Wait a minute, where is my master?

For many years, no one had stood in front of Mr. Lan and demanded compensation from her.

No, that's not right, it had never happened at all!

Although Lan Junyan had no intention of simply walking away after the fight in the courtyard, the normal process should have been that she taught Song Xili a lesson and then, after Jiang Xiulan came back,

she would approach the other party with some pleasantries, show a slight expression of regret, and then proceed with courtesy, saying something like, "I accidentally broke your yard. I'll compensate you with some Spirit Stones."

By then, as the Nine Provinces' foremost Culinary Sage, he would definitely be unable to accept compensation, verbally accepting the apology and insisting that the Spirit Stones were unnecessary, followed by a laugh, and then the matter would be put to rest.

That way, everyone's on good terms, and Jiang Xiulan would not lose too much face.

After all, Lan Junyan was backed by Qingmu Academy, one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, and her cultivation was at the pinnacle of the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Although Jiang Xiulan had a significant reputation, he certainly couldn't contend with such a major immortal power, and it was even doubtful whether he could defeat Mr. Lan in a one-on-one fight.

But now this unknown little Taoist had shown up, not only taking hold of Lan Junyan's teaching ruler but also demanding direct compensation from her.

Was the reputation of Qingmu Immortal Sect no longer effective, or was her top-level Divinity Transformation cultivation fake!!!

Lan Junyan was lost in thought for a moment, a trace of anger appearing in her attractive eyes.

"You want me to compensate for this courtyard and its walls?"

As she spoke, she tugged at the pure white teaching ruler in her hand, but the ruler, held by the little Taoist, was immovable as if forged from millennium-aged mysterious iron.

"Right, you broke Brother Jiang's yard, shouldn't you compensate for it?"

Jin Xu calmly looked at the woman in white and green robes in front of him and spoke indifferently.

Even children know that if you break something, you should make amends. This lady looks like a scholar; does she really need such a simple principle explained to her again?

Lan Junyan failed to move the teaching ruler and felt a sinking feeling. Connecting this to the little Taoist's speed just now, she estimated that he must be a practitioner of body cultivation, and likely one following those harsh ancient practices that had been lost over time. Otherwise, how could he be completely devoid of any spiritual power fluctuations?

"My conflict with Song Xili is an internal matter of the academy. With the Qingmu Secret Realm's impending opening, it would be unwise to offend a mysterious and powerful body cultivator at this time, and besides, he makes a valid point. So be it, I will compensate him with a few dozen mid-grade Spirit Stones and take Song Xili back to the academy for punishment."

Mr. Lan had a bit of a wilful and domineering nature, but she was not unreasonable. Besides, she was also in charge of managing the Qingmu Secret Realm and did not want to cause too much trouble in the city at this moment.

But the trouble started when she posed a counter-question.

"Your point is taken. So, how much compensation do you demand, Taoist?"

This question left Jin Xu dumbfounded.

He wasn't familiar with the real estate prices in the Nine Provinces Realm.

He had some movable property, and as a little Taoist, he had never planned on buying or owning land, so he was truly clueless about how much compensation to ask for.

However, Jin Xu might not know the housing prices in the Nine Provinces Realm, but he had heard a bit about the value of a home in his previous life.

"Real estate, no matter how bad, shouldn't be too inexpensive, right?"

The little Taoist reconsidered the price levels he had seen at the auction and had a rough figure in mind.

So he released the teaching ruler and slowly raised a finger.

Seeing him extend a finger, Lan Junyan thought to herself that one High-Grade Spirit Stone was roughly equivalent to a hundred mid-grade ones, which wasn't an excessive price. But before she could retrieve a High-Grade Spirit Stone from her storage ring to hand to him,

she heard the little Taoist utter two words.

"Ten thousand."

Lan Junyan: "??? What did you say?"

As if afraid she might misunderstand, Jin Xu added, "Just ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones will be fine."

"Are you deliberately making fun of me?"

The female Confucian cultivator clad in white and green garments' face instantly darkened, a hint of anger surfacing in her eyes.

At this moment, the pure white measuring ruler had been released by the young Taoist, and she stepped back, quickly putting distance between herself and Jin Xu.

When dealing with body cultivators, the first rule is never get close if it can be avoided.

Lan Junyan had already decided to make a move. Since the other party was deliberately picking a fight, she wouldn't mind showing off the might of Qingmu Academy before the Secret Realm opened.

Although her ruler had just been grabbed by the opponent, Mr. Lan was not known for her physical prowess. Now that distance had been established, she was confident that with Confucian magic, she could teach this ignorant Taoist a proper lesson.

Let him understand, to demand a lion's share, one must have the strength to back it up!

Jin Xu, seeing this reaction after his pricing, had a hunch that he might have quoted too high.

But Lan Junyan didn't give him a chance to explain. After a rebuke, she had stepped back and made her move.

The reaction from Mr. Lan was only natural.

It's like you go out, order a pot of good wine worth a silver piece, only to have the shopkeeper come over after one sip to tell you it's ten thousand silver pieces a pot.

And when you ask if there's been a mistake, the shopkeeper reminds you it's ten thousand in gold.

No one would be pleased in such a situation.

All the more so for Lan Junyan, who was accustomed to high esteem as the premier among the scholars of the academy.

"Take this!"

Along with Mr. Lan's icy rebuke, Jin Xu saw her hands form seals, ancient characters winding between her palms, and then she thrust fiery red spiritual power into the air.

Next, five pillars of fire descended from the sky, encircling the young Taoist in the middle.

The five fire pillars, radiating intense heat, began to spin rapidly around Jin Xu, slowly closing in on the center.

One of the Confucian skills, "Heavenly Fire".

Lan Junyan at this moment still had no intention of taking Jin Xu's life, merely wanting to teach him a lesson.

Otherwise, instead of the five fire pillars slowly converging, it would have been all five converging at once, aiming straight for the top of Jin Xu's skull.

Song Xili, who was lying behind the young Taoist not far from the five rapidly spinning fire pillars, saw that his blood had been dried up by the heat. He saw Lan Junyan inexplicably start a fight with Jin Xu.

He hastily sent her a telepathic message.

"Mr. Lan, you better stop, this young Taoist and I are old acquaintances. Don't involve him in our business, and furthermore, his strength is profound, you..."

"No need for more words, I will merely administer a small punishment, his life won't be harmed," Lan Junyan interrupted Song Xili's telepathic message before he could finish.

Mr. Song, supporting his swollen head, struggled to stand up from the ground.

"What I'm afraid of is not you harming the young Taoist, what I'm afraid of is you being killed by him in one punch!"

Though he had not witnessed Jin Xu exploding one of Demon Sect's Twelve Hall Masters with a punch near Wild Wolf Ridge that day, he had heard the tale retold by Mei Shouyi a dozen times!

"Well, I'd better ask the young Taoist for mercy on your behalf, then."

Song Xili then turned and sent a telepathic message to Jin Xu.

Meanwhile, the young Taoist in the midst of the five fire pillars was looking at the fire pillars closing in on him with interest.

Seeing the fire pillars drawing ever nearer, Jin Xu raised his left hand and activated the "Fire Condensing Skill".

However, this time he wasn't using the Fire Attribute spiritual power transformed from the golden spiritual power within his body.

Instead, he condensed the five fire pillars in an instant into the palm of his hand.