At his current pace, it would take around another two years—this is only because he is cultivating in the Blessed Land Cave Mansion, continuously consuming Great Origin Pills, and is highly proficient in the spell; otherwise, for an ordinary disciple, it might take three or even five years to refine the first mouthful of Qian Spirit Clear Qi.
In order to avoid Ning Chongxuan noticing any flaws, he additionally practiced twelve mouthfuls of Lan Yun Clear Qi as recorded in the Lan Yun Secret Volume. Yet, when compared to Qian Spirit Clear Qi, the difference was instantly apparent: the Lan Yun Clear Qi was not only impure and chaotic but also weak and insubstantial, lacking any of the Qian Spirit Clear Qi’s momentum that surged directly toward the heavens.
Thus, he found it tedious to practice further and simply left it aside in his Dan Acupoint, unbothered.
At this moment, with his daily cultivation time not yet reached, he was sitting quietly in the Cave Mansion when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He stepped outside the mansion and saw a Flying Boat hovering in mid-air. He raised his head and asked, "Who is your master?"
The Powerful Warrior answered, "My master is Wang Pan, a disciple of the Hao Pu Wang Family. He is cultivating three hundred miles away on Red Cloud Island and can be considered a neighbor to Master Zhang."
Zhang Yan felt a stirring in his heart. He had heard Ai Zhongwen mention the Xuanmen Families, among which the Hao Pu Wang Family had been rising to prominence in recent years. As an emerging talent, Wang Pan’s name had been brought up briefly before. These noble family disciples always looked down on those of mortals’ origins like him and typically had no contact with them. Why would they suddenly send someone here to deliver a message?
Taking out the token, he withdrew the prohibition array, allowing the Powerful Warrior to descend from the cloud.
The Powerful Warrior disembarked from the Flying Boat, cupping his hands respectfully as he presented a bamboo tube tied with a black cord to Zhang Yan, saying, "This is personally penned by my master."
Zhang Yan casually accepted it, unafraid. Opening it, he read the letter, where Wang Pan first detailed his cultivation realm and family background. Then, shifting the tone, he spoke of Tang Yan, a woman with whom he was long acquainted. Upon hearing that she was dissatisfied on Spiritual Paper Island, he expressed an intention to bring her by his side for cultivation and offered to exchange one hundred bottles of premium Elixir Pills and two Soft Gold Flying Swords with Zhang Yan.
After reading the letter, Zhang Yan instantly understood the visitor’s purpose.
To Zhang Yan, Tang Yan was essentially useless. He felt it might even be a good thing to trade her away. However, the timing of this letter revealed Ning Chongxuan’s intent to him.
This was a ploy to force Zhang Yan to choose sides—if he accepted these terms and compromised with the noble disciples, Ning Chongxuan would likely cease showing him any concern. Since Zhang Yan lacked any foundation within the sect and Ning Chongxuan had treated him relatively well, these terms not only needed rejection but required an emphatic refusal.
Setting down the letter, Zhang Yan uttered indifferently, "Senior Brother Wang’s intentions are clear, but his words in the letter seem rather overbearing. Although I am merely a Meridian Opening Cultivator, I have an unyielding pride and do not cower before noble families. Tang Yan belongs to me now, and how I handle her is my own affair. What does it have to do with him? Kindly let him save his efforts!"
The Powerful Warrior’s expression changed slightly. He reached into his robe and produced another bamboo tube tied with a red cord, handing it to Zhang Yan, saying, "My master says, if Master Zhang refuses his previous words, you might wish to read this letter."
"Oh?" Zhang Yan extended his hand to take it and opened it. Scanning a few lines, he let out a cold snort—so Wang Pan was attempting the strategy of "first courtesy, then force!"
This was a challenge letter. The message stated that if Zhang Yan refused Wang Pan’s goodwill, then Zhang Yan was to choose a location for a duel, which Wang Pan would personally attend. The matter concerning Tang Yan’s ownership would then be resolved based on the outcome. If Zhang Yan did not fight, he could simply hide on the island like a turtle in its shell, but he should avoid stepping out later and becoming the subject of ridicule.
With a chilling laugh, Zhang Yan addressed the Powerful Warrior, "Wait for a moment."
Entering the Cave Mansion, he fetched a brush from his desk and quickly wrote a few words on a piece of paper. Handing it to the warrior, he said, "Deliver this message to your master. I heard that his True Palace ’Red Cloud’ boasts extraordinary scenery and abundant spiritual energy. I have always intended to take it as mine. Since your master has chosen to deliver himself here, I suppose I will graciously accept."
The Powerful Warrior froze in shock. Upon understanding Zhang Yan’s intent, he nearly shouted out in rage but refrained due to his status. "Arrogant!" he thought, "A mere Meridian Opening Cultivator speaking so brazenly—he dares to disregard a cultivator who has nearly entered the Third Realm of Ming Qi!"
Zhang Yan ignored his indignation and remarked casually before speaking coldly, "The words have been spoken. You may leave now. I am about to activate the prohibition array for cultivation. Linger any longer, and you will have no way to depart."
Unwilling to tarry, the warrior hastily climbed aboard the Flying Boat and returned to Red Cloud Island, presenting the note to Wang Pan.
As Wang Pan unfolded the letter, his eyes twitched upon seeing two bold crimson words at the top: "Absolute Fighting."
In Mingcang Sect, Inner Sect disciples were encouraged to challenge True Disciples, which was referred to as a "contest." Win or lose, the consequences were limited to the loss of some Elixir Pills and Spiritual Shells. If the Inner Sect disciple triumphed, they even earned a reward from the sect.
But "Absolute Fighting" was different—if a True Disciple failed, their cultivation Cave Mansion and True Disciple status would be taken by the victor. Conversely, should the challenger lose, their life would be left to the opponent’s discretion, and everything, including their Cave Mansion, would fall under the opponent’s control.
"Absolute Fighting" marked a showdown without mercy or retreat!
Initially worrying about Zhang Yan’s relatively fresh entry into the sect and the disparity in their cultivation levels, Wang Pan had assumed Zhang Yan might barricade himself with the island’s prohibition array, avoiding combat; thus, his reputation wouldn’t suffer too much. With this in mind, the first letter carried a tone of provocation. He hadn’t expected Zhang Yan, despite his low cultivation, to possess such ruthlessness and resolve. This alone demonstrated an unusual character.
Wang Pan snorted, asking, "What else did Zhang Yan say?"
The warrior replied, "Zhang Yan said that he would await your arrival in three days at Spiritual Paper Island."
Wang Pan froze momentarily before bursting into wild laughter. "Zhang Yan, if you refused to fight, I would indeed find myself helpless against you. But since you choose to fight, you bring about your own demise. Others may fear the golden wind and fierce fire of your island, but I do not! This time, I will seize your Blessed Land, claim your concubine, and solidify my True Disciple position to enjoy all the sect’s privileges!"
He pondered, "I already possess thirty-five mouthfuls of Clear and Turbid spiritual energy. Once I refine another mouthful to make it thirty-six, swallowing the Chi Life Elixir granted by my master might elevate me to the Ming Qi Third Realm ’Heavenly Rain Descending.’ Now that I must deal with Zhang Yan, I might as well delay the breakthrough until I defeat him and settle everything afterward!"
He picked up a brush and swiftly inscribed his name, handing the correspondence to the warrior, saying, "Deliver this to Zhang Yan. Inform him that Wang Pan will arrive in three days to settle life and death with him."