Chapter 179
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Chapter 179: Outer Sect of Hidden Spirit Sect
Shi Zhan emerged from the teleportation formation in Lin Sen Fairy City.
Gazing at the fairy city he hadn’t seen in so long, Shi Zhan sighed softly. He had hoped that by the time he returned, he would have saved enough spirit stones to reclaim his world from the Hidden Spirit Sect.
But life is unpredictable. The cultivation world had entered a critical phase. With the merging of this realm and the demon race, chaos had begun to spread. There were even signs of the beast race appearing outside some fairy cities.
While working hard to earn spirit stones, Shi Zhan heard about the Beast Race Invasion in the Lin Sen Fairy City area and decided to return to protect his homeland.
He also wanted to see if he could join the Hidden Spirit Sect. The odds were slim, but he was willing to try.
If that didn’t work out, he would simply guard his homeland from the outside.
“That Friend Xu seems approachable; I hope my sincerity can move him,” Shi Zhan said, touching the space ring on his hand.
After years of treasure hunting, he had accumulated a decent amount of wealth. Though it still wasn’t enough to reclaim his homeland, he was far from poor.
Meanwhile, Xu Fan, feeling excited, received word that Shi Zhan was coming to visit.
“Did he gather enough spirit stones already?” Xu Fan muttered to himself. By his calculations, unless Shi Zhan had some extraordinary luck, it would take him 100 years of hard work to earn the 800 million spirit stones.
Outside Hidden Spirit Island, a giant ship made of spirit iron hovered above the lake.
Atop the ship, in a pavilion, Xu Fan sat across from the visibly nervous Shi Zhan.
“It’s been a while, Dao Friend. You’ve matured quite a bit,” Xu Fan said with a smile. When Shi Zhan first emerged from the small world, he had more of a hero’s demeanor than that of a cultivator.
Now, Shi Zhan’s aura had shifted to that of a typical cultivator, one who struggled for resources and dealt with debts.
“Maybe it’s just the time I’ve spent in the cultivation world that’s made me seem more mature,” Shi Zhan replied with a light laugh.
As Shi Zhan sipped the tea Xu Fan offered, the bitterness on his face grew more pronounced.
“It seems you’ve been through a lot in the cultivation world,” Xu Fan observed.
Just then, a group of Transformation Stage puppets carrying a coffin flew overhead, catching Shi Zhan’s attention.
“Xu Dao Friend, what are those puppets carrying?” Shi Zhan asked. He usually avoided meddling, but he sensed an aura from that coffin that he would never forget.
“Oh, a Void Refiner dared to ambush my disciple, so I brought him back for my disciple to handle,” Xu Fan said casually, not realizing how cautious that Void Refiner had been, waiting until now to be retrieved.
“Is that Void Refiner known for hunting treasure hunters? That cultivator has a grudge against me,” Shi Zhan said.
“Well, now you can settle that grudge too,” Xu Fan remarked offhandedly.
The two continued to discuss the state of the cultivation world and the Beast Race Invasion in Lin Sen Fairy City.
When Shi Zhan felt the time was right and the atmosphere was appropriate, he got to the point.
“Xu Dao Friend, I know my talent is lacking, and I won’t pass your sect’s tests.
“But with the demon race invading, I want to defend my homeland.
“I’ve been a treasure hunter for years, and this is all my savings. I only hope your sect will accept me as an outer disciple, giving me the chance to guard my homeland from the outside.”
Shi Zhan handed a space ring to Xu Fan.
“Our sect doesn’t distinguish between inner and outer disciples.”
Xu Fan took the space ring and checked its contents. Inside was one small target’s worth of spirit stones—a substantial sum for a Golden Core stage cultivator.
“With this many spirit stones, you could easily join a major sect and progress steadily. Reaching the Void Refinement stage in the future wouldn’t be out of the question.”
“Why do you insist on joining our sect? Is it just to prevent our sect from causing more bloodshed in your hometown world?” Xu Fan asked.
“It’s not just that. It’s hard to let go of the attachment I feel for my hometown,” Shi Zhan replied, his voice tinged with genuine emotion.
“Hometown,” Xu Fan murmured, lowering his head. Then he looked up at Shi Zhan and asked, “Is there someone there you can’t bear to leave behind?”
“Yes.”
After a moment of silence, Xu Fan waved his hand and returned the space ring containing Shi Zhan’s years of savings to him.
“Very well. You know our sect is a hidden one, and we don’t usually accept cultivators who are already as skilled as you.”
“But considering your connection to our sect and your persistence, I’ll make an exception and accept you as an outer disciple.”
“I’ll establish the Outer Sect of Hidden Spirit Sect beneath the entrance to your hometown world. For now, you’ll serve as the Outer Sect Elder, overseeing the outer sect’s affairs.”
“As for how the outer sect will develop in the future, we’ll discuss that later.”
“I hope this arrangement satisfies you,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
Hearing this, Shi Zhan stood up excitedly and bowed deeply to Xu Fan. “Thank you, Friend Xu, for your generosity.”
“This is because of your determination. Someone who cares so deeply for their hometown can’t have any ulterior motives,” Xu Fan said.
“Hehe,” Shi Zhan chuckled, scratching his head.
“Let’s set up the outer sect first. We’ll deal with the rest later.”
“Electronic Voice.”
“I’m here,” the electronic voice responded.
“Build an artificial island below the marked small world, with an area one-third the size of Hidden Spirit Island,” Xu Fan instructed.
“Understood.”
At that moment, the lakebed around Hidden Spirit Island began to churn.
At the bottom of the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, millions of underwater tool puppets started moving, while thousands of Giant Ships flew out from Hidden Spirit Island toward Shi Zhan’s hometown world.
“You’ll follow those tool puppets and can share your ideas with them,” Xu Fan added.
“I’ll gradually grant you access to the sect’s techniques and other resources.”
“Understood.”
After saying this, Shi Zhan bid farewell to Xu Fan and flew off toward his hometown world.
“Lucky guy. At least he has a home to return to and someone to miss,” Xu Fan sighed wistfully.
Shi Zhan’s attachment to his hometown touched Xu Fan slightly. He saw a bit of himself in Shi Zhan.
“Master, are you thinking about your hometown again?”
Xu Yuexian appeared behind Xu Fan at some point, her eyes slightly red as if she had been crying.
“Just thinking about some things.”
“You’re too old to be crying like this,” Xu Fan said with a smile as he looked at Xu Yuexian.
“Master, thank you,” Xu Yuexian said emotionally. She had nearly forgotten about her desire for revenge after destroying the physical body of that Void Refiner, which she considered enough to avenge herself.
“As your master, anyone who dares to harm you will be my lifelong enemy.”
“Only dead enemies are good enemies,” Xu Fan said. He kept a little notebook, and any cultivator or beast race whose name appeared in it would become his immediate target for revenge.
