Chapter 734: Stars and Sword Qi
In the Meteor Immortal Realm, within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Three days later.
Li Fan sat cross-legged in a secret room, meditating with his eyes closed.
Around him, dozens of strands of sword energy spiraled and hovered.
As dense as though they were tangible, they seemed capable of melting metal and even faintly emitted a metallic luster. Upon closer inspection of the sword bodies, one could vaguely see numerous blurred sword shadows shifting.
In front of Li Fan, a [Sword Embryo], whose essence had been completely absorbed and mastered, floated in the air.
"This technique of [Breathing Out Swords], indeed has some tricks," Li Fan remarked. He opened his mouth and the dozens of fierce sword energies whistled as he ingested them, sending them back to cultivate within his belly.
Inside his dantian, a golden core that resembled a gaseous planet was surrounded by over ten thousand rays of sword light. They formed a dazzling and colorful halo, so beautiful it was intoxicating.
Only Li Fan knew the terrifying power concealed within this ring of "Sword Light". If all ten thousand strands of sword energy were to be exhaled at once, even a Nascent Soul powerful being of this era would have their life extinguished in an instant.
"Ji Zhaoxuan's mind holds no memory of the origin of this technique; it seems to be simply the [Thousand Swords Art] that every true disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect practices. But clearly, within the sect, there are not many who can display such a marvelous phenomenon at the Golden Core stage."
"And this move, it seems to have some similarities with Situ Yao's [Sword Comes]..."
With a thought, Li Fan had already concealed the might of the ten thousand sword lights in his dantian, not revealing any sharpness, making him appear like any ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
After leaving the closed-door meditation chamber, before Senior Brother Chu could come to find him, Li Fan took the initiative to hand over the [Sword Embryo].
Senior Brother Chu gave off an expression that said he knew Li Fan understood the situation and glanced at the [Sword Embryo], then casually put it away.
"The senior brother wants to gather everyone; it seems there is another important matter to instruct. You shall come with me," he commanded.
Li Fan felt a stir in his heart and nodded, following behind.
In the grand hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect, located at the peak of a mountain that stood as straight as a soaring sword at the very center of the sect's entrance, numerous cultivators had gathered, all of seniority higher than Li Fan.
I wasn't aware of the reason why Senior Brother Chu brought me to this place; I just followed him and stood at the edge of the crowd, waiting for Situ Yao's arrival.
Not much later, the previously noisy hall suddenly quieted down.
Then, a rich aroma of wine wafted through the air, along with a streak of sword light, as Situ Yao staggered into the center of the hall.
First, he let out a burp, then he began to intermittently explain the reason for gathering everybody.
It turned out that the embryonic form of the Riftworld Divine Weapon had been completed, and the next step was to forge the sword's body.
To successfully traverse the rift, the body of the Divine Weapon must be exceptionally sturdy. The most crucial material for this was Taiyuan Fine Gold. Although the Heavenly Sword Sect's treasury held a considerable stock, it was nowhere near enough to meet the needs for forging the Riftworld Divine Weapon.
Situ Yao was adept at fighting but somewhat helpless with this matter. Therefore, he sought everyone's opinions.
He also had two requests.
First, no one should disclose the fact that the Heavenly Sword Sect was forging the Riftworld Divine Weapon. Although they were not afraid of a fight, it would be extremely troublesome to deal with if the other sects united against them.
Secondly, while the Heavenly Sword Sect was quite wealthy, the resources required for the Divine Weapon's construction were dauntingly vast. Besides Taiyuan Fine Gold, there were thousands of other rare and exotic treasures needed, almost depleting the sect's reserves. Therefore, they should economize wherever possible. The goal was to acquire as much Taiyuan Fine Gold as possible while incurring minimal costs.
Upon hearing the senior brother's words, the monks present all showed troubled expressions.
"Let's share our thoughts and figure out a solution. Whoever can handle this matter will be appointed as the next sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect!" Situ Yao slumped to the floor without any semblance of an exalted master, yet he uttered astonishing and outrageous words.
The current sect leader, Huo Yuzhu, simply wore a bitter smile and dared not rebut.
As these words were spoken, the hall immediately erupted with noise.
After all, who wouldn't covet the position of leader of the top ten immortal sects? Even without much real power, the status and benefits were incomparable to ordinary disciples.
Everyone had different expressions on their faces, but Li Fan noticed that Senior Brother Chu's gaze swept over him imperceptibly.
"Hmm? What does he mean?"
Although Li Fan indeed knew where to find a large amount of Taiyuan Fine Gold, that knowledge came from his previous life experiences outside the Yuenxian Realm, in the illusion of the Five Elements Great Cavern.
It had nothing to do with the current incarnation, Ji Zhaoxuan.
What exactly did Senior Brother Chu know to specifically call him over?
As Li Fan traced back through the memories of this body, he found no close relationship with Senior Brother Chu, merely a nodding acquaintance.
So, without any change in expression, he pretended not to notice the other's demeanor.
After the meeting, on the way back to his dwelling atop the mountain peak.
Suddenly, Senior Brother Chu transmitted his voice: "Junior Brother Ji, your Ji family should have quite a bit of Taiyuan Fine Gold, right?"
Li Fan was startled: "What?"
Senior Brother Chu looked dissatisfied: "Junior Brother, do not play dumb with me. As the leading commercial guild, your Ji family is rumored to even have half-immortal artifacts. How could you possibly not have Taiyuan Fine Gold?"
As if a switch was flipped, memories of Ji Zhaoxuan's life suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
This was something that happened when the original body was only five or six years old.
Taken away from his parents and sent to the Heavenly Sword Sect by the elders of the clan, it seemed he had been entrusted with something but had long since forgotten it in daily life.
Had it not been for Senior Brother Chu's reminder, which reignited the long-dormant memory of this body, the incarnated Li Fan would likely still be clueless.
Remembering some of his previous peculiar actions, a sudden realization dawned on Li Fan.
But his face showed no clue, and he feigned ignorance: "The Ji family?"
After a moment, understanding dawned on him. A flash of anger and melancholy in his eyes, Li Fan said coldly: "I haven't had contact with the family for many years. We're estranged. Even if they have Taiyuan Fine Gold, it has nothing to do with me."
Senior Brother Chu smiled and persuaded gently: "Junior Brother, don't be so emotional. I understand you have many grievances, but think about it—if you could gain the full support of the Ji family's [Worldwide Commerce Guild], you might have a real chance to compete for the sect leader position this time."
"Even if our Heavenly Sword Sect intends to break through the boundary and leave, there's a lot we can't take with us, such as the vast territory of the sect and jurisdiction over many subordinate sects. Simply offering a portion as negotiation could lead to a huge profit for [Worldwide Commerce Guild]."
"A win-win situation, Junior Brother, why not strive for it? Think about it, and if you're interested, I can accompany you home and be a mediator."
Senior Brother Chu clapped Li Fan's shoulder, showing a meaningful expression.