Although she found such an excuse, in fact, Liu Xilan came because of the duel between Shen Han and Shen Ye.
Hearing Liu Xilanâs words, Shen Han nodded slightly.
"Roughly half a month left, and I will have to duel my older brother.
The winner will inherit the Shen Familyâs marquis title."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xilan hesitated a little before finally asking, "Do you have confidence?"
Shen Han nodded his head.
Relatively speaking, Shen Han was a cautious person who didnât boast.
The nod meant that he genuinely believed in himself and had confidence.
However, Liu Xilan seemed not to have confidence in Shen Han.
Seeing Shen Han nodding, her expression became slightly serious.
"You should already know my junior brother, Ye Tianxing, although the encounter wasnât pleasant.
You should still remember him, right?
He is actually an old acquaintance of your brother Shen Ye, and they have some connection.
The other day, he returned from the capital and spoke to me.
Your brother seemed to have used some heavenly materials and earthly treasures to enhance his strength.
Junior Brother Ye didnât say what Shen Yeâs current strength is.
But he earnestly stated that Shen Yeâs current strength could even surpass his own..."
Liu Xilan raised her eyes to look at Shen Han, with a hint of worry in her eyes.
To put it bluntly, she came to Tianyi Academy today to remind Shen Han of this point.
But seeing Shen Han remain calm, Liu Xilan seemed even more worried.
"Junior Brother Ye is in the Fifth Grade Fruit Realm, just a step away from the Fourth Grade.
His understanding of Sword Dao is also among the top at Xiaoyao Peak.
For Shen Ye to surpass him, that strength is indeed not to be underestimated.
And your brother seems to have a deep hatred for you, the kind of hatred..."
Shen Han also understood Liu Xilan was reminding him.
But now the duel is imminent, and what the emperor said cannot be taken back lightly.
Moreover, even so, he still had some confidence.
"Thank you, Fairy Xilan, for the reminder. Now, itâs impossible to cancel the duel.
During the duel, I will be cautious and protect my safety, even if I lose."
Hearing this, Liu Xilan thought for a moment.
Without much hesitation, she took out a small booklet.
"I guessed youâd answer this way. This is some techniques and methods I guessed from Junior Brother Yeâs words.
There might be errors in some parts, but most should be methods Shen Ye commonly uses.
Have a look and see if they are of help."
After handing over the booklet, she didnât linger any longer.
She prepared to visit Rain Listening Pavilion, where the Su Family was still waiting for her.
Shen Han escorted her out of Tianyi Academy, deeply grateful to Liu Xilan in his heart.
Truthfully, she had helped him many times...
Shen Han thought about repaying her, yet after much thought, he still didnât know what she lacked.
He couldnât just impulsively give her some gifts.
That would feel quite odd.
Returning to his cottage, Shen Han pondered slightly.
In this duel with Shen Ye, many supported him, and many helped him too.
But it seemed everyone lacked some confidence in him.
Shen Han flipped through the booklet, which recorded the techniques Shen Ye used, their power, and speed.
There were Liu Xilanâs evaluations, and some places also noted countermeasures, showing real dedication.
In fact, it wasnât surprising people lacked confidence in him.
Shen Ye recently seemed to have undergone a transformation, entering the Half-Step Fifth Grade Realm, and shouldnât have improved so fast.
But he did, and his cultivation technique combat strength has also significantly improved.
As Shen Han thought, Shen Ye must have some mysterious and secretive means.
In fact, itâs not just others who lacked confidence in Shen Han.
After Shen Ye suddenly showed such strength, the Great Wei Emperor, Prince Qingyuan, and all in the Shen Family...
All of them, without exception, had little confidence in Shen Han.
And Shen Hanâs performance in training with Dean Tianyi was also not up to par.
One could even say it was somewhat poor.
However, confidence or not, the duel was unavoidable.
At the Shen Mansion in Yunâan City.
At the moment, the Shen Mansion was quite busy, as the usual clan assessment took place at Wutong Villa.
But this yearâs clan assessment was expected to attract many spectators.
Among them would be dignitaries and many allies of the Shen Family.
Upon Shen Qingshanâs arrangement, the entire Shen Mansion needed thorough cleaning, and a large open space had to be cleared.
Regarding the duel between Shen Ye and Shen Han, Shen Qingshan and everyone in the Shen Mansion were not very worried.
Perhaps in a few more years, Shen Han might become formidable.
But that wouldnât be now for sure.
In the memory of the Shen Family, the recent duel between Shen Han and Shen Ye was the academyâs grand competition, where Shen Han defeated Shen Yeâs clone.
Later, Madam Shen did hear about Shen Hanâs assassination attempt on Shen Ye.
But according to Shen Ye, Shen Han used some dangerous hidden weapon, not his own strength.
The only point of concern was Shen Hanâs victory over Zhu Mingxiang in the Ten Nations Grand Competition.
Zhu Mingxiang was a talented genius from Yan Country, of the same age as Shen Ye.
This made the Shen Family slightly worried.
Though any initial concerns were dispelled by Shen Yeâs recent outstanding performance.
Madam He, busy organizing matters, wore a cheerful smile.
As Shen Yeâs mother, when she first heard of Shen Han competing for the Shen Family title with her son, she was indeed infuriated.
She wished she could tear Shen Han apart.
For those few days, she cursed Shen Han every day.
Madam He had also prepared an incense altar to pray for her sonâs steady rise.
At the same time, she prayed for Shen Hanâs untimely death.
Offering incense daily, she was surprised it seemed to work a bit.
Her outstanding son Shen Ye had already entered the Fifth Grade Fruit Realm!
Truthfully, when Madam He heard the news, she almost couldnât believe it.
Once she spread this news in the Shen Family, any slight doubts about Shen Ye quickly vanished.
It was precisely for this reason that Madam He planned this clan assessment carefully.
To arrange the venue excellently, so more people could witness it.
Her outstanding son deserved to be seen by more people.
With newfound motivation, Madam He paid more attention to details.
Two months were not long.
There were two days left until the duel.
Shen Han communicated with Dean Tianyi, not wishing to go to Yunâan City ahead of time, to the Shen Mansion.
He had no sense of belonging to the Shen Mansion.
Nominally his hometown, but he didnât live well there.
Returning to Yunâan City would mean returning home as per tradition.
Shen Han had no interest in spending a night at the Shen Mansion.
He planned for the carriage to arrive in Yunâan City just in time for the start of the clan assessment.