Lin Fan thought to himself, "This Yun San is really going all out! He even gave me his sword."
In Lin Fan's view, a sword once wielded by a half-step Dou Zong shouldn't be anything ordinary. Otherwise, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
But thinking about it again, considering the talent he had shown and Yun San's attitude towards him in the past few days, it didn't seem all that surprising.
"Master, are you really giving your sword to Little Martial Brother?" Yun Yun asked.
"Have I ever joked about such matters?" Yun San replied calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.
Yet his eyes, when gazing at Lin Fan, were filled with hope.
If this youth could one day become a Dou Zun or even a Dou Sheng, perhaps the Yunlan Sect could return to its former glory.
In comparison, a sword seemed insignificant.
Yun Yun said nothing more. Since her master had spoken so decisively, there was nothing more for her to say.
Off to the side, Nalan Yanran clenched her hands even tighter. Her nails dug deep into her pale palms, leaving streaks of red marks.
Why?!
I am clearly the most talented disciple of Yunlan Sect, yet my grandmaster is placing such importance on a newcomer!
This left her heart filled with resentment and imbalance.
She then stepped forward and said to Yun San, "Grandmaster! I would like to spar with this Martial Uncle!"
Upon hearing Nalan Yanran's challenge, Yun San's expression remained indifferent.
He knew this young lady from the Nalan family was extremely proud by nature. From her perspective, it was only natural to feel upset seeing him show such favor to Lin Fan.
That's fine.
This can be a good opportunity to test Lin Fan's foundation. After all, cultivation level is just one part of strength—mastery of techniques and battle skills is equally important.
Yun Yun looked surprised.
Nalan Yanran was, after all, her disciple. Yun Yun knew her personality inside and out, but she hadn't expected Yanran to step up and challenge the new Little Martial Brother so quickly.
Yun San looked toward Lin Fan and asked calmly, "Lin Fan, are you willing to spar with Yanran?"
Lin Fan gave it a thought. His current cultivation was higher than Nalan Yanran's, so sparring with her shouldn't put him at a disadvantage.
It would also be a good chance to test how powerful his body had become after being refined by the Supreme Bone and the Xuanling Jade Marrow Liquid.
Besides, he lacked practical combat experience—this would be a great opportunity to gain some.
"Master, I accept," Lin Fan said calmly.
Nalan Yanran looked at him coldly and said, "Martial Uncle, blades and fists have no eyes in a spar. If you get hurt... you'll have to bear it."
The way she emphasized the word "you" was especially pointed.
Nalan Yanran thought to herself, Grandmaster holds you in such high regard—let me see just how capable you really are!
Lin Fan, on the other hand, was thinking, Is this girl trying to settle a personal grudge?
Then he remembered from the original story that she was extremely arrogant, stubborn, and never willing to admit defeat.
Now that he had stolen her limelight, of course she wouldn't feel good about it. Wanting to spar was perfectly normal.
"A spar... a few injuries are only to be expected," Lin Fan said.
Yun San remained expressionless, still showing that same calm face, as if none of this concerned him.
Yun Yun looked slightly surprised. She had expected Lin Fan to refuse—after all, he was just a newcomer.
In her view, Nalan Yanran had the upper hand in this spar.
Not because she was blindly confident in her disciple,
But because Nalan had been in the sect for a long time and had a lot of real combat experience.
Her mastery of cultivation techniques and combat skills was also quite advanced.
These were all areas where Lin Fan couldn't compare.
In battles between cultivators of equal strength, what mattered most was mastery over one's techniques and battle skills.
Of course, the level and quality of those techniques were also extremely important.
Some people were able to challenge opponents with higher cultivation levels thanks to their talent, techniques, and rich combat experience.
But all of that was only possible if the gap in cultivation wasn't too great—
If it was, the stronger party could finish you off with just one breath.
No matter how great your techniques or skills were, you wouldn't even get the chance to use them before being taken out.
Enemies in battle often had countless unpredictable methods. Unexpected situations could occur at any moment, and overcoming those required accumulated experience.
Such experience could make up for deficiencies in cultivation level.
Even though Lin Fan was a three-star Dou Zhe, Nalan Yanran could still defeat him.
Maybe not easily, but it wouldn't take much effort either.
"Then let's begin!" Nalan Yanran said.
"Please."
At that moment, Yun Yun reminded, "Yanran, keep it to a friendly match. Do not use your sword."
Nalan Yanran said nothing. She simply gave Lin Fan a cold glance and set her sword to the side.
She still had great respect for Yun Yun.
Seeing that she wasn't using her sword, Lin Fan also set his sword aside.
Their spar would take place in Yun San's private courtyard, which was spacious enough.
For two Dou Zhe cultivators, the space was sufficient.
As soon as the words were said, Nalan Yanran rushed at Lin Fan with blinding speed—Without even checking whether he was ready.
[**Cultivation Realms: Dou Di >> Dou Sheng >> Dou Zun >> Dou Zong >> Dou Huang >> … >> … >> Dou Zhe >> Dou QI**]