Fu Qinglan frowned slightly as the force of the impact traveled back through her treasure, but she quickly suppressed the discomfort. Then she stepped forward and placed herself right between Luo Chen and everyone approaching the mountain.

"Everyone, let's end this here. Consider it a favor to me."

Wang Yifu was the first to reject the idea. He raised his bamboo staff, already gathering power for another attack, only for Shi Ju to step in front of him. The man did not attack immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and gave Fu Qinglan a careful look.

She was no longer the woman who had only just forced her way into the Nascent Soul Realm. Her cultivation had stabilized at the first stage, her aura was full and steady, and her entire body seemed to brim with vitality. More telling still, she had just effortlessly blocked the attacks of two Sages…

His expression sharpened. "You succeeded?"

Fu Qinglan glanced at him. "Yes, I did."

That simple confirmation caused the expressions of everyone watching to change.

Lin Bufan, who was watching from a distance, could only smile bitterly. Between himself, Yu Xu, and Fu Qinglan, he had never imagined the latter would...