Chapter 230
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 230: Tenfold Return
“Why does the respected elder have this idea?” Xu Fan asked, while considering how to deal with this situation.
“I have some knowledge about piloting Star Ships as well.”
“At present, the computing power of the puppets I have crafted does not even allow them to operate a Star Ship,” Xu Fan said.
He was not lying; the puppets he had crafted indeed could not operate a Star Ship. The one piloting the Star Ship was Grape’s clone.
“Of course I know the puppets can’t operate the Star Ship. What I mean is, you should craft a special artifact to control the puppets, and then let that artifact’s spirit control the puppets,” Respected Elder Jade said. “Just like the spirit that assisted you in setting up the grand formation earlier.”
“With so many puppets, I refuse to believe they assembled themselves,” Respected Elder Jade said with a smile; she was also a half-baked artifact master, just a billion steps away from becoming a master craftsman.
Xu Fan felt that dealing with Respected Elder Jade’s knowing look made this situation more complicated than he had imagined.
At that moment, Respected Elder Jade took out a jade slip and handed it to Xu Fan.
“This is the secret technique for crafting artifact-level tools given to me by the former chief of the Heavenly Refining Sect; see if you can craft it,” Respected Elder Jade said with hope.
This jade slip was something she obtained years ago at a tremendous cost from the former chief master craftsman who had entered seclusion. She had held onto it for seventy years, and to this day, no master craftsman had managed to complete the artifact designed by the former chief.
“The former chief of the Heavenly Refining Sect!” Xu Fan exclaimed.
The Heavenly Refining Sect had rules: only artifact grandmasters who could craft celestial tools were qualified to become the chief; over its 100,000 years of inheritance, only a little over half the time had a chief been in office.
“Yes, that esteemed chief is currently comprehending celestial scripts, planning to ascend to the Thousand Worlds once the next celestial tool is successfully crafted,” Great Respected Elder Yun spoke of the former chief with great respect.
“Let me take a look.”
As Xu Fan spoke, he spread his consciousness over the jade slip.
In an instant, a vast amount of information flooded into Xu Fan’s mind.
It took him a long while to recover.
“How is it? Can you craft it?” Respected Elder Jade asked.
“Sorry, I am helpless,” Xu Fan replied slowly, still showing signs of shock in his eyes.
No wonder this was the former chief of the Heavenly Refining Sect; the design of the puppet nearly overthrew Xu Fan’s expectations.
This wasn’t just about crafting a puppet; based on Xu Fan’s analysis, this was a special spirit formed by combining the rules of combat evolution from Star Ships with puppets.
To craft this puppet, Xu Fan’s current realm was insufficient. He would need to reach the Void Refinement stage at the very least to succeed in the future.
“How did the respected elder tell the chief that crafting such an artifact-level puppet is more difficult than crafting a celestial tool?” Xu Fan asked curiously.
“Haha, since you can’t craft it, then forget it.”
“For the matter of rescuing the Star Ship, consider it a personal favor I owe you, and we will meet again in the future.”
Respected Elder Jade smiled awkwardly and then vanished.
What she had originally told that chief was that she needed the puppet to help her destroy all Star Ships. From what the master craftsmen she had consulted over the years had said after looking at the jade slip, it was clear that the chief took it seriously, leading all who had seen the jade slip to ask the same question.
Holding the jade slip, Xu Fan looked in the direction where Respected Elder Jade had disappeared and said, “Elder, don’t you want your jade slip anymore?”
Then Xu Fan’s hand was guided by a mysterious force, slowly opening, and the jade slip in his hand floated into the air and vanished.
After a long while, Xu Fan turned to Xu Gang behind him and said, “He must have exaggerated to the chief back then. The chief took it seriously and ended up creating an incredibly challenging artifact.”
“Can you craft it, Master?” Xu Gang asked curiously.
“I’m not at that level yet. Even with the technique, I can’t do it,” Xu Fan replied with a helpless shrug.
“Alright.”
“By the way, the origin of fire will be delivered by the Hidden Spirit Commerce soon. Head to the underground space, and I’ll help you comprehend the five elemental origins,” Xu Fan said. When it came to training his disciples, Xu Fan was never stingy. As long as it benefited his students, he never hesitated to spend.
“Master, isn’t this a bit too extravagant? My comprehension isn’t great; won’t it be a waste?” Xu Gang said hesitantly.
“When you became my disciple, why didn’t you tell me your comprehension was low and ask me not to take you in?” Xu Fan shot him a glance.
“I was still young back then,” Xu Gang replied, scratching his head and chuckling.
“If you think it’s too expensive, I’ll save it for Ling Tai.”
“Master, I’ll head to the underground space right away,” Xu Gang said quickly.
“That’s more like it. No need to be so polite,” Xu Fan said, shaking his head.
In the underground space, after Xu Fan helped Xu Gang understand the origin of fire, he returned to his cultivation room to reflect on his questions.
……………….
At the Celestial Sword Academy, Wang Xiangchi watched as all the students entered the battle royale game, then joined the illusion game as an administrator.
As fifty students arrived in the ruins, they quickly began to hide, avoiding the sudden appearance of beasts in the Qi Training Stage.
At that moment, Jian Wujie was hiding in an abandoned room, quietly observing the surroundings.
“This time, I must take first place and show my teacher who his best student really is,” Jian Wujie said with determination in his eyes.
The moment Wang Xiangchi introduced this illusion game, it became a hit among the students. In the illusion, they could fight freely without worrying about the severity of their strikes or injuries, as everything would return to normal once they left the illusion.
The battle royale game had been held twice. In the first round, Jian Wujie had survived until the end, while in the second round, Han Feiyu had won, leaving Jian Wujie unwilling to accept the result.
Jian Wujie peered through the broken window at the distant red light column, gritted his teeth, and ran toward it, clutching his basic magical spirit sword.
Han Feiyu frowned as he looked at the pack of wolves ahead. Taking a detour would waste time, but fighting them could lead to either obtaining a treasure or being eliminated.
“I’ll take the risk. If I can stay in first place, my teacher will value me even more,” Han Feiyu thought, his eyes flashing with determination as he faced the wolves.
In the world above the game, Wang Xiangchi quietly observed the two.
After watching them for several days, Wang Xiangchi had noticed their traits. Jian Wujie was a typical genius, proud and confident that he could achieve anything through sheer effort.
According to Xu Fan, he was a natural talent.
Han Feiyu, on the other hand, was the cautious type of genius. He liked to plan carefully and think ahead. With the support of that treasured artifact, his future potential was immense.
He was the pay-to-win type.
Looking at Jian Wujie, a hint of satisfaction crossed Wang Xiangchi’s eyes. Between the two, he slightly preferred Jian Wujie, mainly because he saw a reflection of his younger self in him—a talented and hardworking individual.
Though he also had a good impression of Han Feiyu, he felt something was missing compared to Jian Wujie.
“Perhaps my master would prefer Feiyu,” Wang Xiangchi remarked, watching their performance in the game.
In the illusion game, Jian Wujie, armed with just a sword, defeated all the beasts he encountered on his path.
After Han Feiyu cleverly used the terrain to eliminate a pack of wolves, he acquired several magical treasures, making the rest of his journey much smoother.
Two hours later, they unsurprisingly met at the finish line.
Facing the poisonous mist outside and the single antidote pill on the stone table, Jian Wujie pointed his Spiritual Sword at Han Feiyu.
“Let’s settle this like last time—winner takes first place.”
Han Feiyu glanced at the surrounding terrain, the nearby poisonous mist, and the lone antidote pill on the stone table. He sighed softly and charged at Jian Wujie with his sword.
If this weren’t just a game, Han Feiyu would never have chosen to face Jian Wujie directly.
In the end, Jian Wujie won the battle and claimed the final antidote pill.
The students emerged from the illusion game, eagerly sharing their experiences and tales of defeat with one another.
“The winner of this game is Jian Wujie, who will receive a bottle of medium-grade body pills,” Wang Xiangchi announced.
After receiving the body pills from the assistant, Jian Wujie approached Han Feiyu and said, “If this weren’t a game, I wouldn’t stand a chance against you in reality.”
“What are you talking about? A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. I understand that. But watch out—I feel like I’m catching up to you.”
“Next time, who knows who’ll come out on top?” Han Feiyu replied with a smile, showing no hard feelings and acknowledging Jian Wujie’s strength.
Being strong now doesn’t mean you’ll stay strong forever.
Han Feiyu believed that with the jade gourd in his possession, he wouldn’t fall behind anyone.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jian Wujie said before bidding farewell to Wang Xiangchi and heading home.
That evening, as Wang Xiangchi was deep in thought about swordsmanship, an irritated figure appeared outside his courtyard.
Wang Xiangchi opened his eyes and stepped out of his room.
“Senior sister still hasn’t caught that thief,” Wang Xiangchi said, pouring a cup of lunar dew for Xu Yuexian.
“That little thief must be hiding somewhere. He’s even managed to mask his scent.”
“It’s driving me crazy,” Xu Yuexian said angrily, gulping down the lunar dew in one go.
“Don’t worry, senior sister. You’ll get another chance to catch him,” Wang Xiangchi reassured her.
“Doesn’t Master have any tracking spells?” Wang Xiangchi asked.
“I asked, but Master said it’s not the right time yet,” Xu Yuexian sighed.
Just then, a foul odor filled the air.
Xu Yuexian vanished instantly.
“I hope senior sister catches that thief this time,” Wang Xiangchi muttered.
Xu Yuexian followed the foul odor all the way to the outskirts of the Celestial Sword fairy city.
As she moved farther from the city, a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes. If you think luring me out here will help you, let’s see if you can actually catch me.
At that moment, the figure emitting the foul odor stopped hiding and boldly appeared not far from Xu Yuexian.
“Girl, it seems fate has brought us together again,” the foul-smelling figure said, his tone dripping with false righteousness.
Upon hearing the voice, Xu Yuexian was taken aback. What’s with this tone that’s all about righteousness?
“I came here specifically to find you, and you’re a thief. Please don’t talk like you’re some righteous hero,” Xu Yuexian said.
A space ring was tossed back by the thief, and Xu Yuexian caught it with disdain, then glanced inside.
It was completely empty.
“Little girl, I’ve returned your space ring. Shouldn’t you get rid of this foul odor on me?” His tone still sounded annoyingly righteous.
At that moment, over a thousand puppets appeared behind Xu Yuexian.
One special Void Refinement Stage puppet, five Transformation Stage heavy armor puppets, five ordinary Transformation Stage puppets, and the rest were Nascent Soul Stage puppets.
Not far away, a puppet was setting up a giant cannon.
“You, a Core Formation stage senior, stole from a junior. Asking for ten times the return isn’t too much, is it?” Xu Yuexian said flatly.
The foul odor was so overpowering that Xu Yuexian’s anger toward the thief lessened a bit—it really was unbearable.
“Ten times the return? Little girl, that’s a bit much. You’re outside the fairy city, and you, a junior, dare to talk to a Core Formation senior like this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll just kill you?”
“If I really wanted to kill you, none of those puppets behind you could stop me.”
Using the most righteous tone to say the most shameless things made Xu Yuexian feel uneasy.
“Senior Zheng Feng, that foul odor on you isn’t just disgusting—it also carries a karmic mark.”
“Do you think those who practice divination techniques can’t track you down, Senior Zheng Feng?”
“Your methods make it clear you’re no amateur. I wonder how many enemies you’ve made, Senior Zheng Feng,” Xu Yuexian said with a sly smile, throwing out a threat regardless of whether it was accurate.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Zheng Feng,” Zheng Feng said, his expression unchanged. He knew his name wasn’t the main issue, but the karmic mark in the foul odor was. If his enemies found out, it would be a disaster.
“Right or wrong doesn’t matter. If you don’t return what you stole from me tenfold, I’ll spread the word about Zheng Feng and his foul odor to the whole world,” Xu Yuexian said, narrowing her eyes.
“Do you know how much it costs to buy a piece of news, Senior Zheng Feng?”
“It’s just a message that pops up in the communication artifact every day.”
“One message costs one billion spirit stones. I can afford that.”
“Return what’s in my space ring tenfold, or I’ll expose you,” Xu Yuexian stated.
At that moment, Zheng Feng suddenly attacked, a giant hand made of spiritual energy reaching out to grab Xu Yuexian.
“Is Senior Zheng Feng getting nervous?” Xu Yuexian said mockingly, watching the hand approach.
The Void Refinement Stage puppet behind her moved forward, formed seals with its hands, and created a protective shield around Xu Yuexian.
Then, another attack tore through space, but it was blocked by a heavy armor puppet holding a shield.
“Senior’s getting nervous?” Xu Yuexian repeated.
“All I’m asking is for you to return what’s in my space ring tenfold, and you’re already losing your cool?”
Xu Yuexian’s words, paired with her mocking expression, made Zheng Feng lose his composure. He nearly lost control and tried to kill her on the spot.
“Little junior, today you’re as good as dead.”
His once-righteous voice now sounded dark and menacing.
“A little junior at the Nascent Soul stage dares to insult me? Do you really think I can’t kill you?”
