Fusion

Su Fan, who had been feeling grief and indignation, was suddenly stunned.

Happiness came too quickly, leaving him a little flustered. He quickly shouted into the house.

"Senior, I'll make a few small dishes for lunch. We can have a drink together..."

"Mm, you decide..."

Su Fan lost the mood to study spells. He put the jade slip into his storage bag and then excitedly left the courtyard.

This was a golden thigh! If he didn't hold onto it tightly now, he'd be an idiot.

Even a single hair pulled from it would be enough for him.

Ye Tianhe, sitting in the hall, put down the book in his hand and glanced at Su Fan's retreating back.

"Good comprehension, what a pity..."

Thinking this, he shook his head and picked up his book again.

Ye Tianhe had a meal at noon and then spent the afternoon practicing swords with Su Fan in the courtyard.

After he left, Su Fan took out the jade slip.

As expected of a sect's spell inheritance jade slip, the dozen or so intermediate spells recorded within were all explained clearly, along with some experience summarized by predecessors.

No wonder Ye Tianhe had torn up the trash book he bought from the market town on the spot.

After reading the jade slip, Su Fan felt like burning that trash book.

With the sect's inherited jade slip, Su Fan quickly got the hang of the Wind Riding Art.

But at this moment, the panel changed.

Light Body Art (Microscopic): Fuse/Don't Fuse.

Without a second thought, he immediately chose to fuse, and the panel changed again.

Wind Walking Art (Minor Accomplishment): 1/200

Although the new spell had fused Light Body Art and Wind Riding Art, and the realm had dropped from Microscopic to Minor Accomplishment, Su Fan was ecstatic.

Even though he had never heard of "Wind Walking Art," he knew this spell was destined to be extraordinary.

Because during the fusion process, his mind had gained some insights and understanding of the wind.

Even though it was only Minor Accomplishment now, the spell's upper limit had increased immeasurably.

As the thought arose, Su Fan's body floated again, drifting around the courtyard.

How to put it, it didn't feel much stronger than the Microscopic realm Light Body Art, but it was smoother and more natural, with a hint of the wind's essence.

This was just after the fusion. If he could raise "Wind Walking Art" to the Microscopic realm.

Thinking of this, Su Fan felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his entire blood boiling.

Wait...

If he practiced the mid-grade "Breath Concealment Art" and "Spirit Eye Art," would they fuse with "Spirit Concealment Art" and "Qi Gazing Art"?

He acted on his thoughts. With the Sword Sect's spell jade slip, Su Fan quickly mastered "Breath Concealment Art."

The result was as expected. The panel changed again.

Hidden Breath Art (Great Accomplishment): 1/400

This time, after the spell fusion, it changed from Microscopic to Great Accomplishment, indicating that the spell's upper limit was slightly lower.

But the change was much greater. Not only could it completely conceal his aura, but he could also arbitrarily change his cultivation realm.

At least, cultivators of the same realm couldn't see through it. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would have to be specifically looking for him, a lowly rogue cultivator, to see through it.

Su Fan pressed on and also mastered "Spirit Eye Art."

Although, as he had predicted, the panel changed after the spell fusion, this time the change left Su Fan dumbfounded.

Because the panel did not display a new spell. Instead, a bizarre scene appeared.

Lightning Eye Dharma Eye (Great Accomplishment): Fuse/Don't Fuse

What the heck...

Su Fan was completely bewildered.

Game panel, what are you trying to do?

At this point, he could only choose to fuse again.

Lightning Eye Dharma Eye (Great Accomplishment): 215/400

No new spell appeared, only the progress bar on the panel updated. "Lightning Eye Dharma Eye" gained over a hundred points of proficiency.

But during the fusion process, new insights appeared in his mind again.

After some experimentation, "Lightning Eye Dharma Eye" integrated the functions of "Qi Gazing Art" and "Spirit Eye Art" into the spiritual power.

Su Fan couldn't help but sigh, ancient Spiritual Powers were truly amazing; they had actually devoured two Spells whole.

However, with one less Spell on his panel, not only was time saved, but the functions of the Qi Gazing Art and Spirit Eye Art could be completely replaced by the Lightning Eye Dharma Eye.

Furthermore, with the Spells integrated into the Spiritual Power, their future effects would undoubtedly be even more potent as his Realm continuously improved.

At this moment, Su Fan was stunned.

He realized his perspective was too narrow.

If he were to cultivate more Spirit Eye-type Spells in the future, could they all be merged into the Lightning Eye Dharma Eye? And could Escape Arts and movement techniques be devoured, bones and all, by the Lightning Ghost Step?

Ancient Spiritual Powers were like a giant basket, capable of holding anything.

That would be incredibly powerful.

Not only would it enhance the functions of the Spiritual Powers, but it would also increase their proficiency, saving so much effort.

Su Fan took out all the books on Spells from his Storage Bag, only to be greatly disappointed.

Throughout the entire Qi Refining stage, there weren't many Spirit Eye-type Spells or movement techniques. Most of them were secret techniques from various sects, which outsiders couldn't learn.

As for Escape Arts, one could practice the Five Elements Escape Art in the Late Qi Refining stage, but no one actually learned it.

The activation time was too slow; it was far better to buy a few Talismans. Although their effects were significantly weakened, they were at least instantaneous, offering a greater chance of escape.

Su Fan gave a wry smile, realizing he was being a bit too greedy.

The following days were uneventful yet fulfilling.

Apart from setting up a stall at the Market Town for a few days each month, he spent the rest of his time cultivating at home.

The market prices had begun to normalize, but after the recent turmoil, Talismans were selling very slowly.

Su Fan wasn't in a hurry; he just went through the motions each time.

In the eyes of others, his cultivation was still at the Qi Refining Third Layer. The Spirit Concealment Art was truly extraordinary, as no one could see through it.

During this period, Ye Tianhe would visit from time to time.

He would always appear out of nowhere in the courtyard, startling Su Fan, who had become somewhat numb to it.

Ye Tianhe wouldn't bother Su Fan; he would read in the hall alone and then mooch a meal for lunch.

Of course, he would spar with Su Fan every time he visited, occasionally offering pointers on Su Fan's swordsmanship.

In Su Fan's opinion, this guy was just bored.

Naturally, he wouldn't pass up this opportunity and would often shamelessly ask Ye Tianhe about cultivation matters.

Ye Tianhe didn't act high and mighty; he answered as best he could.

For him, having received systematic education in a sect since childhood, these questions were mere child's play.

But for Su Fan, they were incredibly valuable.

A single word from a true master was worth more than ten thousand scrolls of teachings.

Often, a casual explanation from Ye Tianhe would be enough for Su Fan to ponder for half a year, and he might still not fully grasp it.

In any case, he had definitely benefited from clinging to this powerful figure. As the weather warmed, the market conditions gradually improved.

As the only airship docking point in the Chu Kingdom, Shaoyang Market Town had become the most bustling trading hub, at least within the Chu Kingdom.

Su Fan's Talisman business also began to pick up.

Most of the Talisman Masters in the open market stalls were Rogue Cultivators, each specializing in only a few types of Talismans.

Su Fan, on the other hand, had the most comprehensive selection of Talismans at his stall in the entire Market Town, with prices that were neither too high nor too low.

Today, he set up his stall again, and as usual, sat on a small stool reading a book.

Suddenly, the ghost face tattoo on his arm grew slightly warm.

Su Fan's face turned pale. Someone had sensed his presence through the ghost face mark.

He quickly formed hand seals and chanted incantations, casting the Spirit Concealment Art to completely mask his aura.

Su Fan guessed it wasn't the Demonic Sect female cultivator, but someone using a Secret Technique or a Magic Tool to sense his presence.

If that demonic woman had come, the ghost face mark wouldn't have reacted even if she stood right in front of him.

Su Fan sat there calmly, engrossed in his book.

He put on a show of being deeply absorbed, but cold sweat was pouring down his back.

He wasn't worried about the Demonic Cultivators from the Ghost King Sect doing anything to him here.

After all, Shaoyang Market Town was within the Qingxuan Sect's territory, and there was usually a Foundation Establishment Cultivator stationed there.

In broad daylight, they wouldn't dare to be so reckless.

Besides, Su Fan still had a letter sword given to him by Ye Tianhe. With a gentle squeeze, he could...

Summon the Sword Cultivator.

The Sword Maniac was bored out of his mind, and those Demonic Cultivators wouldn't escape his pursuit.

But a thief can steal for a thousand days, but a guard can only guard for a thousand days.

Su Fan worried about being targeted. His current identity was effectively ruined, and he might have to flee the country.

Just then, several people who looked like rogue cultivators entered the market stalls.

Over the past few months, Su Fan had often set up a stall here, honing his ability to read people.

These rogue cultivators had shifty eyes and were clearly not there to buy anything, constantly scanning their surroundings.

They wandered the market stalls for a long time until a female cultivator wearing a black veil hat arrived. Only then did these individuals regroup.

One of the cultivators approached the female cultivator, said something, and then quickly left with a few others.

The female cultivator, still wearing the black veil hat, continued to browse the market stalls.

When the female cultivator passed Su Fan's stall, he casually turned his head to glance at her.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew, slightly lifting the black veil of her hat and revealing more than half of her face.

"Holy crap..."

In that split second, Su Fan recognized her.

He had seen this female cultivator before; she was the female Bodhisattva from Misty Rain Pavilion.

He was sure he wasn't mistaken.

Whenever he felt passionate, the first person he thought of was his ex-wife, and the second was this female Bodhisattva.

His encounter with her in the market town had left a deep impression on him.

The female cultivator browsed around for a few circles before finally leaving the market stalls.

Su Fan breathed a sigh of relief. The "Hidden Breath Art," after being fused, combined with the "Void Spirit Art," could still conceal the aura of his ghost face tattoo.

Unless Gu Qinghuan herself came, no other demonic cultivators using secret techniques or magic tools could pinpoint his location.

Su Fan didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stayed until dusk, as usual, before packing up and heading home.

The next day, Su Fan, adopting a new identity, returned to the market town.

He found a seat by the window in a restaurant near Misty Rain Pavilion and sat there for most of the afternoon.

His suspicions were confirmed: Misty Rain Pavilion was the Ghost King Sect's base in Shaoyang Market Town, and the female Bodhisattva was its manager.

Furthermore, the person who had activated the "Heavenly Demon Talisman" in the market town that night was likely her.

The next day at noon, Ye Tianhe arrived again. He had been visiting quite frequently lately.

Although the people from Qingxuan Sect treated him with respect since he arrived in Shaoyang Market Town, it was with Su Fan that he felt most at ease.

Ye Tianhe took out a bag of spirit tea and placed it on the table in the hall.

"Boil some water and let's have a taste..."

Su Fan picked up the spirit tea and opened it. The refreshing aroma instantly invigorated him.

"Senior, is this spirit tea? Where did you get it..."

Ye Tianhe chuckled and said, "Consider yourself lucky. I 'borrowed' this from Senior Qiu Guan of Qingxuan Sect."

Su Fan curled his lips. It sounded like a tall tale. A Foundation Establishment senior, and he just 'borrowed' it?

Ye Tianhe glanced at Su Fan, knowing he didn't believe him.

"So what if they're Foundation Establishment? If it weren't for nurturing my Sword Heart, I would have reached Foundation Establishment years ago."

Su Fan chuckled. Old Ye's ability to brag was indeed top-notch; he always gave him full marks.

He boiled water, brewed some tea, and poured a cup for Ye Tianhe.

"Senior, there's something I don't know if I should tell you..."

"Stop with the nonsense and speak..."

Su Fan then told Ye Tianhe about Misty Rain Pavilion and the female Bodhisattva.

"Senior, please don't say I discovered this..."

Ye Tianhe gave him a disdainful look and closed his eyes, taking a sip of tea.

Su Fan felt a sharp aura instantly fill the room, causing the hairs on his body to stand on end.

"Hmm... I know. Don't worry about it..."

Ye Tianhe said, then waved at Su Fan.

"Go make some food, I'm hungry..."

A few nights later, as Su Fan was drawing talismans, he heard a loud explosion in the distance.

"That's from the market town..."

Su Fan chuckled and, picking up his talisman brush, successfully drew an "Evil Warding Talisman."

Thank you to Aila Wuyou, LaoyaoyaoShiYa, WangwenSandai, FangjiaKafei, and Book Friend 20181125140200635 for your recommendation tickets. Old Bu expresses his deepest gratitude. Thank you all for your continued love and support.