Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 11

Volume 7 Chapter 11: Cooperation (Part 2)

When Xu Qingfan saw the young man named Wang Li kneeling in front of him, he was taken aback. But after hearing Wang Li’s words, his gaze became distant.

He suddenly remembered how similar this scene was to about three hundred years ago, when a boy, whose home had just been destroyed by a demon beast, kneeled before a cultivator who needed to experiment with a broken cultivation method on a small hill in the Southern Wasteland.

In three hundred years, much has changed; the boy has now become a great master, and the tragedy of Xu Family Village is now a well-known story across Shenzhou Continent.

Others were also surprised by the sudden behavior of the young man named Wang Li, but since Wang Li was Xu Qingfan’s disciple, they could not say anything. They allowed Wang Li to "bumble" and bow repeatedly at Xu Qingfan’s feet, watching as Xu Qingfan stared blankly with his eyes drifting away.

While the cultivators were not worried, the common folks were terrified. In their eyes, "immortals" are sacred and untouchable. If an "immortal" kindly chose to accept a mortal as a disciple, that would be a huge opportunity, but how could a mortal dare to pressure an "immortal" into taking them as a disciple?

They were just a group of ordinary people who had lost their homes. For them, it was already a great grace for the "immortals" to provide them shelter and safety. How could they cause trouble for the "immortals"? Especially after arriving at the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, witnessing such a divine place, they felt even more respect for the "immortals." When they saw those "immortals" who brought them there paying respects to Xu Qingfan, they were convinced that Xu Qingfan was a powerful figure among the "immortals." They grew anxious at Wang Li’s abruptness, fearing that the "immortal" might become angry and drive them away. They wanted to shout, but in front of the "immortal," they dared not. They could only glare at Wang Li, but he remained unaware, still bowing repeatedly before Xu Qingfan.

Just then, a slightly older boy from the group of common folks rushed out. He quickly walked to Wang Li’s side and kneeled in front of Xu Qingfan. After bowing, he said in a deep voice, "Immortal, please do not be angry. My brother Li is actually a pitiful person. His family was all killed by the Shura Clan while hunting for food. He is only thinking of revenge and has lost his way. Please have mercy and do not hold it against him. If there is punishment, I have no complaints. However, this is only my brother’s matter; as his elder brother, I have failed to guide him. Please only punish me and Li. The others are innocent."

The boy’s words pulled Xu Qingfan back to reality, and upon hearing him, both Xu Qingfan and the other cultivators’ eyes brightened. His speech was clear and logical, showing responsibility and courage, especially when compared to Wang Li, who only knew how to bow his head and cry out for help.

"Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you. Get up."

Xu Qingfan said with a smile. As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly, and suddenly, a gentle force surrounded Wang Li and the boy, making them stand up without realizing it. Wang Li wanted to kneel again, but no matter what, he couldn’t bend his knees.

"Lift your heads and let me see you."

Xu Qingfan said again.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, the two quickly raised their heads and hesitantly looked at Xu Qingfan. The young man named Wang Li was small and had a pale face. His features were narrow, but his hooked nose and pointed chin showed his strong character. The other boy, however, caught everyone’s attention with his tall stature, dark skin, calm expression, and especially his determined eyes, which radiated strength.

As they compared the two again, everyone could not help but overlook Wang Li and closely examine the other boy. Compared to the other boy, although Wang Li’s appearance and character were still noticeable, they seemed too extreme and were not liked by the crowd.

Xu Qingfan looked at the boy and suddenly asked, "His name is Wang Li. What is your name?"

The boy, hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, showed no sign of blame and relaxed a little, but still replied respectfully and steadily, "Replying to the immortal, I am called Shen Gang."

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Aren’t you his brother?"

A shadow of sadness crossed Shen Gang’s face as he said, "After Li’s parents died, he could hardly take care of himself, so I brought him to my home to look after him, and we call each other brothers."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly and asked, "How do you know about the Shura Clan? Normally, even though they attacked your elders, you shouldn’t know their name."

Shen Gang quickly glanced at Wang Zegang and the others next to Xu Qingfan, then said, "I heard some other immortals talking on my way here, and that’s how I learned about the Shura Clan."

Xu Qingfan was a bit surprised. Even if Shen Gang heard some of Wang Zegang’s conversation, he couldn’t have heard it all. Moreover, since Shen Gang didn’t know the basics of the cultivation world, it was impressive that he could gather from Wang Zegang’s words that the Shura Clan was responsible for the death of Wang Li’s family. Clearly, he was not only brave and responsible but also a thoughtful person.

Xu Qingfan nodded and asked again, "You speak very clearly. Have you studied?"

Shen Gang replied, "My father was the teacher in the village, and after my parents died, I taught the village children to read and write."

Hearing Shen Gang say this, Xu Qingfan’s admiration grew even more. First, because Shen Gang’s scholar background matched Xu Qingfan’s character. Second, it reminded him of when Shen Gang had mentioned taking care of Wang Li. Xu Qingfan had thought Shen Gang’s parents made that decision, but it turned out Shen Gang had been looking after Wang Li by himself, even though Shen Gang seemed to be only a year or two older than Wang Li.

Therefore, Xu Qingfan held Shen Gang in very high regard.

Xu Qingfan contemplated for a moment, then slowly floated down to the ground and said to Shen Gang and Wang Li, "Come over here and stretch out your hands."

The two people were slightly surprised. Even though they didn’t understand what Xu Qingfan meant, they dared not disobey him. They slowly walked closer to Xu Qingfan and hesitantly reached out a hand each.

Xu Qingfan reached out both hands and held each of their hands. Then, Shen Gang and Wang Li were amazed to find a warm flow of air suddenly appear at the spots where Xu Qingfan held them. The air swirled around their bodies, making them feel incredibly comfortable.

After a moment, Xu Qingfan withdrew his hands, and a look of happiness and sigh crossed his eyes.

At that moment, Wang Zegang also landed beside Xu Qingfan and quietly said, "Island Master, I have already checked these mortals on my way here. About seventeen of them have potential for cultivation. Among them, Shen Gang is the most outstanding. Although he is not a peerless genius, he is the only one who can reach the Condensed Core Stage without using a spirit pill. However, Wang Li has no talent for cultivation at all; he will never have a connection with the path of the immortals."

Xu Qingfan silently nodded. He had just been testing Shen Gang and Wang Li’s talent for cultivation to see how much Spirit Qi they could absorb from heaven and earth. He discovered that Shen Gang could absorb fifty-five percent of the Spirit Qi. Although it wasn’t astonishing, it was still quite good. In some smaller sects, such talent could make him a direct disciple. As for Wang Li… he couldn’t absorb even a tiny bit of Spirit Qi, so in terms of cultivation, he was truly a failure.

Xu Qingfan liked peace and had only wanted to accept one disciple, Zhang Ningmei. Bai Yu was a request from Li Xuhan, Ting’er was due to family ties, and Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling were because of their friendship.

However, the moment he saw Shen Gang and Wang Li, and as he learned more about them, Xu Qingfan felt a stirring desire to take them as disciples again. Shen Gang seemed very much like Zhang Ningmei, matching Xu Qingfan’s temperament, while Wang Li’s experience reminded Xu Qingfan of his own past.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Dongfang Qingling and said, "Junior Martial Sister Dongfang, after you have arranged these people, please bring Shen Gang to Yuheng Island to see me."

With that, Xu Qingfan smiled apologetically at Liu Ziqing, Wang Yuxian, Dongfang Quan, Old Beggar, and the others and said, "We’ve taken some time. Let’s go now."

Saying this, Xu Qingfan flew up again, carrying everyone slowly deeper into Tianxuan Island.

After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, even the simplest person understood what had happened. The cultivators looked at Shen Gang with very different eyes. With Xu Qingfan’s current abilities and position, if he took a disciple, that disciple’s status would instantly change. And those old friends looked at Shen Gang with envy. Bai Yu even stopped for a moment, flew in front of Shen Gang, patted his shoulder, and smiled, saying, "Remember to call me senior brother from now on."

Saying this, he didn’t wait for Shen Gang to respond and quickly flew back behind Xu Qingfan.

Shen Gang stood there in shock, staring at Xu Qingfan as he flew away, his face filled with disbelief. Did this immortal mean he wanted to take him as a disciple?

After a moment, Wang Li understood the meaning of Xu Qingfan’s words and shouted loudly at Xu Qingfan’s back, "Immortal, what about me? What should I do?"

"You are fated to be without the way of immortals and cannot gain the inheritance of immortality, but don’t worry, I will definitely fight the Shura Clan members who killed your parents. At that time, I will naturally take revenge for you!"

Xu Qingfan’s gentle voice echoed through the heavens and the earth.

"I don’t want to take revenge through someone else; I want to take revenge myself!"

After Xu Qingfan and the others flew far away, Wang Li’s stubborn roar could still be heard.