Chapter 110
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Chapter 110: Lightning Runes of the Artifact Tribulation
"It seems there’s a big difference between being on your own and being part of a sect."
"I thought my stash of spirit stones was quite substantial, but now that the sect is up and running, it’s barely enough."
Facing a shortage of spirit stones, Xu Fan felt the pinch for the first time since he started learning alchemy.
"Master, if you’re short on spirit stones, why not sell these ten drops of wood essence?" suggested Xu Yuexian.
"Also, I have a bunch of exotic treasures I don’t use. You could sell those too, Master."
"What are you thinking? Each drop of wood essence is as precious as a life. Your life isn’t that cheap," Xu Fan scolded, looking at his disciple who was too quick to part with such valuables.
"Save those for when you advance from Nascent Soul to Transformation God."
"Spirit stones? We’ll find a way to get more."
With some free time, Xu Fan started teaching his disciples, and the conversation naturally drifted to this topic.
"Chief Pang has gone out to earn some money. You all should focus on your cultivation here and aim to advance soon," Xu Fan said casually.
After his words, the four young disciples looked like they had something to say but were holding back.
"What’s on your mind?" Xu Fan asked, curious.
"Master, if you’d just remove the challenge puppet rule, both my brother and I could reach Nascent Soul," Xu Yuexian ventured cautiously, remembering the scolding he got last time he brought this up.
"What, you want to be weaklings?" Xu Fan frowned. "If you can’t even handle the challenge puppet, how do you expect to become immortals?"
"All four of you are at second-grade Foundation Establishment. Sure, there’s a chance you might ascend to immortality, but it’s just a chance."
"I was hoping we’d meet again in the Immortal Realm. I can’t believe you’re ready to give up," Xu Fan said, his frown deepening.
The three silent disciples were secretly relieved they hadn’t spoken up first.
Xu Yuexian grimaced, thinking, I knew it. My master is great, but his expectations are sky-high.
Seeing his disciples’ gloomy faces, Xu Fan waved his hand, transporting them into a vast, white illusionary world.
"Don’t say I never give you a chance. Whether you run or face me, if you can last five minutes against me, I’ll remove the challenge puppet for your Golden Core Stage," Xu Fan said with a grin.
"And don’t complain it’s unfair; I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment myself."
The four of them rolled their eyes internally, thinking, Is he even a normal cultivator?
"Alright," Xu Gang said, his battle intent flaring up. He’d been wanting to challenge Xu Fan but never had the guts to do it alone.
The moment he agreed, Li Xingci enveloped the world in shadows.
"Quick! I can only hold Master for three breaths," Li Xingci urged.
But before he could finish, Li Xingci’s eyes glazed over.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuexian and Wang Xiangchi sprinted away into the endless white expanse.
Xu Gang, having completed his spell seal, launched a lightning-infused cannonball at Xu Fan.
In this illusory world, everything was safe, allowing him to attack without fear of harming his master.
"Good thinking, but you’re too slow."
Two mirrors appeared in front of Xu Fan. The lightning cannonball shot straight into one mirror and came out of the other, reflecting back and blasting Xu Gang into scraps.
Xu Gang was done for.
"Yuexian, your stealth skills still need work," Xu Fan remarked.
He waved his hand, scattering countless seeds into the void.
Not far from Xu Fan, a flash of crimson light revealed a stunning, blood-red flower blooming in its place.
At that moment, Xu Fan summoned a sword—the very first flying sword he had ever forged, named Tong You.
"Xiangchi, come out. Let’s see how much you’ve improved with pure swordplay," Xu Fan called out.
Wang Xiangchi stepped forward reluctantly. If even senior sister Yuexian had been found, there was no point in hiding anymore.
"Master, go easy on me," Wang Xiangchi said, raising his sword.
"Sure," Xu Fan replied.
Three minutes later, everyone snapped out of the Mystical World.
"You two Golden Cores can’t even beat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and you’re dreaming of advancing to Nascent Soul?" Xu Fan scoffed.
After putting his disciples in their place, Xu Fan felt refreshed and sent the four of them back to their training.
Advancing to Nascent Soul? Not a chance. He’d focus on reaching Golden Core first—just 50 years, or 25 if he used the time chamber.
Three months later, Pang Fu reopened his shop, displaying only two sets of simplified Spiritual Energy Armor.
Pang Shuo stayed behind to guard the shop while Pang Fu took the rest of the armor to pitch to major commercial associations.
He was brimming with energy, feeling like he was back in the days when he first entered Que Tian Gate and started his business alone.
But this time, he had a future powerhouse backing him.
That day, several prominent commercial associations in the fairy city received free samples of the Spiritual Energy Armor, along with price quotes.
By the next morning, before dawn even broke, Pang Fu was flooded with orders. For the first time, he felt the thrill of direct sales. Having a powerful backer made everything so much easier—no need to hide or hold back.
Holding the stack of orders, Pang Fu turned to his wide-eyed son and said, "See? When you find the right approach, business is this simple."
A day later, Xu Fan stared at the orders in his hand, stunned. "You’re telling me this is for 2,000 sets of artifact-grade Spiritual Energy Armor and 800 sets of treasure-grade armor?"
Xu Fan quickly ran the numbers and realized this deal would make him rich overnight.
"This is just the first batch. If the market responds well, we’ll get even more orders," Pang Fu explained.
"The only downside is that our association is new, so we don’t have much credibility yet. We’ll have to stick to cash on delivery for now," he added with a grin, clearly pleased with how smoothly things were going.
"Great job! These are just minor hurdles. A successful first deal is a good sign. Tonight, the whole sect will celebrate your victory," Xu Fan said cheerfully. With the production line set up, fulfilling this order would take no more than six months, thanks to the grapes.
That evening, everyone in Hidden Spirit Sect, along with a hundred kids, gathered for the banquet.
The entire sect celebrated Pang Fu’s success, and for the first time, he felt a true sense of belonging to Hidden Spirit Sect.
With no more worries about spirit stones, Xu Fan was in high spirits every day. While wandering around Hidden Spirit Island, he stumbled upon a lightning stone embedded with pure, natural lightning runes.
Xu Fan stared at the stone for a long time, muttering, "Is this… the Lightning Runes of the Artifact Tribulation?"
After studying it further, he burst out laughing. "What the heck? Did I steal the protagonist’s luck? Why does all the good stuff keep falling into my lap?"
The Lightning Runes of the Artifact Tribulation had one purpose: when refining a fifth-level precious artifact, integrating these runes into the rune formations gave the artifact a chance to evolve into a Dao artifact.
