owlsbooks Chapter 521 Elder Li! An Invitation!
Chapter 521 Elder Li! An Invitation!
Elder Li landed between the two, unleashing the full power of his mid-stage Core Formation aura, barely managing to block Chen Fan's finger strike before it even landed.
He first glanced at Lu Xiong, who was kneeling on the ground covered in blood, then at the sharp-mouthed cultivator who had fainted at the foot of the mountain wall, and finally fixed his gaze on Chen Fan, a hint of undisguised shock flashing in his eyes.
The final stage of Foundation Building has reached its peak.
This rogue cultivator, whom he had just regarded as an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator in the martial arts arena, had actually concealed his true cultivation level.
Moreover, judging from Lu Xiong's appearance, his combat strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator.
It should be noted that Lu Xiong was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of physical cultivation, and his body tempering skills were rarely matched among his peers. Yet, he couldn't even withstand a single move from this person.
This young man is no ordinary rogue cultivator.
Elder Li suppressed his shock, put on a stern face, and shouted at Lu Xiong, "Lu Xiong! Did you ignore what I said in the martial arts arena? On your very first day of joining the sect, you gathered a crowd to cause trouble and trespassed into a fellow disciple's cave. Do you think the rules of the Shangyun Sect are just for show?"
Lu Xiong knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf, but dared not utter a single word in defense.
Elder Li then looked at Chen Fan, his tone softening slightly: "Chen Mu, I am already familiar with the details of this matter. It was Lu Xiong who led people to provoke us, and you intervened to protect yourself; the fault does not lie with you."
He paused, then said, "However, sects have their rules. Disciples are not allowed to fight each other privately, let alone kill anyone. Let's leave it at that for today. What do you say?"
Chen Fan remained silent for a moment, then withdrew his finger.
He never intended to attract attention in the Shangyun Sect. He only revealed his Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivation level because he had no other choice but to do so in order to reduce trouble.
If he were to kill someone in front of Elder Li, it would inevitably attract the attention of the sect's higher-ups, which would be extremely detrimental to his ability to conceal his identity.
"It's entirely up to the elder to decide," he said, bowing slightly, his voice returning to its previous calm.
Elder Li nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Lu Xiong and shouted, "Get out of here now! Go back and reflect on your actions for three days! If I catch you causing trouble again, you'll be expelled from the sect!"
Lu Xiong felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He struggled to get up from the ground, ignoring the excruciating pain all over his body, and scrambled out with his three men.
Before leaving, he didn't even dare to look at Chen Fan, only leaving behind a vague "Thank you, Elder".
The group arrived arrogantly but left in a sorry state, disappearing at the end of the mountain path in a short while.
The courtyard returned to quiet.
Elder Li did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking Chen Fan up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, but more so with admiration.
"Foundation Establishment Great Perfection..." He stroked his beard and said slowly, "Chen Mu, I misjudged you in the training grounds just now. With your cultivation, you're only one step away from Core Formation, so why did you come to my Shangyun Sect to register?"
Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged, and his voice was calm: "I am of dull talent and have been stuck at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment for many years, unable to break through. I have heard that Shangyun Sect was once a major sect in the Desolate State with profound foundations, and perhaps it has a method for Core Formation that I can learn from. In addition, the thresholds of other sects are too high, so I have come here to give it a try."
These words were half true and half false, yet they were spoken flawlessly.
Elder Li nodded thoughtfully, the probing look in his eyes fading slightly.
There are countless independent cultivators who have been stuck at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment for many years without being able to break through, so Chen Fan's statement is not surprising.
As for the high entry requirements of other sects, that's also true.
Although sects like the Golden Sword Sect and Hundred Herbs Valley are powerful, their admission standards are indeed harsh, and even a rogue cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment might not be able to get in.
"You're quite honest," Elder Li chuckled, his tone softening slightly. "Since you've come to the Shangyun Sect, it must be fate. I am Li Changhe, and I have been appointed as an elder in charge of outer sect affairs. Your performance today has been quite remarkable, so I'll take the liberty of treating you to a meal at my cave dwelling. We can enjoy some of my treasured spiritual tea and discuss the selection process. What do you say?"
This shows that they are trying to win them over.
Chen Fan understood perfectly.
The Shangyun Sect had been in decline for many years and its talents were dwindling. Suddenly, a rogue cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment appeared, and his combat strength was quite impressive. Elder Li naturally wanted to win him over.
If we can win some honor for Shangyun Sect in the selection competition, or even win a spot in a prefecture-level competition, that would be a great thing for the sect.
But he didn't want to go.
It wasn't that he was disrespecting Elder Li, but rather that he didn't want to have too much contact with the sect's higher-ups.
The more contact he makes, the greater the risk of exposure. His true cultivation level is mid-Nascent Soul stage, which is enough to allow him to roam freely in this desolate region. However, once someone notices even the slightest clue, it will inevitably attract the Wang family's pursuers.
What he needs most right now is not to build connections, but to quietly obtain the qualification to participate in the state capital competition, and then leave the desolate state in a natural way!
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder." Chen Fan cupped his hands in greeting, looking embarrassed. "However, my spiritual energy was greatly depleted in the fight with Lu Xiong just now, and my old injuries have not yet healed. I urgently need to go into seclusion to recuperate. I will definitely visit you another day to apologize to you."
Elder Li did not insist upon hearing this.
It's common for cultivators to go into seclusion to recuperate, especially since the other party had just fought someone, so this reason is quite reasonable.
"Very well." He nodded, took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it over. "This is my communication jade talisman. You can contact me anytime if you need it. Also, I will explain the arrangements for this sect competition to you in detail after you have finished your meditation."
Chen Fan accepted the jade talisman with both hands: "Thank you, Elder."
Elder Li glanced at him again and said meaningfully, "Chen Mu, cultivate diligently. If you can break through to the Core Formation stage before the sect competition, I will guarantee you a spot in the prefectural competition."
Without waiting for Chen Fan's response, he flicked his sleeves and transformed into a streak of gray light, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
Chen Fan stood in the courtyard, watching the streak of light disappear into the distance until it was completely out of sight before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
He glanced down at the jade talisman in his hand, casually put it into his storage bag, and turned to walk back into the stone chamber.
After closing the stone chamber door and activating the defensive array and isolation barriers in the courtyard, he sat cross-legged on the stone bed only after confirming that there were no oversights.
Although the battle was brief, it gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength.
He suppressed his cultivation to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, using less than one-tenth of his true cultivation power, yet he was able to easily crush Lu Xiong, a body cultivator of the same level.
This is not because he used any particularly sophisticated magic, but because the essence of his spiritual power had already reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Even if he suppressed his external cultivation to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm, the artistic conception and the degree of refinement contained in his spiritual power were far beyond what a true Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve.
Just like a nail made of refined steel, although it looks no different from an ordinary nail, its hardness and sharpness are worlds apart.
However, this also reminded Chen Fan of something.
In the Shangyun Sect, while the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection is not the most outstanding, it is still quite remarkable.
Today's battle will soon spread throughout the entire sect. At that time, more people will inevitably come knocking, either to test us, to win us over, or to challenge us.
It seems I need to find an opportunity to break through to the Core Formation stage as soon as possible, and then naturally "break through" to the early stage of Core Formation.
In this way, the improvement in cultivation level will be reasonable and will not arouse too much suspicion, and will also give you more confidence in the sect competition.
Of course, this is only a plan on the surface.
His true cultivation level was already at the mid-Nascent Soul stage; the so-called "breakthrough to Core Formation" was merely a change of identity to continue hiding his true nature.
After mentally reviewing the subsequent arrangements and confirming that nothing had been overlooked, Chen Fan vanished from the stone chamber with a thought.