That cultivator named Liu Min had a handsome appearance and looked only around 30 years old, yet he was already at the early Core Formation stage.

As long as a cultivator successfully forms their Golden Core, they can maintain their youthful looks and even make their appearance younger, so a cultivator's outward age is never reliable.

But what made Lu Yanping's expression change was not this.

"Elder Tai, I remember the Mirror Sea Sect and Qinggu Sect had a prior agreement that in a duel between the two sects, the cultivation levels should not have too large a gap. Our Mirror Sea Sect is just a minor third-rate sect, how could your esteemed sect dispatch a Core Formation expert?"

Tai Cifang barely lifted his eyelids and said indifferently: "Don't you still have two Core Formation Elders?"

Lu Yanping: "The two Elders did not travel with us this time."

Tai Cifang: "Then that's your own issue. It was already quite difficult for Qinggu Sect to select two Foundation Establishment disciples. Any more and they would at least be at the Core Formation stage. Unlike your Mirror Sea Sect..."

He laughed meaningfully without continuing.

It was precisely this kind of insinuating ridicule that made one even more furious.

The Mirror Sea Sect disciples were all filled with righteous indignation but had no recourse.

They had never realized the importance of strength as much as now. Just because the other party was the number three major sect on the continent, even if their words were disrespectful, it was seen as a matter of course. Just looking at the expressions of everyone present, it was clear they didn't think there was anything wrong with what Tai Cifang said.

As the sect leader, Lu Yanping obviously could not show his anger on his face like the others. After enduring for a while, he finally suppressed his rage.

"This is different from the original agreement, I'm afraid we cannot comply."

Tai Cifang sneered: "It would be even better if there's no duel then. That was just our Sect Leader being merciful and wanting to give your sect a way out. If you don't appreciate the favor, don't blame us for not being polite. The matter of the Purple Mist Falling Shadow Lamp has not been settled yet!"

Huang Wenjun could not hold back: "Regarding the Purple Mist Falling Shadow Lamp, it was clearly your own disciples coveting the treasure and fighting amongst themselves. Don't throw dirty water on the Mirror Sea Sect. We don't even want your broken lamp!"

A glint flashed in Tai Cifang's eyes as he immediately retorted: "Oh, so you're saying you've really seen that magic treasure?"

Huang Wenjun choked.

Lu Yanping knew he had fallen into the other party's verbal trap. Sighing inwardly, he looked towards Qinghe Zhenren: "I implore Zhenren and the other seniors to uphold justice."

In the cultivation world, the strong make the rules, where is the justice? He said this just to test the attitudes of the others.

Qinggu Sect forgot that they themselves coveted the magic treasures and pills the Mirror Sea Sect had accumulated over thousands of years, how could others let them swallow it alone?

Sure enough.

Xiaming Zhenren of Tianyan Sect lightly coughed: "Elder Tai, give people a way out when you can, why go overboard? Since it was agreed to have a duel, then decide the winner through the duel. As for other past matters, let's not bring them up."

Qinghe Zhenren also consoled: "Sect Leader Lu, although this Cultivator Liu has formed his Golden Core, it was not long ago and his Dao heart is unstable. His actual strength is not far off. Your sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators can still fight him, it's not necessarily hopeless."

Lu Yanping's expression eased slightly, while Tai Cifang and Liu Min's faces turned unsightly.

Especially Liu Min. In order to form his Golden Core in a short time, he had used a large amount of spiritual medicines to raise his cultivation. At the time he didn't feel anything wrong, but recently, the side effects started gradually appearing.

During several cultivation sessions, he nearly suffered Qi deviation. He originally thought this matter was secret, but unexpectedly, the Sect Leader of Shangxuan Sect was so formidable that with just a few glances, he saw through everything.

Li Zhushu smiled faintly: "The two seniors speak wisely."

In terms of strength, Wanshan Sect still ranked behind Qinggu Sect, so Li Zhushu who came on his master's orders did not rashly speak out and just watched the show.

"Since that's the case, I have no objections then." Lu Yanping nodded and turned to say in a low voice, "Zhang Xian, you're up for this round."

This was the result after careful consideration.

On the Mirror Sea Sect side for this duel, there were three people. Lu Yanping himself was late Foundation Establishment stage, having reached the peak. Zhang Xian was also late Foundation Establishment, only Zhou Yin had the lowest cultivation at mid Foundation Establishment.

Zhou Yin had the smallest chance of winning. Originally in this round, against an early Core Formation cultivator, it was very likely a guaranteed loss. Letting Zhou Yin go up would be for the best.

But Lu Yanping thought beyond that.

Firstly, this first round, under the watchful eyes of the many major sects, even if they lost, they couldn't lose too badly. Otherwise, if the gap was too big, Zhou Yin losing was a small matter, the Mirror Sea Sect losing face was a big deal.

Even small sects had their dignity. Although they had been at a disadvantage so far, Lu Yanping was unwilling to be further humiliated.

Secondly, it was because of what Qinghe Zhenren said earlier. Against Liu Min, if they performed well, it wasn't necessarily hopeless. And Zhang Xian could be considered the cream of the crop among this generation of the Mirror Sea Sect.

Zhang Xian acknowledged and slowly walked to the center of the field, cupping his hands from afar towards Liu Min.

Tai Cifang snorted lightly, tacitly agreeing.

Qinghe Zhenren said: "Good, may the two fellow Daoists begin."

Liu Min's figure flashed and he was already in front of Zhang Xian.

"Excuse me!"

Zhang Xian's sleeve flipped and the Purple Sun Sword suddenly appeared in his hand. A red glow seemed to flicker on the blade. As he thrust the sword towards his opponent, the red light suddenly surged, transforming into sparks.

Where the sword tip pointed, flames sprang up and quickly gathered into a dense fire rain, falling towards Liu Min like a blanket across the sky. If not for the latter's protective barrier, he would likely have been burned to ashes.

You dare to show off petty tricks? The corner of Liu Min's mouth curled into a disdainful arc.

Pinching his thumb and index finger into a hand seal, he flipped his right hand and a whirlwind rose around him. The feather fan in his hand fanned all the fire rain back.

"Burning Heaven Fan." Lu Yanping said softly, sitting up straight.

Zhang Xian was unhurried. His sword drew a semicircle and his figure drifted back with it.

That semicircle gradually expanded, evolving into a water curtain. The heavenly fire rain poured down on it and naturally all extinguished.

The people present let out an "ah", their expressions going from indifferent to gradually watching seriously.

"Senior Brother Zhang actually has water and fire dual spirit roots?" He Yun also exclaimed.

Dual spirit roots were not as good as single spirit roots, but if the attributes of the dual roots were mutually generative in the five elements, then it was twice the result with half the effort. But Zhang Xian was the opposite - his dual spirit roots were two mutually restrictive attributes, water and fire.

As the saying goes, water and fire are incompatible. People with both water and fire attributes would generally only choose one to cultivate deeply. But Zhang Xian not only combined the techniques of both attributes, he had reached the level of skillful application.

Looking at it this way, although the opponent was a Core Formation cultivator, there was indeed a chance of victory.

Liu Min's face changed slightly, and he threw out a few black talismans at him.

The light talismans were fanned by the Burning Heaven Fan, as if given life, suddenly stopping in mid-air, surrounding Zhang Xian, forming a strange talisman formation.

Zhang Xian pressed his middle and index fingers together, sliding them along the sword from hilt to tip, his lips moving, silently reciting an incantation.

The talismans formed a wind wall, trapping him in the center, vaguely carrying a roaring sound, as if a beast was about to break out of its cage.

In the black wind, a ferocious beast head gradually appeared, pouncing fiercely towards Zhang Xian, with white fangs and a bloody mouth, ready to devour.

The Purple Sun Sword in Zhang Xian's hand flew out, piercing straight through the beast's forehead. The black wind was scattered by the sword light, but quickly condensed again. The ferocious beast head let out a low growl, becoming even more rampant. The surrounding wind suddenly rose, heavily wrapping around Zhang Xian.

The Purple Sun Sword turned in mid-air, circling around from behind the beast's head again, with purple fire floating, like breaking through the sky and thunder, the momentum was shocking.

This sword controlling technique used by Zhang Xian was a magic that sword cultivators could only learn after reaching the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Practiced to the highest level, the sword would also have a spirit, becoming another incarnation of the master, doing as the heart desires, defeating enemies from thousands of miles away, no worse than any magic treasure.

Back in the day, Sword Immortal Xuan Ying, in order to save an old friend, injured thirteen Core Formation cultivators in one night. The sword in his hand condensed from his Qi, not relying on any external power, reaching the pinnacle of sword cultivation. After him, no sword cultivator could be like him. People gradually looked down on sword cultivators, and sword cultivation declined.

At present, Zhang Xian had already mastered the Purple Sun Sword, his fingers guiding it in the air, the sword following to attack and change direction without any delay. It's just that Liu Min's cultivation was formidable, and the Burning Heaven Fan in his hand was no ordinary object, so the situation was at a stalemate for a while, with no clear winner.

Liu Min, following his master's orders, wholeheartedly wanted Zhang Xian to lose badly. He used eight or nine parts of his spiritual power to control the black wind like a copper wall and iron barrier, tightly wrapping Zhang Xian and getting tighter and tighter. The beast head condensed from the black wind took advantage of a gap and bit down towards Zhang Xian's head.

Zhang Xian was a little anxious. He bit his finger and drew a Raging Fire Symbol on his palm with blood, hitting it right on the forehead of the pouncing beast head. Flames erupted and the fierce beast screamed and shot upwards, dissipating into the air along with the black wind.

This was the moment Liu Min was waiting for.

When cultivators fight, it can often be fatal in an instant, so he didn't give his opponent any chance to catch his breath. The Burning Heaven Fan waved twice, the black wind turned into invisible ropes rising from the ground, tightly binding Zhang Xian's feet. He then threw green, black, and gray talismans into the air.

The Burning Heaven Fan rose with the momentum. The three talismans, upon contacting the residual wind at the bottom of the fan, instantly turned into three-colored dragon heads, with dragon bodies trailing light smoke, pouncing towards Zhang Xian from three directions.

Zhang Xian was covered in sweat. Not caring that his feet couldn't move freely, the Purple Sun Sword flew out from above his head, slashing a dragon head in mid-air. The dragon head turned into talisman paper fragments and fell, but the other two dragon heads came on with undiminished force, and the Purple Sun Sword couldn't block them in time.

Lu Yanping stood up abruptly.

The disciples of the Mirror Sea Sect behind him were all watching with utmost tension, and a few couldn't help but gasp.

Everyone thought Zhang Xian was dead for sure this time.

At the critical moment, a beam of five-colored light suddenly flashed, wrapping the two dragon heads, and with a soft sound, they turned into light smoke and talisman paper, dissipating.

The five-colored light that saved Zhang Xian suddenly flew up and went straight into the sleeve of Qinghe Zhenren's robe.

No one present saw clearly what magic treasure he had just used.

"Since we are fighting here, it's better to stop when appropriate and not hurt the harmony."

Qinghe Zhenren smiled with his sleeves together, with an immortal bearing.

The author has something to say:

It seems a bit dull without the Furball? There's no way around it, this is, after all, a cultivation novel, not Furball's personal show ╮(╯﹏╰）╭

Furball: Strongly demands to appear, I just need to open my mouth, la la la~

Zhou Yin: The Mirror Sea Sect hasn't seen Kites before, so they can be fooled, but do you think those people from the major sects are idiots?

Furball: Oh oh oh, little Yin Yin, you said the people from the Mirror Sea Sect are idiots!

Zhou Yin: ......