Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: The Lazy Fish Task

Xu Fan watched Wang Yulun’s disappearing figure and murmured, “I don’t have many friends at Que Tian Gate, so you better stay alive.”

The two jade slips he received included one for Xu Fan’s self-created spell: Light Feather Wind Technique.

The other was a combination spell, Fire Spear Technique, blending Wood and Fire element spells.

Back in his courtyard, Xu Fan casually used the Small Spirit Rain Technique to water his ten acres of spirit fields, then turned and returned to his room to cultivate.

In the morning, Xu Fan arrived at the Task Hall to receive his compulsory monthly task. During the early stage of Qi Refinement, he only handled chores within the sect and practiced his sect’s techniques. Tasks were assigned only during the mid-stage.

Inside the Task Hall, a Foundation Establishment Stage steward was assigning tasks to the outer disciples.

When it was Xu Fan’s turn, the steward recognized him. “Ah, isn’t this the promising young man?”

“Senior, I’ve been using spells to water the Qiye Flowers outside your cave every five days. They’re thriving; I expect they’ll bloom in a few years,” Xu Fan said respectfully.

As someone who managed the tasks for a long time, he had to stay on the steward’s good side. What if he got stuck with a dangerous beast extermination mission?

Hearing Xu Fan’s words, the steward smiled. The area in front of his cave was originally empty, but after Xu Fan advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, he quickly transformed it into spirit fields.

He had even recommended Qiye Flowers as spirit herbs, promising to take full responsibility for their care, hoping to secure safer tasks within the sect in the future.

Since then, the highest-yielding and safest tasks in the sect always went to Xu Fan.

“Xu Fan, I have a long-term task for you, but it offers fewer contribution points. Are you interested?” the steward asked with a smile.

“Senior, is it safe?”

“Absolutely safe. It pays 150 contribution points a year, and I’ll throw in 10 spirit stones personally,” the steward replied.

“10 spirit stones? What’s that for?” Xu Fan asked, puzzled.

“Here’s the deal: I need someone to tend to the dozens of acres of spirit fields outside my cave until they mature. Would you be up for it?”

Hearing this, Xu Fan was thrilled. After two years of hard work for this steward, he was finally seeing some payoff.

“Thank you, Steward!” Xu Fan said happily.

“You’ve earned it. But your cautious nature…,” the steward trailed off. Other outer disciples were eager to take on dangerous tasks for resources, while Xu Fan had always been steady and content as a spirit farmer.

“By the way, I’ve got a small task too. The teacher who instructs new disciples in spirit farming spells is unavailable and needs someone skilled in spirit farming to fill in for three days. The reward is three spirit stones. Interested?” the steward added.

“When does it start?” Xu Fan asked.

“Tomorrow. Any issues?”

“No problem.”

After Xu Fan agreed, the steward handed him the task token.

“You know the place, so just show the token when you arrive, and someone will guide you.”

“Got it.”

After accepting the task, Xu Fan headed toward the steward’s cave.

Using the Lightness Technique to float in mid-air, Xu Fan gazed at the inner disciples soaring through the sky on magical tools, feeling a twinge of envy. To him, that was true freedom.

“I’m not in a rush to reach the peak of Qi Refinement; thirty years should be enough, especially with over a hundred years still ahead.”

"Ah, this damn system," Xu Fan muttered, then activated the Wind Control Technique to speed toward the steward’s cave. The Tianque Mountain Range boasts ten thousand great mountains, with countless smaller peaks. To better manage the entire range, Que Tian Gate allows mid-level disciples to occupy smaller peaks. Foundation Establishment Stage disciples can have their own caves, while only Core Formation ancestors can claim their main peak.

Half an hour later, Xu Fan arrived at a peak over ten times the size of his own. Holding the token, he entered the protective barrier directly.

‘Small Spirit Rain Technique’

‘Condensation Technique’

‘Spring Breeze Technique’

As soon as he stepped into the steward’s restricted area, Xu Fan quickly watered all the spirit fields. "It’s a good thing I chose these easy-to-manage spiritual herbs," he thought. "Otherwise, just the daily travel would be exhausting."

After completing the task, Xu Fan took a moment to admire his surroundings. Though the steward wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about spiritual herbs, the cave’s design was breathtaking, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly charm.

With his work done, Xu Fan returned to his own little hill. He grabbed the deck chair he had made and lounged comfortably by the spirit fields, pondering his next steps. "With the steward’s support, I won’t have to worry about outdoor tasks for the next few years. My focus now is to sell the spirit rice and learn Alchemy," he mused. "Once I’ve made some money from Alchemy, I’ll move on to Artifact Crafting. With two skills under my belt, I won’t need to scheme much about my status."

As he spoke, a flicker of spiritual light appeared in his hand, forming a bird made of wind magic. The lifelike blue phoenix began to flutter around Xu Fan. "This universe seems to align with the concept of the Three Thousand Great Worlds," he thought aloud. "Just in the sect’s records, there are several Immortal Realms. Could it really correspond to the Three Thousand Great Worlds? If so, the world I’m in now must be the Middle Thousand World, and the Grand Elder of Que Tian Gate is a Tribulation-Transcending Expert. Since there’s an Overcoming Tribulations stage, this must be similar to the Spirit World in the cultivation world."

"This half-dead system doesn’t even have a resurrection ability," Xu Fan grumbled. "Otherwise, I could go out and have some fun. What’s the point of this damned talent if I can only break through at the point of death?"

He waved away the wind bird and formed hand seals. "The Bird Swarm Killing Technique," he said, though he privately preferred to call it his "drone bombing technique." A small formation appeared, and from it emerged dozens of little birds, each imbued with explosive energy that would detonate at the slightest provocation. This was Xu Fan’s most powerful self-created spell; even powerful beings at the peak of Qi Refinement couldn’t withstand multiple bombings from these birds.

"With this damned talent, I can create such a high-level spell," Xu Fan muttered. "But what’s the use? It’s still useless against a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator."

Just then, an idea struck him. "I could take on a disciple! I’ll pass on my self-created spells to them. Even if I can’t advance, my disciple can!" The thought invigorated him, adding a splash of color to his otherwise monotonous cultivation life. "Once I reach the twelfth layer of Qi Refinement, I’ll be able to take a disciple. If I teach them well, I’ll have their protection later on. That way, I can live a carefree, lazy life."

In Xu Fan’s eyes, the sect wasn’t entirely safe. Que Tian Gate had many enemies, including some formidable big shots.

Suddenly, an electronic voice echoed in his mind. "Detected high-level energy probing the host. Shielding initiated."

Xu Fan sighed. "Here we go again. Is there no privacy at all?"