The Chen Clan's Legacy

Watching Chen Fan leave, the many disciples outside the wooden hut felt a jumble of emotions, but above all, shock and disbelief.

In just a few dozen days, the clown in everyone's eyes had suddenly transformed after a trip to Demon King Valley. He now possessed Formless Step and an advanced Sword Art, and his cultivation had soared from the second layer of Qi Refining to Qi Refining Layer 6. Now, even before the powerful figures of Heavy Sword Peak, he remained so forceful, neither humble nor overbearing.

"This is what a strong person's heart is like. What we lack is this kind of mindset: neither humble nor overbearing. He may be strong, but let him be strong. The breeze sweeps over the mountain ridge!" A disciple watched Chen Fan's retreating figure and spoke with admiration.

"Give me a break. You were the loudest one yelling for him to come out just now," someone scoffed.

"Impressive. He even dodged the Young Sect Master's attack just now. Huh, Mo Hu's here." Just then, a disciple spoke up as three figures hurried over. One of them was Mo Hu. Though he was at Qi Refining Layer 6, he had run so hard on the way that he was gasping for breath.

Seeing everyone talking about something, Mo Hu furrowed his brow. Only after asking around did he learn that his elder brother had been saved by Chen Fan. Even with the Young Sect Master and an uninformed Elder intervening, Chen Fan had remained at ease, calmly snatching Mo Bai back from the gates of death. Mo Bai's injuries had now recovered by eight tenths.

Mo Hu had not believed it at first, but when he rushed into the wooden hut and saw Mo Bai looking as if nothing had happened, he was utterly stunned.

"He's actually this powerful..." Mo Hu murmured to himself.

As Chen Fan slowly made his way home, his mind still dwelled on everything in the Heavenly Court. He no longer needed the Heavenly Court Token to enter the Heavenly Court with a thought. More importantly, he could take physical objects out of it. The Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman from earlier was a clear example.

"Brother, where did your Talismans come from? The Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman last time, too. How do you have such precious Talismans?" Chen Jingjing caught up to Chen Fan and asked as she looked at him.

At her words, Chen Fan paused slightly before coming back to himself. This was the first time Chen Jingjing had called him "Brother" instead of simply using his name.

"I drew the Five Elements Strange Sword Talisman. As for the Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman... I got it through a fortuitous encounter." Chen Fan hesitated before answering. The first explanation was plausible enough, but the Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman required Mid-grade Talisman Paper. Such paper had hardly ever appeared in the Marketplace of Heavy Sword City. If even a single sheet showed up, it would surely set all sides scrambling to bid it up, and might even prompt an auction.

Only then did Chen Jingjing nod slightly. She figured that Chen Fan might have obtained the Talisman in Demon King Valley, since he had just returned from there.

She had never entered Demon King Valley, but she had heard that danger lurked everywhere in that place, yet treasures could be found all over. It drew powerful figures from all sides to explore and train. Over the years, countless experts had fallen there. When a cultivator became food in a vicious beast's belly, the precious items on them would be scattered across the wilderness. Anyone lucky enough to find them would stumble upon a great fortune.

She had come up with a reasonable explanation, never realizing that the "fortuitous encounter" Chen Fan spoke of was his ability to take objects across realms from the Heavenly Court.

After they returned home, Chen Fan headed for his room out of habit. He needed to enter the Heavenly Court again and investigate what was going on. But Chen Jingjing suddenly called out to him.

"Brother, did you notice that Elder Li was acting a little strange today?" Chen Jingjing recalled Elder Li's odd behavior and furrowed her brow.

"Elder Li? What happened?" Chen Fan asked, puzzled.

"When Father was on his deathbed, we were both still young, so he entrusted our family's legacy to Elder Li. As far as I remember, Elder Li was always very kind to us, but today he seemed rather cold." Chen Jingjing grew more suspicious as she spoke.

"You think he doesn't want to return the legacy?" Chen Fan asked.

"Father said back then that once you reached Qi Refining Layer 6, you could go and reclaim the legacy. But just before I left, I brought it up with Elder Li, and he cut me off before I could finish. It seemed he didn't want to discuss it in front of other people."

"Maybe he doesn't want outsiders to know the Chen Clan has a legacy, in case it brings disaster?" Chen Fan ventured. Though he was more inclined to suspect that Elder Li was coveting the Chen Clan's legacy, he didn't know Elder Li well enough to jump to conclusions.

But at his words, Chen Jingjing suddenly saw the light and nodded. "That's very likely. I remember that among the things Father left behind was something extraordinary, like a palm-sized Jade Disc with a needle on top. When I was young, I saw Father carrying it around the house, wandering everywhere as if searching for something. Then I saw him dig a crystal out of the backyard. Only afterward did I realize that the crystal was a Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Father also succeeded in advancing to Qi Refining Eighth Layer because of that Low-Grade Spirit Stone."

"Was it a Treasure Seeking Disk?" Chen Fan paused slightly. If Chen Jingjing was telling the truth, then the item was truly extraordinary. In the resource-starved Earth Cultivation World of today, the appearance of such a Dharma Treasure would surely spark a scramble among high-level experts.

"It must have been. We were young then, and Father never said much about it. Maybe Elder Li doesn't want to mention it because he's afraid it'll attract outsiders' attention," Chen Jingjing said.

But Chen Fan's expression turned grave. If it were an ordinary treasure, that would be one thing. But with a supreme treasure like this, Elder Li's behavior only deepened his suspicions.

Even if he didn't want to bring up the legacy, there was no need for him to act so coldly. Chen Fan remembered how, inside the wooden hut, Elder Li had barely even looked at the siblings. Whenever his gaze happened to fall on them, it was as if he were looking at strangers.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Heavy Sword Peak and find him," Chen Fan said gravely.

"Mm." Chen Jingjing nodded, not giving it much more thought. Then she parted her lips slightly, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.

With Chen Fan's keen eye, he naturally noticed her expression and asked, "What is it?"

When Chen Jingjing realized he had caught her little tell, she stuck out her tongue and said, "Brother, when you go to Heavy Sword Peak tomorrow, stop by the Inner Court too. You said in a fit of anger today that you were leaving Heavy Sword Peak, but you did save Senior Brother. I'm sure Elder Lin and the others won't hold it against you."

"There's no need to discuss this again. Even if Elder Lin hadn't pressured me today, I would have left Heavy Sword Peak before long. I need to travel afar and train," Chen Fan said, shaking his head.

Seeing Chen Fan's serious expression, Chen Jingjing froze for a moment. Then she remembered that his strength had long surpassed that of his peers. Especially after watching him effortlessly dodge the Young Sect Master's attack today, she had gained a new understanding of his abilities.

That was right. He was so powerful now that little Heavy Sword City could no longer contain him!

Chen Jingjing knew that if Chen Fan stayed here, he would only hinder his future path. With his aptitude, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm would be no problem at all.

"Once we've taken care of everything tomorrow, I'll teach you Formless Step and a few Sword Arts. They'll help you immensely. In the path of cultivation, besides aptitude, resources are incredibly important," Chen Fan said, patting her on the head when he saw the reluctance in her eyes. Then he turned and walked toward his room.

A trace of warmth swept through Chen Jingjing's heart. From childhood until now, this was the most affectionate gesture her elder brother had ever made toward her. A sense of security she had never known before welled up inside her.

"So this is what it feels like to have an older brother." A smile rose on Chen Jingjing's face as she headed to her room.

By now, Chen Fan was seated cross-legged on the ground once more. His Heavenly Court Token had shattered and was unusable, but he had opened another path to the Heavenly Court, and could take physical objects out of it.

"If my Divine Sense becomes strong enough in the future, maybe I'll be able to bring things from this world into the Heavenly Court. For example, the Treasure Seeking Disk from the Chen Clan's legacy." Chen Fan thought to himself.

He closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, he was already inside the Immortal Cave in the Heavenly Court. His Heavenly Court body was still meditating, while the Green-feathered Bird was wandering around.

Chen Fan didn't touch anything. He abruptly sent his consciousness into his own body.

"Kid, this place is haunted." As soon as he opened his eyes, the Green-feathered Bird's hushed, mysterious voice came from beside him.

"If there are immortals, there are ghosts. What's so strange about a haunting?" Chen Fan replied casually. He didn't tell the Green-feathered Bird that the Talisman had been his doing, not a ghost's.

But the Green-feathered Bird now looked rather solemn. Its two big eyes were as wide as lanterns. It tried its best to look serious and dignified, but somehow only managed to look comical.

"But this Immortal Cave is protected by restrictions. How could a ghost possibly get in? If one did, it must be an extraordinary evil spirit. Since you're here, help me look for it." The Green-feathered Bird rambled as it dashed around the medicinal field, nearly stepping on the few remaining Seven-Star Grass plants.

"Why are you looking for it? Come with me. I need to accumulate 500 Immortal Qi as soon as possible, then break through to the Second Layer Heavenly Court," Chen Fan said. Since he could take objects out of the Heavenly Court, he didn't want to waste time. Only by raising his strength would he have a chance to explore broader lands. The Heavenly Court was rich in resources, and his chances of finding great fortune there would surely be far better than on Earth.

"No way. I've lived for so many years and never seen what a ghost looks like. It just took a Talisman off you. Don't you feel bad?"

"I don't. If it's gone, I'll just draw another one," Chen Fan said, shaking his head, completely unruffled.

"Kid, why do I feel like something's off?" The Green-feathered Bird eyed Chen Fan suspiciously.

Chen Fan only smiled without replying, thinking about how many challenge matches he ought to fight to accumulate 500 Immortal Qi.

"I have 110 Immortal Qi right now. If I win one match, I'll have over 200. If I win one more, I might reach 500, if I'm lucky," Chen Fan muttered to himself. He wouldn't choose opponents based on cultivation level. A One-Star Heavenly Soldier at Qi Refining Layer 4 was probably a rare sight in the Heavenly Court, and besides, he would much rather face stronger opponents.

"Your math is wrong. Have you even considered that you could lose? If you lose, you'll lose all your Immortal Qi, and then you'll have to start over." The Green-feathered Bird walked over to him.

"I won't lose. Let's go," Chen Fan said with a faint smile.

Only then did the Green-feathered Bird give him a disdainful look. It flapped its wings, and Chen Fan appeared outside the Heavenly Court Hall. The Green-feathered Bird also reappeared as a Jade Disc and hung from his waist.

"As the master of the Immortal Cave, can't I control when I enter and leave?" Chen Fan thought it was a hassle to have the Green-feathered Bird transport him every time.

"Of course you can. But besides carrying me with you, you'll also need to memorize an Incantation." The Green-feathered Bird's voice came from inside the Jade Disc.

"So there's an Incantation? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Damn it, you never asked." The Green-feathered Bird sent its voice to him.

"..."