Volume 4 Chapter 48

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 4 Chapter 48: Matters Concluded

When Xu Qingfan awoke from his meditation, ten days had passed. The evening sky was painted with sunlit clouds, as red as fire.

Seeing Little Black, who was quietly keeping watch on a nearby tree branch, Xu Qingfan gave a slight smile. He then took out the remaining bottle of "Demon Spirit Pill" from his sleeve and scattered it on the ground for Little Black to eat. Xu Qingfan himself turned and walked towards the stone house where the Old Beggar was.

Upon reaching the stone house, the scene was just as before. The Old Beggar was still circling the bronze furnace, with his hands forming signs. Meanwhile, the charms outside the furnace flickered between light and shadow.

The only difference was a colorful jade ruler lying beside the furnace, Xu Qingfan’s "Rainbow Ruler." Judging by its appearance and Spirit Qi, it seemed even more abundant than when Xu Qingfan had given it to the Old Beggar.

Xu Qingfan knew that the beggar must have completed the upgrade of the "Rainbow Ruler." He was now likely enhancing the "Earth Mirror." Feeling pleased, Xu Qingfan gestured with his hand, and the "Rainbow Ruler" swiftly flew into his grasp. With his eyes closed, he inspected its condition. After a while, his face broke into a wider smile, as he could clearly feel that its power had increased by more than half while retaining its agile and versatile attack nature. It had officially risen from an earth-level middle-class tool to an earth-level high tool.

Delighted, Xu Qingfan left the stone house, transforming into a gray wind that flew towards a hill beside "Jingxiu Mountain." Little Black, who was eating the "Demon Spirit Pill," paused when seeing Xu Qingfan leave but quickly flew after him, leaving behind nearly half of the "Demon Spirit Pill" uneaten.

After landing on the hill, Xu Qingfan glanced at the surrounding quirky rocks and trees, smiled, and waved his hand as the "Rainbow Ruler" appeared again in his grasp.

Eager to test its power after the successful enhancement, Xu Qingfan couldn’t wait to experiment with the "Rainbow Ruler" here.

Xu Qingfan floated the "Rainbow Ruler" in front of him. With a pinch of his fingers, the once still ruler began to spin, turning into a blinding rainbow light. It shot forward like lightning toward the earth ten yards ahead.

In an instant, a loud roar suddenly erupted as the "Rainbow Ruler" struck the ground, sending clouds of dust swirling before Xu Qingfan’s eyes, and before he knew it, the "Rainbow Ruler" had returned to his side.

A long time later, when the dust had settled, the power of the "Rainbow Ruler" was finally revealed to Xu Qingfan. In front of him, on the once solid rock surface, a deep pit with a diameter of about seven meters and over a meter deep had appeared.

Xu Qingfan nodded in satisfaction and changed the gesture of his hand. Instantly, the "Rainbow Ruler," originally glowing with multicolored light, split into seven bands of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. These bands quickly struck the strange rocks and trees around Xu Qingfan, and under the attack of these seven rainbow lights, both the sturdy rocks and the resilient trees were shattered into pieces.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan changed the gesture of his hand again. The seven rainbow lights fluctuated between being ethereal and solid. When they became ethereal and illusion-like, they could easily penetrate through various strange rocks and trees without causing any damage, just like seven shadowy figures. When the rainbow lights turned solid once more, the rocks and trees were destroyed and turned into fragments again.

This is precisely the unique feature of the "Rainbow Ruler," which can transform into seven and switch between illusion and reality.

After a long time, when all the wood and stone on the hill had been pulverized by Xu Qingfan testing the power of the "Rainbow Ruler," Xu Qingfan finally stopped, looking at the devastation all around. Satisfied and with a silent apology for the destruction, he tucked the "Rainbow Ruler" into his sleeve and once more transformed into a gray breeze, flying back towards "Jingxiu Mountain."

Little Black, who had been quietly waiting in the air, followed Xu Qingfan when he flew back to "Jingxiu Mountain," spreading its wings to continue feasting on those "Demon Spirit Pills."

In the days that followed, Old Beggar assisted Xu Qingfan in upgrading the "Earth Mirror," leaving Xu Qingfan with nothing much to do. Occasionally, he would meditate and practice the cultivation of internal "Flourish Qi," but most of the time, he quietly reflected on the experiences and sights he encountered since leaving the mountain.

The chaos in the cultivation world far surpasses my imagination, with hidden currents surging. At this time, where should I go, and how should I respond?

This was the question Xu Qingfan initially pondered.

But later on, Xu Qingfan’s thoughts unwillingly transformed into wondering how Jiuhua Mountain should respond to the strange and perilous situation in the cultivation world.

It must be said, ever since Xu Qingfan became the Deacon Elder of Jiuhua Mountain, his mindset unknowingly shifted quite a bit, and he gradually began to view problems with the perspective of a sect rather than a single school, broadening his vision significantly.

…

One day, as Xu Qingfan was meditating and cultivating his inner "Flourish Qi" as usual, he suddenly sensed waves of Spirit Qi emanating from the stone house where Old Beggar resided, followed by Old Beggar’s tired yet joyful laughter ringing in his ears.

"It’s done. Isn’t it just about upgrading artifacts and merging two into one? Truly, it wasn’t a challenge for me."

Hearing Old Beggar’s laughter, Xu Qingfan was delighted, knowing his artifact had been crafted. By calculating, he realized it had been over a month since the last successful upgrade of the "Rainbow Ruler," possibly due to the fact that the "Earth Mirror" was originally a low-level Earth artifact, requiring a significant effort to elevate it two stages and integrate it with the "Evil Exorcising Pearl."

While Xu Qingfan was pondering this, the stone door of Old Beggar’s house suddenly swung open, and Old Beggar walked straight towards Xu Qingfan. He tossed the newly transformed "Earth Mirror" to Xu Qingfan, saying, "I suppose you already took the ‘Rainbow Ruler,’ right? I have upgraded this ‘Earth Mirror’ to a high-level Earth artifact for you. The vision and sound it can cover have expanded from a radius of fifty miles to a hundred. I have also merged the ‘Evil Exorcising Pearl’ into it, overcoming its inability to see through illusions and granting it the ability to perceive the five elements and spirits of heaven and earth."

Before Xu Qingfan could say anything, Old Beggar added, "Haha, although it’s my first time, the fusion of the two artifacts went rather smoothly. It seems I can focus more on this in the future."

Upon hearing what Old Beggar said next, Xu Qingfan was momentarily stunned, and his initial joy faded considerably. He asked, "Old Beggar, have you never fused two magical items together before?"

Old Beggar glared and said, "What do you think? Not only have I never done it, but hardly any other master in the current cultivation world has either."

Xu Qingfan said, "But I read in ‘Tales of Heaven and Earth’ that someone once successfully fused two heavenly level items, the ‘Laning Sword’ and ‘Heavenly Thunder Stone,’ and since then, the sword gained the ability to summon thunder…"

Before Xu Qingfan could finish, Old Beggar interrupted, "I’ve heard about that too. You’re talking about Immortal Turtle Spirit, right?"

Xu Qingfan nodded in confusion.

Old Beggar smirked, "Kid, since you’ve helped me find entertaining things twice now, I’ll tell you something: it’s better to not read at all than to believe books entirely. Kid, let me ask you, when did Immortal Turtle Spirit live?"

Xu Qingfan, still dazed, said, "Three thousand years ago, the leader of the ‘Heavenly Spirit Sect’…"

Old Beggar interrupted again, "You do know it’s from three thousand years ago, right? Let me tell you, the art of fusing magical items was lost during the last catastrophe, and no one has figured it out yet."

After a brief pause, Old Beggar’s expression turned excited, and his voice rose, "But that’s in the past. Thanks to your ‘Earth Mirror’ experiment, I’ve started to grasp the art of item fusion, and it only took one trial. Haha, I am indeed the foremost item fusion master in today’s cultivation world."

Then, Old Beggar began to ponder again, mumbling, "But this technique of merging magical tools is still very basic. In the past, the Immortal Turtle Spirit could merge two heavenly level tools, yet I nearly failed merging an advanced Earth level tool with an advanced Human level tool. This was only possible because I crafted both tools myself and their levels were very different, making them easier to merge. How did Immortal Turtle Spirit achieve it back then?"

As Old Beggar’s voice gradually became quieter, Xu Qingfan realized that Old Beggar had completely immersed himself in the world of crafting.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile wryly, not just because of Old Beggar’s lesson, but also out of fear. He hadn’t realized that the art of merging magical tools had been lost for over two thousand years in the cultivation world. Considering Old Beggar’s reputation of "nine failures out of ten attempts," Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but worry. This "Earth Mirror" was not only Xiao Huazhe’s memento but also vital to Xu Qingfan’s future. If it were destroyed in Old Beggar’s experiment, Xu Qingfan would truly be left in despair.

"Next time I ask Old Beggar to craft something, I must get all the details beforehand. I got lucky this time; such good fortune may not happen again," Xu Qingfan quietly warned himself.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Old Beggar was still lost in his crafting world. After waiting for a while, Xu Qingfan simply sat down cross-legged to meditate.

As the morning glow turned into evening glow in the sky, Old Beggar’s gaze finally shifted from confusion to clarity, murmuring to himself, "I can’t figure it out, how is it possible?"

Seeing Xu Qingfan sitting cross-legged before him, Old Beggar was slightly surprised, then rudely asked, "Why are you still here?"

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "Old Beggar, as far as I know, the ‘Starry Stone’ I gave you was enough to upgrade tools six or seven times, yet you seem to have only upgraded three times."

Old Beggar’s face showed a sudden realization, his old face slightly reddening. He then turned and went back into the stone house, brought out the remaining "Starry Stone," and tossed it to Xu Qingfan, complaining, "You little rascal, being so stingy. I’ve crafted so many tools for you, and you still nitpick, not even leaving a small stone behind for me."

In the cultivation world, the "Starry Stone" that could cause several small sects to fight over, was casually referred to as a small pebble by the Old Beggar, leaving Xu Qingfan amused and exasperated.

However, Xu Qingfan knew that the Old Beggar was not a greedy person. He was simply so absorbed in the art of crafting that he forgot about Xu Qingfan’s "Starry Stone," and his complaints were just a way to cover up his oversight. So, Xu Qingfan wasn’t bothered and just smiled as he said, "Aren’t you the one who helps people craft for free? Why are you charging now? Besides, haven’t I given you plenty of opportunities to experiment for free too?"

The Old Beggar was momentarily taken aback, then huffed without answering.

Watching the Old Beggar’s childish behavior, Xu Qingfan smiled gently and said, "Well, is saving your life worth enough to cover the price of crafting a magical tool for me?"

The Old Beggar retorted angrily, "It was your martial uncle who saved me, not you."

Xu Qingfan responded, "Old Beggar, haven’t you noticed any changes in your ‘Jingxiu Mountain’?"

The Old Beggar paused, looked around, and suddenly his face changed dramatically, exclaiming, "Where is the ‘Infinite Sea Array’ I set up outside the mountain? Why is it gone?"

With that, the Old Beggar turned to Xu Qingfan, asking in a serious tone, "Kid, what happened while I was crafting?"

Xu Qingfan sighed inwardly, thinking, "As expected." Clearly, the Old Beggar hadn’t noticed what happened at "Jingxiu Mountain" while he was focused on his crafting.

Yet, seeing the serious expression on Old Beggar’s face, Xu Qingfan felt a slight comfort in his heart; it seemed that Old Beggar wasn’t completely oblivious to worldly matters outside of crafting. At least he realized the seriousness of the situation now.

So Xu Qingfan didn’t hesitate to recount to Old Beggar the incident of the purple-clothed man’s attack during his crafting period, as well as the actions of the purple-clothed man, though he omitted some critical details, such as the speculation about "Huang’s" identity and "Tian Sha" due to their significance.

Old Beggar murmured, "So, it turns out the rumors of cultivators mysteriously disappearing over the years are true. I didn’t expect it would involve me this time."

Xu Qingfan asked with concern, "Then what do you plan to do? From what I know, that purple-clothed man has accomplices. If they find out he was killed here, they’ll surely come after you. You no longer have the protection of the ‘Infinite Sea Array’. Even if you had it, considering the power of that purple-clothed man, he could still break through it easily, as your ‘Infinite Sea Array’ lacks the support of an array plate."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Old Beggar’s expression turned more severe. After a long pause, he sighed, "In that case, I have no choice but to seek refuge with the ‘Medicine King Valley’."

"’Medicine King Valley’?" Xu Qingfan asked with curiosity.

Old Beggar explained, "My mentors, both my master and ancestral master, have ties with ‘Medicine King Valley’. I’ve also crafted various artifacts for them before. So as long as I go there, they are bound to take me in. Although ‘Medicine King Valley’ isn’t incredibly powerful, it is well-rounded in the cultivation world, and I believe it won’t be the first to be attacked even if a catastrophe occurs."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly. Knowing Old Beggar had a place to go, he dismissed the idea of inviting him to Jiuhua Mountain. While Xu Qingfan believed that with Old Beggar’s crafting skills, the elders at Jiuhua Mountain would surely welcome him, bringing Old Beggar back during Jiuhua Shut Down would be hard to justify.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something, Old Beggar interrupted, "Young man, I know what you’re thinking, but there’s no need to worry. Over the years, Old Beggar has learned more than just crafting. I can make my way to ‘Medicine King Valley’ unnoticed. I can see you have other matters to attend to, so there’s no need to escort me."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, suddenly remembering the magical artifacts he had obtained from the man in purple. He turned to Old Beggar and said, "By the way, I got some artifacts from that man in purple. Please have a look and tell me what they are used for."

Saying this, Xu Qingfan laid out the artifacts he had taken from the man in purple in front of Old Beggar.

Old Beggar began examining them one by one as Xu Qingfan brought out the artifacts.

"Soul Capturing Bell, a bewitching artifact, can temporarily manipulate the weak-willed. It’s an earth-level middle-class artifact, but its crafting is poor, only achieving sixty to seventy percent of its potential."

"Black Fiend Mirror, capable of capturing and torturing souls, an earth-level middle-class artifact, yet still junk."

"Dark Spirit Flag, a protective artifact, is quite good, though the crafting method is too cruel."

With these words, Old Beggar turned his attention to the only dark red blood-like blade among the artifacts. After a soft "hmm," he examined it closely for a long time before saying, "This artifact is rather good, even better than your upgraded ‘Rainbow Ruler.’ But I can’t recall its name. It’s likely a demonic tool used by demon cultivators, with only sixty to seventy percent of its power accessible to cultivators."

Hearing this, Xu Qingfan felt it might be suitable for Ting’er. Isn’t Ting’er in need of an offensive artifact? However, she would need to reach the Condensed Core Stage before she could use it.

Over the next two days, Xu Qingfan helped Old Beggar tidy up his cave. Once everything was ready, they bid each other farewell, with Old Beggar seeking refuge in "Medicine King Valley" and Xu Qingfan flying towards "Qingxu Gate."