Chapter 529: Ignorance of the Heavens

An-De Province, Lingshou Prefecture.

The "Lingshou Lan Clan," one of the Seven Great Families, was located here.

On this day, the Lan estate threw open its main gates early in the morning. Luxury carriages arrived one after another, parking outside the gates as prominent figures from Lingshou Prefecture arrived to pay their respects.

Among these dignitaries were members of the Lan Clan itself, high-ranking officials from the Lingshou Prefecture government, and even the Prefecture Garrison Commander had come in person!

Just as people were wondering what major event had occurred at the Lan estate, news spread rapidly through the city—

The Marquis of Jing'an, Li Fei, had arrived in Lingshou Prefecture to engage in a friendly martial arts exchange with the Lan Clan's ancestor!

Once the news broke, the entire city was in an uproar!

Almost every martial artist in the city went wild, rushing toward the Lan estate, hoping for a chance to witness the battle.

Never mind Grandmasters; even Martial Arts Masters were figures that many in the Jianghu would struggle to see even once in a lifetime.

A duel between two Grandmasters, one of whom was the legendary Marquis of Jing'an—this battle was simply too captivating!

The Lan estate.

In the main hall, a man dressed in brocade robes, with a steady demeanor and refined features, sat in the main seat.

He was the current head of the Lan Clan, Lan Mingqian.

Besides him, several key figures of the Lan Clan, the Lingshou Prefecture Garrison Commander, and the Chief of the Zhige General Academy were all present.

"Clan Head."

A person holding a sword walked quickly into the main hall:

"Cousin Ruoyun has already met the Marquis of Jing'an outside the city and is currently entering the city with him!"

Hearing this, Lan Mingqian's face lit up with a smile:

"Good, go and make preparations."

After the messenger withdrew, the Lingshou Prefecture Garrison Commander, Ding Ze, immediately said with a smile:

"Ruoyun is the greatest beauty in our An-De Province and a martial arts genius in her own right. At such a young age, she is already a Martial Arts Master. If she could tie the knot with the Marquis of Jing'an, it would be the good fortune of our Lingshou Prefecture!"

"Hahaha, ultimately, it depends on whether she and the Marquis of Jing'an have the affinity for it."

Ding Ze's words hit the mark for Lan Mingqian, and his smile grew even wider.

More than two years ago, shortly after Li Fei was enfeoffed as a Marquis, he passed through Lingshou Prefecture, and Lan Mingqian had specifically arranged for his daughter, Lan Ruoyun, to challenge Li Fei to a friendly duel.

In truth, he had intended to play matchmaker even then, hoping his daughter could tie the knot with Li Fei.

Unfortunately, Lan Ruoyun had no such intentions at the time, and Li Fei did not seem to have any special feelings for her either.

Now, Li Fei was no longer the man he once was; his power, status, personal strength, and reputation far exceeded what they were back then!

If Lan Ruoyun had married Li Fei back then, the two families could have been considered a powerful alliance, with the Lan Clan perhaps even holding the higher status.

But if Lan Ruoyun were to marry Li Fei now, the Lan Clan would be considered to be marrying "up."

It is no exaggeration to say that if the Lan Clan could form a marital alliance with Li Fei, they would no longer be just one of the "Seven Great Families."

The Lan Clan would instantly rise above the "Three Mountains, Four Sects, and Seven Families," becoming a Jianghu faction second only to the Buddhist and Daoist sects, the Tianyi Tower, and the Red Dust Pavilion!

That was why Lan Mingqian was so desperate to play matchmaker between Li Fei and his daughter.

Once Li Fei's visiting card was delivered, he immediately had Lan Ruoyun go to greet him, creating an opportunity for them to be alone.

In his view, considering age, talent, family background, and appearance, his daughter was not only the most suitable for Li Fei, but she would definitely rank in the top three!

Unless Li Fei had absolutely no interest in women, he should at least consider it.

Outside Lingshou Prefecture, on a flying boat.

A woman dressed in white, her figure light and graceful, with eyebrows like willow leaves and eyes like autumn water, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Li Fei, looking like a white crane upon the clouds.

Li Fei had chosen the Lan Clan as the first Jianghu faction to visit for his "sword-asking."

The technique Lan Ruoyun used when they fought back then, "Orchid Cause, Fluff Fruit," had left a deep impression on him.

This Dao-strength technique was a unique skill of the Lan Clan, capable of reaching the Creation Realm at its peak!

Moreover, it was a sword technique, perfectly suited for Li Fei's "Ten Thousand Phenomena."

"After parting back then, I never imagined that I would no longer even have the qualifications to cross swords with the Marquis."

On the flying boat, Lan Ruoyun gave a self-deprecating smile.

More than two years ago, she could at least trade blows with Li Fei.

But now, Li Fei had returned to Lingshou Prefecture to ask for a sword-duel with the strongest Grandmaster of the Lan Clan!

After her battle with Li Fei back then, she had only felt that he was "barbaric and rude," and she had felt stifled by the fight.

Looking back now, she realized it was she who had been shallow.

Lan Ruoyun considered her own talent to be no slouch, and she had never slacked off for a single day, but compared to the man beside her, she felt a profound sense of frustration.

Li Fei looked at the city in the distance, his tone neither cold nor warm:

"Miss Lan, there is no need to belittle yourself. The climb of martial arts is not a matter of a single moment. With Miss Lan's talent, it is not impossible that we shall meet at the summit in the future."

Lan Ruoyun turned her head, looking earnestly at Li Fei's profile:

"Meet at the summit?"

She savored the words, her eyes growing brighter.

"Thank you for the encouragement, Marquis."

She did not speak again, standing quietly on the flying boat.

Lan Ruoyun naturally understood her father's intentions, but her heart was set solely on the climb of martial arts, and she paid little mind to matters of romance.

Of course, she was not opposed to interacting with Li Fei.

Otherwise, even with her father's personal command, given her current realm and status, she could have easily ignored it.

She had come because she wanted to.

It was just that Li Fei did not seem to have any other intentions, and Lan Ruoyun did not force the issue, so the two of them entered the city on the flying boat in silence.

The flying boat finally landed outside the main gate of the Lan estate.

By this time, the area around the Lan estate was packed with people, mostly Jianghu figures who had heard the news.

Seeing Li Fei and Lan Ruoyun, a commotion broke out.

However, the Lan Clan had people maintaining order on the perimeter, preventing them from getting close.

"Hahaha, greetings to the Marquis of Jing'an, greetings to Pavilion Master Li!"

Lan Clan Head Lan Mingqian led a group of people out to welcome them, laughing and cupping his hands in salute.

This time, Li Fei had submitted his visiting card in his capacity as the Pavilion Master of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, which was why Lan Mingqian addressed him as Pavilion Master Li.

"Greetings, Senior Lan."

Li Fei returned the salute.

Lan Mingqian then led him through the main gate of the Lan estate.

This left the Jianghu figures outside feeling disappointed.

It seemed this duel was to be a private exchange, and they would have no chance to watch.

"Pavilion Master Li, our ancestor is already waiting at the martial arts arena."

Lan Mingqian led Li Fei through the Lan estate.

"Good, thank you for the trouble."

"You are too polite, Pavilion Master Li."

As they spoke, the group soon arrived beside a massive martial arts arena.

Standing in the center of the arena was a man wearing white outer robes and a high crown, looking even younger than Lan Mingqian, with refined and handsome features.

The key figures of this branch of the Lan Clan were all blessed with extraordinary looks; otherwise, Lan Ruoyun could never have become a beauty renowned throughout the Jianghu.

This man waiting in the arena was the Lan Clan ancestor, a Grandmaster of his generation—Lan Tingzhou.

Lan Tingzhou's appearance and demeanor were extraordinary, but the first thing anyone entering the arena noticed was not him, but the long sword he held, its tip resting on the ground.

An extremely sharp sword intent, as tangible as reality, shrouded the entire arena, as if slicing the space apart and isolating the arena from the world!

Every martial artist except Li Fei sensed the danger immediately and dared not take a single step into the arena.

Seeing this, Li Fei's eyes lit up.

It seemed Lan Tingzhou was taking this battle very seriously and did not intend to just go through the motions.

This caused Lan Mingqian, standing to the side, to show a look of worry.

His ancestor had been stuck in the Spirit-Derivation Realm for many years, while Li Fei had single-handedly killed a Peak-Realm Xu Jing before he had even broken through his own realm.

The battle on the Bai Feng Plains had seen him single-handedly kill the Gouchen Sword Master, Bai Chen!

Now that Li Fei's realm had ascended even further, Lan Mingqian did not believe his ancestor was Li Fei's match.

In his view, since Li Fei was visiting in his capacity as Pavilion Master of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, it was clear that his intentions were not purely about the duel; the fight was not the main point.

So a casual exchange would have sufficed.

But with Lan Tingzhou putting on such a serious display, if he were to provoke Li Fei into taking it seriously, it would be difficult to bring the situation to a graceful end.

Unfortunately, Lan Mingqian had no say in the matter.

Li Fei stepped forward without hesitation, walking into the arena:

"Greetings, Senior Lan!"

As he stepped into the arena, everything outside vanished, and his eyes held only the man and the sword before him.

"Pavilion Master Li."

Lan Tingzhou scrutinized Li Fei carefully, "Bai Chen died by your blade?"

Li Fei nodded.

Lan Tingzhou gave a bitter smile and sighed deeply:

"I have lost to Bai Chen three times in my life. For all these years, I have practiced the sword and sought the sword, all for the sake of winning back a single victory one day. Alas, that opportunity is gone forever."

He and Gouchen Sword Master Bai Chen were of the same generation; when both were Martial Arts Masters, they had once had a public duel.

In that battle, Lan Tingzhou lost by a single move.

Later, Lan Tingzhou broke through to become a Grandmaster one step ahead of Bai Chen, using four divine abilities.

Once Bai Chen also became a Grandmaster, he challenged him to another duel.

But this time, the loss was clear; he was defeated by Bai Chen in just over two hundred moves.

After that, Bai Chen broke through to the Spirit-Derivation Realm first, while Lan Tingzhou, who had broken through his realm earlier, took nearly twenty years longer to reach the Spirit-Derivation Realm.

Their third duel was a private affair, and the final result was a crushing defeat for Lan Tingzhou!

He had barely managed to hold on for less than a hundred moves before losing to Bai Chen.

Three battles, three losses; Lan Tingzhou had always harbored a grudge over it.

But he would never have the chance to win it back.

"Over these years, I have realized three sword styles, specifically prepared for Bai Chen. Since Bai Chen died by your blade, Pavilion Master, would you be willing to take these three sword strikes from me?"

Lan Tingzhou asked.

He was over a hundred years old, more than five times Li Fei's age, and his seniority was even greater, yet he was now asking Li Fei to take three strikes from him, voluntarily placing himself in the position of the challenger.

"I would be delighted."

Li Fei readily agreed.

"Good—"

Lan Tingzhou drew his sword!

*Clang—*

A crisp sword chime rang through the Lan estate.

Without a single flash of sword light, the entire arena was shrouded in a sea of clouds.

Within the mist, Li Fei completely lost his perception of the outside world.

There were only white clouds and the sound of the wind; the sword intent that had been sharp enough to slice space apart had dissipated like smoke, as if everything were merely an illusion.

"Cloud Heaven Sword Canon"—"Cloud Sea Hidden Sword"!

It was the same move Li Fei had witnessed from Lan Ruoyun outside the train station years ago.

Used now by Lan Tingzhou, perfectly integrated with his martial arts domain, Li Fei could not even perceive the martial arts domain itself.

The world in his eyes had been magnified dozens of times; clouds surged around him, mountain mists rose, and ancient pines grew upon the cliffs.

The mountain mist around him was like blobs of ink being washed away, and only black and white remained in Li Fei's vision.

The ancient pines on the cliff moved without wind, the pine needles they shook off transforming into sword qi, merging with the floating clouds in the mountain stream, strands of cloud-fluff surging toward Li Fei from all directions like a tidal wave!

Golden light bloomed from within Li Fei's body, shrouding a hundred-meter radius.

He deployed his "Primordial Sword Realm," but specifically kept the range small, using it only to resist the opponent's martial arts domain so that he wouldn't be unable to use his divine abilities.

Yet, he did not rely on the strength of the "Primordial Sword Realm" to suppress the opponent's martial arts domain.

Li Fei wanted to let Lan Tingzhou display these three strikes in their entirety!

Countless cloud-fluffs entered the "Primordial Sword Realm," all turning into nothingness, like dreamlike bubbles.

Li Fei's perception was fully open, yet he could not capture a trace of dangerous intent.

Suddenly, the golden light on his body shook violently, struck repeatedly by invisible sword qi!

"This strike is named 'Cloud Ink'."

Lan Tingzhou's voice entered the sword realm.

This move was derived from "Cloud Sea Hidden Sword" but had gone a step further, merging with the martial arts domain and the changes of the Spirit-Derivation Realm. Not only was its power greater, but the sword qi was traceless and difficult to capture.

Li Fei's perception of sword qi in the "Primordial Sword Realm" had reached a minute level, yet even he could not detect the path of the sword qi.

"Creation Realm!"

Li Fei's eyes grew brighter, filled with a touch of joy.

He had expected to see only the Creation Realm sword technique "Orchid Cause, Fluff Fruit," but he hadn't expected to see an unexpected Creation Realm sword technique in the very first move!

Dao-strength of the Profound Realm could mobilize the power of heaven and earth and influence the minds of everyone within range.

Dao-strength of the Creation Realm went a step further; it was not a divine ability, yet it was better than one, capable of creating effects similar to divine abilities.

Lan Tingzhou's "Cloud Ink" was equivalent to endowing sword qi with a type of concealment-based divine ability.

This had undoubtedly reached the level of the Creation Realm!

The golden light on Li Fei's body flickered constantly, but his defense was never breached.

Lan Tingzhou's "Cloud Ink" was stronger in concealment, but slightly weaker in offensive power.

Li Fei's defensive power was already peerless; after weakening the sword qi with the "Primordial Sword Realm," he felt almost no threat.

*Boom—*

A thousand peaks resonated.

The ink-like clouds split to reveal a sliver of sky, exposing the rugged mountain shadows of the sword spine behind them. The mountain shadows were actually flowing, the layered rock ridges transforming into the cold light of sword blades, the waterfalls transforming into falling sword qi.

The offensive power of "Cloud Ink" ascended to a higher level!

Li Fei could see that Lan Tingzhou likely possessed more than one divine ability capable of continuously increasing offensive power, all of which had been integrated into "Cloud Ink."

So this Lan Clan ancestor was the type who grew stronger the longer he fought.

Li Fei wanted to witness the opponent's strongest state, so he did not dodge or evade, letting the opponent do as he pleased.

A moment later, the sword qi had transformed into a storm, staining the "Primordial Sword Realm" with large swaths of ink.

Lan Tingzhou not only possessed a divine ability to continuously increase offensive power, but also a divine ability capable of infecting others. Combined with his Spirit-Derivation Realm changes, this "Cloud Ink" was truly like ink spreading across rice paper, infecting Li Fei's "Primordial Sword Realm"!

When the golden light on Li Fei's body was also stained with a layer of ink, he finally stopped defending.

And his counterattack was simple and brutal—

The "Primordial Sword Realm" fully deployed!

The golden sphere of light spread rapidly through the ink-wash landscape, unstoppable.

"Hmm?"

Lan Tingzhou was astonished.

Li Fei's martial arts cultivation was clearly only at the Spirit-Derivation Realm, but the strength of his martial arts domain had already reached the level of the Establishing-Dao Realm.

This was simply inconceivable!

Brilliant Buddhist light shone down from the firmament, illuminating the ink-wash landscape Lan Tingzhou had created in gold.

"Cloud Ink" was broken!

Immediately following, patches of ink-clouds dissolved in the firmament, and rain began to fall.

Cloud smoke turned to rain.

At first, it was as fine as silk, but in the blink of an eye, it became a torrential downpour of ink.

The falling raindrops elongated in mid-air, transforming into sword qi as they fell.

Mountain rocks met the rain and turned to smoke.

Ink-colored sword qi seeped into the rock veins, and mountain peak after mountain peak was gradually stained with burnt ink, the sword intent as cold as ice, causing the sword qi within the "Primordial Sword Realm" to freeze one after another!

"The second strike—'Cloud Rain', a tribute to the Marquis of Jing'an."

Lan Tingzhou's voice sounded once more.

Compared to the previous "Cloud Ink," the offensive power of this strike was even sharper. With the sword momentum already accumulated to its peak, it ascended to an even higher level!

"Good."

Li Fei praised.

This "Cloud Rain" had not actually reached the Creation Realm, but Lan Tingzhou had made changes based on "Cloud Ink," perfectly inheriting the momentum of the previous strike, allowing it to advance further in power despite not reaching the Creation Realm!

Such ingenuity gave Li Fei new ideas.

He likely wouldn't be able to break through his Dao-strength to the Creation Realm in the short term, but he could learn from Lan Tingzhou, using various means to stack sword momentum, thereby allowing his sword techniques to reach a higher level of power.

Li Fei raised his right hand, and mountain peak after mountain peak, river after river, were generated within the "Primordial Sword Realm," then transformed into billions of golden rays that converged in his hand, forming a three-foot sword blade.

He thrust the sword toward the firmament.

Mountains and rivers reversed their momentum, breaking through the firmament!

"Good—"

Lan Tingzhou's tone held a touch more excitement.

Because he recognized that this strike of Li Fei's was exactly the Gouchen Sword Sect's Creation Realm sword technique—"Great Thousand."

He hadn't expected Li Fei to have mastered this sword technique; this undoubtedly made up for his regret of not being able to cross swords with Bai Chen again.

The sword momentum of the Great Thousand World pierced through the firmament, dispersing the ink-clouds.

Even if Li Fei's "Great Thousand" had not yet reached the Creation Realm, the terrifying strength of the "Primordial Sword Realm" was enough to compensate.

"Cloud Rain" was thus broken!

But immediately after, thousands of mountains and rivers surged back from the fractured firmament.

Heaven and earth inverted, reversing the universe!