The next day, Jiang Xuan made his way to the training grounds.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang."
"With Senior Brother Jiang leading the training, this trip is guaranteed to be safe."
"Exactly. We might suffer some minor injuries, but there's no risk to our lives. If anything truly dangerous occurs, Senior Brother Jiang will step in."
"Senior Brother Jiang is truly powerful."
"Yezi, Jiang-ge is incredible—he's only been in Lingxu Cave Heaven for less than three months, yet he commands such authority."
Pang Bo whispered quietly to Ye Fan.
"Yes, Jiang Xuan is truly a once-in-a-generation talent," Ye Fan agreed with admiration.
From the moment they had arrived via the Nine Dragons Coffin and joined Lingxu Cave Heaven, he and Pang Bo had been under Jiang Xuan's protection.
"My fellow disciples, I must apologize. Today, I have urgent matters to attend to and won't be able to lead you to Lingxu."
Just as the younger disciples began to feel confused, Jiang Xuan continued:
"Starting tomorrow, I'll personally lead your training. To make up for today, I'll also give an additional three days of teachings at the Dao Lecture Cliff."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang!"
"Senior Brother Jiang, go handle your matters. The training can wait until tomorrow—it's not a problem."
The young disciples responded in unison, expressing their understanding.
Jiang Xuan then led Ye Fan and Pang Bo out of Lingxu Cave Heaven.
"I'm really envious of those two disciples, having such a close relationship with Senior Brother Jiang."
"Yeah, I heard they're his friends from the same hometown, and they joined Lingxu Cave Heaven at the same time as him."
Not far away, two disciples were watching them intently. The moment one of them spotted Ye Fan, his eyes lit up and he quickly rushed to a cave dwelling.
"What? You saw that Ye Fan joined the training team and is heading outside of Lingxu Cave Heaven?"
Within the cave, a frail, haggard old man with disheveled hair glared at the disciple reporting in.
This old man was none other than Elder Han of Lingxu Cave Heaven—a cultivator in the Divine Bridge Realm and a renowned alchemy master.
"I would never dare deceive you, Master. Jiang Xuan and Ye Fan, along with Pang Bo, are indeed heading outside the sect," the disciple quickly replied, trembling under Elder Han's sinister gaze.
"Good. Assemble your ten senior brothers immediately. This time, I will seize that living divine medicine."
The old man's voice was chilling and filled with murderous intent.
"Wait—I'm coming too."
"Master, Ye Fan and Pang Bo have only just opened their Seas of Bitterness. Jiang Xuan might be a celestial-grade seed, but he's only cultivated for three months. I alone can capture them easily. Isn't it overkill for all ten of us to go—let alone you yourself?"
"Hmph. That living divine medicine has remained inside Lingxu Cave Heaven for too long—I haven't had a chance to act. Now that he's finally out, I won't allow even the slightest mishap."
This concerned his lifespan, and Elder Han believed no precaution was too extreme.
"If that Jiang Xuan dares to interfere, kill him as well."
"Yes, Master. I'll gather the others immediately."
The young disciple quickly withdrew.
Elder Han's entire faction within Lingxu Cave Heaven mobilized—they were determined to succeed in one fell swoop.
As long as Elder Han could extend his lifespan, with him as their backing, they could run rampant within Lingxu Cave Heaven—demanding "protection fees" from new disciples and acting as they pleased.
Soon, eleven figures gathered and turned into eleven streaks of divine light, flying out of Lingxu Cave Heaven.
In the Sect Master's Hall
"Sect Master, Elder Han is getting more and more outrageous. His entire faction just left the sect—"
Elder Wu Qingfeng had noticed the eleven beams of light departing Lingxu Cave Heaven. Not long before, he'd also seen Jiang Xuan, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo head out.
"I'm already aware," the Sect Master Li said, cutting him off. "Tell me, what kind of person do you think Jiang Xuan is?"
"In cultivation, he's a genius—even more suited to the path than Weiwei."
"And in temperament?"
"Neither arrogant nor impatient. Steady and intelligent."
"Then why do you think, when he could have flown out of Lingxu, he chose to walk?"
"…Could it be that he already knows?"
"It's time Lingxu Cave Heaven was cleansed of its rot."
Sensing they were being followed, Jiang Xuan's expression remained calm. Once they had passed beyond the bounds of Lingxu Cave Heaven, he waved his hand, releasing a divine light that enveloped Ye Fan and Pang Bo, flying them far into the distance.
It wasn't until they'd flown several hundred miles that they stopped.
"The mountains are lush and the rivers clear—quite a good place for a long stay."
Jiang Xuan's figure suddenly appeared in the void. Behind him, the illusory form of a colossal Eight Trigram Furnace manifested, dozens of meters tall. As he spoke, divine light shimmered around the furnace, and a terrifying heat threatened to incinerate the heavens and earth.
Ten flame dragons burst forth at lightning speed, piercing the void in an instant.
"No—!"
Screams erupted.
The battle was over before it even began. Elder Han's ten disciples—each at the Life Spring Realm—had barely begun summoning their magical artifacts when they were engulfed in the terrifying inferno, reduced to ashes. One by one, their treasures clattered to the ground from the sky.
Jiang Xuan waved his hand again, and an even more terrifying stream of fire shot directly toward Elder Han.
"I haven't lived enough yet! I haven't consumed the living divine medicine—No!"
As a great cultivator at the Divine Bridge Realm, Elder Han managed to summon a silver-white gourd to defend himself. But after barely withstanding for a moment, the flames pierced through him completely, reducing him to ashes—only a bitter echo of his unwillingness remained.
If Heaven were to give him another chance, he would never have tried to seize the living divine medicine while Jiang Xuan was around. He would have acted swiftly and decisively—stormed into Ye Fan's quarters and thrown him straight into the alchemy furnace.
Now, Elder Han and his ten disciples were all dead, leaving behind a battlefield littered with magical artifacts and spiritual materials.
All of it now belonged to Jiang Xuan. With these spoils, he was confident he could reach the peak of the Divine Bridge Realm, and the refinement of his Eight Trigram Furnace would rise to a new level.
Jiang Xuan reached out with one hand, and all the treasures flew into his grasp.
There was a golden spear, its tip radiating chilling cold light. It was the kind of artifact only a Divine Bridge Realm cultivator could refine. How it ended up in the hands of Elder Han's group was unknown, but to Jiang Xuan now, it wasn't anything particularly valuable.
Then there was a blood-colored broadsword exuding a menacing aura. In battle, the weapon's killing intent could disturb the enemy's mind—an advantage that could easily turn the tide of a deadly fight.
More importantly, there was the silver-white gourd that had once belonged to Elder Han. It shimmered with the glow of a high-grade magical item, and its mouth exuded a suction force—it was clearly a treasure designed to absorb and trap enemies. This gourd, refined over half a lifetime by Elder Han, was far more precious than the spear or the broadsword.
Besides these three powerful artifacts, Elder Han's party had contributed dozens of lesser-grade treasures, along with over ten vials of Hundred Herb Elixir. All of it was now in Jiang Xuan's possession.
Truly, as the saying goes—"A man doesn't grow rich without windfalls, and a horse doesn't fatten without night grazing."
"Jiang-ge, you're unbelievable!" Pang Bo exclaimed, wide-eyed with astonishment.
It was over? Just like that? Solved so easily? The problem that had troubled them for days had been cleared in an instant? This was insane!
Ye Fan was just as shaken—utterly speechless.
He'd known Jiang Xuan was a peerless genius, but Elder Han was a long-established elder of Lingxu Cave Heaven—a powerful figure who had cultivated for a lifetime. He even had ten disciples at the Life Spring Realm. And yet, they'd all been wiped out effortlessly by Jiang Xuan, as if with a snap of his fingers. There hadn't even been a real fight—well, Elder Han did manage to resist for a split second.
Although Jiang Xuan had assured them before departure that there'd be no problem, seeing it firsthand—seeing the sheer scale of destruction—made them truly grasp how terrifyingly powerful Jiang Xuan was.
Hoo!
Ye Fan took a deep breath, trying to calm his shaken heart.
"Ye Fan, Pang Bo, each of you pick a treasure," Jiang Xuan said calmly.
"Jiang-ge, that's too generous…" Pang Bo said, rubbing his hands, even as he ran excitedly over to pick. His words said no, but his body clearly said yes.
In the end, Pang Bo chose the blood-colored broadsword.
"I've always loved weapons like this—big and explosive. Looks fierce as hell," he said, giving it a swing.
Ye Fan picked a large seal, which could be driven by divine runes to enlarge and smash down upon foes.
Once they had made their selections, Jiang Xuan handed them each several vials of Hundred Herb Elixir. To him now, the life essence from refining these elixirs didn't compare to even a single decent magical artifact. His standards for spiritual medicine had risen.
"Jiang Xuan, we've already received plenty. The other disciples in the Sea of Bitterness Realm don't even have a single artifact yet…"
"The Hundred Herb Elixir is useless to me."
"But…"
"Just consider it a loan from me. You can repay me when your cultivation bears fruit in the future," Jiang Xuan said, waving his hand dismissively.
Seeing that Jiang Xuan was firm, Ye Fan and Pang Bo could only accept. In their hearts, they silently vowed: they would never betray Jiang Xuan's expectations. If they succeeded in cultivation one day, they would repay him a thousandfold.
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