Chapter 971

Chapter 971: Thunder Liquid

"Once you become a master craftsman, I’ll grant your little wish."

"Open a small artifact crafting shop in your hometown, Giant City, and take your parents with you. Just come back after a hundred years," Xu Fan said with a smile.

He was thrilled that his disciple had become a master craftsman. With a few more centuries of training, he would undoubtedly become an excellent assistant.

"Grape, how much time have I accelerated in total, including this hundred years?" Xu Fan suddenly asked.

"Master, it’s 7,000 years," Grape’s voice replied.

Over the past century, the Hidden Spirit Sect had earned Immortal Jade, and Xu Fan had spent eighty percent of it on Time Treasures.

"This pace is manageable; let’s take it slow," Xu Fan sighed.

At the moment, Time Treasures were what Xu Fan needed most. They were sometimes available on the market, but their availability was inconsistent, and their prices fluctuated wildly.

Sometimes they cost 35,000 Immortal Jade per year, other times they could go up to 60,000 Immortal Jade per year, and at their peak, they had reached 150,000 Immortal Jade per year.

For years, Pang Fu had been trying to find groups capable of mining Time Treasures to establish a steady supply, but he had always been turned down.

As a result, Pang Fu often had no choice but to buy them at high prices on the open market.

"Master, you could actually ask…"

Before Grape could finish, Xu Fan interrupted.

"No," Xu Fan shook his head.

He preferred to save up Immortal Jade bit by bit to buy Time Treasures rather than take a risky gamble.

"Master, the first batch of students from Golden Academy is about to graduate. The guardian true immortal has invited you to the ceremony," Grape said.

"I won’t go. I’ve visited that academy; it’s almost certain they’ve gained the Heavenly Way’s Will’s approval. There’s no point in attending the ceremony," Xu Fan said.

"Good brother, I just got a jar of fine wine. How about we share it?" a voice called from the sky.

Soon after, the elderly man with white hair appeared in Xu Fan’s courtyard, holding a wine jar in one hand.

"Big brother, what kind of wine could be better than what I have here?" Xu Fan replied with a smile.

Over the years, he had brewed many excellent wines through his winemaking skills.

"You’ll understand once you taste it," the elderly man with white hair said mysteriously.

The two went to a pavilion in the courtyard.

"Grape, have the two Gourmet Disciples prepare some small dishes," Xu Fan ordered.

"Understood."

The elderly man with white hair’s eyes lit up; one of the reasons he often brought good wine here was for the delicacies from the gourmet division.

Once he learned that there were two Gourmet Disciples in the sect, he became a regular visitor.

"Come, younger brother, let’s have some wine."

The elderly man then took out two wine cups and personally poured one for Xu Fan.

Immediately, a unique aroma of wine filled the air, with a tingling, delightful quality.

"Is this the legendary Thunder Liquid?" Xu Fan asked in surprise.

Thunder Liquid, even a Great Luo Sage would get drunk if they drank it without resisting.

“You’ve got a good eye, younger brother. This jar of Thunder Liquid was a real struggle for Big Brother to get,” the elderly man with white hair said.

“I’m sure Big Brother put in a lot of effort too,” Xu Fan said with a grin, looking at the elderly man.

Over the years, the elderly man had gone to great lengths to enjoy Xu Fan’s delicacies.

He’d brought all sorts of rare ingredients, legendary foods, Divine Beast meats, and exquisite wines that were hard to come by in the Immortal Realm, one after another, to Xu Fan.

“I might’ve shed a few jars of blood, but it’s nothing serious,” the elderly man said.

“Big Brother, how’s the situation at the border battlefield? I’ve heard rumors in the Immortal Realm that the war is turning against the human race,” Xu Fan asked.

Xu Fan had realized that having this Big Brother also meant getting insider information about the Immortal Realm.

“It’s worse than that. A few Immortal Realms in the border area are on the verge of falling, but it’s the way things are going—there’s no stopping it,” the elderly man said, raising his cup to drink with Xu Fan.

“Can the human race still win in the end?” Xu Fan asked.

“Unless those above the Great Luo Sage step in, the human race is doomed to lose.”

“From what I’ve calculated, this war will end with half of the human race’s Immortal Realms falling.”

“But the Immortal Realm you’re in is the safest; just stay put and focus on growing here,” the elderly man said after a moment of thought.

“The human race is still too weak; if we were stronger, we wouldn’t have these problems after dominating the Immortal Realm,” Xu Fan said, looking a bit tipsy as he downed another cup of Thunder Liquid.

A tingling sensation spread through his body, accompanied by a slight buzz.

“Don’t worry about that, younger brother; if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you,” the elderly man said with a chuckle.

Xu Fan nodded.

“Younger brother, I’ve noticed that the disciples in your sect all have the makings of greatness; their futures are limitless. If you nurture them well, they’ll be a huge help to you down the line.”

“Your sect is bound to become one of the most famous in the Three Thousand Realms,” the elderly man praised.

“Big Brother, just say what’s on your mind; no need to be so formal with me,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

“Well, maybe I should just bring my disciples and join your sect.”

“Just give me an elder title, and I’ll be happy,” the elderly man said with a grin.

“Big Brother, don’t joke around. My small sect doesn’t even have a Golden Immortal; it’s not fit for someone like you, a powerful immortal,” Xu Fan quickly replied.

If the elderly man joined, with three Great Luo Sages and two Golden Immortals in Da Ye, how would they even manage?

“If you’re not interested, younger brother, then forget it,” the elderly man said with a sigh.

“Having these six disciples of mine to take care of me is way more comfortable than being an elder in your sect.”

From his vague words, it was clear that this Big Brother lived a pretty cushy life.

Wherever he wanted to go, he just had to call for his disciples; even traveling to other Immortal Realms was as easy as a wave of the hand from a Great Luo Sage’s disciple.

“Everything’s temporary; I still need to think about the future.”

“In my opinion, your sect is the best place for me to settle down.”

Just then, a puppet carrying a food box landed in Xu Fan’s courtyard.

It set six small dishes on the table.

The elderly man immediately forgot what he was about to say, grabbing his chopsticks and digging in.

“Younger brother, you have no idea how rare gourmet division practitioners are in the Immortal Realm.”

“If those two from your sect opened a shop, they could easily make millions of Immortal Jade a year,” the elderly man said with a smile.

“Are they really that good?” Xu Fan asked, half-convinced.

“Absolutely! If you let those two open a shop, I’d be there every day,” the elderly man said eagerly.

“I’ll think about it.”

By the time they finished the jar of Thunder Liquid, Xu Fan was feeling pleasantly buzzed.

The elderly man, however, was truly drunk, mumbling nonsense.

“A great catastrophe is coming; my master and disciples can’t escape it in the Three Thousand Realms. Only you can save us.”

“If we can survive this, the Three Thousand Realms will be ours to roam.”

“Younger brother, if you help us through this, you’ll be our savior…”

The elderly man with white hair mumbled a bit more before passing out.