Chapter 241
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Chapter 241: A Forced Fruit Is Not Sweet
Time flew by, and a year passed through spring and summer.
In the secret realm of Cang Jian Gate, Jian Wujie finally withstood the test of the nine sword intents.
The nine Spiritual Swords, representing the nine sword intents, began to circle around Jian Wujie affectionately.
“I must thank my teacher for this supreme opportunity,” Jian Wujie said.
It had taken him a full year at Cang Jian Gate to gain the recognition of the nine sword intents and receive the nine Spiritual Swords.
Now, he held the position of Acting Sect Leader of Cang Jian Gate, and once he reached the Core Formation stage, the entire secret realm would belong to him.
Jian Wujie thought of the treasures he had obtained from the formation spirit, and his eyes filled with melancholy.
“What does it matter if I become invincible in the future if I can’t even protect my own mother?”
“Formation spirit, can I leave the secret realm now?” Jian Wujie asked.
“Yes, but those who have become outer disciples of Cang Jian Gate must continue their training in the secret realm and cannot leave until they reach the Golden Core stage,” a butterfly radiating spiritual light flitted around Jian Wujie.
“I understand,” Jian Wujie nodded. The addresses and parental information of his classmates were all recorded in the jade slip; once he left, he planned to find his teacher and mother, and then take care of his classmates’ parents.
The outer disciples of Cang Jian Gate had all been marked with the heart sword seal, binding them to obey the sect leader for life.
This was also the reason for his actions.
A glowing portal appeared in front of Jian Wujie.
As Jian Wujie exited the secret realm, he noticed the hidden formations around him.
Then, a tool puppet appeared before him.
“Isn’t this my teacher’s puppet?” Jian Wujie said.
The tool puppet held a jade slip in its hand and gestured for Jian Wujie to take it.
“This must be the message my teacher left for me after leaving,” Jian Wujie said, touched. He hadn’t expected his teacher to think of him even after departing.
He then examined the jade slip.
Half an hour later, after reading the letter left for him by Wang Xiangchi, a tear rolled down Jian Wujie’s cheek.
“My mother is still alive!”
At that moment, a spiritual boat appeared before Jian Wujie, piloted by a puppet.
“Get on; this is the spiritual boat heading to Celestial Sword fairy city.”
Wang Xiangchi knew that those in the Qi Refinement stage couldn’t fly with a sword, so he had prepared the spiritual boat to pick up the students.
In Celestial Sword fairy city, Jian Wujie’s hands trembled as he fed a Spirit Pill to his mother, who lay bedridden, now resembling an elderly woman.
When the beast race invaded Celestial Sword fairy city and his mother heard that no one from Celestial Sword Academy had survived, she lost her will to live and wished to join her son in death, which accelerated her illness.
Just as she was about to die, Wang Xiangchi arrived in time, using all the spirit herbs with added vitality to stabilize Jian Wujie’s mother’s condition.
Upon learning that her son was still alive and had encountered a great opportunity, she regained the desire to live, but her condition worsened, leaving her completely bedridden and unable to move, even with spirit pills crafted by Wang Xiangchi and Xu Fan.
“Wujie, I’ll be content if I can see you one last time,” she said, her once youthful and beautiful appearance now entirely transformed into that of an old woman.
“I won’t let my mother see me just once; I want her to watch over me forever,” Jian Wujie said, tears welling in his eyes as he remembered the moments of relying on each other with his mother since childhood.
At that moment, a surge of life force suddenly burst forth from Jian Wujie’s mother, beginning to heal every corner of her body.
“Mother, I’ve figured out what’s wrong with your illness. The spirit pill you just took can completely cure this strange condition,” Jian Wujie said with a smile as he watched his mother slowly recover.
It was as if time had reversed; the once lifeless old woman began to rejuvenate rapidly. Before long, Jian Wujie saw the mother from his childhood memories return.
………………
Xu Fan, who was refining a Spiritual Tool, looked with confusion toward his third disciple’s mountain peak, sensing a vast force of causal power settle over his silly disciple.
Then he received the news that Jian Wujie had emerged from the secret realm.
“Silly disciple, I told you to just form a good connection, and here you are, nearly becoming the savior of those protagonists.”
“Be careful not to become the trigger for their explosive growth in the future,” Xu Fan thought of countless classic scenes from passionate Anime in his past life.
When a protagonist’s best friend, family, or benefactor is killed, they begin to explode with power, break through, and then slay the final villain.
At that moment, Xu Fan wanted to complain—did those people exist just to hold you back?
As the last rune was carved, yet another externally sold Spiritual Tool was successfully refined.
At this time, the first clone let out a sound of pure comfort, unable to hold it back.
Xu Fan stood up, stretching lazily as was his habit.
“Happy lazy days are here.”
Xu Fan’s figure appeared in the main peak’s dojo.
Watching the disciples training hard below, Xu Fan smiled with satisfaction.
Indeed, by controlling the enrollment sources, he didn’t have to push things along deliberately later.
In the past year, Hidden Spirit Sect had seen over fifty first-generation disciples break through to the Golden Core Stage, and all had been sent out by Xu Fan to experience the harsh realities of the world.
However, what puzzled Xu Fan was that the disciples who had just entered the cultivation world behaved like seasoned veterans, all thriving, and some had even made quite a reputation for themselves in the cultivation world.
This was in stark contrast to Xu Fan’s original intentions. Later, he realized that the sect’s handbook on precautions for going out, edited by him and Xu Yuexian, was too detailed. Coupled with the excellent qualities they developed in the battle royale game, it made them feel as if they were like fish in water in the cultivation world.
For outside matters, they referred to the handbook; for internal matters, they consulted the grapevine.
Yes, the disciples of Hidden Spirit Sect had the privilege of consulting the grapevine.
Xu Fan once considered closing this feature but later couldn’t find a reason to do so, so he let it go unresolved.
On Hidden Spirit Island, next to the spiritual liquid lake,
Xu Fan took a lounge chair and sat beside the Tianji Turtle.
Since the sect’s grand formation had upgraded the Spirit Gathering Formation to a spiritual tool, this Tianji Turtle had become quite active, perhaps because the pure spiritual energy was overwhelming for it.
On one occasion, Xu Fan spent some time near the Tianji Turtle and discovered that being close to it brought a sense of tranquil silence, and the flow of time seemed to speed up.
Often, with just a thought from Xu Fan, he found that night had fallen.
“Old Turtle, I checked some records, and it seems that your Tianji Turtles have an almost infinite lifespan, only facing danger during the ascension’s great catastrophe.”
“Of ten Tianji Turtles, only one or two can survive the great catastrophe.”
“So in my spare time, I’ve developed a technique for you that can strengthen the defensive strength of your Turtle Shell.”
Xu Fan took out a jade slip and used his spiritual energy to place it in front of the Tianji Turtle.
“You’re still young, don’t be so lazy. Otherwise, how will you ever become an auspicious beast in my Hidden Spirit Sect of the Thousand Worlds?” Xu Fan said with a chuckle.
The Tianji Turtle glanced at the jade slip in front of it, slowly got up, and repositioned itself to lie down again.
*How bored are you to bother a turtle? Can’t you just leave me in peace?*
“Don’t act clueless. All auspicious beasts are born with Awakening Spirit. Don’t think I don’t know,” Xu Fan said, watching the Tianji Turtle shift positions.
*Boom~~*
A bubble of spiritual energy floated out of the Tianji Turtle’s mouth, gently landing on the ground and rolling away into the distance.
Xu Fan watched the bubble roll and said, “Oh, Tianji Turtle, I went out of my way to help you refine a technique, and instead of thanking me, you tell me to get lost?”
“You’re being way too rude.”
The Tianji Turtle slowly rose and began walking toward the spiritual liquid lake without so much as a backward glance.
“What’s with that attitude?” Xu Fan muttered, annoyed.
He decided then and there that the next time he saw the Tianji Turtle, he’d make sure it knew who the true master of Hidden Spirit Island was.
Just then, two little deer bounded past Xu Fan. One of them, the Cloud Flower Deer, turned its head and gave Xu Fan a playful smile.
“Ying ying ying~~~”
Xu Fan understood the meaning behind the sound.
“Why can’t I talk to a turtle?” Xu Fan said, watching the little deer scamper off.
At that moment, a beam of light streaked across the sky, and Xu Gang landed nearby.
“Master, aren’t you crafting artifacts anymore?” Xu Gang asked.
“Just finished one. Taking a break to clear my head,” Xu Fan replied, noticing the proud grin on Xu Gang’s face. A quick glance told him his disciple was here to show off again.
“Alright, out with it. What divine ability have you mastered this time?” Xu Fan asked with a smile.
“Golden Crow Descending,” Xu Gang said, scratching his head and grinning like a kid who’d just aced an exam.
“Well, well! Not bad at all. Finally grasped a fire-elemental divine ability, huh?”
“Let’s head to the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake and test its power.”
Xu Fan waved his hand, and a spiritual boat materialized in front of them.
Above the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, Xu Gang stood in mid-air, a towering thousand-hand illusion nearly a hundred meters tall looming behind him.
Xu Fan observed the power radiating from Xu Gang and nodded in approval. He then sent a quick message to Xu Yuexian:
“Come get your brother. It’s time for his walk.”
Xu Fan knew Xu Gang’s talent inside and out. Reaching this level meant Xu Gang had been tirelessly cultivating without a single day off over the years.
The technique “Golden Crow Descending,” by Xu Fan’s calculations, should have taken his disciple at least 10 to 20 years to master, even with his help in unraveling the origin of fire to speed things up.
As Xu Gang’s thousand-hand illusion began forming seals at an accelerated pace, all the fire-attribute spiritual energy within a thousand-mile radius started converging toward him.
*Chirp!*
With a resounding cry, the fire-attribute spiritual energy surrounding Xu Gang surged, and a massive Golden Crow with a wingspan of a thousand meters materialized in the sky.
Like a king reborn from flames, even the Tianyang Star in the sky seemed to dim.
“When this ultimate move is unleashed, I bet all the Transformation Stage powerful beings in the core area will be wiped out,” Xu Fan said, staring at the Golden Crow that blazed like the sun.
“Let the Golden Crow come at me,” Xu Fan commanded.
As Xu Gang’s thousand-hand illusion began spellcasting, the Golden Crow turned into a river of fire, charging straight at Xu Fan.
At that moment, Xu Fan felt like a tiny ant staring down a massive wave.
Suddenly, a Nascent Soul Stage puppet appeared beside Xu Fan, quickly casting spells, causing the entire Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake to churn.
‘Boom~~’
Nine ice crystal dragons erupted from the lake, surrounding the Golden Crow mid-flight.
A freezing aura burst from the dragons, instantly locking the river of flames in mid-air.
Xu Gang rushed over to Xu Fan, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the frozen Golden Crow and the fiery river it had created.
“Master, can this be done at the Nascent Soul Stage?” Xu Gang asked, glancing at the Nascent Soul Stage puppet beside Xu Fan, knowing his master always matched the puppet’s level to the ability he demonstrated.
“Yes, it’s possible at the Nascent Soul Stage,” Xu Fan replied.
“What do you think of this divine ability?” Xu Fan asked.
“Master, you’re incredible. I want to learn it,” Xu Gang said.
“Anything else on your mind?”
“Nope, that’s it.”
“Sigh~” Xu Fan exhaled and said bluntly, “Once you master this ability, there are even stronger techniques waiting for you at the same level.”
“You’ll never run out of things to learn.”
“Set a goal for yourself, and once you reach it, take a break.”
“Have you been non-stop cultivating since returning to the sect?” Xu Fan asked.
“Not really. I’ve been teaching Ling Tai and spending time with Little Xi.”
“An hour barely counts as spending time,” Xu Fan said, rolling his eyes.
“I’ve already messaged your sister. When you get back, take Little Xi and go out for a while.”
“The path to immortality is long and dull; just cultivating isn’t fun.”
“You need to balance work and rest.”
“Take Little Xi out and enjoy yourselves for a bit,” Xu Fan said.
“Understood,” Xu Gang replied, his face sour.
Just then, Wang Xiangchi flew over.
“Greetings, Master.”
“Congratulations, Senior Brother, on mastering such a supreme divine ability,” Wang Xiangchi said.
“Haha, no matter how powerful the ability, it’s nothing compared to my master’s pinky finger,” Xu Gang joked.
“Heading out?” Xu Fan asked, eyeing Wang Xiangchi, who was fully geared up.
“Yeah, I’m going to check on my students. Wujie wants to see me,” Wang Xiangchi said.
“Go ahead, and be careful,” Xu Fan said, creating detailed profiles for the two protagonists in the grape database, keeping an eye on them to ensure his disciple didn’t end up as a sacrifice someday.
“Alright, goodbye, Master! See you, Senior Brother!”
Wang Xiangchi transformed into a flash of sword light, speeding off toward Lin Sen Fairy City.
“Alright, go back and get ready,” Xu Fan said to Xu Gang.
After Xu Gang left, Xu Fan noticed Su Rantian fishing on a giant ship in the distance.
“Elder Su, you seem to be enjoying yourself. When did you pick up fishing?” Xu Fan asked.
“Since the first year your disciple stopped replying to my messages,” Su Rantian said lightly.
“He might’ve entered some secret realm or sacred place,” Xu Fan said with an awkward laugh, trying to distance himself from his disciple’s silence.
“I’ve upgraded Xingci’s communication artifact permissions. Even in secret realms or sacred places, he can reply to me anytime,” Su Rantian said, her tone tinged with loneliness.
“Maybe he left the central continent for another region?” Xu Fan suggested.
“I was worried about Xingci, so I checked. He’s still in the central continent.”
Can we even have a proper conversation?
“If he’s not coming, you could go find him,” Xu Fan said.
“Forced relationships don’t turn sweet,” Su Rantian said sadly.
“If it’s a melon I like, I wouldn’t just give it away. Even if it’s not sweet, it should stay in my hands,” Xu Fan blurted out without thinking.
Su Rantian paused, then transformed into a beam of light, flying toward Lin Sen Fairy City.
“The Grand Elder makes a good point,” Su Rantian said, her voice carrying a hint of clarity, like mist clearing to reveal the moon.
“I think I messed up,” Xu Fan muttered, watching the fading light in the distance.
