Chapter 556

Chapter 556: Mutual Disdain

Xu Fan crafted three artifacts for Pang Fu, two of which were rings, the kind that really stand out when worn on the hand.

The aura coming from these artifacts was incredibly strong, with occasional bursts of celestial script emanating from them.

"Since you put it that way, I’ll take them," Pang Fu said, slipping the two rings onto his fingers.

"That’s the spirit! You’re now the face of our Hidden Spirit Sect; any good treasure should come to you first," Xu Fan said, patting Pang Fu on the shoulder with a smile.

They chatted a bit more until all the spirit ore from the Serpent Spirit Ship’s storage was unloaded, and then Pang Fu got ready to leave and head off to the Extreme Void Domain.

As he was about to go, Pang Fu suddenly slapped his forehead and flew toward the Serpent Spirit Ship. He soon returned with a young man, standing before Xu Fan.

"Grand Elder, this is the incredibly talented genius I met in Water Cloud Fairy City; please take him as your disciple," Pang Fu said formally.

The young man knelt down and was about to bow his head to Xu Fan.

Xu Fan raised his hand to stop the young man from bowing.

"Since you asked, I’ll give him a chance to become my named disciple," Xu Fan said, nodding at the young man.

"What’s your name?" Xu Fan asked, looking at the young man.

"Zhang Daqi," the young man replied, lifting his head to meet Xu Fan’s gaze with his clear and bright eyes.

"Nice name; just looking at your eyes, I can see you have potential," Xu Fan remarked appreciatively.

"Your boss is wearing two rings; take a look and see if you can figure out how they were made," Xu Fan said with a smile.

"One is a wind attribute ring, considered a mid-level artifact."

"The other is an exotic attribute ring that can absorb the power of starlight from the Extreme Void Domain, extracting its essence and delivering it to the user, keeping their spirit vibrant and nourishing their soul."

"The wind attribute ring is made up of basic wind celestial script and, when combined with its rune formations, can create a special protective shield."

"If I’m not mistaken, if a Star Ship runs into trouble, your boss can use this ring to land safely on the continent."

"Also, from what I can see of the rune formations, there are other special functions, but I can’t quite figure them out yet."

Zhang Daqi’s eyes sparkled as he examined the two rings on Pang Fu’s hand.

"This wind attribute artifact ring uses the spirit ore of…"

Hearing Zhang Daqi speak, Xu Fan began to take the young man seriously.

"Alright, that’s enough; you’ve passed the test."

"But I have another question."

"Who exactly are you? I won’t take in someone with an unknown background, not even as a named disciple," Xu Fan said lightly.

"I am a disciple of the Zhang family from the Heavenly Refining Sect, and I got stuck in Water Cloud Fairy City during my travels," Zhang Daqi replied.

"Since your boss has a Star Ship, why not go home?" Xu Fan asked again.

"I was expelled from my family, so there’s no point in going back," Zhang Daqi said, lowering his head as if recalling painful memories.

"Do you really want to be my disciple?" Xu Fan asked.

"Ever since I saw the modified Serpent Spirit Ship, I’ve wanted to be your disciple every moment," Zhang Daqi said excitedly.

"Coming to the Hidden Spirit Sect has only made me more determined."

"Alright, starting today, you are my temporary named disciple," Xu Fan said after a moment of thought.

"Grand Elder, how about we drop the ‘temporary’ part?" Pang Fu suggested cautiously.

"We’ll remove ‘temporary’ once you pass the sect’s assessment," Xu Fan replied.

"Grand Elder, how do I pass the sect’s assessment?" Zhang Daqi asked eagerly.

"I’m making an exception for you; usually, only kids under twelve can take the assessment," Xu Fan explained.

"Thank you, Grand Elder," Zhang Daqi said gratefully.

"Alright, the assessment starts now," Xu Fan said, tapping Zhang Daqi’s forehead with his finger.

"Grand Elder, what if Daqi doesn’t pass?" Pang Fu asked, worried.

"Then I’ll train him until he becomes a master craftsman. After all, Zhang Daqi went through tough times with you, so I owe you this much," Xu Fan said with a smile.

"That’s a relief!"

"Well, I’ll take my leave now," Pang Fu said, feeling reassured as he watched Zhang Daqi begin the assessment.

"Go on, don’t overdo it. Make sure to rest and train properly," Xu Fan said, waving him off.

"Thank you for your concern, Grand Elder. I’m off now!"

The Serpent Spirit Ship ascended, heading toward the Extreme Void Domain.

"Lately, it feels like the heavens are favoring me; everything I wish for seems to come true," Xu Fan said with a smile.

An hour later, Zhang Daqi slowly woke up, looking around in confusion.

After rubbing his head, he turned to Xu Fan and asked, "Grand Elder, did I pass the assessment?"

Xu Fan set down his teacup and smiled at Zhang Daqi. "You are now my named disciple. Once you craft your first artifact, I’ll accept you as my seventh direct disciple."

"Thank you, Master! I’ll work hard to master artifact crafting and aim to become a master craftsman as soon as possible," Zhang Daqi said, kneeling respectfully.

"Your goal is too modest. Becoming a master craftsman is just the beginning," Xu Fan said, still smiling.

"For now, go learn some artifact crafting theories with Grape, then visit the sect’s treasury. Study all the runes you haven’t learned yet."

"After that, come back to me for tasks."

Xu Fan gave his new disciple clear instructions.

"Understood, Master!" Zhang Daqi said excitedly, nodding.

"Now that we’ve covered the serious stuff, let’s talk about something personal."

"With your talent in artifact crafting, why did your family exile you?" Xu Fan asked curiously.

"If it’s too personal, don’t worry about it."

"It’s not a secret. My family wanted me to marry into another artifact crafting family to form a powerful alliance."

"I refused, so I ran away on the wedding day. To save face, my family publicly announced my expulsion."

"The family head banned me from returning for five hundred years, until the whole thing blows over," Zhang Daqi explained.

The mention of family marriage, refusal, and running away sparked something in Xu Fan.

He hadn’t expected his temporary disciple to have such a backstory.

Xu Fan looked at Zhang Daqi with even more curiosity.

"The reason I ran away was that the woman I was supposed to marry was not only more talented in artifact crafting than me but also quite violent."

"I was afraid marrying her would completely overshadow me, hindering my progress in artifact crafting."

"So, I took a deep breath and ran away."

"Later, I heard she also ran away, but since my escape happened first, her family just let it go."

It seemed neither of them was interested in the marriage, Xu Fan thought to himself.