[Two months later.]
[Black Fiend Island.]
The four fellow disciples bid farewell to Jiang Yi and returned to their respective residences.
The body-refining Cultivation Technique Jiang Yi had promised earlier had now become a forgotten matter, after all, none of them had brought back any treasure worth mentioning.
As they walked along the corridor, all four wore grim, sullen expressions.
This trip to the Secret Realm had been a massive loss.
The battles alone had cost them dearly. After exchanging information, they realized something even worse, they were all now in debt to the Exotic Treasure Pavilion. Jiang Yi showed no intention of helping them clear it. He merely stated, almost casually, that they were now his Formal Disciples.
Promotion from Named Disciple to Formal Disciple, that was the "reward."
That, and whatever scraps they had managed to keep.
Mu Fan and Wang Yang were in relatively better shape. They had stepped forward first, opened their Storage Pouches willingly, and handed over their Medicinal Pills, talisman treasures, and Yao Beast corpses without resistance.
Zhou Long and Liu Tian, however… had clearly lost something more.
Some unknown Opportunity perhaps, they had confiscated.
People fear comparison. Thinking of the two of them, Mu Fan couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.
Zhou Long glanced over, clearly about to speak, but Mu Fan cut in first.
"Senior Brother Liu, Junior Brother Zhou… I'm quite curious, what Opportunity did you obtain?"
Liu Tian's expression darkened immediately. His jaw tightened as he shot Mu Fan a cold glare, clearly unwilling to answer.
Zhou Long, on the other hand, laughed it off easily.
"Opportunity? What opportunity? Just too much clutter in the Storage Pouch. Master probably found something dangerous and took it away. That's just Master looking out for us."
Mu Fan stared at him for a moment, then gave a faint nod, admiration flashing in his eyes.
This guy… truly belonged on Extreme Yin Island.
They soon exited the corridor and arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Mu Fan spoke first.
"I'll part ways here. I need to visit the Exotic Treasure Pavilion. After that, I'll likely go into seclusion for three to five years, artifact refining, paying off debts."
Wang Yang responded immediately.
"I'll go with you."
Liu Tian and Zhou Long exchanged a glance before nodding as well.
"We'll head there too."
The four spent about an hour at the Exotic Treasure Pavilion.
Thanks to their new status as Jiang Yi's Formal Disciples, they were granted some leniency, their debts could be repaid slowly.
Mu Fan left with a large batch of Artifact Refining materials.
Liu Tian and Zhou Long departed early at the marketplace, but Wang Yang followed Mu Fan back toward the living quarters.
"Senior Brother Mu…" Wang Yang hesitated slightly, then continued, "this is about the two Yao Beast corpses."
Mu Fan glanced at him and nodded.
"Go on."
"I'd like to ask Senior Brother to refine them. As for compensation, just name your price."
Mu Fan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked calmly,
"Junior Brother… have you thought it through?"
Wang Yang paused.
"We're all in debt right now. Are you certain you want to use those corpses yourself? Not sell them?"
He continued, tone steady but persuasive:
"And even if you do want them refined, it'll take three to five years. By then, my Artifact Refining skills will be better, I'll have more confidence in the result."
Wang Yang fell silent for a moment, clearly weighing the decision. Then he nodded slowly.
"…You're right. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I'll think it over."
The two parted ways.
Mu Fan returned home.
After activating the Formation, he lay down on his bed.
The relationship between the fellow disciples… had changed.
Not that it had ever been good to begin with, but now, after Jiang Yi's inspection and clear differential treatment, the cracks had deepened into fractures.
Mu Fan and Wang Yang had everything returned.
Zhou Long and Liu Tian had not.
And beyond that, the Restrictions were different.
Mu Fan and Wang Yang retained only Divine Sense Restrictions.
Zhou Long and Liu Tian? Both Physical Body and Divine Sense Restrictions remained.
The imbalance was obvious, And intentional.
Mu Fan exhaled slowly.
A simple method… yet brutally effective.
Divide them. Isolate them and control them.
He didn't care much for this so-called brotherhood, but it made one thing clear:
He needed to be even more cautious of Jiang Yi.
His thoughts shifted to the talisman treasure in his Storage Pouch.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Differential treatment… isn't all bad."
"If that talisman treasure had been taken… that would've hurt."
"And having one less Restriction… that brings some peace of mind."
His expression turned slightly more serious.
"As for the remaining Divine Sense Restriction…"
"After cultivating the Spirit Condensing Art, I can already faintly sense it."
"It doesn't interfere with my Cultivation, but it's still a lethal measure. Something that can damage my Divine Sense in a single thought."
He let out a quiet breath.
"A bomb inside my body… and Jiang Yi holds the trigger."
"But once I reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, and deepen my mastery of the Spirit Condensing Art, I should be able to control the damage to some extent."
A faint, dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.
"If the day ever comes… that I need to turn on Master…"
"I won't be completely helpless."
"But neither can I trust those fellow disciples."
⸻———X——————
He closed his eyes briefly, then continued thinking.
"Artifact Refining… can wait."
"I should sleep first."
He lay back and closed his eyes.
But just before sleep took him, one final thought surfaced.
Jiang Yi's attitude toward him.
Yes, there was favor. Maybe a bit of recognition and even protection, to a degree.
But could that be trusted?
Mu Fan didn't believe it.
What if it was all just… another layer of deception?
After all..Among all the disciples…
He had "performed the best" in the Secret Realm.
That alone was dangerous.
So he made his decision: For the next few years..
He would not touch the cold jade gourd.
It would remain disguised as nothing more than an ordinary ornament on his hairpin.
The formation in his courtyard was far too weak, It likely couldn't even hinder Jiang Yi's surveillance.
So he would act as though he had nothing.
He would only use the three bottles of pills he had shown Jiang Yi.
The rest He would save for after reaching Foundation Establishment.
With everything settled, Mu Fan finally allowed himself to relax.
This time He truly fell asleep.
He slept for three full days.
When he woke, he felt completely refreshed.
Stretching lazily, he gathered his materials and headed straight to the Earth Fire Chamber.
Time to refine artifacts.
…
{Idle completed. Obtained 10 points of Qi, 2 points of Physical Body strength, 1 point of Divine Sense strength. Artifact Refining experience increased!}
{Accumulated three years of idle time. Obtained the Magical Artifact: water-fire twin pendants!}
Over half a year passed.
A corner of the Earth Fire Chamber was now piled high with intermediate Magical Artifacts.
Hearing the System notification, Mu Fan felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Three years… always came with a bonus.
But he didn't take out the water-fire twin pendants.
He shut down the Fire Control Formation and sat still, calming his breath.
Then, he focused inward, checking the System interface.
⸻
{ Name: Mu Fan
Aptitude: Gold, Water, Earth (Spiritual Root), Endless Vitality (Physical Body), Re-perception (Divine Sense)
Realm: Qi Gathering Peak ~ Early Foundation Establishment Stage
Identity: Formal Disciple of Extreme Yin Island
Qi: 14890
Physical Body: 1511
Divine Sense: 1610
Cultivation Techniques: Black Fiend Art (Qi Flicking Spell), Spirit Condensing Art, Treasure Sacrificing Art
Techniques: Gold Rock Technique, Qi Concealment Technique, Earth Quake Technique
Magical Artifacts: water-fire twin pendants, bright silver spear, wind-chasing boots…
Ancient treasure: cold jade}
Mu Fan's current state… was unusual.
He was stuck between realms.
Months ago, he could have broken through naturally.
But he didn't dare.
Breaking through without a foundation establishment pill would be too conspicuous.
So instead he suppressed it.
And somehow…It worked.
He forcibly prevented his Qi from liquefying.
His Physical Body was strong enough to contain it.
If the body was a container…
Then Qi was water.
As long as the container grew stronger It could hold more. And Mu Fan had taken it further.
He continuously fused Qi into his Physical Body, slowly strengthening it.
It was incredibly inefficient but was currently what he needed.
Now He existed in a strange balance. Neither Qi Gathering Peak…
Nor fully Foundation Establishment.
He exhaled slowly.
"During this time, I've been pretending to consume the Medicinal Pills."
"Even if Jiang Yi is watching… it all checks out."
"It's only natural I'd reach Qi Gathering Peak… and attempt a breakthrough."
A faint smile appeared.
"It's time."
"To leave seclusion."
"Hand over the artifacts…"
"And buy a few foundation establishment pills."