Chapter 731: Chapter 731
Ding Fan swallowed the Pill and, with a brief circulation of his Cultivation Technique, six-tenths of his True Qi were restored. Only then did Ding Fan rise from the ground.
The members of the Songshan Sect had come to invite him to meet with an elder of Mount Song. Naturally, Ding Fan intended to go.
Since Ding Fan still had some questions he wanted to ask Ruan Yuan, he decided to bring Ruan Yuan along to meet the elder from Mount Song. Ruan Yuan was more than willing to accompany.
By now, Ruan Yuan held Ding Fan in high regard.
Having snatched Heaven and Earth Treasures from so many powerful individuals, then capturing a Heavenly Level third grade person to serve as his enforcer, and later wielding Sword Control and Thunder Command to slay his adversaries...
One must know that the feats Ding Fan accomplished were things that even someone from the Immortal Realm like Ruan Yuan could not achieve...
Members of Songshan Sect led the way, their figures swift, darting back and forth through the forest at great speed.
Ding Fan and Ruan Yuan could have easily left the few from the Jiangfeng Songshan Sect far behind, but as they needed them to lead the way, they followed closely behind on this journey.
After circumventing a hill, the people of the Songshan Sect led Ding Fan and his company to a campsite.
Within the campsite were seven or eight tents, and many disciples were guarding the perimeter.
"Is it the noble young master...? Please, this way..." An early arrival had already been waiting to greet them inside the camp, and upon seeing Ding Fan approach, he hurriedly welcomed him.
Ding Fan and Ruan Yuan were led by the disciple of the Songshan Sect to the outside of a spacious tent.
Once they reached the tent, the disciple went inside to announce their arrival, and Ding Fan waited with Ruan Yuan outside. After all, they were on another's turf, and some courtesies still had to be observed.
Shortly after the disciple had gone in, the elder from Mount Song personally came out to greet them.
"Young friend... a few days ago, I was indebted to you for your timely assistance. I had no chance to express my gratitude that day, so today this old man personally thanks you for your life-saving grace," the elder said, then performed the Martial Artist salute to Ding Fan.
The elder's seniority far surpassed Ding Fan's; thus, as the elder from Mount Song gave the Martial Artist salute to Ding Fan, anyone witnessing it would surely die of envy, for it was the highest form of courtesy.
"Senior flatters me. At that time, I was merely passing by and acted on impulse," Ding Fan modestly responded, returning the Martial Artist salute.
On that day, Hua Zhimo sought to extract the elder's Cultivation Technique. Ding Fan already had enmity with Hua Zhimo, and a confrontation seemed inevitable.
If Hua Zhimo had succeeded in siphoning off the elder's Cultivation Technique, then upon meeting Hua Zhimo again, the only option left for Ding Fan would have been death.
Therefore, by saving the elder from Mount Song, it could be said that Ding Fan had also saved himself.
"You are too modest, young friend. Please, come inside..." the elder from Mount Song insisted, full of amiability as he beckoned Ding Fan inside.
Ding Fan and Ruan Yuan were then invited into the tent.
Ruan Yuan merely followed at Ding Fan's side.
Ding Fan now found this elder from Mount Song increasingly intriguing. Back in the Immortal Realm, he had heard of him; the elder had lived for two hundred years and had narrowly missed being selected as a disciple for the Immortal Sect.
Due to an unfortunate twist of fate, he wasn't chosen, but in the Mortal Realm, the elder was quite popular, and now he had reached an advanced age of over two hundred.
Ruan Yuan never expected Ding Fan to be the lifesaver of such an influential figure.
"May I know who this friend is? Perhaps you'd like to do the introductions," the elder from Mount Song asked Ding Fan, looking at Ruan Yuan after everyone was settled inside the tent.
Ruan Yuan didn't wait for Ding Fan to introduce him; he took the initiative to say, "Ruan Yuan, at your service."
Seeing Ruan Yuan's concise introduction without mentioning his lineage or background, just his name, the elder kept his questions to himself.
After all, the one he primarily wished to speak with today was Ding Fan.
Meanwhile, the disciples had already brought out some fine aromatic tea.
Over tea, the elder from Mount Song spoke words of thanks. He expressed gratitude to Ding Fan for saving his life, stating that without Ding Fan, there would be no more Songshan Sect in the cloud...
With pleasantries out of the way, the elder from Mount Song and Ding Fan casually chatted about a wide range of subjects—astronomy, Cultivation Techniques, calligraphy, tea ceremony...
Ding Fan spoke eloquently, offering oblique comments and sharing his opinions based on his own understanding...
Listenting to Ding Fan's profound discussions, the elder grew even more admiring. Despite Ding Fan's youth, his ideas were mature, and his arguments quite original.
The elder was known as a living fossil of Ancient Martial Arts. For someone as exceptional as Ding Fan, he had not seen another in over two hundred years.
Unflustered and calm, an extraordinary conversationalist with profound cultivation...
The elder had never imagined that a person could embody so many virtues in one.
"Young friend, the reason I invited you here is that there is another matter I wish to discuss with you," the elder said. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Please speak, senior."
The elder continued, "Have you ever heard of the Stone of Redemption in Longxi..."
The Stone of Redemption in Longxi?
Ding Fan nodded. At the time when Ding Fan attended Brother Long's auction, he had indeed visited that trial stele, but his name did not remain on the trial stele then.
In fact, up to now, Ding Fan still had not realized that his name was not missing from it, it was just that an extra Stone of Redemption had appeared on the trial stele. Within the text of the Stone of Redemption, there lay Ding Fan's name.
"Junior, how much do you know about the Trial Stele in Longxi?" the elder of Mount Song asked.
Ding Fan did indeed remember that, once upon a time, Wu Die from the Longxi Auction House came looking for him, and the president of the auction itself had come forward too, saying at the time that the Trial Stele held secrets about the Immortal Realm.
Immortals would come to the Mortal Realm every few years to select disciples.
"Regarding the matter of the Trial Stele, I've heard some things." Ding Fan then recounted what he knew about the Trial Stele.
Seeing the two discuss matters of the Immortal Realm, Ruan Yuan quietly listened by the side.
The elder of Mount Song then spoke, "I must not conceal that I almost entered the Immortal Realm back then..."
Ding Fan didn't expect that this elder of Mount Song had such an experience. He remembered the auction's president mentioning that those favored by immortals not only needed to be young but also possess high cultivation. It seemed that the elder of Mount Song was very formidable back then...
"Young friend, at your young age, your cultivation is already so profound. I think your chances of entering the Immortal Realm are very good, and this opportunity should not be missed," said the elder of Mount Song.
"Opportunity?" Ding Fan smiled as he looked at the elder of Mount Song.
The elder hurriedly explained. "It's when people from the Immortal Realm come to select disciples... Actually, junior, I know how to contact figures from the Immortal Sect. When the Immortal Realm selects disciples, there will be members of the Immortal Sect coming to the Mortal Realm to assess candidates...
"If you wish to enter the Immortal Sect and yet have no connections, I can help make introductions if you need it."
"Help make introductions?" Ruan Yuan laughed from the side. "I wonder exactly how you plan to connect the threads and build bridges?"
The elder of Mount Song laughed. If anyone else had asked this, he would not have answered, but Ruan Yuan came with Ding Fan.
Since he was a friend of Ding Fan, the elder showed Ruan Yuan a bit more respect.
"I'm aware of an array where I can use a Jade Slip to connect with the Immortal Realm. I can recommend the junior and arrange for people from the Immortal Realm to come and assess..." the elder of Mount Song kindly said. "Ding Fan, my young friend, are you interested?"
It was at this point that the elder looked toward Ding Fan.
If others knew of the elder's way to contact the Immortal Realm, they would definitely beg for his aid. But at this moment, Ding Fan clearly appeared less interested.
The elder was taken aback. "Could it be, young friend Ding Fan, that you have any reservations?"
"There are no reservations on Ding Fan's part, just that your method seems too bothersome," Ruan Yuan said indifferently.
The elder was startled, then his brows furrowed deeply. "The Immortal Realm is an eminent existence. Being able to communicate with it is already quite remarkable, how could one say it's bothersome..."
"I have a faster way of communicating..." Ruan Yuan said from the side.
The elder slightly smiled at this.
Looking at Ruan Yuan, who appeared to be about the same age as Ding Fan and not yet fully mature, the elder didn't believe that Ruan Yuan truly had a means to contact someone from the Immortal Realm.
"Young friend Ding Fan, it seems your friend likes to boast..."
Ding Fan, however, just politely smiled in response. He was aware of Ruan Yuan's background—Ruan Yuan was an individual from the Immortal Realm. When it came to methods of communication, who else here could have a better way than Ruan Yuan?
"Boast?" Ruan Yuan gave a faint smile, then took out an Immortal Talisman from his side and directly tossed it to the elder of Mount Song.
"You've also taken part in the assessments before, you must have seen this before, right?" Ruan Yuan addressed the elder.
Upon receiving the Immortal Talisman, the elder's face stiffened immediately, and his eyes widened with shock...
Ruan Yuan gestured, and the Immortal Talisman returned to his hand.
"You... you are a person from the Immortal Realm, an immortal..." The elder spoke incredulously.
Ruan Yuan nodded. "Indeed, I am from the Immortal Realm..."
At this moment, the elder held Ding Fan in utmost admiration; it was exceedingly rare for them to even see an immortal on any given day.
Yet here was an immortal who seemed just like an attendant to Ding Fan, following him with no urgency...
If the elder had not witnessed it with his own eyes, how could he ever believe that an immortal from the Immortal Realm would so closely shadow Ding Fan...
"My apologies, immortal... for any previous offense, please forgive me..." At this point, the elder hastily stood up again and saluted Ruan Yuan in the manner of a martial artist.
To the martial artists, immortals were beings of tremendous awe. Even the elder would not dare to provoke such deities lightly—a single bout of their anger could shatter mountains and split seas...
Originally, he had intended to introduce Ding Fan to the Immortal Realm as a way to thank him for a life-saving grace. But who would have thought that he didn't need to make any introduction, as Ding Fan already had a deity from the Immortal Realm by his side.
With a deity from the Immortal Realm at his side coupled with Ding Fan's own cultivation, it would only take minutes for him to enter the Immortal Realm whenever he wished.
Now, knowing Ruan Yuan's identity, the elder found it difficult to speak candidly in the following conversation.
After talking about some unrelated matters, Ding Fan took his leave.
The elder wanted to offer Ding Fan some Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude. However, Ding Fan insisted on not accepting them.
Ding Fan was not lacking in cultivation resources; leaving behind a favor was also not a bad thing...