Breaking Through the Pass

"Senior Sister, he's just talking nonsense—he's never even drawn a talisman before." Chen Jingjing quickly explained, afraid that Chen Fan might say something even more absurd next.

"Chen Fan, stop causing trouble for your sister and apologize right now." Zhang Rumeng also nudged Chen Fan, urging him in a low voice.

Wang Yunlan, however, remained unmoved, staring coldly at Chen Fan as if waiting for him to speak—either to apologize or to offer some insight.

"The Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman, as the name suggests, is closely tied to the Five Elements. The key isn't in unleashing all five at once, but in the interplay of mutual generation and mutual restraint. For example, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Earth restrains Water, and Water restrains Fire. This embodies the true essence of the Five Elements. If you arrange the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman into a Five Elements Formation when deploying it, the power will multiply several times over. The path of restraint allows for offense, while the path of generation allows for defense..."

By the time Chen Fan got this far, Chen Jingjing could no longer bear it. She glared at him with red-rimmed, tearful eyes and snapped, "Chen Fan, get out. Do you know how many years Senior Sister Wang has spent cultivating the way of talismans? You've only just reached the second layer of Qi Refining, haven't mastered anything, and yet you dare to question Senior Sister Wang? I regret bringing you here."

"I'm just stating my opinion." Chen Fan frowned slightly.

"Opinion? You laze around all day, even slacking off on cultivating true qi—where do you get your opinions from?" Chen Jingjing retorted.

"From books. The way of the Five Elements is just like this. Whether turned into talismans or swords, it can't escape..."

"Shut up." Chen Jingjing cut him off again, then turned to Wang Yunlan and said in a low voice, "Senior Sister, I'm sorry. I don't know why he's acting like this today. I won't bring him here again."

"It's fine, a small matter. Wang Feng should be arriving soon. You two head back first." Wang Yunlan's expression was blank as she dismissed it lightly, not sparing Chen Fan another glance.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. We'll go now." Chen Jingjing finished speaking and, ignoring Chen Fan, headed toward the Teleportation Array.

Zhang Rumeng shot Chen Fan a complicated look before following along with him.

When they returned to the square, Chen Jingjing couldn't hold back anymore. She glared at Chen Fan and said coldly, "Sure enough, you couldn't keep quiet for a few days. If you keep this up, I hope you won't set foot in the Chen Clan again."

With that, her eyes already moist, she turned and walked away into the distance. Zhang Rumeng, unable to spare Chen Fan any attention, chased after Chen Jingjing.

Chen Fan furrowed his brow slightly, watching the two walk away. He shook his head a little, then looked toward the massive building not far off. After a moment's pause, he strode toward it.

Meanwhile, Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng had already gone far. Zhang Rumeng handed a handkerchief to Chen Jingjing and said softly, "Stop crying. Honestly, I think what Chen Fan said just now wasn't entirely without reason."

"Rumeng, how can you say that too? You know what he's like—lazing around all day, cultivating for years and only reaching the second layer of Qi Refining. How could someone like him even touch on the way of the Five Elements?" Chen Jingjing said.

"That's true..." Zhang Rumeng nodded.

The two of them walked down a street paved with white jade.

Chen Fan, meanwhile, had reached the massive building. Only now did he see clearly that above the entrance hung a large plaque inscribed with four bold characters: "High Heaven Treasure Hall." The strokes were vigorous and imposing, carrying a sense of authority and Immortal Qi.

"What a grand setup. Did they really replicate the Heavenly Court of the Immortal Realm?"

Chen Fan stared at the four characters, frowning slightly. His curiosity about the Immortal Palace Master grew even stronger. What level of strength and realm could create a world on such a scale? Even with a World Seed as a foundation, pulling off something like this was unimaginable.

After lingering for a few moments, he stepped into the hall.

As for Chen Jingjing being so furious, he didn't dwell on it much. A cultivator ought to cultivate the mind and spirit—how could they get angry so easily? Besides, she hadn't believed a word he said and had outright dismissed him, which left a bad taste in his mouth.

And after witnessing that Wang Feng's breakthrough of the first layer of the Heavenly Court, a thought stirred in him. If it was only at that level, it wouldn't be a problem for him at all.

The only thing troubling him was that he, a sword cultivator, didn't have a single sword. Relying on Sword Qi to win would consume too much true qi, and if the opponent dodged his Sword Qi, it would be a loss.

When he stepped into the hall, he found it bustling like a marketplace. Many people were hawking all kinds of magical treasures to other cultivators, including some selling fine swords. But none caught Chen Fan's eye. His sword—only one—he would retrieve sooner or later.

"Little brother, need some talismans?" A furtive voice came from beside Chen Fan.

He turned to see a shifty-eyed old man holding several yellow talismans, grinning at him.

"Saw that fellow daoist successfully break through the first layer of the Heavenly Court just now, didn't you? Know what talisman he used? None other than this Heaven-Opening and Earth-Splitting, Earth-Shattering and Spirit-Weeping Ancient Sword Talisman of mine. When the sword talisman comes out, who dares to contend? Want to buy? One Spirit Stone per sheet."

"..." Chen Fan glanced at them briefly, then looked away. They were clearly just ordinary sword talismans, but the old man was hyping them up like crazy.

"Oh, looks like little brother knows his stuff. Fine, I won't fool you. Let me show you the shop's treasure..." The old man, unwilling to give up, continued.

"Do you have a Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman?" Chen Fan interrupted him.

"Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman... Little brother's no simpleton, huh. To recognize those five talismans just now—guess this deal's off. Talismans like that—how could folks like us draw them? Farewell." Seeing that Chen Fan knew his stuff, the old man gave up.

"Wait." Chen Fan, struck by a thought as he looked at the old man's attire, called him back.

"Huh?" The old man turned around, puzzled.

"Lend me ten sheets of yellow paper and a cinnabar brush, and I'll give you a set of Five Elements Strange Sword Talismans," Chen Fan said.

"What? You want to trade a Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman for these cheap materials?" The old man looked incredulous, then sized Chen Fan up before chuckling. "Little brother, I didn't peg you for one of the trade. But that's not fair play—no cheating among peers."

"Lend them or not?" Chen Fan's expression was calm.

"Uh... fine, a few sheets of yellow paper, no big deal. It's just that this cinnabar's a bit pricey." The old man pulled out a stack of blank yellow paper as he spoke, about to haggle over the cinnabar's price, when Chen Fan moved.

With lightning speed, he snatched the yellow paper, the brush, and a small dish of cinnabar from the old man's hands.

"This..." The old man was stunned, about to protest, but Chen Fan had already started drawing on the yellow paper.

His face was solemn, his brush strokes flowing as if guided by a divine hand. In a few breaths, a small sword painted in cinnabar appeared on the paper. Looking closer, the sword's blade was covered in runes and formations.

"A Fire Attribute Sword Talisman." The old man, knowing his goods, recognized the talisman at a glance. He stared at Chen Fan in shock, speechless.

Chen Fan paid him no mind, his brush never stopping as talisman after talisman took shape under his hand.

After a few moments, ten talismans covered in small swords were completed in his hands.

"Five Elements Strange Sword Talismans—two full sets of Five Elements Strange Sword Talismans..." The old man was overjoyed, his hands trembling slightly as he gazed at the ten talismans, deeply moved.

"Farewell." Chen Fan slapped five of the talismans and the brush into the old man's hands, then turned and walked away.

When the old man came to his senses, he realized Chen Fan had already disappeared into the crowd, filling him with regret—his cash cow had just walked away like that.

Chen Fan tucked the talismans into his robe, found a secluded spot, and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes to cultivate. Finishing ten talismans in one smooth stretch had drained both his spirit and his true qi. Fortunately, the spiritual energy here was abundant; recovering his true qi took only a few breaths. Only his spirit would need a bit more time.

After a moment, Chen Fan opened his eyes and walked deeper into the hall.

"I want to challenge the first level of the Heavenly Court," Chen Fan said to a man who seemed to be an administrator.

"Qi Refining Layer 2? Are you joking?" The man's face filled with surprise. He had never seen such a thing.

"No."

"Uh... fine. Do you want an open challenge or not?" the man asked as he bent down to record.

"Not open," Chen Fan said without hesitation.

"Alright. Here's a Recording Stone. Even though the challenge won't be public, both you and your opponent will have one. It records the simulated duel from every angle. If you lose, you or anyone else can use this stone to keep sparring against the opponent's model. But each attempt costs 20 Immortal Qi—half goes to the opponent, half to us," the man explained.

"Mm." Chen Fan nodded and took the Recording Stone.

"Go straight through this door, then press your Heavenly Court Token into the slot above. The Teleportation Array will automatically assign you a One-Star Heavenly Soldier." The man sat back down in his chair, watching Chen Fan leave.

After a long while, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "Truly, in a big forest, you get all kinds of birds."

Following the instructions, Chen Fan stood in the Teleportation Array and pressed his token into a recess. He was instantly transported to a Martial Arts Arena surrounded by darkness.

Before he could take in his surroundings, a flash of white light appeared a few meters in front of him, and a woman in a red robe materialized.

"Qi Refining Layer 2?" The Red-robed Woman furrowed her brow slightly.

Chen Fan looked at her calmly, saying nothing.

"Lucky me. Those 50 points of Immortal Qi are as good as mine," the Red-robed Woman said with a light laugh, a flicker of disdain in her eyes.

Qi Refining Layer 6 versus Qi Refining Layer 2—this was a duel with no suspense. Though she didn't understand why someone at Layer 2 would come to throw their life away, as long as she could take the Immortal Qi for free, she wouldn't hold back.

As her words fell, the Red-robed Woman flipped her hand, and three yellow talismans appeared. With a sharp flick, all three shot out at once. With a crackling hiss, they transformed into three blazing fireballs midair, streaking toward Chen Fan.