Fallen Immortal Realm, Heavenly Sword Sect.
Three days later.
Li Fan sat cross-legged in a secret chamber, eyes closed in quiet cultivation.
Surrounding and circling around him were dozens of streaks of sword qi.
Condensed as though solid, they seemed capable of melting gold and severing iron, even gleaming with a faint metallic luster. Looking closely at the blade bodies, one could faintly glimpse countless blurred sword shadows shifting and morphing.
Floating in the air before Li Fan was a sword embryo whose core essence had been completely absorbed and mastered.
"This Breath-into-Sword Art truly has some ingenuity to it." Li Fan opened his mouth, and those dozens of incomparably sharp streaks of sword qi howled as he swallowed them, returning to his abdomen to be nurtured once more.
Within his dantian, encircling the Golden Core that resembled a gas planet, were shockingly over ten thousand streaks of sword light. They formed a splendid, multicolored ring of light, captivatingly magnificent and intoxicating to behold.
Only Li Fan knew what terrifying power this "ring of sword light" truly harbored. If all ten thousand streaks of sword qi were exhaled in a single breath, even a Nascent Soul powerhouse of this era would likely perish in an instant.
"There is no memory in Ji Zhaoxuan's mind regarding the origin of this cultivation technique; it seems to simply be the Myriad Swords Art practiced by all core disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. But clearly, very few in the entire Heavenly Sword Sect display such an astonishing phenomenon while still in the Golden Core stage.
"Moreover, this move seems somewhat similar to Situ Yao's 'Sword, Come'..."
As his thoughts turned, Li Fan had already reined in all the might of the ten thousand sword lights within his dantian. Not a shred of sharpness leaked out, making him look just like an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
Stepping out of the secluded chamber, before Senior Brother Chu could come looking for him, Li Fan took the initiative to hand over the sword embryo.
Senior Brother Chu wore an expression that said "good to see you've got some sense." He glanced over the sword embryo and casually stowed it away.
"It just so happens that Eldest Senior Brother is gathering everyone. It seems he has some urgent matter to direct. Come along with me, then," he instructed.
Li Fan's heart stirred. He nodded and followed behind him.
The Heavenly Sword Sect's grand hall stood atop a mountain peak at the very center of the sect grounds, towering into the clouds like an upright sword.
Many cultivators had already gathered inside the hall, all senior in standing to Li Fan.
Not knowing why Senior Brother Chu had brought him here, Li Fan simply followed him to stand at the edge of the crowd, waiting for Situ Yao's arrival.
Before long, the hall, which had been buzzing with chatter, suddenly fell silent.
Then a rich fragrance of wine drifted in, and accompanied by a flash of sword light, Situ Yao staggered into the center of the hall.
After letting out a loud belch, he intermittently explained the reason for summoning everyone.
As it turned out, the embryonic form of the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon had been completed, and the next step was forging the blade.
To successfully traverse across boundaries, the divine weapon's blade naturally had to be incomparably sturdy. The most critical material for this was Taiyuan Fine Gold. Although the Heavenly Sword Sect's treasury held a sizable stockpile, it was nowhere near enough to meet the requirements for forging the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon.
Situ Yao was an expert at fighting, but when it came to matters like this, he was somewhat powerless. Thus, he wanted to consult everyone for their thoughts.
He also laid down two requirements.
First, the fact that the Heavenly Sword Sect was forging the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon could not be leaked. While they did not fear a fight, if the other sects joined forces and came knocking on their door, dealing with them would be an immense hassle.
Second, although the Heavenly Sword Sect was quite wealthy, the resources required to forge the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon were simply too enormous. Aside from Taiyuan Fine Gold, there were over a thousand other rare and precious treasures required, which would practically clean out the sect's reserves. Therefore, they had to economize wherever possible, acquiring sufficient Taiyuan Fine Gold while spending as little as they could.
Hearing their Eldest Senior Brother's words, every cultivator present showed a troubled expression.
"Everyone, voice your opinions and think of a way. Whoever can settle this matter, I'll designate him as the next sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect!" Slumped on the floor, Situ Yao lacked even a shred of an exalted master's demeanor, yet he casually dropped such shocking words.
Meanwhile, the current sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Huo Yuzhu, merely smiled wryly, not daring to utter a word of objection.
Once these words were spoken, an uproar immediately swept through the hall.
After all, who wouldn't covet the position of sect master in one of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao? Even if it lacked much real authority, the status and perks were beyond anything an ordinary member of the sect could match.
While the crowd wore varied expressions, Li Fan noticed Senior Brother Chu's gaze sweep subtly over him.
*Hm? What does he mean by that?*
Although Li Fan indeed knew where to find large quantities of Taiyuan Fine Gold, that knowledge came from outside the Fallen Immortal Realm—specifically from the Time Mirage at the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven in his previous life.
It had nothing to do with the Ji Zhaoxuan he was currently possessing.
Just what did this Senior Brother Chu know that made him bring him here on purpose?
Searching back through the memories in this body's mind, Li Fan found no close relationship between himself and Senior Brother Chu; they were merely nodding acquaintances.
Thus, keeping his composure, Li Fan pretended not to have noticed the other man's look.
Once the gathering concluded, on the way back to his own mountain peak, Senior Brother Chu suddenly asked via voice transmission, "Junior Brother Ji, your Ji family ought to have quite a lot of Taiyuan Fine Gold, don't they?"
Li Fan was taken aback. "What?"
A look of displeasure crossed Senior Brother Chu's face. "Junior Brother, don't play dumb with me. As the premier chamber of commerce under heaven, your Ji family is rumored to possess even semi-immortal artifacts. How could you possibly lack Taiyuan Fine Gold?"
As if a switch had been flipped, memories regarding Ji Zhaoxuan's origins instantly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
That went back to when the original body was only five or six years old.
Leaving his parents, he had been sent into the Heavenly Sword Sect by the clan elders. He seemed to have been given certain instructions, but in daily life, he had long forgotten them.
Had Senior Brother Chu's reminder not stirred this body's distant memories, the possessing Li Fan would likely still be completely in the dark.
Connecting this with his previous strange actions, Li Fan had an immediate epiphany.
Yet his face betrayed nothing as he asked in apparent bewilderment, "The Ji family?"
Only after a moment did he seem to realize. A flash of anger and dejection crossed his eyes, and Li Fan said coldly, "After all these years without contacting home, all ties have long been severed. Even if they have Taiyuan Fine Gold, it has nothing to do with me."
Senior Brother Chu smiled and urged him with kindly words, "Junior Brother, don't throw a tantrum. I know you harbor a lot of resentment, but think about it: if you could secure the full support of the Ji family's World Chamber of Commerce, you might actually be able to contend for the position of sect master this time.
"Even if our Heavenly Sword Sect is to break through the realm and depart, there are bound to be things we cannot take with us. For example, our immense sect territory, as well as jurisdiction over our many subordinate sects. Handing over just a fraction of that would mean colossal profits for the World Chamber of Commerce.
"A win-win situation—why shouldn't you fight for it, Junior Brother? Think it over carefully. If you're interested, I can accompany you home and act as your lobbyist."
Senior Brother Chu patted Li Fan on the shoulder, giving him a meaningful look.
Chapter 732