Fan Xiang was putting on quite a convincing act.
He displayed his grief over Fan Jia’an’s death in front of Shu Xin while reminiscing about how he had climbed step by step from the bottom of the family to become its head.
If the occasion had been more appropriate, Shu Xin would have loved to add a narrator’s commentary: “Never look down on an old man just because he’s poor.”
Old geezers were mostly like this.
Having lost sight of the road ahead and lacking the courage to step outside their comfort zones, they could only numb themselves with memories of their glorious years. They even tried to achieve a leap in social standing through what they considered “clever tactics.”
And Shu Xin was undoubtedly the ideal target he had chosen.
A simple-minded female cultivator in the Dongtian Realm, with an exceptionally powerful master backing her—she was practically the perfect mark.
As for whatever history Shu Xin had shared with his son, he did not care in the slightest.
After all, the value Shu Xin possessed was simply too great.
Unfortunately, he had happened to run into Shu Xin. That doomed everything he did to not only end in futility, but also become a joke in her eyes.
A joke? Back when she was at the Longevity Dao Sect, she had seen all kinds of tricks from those scions of noble families, each dressed up like peacocks. What kind of schemes hadn’t she witnessed?
Fan Xiang’s little tricks might fool some inexperienced female cultivators, but trying to deceive Shu Xin was nothing more than a pipe dream.
“An old cucumber painted green, pretending to be young in front of me. Does he think telling a few stories and playing the victim will turn him into a tragic, handsome, powerful man? He isn’t any of those three things.” Shu Xin couldn’t help complaining to the Sword Spirit. “No wonder they say it’s so difficult to eliminate demons and purge evil. I’m trying to capture the external incarnation of a demonic cultivator, but this is way too painful.”
“Then I can just chop him up for you. I estimate that his flesh and blood would work just as well for purifying my blade.” The Sword Spirit was itching to try.
“That won’t be necessary.” Shu Xin sighed. “Forget it. I’ll milk this old geezer for some money to soothe my wounded heart.”
“Oh, oh, get as much as you can. And if there’s still money left after you’ve spent it all, buy him a coffin too and bury him alongside his son.” The Sword Spirit offered its earnest advice.
It seemed even the Sword Spirit was thoroughly fed up.
“I never imagined the family head had such a past.” Shu Xin lowered her head and spoke in an especially gentle, soothing voice. “It truly took me by surprise.”
What had that old geezer just been talking about?
Forget it. It wasn’t important.
Fan Xiang, however, was moved to tears. He stepped forward twice and said, “Fellow Daoist Shu truly understands me.”
“Speaking of which, I have a regret of my own.” Shu Xin discreetly avoided Fan Xiang’s touch and let out a mournful sigh. “When I was at the Longevity Dao Sect, I often saw the fairies of the sect receive a Fingertip Moon when they pledged themselves to their Dao partners. Later, my beloved Fan once said he would give me one as well, but sadly, he died young.”
“You said this thing was expensive, tiny, and completely lacking in value for money. Anyone who bought one was an idiot, didn’t you?” the Sword Spirit angrily reminded her. “I said I wanted one at the time, but you told me you didn’t have any spirit stones and that we could just make do with a Fingertip Profound Light. You even said that was enough.”
“Exactly. That’s why we’re having Fan Xiang buy it. Once we get the Fingertip Moon, we can sell it and exchange it for spirit stones. As for the Fingertip Profound Light… Forget it. Don’t we still have some left from last time? I’m not letting you use your full power again anytime soon.” Shu Xin weighed her current cultivation and then thought of how much cleaner the blade had already become. Her whole body ached at the thought.
The feeling of having all the spiritual energy in her flesh and blood drained by the Sword Spirit was truly unbearable. She had no desire to experience it again anytime soon.
“A Fingertip Moon?” Fan Xiang hesitated the moment he heard the name.
The item’s symbolic significance outweighed its practical use. In the eyes of many male cultivators, it was nothing but an expensive, flashy bauble. Yet it was also ridiculously costly.
As the family head, Fan Xiang could buy other resources and disguise the expense as a family expenditure. But the Fingertip Moon was far too suggestive. If he really bought one, rumors would spread everywhere.
“It would be wonderful if some cultivator gave me a Fingertip Moon the size of a thumb someday.” Shu Xin continued to sigh.
Fan Xiang remained standing where he was, clearly reluctant to respond.
After all, aside from being expensive, a Fingertip Moon also required the buyer to inject some of their own blood essence into it, causing it to take on a unique color.
In other words, every Fingertip Moon was one of a kind.
Which only made it even more expensive.
Fan Xiang was willing to spend some spirit stones on Shu Xin, but he absolutely refused to use his own blood essence to curry favor with her.
This old geezer was stingy too. How was that acceptable?
Shu Xin rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the heavens, then put on a false, gracious expression. “I’m sorry to have made you laugh, Fellow Daoist Fan. It was only a small wish I once had. Now, I only want to focus on cultivating, improve my cultivation, and perhaps study the divine art my master gave me before leaving.”
The moment he heard that she possessed a divine art, Fan Xiang’s eyes lit up.
The divine arts cultivated by cultivators were different from their fundamental cultivation techniques.
To put it simply, a fundamental cultivation technique was like internal power, while a divine art was like an external martial art.
One laid the foundation, while the other provided the finishing touches.
A powerful divine art could allow a Core Formation cultivator to display combat strength no weaker than that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. It made full use of a cultivator’s spiritual energy and gave their techniques far greater destructive power. Different divine arts could even produce entirely different effects. It was said that in ancient times, there had even been people capable of using divine arts to briefly reverse the flow of time, allowing cultivators who should have died to condense their souls once more.
Unfortunately, the most formidable divine arts were practically all controlled by the major sects and great clans.
Now and then, a powerful cultivator would deduce an exceptional divine art, but after making only a brief appearance, it would be bought up by a major sect at an exorbitant price. As a result, the divine arts used by cultivators outside those powers were all basic spells, hardly worthy of mention.
Even a clan like the Fan family, despite having collected some divine arts, could not claim to possess anything particularly powerful.
When Fan Xiang heard that Shu Xin was going to study a divine art, his heart practically bloomed with delight.
Perhaps he could trick this Shu Xin into letting him take a look at it?
“It’s just a pity that the divine art my master passed down to me is so difficult and obscure. Even now, I’ve only reached the introductory stage.” Shu Xin let out a long sigh. “My master is a heaven-gifted genius. I wonder when I’ll ever be able to catch up to her.”
Fan Xiang remained outwardly calm and deliberately said, “With Fellow Daoist Shu’s aptitude, you still haven’t been able to master this divine art? It seems truly extraordinary. If you don’t mind, why not tell me what difficulties you’ve encountered? We could discuss and study them together. Perhaps you might gain something from it.”
He then added, “Of course, if you have any concerns, then forget I said anything. I’m merely a little worried, so please don’t misunderstand.”
This old geezer was actually quite skilled at baiting people.
Shu Xin immediately thought a little more highly of Fan Xiang.
It seemed that poor Fan Jia’an had barely inherited any of his father’s skills.
As expected, the older the ginger, the spicier it was.
“How could it be inconvenient?” Shu Xin pretended to take the bait. “My master never said that this technique couldn’t be shown to others. He only said that it was extraordinarily powerful, and that if it fell into the hands of a wicked person, it could bring disaster upon countless lives. But you are the head of the Fan family and my beloved Fan’s father, Fellow Daoist Fan. Surely there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Fan Xiang was delighted inwardly. He had never expected things to go so smoothly, yet he still maintained an outwardly composed expression. “May I ask what this cultivation art is called, and what makes it so extraordinary?”
“This divine ability is called the Art of Creation and Transformation. As the saying goes, the universe lies in condensation, while all transformations arise from life. In ancient times, a great expert used an earth-shaking divine ability to steal half an inch of yin and yang, then supplemented it with the method of reversing the Three Powers to create this art. It is divided into three fingers: the Reversal Finger, the Yin-Yang Finger, and the Creation Finger. With my current cultivation, I can only practice the Reversal Finger at most.” Shu Xin spoke solemnly. “Once mastered, the Reversal Finger can reverse the properties of water and fire within a radius of a hundred miles, making flames condense into ice while cold springs spout fire. If cultivated to perfection, it can even exchange positions, redirecting an attack that should have struck me toward someone else.”
【Keep making things up. If there really were such a powerful cultivation art, Xu Guan would have already stormed into the Longevity Daoist Sect.】The Sword Spirit spoke from the side. 【Your ability to pull things out of thin air is as impressive as ever.】
“However, if cultivated improperly, this art will drain one’s lifespan.” Shu Xin shook her head emphatically. “Moreover, every use consumes an enormous amount of spiritual energy, and practicing it is extremely dangerous.”
Having said that, Shu Xin stopped talking.
Fan Xiang had been listening with his blood surging. He had already begun imagining how glorious he would be after mastering such a divine ability. He had never expected Shu Xin to stop halfway through, leaving him hanging and deeply uncomfortable.
“A great divine ability naturally comes with a corresponding price.” After consoling himself for a moment, Fan Xiang continued pressing her. “Does Fellow Daoist Shu have anything else you don’t understand?”
“Not really. The art says: ‘Plant true earth in the Yellow Court, open a paradise within the Violet Manor.’ Only cultivators above the Grotto-Heaven Realm are qualified to learn it; otherwise, they are extremely likely to suffer backlash. Furthermore, every time this divine ability is used, it will unconsciously absorb the spiritual energy in the surrounding area. If I practice it in the Fan residence, I’m afraid I might disturb your family.” Shu Xin shook her head. “I’m only a guest here. I can’t be so rude.”
“Fellow Daoist Shu, you’re overthinking it. You are an honored guest of the Fan family—how could that be considered a disturbance? How about this? I’ll have someone seal off this area and set up a Spirit-Gathering Formation to make up for the spiritual energy consumed.”
“Th-that would be too much trouble.” Shu Xin appeared flattered. “You already gave me spirit stones earlier, Fellow Daoist Fan.”
“If you feel indebted, you can let me see the power of this divine ability. That would count as broadening my horizons.” Fan Xiang probed cautiously. “I come from a humble background and have never witnessed such an extraordinary divine ability.”
“Not at all. If Fellow Daoist Fan doesn’t mind, I’d be happy to demonstrate it for you.” Shu Xin answered with a smile.
For a moment, both foxes were feeling extremely pleased with themselves.
Once Fan Xiang gave the order, the Fan family moved swiftly.
Before long, the entire area they occupied had been sealed off. Array masters nearby had also used various spirit stones to set up a Spirit-Gathering Formation, instantly filling the area with abundant spiritual energy.
Naturally, such activity did not escape the notice of the more attentive members of the Fan family.
When they learned that Fan Xiang had ordered all this so Shu Xin could practice her divine ability, they cursed him thoroughly in their hearts.
That old bastard was really putting on an act now, trying to deceive a young woman right here in their own home? Disgusting!
Shu Xin, don’t let that old bastard trick your family’s divine ability away so easily. You should also take a look at the other fine men of the Fan family.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, please.” Fan Xiang was already impatient to see Shu Xin demonstrate the art.
“You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Fan.” Shu Xin nodded. She immediately rose into the air and hovered there, pretending to form more than a dozen hand seals in succession. Then she said to the Sword Spirit, “Come on, drain the Spirit-Gathering Formation dry. And while you’re at it, make some sword-qi manifestations to fool this old geezer.”
【Don’t worry. I’m a professional when it comes to this sort of thing.】
The Sword Spirit eagerly rubbed its hands together, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Fan Xiang’s eyes suddenly widened.
A tremendously powerful vortex of spiritual energy appeared around Shu Xin, drawing in all the spiritual energy within the Spirit-Gathering Formation. Behind her, something terrifying seemed to be taking shape.
In the next instant, Fan Xiang felt every inch of his body tremble. It was as if even the flow of spiritual energy within him had slowed considerably.
By the time Fan Xiang came back to his senses, a massive crater had appeared where he stood, and he himself was drenched in sweat.
“Fellow Daoist Fan? Fellow Daoist Fan, are you all right?” Shu Xin’s concerned expression entered his field of vision.
“I-I’m fine.” Fan Xiang wiped the sweat from his forehead. “For a moment just now, I genuinely thought I might die. Fellow Daoist Shu, this divine ability of yours is truly incredible.”
Fan Xiang was speaking from the heart.
Although he had not fought in a long time, he was still a cultivator of the Grotto-Heaven Realm. At the very least, only cultivators of the Immaculate Realm could make him feel that kind of threat.
Yet Shu Xin was also a Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivator, so she clearly shouldn’t have been capable of threatening him to such a degree.
The only possible explanation was this divine ability.
“I never imagined that this divine ability could rival an Immaculate Realm cultivator. It is truly astonishing.” If Fan Xiang had still been somewhat skeptical of the art before, after experiencing it firsthand, he was now determined to obtain it.
If he could master this divine ability, it would be worth paying any amount of spirit stones!
“Fellow Daoist Shu, would you be willing to demonstrate it a little more?” Fan Xiang asked eagerly.
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid I can’t.” Shu Xin sighed. “If this had been before, I could have demonstrated it for you once more. But my body is unwell now, so I can only use it once.”
Fan Xiang looked her over and saw that the spiritual energy around Shu Xin had indeed diminished considerably. He immediately felt disappointed.
“If Fellow Daoist Fan doesn’t mind, you could try it yourself.” Shu Xin then recited a long passage of obscure, tongue-twisting incantations. “Because this divine ability was created in ancient times, it is extremely difficult to understand. I’m rather slow-witted myself, and every time I need my master to demonstrate it while explaining its mysteries to me. But you are clever, Fellow Daoist Fan. Perhaps you’ll gain an entirely different insight.”
“With something this important, how could I listen to it?” Fan Xiang still made a show of declining.
“You don’t need to be so polite. I can apologize to my master later.” Shu Xin seemed a little tired. “I consumed too much spiritual energy just now and need to return and rest, so I won’t be able to accompany you.”
“I’ll take you back immediately. You must get some proper rest.” Although Fan Xiang already wanted to study the divine ability on the spot, he had no choice but to suppress his impatience and escort Shu Xin back first.
At the same time, he ordered someone to bring over some spirit stones so that Shu Xin could recover more quickly.
Shu Xin accepted them with a beaming smile.
Go ahead and practice. You won’t be able to learn a thing.
I made the whole thing up anyway.
Before long, the Fan family discovered that their family head had been acting stranger and stranger lately.
First, he began withdrawing spirit stones without end, fencing off vacant land within the family compound to construct a Spirit-Gathering Formation. He claimed he was practicing some kind of divine ability.
Practicing was one thing, but according to what they heard, he could not master it at all.
In the end, Fan Xiang had no choice but to ask Shu Xin to demonstrate it for him in person.
Once again, Shu Xin completely drained the spiritual energy within the Spirit-Gathering Formation, leaving Fan Xiang even more shaken.
Yet the moment Shu Xin left and he tried to figure it out on his own, Fan Xiang discovered that he simply could not learn it.
Could it be that his aptitude was truly too poor, and that he was incapable of learning such a powerful divine ability?
For a time, Fan Xiang fell into deep self-doubt.
No. Shu Xin had said that when she learned this divine ability, Xu Guan had constantly demonstrated it for her from the side.
The reason he could not learn it must be that Shu Xin was not as highly cultivated as Xu Guan. She could demonstrate the technique, but could not answer his questions or clear up his confusion at the same time.
Thus, Fan Xiang steeled his heart. He went to Shu Xin again and again, asking her to demonstrate the technique for him. Afterward, he would give her countless spirit stones to replenish her spiritual energy.
Spirit stones flowed into Shu Xin’s hands like a running stream.
The Fan family members saw it all and were already grinding their teeth in hatred.
Their family head had gone too far.
Once or twice would have been tolerable, but he was actually using the Fan family’s resources every day to curry favor with a female cultivator. This was outrageous!
They would have to go back and speak with their elders, forcing the clan’s senior members to put pressure on Fan Xiang.
If this continued, the entire Fan family would become Shu Xin’s!
Myriad Dao Sect.
“Disciple, after careful consideration, I fear that the demon may still have an external incarnation.” White Crane Dao Lord summoned Qu Yougu, his expression unusually solemn.
“Why do you say that, Master?” Qu Yougu asked seriously.
“These past two days, I consulted some more books. They record that once a parasitic spirit demon cultivator reaches the Dongtian realm, they can all possess a divine ability known as an external incarnation. They can split off part of their primordial spirit and divine sense from their main body. If the main body dies, the separated primordial spirit and divine sense can continue to exist for a period of time. If they can return to the Parasitic Spirit Demon Sect during that period, they may be able to recover completely. At the very least, they can reincarnate.” White Crane Dao Lord’s expression grew heavy.
“You already completed this mission, and your master was greatly pleased. But now, the internal struggles within the sect are dangerous. Rather than have you remain here, it would be better for you to go out and gain experience. You can also use this matter concerning the demon cultivator as a reason to remain outside for a while longer.” White Crane Dao Lord spoke from the heart, clearly having thought everything through for his disciple. “Once you reach the Immaculate realm, you won’t have to worry anymore when you return to the sect.”
“But the world is so vast. Where should I begin searching for this demon’s external incarnation?” Qu Yougu asked with a frown.
“The demon’s external incarnation cannot stray too far from him, or it will be difficult to control. You can begin by investigating people connected to the Hu family,” White Crane Dao Lord said with a smile. “There are only so many of them, after all. It shouldn’t take long to investigate. I’ll also give you a magical treasure. If you truly encounter this demon cultivator’s external incarnation, the treasure will naturally alert you.”
“Thank you, Master.” Qu Yougu agreed at once.
Here, master and disciple enjoyed a warm, harmonious relationship.
But the situation at the Longevity Dao Sect was an entirely different story.
Situ Jian had been forcibly kept at the Lin family to cultivate.
At first, the Lin family’s dense spiritual energy truly brought considerable benefits to Situ Jian’s cultivation.
It would have been even better if Lin Jian had not been watching him like a tiger stalking its prey.
“Why must Master inspect my cultivation progress three times a day?” Situ Jian asked, somewhat puzzled, as the Lin family ancestor once again passed by him.
If Shu Xin had been here and seen the Lin family ancestor at this moment, she would probably have said, “The heavens have their own way of balancing the scales. No one escapes the consequences of their actions.”
The Lin family ancestor’s hair and beard were completely white, and his entire body was covered in dense wrinkles, making him look like a piece of dried orange peel.
An intense odor of death had even begun to emanate from his body. Anyone could see that he was displaying the signs of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.
Yet Situ Jian knew better than anyone that although his bargain-bin master appeared weaker by the day, anyone who truly mistook him for someone at the end of his strength would be making a grave error.
The Lin family ancestor was slowly gathering all his cultivation together and using it to strengthen his primordial spirit. That was why his physical body was aging so rapidly.
In other words, he could no longer wait.
He had even begun to disdain the effort of hiding it.
“I’m merely a little worried about my disciple.” The Lin family ancestor gazed greedily at Situ Jian. “You truly have a fine appearance. If you had not spent so many years in seclusion and avoided outsiders, I imagine the number of female cultivators enamored with you would be impossible to count.”
“Master jests,” Situ Jian replied blandly.
“So young. Truly, so young.” The Lin family ancestor could not help reaching out to touch Situ Jian’s shoulder. “Your aptitude, physique, and spiritual roots are all of the highest caliber, and your comprehension is exceptionally outstanding as well. You are only a little over a hundred years old, yet you have already reached the mid-stage of the Dao Nascent realm. Judging by your progress, in at most another twenty or thirty years, you will reach the advanced Dongtian realm. Perhaps you may even break Xu Guan’s record of reaching the Immaculate realm in three hundred years and become the undisputed Dao Child of the Longevity Dao Sect.”
“Master flatters me.”
“So it would be even better if all of this belonged to me.” The Lin family ancestor had finally revealed his true intentions. He had stopped bothering to pretend at all.
“You no longer cultivate the Lin family’s technique. I imagine you’ve already noticed something.” The Lin family ancestor smiled. “Do you know why I asked you to come here and cultivate? Because after cultivating the Lin family’s technique to a certain point, everyone can sense the flaw within it. It is a technique designed to make wedding garments for someone else.”
In the past, all the disciples he had accepted—as well as the most talented members of the Lin family—had been required to learn this technique.
Once they cultivated it to the pinnacle, they would be able to receive the ancestor’s personal guidance.
Those Lin family members who received the ancestor’s guidance often achieved great things, and almost all of them went on to become the family’s true leaders or clan heads.
As for the outsiders accepted as his disciples, their cultivation would gradually begin to go awry. Some would suffer cultivation deviation and die, while others would perish on the road of adventure.
The Lin family’s excuse was that these outsiders lacked the fortune to cultivate the Lin family’s bloodline technique.
But quite a few people knew the truth in their hearts.
The Lin family ancestor was merely using the cultivation of others to perfect his own.
Only, by using the title of “master and disciple” as a pretext, he made it impossible for many people to interfere in their affairs.
Unlike the demonic sects, the righteous sects still had to find a grand and respectable justification for what they did.
“Your senior brothers and sisters before you were all inferior to you in aptitude and comprehension. That’s why I only absorbed some of their spiritual power and divine abilities, and they were rendered useless.” The Lin family ancestor sighed. “After all, if one can use one’s own body, who would be willing to use someone else’s? But you are different, my disciple. Your aptitude and physique even surpass mine, and I am very pleased with you.”
It was a pity that Shu Xin had failed to kill Situ Jian.
Otherwise, given Situ Jian’s almost complete lack of contact with outsiders, no one would have discovered it even if he had truly possessed him.
Possessing one’s own disciple was an unforgivable crime.
But so long as all his disciples, friends, and loved ones are dead, who could say he isn’t Situ Jian?
