By the time Zhang Yumeng was ready to leave the Mansion, she felt she was running away from her biggest embarrassment.
Chen Fan gave them a tour of the entire mansion on the mountain top. If this mansion was owned by anyone else other than Chen Fan, Zhang Yumeng would snap a shot every step she took and post them on social media as her bragging rights.
However, she didn’t feel that she had the rights to brag about anything, far from it. Her face flushed red as if someone had been slapping her face constantly.
Auntie Tang and Xu Rongfei were the only two who genuinely enjoyed the tour. Auntie Tang even wanted to stay in the house for a night; however, she was dragged away by her husband.
No one spoke a word as they descended the mountain.
The pride inside of Li Yichen was replaced with shame and regret. He bemoaned his failure of not recognizing the owner of the most luxurious house while he pretended to be well versed in the power dynamics of the city.
After a while, Zhang Yumeng finally broke the silence.
“Could it be that Wei Ziqin had rented the place to him temporarily? He knew Wei Ziqin very well after all.
“Perhaps Chen Fan was one of his personal bodyguards.”
As Zhang Yumeng went on, her explanations became increasingly inconceivable.
Except for her boyfriend Yang Chao, no one paid attention to her, much less agreed with her.
Who would rent out the entire mansion that was worth over a hundred million? Even if she did rent it to him, it only proved that the relationship between the two was truly special.
If Chen Fan married Wei Ziqin, his status would be more prestigious than anyone here. After all, he would have married a princess from one of the most powerful families of China, not just the daughter of a commoner.
The thought of the intimacy between Chen Fan and Wei Ziqin pleased Auntie Tang. She knew she had been right about Chen Fan’s exceptional quality.
So thinking, she gave Jiang Churan an accusatory glare.
Her daughter had kept the key with her for three months, but not once did she try to use it. If she had been smarter, there would not be so much misunderstanding tonight.
Meanwhile, Jiang Churan had no time to care about her mother’s glare. Of all the people present, she alone had to endure the complex and self-contradicting emotions rising inside of her.
Emotions such as doubt, hatred, despair, delight, and remorse clashed with each other in her heart.
She was surprised that Chen Fan was able to follow through with his promise and offered the mansion to her mother in three months. However, she was confused as to how he managed to achieve that. Could it be that he really was Master Chen?
Impossible!
As for the feeling of hatred, she hated Chen Fan for hiding his real identity from her.
“If you had insisted on me checking the mansion, I would definitely do it. However, you didn’t even seem to care if I found it out or not when you handed over the key to me.”
So thinking, regret and remorse crept onto her face.
She glanced at Li Yichen surreptitiously.
He was exceptionally promising in all aspects and had gained both her and her father’s approval. If he continued to woo her and impress her, it would only be a matter of time before they started officially dating each other. However, as fate would have it, Chen Fan’s turning up had thrown a wrench in gear.
“He always put on that hoity-toity face and seemed to think he is better than everyone else. Plus, what’s up with the ghosting for days on end? Let it be his appearance or family background; he simply couldn’t compare with Li Yichen. And now this?
“I thought I had forgotten about him after three months; however, as soon as he came back, I immediately lost the peace of mind.”
The girl’s mind raced as she struggled to internalize what had happened.
Strictly speaking, Jiang Churan was a reasonable and pragmatic person.
Reason made her choose Li Yichen in her last life, however, this time, a voice called out to her from deep down, telling her that she would regret it if she passed up on Chen Fan again.
As for the rest of the crowd, no one was happier than Xu Rongfei. By then, she was convinced that her dad had told her the truth, that Chen Fan was not an ordinary person.
After everyone had left the mansion, Chen Fan started to cast the Spirit Channeling Array.
Before he dove into his work, he had dismissed Antie Liu and told her to take a vacation for a few months.
“Here are all the Yin Crystals I brought back from the Yin Dragon Pond.”
In front of Chen Fan was a large black suitcase. It was filled to the brim with black rocks. These ordinary looking rocks were surrounded by a white mist and were cold to the touch. Holding one was like holding a block of ice in the middle of winter.
“Yin Crystals are one of the most abundant forms of Spirit Stones. It not only can be used to cast Mist Array but can also be used as a substitute for water element stones. It is a perfect foundation material for the Spirit Channeling Array.”
Chen Fan thought to himself.
He then initiated the Misty Mountain Array he had previously created. Having experienced the same array in action in the Yin Dragon Pond, he noticed how weak the array was here in the mansion. In the valley, the Yin Qi was so abundant that they formed a mist naturally. If he was not worried about the harm Yin and Malic Qi could have done to his physical body, he wouldn’t leave the valley until he had reached the Ethereal Enlightenment Level.
“The Void Mortal Refinement Art claimed to be able to reshape any form of energy; however, that was far from the reality.”
Chen Fan shook his head.
However powerful it claimed to be, the art was used for Foundation Establishment. Despite the fact that it would allow the cultivator to absorb all forms of Qi such as Yin Qi, Fiend Qi, and Malice Qi, it was not necessarily safe to do so. The only absolutely safe form of energy in the universe was the Spirit Qi.
“Part of the reason that The Sect of the Grand Dao could not reach their full potential had much to do with the impurity of their energy. It’s easier said than done to absorb all forms of energy without consequences.”
With that in mind, Chen Fan started to work on the Spirit Channeling Array.
Since he had already done most of the heavy lifting work when he cast the array for the first time, the process was much quicker and easier this time around.
He embedded Yin Crystals into each and every one of the deep sea rocks that were previously covered with inscriptions. Once Chen Fan channel the energy out from the Yin Crystals into the symbols that covered the rock, the new array was completed.
As soon as Chen Fan initiated the Spirit Channeling Array once again, a wave of Spirit Qi—ten times stronger than that of the original array rushed into the mansion.
“Vzzzz!”
Suddenly, the effect of the Spirit Gathering Array was cranked up to the maximum as the five formation disk rose into the air, emitting a milky white glow. The light soon grew brighter and surrounded the entire mansion.
Inside the mansion, countless twisty strands of white mist started to form in the air.
The white mist quickly grew in size, and in a blink, they had grown to the size of clouds, turning the mansion into a sky-palace of immortals.
With every breath Chen Fan took, he drew in a large amount of pure Spirit Qi into his system. The effect was palpable as every muscle and bone in his body cheered for the refreshing wave of energy.
Slowly but surely, Chen Fan’s body had been shedding; it’s worldly qualities and turning more and more into a spiritual existence. Therefore, being surrounded by Spirit Qi after living in a materialistic world for so long made him feel like a beached fish that swam in the ocean.
“That is why all the cultivators hated the mortal world. In their mind, the mortal world was as harsh and barren as a desert.”
Chen Fan shook his head.
Even in the deep space, cultivators try their best to keep as far away from visitors of the mortal world as possible. If the humans were water, then the cultivators were oil; not only oil doesn’t mix with water, but it was also always above the water.
The very nature of cultivation was to shed the worldly burden in order to ascend to a higher level of existence.
Chen Fan closed his eyes and started to cultivate.
When Chen Fan opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.
He opened his eyes because he had sensed a group of visitors at the door. It was Third Lord of Wei, Zhou Tianhao and their friends.
Chen Fan shook his head and then cast a spell to open up the door.
“Come in.”
Third Lord of Wei was startled by the self-opening door, and voice in his mind had rendered him speechless.
Zhou Tianhao asked under his breath.
“Lord Wie, did you hear a voice?”
“You heard it too? Same here! It was a familiar voice. Damn, why do we hear the same thing in our minds?” Lord Wei asked incredulously.
Everyone looked at each other, and none dared to enter.
Third Lord of Wei had gotten the message from Auntie Liu about Chen Fan’s return. They had rushed pay tribute to Master Chen; however, the uncanny development at the entrance made them think better of their visit.
“It’s me.
“Stop wasting my time; come to the third floor.”
Chen Fan’s voice came up again in their mind.
“It… Is it Master Chen?” A’Biao swallowed hard and asked in disbelief.
“Master Chen had reached such high attainment that he is able to speak to us through our minds? That’s unheard of, only the Buddha and the Bodhisattva can do that!” Third Lord of Wei exclaimed.
After a few cautious moments, the visitors finally decided to brave the inside of the mansion.
As soon as they enter the house, they felt they had walked into a steamy bathtub. The warmth inside the house expelled their hunger and exhaustion after the long hike on the mountain.
“Master Chen’s spell array is so much more powerful than my Dharma Artifact.” The third lord said enviously.
On the other hand, Zhou Tianhao and the other guests felt envious of the Third Lord; at least the third lord had an artifact, they had nothing.
“Balls! I can stay here for a hundred years.” A’Biao exclaimed. Even the old wounds inside his body started to heal under the effect of the Array.
The group filed to the third floor, and they saw Chen Fan sitting cross-legged on the balcony, facing the sprawling landscape of the Chu Zhou City. His head blotted the sun at just the right angle to create a halo around his serene face. Chen Fan looked sublime.
“Master Chen!” Everyone bowed to him deeply with as much respect as they could muster.