Chapter 176
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Chapter 176: Senior, You Misremembered the Price
Xu Fan glanced at his disciples and then focused intently on Li Xingci.
“I didn’t expect a senior like you to be interested in my less-than-stellar disciples,” Xu Fan said to his four disciples. “Introduce yourselves to the senior.”
“If you could give them a few pointers, it would benefit them for a lifetime,” Xu Fan added, though his words felt a bit forced.
“Xu Gang, the top disciple of my master,” Xu Gang said expressionlessly, thinking that once he advanced to the Void Refinement stage, he might be strong enough to defeat this female cultivator.
“Xu Yuexian, the second disciple of my master,” Xu Yuexian said, noticing the red-clad female cultivator’s gaze lingering on Li Xingci. She wondered if such unseen talent could be inherited.
“Wang Xiangchi, the third disciple of my master,” Wang Xiangchi said lightly, still pondering the profoundness of the strikes from that middle-aged cultivator in the Core Formation stage.
“Li Xingci, the fourth disciple of my master,” Li Xingci said coolly. He hadn’t relied on others for several lifetimes, but maybe it was time to try it.
The red-clad female cultivator looked deeply at Li Xingci, sensing a unique charm about him that captivated her, especially his deep, profound eyes, which seemed to lure her to unravel the mysteries behind them.
Her heartfelt gaze made Xu Fan feel something was off. Her affectionate expression didn’t quite fit the identity of a great being in the Core Formation stage.
The middle-aged cultivator, who had been a colleague of the red-clad female cultivator for many years, noticed her gaze and glanced at Li Xingci.
*This nearly 500-year-old maiden finally feels something. After three hundred years of working together, I can finally rest easy,* the middle-aged cultivator thought.
The red-clad female cultivator shot a look at Li Xingci and then softly said to Xu Fan, “Elder Xu, I truly enjoy the fairyland-like scenery here. Could you arrange a place for me to rest?”
“During my earlier confrontation with that Thick-Shell Honey Badger in the Core Formation stage, I may have used a bit too much force. Now, I feel the flow of spiritual energy is slightly off.”
Xu Fan didn’t believe her excuse but turned to the middle-aged cultivator for help, hoping he could manage his colleague.
The middle-aged cultivator gave Xu Fan a knowing look and transmitted a message, telling him to agree first.
“This would be perfect. Elder Xu’s sect hasn’t yet achieved fighting strength in the Core Formation stage.”
“If Elder Xu doesn’t mind, I can offer Friend Rantian a nominal elder title,” the middle-aged cultivator suggested.
“Sure,” Xu Fan said, deciding to enjoy the drama. He turned to Li Xingci, “Since the senior wishes to find a resting place here, Xingci, take her to choose a site and come up with a design along the way.”
“My disciple has a natural inclination for creative thinking. The beautiful scenery we have in this sect is all thanks to my disciples’ efforts,” Xu Fan added, addressing the middle-aged cultivator and the red-clad female cultivator.
The red-clad female cultivator stood up and said to Li Xingci, “Let’s go. Take me to choose a location.”
Li Xingci, sitting behind Xu Fan, looked at his master and then at the red-clad female cultivator, feeling like a girl being pushed onto the stage by a madam in a worldly brothel.
“Understood,” Li Xingci said reluctantly, standing up and saluting Xu Fan.
“Senior, please follow me,” Li Xingci said to the red-clad female cultivator, wondering what he should do if she really took a liking to him.
*Should I pretend to refuse or just go along with it?* Li Xingci’s mind sank into thought.
After they left, the middle-aged cultivator took out his Spiritual Sword.
“Elder Xu, please appraise this sword.”
Xu Fan accepted the Spiritual Sword and examined it.
“This is mainly made of Xuan Titanium Steel, complemented by Thousand Star Stone and Broken Star Iron. The rune formations on the sword have abilities such as Spirit Breaking, Evil Slashing, Sword Transformation, and Heavenly Punishment.”
He pointed to the edge and tip of the sword.
“There are slight damages, likely due to impacts with artifacts of the same level. Currently, it’s not a major issue.”
The middle-aged cultivator’s face darkened.
*Why does this sound exactly like the assessment from the master craftsman in the Elder Council? Even the tone is similar. Clearly, this is an impressive Dao artifact Spiritual Sword; why does it come across as so ordinary when described by you?*
“Elder Xu, could you provide a deeper assessment?” the middle-aged cultivator asked.
Xu Fan looked at the sword, momentarily stunned.
“This is merely a very ordinary Dao artifact Spiritual Sword. If I were to delve deeper, I’d say the artifact master who crafted it didn’t put much heart into it.”
“That’s to be expected. After all, this is an entry-level Spiritual Sword for artifact masters, so there’s no need for much dedication,” Xu Fan concluded after a long pause.
“Elder Xu, can you repair this Spiritual Sword?” the middle-aged cultivator asked.
“Currently, there’s no need for repairs,” Xu Fan replied. *According to the game’s terminology, the sword still has over half its durability left; no point in repairs.*
“I want to find someone to repair this Spiritual Sword,” the middle-aged cultivator said helplessly.
“Sure, if you hand it to me for repairs, it’ll be 500 million spirit stones,” Xu Fan said confidently. *Earning over ten times the difference with my skills shouldn’t be considered greedy.*
“I can also upgrade your Dao artifact Spiritual Sword, increasing its power by 20%. That would be 5 billion spirit stones,” Xu Fan added with a smile.
“Can’t you make it a bit cheaper?” the middle-aged cultivator asked, his expression calm but his tone slightly awkward.
“How much do you want to spend?” Xu Fan asked, noticing the shift in the senior’s demeanor.
“Is 50 million spirit stones acceptable?” the middle-aged cultivator suggested, shocking Xu Fan.
“Senior, you…”
“What spirit stones? As the junior, I’ll help you repair and upgrade it for free. Consider it making a friend,” Xu Fan said, holding back a complaint.
“That would be too kind of you,” the middle-aged cultivator said, his expression slightly surprised.
“Senior, what was the price we agreed upon for the Celestial Watchers?” Xu Fan suddenly asked.
“Wasn’t it 50 million spirit stones each?” the middle-aged cultivator replied, confused.
“No, senior, you’ve misremembered. It’s 60 million spirit stones each.”
