The woman in purple was so devastated that her Dao heart nearly crumbled.
In her wildest dreams, she never imagined that her proud Seventh Grade Spirit Root would fall so far short compared to a Ninth Grade Spirit Root!
In her mind, she no longer had any trace of discontent towards the prodigy with the Ninth Grade Spirit Root.
All she had was immense dejection.
Jiang Fan, drenched in sweat, left the secret room.
Seeing the woman in purple outside, he realized his cultivation had disturbed her. Hastily, he clasped his hands in apology, "Miss, I'm sorry for the disturbance."
Disturbance?
It was a blow!
The woman in purple looked at Jiang Fan with complex emotions, engraving his appearance deeply in her mind. Gritting her teeth slightly, she said, "My name is Liu Qingxian! Remember it!"
"Catch up to my realm, and I'll have a duel with you!"
With that, she took off the purple token hanging from her waist and tossed it to Jiang Fan.
"Take this, and use it if your life is in danger!"
"Don't you dare die!"
"Humph!"
With these words, she flicked her sleeves and left.
Leaving Jiang Fan bewildered.
What did I do to her?
Why does she want a duel with me out of the blue?
And she even gave me a token?
Scratching his head, he left in confusion.
Liu Qingxian left Lonely Boat City, riding a white crane.
Not long after she took off, a dark cloud suddenly loomed overhead.
Looking up, she saw an enormous blue eagle, with a sharp-looking middle-aged man in a white robe standing on it with his hands behind his back.
The powerful aura emanating from him dispersed all the gusts of wind.
Seeing him, Liu Qingxian was greatly shocked and hurriedly bowed, "Disciple Liu Qingxian of the Green Cloud Sect greets Deputy Pavilion Master Chen of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion!"
The person in front of her was indeed one of the four deputy pavilion masters of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, Chen Zhengdao!
Without a doubt, he was the person from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion coming to take Lu Zheng away.
"Your father has been looking for you everywhere, turns out you came here."
Chen Zhengdao chuckled.
He and the Sect Master of the Green Cloud Sect were once senior and junior brothers with a very close relationship.
On his way here, he received a message saying his daughter had run away and asked him to keep an eye out for her.
Glancing at Lonely Boat City below, he immediately understood Liu Qingxian's intention and curiously asked, "Have you met the one with the Ninth Grade Spirit Root? How was it?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingxian's eyes turned red, and she complained, "He was too bullying!"
Uh—
Chen Zhengdao was stunned.
In his memory, Liu Qingxian was a strong-willed girl who wouldn't yield to anyone.
How had she been bullied into tears?
What kind of blow did she suffer?
"How did he bully you? Tell me all about it." Chen Zhengdao quipped with a hint of amusement.
Liu Qingxian recounted her experience.
After listening, Chen Zhengdao stopped smiling.
"That's impossible!"
"Are you sure you didn't feel wrong? One two-hour period, in an ordinary spiritual qi pool, from Fourth Layer Perfection to Seventh Layer?"
"I have an Eighth Grade Spirit Root, just a step away from Ninth Grade."
"But even my cultivation speed is not half of what you described!"
Seeing Chen Zhengdao's disbelief, Liu Qingxian felt a sense of relief.
Eighth Grade Spirit Root got overshadowed too?
Humph!
Feeling pleased, she said, "Deputy Pavilion Master Chen, why not verify it yourself?"
"I gave him the Green Cloud Order, you'll recognize him easily."
"Farewell!"
After saying this, she cupped her hands, hummed a cheerful tune, and rode away on the white crane.
Leaving Chen Zhengdao in stunned silence.
"Is the gap between Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade really that big?"
"I find it hard to believe!"
At the Xu Mansion.
When Jiang Fan returned, he found the mansion in chaos.
The servants hurriedly arranged various flower baskets and cleaned the tables and chairs.
Even Xu Zhengyan, the family head, personally joined the efforts, with Xu Youran hastily assisting.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Fan asked in surprise.
Upon seeing him return, Xu Zhengyan showed a hint of disdain and said, "Why are you standing there? Hurry up and help!"
Xu Youran handed over a cloth with respect, "A moment ago, the City Lord sent someone urgently to notify us."
"The dignitaries from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion have arrived!"
Oh?
The person from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion who came to take away the one with the Ninth Grade Spirit Root had finally arrived?
"Jiang Fan, what are you standing there for? Get to work right away!"
"If you ruin my big event, you won't be able to make up for it even with your ten heads!"
At this moment, Lu Zheng, brimming with confidence and dressed in a brand new silk martial robe, proudly ordered.
Jiang Fan casually threw the cloth he received to the ground.
He wrote, "What does your matter have to do with me?"
The people from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion were here for Lu Zheng.
Why should Jiang Fan help clean up?
Lu Zheng smiled insincerely, "What a fool you are!"
"Today is the day I rise to the nine-layered heaven."
"Outside, many people are trying to cling to me in this last moment, but I don't have time for them."
"You're lucky to have the chance to wipe my chair, mop the floor, and yet you don't cherish it!"
Accompanied by Wang Yingfeng, who was also in high spirits, she sarcastically said, "Zheng, why bother with this mute?"
"Some people are destined to remain lowly their whole lives, no matter how you try to help them, they won't rise."
The aunt and nephew tag-teamed with their taunts.
Right then, Qin Changsheng arrived upon hearing the news and cupped his hands with a smile, "Young Master Lu, I congratulate you!"
"Here's a small gift as a token of respect!"
"I hope Young Master Lu will look after the Qin family in the future."
Behind Qin Changsheng, several strong men carried several chests filled with low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid, causing the Xu Family to gasp.
Such a large amount of Qi Cultivation Liquid, at least worth 300,000 taels of silver.
Xu Zhengyan and Wang Yingfeng were so overwhelmed by the lavishness that they didn't dare accept it immediately.
Giving a gift requires a return.
But their Xu Family couldn't afford to reciprocate such a heavy gift.
Lu Zheng, however, laughed heartily, accepting without hesitation, "Family Head Qin arrives just in time!"
"Come, come, come, everyone working here, each gets a bottle!"
"Of course, someone who thinks too highly of themselves won't be getting one."
Thus.
Everyone from family members to servants happily received a bottle of low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid, which they usually couldn't afford to buy.
Except Jiang Fan, who was left empty-handed.
Lu Zheng smugly said, "Jiang Fan, starting to regret now, aren't you?"
"You just missed out on a bottle of low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid!"
"Tsk tsk, such a loss."
Jiang Fan adjusted his vest to make the ten bottles of top-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid inside less uncomfortable and slowly wrote:
"If it were me, I wouldn't accept this gift until I entered the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."
What if Lu Zheng couldn't get in, how would he repay?
Lu Zheng sneered, "Look at him, dreaming of becoming me, haha!"
Qin Changsheng naturally supported Lu Zheng, disdainfully saying, "Jiang Fan, I'm willing to gift, Young Master Lu is willing to accept, why do you need to interfere?"
Jiang Fan looked at Qin Changsheng, smiled playfully, and wrote: "I'm just worried for Family Head Qin, ending up with nothing and deep regret."
Qin Changsheng laughed heartily, "Regret?"
"I've latched onto the leg of someone with a Ninth Grade Spirit Root, I can't think of any reason for regret."
At that moment.
A gust of wind swept through.
The giant blue eagle slowly descended over the Xu Family.
A figure radiating overwhelming strength leapt down!
Lu Zheng took a deep breath and said to Jiang Fan, "Jiang Fan!"
"My moment of glory has come!"
"Watch closely, how I leap through the dragon's gate and become a true dragon of the nine heavens!"