Immortal of the Nine Realms

Elder Qin seemed somewhat dazed as he reluctantly handed over the twenty peak-grade spirit stones to Fang Chen, then deducted six hundred merit points from Fang Chen’s jade token.

The second-transformation immortal watching the exchange winced in pain. Six hundred merit points could have been used to exchange for a third-transformation immortal herb, yet Fang Chen had used them for twenty spirit stones. However, he didn’t dare say a word of reproach, as Fang Chen was now a core disciple, with a status and position far above anyone else in the room.

After accepting the spirit stones, Fang Chen noticed Elder Qin’s slightly awkward expression. He smiled, cupped his hands, and said, ”Elder Qin, I truly appreciate your concern. However, these peak-grade spirit stones serve a different purpose from what you’re thinking. They are not toys. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Elder Qin paused for a moment, then smiled warmly, the awkwardness vanishing from his face. Whether or not Fang Chen would use these spirit stones for a serious reason didn’t matter anymore. Just the fact that Fang Chen explained his intentions was a breath of fresh air that warmed his heart.

”Old Qin, my immortal herbs, please help me exchange them soon,” said Lin Dong.

Elder Qin, after confirming which herbs Lin Dong wanted, replied, ”Your pills will have to wait. There are two people ahead of you in the queue, so it’ll probably take a few years.”

”Fine, a few years isn’t too long,” said Lin Dong with a smile, nodding.

Elder Qin then deducted his merit points.

”Core Disciple Fang, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave for now,” said Ji Tianjun.

He cupped his hands toward Fang Chen, then excused himself.

Once Ji Tianjun left the Hall of Merits, his expression darkened. Now that Fang Chen had become a core disciple, there was no way to get rid of him. He could only watch as he stayed close to Little Immortal Honglian.

What does the princess know about this? Why does she value this disciple so much? And indeed, he’s already risen to core status in such a short amount of time.

Ji Tianjun walked away quickly, his thoughts churning. Having met Fang Chen today and become somewhat acquainted, things would be easier the next time they met.

Elder Qin and the others had already left the room, leaving it to Lin Dong and Fang Chen to talk privately.

”I never expected it,” said Lin Dong with a sigh, a touch of emotion on his face. ”I’ve been in the Enlightenment God Palace for so many years, and the disciple I casually accepted has become a core disciple.”

Fang Chen smiled in response.

Lin Dong continued, ”When I took you in as my disciple, it was because I saw your good talent. As Elder Qin said, it was an investment. But I didn’t pass on any techniques or skills to you. The master-disciple relationship was just a formality. Now that you’ve become a core disciple, that title as my disciple... doesn’t really hold any weight anymore.”

Fang Chen chuckled and replied, ”Although it’s just a title, it still carries some protection. How could I not value that? The title still stands. If Master doesn’t want it, I’ll naturally follow your wishes.”

Lin Dong’s eyes lit up in understanding. He nodded in approval. ”That’s the right attitude.”

Fang Chen’s expression grew serious. ”Now that I’ve become a core disciple, I plan to recruit members for an expedition team. I wonder if you would be interested?”

Lin Dong’s eyes widened, clearly pleased by the suggestion. ”Of course I’d be happy!”

However, his smile quickly turned bitter. ”But... I still need to wait for that fourth-transformation immortal herb...”

Fang Chen waved off the concern. ”No problem. My expedition team already has a fourth-transformation immortal. In the meantime, you can focus on seclusion and cultivation here on Enlightenment Star. If I need to go out, the Black Dragon Boat will be there for protection.”

Lin Dong was impressed. This kid really does have a core disciple’s aura. In less than a century, he’s already gathered a fourth-transformation immortal and established such a foundation.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Fang Chen excused himself.

Core disciples can recruit external disciples without needing to go through the assessment. That’s convenient, thought Fang Chen as he made his way to Huang Wuji’s secluded cave.

Once inside, with a thought, Fang Chen summoned his three avatars, Fang Tianzun, Fang Xuanyang, and Fang Renjian. Huang Wuji had already been officially registered as an external disciple, so Fang Chen proceeded to handle the necessary formalities for his three avatars to be registered as external disciples as well.

After revealing his status as a core disciple, the process went smoothly. Not long after, the three avatars had been registered with proper identities, and they would no longer encounter any issues moving around the Enlightenment God Palace.

Once that was taken care of, Fang Chen led the four of them to meet with Little Immortal Honglian and the others.

Little Immortal Honglian looked at Fang Tianzun and the others and asked in wonder, ”These three are...?”

She recognized Huang Wuji as Fang Chen’s person, but she didn’t know who the rest were.

”These are the members of my future expedition team,” replied Fang Chen with a smile.

Fang Tianzun and Fang Chen’s three avatars all bowed in unison. ”Greetings, Core Disciple Hong.”

Lin Yuan and the others immediately felt a sense of crisis. They silently resolved to advance to the first transformation as soon as possible. Otherwise, in the Nine Realms Expedition Team, they would certainly become a burden with their current cultivation.

Back at Little Immortal Honglian’s Dao Domain, Fang Chen instructed Fang Tianzun to begin refining the peak-grade spirit stones.

Without the Three Thousand Dao Realm, the time required to refine the spirit stones had become noticeably longer. It seemed that Fang Tianzun would not be able to leave this place for quite some time.

Fang Chen silently watched Fang Tianzun refine the peak-grade spirit stones. The Enlightenment God Palace is the top power in the Fangcun Realm. Even so, of the peak-grade spirit stones they’ve collected, only twenty kinds are truly useful.... The ninety-nine kinds of ancient spiritual energy required for the Heavenly Sovereign Chapter will likely take an extremely long time to gather...

If it weren’t for his promotion to core disciple, finding the ninety-nine types of ancient spiritual energy would likely take even longer. But the effort was worthwhile. After all, the limit of the Great Heavenly Sovereign Chapter could very likely be the ninth transformation. And in an era where each path could only have one nine-transformation immortal, Fang Tianzun could be said to have transcended the entire system. If he truly could achieve the ninth transformation, any amount of time spent would be worth it.

With this thought, Fang Chen’s gaze fell upon the robust figure of Fang Xuanyang. He was only one secret herb away from completing the fourth level of Profound Yang Body, which would allow him to reach the grand completion stage. However, his ceiling would likely be very low. He’d probably only reach the second transformation, perhaps the third transformation, at most.

Then, Fang Chen’s eyes shifted to the calm and composed Fang Renjian. This one was slightly different. He was formed from the condensed essence of his immortal intent—Mortal World. Having gone through countless cycles in the Forgotten River before finally taking shape, his potential would surely be higher than Fang Xuanyang’s. In fact, even Fang Tianzun, Fang Wushi, and Fang Yangguang could not compare to Fang Renjian’s innate potential.

”If I had used Mortal World during my fight with Senior Sister, who was suppressing her cultivation, I could have ended the fight before it even started,” murmured Fang Chen to himself as he turned and left the room.

***

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Fang Chen received some feedback from his various avatars. Though their cultivation hadn’t improved much, the accumulated energy from all of them had caused a noticeable increase in Fang Chen’s immortal essence.

One day, the Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign arrived once more. He led Fang Chen to the Enlightenment God Palace, where they met with Senior Sister and Elder Chen Yuan.

”This is your Black Dragon Boat,” said Elder Chen, handing a miniaturized version of the Black Dragon Boat to Fang Chen. ”Use the Formation Heart to refine it. From now on, it will belong solely to you, unless you perish.”

”Thank you,” said Fang Chen as he took the Black Dragon Boat.

With a thought, Fang Chen’s blood began to stir. A thread of green light formed into a Formation Heart, which he then infused into the Black Dragon Boat. The process was smooth, and the boat began to resonate with his essence.