Chapter 69

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Chapter 69: Secret Realm

Xu Fan looked at his two disciples. Honestly, in terms of battle talent, Yuexian was slightly better; her ability to easily overpower Xu Gang was also related to the combat path she had chosen.

“Great, since you’re both here, help me with an experiment.” Xu Fan waved his hand, and a black sphere the size of a basketball, shimmering with countless runes, appeared.

“Master, what is this precious artifact?” The siblings looked at Xu Fan with curiosity. He often crafted strange and rare items, sparking a high level of interest in the unknown artifacts he made.

“It’s a first-tier precious artifact, the Heart of the Puppet.”

Before Xu Fan could say more, an electronic voice rang out; it was the spirit of the Heart of the Puppet, which Xu Fan had not yet fully configured.

“The Heart of the Puppet is a precious artifact specifically made for controlling puppets,” Xu Fan explained with a smile.

He then took out a 1.5-meter-tall knife-wielding puppet, and a connector made from soul iron directly merged into the puppet’s core.

“This puppet has the fighting strength of a Qi Refinement sixth layer. Yuexian, let’s see how you fare against it.”

As the connector merged into the puppet’s core, a pinpoint of light lit up on the Heart of the Puppet.

The knife-wielding puppet sprang into action, transforming into a shadow and entering the center of the newly repaired battlefield, waving at Xu Yuexian.

“Master, is this puppet really powerful?” Yuexian asked, her eyes flickering with surprise as she looked at the puppet waving at her. She sensed a soul within it.

“Why not try and find out?”

Xu Fan had high hopes for the Heart of the Puppet.

Upon hearing Xu Fan’s words, Xu Yuexian became a flash and pounced on the knife-wielding puppet.

The puppet did not back down either, charging directly towards Xu Yuexian.

“Xu Gang, pay close attention; this is how to deal with agile enemies in the future.”

At that moment, the sound of weapons clashing echoed continuously as two shadows moved rapidly across the battlefield, battling fiercely.

Suddenly, Xu Yuexian’s figure disappeared, and the knife-wielding puppet, now in combat mode, stopped and stood quietly, waiting for Xu Yuexian’s appearance.

“Xu Gang, can you find your sister?” Xu Fan asked, knowing that the boy must have a strategy in mind for dealing with Xu Yuexian.

“I can’t find her, but I know if I could master the secret techniques you taught me, it wouldn’t matter whether I saw her or not,” Xu Gang said with a hint of regret, knowing he hadn’t mastered any of the secret techniques his master had entrusted him.

“What secret technique are you currently practicing?” Xu Fan was taken aback but then realized that he had indeed only taught this kid area-wide bombardment techniques.

“Nuclear Blast Technique.”

“I told you not to use the secret techniques during practice, understood?” Xu Fan quickly said, worrying that this boy might hurt Xu Yuexian with it.

“Got it, Master. I just have a slow mind, not a foolish one,” Xu Gang replied, scratching his head.

A small paper ball bounced off Xu Gang’s head.

“You little rascal, now you know how to talk back,” Xu Fan said with a slight smirk, sensing that his foolish disciple was starting to catch on.

At that moment, the wind changed on the battlefield. A golden blade appeared from behind the knife-wielding puppet, and just as the puppet was about to react, its head was pierced by the golden sword.

At the same time, a knife was pressed against Xu Yuexian’s neck.

“Yuexian, the weakness of the puppet is the spiritual energy core, not the head.”

Xu Fan waved his hand to stop the Heart of the Puppet.

“Master, I understand now,” Xu Yuexian said, lowering her head. She had nearly failed against a Qi Refinement sixth layer puppet.

“Core, have you collected the battle data?” Xu Fan asked.

“Collection complete. Next time, only two Knife-wielding Puppets will be needed to defeat her,” the Electronic Voice replied, giving Xu Fan a strange sense of time distortion.

Just then, the sound of the protective barrier rang out.

Pang Fu entered.

“Master Xu, I’ve got something special to show you,” Pang Fu said, moving surprisingly nimbly toward Xu Fan despite his heavy build.

“Oh? What have you found?” Xu Fan’s eyes lit up. He had tasked Pang Fu with gathering some items he urgently needed.

In the reception room, Xu Fan had been staring at a ball of spirit fire for quite some time.

“Falling Heart Spirit Fire. Thanks, Brother Pang,” Xu Fan said.

With this, Xu Fan could now refine a third-tier precious artifact.

“How many spirit stones did it cost? I can cover the difference if needed,” Xu Fan offered, knowing his annual share of spirit stones from the trading company was accumulating.

“400,000 spirit stones. No need to adjust the price, but the owner of this spirit fire has a condition.”

Pang Fu handed Xu Fan a jade slip.

“He wants you to refine a second-tier precious artifact—the Sea-Pulling Bottle.”

Xu Fan took the jade slip and felt a surge of excitement. It had been a while since he’d encountered a client who provided their own blueprint.

“Interesting. Gather the materials, and come back in a week,” Xu Fan said. With the blueprint in hand, he was confident, and the week’s timeline was simply his preference.

Xu Fan then glanced at Pang Fu’s figure and asked, “Are you close to Foundation Establishment?”

“Not quite yet. I still need some time,” Pang Fu chuckled, seeing Xu Fan more as a friend than just a business partner.

Xu Fan handed Pang Fu a bottle of Flame Heart Pills.

“Take these. They’ll help your body.”

Pang Fu accepted them without hesitation.

A week later, after handing the Sea-Pulling Bottle to Pang Fu, Xu Fan was mysteriously led by Xu Yuexian and Xu Gang to their usual meeting spot.

“Alright, what’s the mystery? Did you find some treasure for me to appraise?” Xu Fan asked, recalling how Xu Yuexian had looked similarly excited in the past when she’d found something valuable.

“Master, can you handle a Golden Core stage beast?” Xu Yuexian asked, her tone mysterious.

“As long as there aren’t too many,” Xu Fan replied, gauging his own strength.

“How many is too many? Around 20?” Xu Yuexian pressed.

“20? No problem,” Xu Fan said, holding back his comment about not exceeding 100.

“Does Master need spirit stones?” Xu Yuexian asked again.

“Of course I do. I can spend every spirit stone you give me,” Xu Fan replied with a laugh, as if the question of needing money was absurd. He had several projects on hold, all due to a lack of spirit stones.

“Master, I found a secret realm. Inside, there’s an entire lake of spiritual liquid—a whole lake!”

“There are countless spirit herbs over a thousand years old, and a ruin guarded by a Golden Core stage beast at the entrance.”

“I didn’t go in because I didn’t want to alert them,” Xu Yuexian said, her voice brimming with excitement. It was her first time discovering such a treasure location.

Hearing his disciple’s words, Xu Fan remained calm, but Xu Gang beside him was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Are you sure there are no beasts above the Golden Core stage?” Xu Fan asked.

“None. My instincts are sharp. If there were beasts above the Golden Core stage, I’d have sensed them the moment I entered the secret realm,” Xu Yuexian replied confidently.

“Is the exit easy to access? What if you encounter a beast above the Nascent Soul stage? Do you have an escape plan?”

“How big of a space ring do you need? What kind of containers are required for the spirit herbs? What about the spiritual liquid? Have you scouted what types of beasts are inside?” Xu Fan fired off a rapid series of questions.

“I’ve thought of everything you’ve mentioned, and even things you might not have considered,” Xu Yuexian said, handing Xu Fan a jade slip.