Chapter 37: A Duel Between Two Women

"Junior sister, you are only half a realm higher than me, so how can you be so certain that I cannot defeat you?"

Chu Lingyun smiled. Over the past month, she had undergone grueling training, enduring countless hardships, all to defeat Hong Luan and reclaim the task of warming the bed.

"Senior sister is welcome to try."

Hong Luan was brimming with confidence. Her cultivation level was higher than Chu Lingyun's, and she practiced a low-grade Saint-tier technique. Although Chu Lingyun possessed a Saint-tier weapon, she had one as well. There was no way she could lose.

"Then let's see what you can really do!" As soon as the words left her lips, Chu Lingyun flashed forward, appearing instantly beside Hong Luan, a biting chill aimed straight at her chest.

"Senior sister, please enlighten me!"

Hong Luan did not back down, matching Chu Lingyun's movements with her own techniques. Suddenly, the training grounds surged with spiritual energy. The surrounding disciples scrambled back a hundred meters, pale with fear, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

"The two senior sisters are so strong. Even though they are only in the Foundation Establishment realm, their moves have the aura of Golden Core experts."

"More than that, I feel that even ordinary Golden Core experts would fall to them."

"As expected of the Sect Master's personal disciples. Seeing such talent makes us feel truly ashamed."

"Waaah, I want to be the Sect Master's personal disciple too. Can someone teach me how?"

"I heard the Sect Master doesn't have a wife yet; you could try that."

Chu Lingyun and Hong Luan fought with such intensity that they turned the area upside down, leaving the ordinary disciples stunned and deepening their reverence for Chen Xuan. If even his disciples were this formidable, how terrifying must Chen Xuan himself be?

After hundreds of exchanges, Hong Luan was the first to be driven back. She stumbled a few steps before dropping to one knee, her face filled with disbelief. How was this possible? Her cultivation was higher, yet she had still lost by half a move.

"Junior sister, do you concede? If not, we can go again." Chu Lingyun looked at Hong Luan with a hint of triumph. The task would be hers.

"Your Majesty, let it go." Li Rou stepped forward and helped Hong Luan up, her tone full of gratitude. "We have already saved enough contribution points to purchase the 'Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Art'; we don't need to fight her for this anymore."

For over a month, Hong Luan had single-handedly taken on the tasks of serving tea, fetching water, and warming the bed. Combined with the other tasks Li Rou usually completed, the two had long since gathered enough points.

However, Hong Luan’s eyes burned with unwillingness. Proud by nature, she could not accept the outcome of losing to Chu Lingyun when her own cultivation was superior. She refused to yield.

"Again!"

Hong Luan stood up, this time drawing the Saint-tier weapon Chen Xuan had gifted her.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't use a Saint-tier weapon!" Li Rou gasped in shock.

A normal spar between them would at most result in minor injuries, but if both sides used Saint-tier weapons, the outcome would be drastically different. The entire training field might be leveled. Li Rou couldn't tell if Hong Luan was fighting so hard because of her competitive nature or some other reason.

The surrounding disciples were in a panic. Those were Saint-tier weapons—items that could shock the world. A Foundation Establishment cultivator wielding one could potentially slay a Nascent Soul expert. If both senior sisters used them, the destruction would be even more terrifying than a battle between Nascent Soul masters.

"Run! If we get caught in the shockwaves of those weapons, we're dead!"

"What kind of task could it be that makes the two senior sisters fight so desperately?"

The disciples scattered. A battle between Saint-tier weapons was not something they could afford to witness. They were filled with curiosity about what task could drive the two sisters to risk their lives.

"Your Majesty, the Sect Master will be angry if you do this." Li Rou knew the gravity of the situation and invoked Chen Xuan's name, hoping to calm Hong Luan down.

"Master..."

Hong Luan clenched her fists. She knew that if she and Chu Lingyun both unleashed their Saint-tier weapons, it would surely alert Chen Xuan, and the consequences would be unimaginable. After a long silence, she reluctantly put away her weapon.

"Senior sister, I'll count this as your win, but I won't lose to you forever." Hong Luan left a cold remark and turned to walk away.

"I'll be waiting." Chu Lingyun also stowed her weapon. Regardless, she would never give up the bed-warming task.

The two departed. The disciples of the Xuan Dan Sect finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had been terrified that both sisters would actually use their weapons. The mystery of the task continued to haunt the entire sect.

That night, Chu Lingyun made her way to Chen Xuan's cave dwelling, her heart filled with anticipation and longing. But Chen Xuan was as indifferent as ever, lying down to rest without asking what task the two had been fighting over, nor showing any curiosity as to why it was Chu Lingyun there tonight.

His only goal was to improve his cultivation. Although he had purchased the Heaven and Earth Sect-Protecting Array, which could block any attack below the Ascension Realm, he couldn't stay in the sect forever, and his disciples had to venture out as well. He had to personally deal with the Feather Transformation Realm master of Su Yu.

The "Dragon Origin Universal Art" was only at the third page; he needed to finish the remaining five pages as soon as possible.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Xuan practiced diligently, sacrificing sleep to complete all eight pages of the "Dragon Origin Universal Art," his strength rising significantly.

Host: Chen Xuan
Cultivation: Early Enlightenment Stage
Spiritual Root: Immortal-grade Fire Root
Physique: Dragon Yang Body
Techniques: Dragon Origin Universal Art
Divine Ability: Eye of Luck
Items: Flood Dragon Staff, Spatial Ring...
Filial Points: 68,050

System Task: Accumulate 5 filial disciples. Reward: 10,000 Filial Points.

[Dragon Origin Universal Art]
Grade: Profound-tier Mid-grade
Upgrade Cost: 45 points

[Flood Dragon Staff]
Grade: Heaven-tier Low-grade
Upgrade Cost: 268 Filial Points

Though his cultivation remained at the Early Enlightenment Stage, after completing the eight pages of the "Dragon Origin Universal Art," Chen Xuan felt confident he could defeat a Mid-Enlightenment cultivator. With the Flood Dragon Staff, he could even contend with one in the Late Enlightenment Stage. However, dealing with a Feather Transformation expert was still a long way off.

Fortunately, no one from the Lingxiao Holy Land had come looking for him during this time. "Could it be that Su Yu didn't ask his master to avenge him?" Chen Xuan wondered. Regardless, he could not afford to be lazy.

The system issued a new task. Obtaining 5 filial disciples would grant him 10,000 Filial Points, which was exactly what he needed most. He decided to check the status of the sect. Since the upgrade, the disciple cap had risen to 500. He wondered if Li Yangzi had been recruiting.

He checked the system panel:
Sect: Xuan Dan Sect
Sect Master: Chen Xuan
Level: 2
Children of Luck: Gold: 2, Red: 0, Orange: 1
Filial Disciples: 3
Ordinary Disciples: 230/500
Filial Point Yield: 760 points/day
Bonus: None
Upgrade Requirement: 1,000,000 Filial Points

The 500-disciple limit was full; it seemed Li Yangzi had recruited many. To Chen Xuan's surprise, the number of filial disciples had increased by one. He wondered whose filial value had risen. Could it be Hong Luan or Chu Lingyun?

"Hong Luan and Lingyun have both reached the Golden Core realm. It seems they have been working very hard," Chen Xuan thought, feeling incredibly gratified.

He did not know that in the past month, they had dueled three times, nearly resorting to Saint-tier weapons each time, leaving the other disciples terrified. The two sisters were usually gentle, but when it came to competing for tasks, they were iron-willed, ready to exhaust every trump card.

Yet, both their filial values were at 95. Who could it be?

"Sect Master."

Chen Xuan had barely stepped out when he ran into Li Yangzi, who seemed to have been waiting for him.

"What is it?"