From the moment Shen Yurou had uttered the name "I Am Invincible," Li Fan’s attention had snapped to Su Xiaomei’s side.
He never expected to encounter the one known as I Am Invincible from the Seated Dao Discourse sector in such a situation.
Naturally, Li Fan was intrigued.
This person had left a message about a method to defeat Senior Brother Zhang, then vanished without a trace.
He hadn’t reappeared even after Zhang Qianmo was defeated by Zhong Shentong.
Li Fan had originally thought he might have perished. Surprisingly, he was still alive and well.
Why didn’t he challenge Senior Brother Zhang later on?
Li Fan checked the battle records in Seated Dao Discourse, a flicker of puzzlement rising in his heart.
This person didn’t seem like the type to boast idly.
Li Fan opened the previous battle records between I Am Invincible and Zhang Qianmo.
In those earlier fights, Shuo Feng had indeed used flying swords. But it was a set of eighty-one mother-child swords of golden light, a far cry from the single wooden sword he used now.[1]
Was he holding back his true strength, or... did he start his cultivation anew?
Having practiced the Sea-Calming Sword Art and mastered the divine ability of Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords, Li Fan could be considered to have a passable understanding of sword techniques.
By repeatedly comparing Shuo Feng’s battles with Zhang Qianmo and Su Xiaomei, Li Fan concluded that the power of this current wooden sword far surpassed that of the previous mother-child sword set.
This wooden sword... it seems to be a Curio of heaven and earth? As for its tier...
Without seeing the full might of the wooden sword, Li Fan hesitated to draw a firm conclusion.
However, one thing seemed certain: it exceeded the category of ordinary Curios of Man.
A Curio of Earth?
Li Fan’s heart stirred slightly.
Fortunately, Su Xiaomei was also intensely curious about this wooden sword, launching a relentless barrage of questions on Li Fan’s behalf.
“Uncle, that wooden sword of yours is pretty amazing. Can I take a look?
"Is it an artifact, like that armor you’re wearing?
"Wearing armor in a fight is just cheating.
"I hit you with everything I had and couldn’t even scratch it! That’s just bullying!"
Shuo Feng was getting a bit of a headache from this brat. He lifted Su Xiaomei, who was practically climbing onto him, and set her aside, answering, "This is my Foundation Establishment Curio, Sword. I cannot show it to others except in battle.
"As for this golden armor I’m wearing..." Shuo Feng patted his robes, a look of helplessness on his face. "It was custom-made for me by my mother, Immortal Venerable Fei Xue. Even that Nascent Soul cultivator Shen Yurou from earlier might not be able to pierce its defense, let alone you with your Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Su Xiaomei’s eyes went wide upon hearing this. She reached out a small hand, stroking Shuo Feng’s blue robes over and over, her eyes filled with envy.
Then she shook her head. "Wearing something like that, who would ever fight you? How boring!"
Shuo Feng also sighed. "My mother’s orders are not easily defied. Throughout my journey, only cultivators like you, who don’t know my background, are willing to spar with me. Someone like Shen Yurou wouldn’t take the initiative to attack, no matter how much I provoked him with words."
Su Xiaomei couldn’t help but ask, "And what’s the deal with your technique? It’s so strange. You actually can’t attack first? Where’s the fun in that?"
Shuo Feng wore an expression that said “you wouldn’t understand,” smiling without answering.
Su Xiaomei pestered him a while longer, but seeing Shuo Feng had no intention of answering, she finally pouted and gave up.
"You've been asking all the questions. Now it's my turn. Which family's scion are you?" Shuo Feng asked with a smile.
"I'm not telling!" Su Xiaomei shot him a glare and snorted.
Shuo Feng was left speechless.
Zhang Haobo stood to the side and remained silent, looking utterly unwilling to get involved.
Shuo Feng had no choice but to ask another question. "Then let me guess. You're definitely not locals of Jiushan Province. You must have come for the Chaoyuan Sect ruins, right?"
Su Xiaomei snorted again, which this time counted as agreement.
Shuo Feng asked, "Perfect. That's my destination too. Shall we travel together?"
Su Xiaomei looked up at Shuo Feng.
"Then let's go!" she said, then took the lead and flew off ahead.
Shuo Feng smiled, shaking his head inwardly. Then he followed at a leisurely pace.
And so, the party heading for the Chaoyuan Sect ruins grew from two to three.
They bickered frequently along the way. And occasionally, Xiaomei and Shuo Feng would spar again.
Jiushan Province was vast. There was still some time before they reached their destination.
After several months, while Shuo Feng and the others were on the road, Li Fan felt a familiar stirring in his heart. He could enter the Fallen Immortal Realm once more.
"Blessed be Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang!"
He activated the ritual and arrived once again outside Ningyuan City.
This time, Li Fan chose the same approach as before.
He persuaded Senior Brother Zhang to sneak into the city covertly, then they split up to gather information separately.
Li Fan's goal was clear this time.
He first "borrowed" some silver from a wealthy merchant in the city and began inquiring about news regarding Mister Bai.
They say money can make the devil turn the millstone.[2]
What Li Fan found strange was that despite throwing a great deal of silver around, he gained almost no useful information about Mister Bai.
It was as if such a person didn't exist in the city at all.
Li Fan had to change his approach, asking instead about exceptionally handsome young men in the city.
Under the peculiar gazes of the residents, Li Fan narrowed it down to three candidates who fit the description.
After some investigation and seeing them in person, Li Fan eliminated the first two. They were just relatively good-looking ordinary mortals.
Only the last one remained.
Li Fan arrived before a remote, dilapidated small courtyard. The youth's information flashed through his mind.
According to the residents' descriptions, the owner was a young man who appeared somewhat sickly.
This youth was not a local. He had arrived in Ningyuan City two years prior, following the tide of refugees from a disaster zone.
After using his last remaining silver to buy this courtyard, he had settled down here.
The young man lived in seclusion, rarely showing himself.
It was said he had excellent penmanship and made a living teaching in the households of wealthy families in the city.
Yet, he possessed strikingly good looks; everyone who had seen his face praised his handsome appearance.
Sensing no presence of a living being inside, Li Fan entered the courtyard.
A quick sweep with his divine sense revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
However, Li Fan knew that within Mister Bai’s home stood a broken statue forged from Immortal-Severing Stone, capable of blocking divine sense perception.
Unwilling to leave things at that, Li Fan pushed open each door in turn, entering and carefully inspecting every room.
When he came to a room that appeared to be a storage space on the western side of the small courtyard, his footsteps paused slightly.
Moving aside the clutter scattered on the floor, Li Fan lifted a thin stone slab set into the ground.
Beneath it, a pitch-black hole was suddenly revealed.
A slab of Immortal-Severing Stone...This is the place!
A faint smile touched the corner of Li Fan's mouth as he leapt down into the hidden chamber below.
Upon landing, the faint, coppery scent of blood assailed his nostrils.
1. A Mother-Child Sword is a specific type of paired weapon where a smaller "child" sword is concealed within or paired with a larger "mother" sword. ☜
2. aka money makes the world go round ☜