Chapter 9

• An Lanxiu!
• Ye Fan was stunned.
• Because he had heard this name before. An Lanxiu was someone known by everyone in the entire Jiang Kingdom. Her fame was simply too great.
• The number one genius of Jiang Kingdom!
• Before the age of eighteen, she had already reached the Sky Realm, surpassing the Qi Controlling Realm. Not only that, but she was also the youngest spear wielder in the history of Jiang Kingdom. And that was not all—the most terrifying fact was that she had even comprehended the Spear Intent!
• What did this mean?
• It meant that in the future, there was a ninety-nine per cent chance she would become a Grandmaster of the Spear Dao!
• A genius of this calibre had not appeared in Jiang Kingdom for the past five hundred years!
• Moreover, there were many legendary records about An Lanxiu... For example, she was the first student in Jiang Kingdom to be personally invited by the Dean of Cangmu Academy to enrol. She was also the youngest national scholar of Jiang Kingdom... She was the fastest among the younger generation to reach the Sky Realm...
• All those so-called Chosen Ones and natural phenomena were nothing in comparison to her!
• Ye Fan never expected that she would come to this small town, Qing City.
• On horseback, An Lanxiu pointed her long spear straight at Ye Fan. Her eyes held neither contempt nor arrogant disdain—only calmness.
• Ye Fan withdrew from his thoughts and shook his head. "You’ve got the wrong person."
• An Lanxiu frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
• Ye Fan replied, "I am not Ye Lang, the one who triggered the natural phenomenon. He is in the Ye family residence; you can find him there!"
• An Lanxiu raised an eyebrow. "You are not Ye Lang?"
• Ye Fan nodded.
• At this moment, Ye Ling, who stood beside Ye Fan, suddenly said, "Elder sister, my brother is also very powerful!"
• Ye Fan smiled and gently rubbed Ye Ling’s little head. She responded with a sweet smile, hugging his arm tightly.
• An Lanxiu glanced at Ye Fan. "I did not expect that this small Qing City not only produced someone like Ye Lang, who could trigger a natural phenomenon, but also someone like you, who can cultivate a hidden realm. This is quite a surprise."
• Ye Fan smiled but said nothing.
• An Lanxiu continued, "Whether or not you are Ye Lang, you are qualified to take one strike from me. Will you accept?"
• Ye Fan fell silent.
• Accept!
• He was destined to make a name for himself. Though he did not care for fame, he knew that such recognition would certainly help him. However, if he accepted, his true strength would be exposed. If that happened, the Great Elder and others might go to any lengths to eliminate him—even target his sister.
• But if he refused, it would go against his nature!
• How could he live in cowardice?
• With that thought, Ye Fan looked up at An Lanxiu. "In two days, we will battle. Is that acceptable?"
• "Two days?"
• An Lanxiu shook her head slightly. "Forgive me for being blunt, but you are not qualified to make me wait two days."
• After speaking, she prepared to leave on her horse.
• At that moment, Ye Fan suddenly picked up a wooden sword from a nearby stall. He pulled out a strand of his own hair and, with a light diagonal slash of the sword, the hair was cut into two pieces, soundlessly!
• An Lanxiu stopped. Her gaze fell on Ye Fan once more, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "I misjudged you. Not only have you cultivated a hidden realm, but you are also a sword cultivator. A sword cultivator of your age is a rare sight in Jiang Kingdom."
• Ye Fan looked directly at An Lanxiu. "Two days later, we will battle. Do you accept?"
• A playful smile appeared on An Lanxiu’s stunning face. The man before her did not say he would take her strike—he said they would battle!
• An Lanxiu took another look at Ye Fan before saying, "Then I shall wait for you for two days. Now, I will go meet Ye Lang. Do you know where the Ye Residence is?"
• At that moment, Ye Ling smiled and said, "Elder sister, we are from the Ye Residence. You can come back with us!"
• An Lanxiu looked at Ye Fan. "You are the young master of the Ye family?"
• Ye Fan nodded. "More or less."
• An Lanxiu nodded slightly. "Your Ye family is quite fortunate to have two such talents. It seems you are not far from becoming a second-class noble family."
• Ye Fan smiled but said nothing.
• Thus, the siblings led An Lanxiu back to the Ye Residence. Her arrival shocked the entire Ye family. The Great Elder personally led a group of elders to welcome her.
• Though the Ye family had become arrogant lately, looking down on everyone, An Lanxiu was from the imperial capital. The power behind her was something that even a hundred Ye families could not compare to. When the Great Elder and the others learned that she had come to challenge Ye Lang, they were ecstatic!
• As soon as Ye Fan and the others arrived at the Ye Residence entrance, the Great Elder and his group came out to greet them. However, when the Great Elder saw Ye Fan and Ye Ling, his brows immediately furrowed. He ignored them and hurriedly approached An Lanxiu, bowing slightly. "Lady An, your esteemed presence brings great honour to our Ye family. Please, come inside and have a seat."
• An Lanxiu shook her head slightly. "No need to sit. Is Ye Lang here?"
• The Great Elder quickly responded, "Yes, yes!"
• He then turned to a nearby elder and ordered, "Go and bring Ye Lang here immediately!"
• The elder swiftly turned and left.
• At that moment, the Great Elder looked at Ye Fan, his expression turning cold. "Why are you still here making a fool of yourself? Get lost!"
• Hearing this, An Lanxiu’s brows knitted slightly.
• Ye Fan glanced at the Great Elder. "What business is it of yours?"
• The hostility between him and the Great Elder was already irreconcilable, so he had no reason to show any respect.
• The Great Elder’s face darkened. Just as he was about to speak, An Lanxiu suddenly asked, "Who is he?"
• The Great Elder turned to An Lanxiu, his expression softening. "Lady An, you may not know, but Ye Fan was once the heir of our Ye family. However, he was arrogant and domineering, with mediocre talent, utterly unworthy of the position. Therefore, we stripped him of his title. But unexpectedly, he harboured resentment against us and..."
• Before he could finish, An Lanxiu interrupted, "You said he was arrogant—I won’t comment on that. But you also said he has mediocre talent?"
• The Great Elder was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Of course. He is already eighteen yet remains at the fifth rank of the Imperishable Realm. With such talent, he is naturally inferior."
• An Lanxiu’s expression became rather strange.
• A sword cultivator! A hidden realm!
• And they called this poor talent?
• An Lanxiu glanced at Ye Fan but said nothing. It was now clear to her that something was amiss between Ye Fan and the Ye family.
• At that moment, the Great Elder added, "Lady An, you may not know, but this person was envious of Ye Lang’s position as heir and even challenged him to a life-and-death duel in one month’s time. That duel is in just two days. If you are free, please stay in Qing City and bear witness."
• An Lanxiu looked at the Great Elder, then at Ye Fan. Her expression grew even more peculiar.
• Just then, Ye Lang arrived. He stepped forward, cupped his fists, and greeted, "Lady An!"
• An Lanxiu’s gaze fell on Ye Lang, and soon, she frowned.
• The Chosen One?
• The so-called Chosen Ones were those who had cultivated to a certain level, reached the end of their lifespan, and then reincarnated to cultivate anew. However, in the eyes of true prodigies, such people were utterly disdainful!
• Only the incompetent would choose reincarnation to prolong their existence!
• She hadn’t come to Qingcheng because Ye Lang was a Chosen One but because someone here had triggered a celestial phenomenon!
• Anyone capable of summoning a celestial phenomenon was worth at least a little of her attention.
• However, at this moment, as she looked at Ye Lang, she felt nothing but disappointment.
• Ye Lang had concealed his true cultivation level, but it was weak and unstable, like an illusion or a bubble—impressive, perhaps, but far from catching her interest.
• In contrast, she was more impressed with Ye Fan. His foundation was solid, almost on par with hers, and he had even mastered the ability to hide his cultivation. On top of that, he was a sword cultivator.
• With this thought, An Lanxiu glanced at Ye Fan. “I’ll come for you in two days.”
• With that, she leapt onto her horse, ready to leave.
• The entire Ye family was stunned by this scene.
• What was going on?
• Even Ye Lang himself was dumbfounded.
• She was just leaving?
• At that moment, the Great Elder snapped back to his senses and quickly stepped forward, bowing slightly to An Lanxiu. “Miss An, won’t you spar with our Ye Lang?”
• Without even turning her head, An Lanxiu replied from horseback, “He’s not worthy.”
• With those words, she spurred her horse forward and disappeared from sight.
• Behind her, the Ye family members stood frozen in shock. Ye Lang’s expression darkened, as if he had swallowed something foul.
• Ignored.
• This was the first time in his life he had been ignored!
• Unacceptable!
• With everyone watching, Ye Lang suddenly dashed forward. The Great Elder’s expression changed drastically as he tried to stop him, but it was too late.
• Just then, An Lanxiu came to an abrupt halt. In the next instant, she turned, her spear in hand, pointing it straight at Ye Lang.
• An invisible pressure surged forward, forcibly stopping Ye Lang in his tracks!
• His face changed dramatically.
• Spear Intent!
• Ye Lang stared at An Lanxiu in shock and disbelief. She had already comprehended Spear Intent at such a young age?
• Seeing that he dared not move, An Lanxiu withdrew her spear. “If you had continued forward, I might have had a little respect for you. But you stopped. No wonder you had to reincarnate. You’re beyond useless.”
• With that, she cast a glance at the Ye family and at Ye Fan and his sister, who had been sidelined. She shook her head slightly.
• “The high-ranking members of the Ye family… are nothing but pig-headed fools.” With those final words, she rode off.
• Ye Lang stood there, his fists clenched, his face dark and furious.
• Ye Fan, however, paid no attention to him or the Great Elder. He simply led Ye Ling back to their courtyard.
• He had no interest in their affairs. Right now, all he wanted was to cultivate, take good care of his sister, and quietly wait for the duel in two days. Then, he would take her to the imperial capital.
• “Brother, that sister was so beautiful!” Inside the room, Ye Ling suddenly spoke up.
• Ye Fan glanced at her and smiled. “My little sister will definitely be just as beautiful in the future.”
• That was no lie. He himself wasn’t bad-looking, and his sister was a natural beauty. Once she grew up, she would undoubtedly be a stunning beauty who could bring nations to ruin.
• Ye Ling beamed, feeling delighted inside.
• Once she had fallen asleep, Ye Fan entered the Realm Prison Tower.
• He spoke in a deep voice, “Senior, that woman just now was able to see through my hidden cultivation! Didn’t you say that no one had ever practised this technique before?”
• There was a brief silence before a mysterious female voice replied, “Your hidden cultivation technique is different from others’.”
• Ye Fan was taken aback and quickly asked, “How is it different?”
• The mysterious woman explained, “Others cultivate hidden realms with ease. But for you, it will only bring pain.”
• Ye Fan was puzzled. “Why?”
• She answered, “Because they cultivate realms. You, on the other hand, cultivate your muscles, bones, organs, and every inch of your body. Do you understand now?”
• Ye Fan: “......”