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"Alright, it’s a tie."
The richly-clad Saint Heir nodded. At this mont, the Sacred Land couldn’t afford to lose face, and though he had indeed lost, the other party had been considerate enough to preserve the Sacred Land’s reputation. He was deeply grateful.
"We’ve sparred for so ti, yet you still don’t know my na. I’m Qing Chenfeng. If there’s an opportunity in the future, I hope we can spar properly again."
During their bout, he found that Lin Fan’s mana was incredibly robust — far thicker than that of cultivators at the Golden Core Realm. By all logic, soone who possessed such mana should undoubtedly be at the Nascent Soul Realm.
But why was it like this?
He had no idea.
"Of course, you’re always welco. Sparring should hold to the principle of restraint; today’s practice was excellent," Lin Fan replied with a smile.
He didn’t ntion that Qing Chenfeng resorted to advancing his cultivation level at the last mont.
It was sufficient. There was no need to strip the Sacred Land of all dignity. They treated you well; what more could you want?
Do you really need to trample their disciples from start to finish, leaving none spared, not even their most talented prodigies?
Is it just to prove your own strength?
No need.
Absolutely no need.
The surrounding disciples stood confused, staring with wide-eyed bewildernt.
What had just happened?
They had no clue what occurred afterward — the dazzling brilliance blinded them, making it impossible to open their eyes fully. Forget trying to see clearly.
Liu Yuanhei exclaid in shock, "I can’t believe Senior Brother actually lost!"
One Saint Heir muttered discontentedly, "Lost? What loss, where did Senior Brother lose?"
"Is it really so hard to admit soone else’s excellence? Senior Brother suppressed his level to the Nascent Soul Realm and was still outmatched. In the end, he had to unleash his mana at the Returning Unity Realm just to barely withstand that one move. And yet, Lin Fan was magnanimous enough — knowing Senior Brother had lost, he still declared the match a tie, just to save face for our Sacred Land," Liu Yuanhei explained.
The other Saints and Saintesses remained silent.
Liu Yuanhei’s statent was undeniably correct; they could offer no rebuttal. The facts were just as stated, and they had nothing else to add.
Gong Mo let out a deep breath. It wasn’t the worst possible outco.
Still, he knew he’d likely get strung up and beaten later.
"Elder Gong, the sparring ends here, concluded as a draw," Lin Fan said, turning to Gong Mo. Although he wasn’t certain what Gong Mo was thinking, his expression seed to mix relief with worry.
For Gong Mo, had Lin Fan been declared the winner, he’d definitely be silenced by the higher-ups.
Thankfully, Lin Fan had terd it a draw, sparing the Sacred Land significant embarrassnt.
"Magnificent, truly magnificent! This sparring between the True Disciple of Taiwu Immortal Sect and the Saint Heir of the Sacred Land was exceptional, eye-opening. Not only was this exchange a duel between two individuals, but it also established friendly ties between our factions," Gong Mo said with a beaming smile.
"Elder Gong, you’ve got it perfectly right. But you see, I’ve also participated in this grand tournant, and I’m confident I’ll rank in the top ten. That ans these rewards should be distributed, correct?" Lin Fan asked.
"Of course, it’s not the rewards themselves that matter to , but their profound symbolic significance — commorating the friendship between and the Ancient Immortal Sacred Land. Wouldn’t you agree?"
He had no intention of letting the Sacred Land’s rewards slip away.
Damn it!
The sparring was done.
Sweat was shed.
Effort was exerted.
Surely it wouldn’t make sense to leave entirely empty-handed? That would be far too much.
Inwardly, Gong Mo could only curse under his breath: Damn, what a ruthless guy!
Having made such a spectacle at the Sacred Land, now Lin Fan still wanted to claim benefits — this was crossing the line.
Just as Gong Mo prepared to retort, a voice from the Sacred Land’s elders echoed in his ear.
"Hand it over!"
A simple, curt command.
"Haha, wonderful, just splendid! Lin Fan, if you desire the rewards, of course, there’s no problem. Just as I had envisioned, they symbolize our camaraderie, sothing that can beco a celebrated story in the future," Gong Mo said with laughter.
Indeed, it could very well beco a tale worth boasting about.
The effects of the sparring on the Sacred Land’s disciples were far-reaching. Just as Gong Mo had hoped, it showed them that there were always greater talents outside their walls. Even if their cultivation resources at the Sacred Land were exceptional, others in the wider world could still outshine them.
"Brother Lin, why not co to my cave mansion for a visit? I’d like to introduce you to so of my junior brothers and sisters. If, in the future, they offend you due to their arrogance, I hope you’ll forgive them," Qing Chenfeng offered.
"Sure, I’ll take you up on that," Lin Fan accepted without pretense. eting more people could only be advantageous.
Besides, Qing Chenfeng was a prodigy from the younger generation.
Was it wrong to get acquainted with exceptional individuals?
Definitely not.
Qing Chenfeng’s cave mansion was no ordinary dwelling. Though he referred to it as such, it was, in truth, a cultivation paradise. On this paradise was built a palace, perfectly reasonable, yet he still humbly called it a cave mansion.
"Lin Fan, your prowess is truly remarkable. Witnessing your battle with my senior brother left full of awe," Liu Yuanhei remarked with a grin. Initially, he thought he’d simply underestimated Lin Fan during their earlier encounter, leading to his swift defeat. But after seeing the final sparring match, he realized he’d been too naive.
Even if he’d been highly vigilant, it would have made no difference.
He’d likely still have been obliterated.
"Brother Qing’s strength is formidable — his mana is extraordinarily robust, and his Divine Skills exceed all expectations," Lin Fan said.
As Lin Fan uttered these words...
Laughter rippled through the room.
Perplexed, Lin Fan looked around, puzzled. "What’s so funny? Did sothing amusing co to mind?"
When Liu Yuanhei and the others heard Lin Fan’s comnt, they couldn’t help but laugh. Lin Fan had similarly ’comforted’ every defeated opponent before, and it always felt... odd. Though it seed like a kind remark, sohow it always carried an unintended, peculiar undertone.
Qing Chenfeng began introducing everyone and pointed at a Saintess, saying, "This is one of our Sacred Land’s few Saintesses, Saintess Ying."
Lin Fan turned his gaze toward the Saintess.
"Holy smokes, incredible."
This Saintess was clearly exceptional — long flowing hair, a light touch of makeup, and a perfectly proportioned figure based on the golden ratio. Unlike the frosty deanor of so True Disciples he encountered in his Immortal Sect, she carried an air of warmth.
"You’re so impressive! I didn’t expect such great power to be hidden inside that small fra of yours. Truly, little man, big capabilities," Saintess Ying teased, draping her soft arm over Lin Fan’s shoulder, her voice tinged with a bewitching allure.
She was a mature and irresistibly alluring Saintess.
Of course.
This didn’t an the Saintess was flirtatious by nature — her tone was simply sowhat saucy.
Liu Yuanhei covered his face, too mortified to say anything further. Saintess Ying was back at it again. This sort of conduct easily caused outsiders to get the wrong idea about Sacred Land Saintesses.
"Saintess, what perfu are you using? It slls divine," Lin Fan sniffed the air indulgently, displaying a look of intoxication. Next, he reached out, attempting to grab her soft, slender hand for a closer whiff.
Unprepared for Lin Fan’s boldness, Saintess Ying instinctively retracted her hand, stating, "Typical of filthy-minded n — they all love taking liberties."
"If n don’t take liberties, are they even n? Look at you, Saintess. Seeing such an outstanding man, didn’t you imdiately start with hands-on actions?" Lin Fan said.
He felt it was necessary to teach this Saintess a lesson.
Clearly, her mindset needed work.
Gender equality seed lost on her.
How co won could get away with being flirtatious and not be called out?
"You shaless rogue! I refuse to stoop to your level," Saintess Ying fud, her face darkening as she realized arguing further would be futile.
"Heh-heh!" Liu Yuanhei chuckled under his breath. This was the first ti he’d seen Saintess Ying suffer a setback, utterly speechless against soone.
Qing Chenfeng shook his head, a trace of helplessness in his expression. His junior sister, Ying, was simply like that — playful and carefree.
Now, she’d encountered Lin Fan and ended up at a minor disadvantage. It might serve as a valuable lesson.
Lin Fan mingled with the Saint Heirs and Saintesses of the Ancient Immortal Sacred Land, and the atmosphere remained relatively harmonious.
Every place had its own factions and cliques.
For example, these Saint Heirs and Saintesses were but one such faction.
Ancient Immortal Sacred Land, being a vast Immortal Sect, naturally wouldn’t only consist of these few individuals. Others were likely busy cultivating or adventuring in search of great opportunities.
In the path of cultivation and the pursuit of immortality, lacking serendipitous encounters made achieving true ascension nearly impossible.
Unless you spent tens of thousands of years in seclusion, tirelessly accumulating mana. But even then, your lifespan had to hold up; otherwise, there was a real risk of succumbing to ditation and passing away.
Night fell.
Lin Fan happily departed Qing Chenfeng’s cave mansion, gazing up at the night sky. He felt deeply appreciative — what a marvelous era!
"Hey! Why are you following ? Don’t tell you’re harboring so unsavory thoughts. I’ve seen plenty of n like you — all lust without guts. Right now, in the Sacred Land, if I let out a single shout, you’d be beaten to death," Saintess Ying snapped, turning to glare at Lin Fan trailing behind her with palpable annoyance. She was still holding a grudge over being teased in the cave mansion earlier.
Lin Fan sighed helplessly. "Seriously, can’t a guy have his peace? There’s only one path forward — you’re walking ahead while I walk behind. Do I not even have the right to use the sa path?"
"And who’s got ’all lust, no guts’? If you keep up that nonsense, I might just increase your weight by a few dozen pounds. Want to try ?"
These days, Lin Fan truly wondered where won derived such an unwavering confidence.
"Go ahead then, let’s see what you’ve got! The mont you try anything, I’ll scream, mark my words!" Saintess Ying said coldly.
Lin Fan sighed aloud before suddenly stepping forward, catching her off guard, and pressing her against a tree. Tilting up her chin, he smirked slyly, "In the silence of the night, under such romantic circumstances, don’t you think were I to act on sothing, then leave cleanly, no one could track ?"
"And let’s not even talk about you going to Taiwu Immortal Sect for answers. If I just deny everything, then what could you possibly do?"
Lin Fan chuckled mischievously. He clearly had no intention of escalating matters — a little verbal banter was all.
Wait!
Sothing felt strange.
Why wasn’t she responding?
Lin Fan looked closely and realized Saintess Ying had fallen into a dazed state, leaning against the tree with an overwheld expression. She appeared truly startled.
"Never mind, never mind! I need to get so rest — can’t waste my ti playing gas with you," Lin Fan muttered, withdrawing and heading forward. He noticed she was still standing under the tree and added, "Hey! I hate to break it to you, but you’re kind of adorable. Don’t get all flirtatious for no reason. If people start thinking you’re a promiscuous Saintess, it’ll tarnish your reputation."
"By the way, those black stockings of yours look nice but feel a bit too seductive."
And with that, he strolled off without turning back.
Leaving Saintess Ying standing there beneath the tree.
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