On the other side, when Chen Yusheng finally came to, his gaze was somewhat vacant.

He ignored the concern from others entirely until Gu Haitang asked, "Are you okay?"

It was then that he seemed to come back to his senses, nodding gloomily, "Sorry, I’ve shamed the sect."

Gu Haitang shook her head and said calmly, "It’s nothing. Just don’t be so impulsive next time."

After saying this, she walked to the opposite side, "Brother Chu, isn’t it time for us to have a friendly duel?"

Once again, the disciples of the two sects turned their gazes over. Are they going to fight again? It couldn’t really be that heated, could it?

Chu Xuan had a bit of a headache. He could probably understand Gu Haitang’s thinking:

Things had gotten a bit out of hand, and now Purple Heaven Jade Mansion’s reputation had been dented. She, as part of Purple Heaven and the strongest among them, understandably couldn’t stand by without doing something.

"A duel is a duel, what’s there to be afraid of?" Xiao Yue egged on from the side, "Might as well beat her till her butt’s full of flowers."

Jiang Yiyi also fanned the flames, "Shouldn’t there be a prize though? I propose the loser should warm the winner’s bed!"

The last line rang out so loudly that it drew odd looks from everyone towards her.

Chu Xuan tapped his master’s ancestor on the head, signaling her to be quiet, then stepped forward with hands clasped, saying:

"Friend Gu, indeed my junior brother did speak out of turn, please don’t hold it against him; as for the duel, let’s just skip it. Our families have been on good terms for many years, why hurt the harmony over such a trivial matter?"

"Brother Chu, you misspoke. It’s just a friendly sparring match, how would it hurt our harmony?" Gu Haitang remained unyielding.

"How about this, rather than a direct duel, we can each showcase our divine techniques and see who’s superior. How about that?"

"Showcase divine techniques?" Chu Xuan showed a look of confusion.

Gu Haitang nodded, "Each of us holds a lotus seed in hand, and whoever can make it take root, sprout, and bloom the fastest will be the victor."

Upon hearing this, whether disciples of Daoist Palace or Purple Heaven, all nodded in agreement. This method was suitable, it wouldn’t harm harmony, and tested the cultivator’s understanding of the Dao.

In fact, this even seemed advantageous to Chu Xuan, as everyone knew that the hallmark cultivation technique of Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace was the Cyan Lotus Technique.

But Chu Xuan was stumped because he had never practiced the Cyan Lotus Technique, hadn’t even studied wood-based or longevity-related Daoist arts. Where would he find the time for that?

With Gu Haitang proposing such "favorable" conditions, if Chu Xuan declined, it would seem somewhat unreasonable, and people might even suspect he was chickening out.

So even though he felt the odds were not in his favor, Chu Xuan had no choice but to brace himself and agree:

"Let’s do it then. After this duel, let’s sit down for a cup of tea."

Very quickly, a Daoist Palace disciple fetched two fresh lotus seeds from a nearby lotus pond. They were from the same flower, identical in size, absolutely fair.

Before everyone’s eyes, the disciple extended both hands, simultaneously dropping the lotus seeds into the palms of Chu Xuan and Gu Haitang, marking the official start of the contest.

Gu Haitang immediately extended her other hand, holding the lotus seed in both hands, channeling her magical power, using a wood-based divine technique to accelerate growth.

A pure green glow rapidly radiated from her palms, and then as she opened her hands, the lotus seed visibly began to root and sprout...

The audience held their breath, continuing to observe Chu Xuan’s side.

But to everyone’s surprise, Chu Xuan just held the lotus seed in his right hand, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.

Disciples of Purple Heaven were naturally puzzled, even suspecting whether Chu Xuan intended to yield this round to show goodwill?

As for the Daoist Palace side, ever since the last minor examination, some disciples suspected that the senior brother might not be cultivating the "Eternal Green Lotus Technique."

However, this idea was too shocking for anyone to confirm, and now fears were creeping in that the senior brother might not have practiced the Cyan Lotus Technique or any wood-based Daoist arts at all??

Those who knew Chu Xuan the best, such as Xiao Yue and Jiang Yiyi, couldn’t bear to watch, with the latter even complaining, "We shouldn’t have chosen this; why is this kid so honest?"

Jiang Yiyi even regretted not stepping in to stop them earlier.

Yet the junior brother still had full faith in the senior brother, despite his weakness, lying on a lounge chair with a fortune-teller’s tone:

"You don’t understand, senior brother is gathering strength, keep faith in him."

The previously downcast Chen Yusheng, sharply noticing the Daoist Palace disciples’ panic, found his spirits slightly lifted.

Indeed! Chu Xuan was originally from the Hehuan Sect. Even if his cultivation was crippled, if he indulged in the dual cultivation arts, he might have regained his abilities and probably never actually practiced the Cyan Lotus Technique.

Although it was unclear why his master, Fu Yunzi, tolerated this disciple to such an extent, at the thought that Gu Haitang might soon reclaim face for him and the sect, Chen Yusheng became nervous yet hopeful.

While continuing to nurture the lotus seed, Gu Haitang kept an eye on the other side.

She didn’t seem too surprised, appearing to have chosen this method partly to discern Chu Xuan’s foundation from the start.

The lotus seed in her hands sprouted, growing four young leaves, continually rising higher; below, the rhizome extended horizontally, growing stronger from a thin strand.

Where the joints formed, roots emerged, producing leaf sheaths and bud sheaths, and it looked as if even the flower buds were about to emerge, while Chu Xuan’s side remained completely still.

This led many Daoist Palace disciples to shake their heads repeatedly, believing the senior brother was bound to lose.

No matter, it was simply a lack of specialization rather than a skill deficiency. Besides, since they were guests from afar, after the earlier commotion, maybe this would restore some honor to Purple Heaven Jade Mansion.

Instead, Purple Heaven’s disciples were riding a wave of morale; although none dared to make any noise, fearing they might disturb Gu Haitang, the anticipation, joy, and excitement were plainly visible on their faces.

As the flower buds stretched upward from beneath the green leaves, eventually forming a blossom in bud, Chu Xuan remained motionless as Gu Haitang started to feel disappointed, thinking he had decided to do nothing at all.

Just at this pivotal moment of determining victory, a miracle happened!

The lotus seed in Chu Xuan’s hand began to root and sprout at an unbelievable speed.

Leaves, rhizomes, leaf sheaths, bud sheaths, buds, and flower buds all appeared one by one, culminating in a blooming pink-white lotus flower~

Meanwhile, Gu Haitang’s lotus flower in her hand opened slightly later...

The entire audience was completely stunned. A last-minute reversal?!

How could something like this happen?

Even more critically, no one could figure out how exactly Chu Xuan managed this seemingly instantaneous blossoming, not even what technique he used.

Though Gu Haitang lost, her eyes were still brimming with brilliance, as if saying: I knew you weren’t that simple.