"But I've heard of Senior Brother Xiao Fan's reputation. Four years ago, when he first participated in the Dao Inquiry Conference, he reached third place on the Heavenly Ranking at the age of seventeen."
"Later, he became the chief of the Yuncang Sword Sect, and single-handedly led the entire sect from obscurity to one of the top five sects."
"I went to the Demon Realm a while ago and returned unharmed, and was even able to chat and laugh with the Demon Lord."
"By the way, I saw that Senior Brother Xiao Fan and our Senior Brother had a very close relationship the other day." Xia Langye said, slowing down his speech slightly.
Ji Mo Fan raised an eyebrow.
Oh, so that's where he was waiting.
“Your senior brother has always been fair and impartial, and he will not show favoritism based on personal relationships,” he said.
He was injured in the Xiaoling Sect a couple of days ago. As the chief of the Xiaoling Sect, it is perfectly reasonable for Li Jinchu to handle the aftermath.
Otherwise, how would they explain Ji Mofan's injuries after he went out? Would they just tell everyone that he was injured because of the Supreme Venerable?
It's obvious that the follow-up matters will be a huge hassle, so it's better to just cure him and save trouble.
Moreover, although Li Jinchu gave Ji Mofan a bye, it wasn't too much of a mistake. After all, it wasn't like he was sending a good-for-nothing with no real talent to the list of famous scholars.
Li Jinchu did this so blatantly, without any concern for the Supreme Venerable One finding out.
Since it was no longer possible to control Ji Mo Fan behind everyone's back, all the Supreme Venerable could do was to work with Li Jin Chu to cover things up.
Having Ji Mofan stay in the Xiaoling Sect for recuperation was, in fact, a way to have the Supreme Venerable act as an outer protective shield.
After all, if something were to happen to Ji Mo Fan under these circumstances, the first person to be affected would undoubtedly be the Supreme Venerable, who would be the one who most wanted Ji Mo Fan to be safe and sound.
However, there's no need to explain all these grudges to Xia Langye. Besides, he couldn't possibly have any evidence to prove that Li Jinchu secretly gave Ji Mofan a spot without a place.
If things can be done so sloppily, then Li Jinchu should remove the title of the young master of the Li family from his head as soon as possible.
Xia Langye smiled and took two steps closer to him. "But back then at Xiaoling Sect, I saw that all the disciples were saying that after Senior Brother Xiao Fan passed the tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage, he was carried away by our eldest senior brother."
Ji Mofan watched him approach without expression. "Otherwise, how do you think we should take him away? Like carrying a sack of potatoes?"
He never expected that the words Li Jinchu had said to him that day could now be used against others.
Xia Langye's eyes darkened for a moment after being choked by his words, but he immediately smiled again, "What Senior Brother Xiao Fan said is true."
Ji Mo Fan felt very uncomfortable talking to him, but fortunately the judges of the Inquiry Tournament resolved the awkward situation in time.
"Thank you all for attending the final arena match of the Dao Inquiry Conference." The voice of Sect Leader Xiaoling came from the viewing platform.
The audience immediately responded with great enthusiasm.
There are more spectators here today than at any previous match, and everyone is hoping to see a thrilling final.
"This is the first time I've ever fought in front of so many people." Despite saying that, when Xia Langye turned his gaze away from the audience, the movement of drawing his sword with his backhand was so smooth that it seemed as if he had practiced it a thousand times.
Ji Mo Fan muttered something under his breath, pretending to be serious.
He now understood that Xia Langye was simply making a clumsy imitation of Li Jinchu.
He learned the fox mask from the latter, but failed to learn the clever mind behind it.
Even the action of drawing the sword was exactly the same.
Although Ji Mofan hadn't actually fought Li Jinchu many times, such a brilliant and talented person was unforgettable once seen.
Therefore, seeing imitators doesn't exactly evoke a pleasant feeling.
Moreover, Xia Langye's interest in him is most likely due to his close relationship with Li Jinchu.
Ji Mo Fan cursed inwardly at this peacock with its feathers all over the place.
The middle-aged man on the viewing platform spoke for a long time before finally sitting down under everyone's intense gaze.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match.
The human figure in front of him instantly turned into a blur and disappeared on the other side of the arena. Ji Mofan's ears twitched, and he almost instinctively dodged to his right.
A streak of flame immediately slashed down from his left. The blue flame turned into a scorching orange-red the moment it came into full contact with oxygen, and waves of heat surged up and rushed toward Ji Mofan.
Ji Mofan raised his hand and slashed out with his sword. The moisture in the air was condensed into ice crystals by him, and the moment they came into contact with the heat, they turned into a white mist and were blown away by the wind.
He couldn't help but squint.
This year's Daodao Conference is much more bizarre than when he participated four years ago.
He was invincible with his early Nascent Soul stage strength, but this year, none of the eight people standing in the finals are below the Nascent Soul stage.
Xia Langye, standing before them, was even at the late Nascent Soul stage. He must have held back during the previous battle of a hundred people, otherwise he wouldn't have achieved such a dismal seventh place among the eight.
Now, facing Ji Mofan, he has revealed all his hidden strengths, discarding one trump card after another, launching a series of dense and rapid attacks, aiming for a quick victory.
Ji Mofan was caught off guard and was hit hard several times, seemingly already at a disadvantage.
"Hmm, I was really looking forward to Ji Mofan's match, but now it doesn't seem like it's going to be that great?"
"Isn't he at the Nascent Soul stage? How can he be suppressed by the Core Formation stage?"
"You don't know? His Nascent Soul stage was built up with rare and precious materials."
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