Chapter 125

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Chapter 125: The Swordsman in Green With a Debt of 800 Million Spirit Stones

“Chief Pang, you should head back to the sect and find that little rascal first,” Xu Fan said, gazing at the distant beams of light.

“Alright,” Pang Fu replied, then flew toward the sect. He had never been one for fighting and killing.

Just then, a swordsman in green appeared in mid-air, still as graceful as he was ten years ago, his green robe flowing with a scholarly air.

Shi Zhan looked at Xu Fan, who was fishing on the giant turtle, and said slowly, “Taoist friend, you still seem as carefree as you were a decade ago.”

“What can I do? My talents are mediocre, and my cultivation hasn’t improved. I’m just spending my remaining days here among the mountains and waters.”

It had to be said, Xu Fan had been enjoying a rather pleasant retirement these past few years. He spent his time deducing techniques, fishing, and studying runes, which had greatly improved his state of mind.

As for cultivation, two hours a day were more than enough.

“You’re joking, taoist friend,” Shi Zhan said, clearly not buying Xu Fan’s words.

“Is the promise you made ten years ago still valid?”

“It still stands. But my disciple is out training right now, so for now, you’ll have to settle for a match with this Swordsman Puppet.”

Xu Fan summoned a Swordsman Puppet with peak Foundation Establishment fighting strength—the same one Wang Xiangchi had faced as his final challenge to reach the Golden Core Stage.

“Are you looking down on me? Last time I came to this world, my pure true qi hadn’t even transformed, and the longsword I carried was just ordinary iron.”

Before Shi Zhan could finish, Xu Fan quietly swapped the puppet for one with peak Golden Core Stage fighting strength—the same model Xu Gang used.

Xu Fan wasn’t one to be overly serious. If you asked for it, he’d deliver.

“Alright, go ahead,” Xu Fan said, gesturing for Shi Zhan to proceed.

Xu Gang’s challenge puppet was a Spell Puppet, essentially a small artillery unit, and most importantly, it possessed all five elements.

Seeing the dangerous aura radiating from the Spell Puppet, Shi Zhan suddenly regretted his words. But there was no turning back now—he had to face it head-on.

In an instant, sword light filled the air.

But in response, he was met with a barrage of large-scale, indiscriminate attacks.

In the end, Shi Zhan was engulfed by the lake water and frozen into a massive block of ice.

“Honestly, you could’ve asked for something even more extreme. I’ve already crafted several Nascent Soul Stage puppets,” Xu Fan remarked.

He gave the ice a light tap, and it instantly melted back into water, leaving Shi Zhan dazed but unharmed.

“You’ve still got two more chances. Good luck,” Xu Fan said with a smile. He held no ill will toward this cultivator from a small world who wanted to join the Hidden Spirit Sect.

“I was too hasty,” Shi Zhan admitted, using his spiritual energy to dry himself off before bowing to Xu Fan.

“It’s fine. This won’t affect your next challenge,” Xu Fan replied casually.

“I’ll cultivate for a few more years before challenging again,” Shi Zhan said firmly, his gaze drifting toward the distant horizon where his home world lay.

“No rush. Over the past ten years, I’ve seen you make rapid progress. Your only weakness is the ordinary technique you’ve been cultivating.”

“To be honest, even if I gave you a hundred more chances, you’d still struggle to succeed,” Xu Fan said kindly, perhaps moved by Shi Zhan’s longing look toward his homeland.

“The moment I failed just now, I realized I have no fate with your sect,” Shi Zhan said, his mood turning somber. After ten years in the cultivation world, the once-celebrated top swordsman of his home world was now just an ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator here.

“If you want to join the Hidden Spirit Sect, it’s likely because you want to protect your home world. But you should feel fortunate—in the future, your home world will become an affiliated world of the Hidden Spirit Sect.”

Hearing this, Shi Zhan visibly tensed, but then a sense of resigned despair washed over him. If he couldn’t even defeat a puppet, how could he ever hope to stand against an entire sect?

"Don’t worry, our Hidden Spirit Sect isn’t made up of demonic cultivators. Your home world will gradually be transformed into a resource world for our sect."

"We’ll mainly grow grains and spiritual herbs. The population will be relocated as needed, and those who stay won’t be affected."

"At most, a few stubborn ones might die."

As Xu Fan spoke, he suddenly realized this young man could be useful. Having him handle things later would save a lot of trouble.

"My world is a unified dynasty. I know them well. If your sect tries to conquer it, it’ll turn into a hellish place, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."

"That would be a shame," Xu Fan said.

He didn’t like the idea of such a scene, but dismantling a unified nation was almost too easy for someone like him, who came from an information-driven society.

"Can you sell my home world back to me?" Shi Zhan asked, already accepting that his world now belonged to the Hidden Spirit Sect—simply because of their overwhelming power.

"One billion spirit stones. But since we’ve crossed paths, I’ll give you a discount: 800 million spirit stones. You can also pay with treasures of equal value."

"If you can gather the amount within a hundred years, the world will be yours," Xu Fan said with a smile. He wasn’t the type to give up his interests just because someone seemed pitiful.

"Thank you, my friend."

Shi Zhan didn’t say much more. After bidding farewell to Xu Fan, he transformed into a beam of sword qi and flew toward the land.

Xu Fan watched the young man, now 800 million spirit stones in debt, and felt there was more to his story.

"Keep it up, young man. A life with debt can be quite motivating," Xu Fan chuckled.

From that day on, the cultivation world saw the rise of a swordsman in green, one who would stop at nothing to gather spirit stones.

………………..

In Starry Sky State, at the northernmost Chenbei Fairy City, a large group of treasure-hunting cultivators had gathered, their cultivation levels ranging from Nascent Soul Stage to Void Refinement Stage.

Xu Yuexian, who had altered her appearance, was being approached by a handsome cultivator carrying a sword box on his back.

"Miss, the beast race’s sacred ground is full of dangers. Even with high cultivation, going alone is risky."

"I can see you’re a professional treasure hunter. Why not join our team?"

The swordsman was eager to persuade Xu Yuexian, having heard from his mentor that she was someone extraordinary—a strong ally for treasure hunting in the sacred ground.

"How will we divide the treasures we find in the sacred ground?" Xu Yuexian asked, looking at the swordsman with interest. There was something familiar about him.

"We’ll follow the usual treasure-hunting rules," he explained.

"We’ll stick to the outskirts; the core areas are for the big shots."

"Killing for treasures isn’t worth it," the swordsman added, perhaps worried Xu Yuexian might hesitate.

"Alright," Xu Yuexian agreed.

Joining the team wasn’t a big deal. Temporary teams like this always fell apart once they entered the sacred ground’s relic, rarely surviving the first round of treasure hunting.

Her decision to join the swordsman’s team was based on her master’s teachings over the years.

"When heading to the relic’s secret realm, it’s fine to team up, but choose someone handsome with a name that sounds impressive. Two-character names are best."

"And most importantly, never team up with someone who looks plain but gives off an air of hidden strength. Avoid getting too close to such people."

Xu Yuexian had followed this principle for years, and it had always brought her good fortune during her treasure hunts.