Treasure Gathering Immortal Furnace

Lu Fan was quite shocked at this moment. No wonder Wang Qingzhu always looked preoccupied.

If it were Lu Fan, he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep.

"It's not that the Dao Sect is using me to raise swords, but rather the Sword Pavilion. The Sword Pavilion's Ancestor Gu Xin has been eyeing me for quite some time now."

"If it were in the past, the Dao Sect could have been on par with the Sword Pavilion, and they would never have sent me to the Sword Pavilion to be used as a vessel for nurturing swords."

"However, two of the three Nascent Soul Grand Elders of the Dao Sect have already passed away, leaving only one."

"And the three Supreme Elders of Sword Pavilion are still alive, so the balance has been broken."

Wang Qingzhu shook her head and said.

"Even so, the Dao Sect wouldn't send you away, would it?" Lu Fan was also a little worried, after all, this Ancient Heart Ancestor was a well-known Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

"It's not that I would give it away, but if Ancestor Gu Xin were to offer up longevity-enhancing spiritual fruits or pills, I'm afraid any of the Supreme Elders of the Dao Sect would not hesitate to do so."

"After all, before a successor to the Nascent Soul stage appears, the only Supreme Elder of the Dao Sect cannot pass away peacefully, otherwise the Dao Sect will be reduced to a second-rate sect."

Wang Qingzhu explained.

Lu Fan finally understood the whole story. Wang Qingzhu didn't want to become a vessel for someone else to nurture their sword, and she didn't want to become a bargaining chip for the Dao Sect's Supreme Elder to extend his lifespan.

That's why I'm so eager to form my core, leave this place, find a place far away from the Great Yan, establish my own sect, and develop independently.

However, it is impossible before forming the Golden Core. Putting aside the cruelty of the cultivation world, Wang Qingzhu, being in the Pseudo-Golden Core stage, could not escape the surveillance of the Dao Sect.

That makes sense; Wang Qingzhu asked Lu Fan about the reason for the whereabouts of Mo Li's storage bag.

They probably wanted to establish their own sect after reaching the Core Formation stage, so that they could have two Core Formation stage cultivators to oversee it.

"Uncle-Master! I support you! After you achieve Core Formation and establish your own sect, I will be your first disciple!" Lu Fan immediately stepped forward and said with great confidence.

Seeing Lu Fan's serious expression, Wang Qingzhu, who had been quite moved, burst out laughing and immediately covered her mouth, saying, "You're kidding me. It's extremely difficult to establish a foundation with a mutated mixed spiritual root. You should think about how to remedy the situation and save your life if you fail."

Lu Fan gave an awkward smile and said, "Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I will definitely reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

Wang Qingzhu didn't take Lu Fan's kindness to heart and casually replied, "Okay, I'll wait for you. If that day ever comes, you will definitely be the first elder in my sect."

Lu Fan chuckled foolishly. After spending so much time together and receiving Wang Qingzhu's help on several occasions, Lu Fan had long regarded her as one of his few family members.

If that day ever comes, he will naturally give his full support.

"Go and rest. I'll take you to the demon-slaying assembly tomorrow," Wang Qingzhu said as she stood up.

"Yes!" Lu Fan bowed respectfully, left the pavilion, and did not stay in the deacon's hall, but returned to the thatched hut.

...

After returning to the thatched hut, Lu Fan did not rest, but instead released the Purple Iris puppet.

After being nourished by Lu Fan's true essence, Zi Yuan's complexion looked noticeably rosier.

The exquisite face was so lifelike that, if it weren't for the empty eyes, one would never guess it was a puppet.

"Since my divine sense reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, I have never tried to control Zi Yuan."

"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems controlling my divine sense normally at this moment. Let's give it a try."

Lu Fan is going to the Demon Extermination Conference tomorrow, so he's trying to see if he can control it normally with his current divine sense.

However, the normal operation requires the consumption of spirit stones. Lu Fan took out a few spirit stones and floated them between Zi Yuan's eyebrows.

The spiritual energy within the spirit stone was then quickly absorbed by Zi Yuan.

"Give it a try!" Lu Fan rubbed his hands together, then raised two fingers and placed them between his eyebrows, immediately establishing a connection between his consciousness and Zi Yuan.

The next moment, Zi Yuan suddenly took a few steps with elegant strides, her every move just like that of an ordinary person.

However, Zi Yuan is not without flaws; she is missing an arm, specifically her most crucial right arm, which diminishes her combat effectiveness.

If they don't use their true essence to power their attacks and fight in a conventional way, their combat strength is actually weaker than that of an ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

It's somewhere in the middle, not the best but not the worst either.

"It seems that having a strong spiritual sense does have many benefits. At least I can maintain this normal state for a few minutes without any problem," Lu Fan said, putting his hand down.

He was also thinking about when he would have the opportunity to help Ziyuan reattach her right arm.

Lu Fan was a perfectionist, so naturally he couldn't accept the arm of a Qi Refining stage puppet like Mo Li did.

It should be at least the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Only in this way can combat effectiveness be guaranteed.

As for why he didn't use the Heaven-Mending Furnace to complete the task, it was because Lu Fan didn't dare to gamble. If the Heaven-Mending Furnace also restored Zi Yuan's soul, wouldn't it instantly kill him?

Regardless, Zi Yuan is Lu Fan's strongest trump card at this stage.

This is also the source of his confidence to act without any scruples at the demon-slaying conference.

Lu Fan then took out dozens of spirit stones and poured their spiritual energy into Zi Yuan's body.

When not in use, the spiritual energy will be stored and will not disappear.

This also ensures that Zi Yuan is always ready to engage in battle immediately. Whether or not she needs to use it is another matter, but it's always good to be prepared.

After finishing these tasks, Lu Fan put away Zi Yuan, lay down on the bed, and prepared to rest.

Although cultivators do not need water, they can conserve their energy through meditation.

But Lu Fan didn't do that. Why sit when you can sleep? Lying down would be much more comfortable.

...

The moon sets and the sun rises.

A night passes in the blink of an eye.

When Lu Fan woke up in the morning, he was full of energy. The inner sect was already bustling with activity.

Forty-nine inner disciples were ready to go.

Meanwhile, Steward Ma and Yan Ruyu were already waiting inside the sect.

Just then, a middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows and fierce eyes, dressed in a Bagua robe, suddenly appeared from afar and landed on the scene.

This middle-aged man was none other than Wan Yang, a Core Formation elder from Yuehua Peak.

"Elder Wan, your disciple is ready. When shall we depart?" Deacon Ma stepped forward and asked with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Where is Steward Wang? Wasn't she supposed to be going too?" Someone asked, noting that Wang Qingzhu wasn't present at Wanyang Temple.

"Senior Sister Wang is used to going her own way, so she should meet up with us at Tiandang Mountain. She also brought a disciple with her," Deacon Ma said.

Upon hearing this, Wan Yang looked surprised: "She also brought disciples? That's quite rare."

"Who did you bring?" Yan Ruyu inquired.

"Lu Fan," Steward Ma replied.

Upon hearing that it was Lu Fan, Yan Ruyu was immediately stunned: "This cripple is participating too? He's just a minor Qi Refining cultivator; he'll only drag us down!"

"Junior Sister Yan, Master Lu has already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining," said Steward Ma.

"Hmph, he only reached the tenth level of Qi Refining after decades, and he's still a cripple. He still wants to participate in the Demon Extermination Conference. Even with Wang Qingzhu protecting him, he won't survive," Yan Ruyu mocked without any politeness.

Steward Ma was quite helpless about this and could only choose to keep quiet.

"Alright, since Wang Qingzhu is going by herself, let's set off. The One Qi Sect must have already set off first," Wan Yang said, raising his hand to release a huge flying boat.

The so-called flying boat is a flying magical artifact, shaped like a passenger ship, which can accommodate up to a hundred disciples and flies very fast.