Revenant Immortal

Chapter 5 - Fateful Encounter (2)

"Come inside! Please, make yourselves at home."

 

As Yu Bao walked past, Su Fan leaned in close and whispered in his ear, twisting his face into an unhinged, malicious grin.

 

"You bastard, why didn't you tell me she was coming right now? I haven't prepared anything."

 

Yu Bao looked at him awkwardly, not daring to say a single word with Elder Zi Rui standing right there.

 

Su Fan set a wooden table in the middle of the room and offered them seats.

 

"Please sit. Let me bring out some warm water for you."

 

"Let's skip the small talk," Elder Zi Rui said, her purple eyes fixed on him. "I didn't come all the way to this remote hut to drink warm water. State your business directly. Why did you send me that letter?"

 

He knew a big shot like her wouldn't waste time coming to his hut unless she was interested. If she truly didn't care about the letter, she would have burned it on the spot and ignored him. The fact that she actually showed up meant one thing: she knew something about Elder Mo that most people in the sect didn't.

 

If his guess was right, she was going to be the ally he needed to eliminate Elder Mo.

 

"Since Elder Zi Rui prefers to be direct, I won't waste your time," Su Fan said.

 

"I can help you kill that old snake bastard Mo."

 

BOOM!

 

The moment those words left his mouth, a draconic aura filled the room. A massive dragon claw seemed to slam down on Su Fan, forcing his knees to the floor. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and his throat tightened as the pressure pinned him down.

 

"You are just an honorary disciple!" Elder Zi Rui said. "Who gave you the courage to speak about killing an elder in front of me!?"

 

This woman is a monster... so this is the strength of a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

 

【Host, this woman is extremely dangerous. She is holding back most of her strength, but the system detects no killing intent from her. She is testing whether you actually have what it takes, or if you are just all talk.】

 

"I know Elder Mo's weakness!"

 

The suffocating pressure suddenly stopped, giving him room to breathe. Thinking Elder Zi Rui was giving him a chance to speak, Su Fan took a deep breath and continued.

 

"Elder Mo plotted to kill me, but he failed. Right now, he thinks I'm already dead. But what if I enter and participate in the Grand Sect Tournament?"

 

"And how do you think a measly Qi Condensation realm cultivator like you can enter!? The tournament requires at least level 10, with most participants at level 15 or higher! On top of that, only outer and inner disciples can join, not honorary disciples! Are you making fun of me, Zhao Ye!?"

 

The weight crashed down again to push him to the floor, but this time, Su Fan held his ground and refused to bow down.

 

He had no choice. Su Fan stopped hiding his cultivation and unleashed his hidden strength, revealing his true level right in front of her.

 

"How about now?" Su Fan asked, looking straight into her eyes.

 

Elder Zi Rui's eyes widened in total shock as she felt the aura of Qi Condensation Level 10 coming from him.

 

Impossible! The Zhao Ye I know only had mediocre talent! The only reason I accepted him out of pity was that he had a determination that other people lacked!

 

Don't tell me... is the prophecy real!? Was that old hag actually telling the truth!? But how!?

 

She pulled back her pressure completely, letting the heavy aura vanish from the room. Twenty years had passed since then. She had sent her disciple to check on Zhao Ye over those two decades, only to be disappointed when he remained stuck at Qi Condensation Level 5. Yet now, he had completely surpassed his previous limits.

 

Then another realization hit her.

 

Speaking of which... didn't I see a lingering death aura surrounding him before? Now it's completely gone. Don't tell me he actually died and somehow survived!? That makes no sense!

 

"Who are you!?" Elder Zi Rui demanded, her eyes locked on him.

 

Su Fan had been waiting for this exact moment. He looked back at her with a calm smile.

 

"I am Zhao Ye," he answered clearly. "The honorary disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, accepted by Sect Elder Zi Rui."

 

Convinced by his words and his sudden breakthrough, Elder Zi Rui reached into her storage ring. She pulled out a breakthrough pill, a martial technique, and a cultivation manual, placing them on the wooden table.

 

"I don't have time to teach you right now, so accept these gifts for now," she said, a slight smile appearing on her face.

 

That brief smile was so breathtakingly beautiful that Su Fan felt his heart skip a beat. But he instantly snapped himself out of it, keeping his expressions in check. One slap from her could end his life, so he knew better than to lose focus.

 

"Meet me again after you reach Qi Condensation Level 15," Elder Zi Rui said, her eyes narrowing. "If you prove you are qualified to speak with me then, we can start our plan to eliminate that disgusting pig bastard!"

 

She definitely has a personal history with old snake bastard Mo... Su Fan thought, though he kept silent.

 

"If you manage to reach Level 15 and meet me, I will promote you to an outer disciple," she continued. "And if you win the Grand Sect Tournament, I will officially make you an inner disciple. Of course, that is only if you actually have the capability."

 

Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and stepped out into the pouring rain, leaving the hut behind.

 

As she walked through the heavy downpour, her cold gaze hardened with deep anger.

 

"Finally... the time has come for revenge," she muttered to herself. "I will make that bastard pay for what he did to my disciples."

 

Stopping under the dark sky, she quietly called out her personal shadow guards. Several figures appeared out of the darkness in an instant.

 

"Ensure no one finds out about this meeting," Elder Zi Rui ordered. "And protect Zhao Ye for the next twenty-nine days. Do you understand?"

 

The guards bowed deeply in unison.

 

"Yes, Immortal Master!"

 

Inside the hut, Yu Bao stood completely speechless. He had never expected that lunatic of a woman to actually listen to Zhao Ye's words.

 

"You have my respect, brother," Yu Bao said, looking at him with genuine admiration. "I'm not stupid enough to pull the tiger's whiskers. I'm certainly not courting death."

 

A/N: "Pulling the tiger's whiskers" (拔虎须) is a Chinese idiom meaning to provoke or mess with someone immensely powerful who can crush you in an instant. "Courting death" (找死 - Zhǎo sǐ) literally translates to "looking for death," used when someone needlessly puts themselves in fatal danger.

 

Su Fan looked at him with pure contempt. "Get the hell out of here, you punk! Do you think I forgive you for showing up without any warning!?"

 

Su Fan smacked Yu Bao on the head with his fist, then shoved the breakthrough pill into his hands.

 

"Take this pill. I don't need it. The technique manual is enough for me. For now, I need to focus on cultivating and reach Qi Condensation Level 15, or else I'm dead."

 

Yu Bao looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Reaching Qi Condensation Level 15 was no easy feat; even inner disciples took years to achieve that.

 

"Are you crazy!?" Yu Bao shouted, looking at him in utter disbelief.

 

Su Fan answered by shoving him toward the door, giving him a light kick that sent him stumbling out into the rain.

 

Outside the doorway, Yu Bao regained his balance. The banter between them faded, and his expression turned solemn.

 

"Zhao Ye... you've truly changed, haven't you?" he murmured to himself. "I don't know what happened that night, but the only thing I know is that bastard Elder Mo hurt my brother."

 

Yu Bao raised his hand, activating a secret appearance-altering martial technique. The illusion dissolved, revealing his true form: long, jet-black hair framing his face and sharp, piercing red eyes.

 

He was not just a simple disciple. His real identity was Gu Chen, known throughout the sect as the Sword Saint, one of the top ten strongest inner disciples in the Azure Cloud Sect, and a true brother to Zhao Ye.

 

Back inside the quiet hut, Su Fan sat cross-legged and picked up the manual Elder Zi Rui had left behind. The title etched on the cover read The Illusory Phantom Sword.

 

【Would you like to learn the Illusory Phantom Sword?】

 

"Yes," Su Fan said without hesitation.

 

In an instant, an overwhelming flow of martial knowledge poured into his consciousness. The intricate details of the sword manual unveiled themselves step by step:

 

【First Stance: Illusion of the Spectral Blade】

(The Concept: The user moves the blade using shifting internal Qi to refract light. It creates a physical mirage, making one incoming thrust look like three distinct blade tips. The opponent is forced to guess which one carries the real weight.)

 

【Second Stance: Traceless Shadow Step】

(The Concept: The movement technique paired with the sword. It is designed to suppress the user's presence entirely, allowing them to instantly enter the opponent’s blind spot without leaving a footprint.)

 

【Third Stance: Ten Thousand Illusions Returning to One】

(The Concept: The ultimate execution form. The user unleashes dozens of illusory phantoms and sword slashes at once, but at the final millisecond, all the scattered energy condenses into a single, devastating true strike.)

 

As the system finalized the skill assimilation, Su Fan opened his eyes, feeling the new flow of Qi coursing through his body. He couldn't help but exhale in awe.

 

"This technique is insane," Su Fan muttered, a smirk spreading on his face. "This will easily carry me through the Grand Sect Tournament."

 

He leaned back, letting out a satisfied smile as he considered his situation.

 

"Even if anyone gets suspicious about an honorary disciple pulling off a high-tier technique like this, I can just throw Elder Zi Rui's name around. Who's gonna call me a traitor when a Grand Elder herself handed it to me?"

 

"I need to find a place to test this out tomorrow... but right now, I need sleep."