Dao Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking calmly.
"Let us proceed as this Daoist suggested earlier. However—allow me to take Qingxuan's place in the battle."
Arthur turned to Ranni. She gave a slight nod, indicating she had no objections. To her, it made little difference who she fought. What mattered was venting her anger on Arthur's behalf.
Seeing even the sect master make this decision, Daoist Qingxuan finally stepped forward and bowed to Arthur, offering a stiff apology.
Arthur waved it off indifferently. From beginning to end, this had been nothing more than a farce. If Qingxuan hadn't spoken without thinking, none of this would have escalated so far. Just as Li Xuanjian had said—his master truly was unreliable.
Only after Qingxuan apologized did Ranni withdraw her divine pressure.
The elders present all let out quiet sighs of relief. Qingxuan in particular nearly collapsed—if Li Xuanjian hadn't steadied him, his legs might have given out completely.
Arthur looked at Dao Xuan and asked lightly,
"When does Sect Master Dao Xuan wish to fight Ranni? Now? Or after you've adjusted your condition?"
There was meaning behind the question.
Arthur could tell that Dao Xuan's current cultivation—judged by the Eastern system—was at the mid-stage of Void Integration. It was clear he'd been stuck at this level for a long time.
Though Dao Xuan appeared middle-aged, he was actually the oldest person present.
Ever since gaining control over time, Arthur had become extremely sensitive to matters related to age. He could vaguely sense a person's true years.
As for why Dao Xuan looked younger than Lingxuan?
Daoist cultivators extended their lifespan as their realms advanced. Appearance alone meant very little.
There was an old saying: the face is shaped by the heart. Though Buddhist in origin, it applied perfectly here.
Women tended to care more about their appearance, so the few female elders present all looked no older than their early thirties.
Take Huoxuan, for example—the fiery-tempered female elder. Her personality was explosive, her looks youthful, yet she was of the same Xuan generation and even Li Xuanjian's grand-aunt.
Men were different. Their attitudes toward appearance varied wildly, so the male elders ranged across all apparent age groups.
In short, Dao Xuan, as sect master, was both the eldest and the strongest among them.
Loneliness came with height. When one reached a level where no peers remained, there was no one left to mutually verify right and wrong.
Dao Xuan had been stuck at mid Void Integration for years. By stepping in personally, he was seeking an opportunity for breakthrough.
When he had been hidden in the air earlier, he'd felt Ranni's aura. By his estimation, she was slightly stronger than him—an ideal opponent to sharpen himself against.
Arthur, on the other hand, was never considered.
After all, Arthur had seen through Dao Xuan's concealment technique.
That concealment should have fooled anyone up to two minor realms higher—which meant Arthur was at least at peak Void Integration.
As for what lay beyond that… Land Immortal. A legendary realm Dao Xuan didn't even dare to contemplate.
In truth, Dao Xuan's judgment was wrong.
Strictly speaking, both Arthur and Ranni were Divine Beings, equivalent to the legendary Land Immortals.
Ranni was still growing, and her strength and aura had not yet reached their mature peak. That was why Dao Xuan mistook her as only slightly stronger than himself.
But a Divine Being was still a Divine Being.
Even if Ranni's raw magical reserves were only marginally higher than Dao Xuan's spiritual power, the quality of that power surpassed his by orders of magnitude.
Arthur could see the anticipation in Dao Xuan's eyes—and he himself was equally eager to watch Ranni absolutely crush him.
No grudges involved. Arthur simply enjoyed a good show.
"If you don't mind," Dao Xuan said, looking at Ranni, "we can begin now."
He was already at peak condition.
Ranni naturally had no objections. Releasing her aura earlier had barely cost her anything—she'd recovered within a single breath.
Dao Xuan led everyone to Mount Shu's martial arena, the place where disciples usually sparred.
There had been disciples training earlier, but the moment Qingxuan's distress signal went out, they'd all withdrawn. Sect rules dictated that when an elder-level alert appeared, disciples were to clear the area immediately.
Now, the arena stood empty—perfect for this duel.
Ranni and Dao Xuan took positions on opposite sides, their auras steadily rising as both entered a state of focused readiness.
At that moment, Arthur noticed Hermione's mood was unusually low.
He gently ruffled her hair.
"What's wrong?"
"Arthur… compared to Ranni, am I completely useless?" Hermione asked softly, head lowered.
"Why would you think that all of a sudden?"
"I released my aura too, but none of them even noticed me," she said dejectedly. "I want to be able to do something for you too—like Ranni can."
Arthur smiled.
"Silly girl. You're not even fifteen yet, and you're already stronger than most people could ever dream of. There's no need to belittle yourself. If you—"
He was interrupted by a voice behind them.
"She's right, you know. Li Xuanjian said you're all still students. At your age, having this level of strength would make you monstrous geniuses even within the sect."
They turned to see Huoxuan walking over.
Because of the earlier misunderstanding, Arthur and Hermione were standing alone—Huoxuan was the only one who approached.
"Elder Huoxuan? You understand English?" Arthur asked.
He and Hermione had been speaking in English.
"Of course. I'm not one of those fossilized old men," Huoxuan snorted. "I even traveled to Britain years ago. Though back then some dark lord—what was it, Pa-di-mo?—was causing trouble. Boring place. So I left."
Arthur's lips twitched.
Pa-di-mo… Voldemort would absolutely kill someone over that.
"Just call me Big Sis," Huoxuan added. "Don't call me Elder—makes me sound old."
"Alright… Big Sis Huoxuan," Arthur said helplessly. "Did you need something?"
"Nothing much. Just curious," she waved. "Oh, and you didn't finish what you were saying earlier."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. She really was self-familiar.
"I was going to say—if Hermione wants to do something for me, she could help by beating up Daoist Qingxuan. Big Sis Huoxuan wouldn't mind, right?"
Huoxuan burst out laughing.
"Haha! Kid, I like your guts. Not at all—honestly, plenty of elders would love to see Qingxuan get beaten. But that little girl's realm seems lower than his. Can she really win?"
"Realm doesn't equal strength," Arthur replied calmly. "Isn't there such a thing as fighting above one's level?"
He'd already noticed earlier—Eastern cultivators still relied on hand seals and incantations.
Hermione, though slightly lower in realm, had her Animagus cat form. In that state, she didn't need a wand, and some dragon-blood spells were instant-cast.
If Hermione truly fought Qingxuan, the outcome was far from certain.
Huoxuan gave Arthur a thumbs-up.
"Confident. I like young people with spirit."
Then her expression shifted—pure gossip.
"That one fighting right now… she's your fiancée, right? She's terrifying. Can you even keep her in check?"
Arthur chuckled.
"It's not about keeping anyone in check. We respect each other. Besides—how do you know I'm not stronger than her?"
Huoxuan froze.
"No way."
On the arena, Ranni was already pressing Dao Xuan back with superior magical quality.
Huoxuan looked from the battle to Arthur's easy smile, struggling to imagine he was even stronger.
"Then why do you think I could see through your sect master's concealment?" Arthur asked.
Realization dawned on her face.
She knew that concealment technique—one needed to be two minor realms higher to see through it.
So Arthur really was stronger than Ranni.
"Kid… be honest with me," Huoxuan asked seriously. "Are you and her really not reincarnated great powers?"
At fourteen or fifteen, Hermione's strength alone was already absurd.
Arthur and Ranni surpassing the sect master made no sense at all.
In truth, their situation wasn't far from reincarnation.
Arthur had crossed worlds. Ranni's body had been rebuilt by Arthur himself.
Calling it reincarnation wouldn't be wrong.
But those truths couldn't be spoken.
Arthur could only smile and shake his head.
"We really aren't."
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