ould be our last conversation." The old man fell silent."Bang!"Then, the jade pendant on Xiao Chen's neck suddenly shattered."Click, click, click..."Once again, a series of crackling sounds echoed fro...Frost-covered Palace, Martial Arts Field.

Fang Yu stood not far from Su Lengyun.

And about 100 meters in front of Su Lengyun, there was a giant stone slab over ten meters high.

This boulder is quite large, weighing at least over a hundred tons.

This is a large rock that Fang Yu specifically dug out of the nearby mountains for testing.

On the martial arts field, besides Fang Yu and Su Lengyun, nearly a hundred disciples from the Frost Cold Palace also stood behind, their expressions excited as they stared at Su Lengyun.

"Are you ready" Fang Yu looked at Su Lengyun and asked.

Su Lengyun gently nodded and placed the dark golden, ethereal ring on her right middle finger.

"Whoosh!"

The moment the ring was put on, its once dull surface instantly burst into a radiant glow.

Su Lengyun glanced at Fang Yu and turned to look at the huge rock in the distance.

Then, she clenched her fist and punched the boulder!

"Click!"

Before the fist, a large area of fine cracks suddenly appeared, like shards of transparent glass shattering!

"Wow!"

Behind me, the disciples all exclaimed in astonishment.

"Boom!"

At the same time, the giant stone a hundred meters away exploded with a deafening roar!

A cloud of dust erupted, and pebbles flew in all directions!

A few seconds later, the dust settled.

The giant stone, several tens of meters high and weighing over a hundred tons, was gone.

In its place, there was a pile of rubble.

"Wow..."

The female disciples behind, their eyes and mouths wide with disbelief!

Even if all the disciples present were to work together, they probably wouldn't be able to move that boulder.

Kesu Lengyun punched it to smithereens!

The power is too terrifying!

"Not bad." Fang Yu commented.

This ring is truly accessible to everyone.

Before that Chu Yun was never a cultivator, just an ordinary person, yet he could still wield the power of this ring.

"Brother Yu, this magic treasure, its rank is at least above top grade... I can't accept such a precious gift." Su Lengyun took the Kong Ling Ring from her hand and wanted to return it to Fang Yu.

"Master, this ring was originally mine. He's just borrowing it to offer to the Buddha! Just take it!" At this moment, Liu Liansha stepped forward and said indignantly.

Su Lengyun looked at Liu Liansha, a hint of confusion in her beautiful eyes.

She didn't know that this ring was also related to Liu Liansha.

"Why would it be yours" Su Lengyun asked.

Liu Lian Sha was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something, her face changed slightly, and she said: "It's nothing, I just said so..."

Since her last stint in disciplinary confinement, Su Lengyun had strictly forbidden her from continuing as a mercenary.

If she were to reveal the ring's origins, her secret employment would be exposed.

This time, Su Lengyun should at least be punished with six months of confinement!

Seeing Liu Liansha like this, Su Lengyun knew she was hiding something.

However, she didn't want to press him at the moment.

"This ring is useless to me, its effects overlap with my own strengths. But for you, it would be immensely beneficial," Fang Yu said calmly. "With this ring, your close-combat abilities could be raised at least two or three levels."

Su Lengyun lowered her head to look at the Kong Ling Ring, then looked up, her beautiful eyes rippling like water, and softly said: "Thank you, Brother Yu."

Liu Liansha coughed lightly beside him and said, "Master, you should be mindful of the influence. There are so many senior and junior sisters watching behind you!"

Su Lengyun was startled for a moment, then smiled gracefully and said, "Brother Yu isn't an outsider, there's nothing we can't show him."

"Not an outsider..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Liansha was completely desperate.

……

"Brother Yu, if you are willing, you can stay in the Frost and Cold Palace for a long time. This place is more suitable for cultivation." Su Lengyun walked beside Fang Yu and said.

"I still have things to take care of. Come back another time when I'm free." Fang Yu said, "Also, next time remember to bring some more normal food, like fish. It's not good to eat only potatoes and sweet potatoes for a long time."

Su Lengyun smiled and said, "Next time you come, be sure to let me know in advance. I'll prepare some food especially for you."

"By the way, why did the Han family cooperate with the Shuang Han Palace" Fang Yu suddenly remembered Han Tianyu this morning and asked.

When mentioning this, Su Lengyun's eyes turned somewhat gloomy.

"So-called cooperation is actually making the Frost Cold Palace become a subordinate sect to the Han family, obeying the Han family... This isn't cooperation, this is disguised annexation." Su Lengyun said in a low voice.

"Merge" Fang Yu was taken aback.

According to his understanding, in the past cultivation world, the status of sects was the highest.

Almost every cultivator with spiritual roots wants to join a good sect to obtain cultivation resources.

In this case, it is similar to how students in the secular world today aspire to get into a good university.

Back then, aside from a very small number of deeply rooted cultivating families, no other clan could compare to sects, even the family of a nation's ruler.

But now, it seems the situation in the martial arts world has reversed

"My master told me that three hundred years ago, the martial arts world was entirely dominated by major sects. Back then, there wasn't even the concept of a martial arts family."

"But later, the head of a large sect abused his position to provide many resources within the sect to his family. Over time, this head's family grew rapidly, controlling cultivation resources comparable to, or even surpassing, most sects."

"Afterward, the Sect Leader's deeds were exposed, but by then, no one in the sect could oppose him anymore, for his family had grown powerful enough to support and shield him."

"This incident had a profound impact on the martial arts world. Since then, many high-ranking figures in various sects began to imitate the headmaster's actions, using the sect's resources to nurture their families."

This trend has continued unabated. Over time, the influence of the sects has gradually weakened, while the power of the major martial arts families has surged.

"Not only in Huaibei, but the current situation of the entire Chinese martial arts world is that martial arts families dominate. Only a few regions have a balance of power between them."

“Before the incident at Zhuxian Valley, the sects and families in Huaibei were evenly matched.” Su Lengyun paused, then said, “But now, the situation has become one-sided.”

Over these nine days, many sects proactively submitted to the major martial arts families in order to minimize their losses.

"If we don't pledge allegiance, wouldn't those martial arts families attack the sect Wouldn't that Martial Arts Association do anything about it" Fang Yu raised an eyebrow and asked.

“He won’t take direct action, but will use various means to curb the sect’s development. For example, he will forcibly sever the sect’s cooperation with secular families, cutting off the sect’s financial resources once and for all. Or he might incite emotions among the sect’s disciples, causing them to leave the sect… There are many ways.” Su Lengyun frowned slightly and said, “This kind of thing, the Martial Arts Association won’t interfere with. Because a large part of the Martial Arts Association’s operating funds is sponsored by major martial arts families, the two sides are already on the same front.”

"Listening to you, it seems like the situation at the sect isn't very optimistic," Fang Yu said.

"Yes." Su Lengyun's voice was a little low.

She is just barely hanging on, hasn't figured out a solution yet.

"In that case, cooperating with the martial arts families is the only way, right" Fang Yu asked.

Su Lengyun shook her head and said, "Cooperating with these martial arts families will soon lead to the loss of control over the sect, and then it will completely become a tool for the martial arts families."

"Master passed the position of Headmaster to me, I must be responsible for Frost Cold Palace to the end."

"Not bad."

Seeing the determination in Su Lengyun's eyes, Fang Yu nodded.

Su Lengyun's predicament is very similar to his when he first took over the Tiandao Sect.

And Su Lengyun's determination filled him with great satisfaction.

As the headmaster, one has to carry the entire sect on their shoulders and be responsible for every disciple within the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Feiyu had not accomplished something in the past, now he hopes Su Lengyun can accomplish it.

"If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime." Fang Yu said to Su Lengyun.

"Mm." Su Lengyun nodded.

……

Su Lengyun asked Liu Liansha to stay in the sect for cultivation, so Fang Yu returned to Nandou alone.

Back at Liu Liansha's apartment, Fang Yu frowned as soon as he opened the door.

The interior floor is clean, and all kinds of furniture are arranged very neatly.

But Fang Yu was very clear that someone was still inside the house and had not yet left.harp blade sliced through the air, creating a piercing shriek.At this moment, one of the swords within the Sword Formation began to glow."Bang!"With a sharp crack, Xiu Mei's hands were met with an inc...