Chapter 226
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Chapter 226: The Skeleton of the Golden-Horned Cow Whale
In the Moon Shadow Fairy City area, a Core Formation stage Flame Bull from the beast race was pierced through by Autumn Frost, cleanly and effortlessly destroying its Spirit Companion.
The Flame Bull’s corpse was largely intact, with only a small hole in its chest.
Compared to the massive body of the Flame Bull, the wound seemed almost insignificant.
Ning Dao looked at his handiwork with satisfaction.
"Not bad. After all these years, my skills haven’t rusted," Ning Dao remarked, glancing at Xinyuan, who was locked in a fierce battle nearby.
"Xinyuan, why are you struggling so much with a single Flame Bull?"
Xinyuan, who was clashing with the Core Formation stage Flame Bull, rolled his eyes.
From the start, he had been puzzled about why Ning Dao, who usually avoided getting involved in others’ affairs, had decided to help him this time.
It wasn’t until Ning Dao pulled out two Spiritual Swords during the fight that Xinyuan finally understood.
So, you’re just here to show off your new Spiritual Swords, huh?
"An ordinary Core Formation stage cultivator like me can’t possibly compare to Ning Dao’s Dual Swords Flow," Xinyuan muttered sarcastically.
"Ning Dao, hurry up! I’m barely holding on here," Xinyuan called out.
"Xinyuan, can’t you even handle a single Flame Bull?" Ning Dao teased, clearly more interested in flaunting his skills than actually helping.
"I just wanted to get a better look at the might of your Dual Swords Flow," Xinyuan replied dryly.
What a show-off, Xinyuan thought to himself.
Ning Dao paused for a moment, a faint smirk crossing his face.
"Here I come."
Like Fire and Autumn Frost, the two Spiritual Swords shot forward, swiftly bringing the battle to an end.
Satisfied, Ning Dao returned to Lin Sen Fairy City, hauling the corpses of two Core Formation stage Flame Bulls.
Meanwhile, Xu Fan was still busy with his artifact crafting.
"I hope this artifact doesn’t trigger the same effect as last time," Xu Fan muttered nervously.
The Demon Suppressing Star from before had technically surpassed the level of a low-tier artifact.
This toned-down version of Grape should, in theory, be a beginner-level artifact, but Xu Fan wasn’t entirely confident.
"Well, at least I’ve got something to keep me occupied while crafting," he sighed.
Xu Fan multitasked, brainstorming ways to deal with artifact feedback while continuing his work.
…………….
Three months later, in the training hall of Xuan Level Class B at Celestial Sword Academy.
Wang Xiangchi observed the fifty students practicing and nodded in approval.
Though most of them didn’t have exceptional talent, they were all diligent and hardworking.
By now, the aura of the Xuan Level Class B students had completely transformed; each one radiated the sharpness of a sword freshly drawn from its sheath.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the day came to a close.
"Good, everyone did well today. You’ve all grasped the basic Sword Forces," Wang Xiangchi said with a smile.
"Tomorrow, I’ll take you for something more exciting."
"Get ready, everyone."
"What are we doing tomorrow, teacher?"
"Will there be any rewards tomorrow?"
"Will you give us another Spiritual Sword as a prize?"
The fifty students buzzed with questions.
"Quiet! Listen to the teacher," the teaching assistant called out.
"Alright, you’re dismissed. Rest well today," Wang Xiangchi waved, signaling the end of the day’s lesson.
"Senior, what’s the plan for tomorrow?" the teaching assistant asked, curious.
"You’ll see tomorrow; it’s going to be thrilling," Wang Xiangchi replied with a grin.
Just then, Jian Wujie, who was supposed to have left, came back carrying a food box.
"Teacher, my mother made this dinner for you," Jian Wujie said, quickly setting down the food box and then dashing off towards the Celestial Sword Academy entrance, as if afraid Wang Xiangchi might call him back.
"That little rascal," Wang Xiangchi chuckled, pretending to scold.
Since Jian Wujie’s mother started using lunar dew to regain her health, she had been cooking small dishes for Wang Xiangchi every day.
Though the ingredients were simple, the meals she prepared were incredibly tasty.
It turned out that before she got sick, Jian Wujie’s mother had been a renowned cook in Celestial Sword Fairy City.
"You can head back; you’ve been working hard," Wang Xiangchi told the teaching assistant.
"It’s my duty," the teaching assistant replied, his heart racing at the thought of possibly becoming Wang Xiangchi’s personal aide in the future.
After speaking, the teaching assistant left without lingering.
At that moment, Han Feiyu returned, holding a high-quality spirit stone. He hurried over to Wang Xiangchi and said, "Teacher, I found this stone at the market yesterday. When I cracked it open, it was a top-grade spirit stone inside."
"I don’t need it, so I thought I’d give it to you, teacher," Han Feiyu said with a grin.
"Keep it for yourself; don’t go showing off your finds to everyone."
As he said this, Wang Xiangchi seemed to remember something and pulled out an empty storage bag, tossing it to Han Feiyu.
"You can’t use my space ring, so use this for now. Get a space ring later when you have some spirit stones."
"As for the spirit stone, keep it. It’s nothing special to me," Wang Xiangchi said, waving his hand.
While a spirit stone with sword intent might be a treasure to some, to Wang Xiangchi, it was just another stone; with his master around, he could experience sword intent firsthand anytime.
Taking the storage bag, Han Feiyu looked at Wang Xiangchi and asked, "Teacher, why are you so kind to me?"
Having seen the world’s harshness from a young age, Han Feiyu knew there were no free favors or love without reason.
"First, I want you to win the member competition.
"Second, that spirit stone might be useful to others, but to me, it’s just a stone."
"Teacher wouldn’t even bother trading him for spirit stones," Wang Xiangchi said casually.
"I understand, Teacher," Han Feiyu replied, sounding a bit let down. It seemed he needed to find another way to repay his teacher’s kindness.
Watching Han Feiyu walk away, Wang Xiangchi muttered, "He’s really a lucky kid."
Xu Fan had already figured out the function of the jade gourd. The jade lake inside could improve the quality of everything.
For instance, putting a low-grade spirit stone in it would turn it into a mid-grade spirit stone, a high-grade spirit stone, or even a top-grade spirit stone. The same went for other items.
"Master, doesn’t this treasure tempt you?" Wang Xiangchi asked.
The jade gourd seemed almost within his grasp.
"You’re feeling greedy," Xu Fan said, frowning at Wang Xiangchi.
"I’m not greedy at all; I’m just curious," Wang Xiangchi insisted.
"Curious my foot! Why should your master feel greedy over something you don’t even care about?"
Xu Fan then hung up.
………………
In Han Feiyu’s single dorm.
"Is my master not happy with this spirit stone? Should I offer a top-grade spirit stone instead?" Han Feiyu said, playing with the jade gourd.
"Forget it. My teacher’s background is mysterious. The things I have, he probably wouldn’t even glance at. I’ll have to wait."
Saying this, Han Feiyu took out a top-grade spirit pill and swallowed it, starting his cultivation.
In the B class, he was tied with Jian Wujie as the top student, all thanks to these top-tier, toxin-free spirit pills.
That evening, in the small courtyard built for Wang Xiangchi at Celestial Sword Academy.
Li Xingci and Wang Xiangchi were having a drink.
Looking at Wang Xiangchi, who now looked every bit the teacher, Li Xingci laughed and said, "I thought after leaving the sect, you’d become a ruthless swordsman, slaying demons."
"Or maybe a wandering Sword Immortal in the cultivation world," he added.
"I thought of every possibility, but I never imagined my third senior brother would end up as a teacher at the academy."
"Is that really so surprising?"
Wang Xiangchi raised his cup to drink with Li Xingci.
"Haha, it’s unexpected but makes sense," Li Xingci said.
"Did you bring what I asked for?" Wang Xiangchi asked.
"How could I forget what my senior brother asked of me?"
Li Xingci took out an illusionary hut and placed it on the table.
"I’ve already set the difficulty of the illusion inside. By the way, you really seem to care about your students," Li Xingci noted.
"They’re just a group of kids with average talents. I just want to give them a bit of hope," Wang Xiangchi said.
He was quite aware of what the future held for his students.
"By doing that, you’re already a good teacher."
"Brother, keep it up! Try to produce a few prodigies to prove that you’re a better teacher than our master," Li Xingci said with a laugh.
Since Xu Fan helped Li Xingci eliminate the aftereffects of the Cycle of Rebirth Technique, he had become more cheerful and joked more often with those close to him.
"Haha, I still want to live a bit longer. Besides, I don’t have Master’s incredible skills," Wang Xiangchi replied, raising his cup to toast Li Xingci again.
"Haha, true."
"By the way, this is a gift from your master’s wife," Li Xingci said, handing a Spiritual Sword to Wang Xiangchi.
"Master’s wife is back?" Wang Xiangchi exclaimed in surprise.
"She stayed for two days and then left. Master was so down that he even started crafting artifacts himself," Li Xingci explained.
"Well, I wonder when Master and his wife will finally be together," Wang Xiangchi mused.
He had heard about Xu Fan and Zhang Weiyun since he was young.
Back then, when Xu Fan and Zhang Weiyun had just become cultivation partners, she was taken away by a Great Ascension Master to become his disciple.
"Rumor has it that Master’s wife is still a maiden," Li Xingci added, gossiping again.
"Sigh!" The two brothers sighed in unison.
Luckily, Xu Fan was too focused on crafting artifacts to hear their conversation—otherwise, he might have exploded on the spot.
…………….
After subduing a group of beast race creatures, Ning Dao returned to the Hidden Spirit Sect.
"I need to speak with the Grand Elder," he said to the tool puppets in his courtyard.
"What’s the matter, Brother Ning?" Xu Fan’s voice came from the tool puppet.
"I found the beast race creatures you asked me to locate," Ning Dao replied.
He casually released three sealed Five-Spirit Enlightened Monkeys, all at the Void Refinement stage.
Xu Fan, who was in the middle of crafting artifacts, looked up and exclaimed, "These are Five-Spirit Enlightened Monkeys!"
"Thank you, Elder Ning."
"Don’t mention it. We’re brothers," Ning Dao said.
Ever since Xu Fan crafted the Spiritual Sword for him, Ning Dao had considered Xu Fan a brother.
"First, lift the seal and let them roam free on Satellite Island," Xu Fan instructed.
"Got it."
And just like that, the pangolin gained three new little brothers.
At that moment, Ning Dao suddenly chuckled sheepishly.
"Brother Ning, if you have something to say, just say it. This is making me nervous," Xu Fan said through the tool puppet.
Ning Dao then pulled out a complete skeleton.
"This is the skeleton of a Golden-Horned Cow Whale. I was wondering if the Grand Elder could help me craft a set of flying treasure."
Lately, Ning Dao’s fighting strength had skyrocketed, and his standing among the Elders in the Elder Council was already impressive.
So he started to feel a bit overconfident and began pondering about status.
Xu Fan glanced at the skeleton of the Golden-Horned Cow Whale and said casually, "A Golden-Horned Cow Whale at the Great Ascension stage can grow up to a thousand meters. This skeleton is 1130 meters long, indicating full mastery at the Great Ascension stage."
"Creating a set of artifact-level flying treasures won’t be a problem. But for this artifact, Brother Ning, you’ll have to wait at least 20 years, and you can’t rush me during that time," Xu Fan stated.
"Haha, Grand Elder, you’re joking. That kind of thing won’t happen again," Ning Dao replied awkwardly, remembering how he had been quite pushy before, almost shamelessly so.
"Good. Then the horns of the Golden-Horned Cow Whale are mine," Xu Fan said.
"Deal."
Ning Dao then presented two Flame Bull corpses as part of Xu Fan’s payment.
With the deal sealed, Xu Fan turned his focus back to artifact crafting.
"In two months, after I finish these two grape artifacts, I’m taking a month off," Xu Fan said through gritted teeth.
"Sometimes, it’s better to let the clone handle things,"
The first clone, assisting Xu Fan in crafting, paused for a moment.
"Haha, sorry! I couldn’t help myself."
"It’s not what you’re thinking," Xu Fan quickly explained.
"………" the first clone remained silent.
Just then, a voice came from the grapes.
"Master, Outer Sect Elder Shi Zhan wants to speak with you."
"Could it be that his old friend is coming?" Xu Fan speculated.
"Put him through."
"Outer Sect Elder greets the Grand Elder," Shi Zhan’s voice came through.
"What is it? I thought you were handling all Outer Sect matters," Xu Fan asked.
"It’s not about Outer Sect matters. My old friend Feng Chang Ning is visiting and wishes to meet the Grand Elder," Shi Zhan explained.
"Alright, I understand. Arrange for her to stay on the Outer Sect island."
"I’ll meet her in a month," Xu Fan said.
A grand series of events involving an empress is about to begin, Xu Fan thought to himself.
"Understood."
The call ended.
By then, all the spirit ore exotic treasures had been refined, and all that remained was to carve the rune formations.
…………..
On the Hidden Spirit Sect’s Outer Sect island,
There were already over ten thousand members in the Outer Sect, with more than six thousand residing on the island, the highest cultivation level reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
At that moment, Shi Zhan was walking around the island with Feng Chang Ning.
"The Grand Elder is likely in seclusion and won’t be able to see you for a month," Shi Zhan mentioned.
"That’s fine; it’s just a month’s wait," Feng Chang Ning replied with a smile. In this unfamiliar cultivation world, reuniting with an old friend was a great joy.
The two strolled across a grassy plain, with a great river flowing in the distance and wild horses drinking.
"You’ve found a suitable place," Shi Zhan said after a long silence.
"Yes, on a giant island near the Endless Sea. It’s ample for my development for a hundred years," Feng Chang Ning said, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her career.
"So, you’re here to ask the Grand Elder for people this time," Shi Zhan stated.
"You know me best," Feng Chang Ning said with a hint of admiration, recalling those war-torn times.
