The sudden activation of a quest took Lu Fan by surprise.
But then again, a new quest was a good thing. Completing quests earned rewards that could help him reach the next level of his Refined Qi.
Lu Fan rubbed his hands together as he continued to lean against the intricately carved window, starting to get a little excited about this.
He felt a nervous anticipation, akin to the feeling of scratching a lottery ticket.
He wondered what mission he would get this time.
His consciousness dived into the Quests zone.
In the next moment, everything went dark, and a whole bunch of messages from the system popped up.
Besides that familiar main quest, anyway.
Lu Fan's eyes fell immediately on the new side quests that had appeared.
[Quest explanation: As the power behind building this fantasy world, you need to possess vast knowledge and an excellent foundation.]
[Sidequest 1: Develop five transfusion techniques or martial arts moves (Current quest progress: 0/5).]
[Sidequest 2: Create Supreme Power from nothing (Current quest progress: Not started).]
[Sidequest 3: Save the exiled Daoist disciple, Nie Changqing, from being assassinated by a Daoist assassin and gain his loyalty.]
***
The three side quests were like three hammer blows to the head, and Lu Fan was stunned for several moments.
After he finished reading all the side quests, he fell into deep thought.
These three missions could be done all at the same time, but each mission was fairly difficult in itself.
Just the first mission alone required him to develop five transfusion techniques, which meant that he had to find five different techniques and use his Spirit Qi to develop them.
The problem of Spirit Qi was easily solved. Lu Fan had 6.5 points of Soul Strength and could exchange them for 60 wisps of Spirit Qi, so he had plenty to spare.
The bigger problem was… Where on earth was he going to find so many transfusion techniques?
There was still that second mission.
"Create Supreme Power from nothing."
The system itself said it was from nothing, so how the hell was he going to create it?
And what was "Supreme Power," anyway?
He had heard it referenced as a power that was mysterious, high above all others, and looked down upon the whole world. It was also the strongest ability of martial arts, and it struck fear in everyone's hearts. A power that could hold the world in its palm and control everything in it—that was Supreme Power.
But Lu Fan could understand where the system was coming from. To build this fantasy world, he had to start by creating a power that belonged to him. This would be the only way to make sure he was not controlled or restricted by anything else, and he could do whatever he wanted.
Lu Fan scratched his head in frustration.
While the Wuhuang Continent might have been only a Low-Level Martial World, it wasn't a simple world at all.
There were so many mysterious sects and clans within the Hundred Schools of Philosophy, but Lu Fan's current power wasn't even enough to go against Great Zhou alone.
Even though he had a maid at the Grandmaster level, Ning Zhao...
This was far from enough.
Lu Fan took in a deep breath and refocused. The third mission had aroused his curiosity.
"Exiled Daoist disciple, Nie Changqing? I have to save him, then get him to follow me…" Lu Fan fell back into deep thought.
Compared to the first two, the third one looked much easier.
This Nie Changqing was that Beiluo City butcher who had been randomly dragged into the Dao Imparting Platform, and so Lu Fan was more confident about this mission.
It was getting late.
Lu Fan decided not to think about these things anymore. He yawned a few times and stretched lazily.
He smiled at the maids outside his window.
"Ladies, going to sleep and waking up early is good for your complexion."
Lu Fan flashed a smile, then walked away from the window.
Ning Zhao, who was still sitting cross-legged on top of the green-tiled roof, fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes. Her eyes were as pretty as a painting, and Lu Fan's voice continued to echo in her ears. She pursed her lips slightly and smiled faintly.
Further out, Yi Yue put away her long whip. Her skin was slightly ruddy, and she was drenched in sweat.
Meanwhile, Ni Yu licked her lips in her dream. Her chin slid off the lunchbox, jolting her awake.
...
The night went by in silence.
The next morning, the beautiful sunshine shone in through the intricately carved window.
Lu Fan opened his eyes and got out of bed.
The moment she heard a sound in the room, Ning Zhao, who had been waiting outside his door, pushed the door open and walked in.
Yi Yue and Ni Yu followed closely behind her.
Ni Yu's little face was all red. She had her sleeves rolled up, and she was hugging a bronze basin filled with hot water that had just been boiled.
"Young Master has awoken? We will help you with washing up." Ning Zhao smiled gently.
Yi Yue was holding a wooden tray that held plain porridge, a few side dishes, and a small mound of salt.
The salt was for washing up, while the porridge and side dishes were for breakfast.
This service was exactly what he needed.
Lu Fan's lips twitched a little.
The last couple of days had been… Well, a little messy.
After he washed up, he had breakfast.
Ning Zhao pushed Lu Fan out of the room in his wheelchair, while Ni Yu held up the umbrella as always, and Yi Yue walked along at his side.
In the garden, Lu Changkong was dressed in a long robe as he watered the plants. The strong smell of blood he had carried away from the battlefield had faded, and he no longer gave off that murderous aura.
The sound of the wooden wheels creaking against the ground made Lu Changkong stop what he was doing.
"Father, you've settled the siege of the city?" Lu Fan smiled from his seat in the wheelchair. The woolen blanket had been placed back over his legs.
Lu Changkong looked at Lu Fan with searching eyes.
"It's all thanks to Ning Zhao. Otherwise, Beiluo City would be in ruins right now." Lu Changkong sighed deeply.
He had been too careless. If Ning Zhao hadn't come out to help, then Tantai Xuan would have conquered Beiluo City. The rebels would have broken through the last defense that Great Zhou had, and nothing would have stopped them from attacking the capital city. The consequences of that were too terrible to even think about.
"Ning Zhao told me everything. She said she was able to rise to the Grandmaster level because of this Spirit Qi. Is there really Spirit Qi in this world?" Lu Changkong asked, narrowing his eyes.
He had thought about this for the entire night. But he was a martial arts practitioner, after all, and he didn't believe in immortals.
"Of course there's Spirit Qi. Doesn't Sister Ning's sudden breakthrough prove it?"
Lu Fan's lips curled upward.
"Father, I had an immortal encounter, and now I can walk and even cultivate, so all of this is good news."
Lu Changkong also smiled and flicked his hands to clear away the droplets of water.
"Having an immortal encounter… Of course it is a good thing, but Fan'er, I still want to warn you. Don't trust other people too easily. You must learn how to protect yourself," Lu Changkong said to him sternly.
Immortal encounter? Was there really something like that in this world?
He was afraid that the change in Lu Fan was because of the Yinyang Clan, or some scheme by a strong fighter from one of those secretive clans from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.
"I know what to do." Lu Fan nodded. He knew what Lu Changkong was worried about, so he didn't try explaining. Many things would only get worse if he explained.
He tapped a finger lightly on the woolen throw.
Suddenly, Lu Fan looked up at Lu Changkong.
"Father, I have something to ask of you," Lu Fan said.
Lu Changkong raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I would like to create my own branch of power," Lu Fan replied very calmly.
Hmm?
A glint flashed in Lu Changkong's eyes.
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue also narrowed their eyes from behind the wheelchair.
The Young Master had just received this immortal encounter, and he was already going to step into this chaotic world?
"Father, this world is only going to get messier, so I need to develop power… Think of it as a form of self-defense."
After thinking it through, Lu Fan decided that self-defense was a pretty good justification. His father couldn't possibly say that he was going to use it to make trouble, right?
He was weaker than the wind, and he had little strength in his hands. So there was nothing wrong with creating a branch of power to protect himself.
"This world is indeed becoming messier… It seemed like those Grandmasters merely defected to the enemy camp, but I'm sure there's a greater power behind all of this," Lu Changkong said. He took in a deep breath.
"Isn't having Ning Zhao enough for you?" Lu Changkong looked at Lu Fan. If he just needed to protect himself, Ning Zhao should be enough.
Ning Zhao's abilities couldn't match a Grandmaster with Eight or Nine Resonances.
But among the Grandmasters with One or Two Resonances, she was quite terrifying.
Ning Zhao didn't say anything. She was an intelligent girl, and she knew that she only had to listen obediently when her Young Master and Master were talking.
"They're not enough. Sister Ning is only at the Second Stage of the Qi Core Realm… That's way too far off," Lu Fan said, shaking his head.
Ning Zhao looked slightly taken aback at these words. She had great confidence in her cultivation level. This Second Stage Qi Core Realm was enough to strike down four Grandmasters with Two Resonances, so it was already very powerful.
Lu Fan's words made her feel a little disappointed and also a little indignant.
Lu Changkong narrowed his eyes. "Qi Core Realm?"
"The Qi Core Realm is the first realm level for cultivators. Take Sister Ning's dantian as an example—she can only take a maximum of nine wisps of Spirit Qi now. Every time she gets one more wisp, she will progress by one stage," Lu Fan explained.
Lu Changkong fell silent.
Whatever Lu Fan was saying was a completely new system of cultivation. It came as quite a shock to him, and he wasn't able to comprehend it.
After a long time, he finally let out a sigh.
"Fan'er, this Spirit Qi is like an illusion—like looking at flowers in the mirror or the moon in the water. It could appear now and then disappear once it has been used up. A strong physical body is the only thing you can rely on."
"I've never cared about Spirit Qi. I've relied only on my own Qi and blood to get where I am today. I am a martial arts practitioner, and I don't believe in immortals or deities. I only believe in the Qi and blood of my body and my fists," Lu Changkong said, his voice very serious and sincere.
Ning Zhao, standing behind Lu Fan's wheelchair, started to say something. She wanted to refute the master's words, but she stopped herself.
Lu Fan waved his hand, and Ning Zhao kept her mouth closed.
Lu Fan smiled at his father.
He didn't argue or try to explain.
Instead, he grabbed Lu Changkong's hand.
"Activate Access to Spirit Qi Deployment."
"Deployment target: Lu Changkong."
A sudden gust of wind rolled through the garden, billowing Lu Changkong's long robe.
His eyes brightened.
He could feel a strange flow of Qi running through his arm and entering his body, combining itself with his Qi and blood. It filled his entire body and finally collected in his dantian.
It was as if a restraint on his body had been smashed to pieces by this Spirit Qi.
Lu Changkong's energy, mind, and spirit… They were now expanding like crazy.
The sudden rush of energy completely flattered the plants in the garden, and Ning Zhao took a step forward to protect Lu Fan.
Ni Yu hid behind Yi Yue and watched with large eyes. She was both excited and curious.
After some time, Lu Changkong regained control of the aura emanating from his body.
His face returned to normal, and he put his hands behind his back and looked at Lu Fan, his gaze seemingly conflicted.
"Father, how do you feel?" Lu Fan asked, still seated in his wheelchair.
Lu Changkong kept his expression calm. He wanted to insist on continuing in his ways and claim that Qi and blood were the correct path. He wanted to hold onto everything he had always believed in.
He wanted to be as immovable as a mountain.
He…
He hesitated. The words reached his lips, but they instantly changed in tone.
"This Spirit Qi… is simply amazing! It feels great!"
"Son, why don't you give me another wisp?"
Lu Fan gaped as he looked at his suddenly enthused father.
He didn't say anything.