Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 2

Volume 6 Chapter 2: Divination of the Path (Part 1)

Two "Tianyu Robes" were made; one of them was meant for Jin Qinghan.

In fact, when Xu Qingfan saw that he had a lot of materials, he specifically told the Old Beggar to use those materials to create various magical items for him. He thought that with Mr. Liu’s generous supply, even after making a set for himself, there would still be enough to make a set for Jin Qinghan, and maybe even some extra materials to make one or two high-level magical items for Ting’er.

In the end, Xu Qingfan underestimated the Old Beggar’s ability to waste materials when crafting magical items. After spending time with a group of fellow master craftsmen, the Old Beggar’s skill grew even more, and although the items produced were much better than before, the success rate of creation dropped sharply.

Thus, while silently mourning the wasted materials, Xu Qingfan quickly flew towards Jin Qinghan’s courtyard. Under the shining sun, Xu Qingfan’s white "Tianyu Robe" and sparkling "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant" reflected a soft, pure light. From a distance, they gave off a sacred feeling. Moreover, the "Tianyu Robe" and "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant" made the Spirit Qi around Xu Qingfan much denser, with colorful lights subtly flickering amidst the white glow, giving him an ethereal presence.

As the saying goes, "one is judged by one’s clothes, and a horse by its saddle." After changing his outfit, the cultivators he met along the way looked at Xu Qingfan differently. Those who didn’t know his identity thought he was a high person, their eyes full of admiration. Those who knew who he was secretly praised him, thinking, "Indeed, he is the hero of the Righteous Alliance and the future Sect Master of Holy Land Jiuhua, Xu Qingfan. His presence is truly extraordinary," their respect for him deepening.

Soon, Xu Qingfan landed in front of Jin Qinghan’s courtyard. After closing his eyes for a moment to sense the surroundings, he noticed that Jin Qinghan was not in a closed-door cultivation. So, he decided not to be polite and pushed the door open, avoiding the cultivators who were distant but eager to approach him.

"Creak…"

Jin Qinghan was sitting on his bed, staring into space, not knowing what he was thinking about.

When Xu Qingfan entered the room, the sound of the door startled Jin Qinghan out of his thoughts. He was surprised, as he had already reached the Golden Core Stage. He could sense everything happening within several miles. Even though he was deep in thought, the fact that he did not notice Xu Qingfan entering his room meant that Xu Qingfan’s skills were at least equal to his own.

Jin Qinghan quickly stood up and moved to the door, but when he opened it, he was even more surprised to see that it was Xu Qingfan!

It appeared that Xu Qingfan’s skills were now just a hair away from the middle stage of the Golden Core Stage.

Hadn’t Xu Qingfan just reached the Golden Core Stage four years ago? Four years is not enough time for an ordinary cultivator to stabilize their level, so how could Xu Qingfan improve so much? Looking at Xu Qingfan’s current level, he seemed to be only a month or two away from breaking into the middle stage of the Golden Core Stage.

Ever since they watched the battle between the masters and the northern deity "Xuanwu," both Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan had greatly improved their understanding of the Heavenly Way. A lack of understanding of the Heavenly Way is the biggest obstacle for cultivators in raising their levels. With enough understanding, it can actually help cultivators advance more quickly. Therefore, Jin Qinghan expected that Xu Qingfan would improve quickly. In fact, Jin Qinghan’s own progress had also been rapid, and he was close to the middle stage of the Golden Core Stage as well.

However, since Xu Qingfan’s skills used to be slightly lower than Jin Qinghan’s, the fact that they were now equal showed that Xu Qingfan had been improving faster than Jin Qinghan in recent days.

But wasn’t Xu Qingfan supposed to have slightly lower talent than Jin Qinghan? It’s important to note that even though Xu Qingfan had undergone multiple body transformations and had many adventures, he only retained about eighty percent of the Spirit Qi from heaven and earth, while Jin Qinghan was close to having nearly one hundred percent. How could Xu Qingfan’s training speed surpass Jin Qinghan’s?

Jin Qinghan did not know that, besides greatly improving his understanding of the truths of the world like him, Xu Qingfan’s body had undergone transformation from the "Beast Madness Energy," which greatly increased the speed of absorbing and retaining Spirit Qi from the universe, reaching seventy percent. Most importantly, for cultivators, improving their skills mainly focuses on three points: first, understanding the Heavenly Way; second, accumulating Spirit Qi; and third, broadening and strengthening their inner dantian channels.

After Xu Qingfan’s transformation by the "Beast Madness Energy," his inner dantian channels had been significantly widened and stabilized. At this point, all he needed to do was accumulate Spirit Qi, which naturally made his speed faster than Jin Qinghan’s. This was also because Xu Qingfan had been distracted lately; otherwise, by now, he would likely have reached the middle stage of the Golden Core Stage.

In the near future, Xu Qingfan would likely continue to improve his skills at this terrifying speed until he reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage.

※※※※

Seeing Jin Qinghan come out to greet him, Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "Junior Brother Jin, I was worried you would be closed off in your room for meditation at this time, but you are not. Instead, you seem to be lost in thought while just sitting in your room, which is quite rare."

Jin Qinghan glanced at Xu Qingfan’s "Tianyu Robe" and "Ice Spirit Jade Pendant," smiled, and said, "Senior Brother Xu has gained a lot, especially this robe; it must be a heavenly level high-grade magical item, right? There are not many like it in the entire Righteous Alliance, and those materials must have been refined into magical items already. If everything reached the heavenly level, with your current cultivation and various powers, apart from those twelve masters, I doubt anyone in the Righteous Alliance could match you."

Seeing a hint of envy in Jin Qinghan’s eyes when he looked at his "Tianyu Robe," Xu Qingfan smiled slightly but said, "How can that be? The Righteous Alliance has many skilled experts, with hidden talents and profound powers. Many hermits who dislike conflict are hiding among them, with unfathomable cultivation, merely choosing not to show off. If we were to be arrogant, we would be like frogs in a well. For example, even if I reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage, I would not dare to say that I could match Taoist Crane."

Taoist Crane is one of the cultivators who have been seeking refuge at "Ronghua Mountain" over the years. He originally did not reveal himself or concern himself with the struggles between good and evil, instead focusing on cultivating in this only peaceful place on the Shenzhou Continent. All the cultivators who have seen Taoist Crane regarded him as an ordinary Fake Golden Core Stage cultivator. Because he was so ordinary, the Righteous Alliance even did not arrange for him to join various teams in their actions.

Many years ago, the Righteous Alliance was attacked by demon beasts led by the nine-tailed demon fox from the Southern Wasteland. The Righteous Alliance barely held on using countless formations and mechanisms outside of "Ronghua Mountain." However, there came a time when the nine-tailed demon fox could no longer hold back and personally launched an attack, putting the situation in great danger.

But just at this crucial moment, Taoist Crane, along with two other cultivators who also kept a low profile, stepped forward. Together, they combined their powers with the countless barriers and formations outside "Ronghua Mountain" to force back the nine-tailed demon fox. Though seriously injured, this act made them famous, turning a hermit into a celebrated figure.

The other two cultivators were known as Stone Monk and Scholar Qing Song. Together, they were called the "Three Anchorets" by the Righteous Alliance, and they all reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage, not the Fake Golden Core Stage that people believed. Among them, Taoist Crane had the highest skills and the most wondrous magical tools, and many regarded him as the best below the level of a master.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan nodded. The Three Anchorets indeed gave him a feeling of deep mystery.

After bringing Xu Qingfan inside and sitting down, Xu Qingfan saw that Jin Qinghan still looked thoughtful. Curiously, he asked, "Junior Brother Jin, when I came in just now, I sensed that you were lost in thought. What are you thinking about?"

Jin Qinghan shook his head and said, "It’s nothing, just daydreaming."

Noticing that Jin Qinghan seemed unwilling to say more, Xu Qingfan didn’t press further. Although they were brothers, it wasn’t necessary to ask everything. He then raised his right sleeve, took out another "Tianyu Robe," and handed it to Jin Qinghan with a smile, saying, "This is for you."

Seeing the "Tianyu Robe" in Xu Qingfan’s hands, Jin Qinghan’s eyes showed a flash of surprise, followed by joy. He took the long robe from Xu Qingfan, feeling the coolness and strong Spirit Qi it contained, and asked in disbelief, "For me?"

Earlier, when Jin Qinghan saw Xu Qingfan wearing the "Tianyu Robe," he was struck by its beauty but knew such a heavenly high-level magical tool was rare, so he didn’t dare to hope for one. He never expected that Xu Qingfan would have two of these precious items, and one was meant for him.

Putting the "Tianyu Robe" on in front of Xu Qingfan, he felt the sudden surge of Spirit Qi around him. His mind, which had become incredibly calm under the cool aura, showed even more joy on his face.

Like Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan had never possessed a treasure of heavenly level before this, and this gift could be considered very precious.

Especially this "Tianyu Robe," which not only can resist some Taoist spells of the five elements, but is particularly effective against water and fire magic. This will greatly help Jin Qinghan when dealing with Feng Qingtian in the future.

However, despite this, Jin Qinghan’s expression quickly returned to calm after just a moment, and he did not say any words of thanks to Xu Qingfan. Jin Qinghan’s state of mind had nearly reached a stage where he was not moved by joy or sadness from external things, which was much better than Xu Qingfan’s earlier situation, where he was almost thrown off balance by the excessive waste of materials, and with the friendship between him and Xu Qingfan, any thanks would be unnecessary.

Then, the two talked about their respective experiences in cultivation over the years in the room. Seeing that Jin Qinghan still looked absent-minded, Xu Qingfan frowned slightly, feeling that Jin Qinghan probably had something on his mind that he needed to think about alone, so he decided not to disturb him and took his leave.

In the courtyard, Jin Qinghan silently watched Xu Qingfan swiftly soar away on a cloud, surrounded by soft, pure light, as if a celestial being had descended, though his eyes revealed a complex emotion.

The reason Jin Qinghan felt absent-minded was because of Xu Qingfan’s matters.

Jin Qinghan was not naive; in fact, he had a clearer understanding of human relationships than many others. But because he had seen and understood so much, he no longer wanted to engage with these things, which gave people the impression that he was aloof, uninterested in worldly affairs, and only wanting to focus on his cultivation.

During this time, Jin Qinghan suddenly noticed many things. Zhang Hualing, who had previously ignored Jiuhua’s matters, suddenly took charge of Jiuhua again. Although he still did not manage things directly, every decision in Jiuhua had to be approved by him. Meanwhile, Li Yuhan, who had firmly stood by Xu Qingfan’s side, suddenly started to befriend Gongsun Huasa and others, increasing their offerings, returning some authority of Jiuhua to them, and began to keep his distance from Xu Qingfan in different situations.

As for Xu Qingfan, he appeared calm on the surface, but secretly he dispatched Dongfang Qingling to share Li Yuhan’s power, assign him to monitor Li Yuhan secretly, and even frequently contacted outside experts, forming another group led by him. Jin Qinghan understood very well what all these actions meant.

"There have been enough events over the years; do we really need more twists and turns?"

Jin Qinghan watched as Xu Qingfan gradually walked away, murmuring to himself.

※※※※

Xu Qingfan did not mind that Jin Qinghan was distracted; everyone has their own worries. Jin Qinghan would never do anything to harm him, and that was enough.

After leaving Jin Qinghan’s room, Xu Qingfan did not return to his own room but instead flew towards a bamboo hut near the top of "Ronghua Mountain."

"Since these magical tools have been successfully made, then that thing should also have been completed, right?"

While thinking, Xu Qingfan descended in front of the bamboo hut, straightened his clothes, then bowed deeply to the hut and respectfully said, "Master Jiuhuan, I am Xu Qingfan and I seek an audience."

The "thing" referred to is a divination tool made from the shell of the "Snow Jade Spirit Turtle."

The Heavenly Way is elusive and unpredictable, but this divination tool allows one to catch a glimpse of its future, which is not easy to create. It requires a deep understanding of the Heavenly Way. In fact, in the entire Righteous Alliance, aside from the twelve masters, only one person can create such a mystical object, and that is Master Jiuhuan, whom Xu Qingfan is visiting now.

Originally, Xu Qingfan wanted Mr. Liu to help him create this potion, but unfortunately, Mr. Liu had other important matters over the years. He not only had to occasionally lead the cultivators of the Righteous Alliance to intercept the demon beasts gathering in the Southern Wasteland, but it seemed he also needed to work with other masters on cultivating a certain magical artifact, possibly related to the four Mythical Beasts that were imprisoned.

Left with no choice, Xu Qingfan could only seek out Master Jiuhuan through Mr. Liu’s introduction, asking him to craft the divination item for himself.

Master Jiuhuan is the oldest monk from the Mercy Cloud Temple. Even Master Tianhan, one of the twelve masters of the Righteous Alliance, would respectfully call him Martial Uncle when he saw Master Jiuhuan. However, Master Jiuhuan did not enjoy cultivation; he loved to study Buddhist scriptures and understand the Heavenly Way. Although he was nearly three thousand years old, he had only reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage. He was able to survive until now thanks to the spiritual pills provided by the Mercy Cloud Temple.

However, it was precisely because Master Jiuhuan had spent many years devoted to studying Buddhist scriptures and the cycles of the Heavenly Way that his understanding of the Heavenly Way was truly the best in the Righteous Alliance.

"So it’s you, Mr. Xu. Please come in."

After bowing for a long time in front of the bamboo house, an ancient voice floated out slowly from within, as if it contained endless years.

In a way, Master Jiuhuan’s status was even above the twelve masters. Before him, Xu Qingfan did not dare to be reckless. Hearing Master Jiuhuan’s words, he gently pushed open the door and entered the bamboo house, fearful of breaking the tranquility within and disturbing Master Jiuhuan.

Master Jiuhuan seemed to have taken a rejuvenating pill, for merely looking at his face, this oldest cultivator in the cultivation world appeared to be a delicate young monk. However, his incredibly deep eyes, which seemed to hold the entire universe, made it hard for anyone to underestimate him.

Upon entering the bamboo house, Xu Qingfan silently knelt before Master Jiuhuan, saying nothing and quietly waiting for his teachings.

After Xu Qingfan knelt down and bowed his head, Master Jiuhuan slowly opened his eyes. His deep gaze fixed intently on Xu Qingfan, as if he could see through everything about him in an instant: his past, present, and future.

After a long while, Master Jiuhuan finally spoke again, saying gently, "You do not need to be so polite, please rise."

Xu Qingfan obediently stood up and held his hands down at his sides.

For some reason, Xu Qingfan always felt uneasy in front of Master Jiuhuan. Although Master Jiuhuan had no air of authority and was very kind, Xu Qingfan just didn’t want to be with him. He felt as if Master Jiuhuan could see right through him. If it weren’t for needing the divination item, Xu Qingfan would never have come to meet him this time.

"Did you come to ask if the divination spirit item is ready?"

Xu Qingfan respectfully nodded in agreement.

Master Jiuhuan smiled slightly, raising his right hand. Suddenly, a greatly reduced "Snow Jade Spirit Turtle" shell appeared in his hand, but for some reason, its color had changed from pure white to a deep black.

Receiving the shell respectfully, Xu Qingfan was about to thank him when Master Jiuhuan suddenly smiled and asked, "Do you know about the method of divination?"

"I know a little."

"Then, let’s do a little fortune telling here to see if this thing is true."

Master Jiuhuan’s gaze was deep as he said softly.