She then helped Yun Fan to his feet and handed him the Han Guang sword.
"This sword is good, it suits your temperament!"
Yun Fan took the Han Guang, but his mood hadn't settled.
"Little brother, your talent, whether in the secluded sects or the mortal world, is a prodigy rarely seen in a century. But without undergoing hardships, you won't make much progress!"
Zhu Lian consoled him, "Actually, this is also one of your hardships. Just consider it a test!"
Yun Fan was deeply moved upon hearing this, for Zhu Lian was speaking the truth.
He then said gratefully to Zhu Lian, "Sister, thank you so much!"
"What's there to be polite about with your sister? I'm quite covetous of your body!"
Zhu Lian said straightforwardly.
Yun Fan was speechless, but Zhu Lian's honesty increased his good impression of her. Judging by the strength she had displayed,
He wouldn't have been able to resist even if she had used force.
Zhu Lian said, "Don't refuse so quickly. I still have a month. Within this month, I will find a way to conquer you! To make you willingly fall at my feet!"
"You are truly direct!"
Yun Fan rolled his eyes, "But I'm not a man who can be easily obtained!"
"I know!"
Zhu Lian said with satisfaction, "It's no exaggeration to call you the strongest prodigy. You've only recently broken through to Xiantian, and you've already entered the Xiantian middle stage!"
"However, the prodigies of those secluded sects are not to be trifled with. You need to be careful next time!"
"Alright!"
Yun Fan nodded. He was never arrogant, nor did he believe that everyone else was trash except for himself.
He proceeded cautiously with every step, yet even so, he had almost failed.
Therefore, he would be even more cautious on the path ahead.
Zhu Lian then said, "Little brother, you should deal with the current situation first! I can already sense several auras whose strength surpasses Gu Xiao Chen's!"
"Mhm!"
Yun Fan nodded. After Zhu Lian gave a few more instructions, she left.
Upon returning to his residence, Leng Ning Shuang handed Yun Fan a challenge letter.
Yun Fan knew that his seventh senior sister had already returned to Jiangnan. Her sudden arrival this time must mean something significant was about to happen.
"Little junior brother, it seems the forces from abroad are also restless!"
"Hmm?"
Yun Fan opened the letter and upon reading its contents, he realized it was a challenge from the Shang Dao family.
The challenger's name was the Shang Dao family's strongest figure in a hundred years, named Shang Dao Qian Feng.
"Has Sister heard of this person?"
Although Yun Fan had heard that the person was strong, he was unaware of their specific origins and strength.
Leng Ning Shuang replied, "This person came to Hua Xia ten years ago, wanting to defeat all the strong individuals in Hua Xia!"
"This guy is truly overestimating himself!"
Yun Fan was speechless. Hua Xia was vast and full of talented people. How could a ninja from such a small place have the audacity to challenge?
"However, his luck wasn't very good. As soon as he landed in Hua Xia, he encountered your third senior sister, who had only recently come out of seclusion!"
Leng Ning Shuang said proudly, "Within ten moves, he was defeated by your third senior sister! Keep in mind, at that time, he was already infinitely close to Tian Ren, which is equivalent to our Hua Xia's Xiantian masters!"
"No way!"
Yun Fan was not shocked by Shang Dao Qian Feng, but by his third senior sister.
"Meaning, third senior sister was already infinitely close to Xiantian ten years ago?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
"No, she was already Xiantian at that time!"
Leng Ning Shuang answered directly.
"Holy crap!"
Yun Fan was genuinely startled and asked, "Then wouldn't third senior sister be very old?"
In his opinion, his third senior sister must have been at least in her late twenties ten years ago. Ten years later, she would be approaching forty.
She would be around Zhu Lian's age, thirty-seven or thirty-eight.
"You're overthinking it. Ten years ago, she was only eighteen!"
Leng Ning Shuang gave Yun Fan a sidelong glance.
Yun Fan froze on the spot. Looking at it this way, his talent was completely overshadowed by his third senior sister.
Leng Ning Shuang then consoled him, "Don't be too discouraged. Master once said that your progress in the early stages is slow, but you'll become stronger as you progress further. Therefore, surpassing that rebellious disciple, your third senior sister, is only a matter of time!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan felt somewhat better. After all, he had been disheartened several times along his journey.
"Why did third senior sister become a rebellious disciple?"
Yun Fan was immensely curious. Although he had seven beautiful senior sisters, it seemed that apart from the seventh senior sister, the others had all been expelled by their master.
His master was truly something. Setting aside their master-disciple relationship, with the third senior sister's strength and talent, having her support him would have saved him at least ten years of effort.
No, at least twenty years.
Leng Ning Shuang explained, "You don't understand. Third senior sister is the daughter of a secluded sect. She concealed her identity and joined Master's sect. Later, Master discovered her. It's good that he didn't kill her; expelling her from the sect was the best punishment!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan nodded and instantly understood what his seventh senior sister meant. Gu Gu and the secluded sects were naturally at odds, so it was normal for their master to be angry.
Leng Ning Shuang then said to him, "Therefore, Master expelled them for a reason!"
"I understand!"
Yun Fan nodded.
"But why is Shang Dao Qian Feng causing trouble at this time?"
In response to Yun Fan's question, Leng Ning Shuang said, "I'm not sure, but I heard that after his defeat that time, he broke through to Tian Ren upon returning. Therefore, he is definitely a formidable opponent!"
Yun Fan wasn't worried about this. There were likely two reasons why the opponent had challenged him.
The first reason was that the opponent had been defeated by a disciple of Gu Gu, and he had returned to challenge a disciple of Gu Gu, which was not unusual.
The second reason was that in Jiangnan, he had directly dismantled the businesses of the Chen family and the Shang Dao family, cutting off the Shang Dao family's financial lifeline.
Therefore, it was normal for the opponent to challenge him.
"What do we do now?"
Leng Ning Shuang asked worriedly, "If you truly accept his challenge, won't you be surrounded and attacked from all sides?"
Yun Fan replied, "No, I actually think this is a turning point for me!"
"What turning point?"
Leng Ning Shuang asked, confused.
Yun Fan said, "I can't say for sure yet, as I don't have concrete certainty. As for Seventh Senior Sister, you should return to Jiangnan!"
Regarding his own senior sisters, Yun Fan would not let them risk danger with him. It was best for them to manage their affairs in Jiangnan properly.
Leng Ning Shuang was angry. After all, she was a Xiantian master, and she had rushed back from Jiangnan specifically to help Yun Fan.
Yet this fellow, upon his arrival, wanted to send her away again.
Leng Ning Shuang then said to Yun Fan, "There are no problems in Jiangnan. Hei Long and Lei Bao have both broken through to the Houtian realm!"
"And that strange person who only hides in the darkness, Tian Ying, has also reached the peak of Houtian!"
Yun Fan was satisfied with the progress of these individuals. However, they would soon face a challenge: the verge of Xiantian.
But for now, there was no need to worry too much, as they were still a long way from breaking through to the verge of Xiantian.
Yun Fan said, "Even so, only when Seventh Senior Sister is there can I feel at ease!"
"You..."
Leng Ning Shuang didn't understand why her junior brother was so stubborn, but she didn't insist on staying any longer.
So, she said to Yun Fan, "Then, little junior brother, you must take good care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, just call me!"
"Alright!"
Yun Fan nodded.
After Leng Ning Shuang left, Yun Fan intended to seek help from Ye Qing Cheng. After all, the Ye family's informants in Jinling were very formidable.
He needed to keep track of the whereabouts of these prodigies to deal with them accordingly.
However, he was met with a closed door. The reason was that Ye Qing Cheng was in seclusion. It was ironic, as he hadn't even completed the task of dealing with the Ye family, and he was already skipping it.
Of course, it wasn't that he wanted to skip it, but the task was too difficult. Ye Qing Cheng was not the problem.
However, the Ye family had a powerful existence, Ye Ji. With his current strength, he was by no means Ye Ji's match.
Therefore, he had to postpone this task for now. Perhaps after defeating these prodigies, he would be able to fight Ye Ji once he broke through to the peak of Xiantian.
Of course, he still held a sliver of hope. It was said that the powerful Ye Ji's old injuries had relapsed, and she was not long for this world.
If possible, he just wanted to outlive Ye Ji. Dealing with only Ye Qing Cheng would be simpler, and perhaps he could even resolve the matter peacefully with Ye Qing Cheng then.
After leaving the Ye family, Yun Fan sensed two auras approaching him. Both were very strong.
A man and a woman.
The man was handsome, even more so than Gu Xiao Chen. The woman was even more extraordinary, as beautiful as a celestial being, and could completely rival Ye Qing Cheng.
The man said to Yun Fan, "Yun Fan, Sect Master of Gu Gu, we finally found you!"
Yun Fan smiled, "It's simple to find me. Even if you don't come looking for me, I will come looking for you!"
At this moment, he was ready to fight, for these two were too strong. He felt that their strength surpassed his own.
It seemed that the secluded sects had dispatched even stronger prodigies.
The man said, "You were able to kill Tang Tian Hao and Gu Xiao Chen, which shows your great skill. However, this time, you won't be able to escape!"
Saying this, the woman was about to make a move.
Yun Fan calmly said, "You two, considering you are outstanding prodigies from secluded sects, don't you feel ashamed to gang up on me, one person?"
Hearing this, the man asked, "Then what do you want? A one-on-one fight? Alright, I'll fight you one-on-one!"
Yun Fan continued, "A one-on-one fight is fine, fair and square. But how can you guarantee that she won't stab me in the back?"
He pointed at the exceptionally beautiful woman.
The exceptionally beautiful woman said coldly, "Don't worry, I am not a person who breaks my word. Please do not question my integrity again!"
"Generally, those who are most untrustworthy are the ones who clear themselves like this. I'm sorry! I cannot believe you!"
Yun Fan put on an expression of disbelief.
The woman became furious upon hearing this, "Then how do you wish to die?"
Yun Fan said, "How about this! Since there are two of you, I'll find a helper as well!"
"A 2v2 would be fair! What do you think?"
"Then find one!"
The man said generously. He was very confident in his own strength, and even if Yun Fan found a helper, he would not escape death!
Yun Fan said, "No, my helper hasn't arrived yet. We'll have to wait three days. After three days, let's have a fair free-for-all?"
The two exchanged glances, and the man immediately shook his head, "If I'm not mistaken, you want to use these three days to escape, don't you?"
Yun Fan smiled, "If I were to escape, wouldn't that bring shame to the Gu Gu sect? Don't worry, the Gu Gu sect's reputation is at stake. I won't joke about the Gu Gu sect!"
"Fine, after three days, I will definitely kill you!"
The man said coldly.
"By the way, I still don't know your names. After all, I never kill nameless people!"
Yun Fan asked the two.
The two were furious. This guy was truly arrogant beyond measure. They wondered where he got the nerve to say such things.
Thus, the man said angrily, "Listen up, my name is Ye Tian Long!"
"Her name is Zhao Ling Yue!"
They introduced themselves, of course, only by their names. As for their respective sects, they did not reveal anything to Yun Fan.
In their opinion, Yun Fan was not qualified to know the names of their sects. Furthermore, prodigies as strong as them were definitely among the strongest of the top ten sects.
"Alright, I know!"
Saying this, Yun Fan swaggered away.
At this moment, Ye Tian Long said to Zhao Ling Yue, "Junior Sister Zhao, do you think he will use this opportunity to escape?"
"He wouldn't dare!"
Zhao Ling Yue said coldly, "Because I will be watching his every move for these three days!"
"Good!"
Ye Tian Long said, "Then I'll trouble you, Junior Sister Zhao. After we kill him this time, I will return and ask the Sect Master to propose to your Zhao family!"
"We'll see,"
Zhao Ling Yue said without even looking at him, and then disappeared into the darkness in the direction Yun Fan had left.
Ye Tian Long was somewhat annoyed. He hadn't expected Zhao Ling Yue to disregard him like that, making him lose face. Fortunately, only the two of them were present today.
If others knew, he would have lost a lot of face. However, it didn't matter, as Zhao Ling Yue would soon be his woman.
Upon returning home, Yun Fan revealed a slight smile. Yes, he had already planned it in his mind.
These two wanted to kill him, and Shang Dao Qian Feng also wanted to kill him. Then, he could perfectly pull Shang Dao Qian Feng into the fray.
Sharing the joy was better than enjoying it alone.
In any case, neither side was good. However, what he disliked the most was Shang Dao Qian Feng. If he could use these two to kill Shang Dao Qian Feng, that would be even better.
Then he could reap the benefits. Therefore, at this moment, Yun Fan had already formulated a plan in his mind.
The success of this plan this time was due to Ye Tian Long and Zhao Ling Yue's self-proclaimed righteousness and disdain for teaming up against him.
Otherwise, completing this plan would have been extremely difficult.
However, at this moment, in the room, a figure suddenly appeared. Yes, it was Zhao Ling Yue.
Even Yun Fan hadn't expected her to arrive at this time.
"Could it be that she saw through my plan?"
Yun Fan was somewhat confused in his heart, but he still didn't believe it. After all, only he and Leng Ning Shuang knew about this matter.
"It's late at night, barging into my room. Could it be that you, the esteemed celestial maiden, can't resist men anymore?"
Yun Fan said teasingly, "Although I'm handsome and possess an irresistible charm to you, I'm not a casual person!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp sword edge landed on his neck, its speed astonishing.
Yun Fan gasped. Such a swift sword, he hadn't even reacted, but he didn't feel weaker than her.
It was just that he had been too busy talking and wasn't on guard. He could only say that Zhao Ling Yue was not playing by the rules.
"If you say another word, I'll cut your throat!"
Facing Zhao Ling Yue's threat, Yun Fan carefully moved her sword away and asked, "What do you want with me?"
Zhao Ling Yue replied directly, "Of course, I'm here to supervise you!"
"You're afraid I'll escape?"
Yun Fan said indignantly, "I've already given you my word. Is there no trust between people at all?"
This feeling of not being trusted was not good at all.
Zhao Ling Yue said, "Stop with the nonsense. For these three days, I will be watching your every move. You can't escape my grasp!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan was speechless. If he was constantly being monitored, how could he execute his plan? Couldn't she be less despicable?
"Stop with the nonsense. Do you have any integrity?"
Zhao Ling Yue said directly.
Saying this made Yun Fan unhappy, as if Zhao Ling Yue knew him very well.
However, at the moment, if they were to fight, neither side would gain anything. So, he said to Zhao Ling Yue, "Alright! But don't regret it!"
"I will never regret it!"
Hearing this, a sinister curve formed on Yun Fan's lips. She said she wouldn't regret it, but he was sure Zhao Ling Yue wouldn't last even a day.
"I'm going to sleep!"
Saying this, Yun Fan slowly took off his shirt and pants. He didn't believe Zhao Ling Yue would still dare to stay.
However, halfway through undressing, Yun Fan froze. Because at that moment, Zhao Ling Yue was staring at him like he was a clown.
"Don't you have any creativity? Do you want me to help you?"
Facing Zhao Ling Yue's cold question, Yun Fan felt extremely embarrassed. He hadn't expected her to be unfazed by his vulgarity.
Moreover, judging by Zhao Ling Yue's sword posture, she seemed truly willing to help.
Thus, Yun Fan said awkwardly, "Uh, it's too hot, I'm going to sleep, sleep!"
Saying this, he slunk onto the bed.
Zhao Ling Yue also disappeared from the room, leaving Yun Fan speechless. Did this woman have some peculiar hobbies?
Instantly, he felt he had no sense of security.
The next day, as soon as Yun Fan woke up, he sensed a sharp gaze fixed on him.
"You... What do you want?"
Yun Fan asked the peerlessly beautiful Zhao Ling Yue with apprehension.
Zhao Ling Yue said, "You have no sense of danger at all. In the situation just now, if I had made a move, you would have died several times over!"
"Hmph!"
Yun Fan said, "Why are you worrying unnecessarily!"
"Where is your helper?"
She reminded Yun Fan, "Remember, you only have two days left!"
"No need to rush. My helper will come when the time is right. However, I really dislike you staring at me all the time now!"
Yun Fan said angrily.
Zhao Ling Yue said, "Stop with the nonsense, I'm hungry!"
"What does your hunger have to do with me!"
Yun Fan was about to explode, but the next moment, Zhao Ling Yue's sword was at his neck.
Yun Fan was on the verge of tears. Why did this woman always make a move? He didn't know what to do.
"I don't say my words a second time!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan quickly got up, washed up, and began to prepare breakfast. However, while making breakfast, he deliberately added something extra.
Zhao Ling Yue was very satisfied with Yun Fan's cooking. However, after finishing the meal, she only felt a wave of dizziness.
"You..."
Yun Fan smiled triumphantly, "Eating my meal comes with a price!"
Saying this, Zhao Ling Yue directly collapsed on the table. Yun Fan smiled as he walked to the table, then directly threw Zhao Ling Yue onto the bed.
Afterward, he left directly.
"You want to supervise me? No way!"
If a group of seasoned veterans were present, they would be greatly disappointed. You've made the other person faint, and yet you do nothing.
This was somewhat disappointing.
Little did they know, the moment Yun Fan left, Zhao Ling Yue, who was on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips.
...
During the day, Yun Fan directly responded to the challenge. He informed Shang Dao Qian Feng of the duel's location via letter.
After finishing all these matters and ensuring there were no loopholes, Yun Fan turned to head home.
However, at that very moment, Zhao Ling Yue stared at him with unfriendly eyes.
"You're awake?"
Yun Fan's eyes showed a trace of shock. He knew he had added double the amount of ingredients. Even someone with Zhao Ling Yue's Xiantian middle-stage strength couldn't withstand it.
Unexpectedly, the current Zhao Ling Yue seemed unaffected.
Zhao Ling Yue said, "You think you can harm me with just this? You're dreaming!"
Yun Fan was angry. He really wanted to poison her to death, but honestly, at their level of strength, poisons were almost useless.
So, he asked Zhao Ling Yue, "What exactly do you want? Do you know that you're very annoying!"
Zhao Ling Yue said, "Don't worry about what I want to do. Just do your own thing!"
Alright! Yun Fan was completely speechless this time.
However, at this moment, he couldn't say much. After being followed by Zhao Ling Yue for a day, he found a foot massage parlor for a foot rub.
He thought this might give him some peace, but he didn't expect Zhao Ling Yue to follow him still.
"Oh! Handsome, bringing your girlfriend for a foot massage? Are you seeking thrills?"
The foot massage lady asked Yun Fan.
It was evident from her tone that this foot massage parlor was not a legitimate one, but that was normal. Who would go to a legitimate one?
Yun Fan said, "That's right. Only then can I show my status in the family!"
"Then, handsome, what services do you require?"
The other party asked Yun Fan with a smile. Her heavily made-up face made Yun Fan somewhat uncomfortable.
Yun Fan asked, "Are there any special services?"
"There are many, ranging from two hundred to five thousand!"
"Then give me the five thousand one!"
"Coming right up!"
Just as the other party was about to prepare, Zhao Ling Yue kicked her flying.
"What are you doing?"
Yun Fan was enraged. He had calculated everything, but he hadn't anticipated Zhao Ling Yue pulling this stunt.
Zhao Ling Yue said coldly, "I hate people who don't conduct themselves properly!"
"What does my hatred have to do with you?"
Yun Fan was exasperated. He hadn't expected this woman to be so unreasonable.
"If you stay any longer, don't blame me for killing everyone here!"
Zhao Ling Yue said lightly, but in Yun Fan's eyes, she was truly capable of doing such a thing.
If she really did that, how many people would lose their lives? Therefore, Yun Fan could only leave the place for now.
He had to admit, his calculations were off. Although he wanted to shake off this woman, she was too cold-blooded.
Threatening him with innocent civilians, although immoral, was the best way to threaten Yun Fan. What could he do? He was also desperate!
And so, another day passed in a daze. What made Yun Fan feel uneasy was that Zhao Ling Yue seemed to have latched onto him.
Yesterday was fine; she only threatened him to cook for her. But today, she became increasingly audacious, not even leaving at night.
She stayed directly, occupying Yun Fan's bed.
Helplessly, Yun Fan went to another room. Coincidentally, Ye Qing Cheng arrived today.
To Yun Fan, Ye Qing Cheng was his savior!
Finally, there was someone who could handle Zhao Ling Yue.
In reality, when Ye Qing Cheng came over today, her heart was quite conflicted. She had successfully broken through to Xiantian in the past few days.
But she didn't know how to tell Yun Fan. Because after days of deliberation and speculation, she seemed to have confirmed Zhu Lian's identity.
Clearly, she couldn't afford to offend this person. She didn't know whether to tell Yun Fan the truth.
However, as soon as she arrived at the villa where Yun Fan was currently residing, she saw a woman whose beauty was no less than her own.
Her heart immediately ignited with anger. Fine! This guy, after only a few days, had a new confidante.
"Who are you?"
Ye Qing Cheng asked coldly.
However, Zhao Ling Yue ignored her and stared intently at her, which made Ye Qing Cheng uncomfortable.
Just then, Yun Fan came out.
"Misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding!"
Afterward, he pulled Ye Qing Cheng into the room.
"You scoundrel! You're already engaged, yet you're still so improper!"
Ye Qing Cheng scolded Yun Fan coldly.
Yun Fan quickly said, "I have no choice..."
Then, he told Ye Qing Cheng everything, including why Zhao Ling Yue appeared by his side. In fact, it was all out of desperation. Who would have thought that this woman would cling to him the moment they met, and her intentions were unclear?
Upon hearing this, Ye Qing Cheng realized Yun Fan was also helpless. After all, Yun Fan had used every possible method, yet he couldn't get rid of Zhao Ling Yue.
At this moment, Yun Fan pleaded with her, "So, you have to help me with this!"
Ye Qing Cheng gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Let this be the last time."
Of course, it wasn't that Ye Qing Cheng was eager to help. It was also because she didn't like this Zhao Ling Yue. That's why she decided to help Yun Fan.
Yun Fan was overjoyed. With Ye Qing Cheng's help, this matter would be easier to handle, as Ye Qing Cheng's methods were well-known.
Dealing with a naive and simple girl from a secluded sect was simply too easy. After all, in terms of cunning, Ye Qing Cheng was the most formidable he had ever seen, bar none.
Thus, he lit a cigar and leisurely sat in the room, quietly waiting for news of Ye Qing Cheng's victory.