Challenge Letter

Yi Xuan followed Zhong Hongzhi up the mountain and was eventually taken to the main hall of the Origin Return Sect.

Several people were seated in the main hall, seemingly discussing something.

Upon seeing Zhong Hongzhi enter, the elder in the center asked, "Elder Zhong, what exactly happened down the mountain? Has the other side arrived?"

At the same time, the old man looked at Yi Xuan and asked, "And this gentleman is...?"

Zhong Hongzhi quickly pointed at Yi Xuan and said, "This is Yi Xuan, the Sect Protector Yi the Azure Cloud Sect! He has come with a letter from the sect leader of the Azure Cloud Sect to discuss some matters!"

Before Zhong Hongzhi could introduce the people present, everyone in the hall happily stepped forward to greet Yi Xuan.

Although he didn't know the identities of these people within the Origin Return Sect, Yi Xuan couldn't be too aloof, so he could only return the greetings to each of them in turn.

After circling around, the old man who had just questioned Zhong Hongzhi looked at Yi Xuan and said, "Protector Yi, I am Fang Jun, the current Origin Return Sect! May I ask what brings you here today? And what about Sect Master Xiao...?"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Yi Xuan took out his master's handwritten letter from his Storage Bag and handed it over.

Xiao Anhe had written things down clearly in his mind, so Sect Master Fang only needed to read the letter to know the purpose of Yi Xuan's visit.

After a long pause, Sect Master Fang put the letter into his robes, nodded, and said, "I know the purpose of Protector Yi's visit! Rest assured, with Sect Master Xiao's letter, not Grand Elder Xiao's, all the martial arts of our Origin Return Sect are fully open to Protector Yi! However..."

After saying this, Sect Master Fang showed a troubled expression.

Yi Xuan nodded and said, "Sect Master Fang, please rest assured, I only need ordinary martial arts techniques. There's no need to demonstrate your sect's signature martial arts techniques to me!"

Fang Jun shook his head and said, "It's not what Protector Yi thinks. Protector Yi wants to browse martial arts classics, and my Origin Return Sect will certainly teach you everything we know. But right now, my sect has encountered a thorny issue, and I'm worried that this matter will affect Immortal Master Yi's mood for reading the secret manuals in my sect."

The other party's words were quite interesting; on the surface, it seemed they were worried that their sect's affairs would affect Yi Xuan's mood.

But in reality, wouldn't it have no impact if we didn't say anything?

Yi Xuan understood; it seemed the other party had genuinely encountered something they couldn't resolve.

Just then, a protector from his own cultivation sect arrived, and the other party wanted his help, but was too embarrassed to ask directly, so he could only hint at it in his words.

Logically speaking, if Yi Xuan remained silent, the other party wouldn't dare to bring it up again, and the matter would have nothing to do with Yi Xuan.

However, Yi Xuan does indeed need the Origin Return Sect right now, and if it's within his capabilities, Yi Xuan wouldn't mind lending a hand.

So he took the initiative and said, "Sect Master Fang, you flatter me. May I ask what has happened to your sect, and whether you need my assistance?"

Upon hearing Yi Xuan's words, the eyes of the people in the hall lit up simultaneously.

Fang Jun could barely hide the smile on his face, but he still tried to look troubled and said, "This... this isn't quite right, is it? After all, Protector Yi is a guest, how can we ask a guest to lend a hand?"

Looking at Fang Jun, Yi Xuan thought to herself, "Hmph! You make it sound so nice. If it weren't for the constant twitching of your lips, I might actually believe you."

He then said, "There's nothing wrong with that. My Azure Cloud Sect protects the entire Western Jiang Kingdom, which of course includes your Origin Return Sect. Now that Origin Return Sect is in trouble, as the Sect Protector of the Azure Cloud Sect, it's only right that I lend a hand! Please tell me the specific details, Sect Master Fang!"

Given Yi Xuan's attitude, Sect Master Fang was naturally very willing, so he held a grand banquet and explained the situation to Yi Xuan during the banquet.

It turns out that in the past year, a young man has appeared in the martial arts world. This young martial artist has extremely high martial arts talent and has already reached the Grandmaster level when he appeared.

During the year this young man appeared, he continuously challenged various sects within the territory of the Western Jiang Kingdom, and remained undefeated throughout the year.

Finally, more than ten days ago, the Origin Return Sect received a challenge from the young man at its mountain gate, and he agreed to come and challenge them in half a month.

Knowing what had happened, Yi Xuan was somewhat confused. Why make things difficult when a challenge is being taken?

After listening to Yi Xuan's thoughts, Fang Jun nodded and said, "Indeed, we've seen too many wins and losses in the martial arts world. There are no sects that last forever; the rise and fall of sects in the martial arts world is a cycle of thirty years east of the river and thirty years west of the river."

"If that's the case, then what other concerns do you have?" Yi Xuan asked Fang Jun curiously.

Fang Jun said with some helplessness, "It doesn't matter if other sects lose! But my Origin Return Sect can't afford to lose! After all, we are the number one Martial Dao sect in the Western Jiang Kingdom. If even we lose, who knows how other martial artists will laugh at us!"

Yi Xuan nodded in agreement. It was certainly not something to be proud of for someone whose background was unknown to defeat all the Martial Dao sects in the country.

What if that person was sent by an enemy country? Then the reputation of Xijiang Kingdom's martial arts would be completely ruined in the southern border region.

At that point, it won't just affect the Martial Dao of the Western Jiang Kingdom; it might even affect the stability of the Western Jiang Kingdom.

Even assuming that person wasn't sent by an enemy country, it's incredibly shameful that the entire nation's warriors can't find a single person capable of fighting him.

Yi Xuan pondered for a moment before asking, "This is no small matter!"

Fang Jun nodded. "That's right, even the royal family has been alerted. The Emperor said five days ago that he will come to watch the battle tomorrow!"

"We've learned quite a bit about their strength through the sects we've challenged before! No one in our sect has the confidence to fight them!"

"Oh? That's impressive? Then why didn't you send a message to the Azure Cloud Sect?"

Fang Jun looked troubled and said, "Alas! Originally, the sect's higher-ups discussed that this was, after all, a matter of Martial Dao, and it wouldn't look good to invite a celestial master to help. But five days ago, the Emperor said he wanted to attend the ceremony, so I had no choice but to secretly write a letter to Grand Elder Xiao!"

After listening to Sect Master Fang's words, Yi Xuan finally understood. It turned out that he had walked right into a trap. Even if he hadn't shown up and smashed up the sect's main hall, his master would have gone to the courtyard to find him and asked him to come to the Origin Return Sect to resolve the matter.

Since they were in front of outsiders, Yi Xuan still had to save face for his master, so he explained, "Oh, I see. That explains why Master told me to come as soon as possible!"

After hearing Yi Xuan's words, the senior members of the Origin Return Sect were completely relieved.

"By the way, you mentioned that person already had the strength of Grandmaster when he first appeared. I wonder if his strength has increased over the past year?"

Sect Master Fang nodded. "He broke through to the Great Grandmaster realm a month ago, which is why I sought your sect's help! My sect's Supreme Elder is also at the Great Grandmaster realm, but in Martial Dao, youth has its advantages! Even the Supreme Elder isn't confident against that person."

Yi Xuan nodded in understanding.

That night, Yi Xuan stayed at the Origin Return Sect, waiting for the person to come the next day.