Chapter 157
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Chapter 157: My Master’s Illusions Can No Longer Affect Me
“Perhaps my master’s relative has completed his task and returned to where he belongs.”
“If there is reincarnation in this world, my master’s relative will definitely be rewarded in his next life,” Li Xingci said gently.
“Right, he has just returned to where he belongs.”
Comforted by his disciple, Xu Fan emerged from his feelings of longing.
“By the way, Master, I want to build a city by the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake to accommodate the families of our civilian disciples.”
“To provide them with some assurance,” Li Xingci added.
“This small matter, you can handle it yourself. You have Grape’s permissions after all,” Xu Fan replied.
“As long as Master agrees, that’s good.”
Li Xingci gave a bright smile in response.
“You little rascal,” Xu Fan chuckled.
At that moment, a little boy in a white shirt ran over.
“Lingtai, do you need something?” Xu Fan asked kindly, as he was the next focus of his training.
He didn’t expect that a top disciple who liked to be a cannon would have a child who was naturally suited for the role.
The Thousand Spirit Body, adept at learning various Dao techniques, had renowned spells and abilities that were inherently three times more powerful when performed by someone with this body.
As Xu Fan put it, “Once the spring water flows, a hat is given. How can the opponent fight against that?”
“Master, I want to ask when my dad will be back.”
Xu Lingtai jogged to Xu Fan’s side and began to massage his shoulders, a way for him to win Xu Fan’s favor.
“Missing your dad?” Xu Fan smiled.
“Yeah, my mom misses him too.”
“My dad hasn’t been away from me for this long,” Xu Lingtai said pitifully.
“Alright, now the Elder Council isn’t forcing anyone to eliminate demons right now.”
“I will have someone notify your dad to come back.”
“Thank you, Master Ancestor.”
Xu Lingtai jumped off the railing of the dojo’s cliff and floated gracefully into the distance.
“I’m going to tell my mom this good news! Goodbye, Master Ancestor! Goodbye, Fourth Uncle Master!”
Watching Xu Lingtai in the air, Xu Fan gently raised his hand, and a cloud supported Xu Lingtai.
“Be careful! You’ve just learned the Lightness Technique, don’t fall!” Xu Fan instructed.
“Thank you, Master Ancestor~~~”
Xu Lingtai’s voice grew fainter.
“Just as the cannon grows up, another little cannon arrives. It will be hard for our Hidden Spirit Sect not to thrive in the future,” Xu Fan envisioned. Now that the foundation of the Hidden Spirit Sect was laid, it was just a matter of time.
“The Thousand Spirit Body is perfect for being a cannon.”
“When the sect held its disciple recruitment conference, I met a Stone Spirit Battle Body. He was fifteen, the son of a prominent family in the mortal world.”
“Unfortunately, he had a wicked heart and was extremely violent. At such a young age, he had already harmed over ten innocent girls,” Li Xingci said.
“That’s a shame. What did you do? Did you eliminate him for the sake of the people, or did you turn him into one of your Rebirth Servants?” Xu Fan asked. Rebirth Servants are a technique tied to the Cycle of Rebirth—each lifetime allows the master to enslave one more person.
The enslaved live a life entirely arranged by their master.
“The real him is already dead,” Li Xingci replied.
At that moment, Xu Fan suddenly thought of something.
“You should be able to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. After all, the challenge puppet isn’t a problem for you,” Xu Fan said.
“When my Third Senior Brother reaches the Nascent Soul stage, I’ll advance as well,” Li Xingci explained.
“Oh, that’s quick.”
“Before I’ve even reached the Golden Core stage, my disciples are already advancing to Nascent Soul,” Xu Fan remarked, half-joking, while silently praying for his good friend, “Your trials are coming.”
“Even if I reach the Nascent Soul stage, Master, a single glance from you would be enough to keep me in line,” Li Xingci said with a laugh.
He had noticed that ever since Xu Fan advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, his aura had grown increasingly terrifying. Even when encountering powerful beings at the Transformation Stage during his travels in the cultivation world, their presence hadn’t been as intimidating.
Li Xingci had a theory about Xu Fan’s prolonged stagnation: his master was likely aiming for a realm beyond the Immortal Realm. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed in the Foundation Establishment Stage for so many years.
“Ha ha, always so flattering! Once all four of you reach the Nascent Soul stage, I’ll have a match with you,” Xu Fan declared.
“If you win, consider yourselves graduated. If you lose, you’ll be dragged into the illusion realm for a good spanking,” Xu Fan chuckled, clearly enjoying the idea of reasserting his authority.
“Master, while my fighting strength isn’t on par with yours yet, your illusions can’t affect me anymore. So, if there’s any spanking to be done, it’ll have to be carried out by my three senior brothers and senior sister,” Li Xingci said. The Cycle of Rebirth, derived from illusion techniques, grants cultivators strong resistance to such methods.
“Oh, so confident! Want to test that theory?”
“They say it’s best to discipline your disciples early; otherwise, you might miss your chance later,” Xu Fan said, his expression playful. He was curious to see how Li Xingci would react if pushed out of his usual calm demeanor.
At that moment, Li Xingci’s expression shifted, realizing he’d spoken too boldly.
“Master, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now,” Li Xingci said quickly, standing up to leave before Xu Fan could act on his thoughts.
“Not so fast! Let’s play a little game before you go,” Xu Fan said with a mischievous smile that made Li Xingci uneasy.
As soon as Xu Fan finished speaking, Li Xingci’s surroundings transformed.
He found himself in a crystal plaza, where countless little yellow ducks were lined up in front of a door.
A yellow duck, as tall as Li Xingci, appeared beside him.
“You can’t leave the illusion realm until you finish the game. It’s called ‘Catch the Duck,’” the big yellow duck explained, detailing the rules.
Li Xingci tried to break free from the illusion but found it impossible. Reluctantly, he nodded, “Fine.”
This wasn’t his first time being dragged into one of Xu Fan’s mini-game illusions. When he was younger, he’d found it amusing. Now, it was just frustrating.
“Let’s get this over with,” Li Xingci said with a sigh.
“The game begins!”
“Catch the duck~~”
“How many~~”
Li Xingci, intending to say “one,” found himself inexplicably saying, “One hundred thousand.”
“Got it~~” the big yellow duck exclaimed cheerfully.
Instantly, more than half of the ducks in the plaza vanished, leaving exactly one hundred thousand.
Li Xingci knew his master was behind this and reluctantly said, “Quack~”
He understood Xu Fan’s nature all too well. If he didn’t play along, the game would only get more embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Xu Fan, watching from the shadows, couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Showing off that mysterious confidence in front of your master, huh? You might not realize just how capable I am.”
“Do you think being close to the Nascent Soul stage makes you immune to my illusions?”
“Kid, you’re overthinking it.”
What Xu Fan didn’t know was that, as Li Xingci played the game, a new determination took root in his heart: once his illusion techniques surpassed his master’s, he’d make Xu Fan play a mini-game of his own.
The name of that game? “Count the Dogs.”
