Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 10

Volume 7 Chapter 10: Cooperation (Part 2)

Not long after everyone came out of the "Disaster Cloud," Xu Qingfan landed before them with Dongfang Qingling, Bai Qingfu, Zhang Ningmei, Bai Yu, Tian Zhenxian, and Tian Zhenling.

Xu Qingfan was surprised to see that, besides his old friends the rogue cultivator, Liu Ziqing, and Zhang Yi, along with the Medicine Pill Master, Alchemy Master, and Jiuhua cultivator, more than a hundred ordinary people had also emerged from the "Disaster Cloud."

Wang Zegang quickly walked up to Xu Qingfan and bowed, saying, "Island Master, I have returned."

Hearing Wang Zegang’s title, Xu Qingfan smiled wryly. Thirty years ago, Wang Zegang had called Xu Qingfan his benefactor. After many corrections, Wang Zegang began to call him Island Master. Though it still felt strange, it was better than benefactor, so Xu Qingfan eventually accepted it.

"It’s good that you are back. The Shenzhou Continent is very dangerous right now, and I have truly been worried this past year."

Xu Qingfan said with a faint smile.

A flicker of emotion crossed Wang Zegang’s eyes, but then he looked embarrassed and pointed at the ordinary people behind them, explaining what had happened. He then said, "I brought them to the island without your permission, Island Master. It was wrong of me, but I felt sorry for them… Please punish me, Island Master."

Xu Qingfan glanced at the ordinary people hiding behind everyone, looking timidly at him. Their worn and ragged appearance made Xu Qingfan sigh inwardly. He turned to Dongfang Qingling and said, "Junior Martial Sister Dongfang, please take care of them. Let them feel at ease. It has been too lonely for just a few of us on the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands over these years."

Dongfang Qingling nodded and walked towards the group of mortals.

After doing all this, Xu Qingfan said to Wang Zegang, "Zegang, do you remember how we discovered the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Wang Zegang was momentarily taken aback, then a look of nostalgia appeared on his face as he softly said, "Under the guidance of the Island Master, we faced countless storms and demon beast attacks. It took us over a year to find these seven islands as our refuge."

Xu Qingfan nodded, but his expression became serious. He placed his hands on Wang Zegang’s shoulders and said earnestly, "Just as you said, the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands are what we found together after overcoming many difficulties. Although you call me Island Master, these seven islands belong to both of us. They are mine and yours. Do you understand what I mean?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Wang Zegang’s eyes flashed with obvious excitement, but he remained silent. He simply bowed to Xu Qingfan and then stepped aside.

After talking to Wang Zegang, Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to the five people standing behind Wang Zegang, first examining them closely, then suddenly smiling gently and saying, "Dear friends, I haven’t seen you all in a long time."

In truth, even though Dongfang Quan and the others decided to follow Wang Zegang to seek refuge with Xu Qingfan, they still felt a bit uneasy. After all, for many years, there had been rumors in the Human Alliance about Xu Qingfan going mad. A person who has lost their way does not care for others and can be dangerous. Even if the rumors were false, it was a fact that Xu Qingfan had become a great master. Would he still value them as he did in the past? Or would he view them as mere servants that could be easily discarded?

However, seeing the warm smile on Xu Qingfan’s face and listening to his kind greeting, for some reason, Dongfang Quan and the others felt relieved. Their eyes shone with excitement from the reunion as they bowed and said to Xu Qingfan, "Island Master, we have arrived."

Xu Qingfan laughed heartily, helping Dongfang Quan and the others up. He said, "Since you have come to seek refuge with me, what I just said to Zegang applies to all of you as well. These seven islands are mine and yours. Although you call me Island Master, you must feel at home here. The Spirit Qi is abundant, which is good for cultivation. The place may not be large, but it is more than enough for us. Follow me to get familiar with the surroundings. Feel free to settle in wherever you wish. From now on, we will cultivate together, and occasionally I will share my teachings. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Island Master."

When Dongfang Quan and the others heard Xu Qingfan’s words, they felt more at ease. They bowed to Xu Qingfan again, and naturally followed behind him with Wang Zegang. Their relationship with Xu Qingfan was different; they had been saved by him many times and kept his kindness a secret. Their actions made them seem like Xu Qingfan’s followers.

Then, Xu Qingfan turned his gaze toward Wang Yuxian and the twelve Jiuhua disciples.

When the twelve saw Xu Qingfan looking at them and remembered the many legends about him, their faces lit up with excitement. They all knelt before Xu Qingfan and said in unison, "Disciple Wang Yuxian (Lu Yinian, Fang Yuhuan…) greets martial uncle."

However, this time, Xu Qingfan’s friendly expression faded. He carefully examined the twelve before him, over and over, allowing them to kneel in front of him.

After a long while, seeing that the twelve still knelt quietly before him, their faces calm and showing no signs of unease, he secretly nodded. Through his observation, he discovered that each of them had high talent and good character, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his face as he said, "Get up."

As the twelve stood up, Xu Qingfan said in a serious tone, "As the elite of the younger generation of Jiuhua, why are you here? I believe Li Yuhan and Wang Zegang have already spoken to you. I can promise that in the days to come, I will teach you everything I have without holding back. But I cannot guarantee how far you will go, as it depends on you, on how strong you want to become, on whether you can focus on your training, and on how much time you will spend on cultivation. Besides the lectures I give every hundred days, I won’t impose too many rules on you. Everything is up to you. Do you understand?"

"We understand."

The twelve responded in unison. Although Xu Qingfan spoke sternly, they were all strong-willed individuals who sincerely wanted to become powerful to revitalize Jiuhua. This stern talk actually made them feel cared for.

"Xu Qingfan, you little rascal, you have ignored me for such a long time!"

When Xu Qingfan walked in front of Old Beggar and Scholar Beihai, Old Beggar snorted and complained.

Xu Qingfan smiled faintly. Knowing Old Beggar’s character, he did not argue, but said, "Dear friends, these seven small islands split from the Shenzhou Continent in ancient times. They hold many rare materials for crafting and alchemy from that era. Would you like to explore them with me and familiarize yourselves with the surroundings?"

Indeed, upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Old Beggar and the others, who had been eager since entering Rainbow Spirit Island, were all delighted. They immediately forgot their earlier unhappiness about Xu Qingfan’s late greeting and urged him to take action quickly.

However, Xu Qingfan was not in a hurry; he turned to Liu Ziqing and Zhang Yi and asked, "Will you two friends join us on this tour?"

Among the people who came to Rainbow Spirit Island, Liu Ziqing was the highest in skill, wisdom, and even in Xu Qingfan’s regard. However, Xu Qingfan intentionally left him aside and greeted him at the last moment.

Yet Liu Ziqing was not anxious; he just smiled and nodded, saying, "That’s fine. Since I have chosen to ally with the Island Master, I will be staying here. It’s good to get familiar with the place."

However, although Liu Ziqing appeared calm, a hint of shock that he could not hide flickered in his eyes.

The moment Liu Ziqing saw the seven small islands, he immediately realized their value and felt a desire to kill for treasure; however, that thought abruptly stopped when he saw Xu Qingfan.

Because Liu Ziqing keenly noticed that Xu Qingfan’s skills were already so high, he seemed to be second only to Zhang Xusheng, Immortal Zizhen, Mr. Liu, Xuan, and the ancestor of the Zhong family. With his own strength, whether in a direct attack or a sneak attack, he had less than a thirty percent chance of success.

Xu Qingfan’s skills have already reached such a high level?

Xu Qingfan seemed to see through Liu Ziqing’s thoughts, smiling and nodding at him, his eyes held a mysterious meaning that was quite intriguing.

Liu Ziqing suddenly realized that after Zhang Xusheng, he could no longer see the depth of Xu Qingfan either.

"Let’s go. Although these seven small islands are not big, it will still take some time to explore each one."

Xu Qingfan said to the newcomers on Rainbow Spirit Island.

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan rose into the air, and everyone promptly followed him, flying up into the sky.

However, at that moment, an unusual event occurred.

At that time, Dongfang Qingling was leading over a hundred mortals deeper into Sky Spin Island. Suddenly, among the group of mortals, a thin boy abruptly broke away from the line and rushed towards Xu Qingfan, surprising everyone. He quickly knelt at Xu Qingfan’s feet and began to bang his head on the ground, "Thud, thud, thud," his forehead quickly swelling and oozing a bit of blood.

"Immortal! You must take me as your disciple, Wang Li is bowing to you here!"

With a sense of deep grievance in his voice, Wang Li spoke with a tone of crying, and continued to knock his head repeatedly to show his determination.