Tianxing Boat was a colossal behemoth on water, an iron-armored ark stretching over thirty zhang in length and dozens in width, towering with three levels above deck and three below. Such an immense object could easily make any ordinary soul feel insignificantly small in comparison.
"Such a gigantic waterborne artifact... how is Shi supposed to carry it?" Yang Fan gazed indifferently at the Tianxing Boat beneath his feet, his voice calm, showing no signs of being particularly moved by its grandeur.
In terms of value, a few ordinary spiritual artifacts would hardly be enough to exchange for this boat, for its sheer size alone made it priceless. The quantity of materials consumed in forging something of this magnitude was beyond imagination.
Yang Fan understood the hardness of Tianxing Boat at a glance, having visited it before. The deck, relatively fragile in comparison, had a hardness comparable to ordinary artifacts, while the exterior shell was the most resilient part. Judging by its luster, some high-quality forging materials had clearly been added, making it resistant to most typical attacks.
"This..." Elder Yuan sighed with a wry smile. "To be frank, the size of this artifact is just too enormous. Even I, an old man, cannot refine it fully, let alone shrink it. My personal estimation is that it would take at least a cultivator of the Golden Core stage to refine it within a short period."
Yang Fan nodded, understanding the difficulty. The size of the artifact was indeed daunting. Refining it completely would require an untold amount of time and energy, a cost too great for cultivators who cherished every moment of their lives. Even Elder Yuan had only managed to partially refine the Tianxing Boat, enough to maneuver it on water.
Yang Fan's face showed a thoughtful expression as he mused, *This Tianxing Boat, although massive, holds great potential for upgrades, provided enough materials are gathered. Once my cultivation reaches a higher level, it could possess abilities such as flight, defense, and even attack capabilities. By then, it will not only be a flying treasure that can traverse the skies and the seas, but it could also serve as a sanctuary for my friends and family.*
However, the sheer size of the boat made carrying it virtually impossible. A storage pouch certainly wouldn't suffice, and as for the Xianhong Space, even Yang Fan wasn't certain.
Thinking along these lines, Yang Fan sent a wisp of his consciousness into the "Xianhong Space."
Ever since advancing to the Condensed Mind stage of the Xianhong Art, Yang Fan's privileges had increased. At this point, he had obtained level 2 reclamation rights, and the area of green land had expanded to three zhang in circumference, with a time acceleration factor of eightfold. Additionally, he could summon two individuals from the real world into the Xianhong Space using the Xianhong Ring.
This time, however, Yang Fan only entered the warehouse.
The internal size of the warehouse had not changed since Yang Fan first entered it. "Is this all the space the warehouse has?" Yang Fan asked, puzzled.
The small dog spirit answered, "This warehouse isn't originally part of the Xianhong Space; it's part of the Xianhong Ring itself. What you're seeing is just one of its forms."
"Is that so? But the space here is too small," Yang Fan frowned slightly.
"Master hasn't fully understood yet. The warehouse is just one form it can take. If you wish, you can alter its appearance and even increase its internal space," the dog spirit explained.
"There's actually such a function? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Yang Fan said, a little annoyed.
"I thought you already knew since these are just auxiliary features," the dog spirit replied timidly.
"So how do I change its appearance and the size of its space?" Yang Fan asked again.
"Master simply needs to merge your consciousness with the Xianhong Ring. Once you do that, you'll naturally understand how to activate those auxiliary functions."
"Very well."
Following the spirit's advice, Yang Fan merged his consciousness with the Xianhong Ring. Before long, he felt his awareness brush against a familiar spiritual entity. In an instant, he and the Xianhong Ring formed a deep, inseparable connection, like flesh and blood.
Quickly, information flowed naturally into Yang Fan's mind. He realized he could not only alter the appearance and size of the warehouse but could also make the Xianhong Ring invisible, fragmented, or even change its shape entirely. Regardless of the distance between him and the ring, he could summon it back to his hand with a single thought.
The summoning function in the Xianhong privileges also operated through this method.
With this knowledge, a thought sparked in Yang Fan's mind: "Bigger... bigger... bigger!" In an instant, the internal space of the warehouse began expanding geometrically, multiplying by dozens in the blink of an eye.
Soon, it reached a limit, unable to grow any larger.
"Hmm, not bad!" Yang Fan found himself standing in an extraordinarily vast space, towering a hundred zhang high with a span of several li in circumference. The space was so immense that it could easily accommodate two or three Tianxing Boats without issue.
He thought for a moment, then decided to change the external appearance of the warehouse as well. What had once been a simple, rustic cottage now transformed into a beautifully ornate pavilion, exuding an air of timeless elegance.
"Ha! Excellent!" Yang Fan chuckled to himself, but then a thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "Is this the maximum limit for the internal space?"
"This is likely related to the level of Master's soul. At your current cultivation level, this should be the limit," the dog spirit replied after a moment of contemplation.
"Retrieve!" With his consciousness linked to the Xianhong Ring, a single thought was enough to make a small object from the warehouse materialize in Yang Fan's hand.
*This ring has such marvelous uses...* Yang Fan thought, secretly delighted. He admired the silver-gray ring on his hand, feeling an even deeper affection for it now.
Back aboard the Tianxing Boat, Yang Fan opened his eyes to find all the cultivators staring at him with undiminished awe.
"Size is no longer an issue; I've found a solution," Yang Fan said coolly to Elder Yuan.
"My lord, can you truly take it away?" Elder Yuan asked, incredulous.
"Would Shi deceive you?" Yang Fan replied calmly. His gaze swept over the passengers on the Tianxing Boat, his eyes cold as ice. "All of you, disembark immediately."
"Aah!" The group of cultivators gasped in shock, quickly descending into a chaotic panic, their faces filled with fear.
"My lord... this might be a bit harsh..." Elder Yuan said hesitantly. The Tianxing Boat currently carried about several dozen passengers, all of them merely Qi Refining cultivators. Forcing them off the boat into the waters of the Qingjiang River did seem a little cruel.
"You have half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. By then, not a single person is to remain on the Tianxing Boat, or you shall face the consequences," Yang Fan's voice was cold and unyielding.
"Thank you, my lord!" Elder Yuan and the others expressed their gratitude and hurriedly steered the Tianxing Boat toward the shore. Meanwhile, Yang Fan ascended into the air on his sword, watching the scene unfold below with a leisurely demeanor.
Just then, a cultivator at the Condensed Mind stage approached, riding a bright green sword light, his presence quite conspicuous in the night sky.
"Mid-stage Condensed Mind?" Yang Fan's expression shifted slightly.
The approaching cultivator was a middle-aged man with white whiskers, looking perplexedly in their direction. At that moment, the Tianxing Boat had already reached the shore, and the passengers were disembarking in haste.
"Leave." Yang Fan's eyes darkened, and his body surged with demonic energy. A powerful pressure, laced with the sinister aura of the Nine Netherworlds, radiated toward the middle-aged man.
"Ah! A demonic cultivator..." The man's face paled. Worse yet, he could feel the overwhelming presence of a Condensed Mind great circle cultivator pressing down upon him.
"Run!" Terrified, the man turned and fled.
"Hmph." Yang Fan snorted, a cold smile playing on his lips as he sent a telepathic message: "If you dare return, I will lead the disciples of the *Magical Sun Sect* to exterminate your sect."
Hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator's terror deepened, and he fled even faster. *Magical Sun Sect!* It was one of the three great sects of the Yuyang Kingdom's cultivation world. And behind the sect loomed the fearsome *Three Nether Elder Demon*, the most powerful figure in the demonic path.
On the ground below, Elder Yuan and the others were left speechless, astounded that Yang Fan had managed to scare off a fellow Condensed Mind cultivator with just a single word.
Yang Fan chuckled inwardly. *It seems that the names of the Magical Sun Sect and the Three Nether Elder Demon are quite effective after all.*
As the saying goes, a man's reputation casts a long shadow. In the face of such a powerful and ancient sect, with a rumored Nascent Soul cultivator at its helm, most would-be adversaries would abandon any thought of resistance.
Before long, the cultivators had all disembarked, and Yang Fan descended from the air to join them on the ground.
"What are you all still standing here for? Disperse! Leave at once and do not return!" Yang Fan commanded, his voice filled with arrogance. In his
eyes, these small-time cultivators were insignificant, mere ants compared to his ambitions.
"Yes, my lord!" Without hesitation, the cultivators scrambled away, vanishing in all directions like frightened deer.
With everyone gone, Yang Fan stepped back onto the deck of the Tianxing Boat and, with a flick of his wrist, summoned the Xianhong Ring.
"Into the ring!" Yang Fan commanded, and the immense Tianxing Boat began to shrink rapidly. In no time at all, the boat, which had been several dozen zhang long, had compressed down to the size of a mere palm and vanished into the ring's internal space.
Having accomplished this, Yang Fan smiled to himself and turned toward Elder Yuan. "The Tianxing Boat is now mine."