Volume 5 Chapter 64

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Volume 5 Chapter 64: The Contest

After following Zhang Hualing to the main hall and looking around, it was indeed as Zhang Hualing said; during their conversation, all the elders of Jiuhua had gathered.

Among them, several people familiar to Xu Qingfan, such as Jin Qinghan, Li Yuhan, Dongfang Qingling, and Sheng Yushan, were sitting together. At that moment, Jin Qinghan’s cultivation level was even higher than Xu Qingfan’s, just a step away from the Golden Core Stage. Li Yuhan, Sheng Qingshan, Dongfang Qingling, and two or three other Jiuhua disciples whom Xu Qingfan did not know also reached the Real Golden Core Stage. Originally, Li Yuhan’s talent was second only to Jin Qinghan’s, but in recent years he helped Xu Qingfan manage the mistakes of the Deacon Elder, which delayed his own practice, placing him on par with the others.

It must have been a moment of nostalgia for the older generation of elders when these younger elders entered the "Linghua Hall," just as Xu Qingfan did when he first came in.

This era belongs to the older generation, but the younger generation is quickly rising, eventually creating a new era.

Although Jin Qinghan and the others nodded at Xu Qingfan when he came out of the back hall, and Dongfang Qingling stared at him with her spring-like eyes, Xu Qingfan was thinking about his earlier conversation with Zhang Hualing. After giving a nod to everyone, he quietly sat down in his place and remained silent.

This gathering of elders organized by Zhang Hualing was to discuss how to deal with the great disaster happening outside the mountain after Jiuhua emerged.

At this moment, it is less than five months until Jiuhua will be reborn.

In fact, instead of discussing, it was more like informing all the elders that Jiuhua would soon return, so they could prepare. After all, they had no idea what the catastrophe outside Jiuhua Mountain was or how serious it had become, and they were unaware of the situation in the cultivation world. Although Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing knew a little, they could not speak out due to various concerns.

In the end, the elders decided that after Jiuhua appeared, they would not make any noise or show off. Instead, a few elders would go down the mountain to secretly investigate the current situation in the cultivation world before making a decision based on what they found.

This decision was almost no decision, but at least it was a shared understanding. Under Zhang Hualing’s guidance, Xu Qingfan was also one of the elders sent down the mountain for a secret investigation.

In fact, according to a previous secret decision made between Xu Qingfan and Zhang Hualing, after Xu Qingfan descended the mountain, he would secretly contact the Righteous Alliance. Although the Righteous Alliance had the biggest target during the catastrophe, they also had the strongest strength, with over ten Mahayana Stage masters and hundreds of Condensed Core Stage experts. Jiuhua would undoubtedly be safest under their protection, and with the identity of the six Holy Lands and over forty Condensed Core Stage cultivators, there was no fear that the Righteous Alliance would refuse to help.

At this time, Xu Qingfan also officially brought Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu to Jiuhua Mountain.

After the discussion ended, the elders gathered in "Linghua Hall" dispersed, but their faces showed even more worry and anxiety. This meeting made them feel that time had become urgent.

Before leaving, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but take a deep look at Zhang Hualing, who was sitting in the main seat. He saw Zhang Hualing gazing blankly at the roof of the hall, unsure whether he was thinking about how to deal with Jiuhua or about his own future.

Meanwhile, on the other side, before Gongsun Huasa left "Linghua Hall," he glanced at Xu Qingfan, then sized up Zhang Hualing, and turned to leave with a chilling smile.

When Xu Qingfan left "Linghua Hall," he found Jin Qinghan standing there quietly waiting for him. Xu Qingfan was a little surprised and then smiled. Although he and Jin Qinghan had very different personalities, they were connected as life-and-death friends due to various circumstances. Yet, over the years, both of them had been busy in closed-door training and hadn’t seen each other for a long time. So, Xu Qingfan was happy to chat with Jin Qinghan at this moment.

Facing Xu Qingfan’s warm smile, Jin Qinghan merely nodded lightly and then looked at Xu Qingfan for a moment before suddenly speaking, "You have made great progress these years, Senior Brother."

Xu Qingfan laughed and said, "But it’s still not as good as you. In a few more years, you will probably reach the Golden Core Stage, right? With such speed, it’s truly fast even in the history of Jiuhua Mountain. Now, you’re the one praising my progress; I must wonder if you are showing off."

Xu Qingfan wanted to shake off the sadness brought by Zhang Hualing’s situation, and being able to talk with Jin Qinghan again after many years made him happy, so he even jokingly teased Jin Qinghan.

Jin Qinghan slightly shook his head and then asked, "How have you been these years, Senior Brother Xu?"

Xu Qingfan was a bit surprised, thinking Jin Qinghan was not the type to ask such questions, but still answered, "Isn’t a cultivator’s life always the same? Either closed-door training to increase my skills or sitting quietly to understand the Heavenly Way. I sometimes read and enjoy tea; otherwise, it’s too dull."

Jin Qinghan nodded but asked again, "What about Ting’er? Is it true what you said last time, that she no longer hates you? It’s not easy to change one’s heart. I have been worried all these years that she might just be confusing you."

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood that Jin Qinghan wanted to ask him this question. Even though Jin Qinghan had never believed that Ting’er would make Xu Qingfan feel frustrated because of his stubbornness, he was touched by Jin Qinghan’s concern. So he just smiled and said, "Junior Brother Jin, you think too much. With Ting’er’s personality, she wouldn’t do such a pretentious thing. Besides, don’t you trust me? I believe Ting’er has truly resolved her feelings."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan had nothing more to say. He only nodded silently to indicate he would not ask further.

Then, Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan strolled among the rocks and trees of the front mountain of Jiuhua, talking about their little stories from the past years and their understanding of the Heavenly Way, which was quite enjoyable.

But Xu Qingfan noticed that although Jin Qinghan was talking to him, his expression was somewhat uncertain. It seemed that aside from the matter of Ting’er, Jin Qinghan had other worries. However, Xu Qingfan did not ask. Knowing Jin Qinghan’s character, he would ask when he was ready; bringing it up could make things worse.

Sure enough, after talking for about fifteen minutes, Jin Qinghan hesitated for a moment and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Xu, after your fight with Feng Qingtian, I have wanted to ask you a question. Back then, you were seriously injured, and when we each went into seclusion, I didn’t have the chance to ask. What was Feng Qingtian’s level of cultivation at that time?"

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s question, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly inside. He knew that deep down, Jin Qinghan was still unwilling to accept having lost to Feng Qingtian multiple times, and it had become a lingering internal demon in his heart. If this wasn’t resolved, it would be very harmful to his future cultivation. At the very least, if he didn’t reach the realm of "True Self," he would never break through to the Mahayana Stage.

To overcome this internal demon, there were only two methods: to completely forget about the failures from the fight with Feng Qingtian or to truly defeat Feng Qingtian once. In Xu Qingfan’s view, both options were extremely difficult. Given Jin Qinghan’s stubborn nature, it was nearly impossible to make him forget his past defeats. Additionally, defeating Feng Qingtian at the same level of cultivation was also very hard.

Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to speak the truth. He slowly said, "I cannot say for sure what Feng Qingtian’s current level of cultivation is, but twelve years ago, when he fought me, his cultivation was already above what you can do now. In some ways, I am afraid he is still a bit stronger."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan fell silent for a while, then asked, "Back then, Senior Brother Xu, you were able to severely injure him at the late stage of the Real Golden Core Stage. Can you defeat him now?"

Xu Qingfan frowned, thought for a moment, and finally shook his head slowly. "No, if I were to fight him now, the chances of winning would be about four to six in his favor. Furthermore, it would be even more difficult than the last time. The reason I was able to heavily injure him last time was mostly because he underestimated me and didn’t know about my new cultivation methods and abilities. However, I knew him well, so I had the advantage. But now, he understands my abilities, and although my level has greatly improved, fighting him will still be quite challenging. Junior Brother Jin, Feng Qingtian is indeed a rare genius. He has already mastered the three great techniques of the Feng family and has also created his impressive abilities."

Seeing Jin Qinghan’s expression become more serious after hearing this, Xu Qingfan didn’t want to dampen Jin Qinghan’s confidence, so he smiled and said, "However, even though he nearly killed me last time, he was also seriously injured. It is unlikely he will fully recover in less than eight or nine years. So, your level of cultivation has greatly closed the gap with him, and in the future, you may indeed have a chance to win."

Jin Qinghan nodded slightly, but after a moment, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, today I want to challenge you to a duel of magic. I hope you will agree no matter what."

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Xu Qingfan was momentarily surprised, but soon understood Jin Qinghan’s intention; he wanted to gauge Feng Qingtian’s abilities based on Xu Qingfan’s standard.

"Alright, I also want to test the results of my years of meditation."

Xu Qingfan nodded and smiled.