"This Fellow Daoist is quite mysterious," Elder Mu said, glancing at Lu Xuan. "I know very little about him."
Lu Xuan offered a faint, weary smile and stopped trying to explain. How many times did he have to tell people? I am Lu Xuan, and Lu Xuan is me. But nobody ever believed him!
Fine. He was done. Let them spin their conspiracy theories.
Seeing Lu Xuan’s utterly nonchalant, almost bored expression, the Great Emperors of White State felt a surge of awe. "What overwhelming authority! This Great Emperor is truly peerless!"
A gray-robed elder asked with a hint of disappointment, "Elder Mu Yunhai, did the supreme magnate who spoke in the Southern Wilds not grace us with his presence?"
Elder Mu looked pointedly at Lu Xuan and said mildly, "He's here. Right in front of you."
The White State Great Emperors froze, their gazes sweeping past Lu Xuan. They extended their divine senses, searching the area, but found nothing. They exchanged bitter smiles. "It seems the supreme magnate wishes to remain hidden. We truly hoped to pay our respects. What a pity!"
The Grand Dao Sect disciples just stood there, speechless.
Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao shared a knowing, subtle smile. That's our Master. Standing before the masses, overwhelmingly powerful, yet completely invisible to those who lack the vision to see him.
The gray-robed elder mused, "It seems from now on, the Grand Dao Sect will be the first choice for all the geniuses of our clan! The sect treats its disciples too well."
Elder Mu smiled faintly. "Welcome, welcome." He hadn't expected that annihilating the Heaven-Shattering Hall branches would also serve as excellent PR for the Grand Dao Sect. This was a pleasant surprise, ensuring a steady stream of talented disciples.
Ye Chen cleared his throat. "Azure Mystery Peak is also an option you might consider."
The White State crowd was silent.
A Great Emperor asked, "Could we perhaps arrange for the powerful figure behind Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao to teach our disciples, but not Lu Xuan?"
Everyone knew now that Azure Mystery Peak housed a hidden supreme magnate—the true master of Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen! To become his disciple was to win at the starting line.
Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao exchanged glances. "That's impossible," Ye Chen stated firmly. "Only our Master, Lu Xuan, can teach."
The White State cultivators recoiled. "Lu Xuan teaching? Ugh! Then we definitely won't go to Azure Mystery Peak!"
Lu Xuan: "..."
Ye Chen: "..."
Ji Fuyao: "..."
A moment later, Lu Xuan waved his sleeve. "Alright, let's move on to the next one: the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Wind State!"
He instantly activated the power of a corner of a supreme Great Emperor formation pattern, and he and Elder Mu's group vanished from the spot.
Boom! The void tore open. Space twisted violently. Lu Xuan and the others disappeared instantly, like a gust of wind.
Watching the figures disappear into the spatial rift, the Great Emperors of White State sighed in admiration. "That Five-star Great Emperor truly is a man as swift as the wind."
In the very next instant, Lu Xuan and his party materialized over Wind State.
Numerous major powers had already surrounded the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Wind State. Endless spiritual seals and restrictions, like a brilliant river of stars, wrapped around the branch, sealing the entire area.
Lu Xuan stood tall in the void, his white robe billowing, divine light flowing around him, making him the only dazzling presence in the sky. Behind him, Elder Mu and the others stood with solemn expressions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Many Wind State powers flew forward, shouting their greetings.
"The Bai Family of Wind State welcomes the Grand Dao Sect's mighty experts to annihilate the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch!"
"The Tianlan Sect of Wind State welcomes the Grand Dao Sect's mighty experts to annihilate the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch!"
"The Heaven-Exploding Gang of Wind State welcomes the Grand Dao Sect..."
Ten or so major Wind State factions arrived to pay their respects.
A Great Emperor from the Heaven-Exploding Gang spoke up. "These dogs from the Heaven-Shattering Hall tried to flee, but after all the heinous crimes they've committed in Wind State over the years, how could we let them escape? We never expected this righteous judgment to come from the Grand Dao Sect! The Heaven-Exploding Gang offers its deepest gratitude."
Lu Xuan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Has the Heaven-Exploding Gang fallen on such hard times?"
The Great Emperor gave a wry smile. "Our Gang Leader Xu's whereabouts remain unknown..."
Lu Xuan smiled faintly. His divine sense swept out—the strongest cultivator in this Heaven-Shattering Hall branch was merely a Five-star Great Emperor. Annihilating it would take no more than a single palm strike.
He looked at Ji Fuyao and smiled. "Fuyao, watch closely."
As his voice faded, Lu Xuan directly activated the Heaven-Burning Art!
In a thunderous explosion, endless, blazing flames erupted from Lu Xuan, like a colossal sun rising to illuminate the heavens. The terrifying aura forced everyone to retreat tens of thousands of feet. The entire region surged with scorching fire waves, as if the very air was about to ignite. Lu Xuan's sleeves billowed, generating a terrifying, supreme killing force, powerful enough to literally burn the sky and boil the seas!
Clad in white, Lu Xuan stood amidst the boundless spiritual fire, resembling a Fire Emperor, the Ancestor of Flame. The immense will of the spiritual fire spread for dozens of miles, overwhelming everything, refining the void, and scorching the firmament.
"The Heaven-Burning Art!"
Starlight shimmered in Ji Fuyao's eyes, her heart filled with boundless shock. Master knows the Heaven-Burning Art too! Moreover, the technique was identical to hers, yet infinitely more refined.
Ye Chen was also slightly stunned. He had never seen his Master cultivate, yet here he was, demonstrating his Senior Sister's technique. Does that mean he knows my Desolate Heaven Art too? He desperately wanted to see the supreme, evolved power of the Desolate Heaven Art demonstrated by his Master!
Beside them, Ji Fuyao immediately sat cross-legged, her fiery red dress fluttering as blazing flames surged around her. She began to absorb the Heaven-Burning power Lu Xuan displayed.
Master is guiding me! And he was so thoughtful. He hadn't unleashed the Heaven-Burning Art at its absolute peak, but instead demonstrated a state roughly twice as advanced as her current mastery—perfect for her to comprehend!
Ji Fuyao looked at Lu Xuan, her heart swelling with gratitude. "Thank you, Master."
The power her Master was demonstrating was exactly what she would eventually comprehend in the future. She didn't even need to integrate her own insights; she could simply copy it! It was as if her Master had traveled to the future, gathered all her eventual insights into the Heaven-Burning Art, and presented them to her now. It was utterly profound!
In that moment, Ji Fuyao's reverence and respect for Lu Xuan soared to immeasurable heights. She realized that while unleashing the Heaven-Burning Art at its ultimate power would be effortless for her Master, demonstrating a level perfectly suited for her enlightenment was truly defying the heavens. I can only call him a God!
Just then, Lu Xuan struck down with his palm. The terrifying, fiery power he had manifested condensed into a colossal sun and plummeted directly onto the Heaven-Shattering Hall in Wind State.
Boom! The branch hall instantly burst into flames! It was refined into nothingness in an instant! The Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Wind State was annihilated!
Everyone watched Lu Xuan, utterly stunned. That single palm strike was infused with a terrifying spiritual fire will, circulating a trace of the Dao and Essence and the Invincible Stance—it was absolutely terrifying.
Lu Xuan casually reached out, as if plucking a star, and extracted the branch's treasury and a massive cache of supreme treasures. Above the void, countless treasures glittered, surging with brilliant light. Lu Xuan collected them all into a storage ring and casually tossed it to Ye Chen.
Elder Mu and the Peak Master of Jade Flower Peak licked their lips. He's giving it all to Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao again? They were stunned. This Fellow Daoist was simply too extravagant!
Lu Xuan looked at Ji Fuyao, who was still deep in enlightenment. She was even gaining new, profound insights by extrapolating from his demonstration.
The System’s voice sounded in Lu Xuan’s ear. [Ding! Host's Senior Disciple Ji Fuyao is comprehending the Heaven-Burning Art. Synchronization initiated!] [Ding! Host's Senior Disciple Ji Fuyao's mastery of the Path of Spirit Fire is increasing. Synchronization initiated!]
As the notifications faded, a torrent of profound insights flooded Lu Xuan’s mind. His understanding of the Path of Spiritual Fire and the Heaven-Burning Art deepened instantly. Lu Xuan turned back to look at Ji Fuyao, nodding faintly, highly satisfied. As expected of my Senior Disciple!
In the distance, the many Great Emperors of Wind State watched Ji Fuyao, slightly shocked. She achieved enlightenment? Truly worthy of being the supreme magnate's disciple!
A gray-robed Great Emperor commented, "For Ji Fuyao to be favored by the Grand Dao Sect's magnate, her comprehension must be heaven-defying. Her future achievements are incalculable!"
Another black-robed Great Emperor sighed, "I truly wish I could pay my respects to the magnate, but alas, he hasn't appeared."
The gray-robed elder asked curiously, "The magnate said he is the master of Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, but what about Lu Xuan?"
Someone replied, "Lu Xuan is the master in name only. But even a master in name is still a master. If Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen attain the Great Emperor realm, Lu Xuan will become an Imperial Master!"
An Imperial Master! A mere Qi Refiner becoming an Imperial Master was truly outrageous!
The gray-robed Great Emperor continued, "The magnate is strong, but Lu Xuan is weak—they are two complete extremes. I heard that Lu Xuan spends all his time either eating or sleeping and never cultivates."
Hearing this, Lu Xuan’s face darkened, and he glared at the gray-robed Great Emperor. That's slander! He had plenty of hobbies, thank you very much! Reading, writing doggerel, painting...
Seeing Lu Xuan turn his head, the gray-robed Great Emperor’s body trembled. The people next to him quickly warned, "Stop talking! Stop talking! The current Lu Xuan is not who he used to be. It's best not to speak ill of him! That supreme magnate might step forward to defend Lu Xuan!"
The area quickly fell silent. Everyone focused on Ji Fuyao.
One incense stick. Two incense sticks.
...Several hours later, Ji Fuyao slowly opened her eyes. Her slender hand performed a spiritual seal, retracting her aura. She looked at Lu Xuan. "Master, thank you for your guidance."
Lu Xuan nodded. "Let's go. Next branch hall!"
Swiftly, Lu Xuan waved his sleeve, activating the power of the supreme Great Emperor formation pattern, and led the group away.
Watching the figures disappear into the spatial rift, the people of Wind State were utterly bewildered. Did Ji Fuyao just call that Five-star White-robed Great Emperor 'Master'? So the White-robed Great Emperor was also her Master! That meant Lu Xuan was her Master, and the terrifying magnate was also her Master.
The crowd sighed mournfully. "Ji Fuyao has so many masters..."
Next, Lu Xuan led Elder Mu and the others, sweeping through the Heaven-Shattering Hall branches with lightning speed. Everywhere they went, a single palm strike descended! The power of one palm was enough to shatter the earth and tear the sky, instantly annihilating everyone in the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch!
Boom! The Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Ji State: Annihilated!
Boom! The Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Ni State: Annihilated!
Boom! The Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Tai State: Annihilated!
...Annihilated! Annihilated! Annihilated!
They tore through the Nine States like a whirlwind, wiping out every Heaven-Shattering Hall branch! Lu Xuan moved like a storm sweeping away clouds, like the autumn wind scattering fallen leaves. Wherever he struck, the branches crumbled instantly! The experts of the Nine States were utterly terrified. That single white robe was a symbol of absolute, peerless authority!
Now, of the ten branches targeted for this operation, only one remained: the Heaven-Shattering Hall branch in Cloud State!
After destroying nine branches, Lu Xuan's haul was astonishing! However, Lu Xuan simply dumped all the cultivation resources onto Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen. Gotta spoil the apprentices!
Elder Mu and the Peak Masters were constantly shaken by this display. This Fellow Daoist was simply too extravagant!
The top True Disciples watched with glittering eyes. This senior was too good to his apprentices. So good, it made them want to cry.
Liu Xuan's eyes shimmered with divine light as she stepped on dazzling flower petals, looking at Ji Fuyao with unconcealed envy.
Luo Lingkong adjusted the spirit sword at his waist and said haughtily, "I'm not envious. One man, one sword, that's enough."
Fang Yan patted Ye Chen's shoulder and whispered, "Junior Brother Ye Chen, is it too late for me to join Azure Mystery Peak now...?"