Chapter 161: A Pleasant Surprise
"I’ll help too, Junior Brother," Song Qiaoqiao said.
Her great-grandfather hoped she would reach Foundation Establishment by the end of the year.
For Junior Brother Fang’s sake, delaying her Foundation Establishment by a month or two was perfectly acceptable.
She would just have to discuss it with her great-grandfather.
’Her great-grandfather would probably agree...’
’As a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, she should be a great help.’
Song Qiaoqiao considered the part she could play and felt it would be no problem.
"Count me in too, Junior Brother Fang," Lu Zefeng added. "I’ll fight for a spot in the Four-Sect Trials."
Lu Zefeng’s words were backed by confidence in his own strength.
Now that he could use his right arm proficiently, his combat power had increased significantly.
With another six or seven months of hard work, he had a real chance.
"Thank you, my dear Senior Brothers and Sister," Fang Yun said with genuine gratitude.
Based on his current understanding of the Four-Sect Trials, they wouldn’t be able to provide him with much substantial help.
In the end, it was mostly up to him.
He had a good chance of breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer before year’s end. Plus, all his Combat Talents were already at three stars.
He had nothing to fear in the Four-Sect Trials.
If necessary, he could even use the Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact he had refined during the trials.
But that scenario was unlikely to arise.
Boosted by his three-star Combat Talents, he was already terrifyingly strong when fighting with Upper Grade Magical Artifacts.
It began at noon and ended at 5:00 PM.
First, the Elders departed one by one, followed by the disciples and Stewards.
Fang Yun was the last to leave, as his master, Xiong Xingfeng, had a few words for him.
"In the days leading up to the Four-Sect Trials, if you need anything, just tell me directly." Xiong Xingfeng didn’t want Fang Yun to hold back out of politeness or embarrassment.
The last time he’d asked for the essence of the Earth Yellow Stone, he’d called it an "impertinent request."
’What’s there to be embarrassed about?’
’I’m your master!’
Xiong Xingfeng kept this thought to himself, but his attitude made his feelings clear.
"Yes, Master," Fang Yun said, nodding repeatedly.
From now on, his master, Xiong Xingfeng, would be an important source for obtaining Spiritual Materials.
Of course, he wouldn’t just freeload off his master forever. In the future, before asking for materials, he would make sure to have the required Spirit Stones ready.
"Master, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now."
"Mm."
After leaving the great hall, Fang Yun found Huang Mengzhu still waiting for him, and the two of them left together.
...
「The fourth day of the fifth month.」
Today, Fang Yun officially turned twenty years old.
There weren’t many twenty-year-old Cultivators with Five Spirit Roots who had already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
Most such Cultivators came from powerful backgrounds.
At the beginning of the month, Fang Yun had drawn for a Combat Talent eight times.
As he had hoped, his Sword Type Talent reached three stars, while his Shoe Talent was just one fragment short.
At the start of next month, he would have to do a single draw for his Combat Talent. After that, his goal was to raise his Life Talent from four stars to five.
After his Sword Type Talent reached three stars, he tested his new limits. He could now precisely control twelve Upper Grade Magical Artifacts at once. When he tried to control a thirteenth, his precision dropped.
Even with the drop in precision, it was still better than an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator could manage. Controlling fourteen at once was a major strain.
He hadn’t started refining the Sword Type Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact yet. According to his plan, he could begin refining the Earth Yellow Sword in three days.
Once that was done, both his attack and defense would be comparable to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s, though his stamina would be somewhat lacking.
He was only at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, after all. Things should improve considerably once he broke through to the Ninth Layer.
A birthday is a day worth celebrating.
This year, Fang Yun planned to invite Song Qiaoqiao to the Smoke Cloud Pavilion with him.
A year ago, Song Qiaoqiao would have most likely refused his invitation, but now, she probably wouldn’t.
Fang Yun left his residence and soon arrived at Song Qiaoqiao’s dwelling.
KNOCK KNOCK—
He knocked twice, and a moment later, the door opened to reveal Song Qiaoqiao.
"Junior Brother Fang."
Song Qiaoqiao didn’t look very surprised to see Fang Yun.
"Do you know what day it is today, Senior Sister?" Fang Yun asked, standing at the doorway without stepping inside. He gave Song Qiaoqiao a quick, subtle glance before looking away.
"It’s your birthday, Junior Brother."
"So you remembered, Senior Sister," Fang Yun said with a happy smile. He immediately followed up with an invitation, "Want to get a meal at the Smoke Cloud Pavilion? Do you have time?"
Song Qiaoqiao thought for a moment.
’It’s an invitation from my Junior Brother. As his Senior Sister, I don’t seem to have any reason to refuse.’
’That seems right, doesn’t it?’
And so, after a moment’s thought, Song Qiaoqiao convinced herself.
"I do."
"That’s great..."
Just then, Fang Yun noticed a stir from his token.
A task he had posted at the Task Hall had been completed.
It was his birthday, so this was a truly unexpected, pleasant surprise.
The completion of the Task Hall quest meant he could refine another Profound Crystal shield.
Gathering materials for post-Foundation Establishment items was much more difficult than for the Qi Refining Stage. Therefore, even though he’d gotten the Spiritual Materials ahead of schedule, he had no plans to refine another single-Spirit-Pattern Profound Crystal shield just yet.
The next Profound Crystal shield would need at least two Spirit Patterns.
He still needed more time to prepare. He would at least wait until he reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer before attempting the refinement, as he would be more confident of achieving his desired result then.
"Let’s go to the Task Hall first," Song Qiaoqiao said. Seeing the activity from the token at Fang Yun’s waist, she knew someone had completed his posted task.
"There’s no rush. I have time to go to the Task Hall tomorrow or the day after."
The Task Hall didn’t rush you to pick things up after a task was completed, unless your deposit of Spirit Stones and Contribution Points was insufficient.
Most people, however, would head to the Task Hall to claim their items as soon as a task was completed.
Before heading to the Smoke Cloud Pavilion on Smoke Cloud Peak, Fang Yun didn’t forget to go get Huang Mengzhu.
If she had nothing else to do today, the little girl would surely be in her house, waiting for his knock.
’Big Brother Fang Yun is here!’
Hearing the knock, Huang Mengzhu knew it was Fang Yun.
It was Big Brother Fang Yun’s birthday, so he would definitely come find her to celebrate.
The door opened only halfway before the little girl called out.
"Big Brother Fang Yun!"
When the door opened completely, she saw not only Fang Yun, but also Song Qiaoqiao.
She froze for a moment when she saw Song Qiaoqiao.
This was a scene she hadn’t expected at all.
She recognized her as Senior Sister Song Qiaoqiao.
She had made a point to remember all the senior brothers and sisters who sat at her table during Big Brother Fang Yun’s master-taking ceremony last month. Senior Sister Song had left the deepest impression because she had been sitting right next to Big Brother Fang Yun.
’It’s Big Brother Fang Yun’s birthday, and he brought Senior Sister Song with him... That’s never happened before.’
An idea quickly popped into Huang Mengzhu’s little head.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, she snapped out of it and immediately greeted Song Qiaoqiao.
"Hello, Sister-in-law!"
"Huh?"
Huang Mengzhu’s reaction completely flustered Song Qiaoqiao.