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Golden Bull Ridge, number thirteen.

After a night of secluded cultivation, Zhang Tielin's injuries had finally healed significantly.

"Brother Lin, Brother Lin!"

Zhang Xu's slightly anxious voice came from outside the house.

Zhang Tielin frowned slightly, walked out of the room, and into the front yard, opening the large gate.

As soon as Zhang Xu saw Zhang Tielin, he immediately said, "Brother Lin, something terrible has happened!"

Zhang Tielin stared at Zhang Xu, his face grim, and said, "What could possibly make you so flustered?"

Zhang Xu glanced around before saying to Zhang Tielin, "Let's talk inside!"

Zhang Tielin nodded slightly and immediately turned towards the living room.

Zhang Xu entered the yard, skillfully latched the door, and after entering the living room, he also closed the living room door.

At this moment, Zhang Tielin was already sitting in a chair. He asked Zhang Xu, "What exactly happened?"

Zhang Xu immediately replied, "Something big has happened! I just got news that Spirit Flame Valley was attacked by Bloodthirsty Evil Crows last night, and many people died! Last night, when the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows attacked Spirit Flame Valley, that Fang Chen performed exceptionally well. It's said he broke through during the battle and became a Qi Refining third-layer cultivator, earning a second-class merit from the Merit Hall..."

After hearing Zhang Xu's words, Zhang Tielin's face showed shock. He couldn't believe what Zhang Xu was saying was true.

He asked Zhang Xu, "Doesn't that kid have no Spiritual Root? He only broke through to the Qi Refining first layer the day before yesterday, and now he's broken through to the Qi Refining third layer?"

Zhang Xu nodded vigorously, his face serious. "This news is absolutely true, and it's rumored that Elder Li Shui of the Merit Hall is even considering taking Fang Chen as a disciple!"

"What? Elder Li Shui wants to take him as a disciple?"

Zhang Tielin's eyes widened. If that were the case, he wouldn't dare to make a move against Fang Chen anymore.

The reason he dared to act against Fang Chen before was that he believed Fang Chen was just a Qi Refining novice with no Spiritual Root. If he didn't act against Fang Chen, others would surely call Zhang Tielin a coward for not avenging his own brother who was killed by a nobody.

If Fang Chen were truly a nobody, even if he killed Fang Chen, the Sect's punishment wouldn't be too severe.

But if Fang Chen truly became True Person Li Shui's disciple, the situation would be entirely different. Unless he wanted to die, he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Fang Chen even with ten thousand times the courage.

Even though Fang Chen killed his brother, it wouldn't be worth it to risk his own life for revenge. Moreover, if Fang Chen truly became True Person Li Shui's disciple, no one would dare to mock him for not seeking revenge. After all, he was just a mere Outer Sect Disciple, and it was normal not to dare to seek revenge against a Direct Disciple of an Elder.

Zhang Xu shook his head slightly at Zhang Tielin. "Although there are rumors, Elder Li Shui has not yet announced his intention to take Fang Chen as a disciple!"

"So that means Fang Chen hasn't become True Person Li Shui's disciple yet!"

Zhang Tielin slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Zhang Xu nodded. "That should be the case. But Fang Chen's cultivation has already broken through to the Qi Refining third layer. And according to the news I received, Fang Chen went on a killing spree at Spirit Flame Valley last night, slaughtering those Bloodthirsty Evil Crows as if they were mere vegetables. His strength is immense. If we want to deal with him now, it might be difficult!"

Zhang Tielin's expression also turned grim. He hadn't expected things to escalate to this point. He asked Zhang Xu, "What about Ah Ning? What happened to him?"

Zhang Xu shook his head. "No news. The people killed by the Bloodthirsty Evil Crows last night have all been confirmed, and he wasn't among them. But he's not at Spirit Flame Valley either; it seems he's missing!"

"Missing?"

Zhang Tielin's eyes narrowed, a sense of foreboding filling his heart.

According to their plan, Zhang Qining should have been able to act against Fang Chen yesterday afternoon. At the time, he believed that with Zhang Qining's strength, he could easily kill Fang Chen. But now, not only was Fang Chen not dead, but he had also earned merit, while Zhang Qining was missing.

"Yes!"

Zhang Xu nodded slightly, knowing that Zhang Qining was likely beyond saving.

"Damn it!"

Zhang Tielin trembled with rage.

Zhang Xu asked Zhang Tielin, "Brother Lin, what should we do now? Do we still want to deal with Fang Chen?"

Zhang Tielin clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "We'll leave him alone for now. While I was in seclusion last night, I felt my cultivation was close to touching the Qi Refining fifth layer. I want to go into seclusion and see if I can break through to the Qi Refining fifth layer!"

In Zhang Tielin's view, breaking through his cultivation was more important than avenging his brother. After all, his brother was already dead, and Fang Chen was now someone he likely couldn't afford to provoke.

The priority now was to improve his own cultivation.

Hearing Zhang Tielin's words, Zhang Xu's eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately said, "Then I won't disturb you, Brother Lin. I hope you can successfully break through this time!"

Zhang Tielin nodded. "You go back first, and keep looking for information about Ah Ning!"

"Alright!"

After Zhang Xu responded, he turned and left.

New Floating Market was about three hundred li from Dog Head Ridge and was one of the three major markets for Outer Sect Disciples of the Glazed Sword Sect. Because it was close to Azure Cloud Peak, Azure Abyss Peak, and Zixiao Peak, most of the Outer Sect Disciples from these three main peaks frequented New Floating Market.

Because the distance was too far, Fang Chen and the others arrived at East Cloud Plaza, which was thirty li from Dog Head Ridge.

At East Cloud Plaza, there were many Outer Sect Disciples who specialized in carrying passengers via sword, as well as disciples riding various magical flying artifacts. However, the most popular were the Wind Spirit Cranes. These paper cranes were a miniaturized version of the Wind-Riding Cranes used by Spirit Flame Valley for transporting goods. However, the paper cranes were hollowed out, allowing people to sit inside, protected from the sun and rain. The only drawbacks were their slow flight speed and the intense roaring sound emitted by the formation patterns during flight, making the experience incomparable to flying swords.

Despite their many drawbacks, the Wind Spirit Cranes had a significant advantage: they were cheap.

Wind Spirit Cranes were divided into four sizes: miniature, small, medium, and large.

A miniature paper crane had an internal space that could accommodate only one person and could carry up to one hundred jin of cargo externally. It cost one tael of silver for every ten li of flight.

A small paper crane had an internal space that could accommodate two people and could carry up to two hundred jin of cargo externally. It cost two taels of silver for every ten li of flight.

A medium paper crane had an internal space that could accommodate four people and could carry up to five hundred jin of cargo externally. It cost four taels of silver for every ten li of flight.

A large paper crane had an internal space that could accommodate eight people and could carry up to one thousand jin of cargo externally. It cost eight taels of silver for every ten li of flight.

Upon arriving at East Cloud Plaza, Fang Chen and the others each rented a medium-sized paper crane, hung their little donkey on the crane's wings, and then set off towards New Floating Market.

After the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, they successfully arrived at the landing field near New Floating Market. After parking the paper cranes, they headed to the market.