Chapter 90

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Chapter 90: Automated Assembly Line

As soon as Xu Fan got home, he started brainstorming about the crazy idea in his head.

“Fully automated; the earlier crafting stages can be handled by puppets, but the final step of inscribing the runes is a bit tricky.”

“Inscribing runes is the heart of any artifact, and it needs to be powered by rune willpower.”

“How should I design this?” Xu Fan thought deeply.

In his mind, Xu Fan started to imagine wildly. If his palm-sized farm automated production line could succeed, buying time-space sand at 30 million spirit stones per pound would be no big deal.

Just then, Wang Yulun walked in through the protective barrier.

“Big Brother Xu, care for a drink?” Wang Yulun limped in, carrying a large barrel of wine.

Ah, no matter which world you’re in, married men are… well, they have their struggles.

“Sure, let’s drink.”

Xu Fan casually summoned a few specialized chef puppets and started setting up for a barbecue.

“Big Brother Xu, you’ve probably heard about my situation,” Wang Yulun said, sounding a bit tipsy, as he must have had a drink or two before coming over.

“I know; it’s not entirely your fault,” Xu Fan replied. It’s tough when women are drawn to a married man.

“I can’t… help it. That woman, with her high cultivation level, turned what was supposed to be a fleeting romance into a mess.”

“But I never expected she’d make a scene in front of my family and let Qianer find out.” Wang Yulun took another sip of wine and sighed. Why did these unexpected things keep happening when he had such deep feelings for Qianer?

“When that female cultivator came to my family, she accused me of defiling her and demanded that I take responsibility.”

“That woman is a Transformation God-level cultivator, over 600 years older than me. How am I supposed to take responsibility for her?” Wang Yulun said, clearly frustrated.

“That female cultivator’s body is pure,” Xu Fan mentioned, though it was a bit of an awkward question.

“I don’t know why, but all the female cultivators I end up in trouble with are pure,” Wang Yulun slurred. Qianer was really harsh; she didn’t even heal him, forcing him to drink to numb the pain. He answered Xu Fan’s question without thinking.

“You’ve had encounters with several female cultivators outside?!” Xu Fan exclaimed, with a hint of envy in his voice. Being forced like that must be quite the experience.

“I don’t know; every time I leave Qianer for a long trip, these strange things happen, and I’m always the one being forced.”

Wang Yulun’s sadness made Xu Fan want to step in and help him out.

“You were forced??”

“Not that one time; I got stuck in a secret realm of ice souls with a passing female wandering cultivator.”

“It was so cold we almost froze to death.”

“Then I found out that when our bodies touched, they became surprisingly warm.”

“So we leaned against each other and ended up hugging.”

“At that moment, I was still somewhat clear-headed until that woman got carried away.” The now drunk Wang Yulun opened up and shared all the secrets he had been keeping.

Just then, a puppet brought over several plates of roasted meat.

“Come on, let’s drink.” Xu Fan’s tone turned a bit sour, though he didn’t mean it; maybe it was just his instincts.

After three barrels of wine, Wang Yulun was completely out, and Xu Fan had the puppets help him to the guest room to rest.

Feeling a bit tipsy, Xu Fan cast a clarity spell on himself, instantly sobering up, and went back to his research.

"Business comes first."

"If only I could cultivate like a normal person," Xu Fan sighed, turning to enter the illusion room where he intended to explore the possibilities of an automated assembly line.

In the Mystical World, Xu Fan was surrounded by intricate magical instruments, with dozens of tool puppets, controlled by the Heart of the Puppet, working diligently in front of specialized artifacts.

With a furrowed brow, Xu Fan began to tackle the final step.

"How can I craft a puppet specifically designed for inscribing runes using Spirit Heart Ore and soul iron?" Xu Fan pondered.

After much deliberation, he dismissed the idea, realizing the odds of success were too low.

"If only I had a clone; mastering the clone technique would require reaching at least the Nascent Soul Stage," Xu Fan muttered in frustration.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Xu Fan.

He could use Spirit Heart Ore and soul iron to forge a puppet that harbored a fragment of his soul, then split off a portion of his soul to control it. This would perfectly resolve the final step.

"I’m a damn genius," Xu Fan exclaimed, clapping his hands.

The next day, Xu Fan summoned Xu Yuexian. As for Xu Gang, he was reliable as a backup but not suited for shopping.

"Yuexian, here’s the jade slip with the list and spirit stones. You’ll need to make a trip," Xu Fan said. The purchase was substantial, and with Pang Fu absent from the sect, his second disciple, who often traveled, was the ideal choice.

Xu Yuexian examined the jade slip and was slightly taken aback. "Master, these items will cost over ten million spirit stones."

"Exactly. Your older brother is always engrossed in practicing secret techniques, and I prefer not to leave, so it falls to you," Xu Fan replied with a smile. In terms of worldly experience in the cultivation world, Xu Yuexian far surpassed Xu Fan.

"There are quite a few items; I’ll need about half a month," she said.

"Master, are you planning to open a treasure shop?" Xu Yuexian asked, intrigued.

She had always viewed her master as someone who relished staying home to cultivate at leisure, excelling in both alchemy and artifact crafting, and not overly concerned with the spirit stones and celestial treasures that many cultivators coveted.

"I need a large sum of spirit stones recently, so I took on some work. These are all materials that need to be prepared," Xu Fan explained. He couldn’t exactly admit it was because his disciples had advanced, making him feel unbalanced and thus driven to this point.

"Master, if you’re short on spirit stones, why not go treasure hunting with me?"

"Together, we could easily handle common ruins and secret realms," Xu Yuexian suggested, her eyes gleaming, seeing Xu Fan as if he were a great Nascent Soul cultivator.

"I need both—to explore ruins and secret realms, and to fulfill this order," Xu Fan nodded; he needed more than just a few million spirit stones.

"Alright, Master, I recently discovered a secret realm and was considering whether to report it to the sect."

"With your approval, we can enjoy the spoils ourselves," Xu Yuexian declared boldly, feeling a sense of duty to assist her master who was in need of spirit stones.

"First, let’s secure the items, and then we’ll see about the rest," Xu Fan said, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. It was time to test his mettle in the secret realm.

"Alright, I’ll head out immediately."

With that, Xu Yuexian called over the treasure hunting fox playing in the yard, summoned the bamboo leaf boat Xu Fan had crafted for her, and flew towards the sect’s entrance.

"Perhaps I should recruit a few more disciples; that way, there would be more hands to run errands."

At that moment, Xu Fan suddenly thought of Ye Xiaoyao, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. It had been ten years since their last encounter.

"Has the protagonist changed locations?"

"Hopefully, he won’t return."