Chapter 704

Chapter 704: Mission

Xu Fan looked at the mischievous Master Qianling with a hint of helplessness. He couldn’t recall when this guy had started handing over gifts without ever discussing prices, always acting as if Xu Fan could just decide the value himself.

Truth be told, Xu Fan was quite fond of this approach, as it always left Master Qianling walking away with a satisfied grin.

"Is your sect hiding some kind of prodigy? The Grand Elder dares to offer a celestial tool to compete with my disciple," Xu Fan asked with a playful smile.

"Grand Elder, I’ve already told Big Brother that this isn’t fair—he’s clearly trying to take advantage of your celestial tool!" Master Qianling’s voice rose slightly, as if he and Xu Fan were allies in this matter.

"Are you really that confident? It seems this disciple I’ve yet to meet must be quite remarkable," Xu Fan said, his curiosity piqued.

"His talent is decent, slightly better than Big Brother when he was younger, but of course, he’s no match for you, Grand Elder," Master Qianling replied with a chuckle.

"Nine hundred years ago, Big Brother took in a disciple named Li Zishi, and he’s been personally training him ever since. From what I’ve seen among the younger generation, aside from a few of your disciples, Grand Elder, no one can hold a candle to him."

Master Qianling’s expression suggested that Xu Fan might end up on the losing side of this deal, which only made Xu Fan more intrigued and even a little excited.

"Honestly, I feel like Big Brother got the short end of the stick this time."

"Don’t say that! The disciples of both sects should exchange ideas fairly—friendship first, competition second."

"Since there are outstanding disciples, they deserve recognition and rewards," Xu Fan said with a smile, as if the celestial tool he was offering was nothing more than a common artifact.

"Anyway, Big Brother owes you a personal favor, Grand Elder. I’ll make sure he repays it later," Master Qianling assured him.

"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The disciples haven’t even started exchanging yet, so there’s no need to jump to conclusions," Xu Fan said with a light laugh.

Master Qianling nodded in agreement.

"How’s the situation in the Extreme Void Domain these days?" Xu Fan asked, shifting the topic.

"It’s eerily quiet—too quiet, in fact. It’s as if all the giant beast race warships have vanished. But that just means the beast race is focusing all their energy on guarding that Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation."

"Still, I’ve heard the Elder Council has made some progress. In a little while, they might pinpoint the location of that formation," Master Qianling said, his tone dismissive of the beast race’s plans.

Once they find the formation’s location, the combined strength of the human race should be more than enough to destroy it.

"The Cross-Boundary Teleportation Formation requires countless rare treasures, spirit ores, and exotic materials. With a bit of careful investigation, we’ll find the clues we need."

"That plan of theirs is doomed to fail," Xu Fan agreed, sharing Master Qianling’s skepticism.

After chatting a while longer, Master Qianling prepared to take his leave.

Just as he was about to depart, Xu Fan’s voice reached him.

"Make sure you gather the spirit ore for the celestial tool. Once you’ve got enough, bring it to me—this time, I’ll count it as two pieces."

"Thank you, Grand Elder!"

Master Qianling turned back to express his gratitude, then transformed into a beam of light and vanished into the horizon.

"Next time, I’ll send Pang Fu to deal with you," Xu Fan muttered, watching the spot where Master Qianling had disappeared.

By now, the headquarters of Hidden Spirit Commerce had already relocated to Upper Zun Fairy City. Since Hidden Spirit Island was no longer in Lin Sen Fairy City, Xu Fan would store his acquisitions at the new headquarters.

Thinking back, Xu Fan recalled Master Qianling’s mention of Zishi.

From the way Master Qianling had spoken, it seemed the leading Senior Brother of the Hidden Spirit Sect wouldn’t stand a chance against Zishi.

"It looks like the Grand Elder had this exchange planned all along," Xu Fan mused.

"Putao, go fetch Zhang Xueling for me."

“Understood.”

Not long after, a man in a daoist robe approached Xu Fan, appearing completely ordinary, like a regular person.

“Greetings, Grand Elder,” Zhang Xueling said with respect.

“Recently, our sect will hold a disciple exchange meeting with Qianling Sect, and the top performers in the Void Refinement and Core Formation stages will receive celestial tools as rewards.”

“Are you willing to step out and participate?” Xu Fan asked Zhang Xueling, who had been holed up in the Sutra Pavilion for over a thousand years.

“Perhaps this opportunity should go to disciples who need celestial tools more than I do.”

“I seek nothing; my heart is devoted to the Dao,” Zhang Xueling replied calmly.

“Alright, let me rephrase it: I’m assigning you a task. Secure first place in the Void Refinement stage during the exchange between our two sects.”

“If you succeed, you can keep your spot in the Sutra Pavilion. If you fail, you’ll lose your position as administrator and end up farming with the Spirit Rabbit,” Xu Fan said, waving his hand to dismiss Zhang Xueling.

Zhang Xueling returned to the Sutra Pavilion, his face filled with conflict.

“You can’t just stay in the sect forever without contributing. At critical moments, you need to step up,” Xu Fan said with a chuckle.

Five days later, all disciples from Hidden Spirit Sect and Qianling Sect received a message.

“The exchange meeting between the two sects is officially beginning, with the location at xxx.”

Most disciples from both sects had been through this before. Hearing about another meeting, they grew excited.

“Is the sect handing out benefits again?” was the first thought of the Hidden Spirit Sect disciples.

“Which Grand Elder from the other sect is trying to mess with us this time?” was the thought of the Qianling Sect disciples.

Still, most were eager, as the exchange meeting used a points system, meaning everyone could gain something.

Soon, countless beams of light shot toward the exchange platform from both sects.

The Hidden Spirit Sect quickly emptied, with only a few disciples remaining, including Xu Lingtai.

“Husband, why aren’t you going to such a great opportunity for the sect exchange?” the woman beside Xu Lingtai asked, puzzled.

“Well, I’ll definitely run into friends from Qianling Sect there. To spare that friend’s pride, I’d rather not go,” Xu Lingtai said, feeling awkward.

Over the years, the exchanges between the two sects had become more frequent, and the friend who once saw him as a brother had learned about the Grand Feast at the Celestial Palace.

As a result, they hadn’t spoken in centuries.

“I understand your concern, but this issue needs to be resolved sooner or later. It’s better to deal with it now,” the woman said.

“Husband, you should go.” She took Xu Lingtai’s hand, comforting him.

“Besides, if you don’t go, you won’t pass your parents’ expectations.”

“Especially your father—if you don’t get a good ranking…”

Before she could finish, Xu Lingtai remembered something unpleasant.

“You’re right, dear. It’s better to handle this sooner rather than later. I’ll go now.”

As they spoke, they transformed into a beam of light, heading toward the exchange location.

Meanwhile, in the exchange area, a Core Formation stage disciple from Qianling Sect spotted a Hidden Spirit Sect disciple and prepared to ask if they had seen Xu Lingtai, his eyes burning with anger like a powder keg ready to explode.

Some disciples, aware of the thousand-year-old grudge, were eager to see how things would unfold.

Even a few bold Hidden Spirit Sect disciples pulled out a treasured Grand Feast at the Celestial Palace talisman, encouraging others to settle old scores and seek revenge.