Liu Jian and the Elders of the 'Floating Cloud sect' around him were all taken aback when they saw this.
Was Liu Mei intending to fight Liu Jian head-on?
Liu Jian was also stunned when he noticed the quality of the azure sword in Liu Mei's hands.
With a glance, he could clearly tell that this azure sword was even better than his own sword!
As for Liu Changpun, he didn't seem to have noticed this detail, and instead, he pointed at his sister and laughed in a mocking manner as he said
''Hahaha, take revenge? Revenge for what? For being treated unfairly?
This is the cultivation world idiotic woman! Perhaps you were lucky enough to obtain the inheritance of the 'Vermilion realm', but if you think that your sudden rise in cultivation will instantly place you at the level of a sect master, you really are dumb!
Just based on how quickly you have advanced, your foundation is surely unstable and you may never even reach the late-stages of the Spirit realm!''
Liu Jian frowned when he heard his son's words, but he didn't berate him this time.
It was obvious that Liu Mei really wanted to fight him, and wouldn't rest until one of them won.
Besides, in Liu Jian's heart, Liu Changpun was also right.
Despite the fact that Liu Mei's cultivation had somehow surpassed his, and her sword looked to be at least a rank 3 silver grade weapon, Liu Jian didn't think that he would lose when fighting his own daughter.
Even in the worst-case scenario, they would be evenly matched!
After all, Liu Jian's fighting experience was honed through many years of fighting against the best of the best in the 'Desolate East'.
Although his cultivation was only at the early stages of the Spirit realm, he was still a peak rank 3 Spirit realm expert who was just a step away from reaching the middle-stages.
Despite the qualitative difference between the early and the middle-stages of the Spirit realm, Liu Jian always had the confidence to fight against, and even defeat normal early rank 4 Spirit realm cultivators, let alone Liu Mei who most likely had her cultivation boosted in an abnormal way.
Looking at Liu Mei, Liu Jian shook his head, before he said with a serious look in his eyes
''Very well!
If you win, you can take your mother and do whatever else you want to do...
But if you lose, you will have to listen to me from now on.''
With a gentle smile on his face, Liu Jian took out a long white sword from his spatial ring, and looking at Liu Mei he continued
''Meimei don't worry. I will no longer force you to marry someone you don't want to! In fact, as long as you agree, I will make you the sect master today!
After all, my blood still flows through your veins, and even if I failed to realize your worth in the past, we can still fix everything.''
''Hahaha!''
At the same time, right above the clouds of the 'Floating Cloud city', Shun Long couldn't help laughing when he heard Liu Jian's words.
Thankfully he had already suppressed his voice so no one had managed to hear him.
Seeing Liu Jian's attempt to persuade Liu Mei to return back to the sect, was akin to watching a monkey perform.
If everything in this world, including years of parental neglection that had practically pushed Liu Mei to the brink of death, forcing her to pass through the second trial of the 'Vermilion realm' by herself and almost die in the process, all of them simply to escape from the 'Floating Cloud sect', could be mended through a bunch of sweet words, then Liu Mei would have really suffered for nothing.
Indeed, this was a pragmatic world, and now that Liu Mei's 'worth' had exceeded that of Liu Changpun's in their father's eyes, Liu Jian was willing to do anything to get Liu Mei back to his side.
However, although Lan Hong's and the rest of the Elders nodded their heads, Liu Changpun's expression had instantly turned ugly when he heard his father's words.
He was like a chicken being held from its neck.
Make Liu Mei the sect master? Then what about him?
However, despite Liu Jian's sweet words, Liu Mei wasn't that naive and sheltered woman any longer.
Although she was a person who seldomly spoke, she had experienced a lot of things with Shun Long in the last year, and wouldn't be willing to forgive Liu Jian just because of a few words.
Holding the peak rank 2 silver grade sword in his hand, Liu Jian looked at Liu Mei and said in a gentle tone
''Come then! Show me how much you have improved while you were away!''
With a cold look in her eyes, a layer of frost appeared on Liu Mei's 'four seasons azure sword', before she flew forward towards Liu Jian.
Although Shun Long had already taught her the 'Gale steps', Liu Mei's affinity with this martial skill wasn't high, and she had only reached the first out of the 7 levels.
However, just the first stage of this 'Mystic high-grade martial skill' was enough to boost Liu Mei's speed by at least two-fold, making it impossible for any early-stage Spirit realm cultivator to catch up with her.
Even other rank 4 and rank 5 Spirit realm cultivators wouldn't be able to match her speed if they hadn't comprehended a Dao like the 'Dao of Wind' or if they didn't have a similar 'Mystic high-grade martial skill'!
A gust of wind appeared around Liu Mei's feet while her body left behind a layer of frost in tha air as she flew towards Liu Jian.
Using both of her hands, Liu Mei gathered her qi into the 'four seasons azure sword', creating a huge ice sword that she slashed down towards Liu Jian.
Liu Jian smiled when he saw this while a layer of frost covered his own sword as well, turning into a huge sword that met Liu Mei's slash head-on.
The Elders of the 'Floating Cloud sect', including the Grand Elder Lang Hong, as well as Liu Changpun, all hurriedly flew away, not daring to stay within the radius of Liu Mei's and Liu Jian's fight.
As soon as the 'four seasons azure sword' met Liu Jian's sword however, the sound of ice crashing resounded above the 'Floating Cloud sect', and Liu Mei's huge ice sword started to crumble.
The layer of ice that was covering the 'four seasons azure sword's' surface was quickly destroyed, revealing the blue sword's original appearance, while pushing Liu Mei back in the process.
At the same time, although the ice on Liu Jian's sword was cracked as well, it wasn't destroyed, and was quickly reformed a few moments later.
In the first exchange, Liu Mei was actually at a disadvantage!
''Hahahahaha!''
Liu Changpun started laughing when he saw this scene, and without missing the chance to mock his sister he said seriously
''Hahaha! Despite your cultivation being higher than father's, it seems that your comprehension of the Dao of Ice isn't even close to his own!''
It wasn't just Liu Changpun who had noticed this, but Lan Hong as well as the other Elders, who looked at the scene in front of them without any shock in their eyes.
No matter what, it was impossible for Liu Mei's comprehension of the Dao of Ice to reach the same level as Liu Jian's within a year.
Even though her cultivation was higher, in a direct exchange she was put on the back foot.
Liu Jian didn't miss this chance, and continued to counterattack, as he relentlessly slashed his white sword at Liu Mei again and again, forcing her to defend and take a passive position.
The ice on top of the 'four seasons azure sword' didn't even have enough time to reform itself, before it was quickly destroyed by Liu Jian's powerful attacks.
Indeed, when the difference in cultivation wasn't big, the comprehension of the Dao, the martial skills, as well as the type of the Dao itself, were the things that proved to be critical during a fight.
As Liu Jian pushed Liu Mei further and further, he said in a low voice
''This is the result of advancing hastily in your cultivation. No matter what, your comprehension of the Dao must always be at the same level as your cultivation base.
Otherwise, even after reaching the middle stages of the Spirit realm, you will lose even when you fight against average early-stage Spirit realm cultivators.''
Narrowing her eyes, Liu Mei didn't reply to Liu Jian, and instead, she raised the 'four seasons azure sword' as she took Liu Jian's hit head-on.
Despite being a peak rank 2 silver grade sword fighting against a rank 1 gold grade weapon, Liu Jian's huge ice sword sent Liu Mei flying in the sky, making her hands feel pain in the process after blocking the hit.
However, Liu Mei still suppressed the pain she was feeling, and with a cold look in her eyes, she gathered her qi in her right hand, where a black ball of qi slowly took form.