Chapter 64
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Chapter 64: Soul Iron Mine
Xu Fan stared at the piece of spirit jade etched with the great sun runes for a long time, finally admitting that it was just an ordinary piece of spirit jade, worth only five spirit stones on the market. The jar it came in was worth a hundred times more.
If it had any use at all, it might be slightly better than the light technique for illumination at night.
“I’ve been scammed, or maybe I just have bad judgment,” Xu Fan muttered, annoyed. “Why would such a fancy jar hold something so plain?”
That night, in the inner sect, Ye Xiaoyao’s room.
“Huh? Where did my illumination spirit jade go?”
Meanwhile, far away at Baihua Sect, Wang Yulun was frowning as he attended a joint banquet between the two sects.
He watched as his fellow disciples were whisked away by the enchanting female disciples of Baihua Sect and felt relieved that he had used his master’s secret technique to alter his appearance into a rather unattractive one before coming, sparing himself from disaster.
Before leaving, he had promised his wife that if anything went wrong, he would hang himself in front of her.
At the head of the banquet table sat the elder of Baihua Sect, whose beauty could bring ruin to nations. Her captivating eyes and brows made every cultivator present willing to fall at her feet.
“Elder Chen Ye, are your disciples not satisfied with the hospitality of my sect?” the Baihua Sect elder asked, glancing at Elder Chen Ye, who sat stiffly beside her.
“Not at all. Our disciples are very pleased with your hospitality,” Elder Chen Ye replied formally, his eyes fixed on the banquet dishes, avoiding the elder’s gaze.
“Then why don’t you dare to show your true face?”
With a flick of her long sleeve, the Baihua Sect elder sent a burst of pink spiritual light toward Wang Yulun.
Then she turned her gaze back to Elder Chen Ye.
“Elder Chen Ye, am I really so ugly that you can’t even look at me?” Her voice dripped with charm.
Elder Chen Ye felt as though he were facing a formidable foe, thinking to himself that one glance might be enough to ensnare him forever.
At that moment, Wang Yulun felt something shift beside him. He looked down to find a stunning woman leaning against him, her slender leg draped over his.
“Miss, your leg…”
“Long, white, and straight. Would you like to play with it for a lifetime?” Her flawless face leaned in close to his.
In that instant, Wang Yulun was reminded of the terror he once felt under the control of a fox demon.
…………
Before dawn, Xu Fan sat quietly in a lounge chair in his yard, waiting to watch the sunrise.
He hadn’t slept all night, unable to understand why, despite not being a villain and having no ill will toward the protagonist, he had suffered three consecutive setbacks because of him.
“Watching the protagonist feels like I’m stuck in a cruel master’s story. How can I be so unlucky just by being near him?”
As the sun rose, its first rays bathed Xu Fan’s little hill in light.
He raised a hand, and a little bird made of light gently landed on his palm.
“Just 500 more, and I can summon the Morning Spirit Fire. Becoming a tier-three artifact master should be no problem then.”
Xu Fan rubbed his head, deciding to keep his distance from the protagonist in the future. If things didn’t improve, he might even move away.
Just then, the protective barrier chimed, and Ye Xiaoyao walked in, his face lit with excitement.
“Little Fan, we’ve gathered all the materials. When can I get the rest of the flying swords?”
“Old Silver Coin, just wait. The day I finish gathering my flying swords will be the day you meet your end.”
Xu Fan took the storage bag from Ye Xiaoyao, pondered for a moment, and then said slowly, "Brother Ye, you can come back for it in two months." His tone was laced with a mix of bitterness and resignation. He couldn’t help but feel that sticking with the protagonist never seemed to bring any benefits, and he feared he might just end up being a tool to trigger the protagonist’s rage. The thought alone was enough to make Xu Fan’s heart sink.
Noticing Xu Fan’s lack of enthusiasm, Ye Xiaoyao added, "Little Fan, I’ve found a Soul Iron Mine in a beast-infested area about 100,000 kilometers from our sect. It’s a small vein, but we could easily extract at least 5 million spirit stones from it." He spoke with a mysterious air, as if sharing a secret only with a trusted brother.
"There’s a group of Golden Core stage Earth Spirit Longtusk Elephants there, with the strongest being at the Nascent Soul stage," Ye Xiaoyao continued. "Once we finish making the flying swords, we can go and make a fortune. How about we split the profits 50-50?"
Xu Fan’s excitement spiked at the mention of the Soul Iron Mine, but it quickly faded when he realized Ye Xiaoyao wanted him to join the mining expedition. He immediately declined, thinking, "This isn’t about making me rich; it’s more like signing my death warrant! If I hadn’t been skilled enough in the past two encounters, I wouldn’t be here now."
Seeing Xu Fan’s refusal, Ye Xiaoyao reassured him, "Little Fan, I know your capabilities; there’s no need to be modest." He placed a hand on Xu Fan’s shoulder and said, "We’re brothers; we should share the spoils. In the future, I’ll be the top sword cultivator of Que Tian Gate, and you’ll be the top artifact master. Together, we can create legends in the cultivation world and even in the Immortal Realm. Little Fan, we’re the perfect team."
Xu Fan’s expression changed instantly; something about Ye Xiaoyao’s words felt off. "I’m a practitioner of the sword formation, and you’re a genius artifact master. If we support each other, who in the cultivation world would dare to challenge us?" Ye Xiaoyao said enthusiastically, clearly thrilled at the prospect of having a powerful artifact master as a brother.
"Can’t you handle the Soul Iron Mine on your own, Brother Ye?" Xu Fan asked, determined not to be swayed no matter what Ye Xiaoyao said.
"Of course, I can’t do it alone. I can lure away the Earth Spirit Longtusk Elephants, but I still need someone to do the mining," Ye Xiaoyao explained. "That area is a beast-dominated mountain range, and they rule that territory. Killing them would cause too much trouble. Plus, the Earth Spirit Longtusk Elephants are somewhere between beasts and spirit beasts; killing them is considered bad luck."
Xu Fan thought for a moment and then proposed a solution. "Brother Ye, I won’t go, but I can create a mining puppet that operates automatically without any control. Just hide the puppet near the mine, and once you’ve led the Earth Spirit Longtusk Elephants away, it can start working on its own. It’ll mine much faster than I ever could," Xu Fan explained. He was confident that with just a small piece of Spirit Heart Ore, he could craft a highly intelligent puppet specifically designed for mining.
"Alright, but dealing with the Earth Spirit Longtusk Elephants alone without your help is a bit risky," Ye Xiaoyao conceded, though internally he was scheming to get more valuable items from his good brother.
Thinking about the potential 2 million soul iron he could gain, Xu Fan reluctantly offered, "Then I’ll lend you a set of tier-two precious artifact Spiritual Energy Armor. I made it for myself, and it cost me half my savings and a year of design and crafting time. Just remember to return it after you’re done."
