I Have A Dual World Seal

On the second day of the New Year, Wansong Daoist and Song Kaichuan said their goodbyes and left.

During the festive period, the women were led by several maids and Great Demons of Phoenix Mountain to tour and sightsee for a few days, while Lu Zheng followed Si Lingxi on another visit to the Divine Fire Grotto Heaven.

After seven days of dual cultivation, when they emerged from the mountain, Lu Zheng’s entire essence was restrained, and his temperament had returned to simplicity. To others, he appeared just like an ordinary scholar from a small town, as long as he didn’t reveal himself intentionally.

Si Lingxi’s gaze at Lu Zheng was also full of admiration.

In this closed-door session, although Lu Zheng didn’t experience any monumental qualitative changes like the first time, his steady progress throughout the year, coupled with consuming a 5000-year potent Fire Reishi previously, rapidly accelerated his cultivation. If not a rapid advance, at least a swift retreat.

With True Qi Chaos, a pure and robust Divine Soul, solid bones and blood, a unified cultivation of three aspects, and numerous cultivation techniques and secret techniques all from the Xuanmen Orthodox Sect, in a real fight, even those with higher cultivation might not be able to defeat him.

"This time, if I encounter Saintess Qingxin again, I can easily handle it," Lu Zheng said proudly, flipping his palm. "It’s a cinch!"

"Unfortunately, Saintess Qingxin is already dead; otherwise, you could try Qingxue," Shen Ying laughed, raising her eyebrows.

Yan Qingxue, a master under the Phoenix Mountain banner, had a father who was a disgraced Confucian scholar from the Central Plains entering the Southern Border. She had extraordinary talent and was taken under the wing of Phoenix Mountain and had literary influence from her father since childhood, sharing common ground with Shen Ying and several other women.

Although Yan Qingxue’s age could be a grandmother or great-grandmother to Shen Ying and Du Yueyao, due to the women’s foundational backgrounds and identities, treating each other as equals was already respectful to Yan Qingxue.

"No need," Lu Zheng waved his hand, fully aware of his limits, "I’m certainly no match for Miss Yan."

Beside Shen Ying, Yan Qingxue looked at Lu Zheng with eyes full of curiosity, exploration, amusement, and interest.

"Young Master Lu is modest; although Qingxue considers her Dao Practice not weak, she is only comparable to that Saintess Qingxin of the Primordial Saint Sect and slightly inferior to Saintess Yu Kun," Yan Qingxue said with a smile. "If you handle Saintess Qingxin with ease, how could Qingxue be a match for you?"

Lu Zheng: ╭(°A°`)╮

Out of habit, being modest tied himself into a knot.

Hearing this, all the women laughed, even Si Lingxi smiled gently, nodding, "Though Qingxue’s Dao Practice is slightly higher than Lu Lang’s, she may not be Lu Lang’s match."

These words surprised everyone from Phoenix Mountain, except for Liu Qingyan and the other women.

Lu Zheng’s identity wasn’t a secret and didn’t need to be kept secret; the women and Phoenix Mountain’s people played together, and Lu Zheng was naturally a topic of conversation. Even if not detailed, just the general idea showed Lu Zheng’s extraordinary nature.

Ten years of cultivation, a thousand years of Dao Practice, with extraordinary talent, effortlessly wielding cultivation techniques and secret techniques.

But now, he could actually rival a well-known master like Yan Qingxue under the Phoenix Mountain banner?

Such skill, even the top talents of Central Plains Major Sect, might not measure up—comparable to one-step ascension, and instant ascension-level geniuses.

Within a hundred years, he might ascend!

But such geniuses, even in stories and legends, could be counted on two hands.

Could Lu Zheng be one of them?

Yan Qingxue’s eyes sparked with excitement, and she couldn’t help but ask softly, "May I spar with Young Master Lu?"

Although Si Lingxi was usually indifferent and apathetic, she wasn’t heavy-handed with authority, which is why Yan Qingxue dared to ask, and back then Kong Lan dared to play a little bit.

"Of course!"

Even without a reply from Si Lingxi, Lu Zheng agreed immediately, rolling up his sleeves and saying, "We’ll just spar lightly; don’t go too hard; I’m not used to taking blows!"

Yan Qingxue smiled slightly, covering her mouth and laughing softly, "I think I understand now..."

But as her words trailed off, her form suddenly rose skyward. As she ascended, a blaze appeared around her, but the flames were multicolored—cyan, yellow, red, black, and white, swirling and cycling, with Five-Colored Smoke billowing forth and filling the sky.

"Young Master Lu, please," Yan Qingxue said with a smile.

Lu Zheng looked up, seeing Yan Qingxue’s figure faintly visible amidst the Five-Colored Smoke in the sky, realizing that he couldn’t sense her with his Divine Thought.

"Impressive!"

Lu Zheng praised, launching himself into the sky, without chanting or forming a Seal Technique, Innate Cloud Qi appeared from nowhere, seemingly rootless and sourceless yet inexhaustible, surging endlessly and thrumming forward.

"Such a fine Cloud Technique!"

Yan Qingxue couldn’t help but admire in her heart. Lu Zheng had certainly grasped the essence of the "Innate Taiqing Rootless Cloud Qi Scripture"; with one move of Innate Cloud Qi, he wielded it expertly.

Yan Qingxue extended her jade hand, twisting her fingers slightly, separating the Five-Colored Smoke into five dragons, each tracing a different arc, shooting toward Lu Zheng.

Along the way, Innate Cloud Qi formed into an array as it spread, merging with the aura, while the five dragons’ advancing paths seemed to bear some mysterious quality, eluding Lu Zheng’s grasp.

Lu Zheng’s pupils contracted; with her first move, Yan Qingxue already delivered two surprises.

"Bring it on!"

Lu Zheng neither dodged nor evaded, extending his right hand and grasping, pulling a True Dragon Hand Seal, imbued with Blood Qi and Dragon’s Might, into reality.

The True Dragon Hand Seal assumed the form of a dragon claw, displaying Dragon’s Might, oppressing the heavens and the earth, directly grasping toward the five dragons.

Yan Qingxue smiled faintly, and the five dragons converged and diverged, unexpectedly breaking free from the Dragon’s Might suppression in a split second, separating into five paths and bypassing the True Dragon Hand Seal.

However, before Yan Qingxue’s smile could finish, five successive thunderous booms echoed, "Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom."

Lu Zheng’s single Taiyi Five Thunder Curse, striking each of the five dragons at their weak points, caused their motions to halt and could not continue.

The next moment, the five dragons unable to regroup into formation were enveloped by Innate Cloud Qi, worn down, and gradually dissipated.

With a single probing move, both had an understanding of each other’s capabilities.

Yan Qingxue triumphed over Lu Zheng in intrinsic cultivation foundation and experience, but Lu Zheng had numerous techniques, each skillfully mastered and seamlessly coordinated.

"My turn," Lu Zheng said with a smile.

The True Dragon Hand Seal was yet to be broken.

The Great Hand Seal resembled a massive dragon claw, probing into the Five-Colored Smoke, supported by the surrounding swirling Innate Cloud Qi like a cloud-dragon’s claw descending from the heavens, like a Divine Dragon.

Yan Qingxue nodded, extended her hand, touching it lightly, a wisp of flame igniting on the surface of the True Dragon Hand Seal.

Though the flame was not Phoenix Divine Fire, it contained particular marvels; under the cycling Five-Colored Flame, the power condensed by the True Dragon Hand Seal was rapidly worn away, Dragon’s Might diminished, Blood Qi dissolved.

Lu Zheng and Yan Qingxue exchanged moves evenly.

However...

"Qingxue has already given her all, but Lu Lang still has more to offer," Si Lingxi said coolly.