Chapter 158: Inviting Everyone
"Yes, Master." Fang Yun nodded.
The ceremony was on the twenty-first of the month, just five days away.
The location for his master-disciple ceremony was clear—it would naturally be on the Artifact Casting Peak.
Xiong Xingfeng planned to hold a grand ceremony, and many Elders would surely be in attendance.
These attending Elders would, to varying degrees, likely have a good relationship with Xiong Xingfeng.
As the Management Elder of the Artifact Casting Peak and the Celestial Cloud Sect’s best Artifact Refiner, quite a few Elders had likely asked him to refine Spiritual Artifacts for them.
"The time is set for noon. I’ve done the calculations, and noon is the most auspicious time on that day."
Since he was taking on a disciple, it was only natural for Xiong Xingfeng to choose an auspicious date and time.
"I will follow your arrangements, Master."
Fang Yun naturally had no objections to this.
He just had to wait for the arrangements to be made.
"Very good."
Now that the time for the ceremony was set, Xiong Xingfeng took out a pale yellow crystal in front of Fang Yun.
The energy within the crystal was exceptionally pure, and it gave off a sharp sensation.
"This is the Middle-grade Earth Yellow Stone Essence you wanted. I managed to get twelve pounds for you." As he spoke, Xiong Xingfeng used his Spiritual Power to make the crystal float in front of Fang Yun. "It’s all yours."
"Thank you, Master!"
Fang Yun’s heart leaped with joy at the sight, and he immediately expressed his thanks.
He had asked for ten pounds of Middle-grade Earth Yellow Stone Essence, but his master, Xiong Xingfeng, had gotten him an extra two.
This was undoubtedly a good thing for Fang Yun.
With his recent improvement in Artifact Refining, he now planned to use eleven pounds of this essence for his next project, instead of the ten he had originally intended.
He had also gathered most of the supplementary materials he needed for the refining process.
This was true for both the Profound Crystal Shield he had refined previously...
...and the Earth Yellow Sword he planned to refine next. Both were very conventional Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
With his current Artifact Refining skill and his low Realm holding him back, he had to suppress any more ambitious ideas, no matter how many he had.
Fang Yun planned to refine the Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Earth Yellow Sword, early next month.
By the beginning of next month, his Sword Type talent should reach three stars.
As for this month, he still had many things to do.
For example, the ceremony in five days.
Xiong Xingfeng had told him to invite some disciples he was on good terms with, and he couldn’t possibly show up at the Artifact Casting Peak all alone.
Fang Yun had already decided who he was going to invite.
The only prerequisite was that they were available.
He also had to find time to go and see them in person.
Fortunately, he was fast enough now. As long as he didn’t chat for too long when he met them, it wouldn’t take up too much of his time.
After putting away the Middle-grade Earth Yellow Stone Essence, Fang Yun’s conversation with his master, Xiong Xingfeng, was almost entirely about matters related to Artifact Refining.
「In the blink of an eye.」
The day of Fang Yun’s master-disciple ceremony arrived.
In the Inner Sect A Zone, four people were walking with Fang Yun.
They were Song Qiaoqiao, Yao Shuixiao, Wang Yourong, and Jiang Yan.
In terms of their relationship with him, Jiang Yan and especially Yao Shuixiao weren’t quite close enough to be on his invitation list.
However, one was connected to Wang Yourong and Wu Junxin, and the other to Wu Junxin and Song Qiaoqiao.
With those connections, Fang Yun felt they were worth inviting after all.
The Inner Sect A Zone was undoubtedly the most convenient place for him to find people.
Over the past five days, he was bound to find them at their residences at some point.
Song Qiaoqiao was the easiest one to find; he had invited her right after returning from the Artifact Casting Peak five days ago.
"Junior Brother Fang, oh, Junior Brother Fang... You could have focused on Alchemy, but you just had to run off and pursue Artifact Refining!" Jiang Yan lamented.
Jiang Yan had been very surprised to learn that the master Fang Yun was taking was not one of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Elders of Alchemy, but an Artifact Refining Elder.
Given Fang Yun’s Alchemy Talent, he felt that if Fang Yun were to take a master, it should be in Alchemy.
"Junior Brother Fang’s talent for Artifact Refining isn’t bad," Wang Yourong chimed in, defending Fang Yun.
She knew far more about Fang Yun’s talent for Artifact Refining than Jiang Yan did.
"But compared to his Alchemy Talent?" Jiang Yan shifted his attention to Wang Yourong.
"Compared to his Alchemy Talent... it’s still a bit lacking."
Wang Yourong ultimately chose to tell the truth, though she had initially wanted to say more in Fang Yun’s defense.
"His Alchemy Talent is better, yet he’s apprenticing himself to an Artifact Refining Elder. What a waste," Jiang Yan said, once again feeling it was a pity.
He had been hoping to work with Fang Yun to research new pills in the future.
’With Fang Yun’s talent in Alchemy, I thought he was bound to end up on the same path as me. But now that he’s taken an Artifact Refining Elder as his master, his focus will probably shift to Artifact Refining. He won’t have time to discuss and research with me anymore.’
"There’s nothing wrong with his choice of master," Song Qiaoqiao spoke up at that moment. "He has already successfully refined a Spiritual Artifact."
She and Fang Yun had spoken in depth about many aspects of alchemy, so she was well aware of his Alchemy Talent.
But after learning that Fang Yun had already refined a Spiritual Artifact, her conviction about the comparison between his two talents was shaken.
The question didn’t trouble her for long. In her eyes, the more outstanding both of his talents were, the better.
"What?! Junior Brother Fang... you’ve already refined a Spiritual Artifact...?"
"That’s right." Since Song Qiaoqiao had brought it up, Fang Yun admitted it directly.
"You refined a Spiritual Artifact while only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining!"
Wang Yourong and Jiang Yan didn’t know much about Artifact Refining, but they were keenly aware of the difference between a Spiritual Artifact and a Magical Artifact.
Fang Yun had refined a true Spiritual Artifact, not a Half-Spiritual Artifact like a peak-grade Magical Artifact.
When the topic first came up, Yao Shuixiao had wanted to say something.
In her opinion, Fang Yun’s talent for Artifact Refining far surpassed his Alchemy Talent.
But she held her tongue, realizing she didn’t know Fang Yun all that well.
The information Song Qiaoqiao just revealed only strengthened Yao Shuixiao’s conviction.
"Now I understand why Junior Brother Fang is apprenticing himself to Elder Xiong," Wang Yourong finally said.
She completely understood now.
She knew that Fang Yun had yet to refine pills usable by Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Therefore, as things stood, his achievements in Artifact Refining were clearly superior.
The five of them chatted as they walked.
About a third of the way there, the group picked up their pace.
When they reached the foot of the Artifact Casting Peak, they saw Bai Qinying descending from the sky in the distance.
Still in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, Bai Qinying’s flying speed wasn’t very fast yet.
Fang Yun had also personally visited and invited Bai Qinying. After reaching Foundation Establishment, she no longer lived in the Inner Sect A Zone.
As an Elder of the Celestial Cloud Sect, she was entitled to her own immortal’s cave.
Within the Celestial Cloud Sect, besides the five major peaks, many other mountains were suitable for establishing such residences, and the Elders’ dwellings were scattered among them.
The last time Bai Qinying had come to see Fang Yun, she had told him the location of her new residence.
Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have known where to find her to extend the invitation.