Lu Chengfeng stopped in his tracks, but he didn't turn back. He truly couldn't face the woman behind him.

All under heaven hustle and bustle for profit, all under heaven scramble for gain. Even Zhu Yuxian taking him as a disciple had ulterior motives, but Du Mengyan was purely good to him.

"Come back and sit down!" Du Mengyan reprimanded harshly, her tone somewhat severe.

"I..." Lu Chengfeng didn't know what to say.

"You're a grown man and yet you're so wishy-washy. It really makes me look down on you." Having said this, Du Mengyan knelt down by the side of the desk, and with a clatter, put down the Profound Sun Sword.

"Now that things have happened, they must be resolved. If you can promise me a few conditions, I'll give you the jade pendant."

Hearing this, Lu Chengfeng's body trembled suddenly. He turned around abruptly, "Is that true?"

Du Mengyan didn't even glance at him, just picked up an ancient booklet from the desk and started reading.

Lu Chengfeng no longer cared about losing face and brazenly squeezed over, "Senior Sister, whatever conditions you have, just say them. I will definitely agree."

Du Mengyan didn't lift her head, only spoke in a flat tone, "If I give you the jade pendant, in the battle at Crane Immortal Mountain, you are only allowed to win, not to lose. Before you leave Jade Dragon Mountain, you must fight with me."

"At that time, I will hold the Profound Sun Divine Sword. Only if you can withstand three of my sword strikes head-on can you leave the mountain."

"Otherwise, you should stay on the mountain honestly and not participate in the battle. If Li Chungen dares to attack, we will naturally handle him."

"If you die, you'll lose a jade pendant, and it'll break the inheritance of the Yuncang Sword Sect, which is truly not worth it."

Lu Chengfeng nodded without hesitation, "That's what I'm supposed to do. If my strength is insufficient, I will honestly follow Senior Sister's arrangements and will not act recklessly."

"That's more like it." Seeing him become honest, Du Mengyan put down the booklet, speaking seriously, "If you can indeed break through to Half-Step Celestial Human by July 15, you must return to Yuncang Mountain once."

"If there's a chance, offer your aid to our sect. If it's unfeasible, at least try to rescue some people back!"

She paused slightly, "Of course, don't push yourself, preserve your own life above all else, and don't forcibly fight the Celestial Humans."

Looking at her fair and beautiful face, Lu Chengfeng found himself at a loss for words — fundamentally, these weren't conditions at all. Anyone indebted to the sect would do this even without being asked.

"What? You disagree?" Du Mengyan raised her brows.

Lu Chengfeng took a deep breath, "Even if the Yuncang Sword Sect is defeated by Youdu, I will survive by any means necessary, and once my Divine Skill reaches Great Success, I will personally decapitate the Lord of Youdu."

Du Mengyan nodded, "Your mindset is sufficient. Both of us possess the Immortal Bone. If we cultivate peacefully, we will inevitably reach the Celestial Human Realm in a few decades."

"By then, if we join forces, we can sweep the world. Rebuilding Yuncang will be a mere trifle."

"Thus, don't act impulsively. Preserve your life of use. As long as you live, the inheritance lives, and the sect exists."

"These were the words of advice from Master, and today I pass them on to you."

"Yes, Senior Sister!" Lu Chengfeng replied solemnly. Seeing her tilt her fair neck, he quickly sat cross-legged across from her desk so she wouldn't have to look up.

Du Mengyan said, "The third condition, if you want to establish your own sect in the future, I will not stop you, but you must not steal the inheritance of the Yuncang Sword Sect. The martial arts classics you received from the sect can only be practiced by you and cannot be taught to others."

"This is also the last condition, meaning you can only practice the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light Sword yourself, and even if you understand the Law Intent, you must not pass it on to others."

There was no doubt that she saw through Lu Chengfeng's ambition. If something happens to the Yuncang Sword Sect, with Lu Chengfeng's talents, he would achieve Celestial Human someday.

Lu Chengfeng was momentarily stunned by this. In the past, he would have agreed without hesitation and handed the jade pendant to Zhu Yuxian. After Zhu Yuxian fulfilled her promise, he could also obtain the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light Sword inheritance.

Since the jade pendant can only be comprehended once, Du Mengyan could not possibly discover that he gave it to Junior Martial Uncle Zhu.

But...

Looking into the clear eyes of the woman across, thinking about how she was willing to entrust the sect's Divine Sword Manual related to the sect's inheritance to him, Lu Chengfeng couldn't bring himself to deceive her anymore.

"Senior Sister, I'm afraid I can't fulfill this matter."

"Hmm?" Du Mengyan couldn't help but frown. She believed the third matter was the easiest to agree to and should be agreed to the most.

As a martial artist, even if one wishes to establish a sect, they should create their own Divine Skill or gather through other means. How could one shamelessly establish a sect with the original sect's secret manual?

To her surprise, Lu Chengfeng refused this matter instead.

"Who do you want to pass the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light Sword to?"

Lu Chengfeng was silent for a moment before saying, "My master, Zhu Yuxian."

Du Mengyan's face immediately flushed with anger, "So, you were lying to me all along? The jade pendant can only be used once. If you give it to Junior Martial Uncle Zhu, how can you practice? How can you improve your strength? How can you break through to Half-Step Celestial Human?"

"You've been lying to me from start to finish! Fine, very well."

"Sigh!" Lu Chengfeng sighed deeply, "Senior Sister..."

"Don't call me senior sister, I don't want to hear anything else from you, get out." Du Mengyan's tone was cold and harsh, her voice so cold it could almost freeze into ice shards.

"I didn't lie to you, this matter concerns the secret of my Immortal Bone, I don't want to tell anyone, nor do I want to deceive you, but everything I said before is true." Lu Chengfeng said earnestly.

"Do you still want to treat me like a three-year-old?" Du Mengyan smiled angrily, she was truly furious. Originally, she had made up her mind to take all the responsibility and hand the Sword Manual to Lu Chengfeng, but she didn't expect he intended to give it to Zhu Yuxian.

Lu Chengfeng let out a long, gentle sigh, "Senior sister, I will tell you everything I know."

He did not hide the fact that Zhu Yuxian wished to obtain the Five Elements Extinction Divine Light Sword Manual; this matter was not a secret to the sect leadership.

After explaining the situation approximately, Du Mengyan coldly sneered: "Junior Martial Uncle Zhu hails from Youdu, she is the Commandery Princess of Youdu. Although she was once married to Junior Martial Uncle Xun, the circumstances of his death remain unsolved, and she has yet to clear her name."

"You've only known Zhu Yu... Martial Uncle for a few days? Do you think you see more clearly than the Sect Elders?"

"Have you thought about what if she truly is an agent of Youdu?"

"If Junior Martial Uncle Xun hadn't died back then, Youdu wouldn't be so brazen to pressure us like this now, and it is very likely she was the one behind it all."

"Sending just one woman, they've ruined the sect's Celestial Human seed, and if they take away our sect's Five Elements Extinction Divine Light Sword Manual, our Yuncang Sword Sect's thousand years of legacy would be almost entirely seized by Youdu."

"In the future, how will we face the ancestors and predecessors of our sect beneath the Nine Nether?"

Lu Chengfeng fell silent; in fact, he had considered this possibility, he just didn't want to dwell on it, or perhaps he unconsciously refused to admit it.

Sometimes, a thought would flash through his mind: even if Zhu Yuxian was truly a spy, what did it matter to him?

Zhao Changzhen was dead, and he only cared about a select few. Most of the sect members were strangers to him, and even if the Yuncang Sword Sect truly collapsed, with his current strength, he could protect those he cared about and keep them alive.

Faced with Du Mengyan's questioning, he didn't know how to respond for a while, and after a long time, he could only say helplessly: "Since I entered under my master's tutelage, she has never shirked in teaching and bestowing skills, she directly imparted the entire Five Elements Returning to Origin Sword Scripture and the Profound Crane Thousand Shadows Ghostly Sword Technique, both of which are secret skills."

"Last year's battle against the invasion of the three sects, she even saved my life."

"And Senior Brother Zhou Tong... Even though he betrayed her, she still protected him. Though I didn't say it out loud, seeing her treat Zhou Tong so well made me feel envious inside, and I felt fortunate to have such a mentor."

"Perhaps you have a point, senior sister, but I still choose to believe her..."

Du Mengyan took a deep breath, calming her mood, "You can trust your mentor, but I'm sorry, I can't do it, I can't risk the future and fate of our sect."

Lu Chengfeng no longer tried to persuade her, he only clasped his hands in a respectful gesture to her, "No matter what, I must thank you for your willingness to break the rules for me."

With that said, he stood up and walked towards the door.

Du Mengyan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she did not speak.

After leaving the room, Lu Chengfeng felt a bit helpless. Sometimes, telling lies could achieve better results, yet he also had moments of stubbornness and unreasonableness, knowing full well what could happen, yet ultimately making the same choice.

He let out a self-mocking bitter laugh, sometimes he couldn't even figure out what kind of person he truly was.

Lost in thought and somewhat absent-minded, he unknowingly walked up to the mountaintop.

Zhu Yuxian was still sitting cross-legged at the mountaintop, seemingly never having left.

"Master, I... I failed, I couldn't obtain the Sword Manual..." Lu Chengfeng felt a bit dejected, things ultimately reached this point.

Zhu Yuxian couldn't help but smile, "If you had deceived that Fairy Qionghua just now, without telling her that the jade pendant was for me, perhaps you would already have the Sword Manual?"

Lu Chengfeng was taken aback, "Master, how did you know?"

Zhu Yuxian waved her hand, "It's not important, having followed Zhao Changzhen since childhood, the disciple he trained must be ruthless and unscrupulous."

"I was surprised by your frankness today, but this is truly your own path. If a person holds nothing in their heart, it's difficult to refine a resolute and unyielding Spiritual Will."

"Though you were personally nurtured by Zhao Changzhen, this world is vast, and many things and people require you to experience personally. You must walk through many places yourself to appreciate the world's wonders."

"Your actions today signify that you've started to step out of Zhao Changzhen's influence and begun to forge your own resolve and path, which is excellent!"

Lu Chengfeng looked at her, his heart was a complex mixture of emotions, and his eyes even turned somewhat red.

Seeing his expression, Zhu Yuxian laughed and scolded, "Look at you, acting so useless, are you about to cry?"

"But since you, as a disciple, can trust in me, your mentor, so deeply and keep singing my praises, I suppose I shouldn't be your master for nothing."

"Did you not wish to rely on the name of our marital bond to achieve a certain cultivation technique?"

"For this, I agree."

Lu Chengfeng stared at her dumbfounded, not coming back to his senses for a long time.

On the mountaintop, the cold wind was biting, and Zhu Yuxian's face bore a smile, her clothes fluttered like a waterfall of black hair dancing in the wind, beautiful beyond description!

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