The news of Ning Fan's return had spread across the entire External Endless Sea at a terrifying speed overnight.
In the Ying Zhou Immortal Island and the Ming Assassin Alliance, as soon as they heard that Ning Fan had broken through to the Divine Transformation Realm, at least thirty percent of the forces left the alliance and tried their best to distance themselves from it.
They were afraid of Ning Fan's ferocious reputation. They could not imagine how fearless he would be in killing people after breaking through to the Divine Transformation Realm.
These were all stories to be told later.
The Rising Phoenix Stage had been rebuilt a long time ago. Twenty years ago, Ning Fan had caused a massacre here. Twenty years later, the wind and snow here were still the same, and the old people were already gone.
On the bronze platform, Ning Fan, Dong Xu, Xu Yan and the others were sitting around a fireplace. They were chatting while warming their wine. Most of their topics were about the changes in the External Endless Sea. Xu Yan and the others had asked Ning Fan about his experiences in the past twenty years but Ning Fan did not mention a single word about them.
Xu Qiuling was like a newly married wife. She warmed the wine for Ning Fan at the side with a gentle and respectful expression.
Behind Ning Fan, Yu Long's eyes were filled with fanaticism and admiration.
In the past, when he was taken in as Ning Fan's servant, he had complained incessantly. Now, however, it seemed like becoming Ning Fan's servant was the greatest opportunity in his life.
Yu Long's master was not an ordinary person. He was a Divine Transformation Realm Patriarch, a person who could drink wine with the Seven Venerables of the internal sea!
What they were drinking was a type of spirit wine called 'Drunken Past Dust', which was brewed by Dong Xu using hundreds of flowers. It was known for its great capacity for alcohol. Those who did not have enough magic power would definitely not be able to drink much. An early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would be drunk for a month after drinking one drop. An early-stage Soul Formation Ancestral Patriarch could drink ten bottles at most.
After drinking eleven cups, Xu and Yan left with bitter smiles. They had to immediately return to their closed-door training to refine the alcohol, otherwise they would be drunk for a month.
After Xu Yan and Dong Xu left, Yu Long also received Ning Fan's permission to return to the Mysterious Emerald Palace to rest. Only Ning Fan and Dong Xu were left on the Phoenix Ascension Platform.
For the entire night, until dawn, the two of them were not drunk at all.
This made Xu Qiuling secretly surprised. She had already endlessly overestimated Ning Fan. However, she had never expected that he would be able to drink with her Half-Step Void Refinement Realm master for an entire night without losing the upper hand.
Xu Qiuling lazily lifted her sleeves to cover her face and yawned sleepily. She stared at Ning Fan and gradually became infatuated with him.
Twenty years … twenty years of waiting was worth it for tonight.
The ten jars of Drunken Former Dust were all drunk. Dong Xu was no longer in a drunken mood. He laughed heartily and returned to rest.
As for Ning Fan, he kept the storage pouch that Dong Xu had given him. With a wave of his magic power, all the tipsiness and drunkenness disappeared.
"What good things did Master give you?" Xu Qiuling's bright eyes flickered.
"Some puppets, some pills, some immortal jades, some heavenly dwelling treasures … Hmm, of course, there are also some insights on how to refine heavenly dwelling treasures … Your master said that these are your dowry …"
Ning Fan stood up and stretched his body comfortably. His bones emitted a crisp sound like popping beans. He shook off the snow on his shoulders.
Even though he sounded relaxed, the things that Dong Xu had given him were definitely valuable. All of them were the benefits that he had promised Ning Fan in the past.
A thousand grotto-heaven treasures, each of them could be sold for more than a million immortal jades.
Seventeen Soul Formation puppets, ten at the early stage, four at the middle stage, two at the late stage, and one at the peak-stage.
There were fifty bottles of Peak Fourth Revolution Profound Essence Pills, and each bottle contained twenty pills. Each pill could increase the magic power of a Peak Nascent Soul Cultivator by one unit.
Apart from that, there was also the heart of Mother Earth which was given to him by Xu Rushan through Dong Xu.
These items were definitely valuable. Ning Fan would remember Dong Xu's kindness in his heart.
"I will cure Qiuling. Don't worry."
Ning Fan seemed to be talking to the wind and snow. However, he knew that Xu Rushan and Dong Xu were waiting for this promise.
Just as Ning Fan was talking to the wind and snow, a pink 'Sound Transmitting Paper Butterfly' flew through the wind and snow and landed on Xu Qiuling's palm.
The little butterfly seemed to have transmitted some information into Xu Qiuling's spirit sense. Immediately, she could not help but burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at? Hmm? This Sound Transmitting Paper Butterfly is very unique. Did you make it? "
Ning Fan's eyes moved. Among the low-grade cultivators in the Endless Sea, there was a type of Sound Transmitting Paper that was very popular. It could be used to send messages by falling paper dolls, paper cranes, paper butterflies and paper tigers.
"Mm. It was Little Lian who sent me a message. She told me something interesting. I could not help but laugh."
Xu Qiuling combed her black hair. Her ethereal aura was like an orchid in an empty valley.
She was a talented woman. Even though she was slightly sickly, it added to her elegance.
Xu Qiuling kept the paper butterfly and said with a faint smile. "Young Master Zhou, are you going to rest first or are you going to concoct the Heart Nourishing Pill?"
"Are you going to accompany me to rest?" Ning Fan teased.
"Sure. If you dare, I dare." Xu Qiuling looked indifferent even though her neck had turned pink from embarrassment.
"You are really the most special woman I have ever seen …"
Ning Fan shook his head. If Zhi He said this, she would probably scold him for being a hooligan.
However, Xu Qiuling was much calmer and more unperturbed than most women. It was as if nothing could surprise her.
She was a woman who had already seen through life and death, sorrow and joy …
"You should go and concoct pills … I want to concoct the Heart Nourishing Pill as soon as possible so that your injuries can be healed."
"Thank you for your love, Young Master! However, Young Master Zhou, please take note. There is an old man standing in the snow outside the pill concoction room … "
"Standing in the snow outside the door of the Cheng Family?"
Ning Fan was rather surprised. It was an allusion of the cultivation world. It referred to two cultivators of the Confucian Sect, You Xiao and Yang Shi. In order to seek the Dao, they stood outside the door of a great Confucian Sect with the surname Cheng for an entire night and turned into a snowman.
Ning Fan immediately understood why Xu Qiuling was laughing when his spirit sense swept across fifty thousand li * (500m per li).
Without saying a word, he directly hugged Xu Qiuling's slender waist and took a step forward. Purple smoke floated out of his body. Xu Qiuling's delicate body trembled slightly but she did not resist.
This woman was really a bold woman for love.
Even if Ning Fan violated the rules of etiquette by having intercourse with her in front of the wind and snow, this woman would probably not care about it.
"I won't regret Zhong Zi crossing my wall …" Xu Qiuling muttered to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing."
It was Xu Qiuling's first time experiencing the speed of a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator.
The whistling wind and snow beside her ears made her feel intoxicated. She did not even have the time to marvel at Ning Fan's speed. In just a few breaths, they had already arrived at the top-grade pill concoction room of the Profound Jade Palace.
Outside the room, the wind and snow were intertwined. An elderly man in scholarly robes was covered in snow like a snowman. He had really been standing outside the pill concoction room for the entire night.
As soon as he saw Ning Fan coming with a beauty, he immediately shook off the snow on his body and cupped his fists with a smile.
"Hehe. Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you here to concoct pills today?" The old man seemed to be looking forward to it.
"Yes. Fellow Daoist Yang, do you want to watch from the side?"
"Of course I do!" Yang Gu's eyes were burning with passion. After he obtained the Medicine Soul Heart Sutra, he was extremely close to attaining the Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm. If he could watch a Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm master concoct pills at this critical juncture, it would certainly be a great way to accumulate experience.
"Rules?" Ning Fan asked indifferently.
"Hehe. Of course. Of course …" Yang Gu took out a storage pouch filled with immortal jade and passed it to Ning Fan.
In the Endless Sea, one would have to pay a fee to watch a Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm master concoct pills.
One million immortal jade per person was not a lot but it was a rule.
Imagine, if a Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm master invites one thousand or ten thousand people to watch and learn from him, how much money would he earn?
To improve one's pill concoction technique, one would need to consume a large amount of spiritual herbs. in itself, it would burn a lot of money.
Rules could not be broken, especially rules that allowed one to collect money.
Liuyang Gu stood at the entrance of the pill refinement room and watched from afar. As for Ning Fan and Xu Qiuling, they walked side by side to the pill cauldron and ignited the cauldron.
Xu Qiuling could observe and learn from him at a close distance. Even if she did not learn the Art of Pill Refinement at all, it would still be beneficial for her to observe and comprehend something by analogy.
Beside Xu Qiuling stood a half-damaged Hei Hou. Even though it was half-damaged, its tyrannical aura still startled Yang Gu.
"This is … a Half-Step Void Refinement Realm spiritual puppet!"
Hiss!
Yang Gu could not help but feel shocked. A Half-Step Void Refinement Realm expert was one of the seven venerated experts of the internal sea. To think that he would actually be refined into a puppet by Ning Fan …
Yang Gu could not help but wonder what level Ning Fan's cultivation base had reached!
Ever since the news of Ning Fan's return spread out, the outside world had heard that he was a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. However, it was only rumored that he was an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator.
But Yang Gu didn't believe it!
Would an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator have a Half-Step Void Refinement Realm spiritual puppet?!
"Fellow Daoist Yang, please don't mind me. This puppet is my principle."
As soon as he finished speaking, he did not explain any further and tossed the spiritual herbs into the pill cauldron.
The existence of the spiritual puppet was to protect the pill concoction master. It was to prevent the observers from sneakily attacking the pill concoction master, destroying the pill or even injuring the concoction master.
Asking for payment and being on guard against Yang Gu … Ning Fan always said the ugly words in advance. He would not take advantage of others but he would also not let others take advantage of him.
Yang Gu's mind was greatly shaken. He realized that he had underestimated Ning Fan's strength and temperament right from the beginning.
However, this shock soon disappeared. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Gu was completely captivated by Ning Fan's pill concoction techniques.
"This is … This is the pill concoction technique of the Nine Revolutions River Cart – 'Purple Ribbon Binding Body'!"
"This is … This is the pill concoction technique of the Three Purities Pill Condensation – 'Heart Splitting Fire'!"
"This is …"
More than 90% of the pill concoction techniques that Ning Fan used were seen by Yang Gu for the first time. In the past, he had only read about them in ancient books.
His heart was filled with joy. It's worth it. It's really worth it. I can see so many mysterious techniques with just one million immortal jade. This trip is really worth it!
Time passed day by day. This time, he had spent an entire month concocting the Heart Nourishing Pill.
Ning Fan was very attentive and meticulous. This was a nourishing pill for Xu Qiuling to recuperate her mental state. Thus, he naturally could not be careless.
He was a beautiful butterfly. However, this butterfly was full of emotions.
During this one month, his techniques were constantly changing between two completely different Dao of Pill Refinement.
The Nine Revolutions River Cart required him to fuse his demon power and improve its quality through repeated changes. Finally, the pill would be formed.
The Three Purities Pill Condensation required him to split his spirit sense into three parts and calcined them from three different parts. The part with the strongest demon power would be the pill heart while the other two parts would be the pill embryo …
Different techniques were fused into one in Ning Fan's body.
His thoughts and his Dao were to fuse the two poles of Yin and Yang which were completely different things!
The green qi around Ning Fan's body intensified and the medicinal mist became dense. Ning Fan's aura was rising and transforming!
Yang Gu was shocked once again … He could tell that Ning Fan had actually touched the bottleneck of the Mid Grade Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm because he had touched upon two different pill concoction techniques at the same time.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou is about to break through to the Mid Grade Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm! I, Yang Gu, am actually fortunate enough to witness the breakthrough of a Mid Grade Fifth Revolution Pill Master! "
To Yang Gu, this was extremely significant. As long as he engraved every detail of Ning Fan's breakthrough in his mind, he would definitely have the chance to break through to the Mid Grade Fifth Revolution Pill Master in the future!
Spending one million immortal jade was definitely worth it!
Even if he had to pay ten million or a hundred million immortal jade, it would still be worth it!
"No. I must pay this amount of money! I want to acknowledge Fellow Daoist Zhou as my master! "
Yang Gu's eyes flashed with a hint of persistence. Ning Fan's pill refinement technique was too profound. Even though his level was not the highest in the Rain World, each and every one of his actions was imperceptibly tainted with the mannerisms and temperament of Great Emperor Luan Gu.
Accepting a disciple was a good thing, especially a disciple like Yang Gu who was willing to sacrifice himself.
There was no need to give him any benefits. He just needed to casually imprint some snacks for him and he would be satisfied and loyal to him. Moreover, he would provide a large amount of pills for Ning Fan's force when he is not around.
His first disciple was Xue Qing. This disciple had most likely broken through to the Fourth Revolution and provided a large amount of pills for Ning Fan, right?
Ning Fan, of course, did not know why Yang Gu wanted to acknowledge him as his master. However, even if he did, it would probably depend on his mood.
At this moment, he was concentrating on the improvement of his cultivation realm. Along with a sound that sounded like a cocoon breaking out, the green qi around his body suddenly shone brightly. The green color of his qi became deeper and it began to slowly transform into a black color.
The black color was black.
His pill refinement technique had broken through to the Mid Grade Fifth Revolution!
"Phew … My pill refinement technique has finally improved!" Ning Fan's eyes were filled with joy.
The improvement of his pill refinement technique this time was very significant.
This time, he achieved a breakthrough in his pill refinement realm with his own efforts after the pill refinement technique he inherited from Ancient Chaos had reached its limit!
This meant that as long as Ning Fan continues to work hard, he would definitely become a grandmaster with his innate talent!
"Young Master Zhou, you've worked hard. Do you need me to prepare some bath water for you …?" Xu Qiuling could not help but giggle.
After a month of pill refinement, Ning Fan's face was already covered in dirt, making him look like a young master who was fleeing from a destroyed country.
Why is he not a beggar but a young master who is fleeing from a destroyed country?
It was because in Xu Qiuling's heart, no matter how down and out Ning Fan was, he still had an unyielding will. As long as his heart remained firm, he would still be a young master and not a beggar even if he had to flee and travel around the world for nineteen years!
"Are you going to accompany me in the bath?" Ning Fan was still teasing her.
"If you dare, I will!" Xu Qiuling was still as resolute as ever.
* Thud *
The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground interrupted their conversation. It was Yang Gu who knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to Ning Fan.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou … No, Venerated Ming, please accept me as your disciple!"
Yang Gu's eyes were filled with determination. He had a premonition that Ning Fan would become a pill refinement master that surpassed Venerated Pill in the future. He might even become the new 'Pill Sovereign' of the Rain World!
"Erm …"
Ning Fan's eyes widened and he felt rather speechless.
Why do all the madmen who are obsessed with pill refinement like to take me as their master?
If I accept Xue Qing as my disciple, he can watch over my pill refinement and provide an endless supply of pills for the Three Black Devil Divine Armies. But what's the use of accepting Yang Gu?
"Fellow Daoist Yang, you have to be cautious when accepting a master …"
"Venerated Ming, please give me a chance. Even if I have to start as an honorary disciple, I'm willing to do so! I know that Venerated Ming likes to travel around the world and you don't like me following you around. However, you don't have to worry. I will take care of myself and I won't cause any trouble for you! This is one hundred million immortal jade. Please accept it as a token of my sincerity! "
Yang Gu was very nervous. In his entire life, this was the second time he knelt to someone and the first time he accepted someone as his master.
The first time he knelt was thousands of years ago when he knelt in front of his parents' graves. He left his war-torn hometown and the capital of a mortal country to embark on the path of cultivation …
"What benefits do I get from accepting you as my disciple?" Ning Fan's words were very realistic but they were also the truth.
In the cultivation world, if there is no deep friendship, why would you do something that doesn't benefit you?
"If Master accepts me as your disciple, I can recommend you to join the Pill Island and become a Foreign Elder of the Pill Island. Moreover, I can help you obtain the quota to enter the 'Soul Washing Pond'. If you can enter the Soul Washing Pond, Master's medicine soul will certainly improve tremendously and your pill refinement mastery will improve tremendously. It is even possible for you to attain the High Grade Fifth Revolution Pill Refinement Realm!"
Yang Gu kowtowed again with a sincere expression.
As a disciple, it was natural for him to show filial respect to his master. In order to become Ning Fan's disciple, it was even more appropriate for him to give him a gift.
His heart was filled with anxiety. After all, this was related to his entire life's Dao of Pill Refinement.
He asked himself a thousand times in his heart. If I miss out on Ning Fan, will there still be another person who can teach me such extravagant pill refinement mastery …?
No way!
Ning Fan remained silent but his heart was moved.
It was not his first time hearing about the Soul Washing Pond. If he could enter this pond, his medicine soul would improve and his pill refinement mastery would naturally improve tremendously.
In other words, not only would he not have to spend too much effort to accept this disciple, but he would also receive great benefits?
Ning Fan's eyes narrowed as if he had made a decision.
(Second update) (To be continued.)
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