit up. This kid's swordsmanship had improved another notch since the last celebration battle against the Heavenly Court Sect. If he were truly in the Nascent Soul stage, he really wouldn't be a match for this kid. Fortunately, he was currently a Nascent Soul stage cultivator with the insight of a Tribulation Transcending expert!

The nine-section whip lashed out, its tip striking the air, sending lightning sparks flying. The nine-section whip countered strength with softness, like a flood dragon in water, ever-changing and unpredictable. The slightest touch of the whip against the Azure Edge Sword would deflect its blade. No matter how powerful a sword strike was, it was useless if it couldn't hit its target!

Lu Yang flicked his wrist, and the long sword transformed into four blades, making it impossible to distinguish which one was the true Azure Edge Sword. Sword light gathered into sword energy, descending from the heavens to entangle with the water-dragon, locked in an inseparable struggle.

Then, the True Samadhi Fire and Golden Crow True Flame flew out together, causing the temperature to rise sharply. The air became scorching and distorted. Xie An spat out purple lightning, and as the lightning and fire collided, they produced a deafening roar like the sky and earth rending apart.

Lu Yang drew a "ground prison," trapping Xie An underground. Xie An chuckled, and countless water dragons erupted from beneath his feet, breaking through the confinement. Lu Yang dissolved them with the Water Division Art; the water dragons turned into gas and dissipated into the air before they could reach him.

Lu Yang burrowed underground, and the Twin Lotus of the Same Root bloomed, producing two clones. Two people, two swords, attacked Xie An simultaneously. Xie An shifted his footwork, weaving through the gaps between the two swords. At the same time, a Nascent Soul flew out from his glabella, holding a nine-section whip, and wrestled with the two Lu Yangs.

The two fought their magical battle, locked in an inseparable and indecisive struggle.

"Good kid, you can actually exchange blows with me." A cold smile played on Xie An's lips. "But do you think this is all I've got? Today, I'll show you how terrifying a Nascent Soul cultivator with the insight of a Tribulation Transcending expert can be!"

Xie An stepped on the Supreme Boundless Steps, outlining a grand formation with his footwork. Inside the formation, spiritual energy surged, the ground cracked, and plants grew wildly. This array could control all vegetation within its range, requiring an extremely high level of precision—a formation that a Nascent Soul cultivator could never possibly cast! The vegetation went wild, carrying heavy clumps of earth. Above them, the Nascent Soul holding the nine-section whip sealed off all escape routes! "Break!"

Lu Yang lightly shouted, and the Azure Edge and Nether Moon Swords struck out simultaneously. Wood splinters exploded, creating a gap, but before he could rush out, the rapidly growing trees blocked it. Lu Yang shot skyward, wanting to escape, but Xie An's Nascent Soul blocked the path above, making escape impossible!

Lu Yang looked enviously at Xie An's Nascent Soul fighting with the nine-section whip. Why could his own Invincible Infant only hit himself...? Wait, it seemed the Invincible Infant could do more than just hit himself. "Senior, forgive me!" Lu Yang activated a technique, severing his connection with the Invincible Infant and sending it into Xie An's dantian.

Xie An burst into laughter. "If you have any tricks, just show them to me. Let's see if you have any of Yun Zhi's flair... What the heck is this?!" Before Xie An finished laughing, the Invincible Infant burrowed into his dantian and started hitting everything it encountered. He had lived for several thousand years and had never seen anyone's Nascent Soul fight like this! Xie An quickly recalled his own Nascent Soul, engaging the Invincible Infant in battle within his dantian. However, the Invincible Infant's moves were incredibly brilliant and precise, each attack hitting Xie An's weak points. Even with his Tribulation Transcending insight, he couldn't cope with such attacks. The pain sent him sprawling to the ground, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down his forehead.

Suddenly, boundless power erupted from Xie An's body, expelling the Invincible Infant. Lu Yang re-established his connection with the Invincible Infant and chuckled, "Senior, that's not Nascent Soul stage combat power." Just now, Xie An had subconsciously used some of his true power to avoid a severe beating from the Invincible Infant.

"Alright, alright, you win! Now get out of here if you're done!" Xie An waved his hand in irritation, admitting his defeat. Lu Yang clasped his fists, sheathed his sword, and turned to call out, "Old Meng, let's get ready to leave."

"Wait a moment, this little girl has exceptionally good innate spiritual roots," Meng Jingzhou said, his voice filled with delight. Meng Jingzhou held a palm-sized spiritual root stone, one of the finest quality, which could detect innate spiritual roots without direct contact, simply by being placed near a mortal. Seeing Lu Yang and Xie An locked in an indecisive battle, he figured he might as well use the time to test Qiao'er's spiritual roots. As the spiritual root stone was placed near Qiao'er, a crystal-clear ice crystal, without a single impurity, appeared within the transparent stone. Mutant Single Spiritual Root—Ice Spiritual Root! "This girl has an Ice Spiritual Root!"

"What? Something this good?" Lu Yang was overjoyed to hear this. It was an unexpected bonus. "Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, that girl is also a Tribulation Transcending expert. You saw her at the celebration; she's the Supreme Elder of the Charm Sect," Immortal Fairy reminded him.Lu Yang: "..."

Miss Qiao'er finally sobered up from the fact that her 'dear brother' was Venerable Wuji, emitting an intensely cold aura that sent shivers down one's spine. "Wuji, I can't believe it was you!" She had called him "Brother Xie" for nearly half a year, originally planning to secretly provide Xie An with resources, enjoying the pleasure of nurturing him, and then revealing her identity for them to become husband and wife. She never expected Xie An to be that old scoundrel, Venerable Wuji!

Xie An felt the familiar power, his face changed, and he likewise raged, "Qian Jiao, it's you, you old hag!" He had been thinking of cultivating with Qiao'er, experiencing many dangers, capturing her heart, being forced to reveal his identity in a crisis, defeating enemies, and flying off with Qiao'er as a pair. He never expected Qiao'er to be that old hag, Venerable Qian Jiao!

Lu Yang mused that the Heaven and Earth Purple Cloud Palace truly had immense fortune to be able to recruit two Tribulation Transcending experts as disciples. Not even the Dao Seeking Sect possessed such ability.