Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Great Elder, I believe your words are incorrect!”

Having broken through to the Middle Level of the Spiritual Rank as a Meridian Refining Master, Fu Du no longer harbored the slightest fear towards Lu Zhan and immediately rebuked him in a stern voice. Hearing this, Su He, standing nearby, automatically took several steps back, entering spectator mode.

As for the verbal fight between these two, Su He, the Sixth Elder, didn’t dare to wade into these muddy waters, fearful of being an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. It was better to keep his distance.

However, Su He couldn’t help but feel a sense of emotion. He had presided over the Outer Sect competition for many years, but aside from the last time due to Mo Qing when the two Great Elders fought till their faces turned red, it seemed there hadn’t been any Outer Disciples who had made these two take the matter so seriously, right?

In the end, it was Lu Zhan, a Middle Level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Master, who emerged victorious. Of course, Mo Qing’s own will played a role in this outcome. This time around, would it be Great Elder Lu Zhan who comes out ahead once more?

To be honest, Su He himself was tempted to take Yun Xiao as his Direct Disciple or even a Closed-door Disciple given his talent. However, with these two elders speaking up, he gave up on the idea.

After interjecting with a rebuttal, Fu Du didn’t give Lu Zhan a chance to speak and continued, ”Great Elder, let’s not forget, the severe poison used by Yun Xiao earlier left even you and me helpless. From this perspective, his talent in the Poison Meridian Path is undoubtedly stronger, isn’t it?”

It must be said that neither of these two Great Elders was a pushover; their dialogue was well-founded and logical. Listening to the approach they took based on the methods Yun Xiao had previously displayed made the crowd react with surprise.

After Lu Zhan spoke, everyone felt the Great Elder made a good point. Yun Xiao had saved Song Tian’s life and then Ling Wan’s life, proving his mastery of the Medical Pulse Technique was indeed profound.

But after the Second Elder’s words, some began to change their previous line of thought, siding instead with Fu Du’s argument, considering it the correct one, especially after witnessing Shen Xiao’s fate.

It’s a joke. Even two Middle Level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Masters as Great Elders couldn’t resolve the deadly poison. If Yun Xiao had truly refined that poison himself, wouldn’t that mean his expertise in the path of deadly poisons exceeded even Fu Du’s?

Although this idea seemed somewhat unrealistic, at the very least, the deadly poison exhibited by Yun Xiao was indeed extraordinary. From this, it is clear his future as a Poison Vein Master was undoubtedly brighter.

”Second Elder, have you forgotten the scene a few months ago when you tested poison on Yun Xiao’s body, which was accidentally witnessed by Qing’er?”

Lu Zhan was confident. Since neither side wanted to give up on Yun Xiao, he had to find a reasonable justification. He believed revealing this fact would instantly place Fu Du at a disadvantage.

Indeed, after Lu Zhan spoke these words, Fu Du’s face did change slightly, but in the next moment, he forcefully suppressed his reaction. After all, such a method of testing poisons on a living person, if truly exposed in such public, would also be a great blow to his reputation.

”Heh, Great Elder, you are not aware. At that time, I wasn’t testing poison on Yun Xiao’s body. I had already recognized his talent in the Poison Vein and was nurturing the rapport between him and the poison!”

The Second Elder of the Jade Pot Sect spoke with a red face and white teeth, blatantly distorting the truth. Not only did Fu Du and the distant Mo Qing gape in astonishment, but even Yun Xiao, the person involved, could not help but admire the old man’s cunning.

Regarding the details of this matter, even though Yun Xiao was in a special state at the time, he knew that Fu Du was definitely not cultivating his rapport with poisonous substances as he claimed.

Moreover, even if it were not a Meridian Introduction Realm Middle Stage Cultivator like himself, even a Cultivator at the Meridian Rushing Realm or even Meridian Union Realm level would have ended up as a pool of pus if they had come into contact with Fu Du’s bizarre and lethal toxins.

However, Yun Xiao did not speak up at this time. He still wanted to see to what extent Great Elder Lu Zhan would go for him. Or perhaps, he wanted to see how far Fu Du would go with his poor performance?

Fu Du’s words had given many Inner and Outer Disciples something to ponder. With that said, could it be that the Second Elder was already acquainted with Yun Xiao?

Especially Bi Luo in the southeast corner, who wore an expression flickering between light and dark, asked after pondering for a moment, ”Junior Brother, has the master known Yun Xiao for a long time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Honestly, Bi Luo had already vaguely understood a few things. Yin Huan was always the most beloved by the master, and there was no reason for him not to know about such matters. Yet, this lad hadn’t told himself and even let him confront Yun Xiao, which suggested some ulterior motive.

”I’m sorry, Senior Brother. Our master asked me not to tell, so how could I dare to?”

Yin Huan didn’t care too much. With a swift turn of his eyes, he pinned the responsibility onto Fu Du. He believed that as long as the matter was linked to the master, Bi Luo would have no way to deal with him.

As Yin Huan had expected, Bi Luo indeed did not continue to question him. However, as a result of this incident, he would certainly change his attitude towards his Junior Brother significantly. Among these young talents of the Poison Vein, harmony was not always present.

Let’s leave aside the various thoughts of these geniuses for the moment. The Great Elder of the Jade Pot Sect, Lu Zhan, after internally remarking on Fu Du’s thick-skinned nature, regained his focus, saying solemnly, ”I never imagined that the so-called rapport cultivation the Second Elder speaks of could bring someone to the brink of death. This is indeed a lesson in knowledge for me!”

”Second Elder, I’m not afraid to tell you, my Medical Pulse path is set on having Yun Xiao!”

Despite Lu Zhan’s usually mild temper and genial conduct, his ability to occupy the position of the Great Elder of the Jade Pot Sect was by no means indicative of a timid nature. On the contrary, Fu Du’s shamelessness had stirred a certain fervor in him.

”Then I’m also not afraid to tell you that my Poison Vein path is determined to have Yun Xiao!”

Fu Du was not to be outdone. After his declaration, a faint blue aura began to coil around his hands, causing Yun Xiao and Ling Wan, who were nearby, to shiver with an eerie chill.

”It seems this old fellow really has refined that Three-legged Ice Crystal Toad!”

Sensing the strange cold aura emanating from Fu Du, a chill went through Yun Xiao’s heart, as he could sense an aura that was of the same origin as his Cold Ice Ancestor Vein.

The Three-legged Ice Crystal Toad was an extremely poisonous creature rarely seen even in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, able to kill the average person upon contact. Fu Du’s successful refinement likely meant a tremendous enhancement to his combat power.

Moreover, Yun Xiao subtlety guessed that Fu Du, who had been just a low-level Meridian Refining Master, succeeded in refining the Three-legged Ice Crystal Toad, probably because he had absorbed a large portion of the toad’s ice-cold potency. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Fu Du to refine it successfully.

In this respect, Yun Xiao indeed indirectly helped Fu Du, even if it was not his intention. This matter was inextricably linked to him.

Putting Yun Xiao’s thoughts aside, when Fu Du released this aura, the Great Elder Lu Zhan also sensed it, and immediately, an indistinct fiery aura emitted from him, causing the atmosphere in the great hall to become suddenly very solemn.

All inner and outer disciples dared not even breathe out loud, astounded that a competition for merely an Outer Disciple, at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, had escalated to this level. Could it be that the two great Elders of the Jade Pot Sect were about to have a fierce battle right here in the Arena Hall?

”Great Elder, you don’t think I’m still the same Fu Du who would always give way to others, do you? This time, I will not yield!”

With the powerful cold Qi inside him, Fu Du felt a surge of confidence. His words carried a clear underlying message, obviously referring to the previous incident where he ceded Mo Qing to the Medical Pulse path.

After these words, an invisible force abruptly burst forth from Fu Du, a force that both Su He and Yun Xiao next to him recognized well—it was the special Power of Soul belonging to a Meridian Refining Master.

”No wonder he’s so arrogant; he has actually broken through to the Spiritual Rank Intermediate Meridian Refining Master level!”

Lu Zhan’s sensitivity allowed him to immediately discern the details of Fu Du’s Power of Soul. However, he maintained a facade of disdain on his face, as if the revelation meant nothing to him.

Yet inside, Lu Zhan’s heart was stirring with shock and amazement. Advancing from a low-level Meridian Refining Master was not an easy feat.

On the Hidden Dragon Continent, there were many low-level Meridian Refining Masters, but those at the intermediate level were rare. Usually, such individuals were rulers of major sects or powers, such as Lu Zhan himself.

As far as Lu Zhan was aware, Fu Du had been a low-level Spirit Rank Meridian Refining Master just a few months ago. How could he have made such an unexpected breakthrough in so short a time?

Although the Poison Vein and Medical Pulse paths were rivals, if one were to speak purely of combat capabilities, Poison Vein Masters certainly held a significant advantage—a result determined by the methods of their practice.

Medical Pulse Masters focused more on healing and saving lives, which was a passive position to take. Initially, the Meridian Qi Cultivation of Fu Du and Lu Zhan were closely matched, but Lu Zhan, due to his superior Meridian Refining Technique, held a bit of a superiority complex over Fu Du.

This had been key to the Medical Pulse path’s slight advantage in the rivalry between the two disciplines over the years. But it was only a slight advantage.

Now with Fu Du’s breakthrough to Spiritual Rank Intermediate Meridian Refining Master, it was not only about bridging the gap, but he might very well surpass the Medical Pulse path.

”Fu Du, if this is the confidence you’re relying on, I have to say, you’ve thought too much!”

While Lu Zhan’s heart was shaken by Fu Du’s breakthrough, outwardly he remained unaffected, and his words aligned with his status as a seasoned Great Elder.

After all, Lu Zhan had been at the Spiritual Rank Intermediate level of Meridian Refining Master for many years. Compared to Fu Du’s recent breakthrough, the outcome of their potential clash remained uncertain.

In the Arena Hall, tension was at its peak, with a peculiar smell of gunpowder in the air, as if conflict was imminent!