Chapter 17

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Chapter 17: Alliance

In the end, Xu Fan didn’t take the 50 spirit stones but instead invited Pang Fu into his small living room.

"Brother Pang, if you have something to say, just say it directly," Xu Fan said as he brewed tea.

"Brother Xu, as outer disciples in the Que Tian Sect, we’re all on our own, barely scraping by with the meager resources we get from completing tasks each year," Pang Fu explained.

"If we want to walk the path of immortality, who knows how long it’ll take. That’s why I want to unite all of us outer disciples who have no backing."

"We could trade resources we don’t need, share information, or even post small tasks for each other."

"At least this way, we’ll have another option to rely on."

Pang Fu took the tea Xu Fan handed him and drank it in one gulp. His eyes lit up with surprise—it was spirit tea.

As Xu Fan observed Pang Fu’s ambition, he recalled the man’s background. Pang Fu was the direct heir of a wealthy merchant family from a powerful nation, with a fortune that could rival an entire country.

Xu Fan had once received help from this family during his early struggles, so he paid extra attention to Pang Fu.

"Brother Pang Fu, you’re hardly without support. You’re the top merchant in Quyang Country—that’s more impressive than most cultivation families," Xu Fan teased. Unlike the typical greedy merchants, the Pang family was known for their kindness and integrity in business.

"How does Junior Brother Xu know about my background?" Pang Fu asked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Very few people in the Outer Sect knew about his origins.

"When I first joined the sect, I was lucky enough to witness the grand display of Master Pang," Xu Fan joked.

"Alright, let’s get to the point. Brother Pang Fu wants to form an alliance."

The Que Tian Sect had over 200,000 outer disciples, making it like a small society. In such an environment, it was only natural for alliances to form for mutual benefit.

Some alliances were created to complete tasks together, others for sharing information, but most were focused on trading and helping each other out.

"I wouldn’t call it an alliance, but I want to bring together the thousand or so brothers from our batch. It’s better than struggling alone," Pang Fu said patiently. If Xu Fan were just an ordinary disciple, he would’ve sent someone else to make the offer.

But Xu Fan had already met the requirements to enter Pill Peak, so Pang Fu had to come in person. A future alchemist was someone worth securing.

There’s an old saying in the cultivation world: behind every great being is a passionate alchemist as their brother.

"This sounds interesting. What’s in it for me, and what do I have to give in return?" Xu Fan asked, intrigued. He usually kept a low profile, but showing off a little now and then wasn’t a bad idea.

"What you’ll gain is access to the latest information within the sect, more connections, and countless brothers in the alliance who’ll be willing to run errands for a future alchemist."

"In return, all you need to do is provide some alchemy-related assistance to the brothers in the alliance."

"Once you become a master alchemist in the future, every brother in the alliance will stand firmly by your side."

"Right now, the alliance has over 40 brothers preparing for the Battle Hall, two who are on track to become basic alchemists, and one artifact crafting apprentice."

"With someone like you—a quasi-alchemist—joining, I’m confident our alliance will thrive in the future."

Pang Fu spoke with enthusiasm, though he secretly thought that if he hadn’t done his research, he wouldn’t have known that someone from his batch had already made it into Pill Hall.

Xu Fan fell into thought, weighing the pros and cons.

Pang Fu stayed silent, patiently waiting for Xu Fan’s response. He was sure this alchemy prodigy would agree.

"I’ll join," Xu Fan finally said. He realized that being too low-key was stifling his true nature. After all, everyone was just human.

"I knew you would!" Pang Fu said with a grin, then pulled out a simple round communication artifact and handed it to Xu Fan.

"Is this a communication artifact?" Xu Fan asked, slightly surprised.

"An alliance should look like an alliance. This was made by the artifact crafting apprentice," Pang Fu said with a smile. With a quasi-alchemist now part of his alliance, they had taken a big step forward. In a few years, Xu Fan would likely become a first-tier alchemist.

"Impressive," Xu Fan remarked.

"This artifact gets the latest updates and trade info from the alliance daily, and sometimes, tasks are posted by others," Pang Fu explained as he handed Xu Fan a jade slip and a token before saying goodbye.

Just after seeing Pang Fu off, Xu Fan ran into someone he hadn’t been keen on meeting lately.

"Junior Brother Xu, just finished with a guest?" Sha Yan asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Xu Fan looked into Sha Yan’s crescent-shaped eyes and felt his defenses drop.

"Yes, a senior brother came by," he replied, brushing off the guest comment.

"Junior Brother, aren’t you going to invite me in for a seat?" Sha Yan smiled.

They sat opposite each other in the pavilion, and Xu Fan passed her a cup of freshly brewed tea.

"Junior Brother, why don’t you want to join the Spirit Herb Hall?"

"Let me rephrase that: why don’t you want to become my father’s disciple?" Sha Yan pressed, her gaze fixed on Xu Fan. She had recognized his talent in alchemy, yet he had turned down her father’s offer to mentor him.

Xu Fan looked at the beautiful senior sister and thought to himself, should I tell her that alchemy isn’t really my thing? I’m more into artifact crafting.

"Senior Sister, I value my freedom too much. I don’t want to be tied down; alchemy is just a side gig for me," Xu Fan said, trying to dodge the issue.

Sha Yan looked at him, puzzled. She couldn’t fathom why he would pass up an opportunity that others would kill for.

"But, Junior Brother, your alchemy skills are exceptional. Without proper guidance, your talent will be wasted."

"Alchemy is as vast as the ocean; it’s also a path to ascension. If you become a top alchemist, reaching the Immortal Realm won’t be out of reach," Sha Yan urged. Mastering alchemy offers a quicker route to ascension than traditional cultivation.

Xu Fan felt a headache coming on as he looked at the stunning senior sister. If he became a disciple of a master alchemist, his plans for artifact crafting would be derailed.

It seemed he had to be honest.

"Senior Sister, have you ever been on the Floating Sky Ship in our sect?" Xu Fan asked.

"Yes, I’ve taken a trip on it. Why do you ask?" Sha Yan responded, curious.

"From the moment I first saw the Floating Sky Ship, I vowed to create a Floating Sky Giant Ship in my lifetime."

"Alchemy is just a means to gather spirit stones for me initially. I’m hesitant to become Master Jing Tian’s disciple because I fear I might not live up to his expectations," Xu Fan explained, mixing truth with tact.

Sha Yan looked at Xu Fan, her mind flashing back to her brother who had a fallout with their father at Artifact Peak.

She still remembered her brother’s parting words.

"I, Sha Diao, will become the top artifact master of Que Tian Gate!"