Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1687 - 1724: Heart Knot
Ding Fan did not immediately disclose the matter of obtaining the village chief’s inheritance from the Sword Washing Pool. After some contemplation, Ding Fan decided to keep it a secret for now. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Long Ren, but the village chief’s inheritance was not an ordinary existence. That seemingly low-level "Basic Martial Arts" contained a vast array of martial arts.
Moreover, any single one of these martial arts was exceptionally powerful, clearly something that an average cultivator couldn’t handle. Additionally, during his over twenty days in the Sword Washing Pool, Ding Fan hadn’t managed to completely train in all the martial arts in that "Basic Martial Arts" book.
The "Basic Martial Arts," after all, comprised the lifetime study of the village chief, who was possibly an existence that could live for a thousand years. Such a lifetime of martial arts is not something Ding Fan could master in a day or two.
Ding Fan realized that within his lifetime, he might not even be able to train in all the village chief’s martial arts. Therefore, he could only choose some that were particularly suitable for himself and beneficial to him. However, the martial arts contained within were numerous, and Ding Fan believed that any of those martial arts, if taken out at random, would be exceedingly rare and precious in the Cultivation World.
Hence, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Ding Fan decided not to inform Long Ren for the time being. But if Long Ren really insisted on knowing, Ding Fan wouldn’t mind telling him, as Ding Fan trusted Long Ren very much, and believed that if he confided in Long Ren, Long Ren would definitely keep it a secret for him.
Ding Fan understood that the reason he could obtain the village chief’s inheritance was that he had a certain fate with the village chief. Moreover, the village chief had mentioned in his will that his martial arts were meant for a fated person to acquire, so Ding Fan chose to believe in destiny this time.
"Although I chose my martial arts last, this ’Basic Martial Arts’ isn’t bad. If you’re interested, brother, feel free to take it."
"How could I, big brother? Since this is your opportunity, how could I take it? You’re overthinking it."
In a bit of a panic, Long Ren worried that his big brother might misunderstand him, and hurriedly explained while refusing.
Long Ren understood that it was necessary to report to his sect when a disciple of the Thirty-Six Caves obtained an opportunity, but he would never take the martial arts that those disciples had painstakingly acquired for himself. Moreover, Ding Fan was his big brother, not even a disciple of his sect, giving him even less reason to take the martial arts acquired by him.
Also, Long Ren couldn’t help but feel grateful to his big brother at this moment; how could he even think of taking his big brother’s martial arts? Therefore, Ding Fan’s words made Long Ren feel a bit embarrassed and worried about being misunderstood.
Hearing Long Ren’s words, Ding Fan understood his intentions and said:
"I know, don’t worry. But there’s no need to be so formal between us brothers. Just ask if you ever need it."
"Yes, big brother, I understand. Thank you, big brother."
With some embarrassment, Long Ren said, although his curiosity about Ding Fan’s martial arts was real, he knew very well that no matter how curious he was, he shouldn’t take what wasn’t his. Besides, he knew that his big brother’s martial arts were chosen last by two disciples, so the name alone dampened his interest in them. However, his gratitude towards his big brother only grew stronger.
Long Ren never expected that his big brother not only protected the disciples of the sect but also encountered opportunities within the Xuantian Secret Realm, ultimately forgoing the best opportunities. This left Long Ren at a loss for words to express his gratitude toward Ding Fan. He felt that no words of thanks could adequately convey his appreciation ...
In the subsequent time, Long Ren listened as Ding Fan recounted their encounter with the True Dragon, making him so nervous that he couldn’t help but feel tense. He understood very well the power of that True Dragon. It was not just his big brother and those two disciples; even he or most elders or the sect master would not be a match for that True Dragon.
One must understand that such a creature is not an ordinary existence; its power likely exceeded that of an average Grade Nine Yuan Beast. Long Ren, eager to know how his big brother eventually managed to escape with his two disciples, felt his curiosity piqued as Ding Fan narrated the events, causing him to break a sweat at their predicament.
"This time, luck was certainly on our side coming out, as that kind of guy is something I can’t handle..."
Ding Fan couldn’t help but speak with lingering fear in his heart.
Long Ren, upon hearing his big brother’s words, reflected with mixed emotions:
"The virtuous are certainly blessed by heaven, and luck is unavoidable, but your power and merits are indisputable. Those two disciples are indeed incredibly fortunate to have met you in the Xuantian Secret Realm."
Ding Fan shook his head helplessly. He knew that dealing with that True Dragon, Guo Linn, and Ah Du played their roles too. After all, if wasn’t for Ah Du’s last-minute idea to use the Yuan Beast to delay the True Dragon’s attack, he might not have been able to hold out for long at that time.
Ding Fan narrated everything, while Long Ren’s satisfaction with the performance of these two disciples grew.
Long Ren felt rather content with Guo Linn and Ah Du. It made him think of those disciples who didn’t return from the Xuantian Secret Realm, causing his heart to ache. Those disciples weren’t just future pillars of the Thirty-Six Caves but lives in their own right. Had Long Ren known of the Xuantian Secret Realm’s dangers, he would never have allowed those disciples to enter, no matter how promising the opportunities seemed.
But what good is an opportunity if you can’t return alive...
Seeing Long Ren’s somber emotion, Ding Fan realized he was thinking about those disciples again and said to Long Ren:
"Don’t be upset, brother. It’s not your fault, and you’ve tried your best. Who would have known the Xuantian Secret Realm would be so dangerous?"
"But I still bear some responsibility..."
Long Ren, deeply regretting, said. He knew that he should have personally conducted thorough exploration of the Xuantian Secret Realm before these disciples entered. Otherwise, such events wouldn’t have occurred now, and he felt deeply remorseful.
Ding Fan always had some doubts about this Xuantian Secret Realm incident, so he couldn’t help but ask Long Ren:
"Brother, what exactly happened with the Xuantian Secret Realm this time? Why is it so dangerous? I previously heard that it was caused by secret realm fluctuations?"
Long Ren, feeling somewhat sad, said to Ding Fan:
"Indeed, it is as you heard. When these disciples and you entered the Xuantian Secret Realm, little did we expect the fluctuations of the secret realm. Even when you just entered the secret realm passage, I was already receiving reports that many disciples had died in the transmission passage. It’s truly their luck that you encountered those two disciples."
Long Ren paused for a moment and continued:
"Although these secret realm fluctuations are unpredictable, had I conducted meticulous exploration, I might have discovered it. Then this wouldn’t have happened. As the Lake Master, I bear responsibility for this."
Upon hearing Long Ren’s words, Ding Fan understood somewhat. He knew that this matter couldn’t entirely be blamed on Long Ren. After all, even those in the Transcendance Tribulation Stage might not have judged so accurately; it was fundamentally an accident.
Unable to help, Ding Fan comforted Long Ren:
"Don’t be upset, brother; the blame can’t rest solely on you. Who could precisely predict such matters? Luckily, some disciples managed to make it out, so it’s not the worst-case scenario. Furthermore, everyone from the Thirty-Six Caves won’t blame you; they understand you well, and I can see that."
Long Ren slightly tilted his head, exhaled deeply, and said with a sigh, "I know everyone won’t blame me, but the loss to the Thirty-Six Caves is tremendous..."
"I believe with you there, the Thirty-Six Caves will surely nurture even more outstanding disciples!" Ding Fan said to Long Ren with confidence in his gaze.
Long Ren forced a slightly stiff smile, looking at his brother Ding Fan, and nodded heavily, saying:
"Perhaps they will!"
Ding Fan, at that moment, didn’t know what else to say. He understood that Long Ren was feeling very hurt, and his words of consolation wouldn’t alleviate it entirely. He could only let Long Ren gradually adjust. Ding Fan was aware that this Xuantian Secret Realm incident was indeed a significant loss for the Thirty-Six Caves.
But Ding Fan also knew that the situation had come to this, and everyone just had to face it; there was no other choice.
In the end, Long Ren and Ding Fan exchanged a few distracted and idle remarks before leaving Ding Fan’s room. Ding Fan knew Long Ren’s mood was quite poor, but he had already said all he could. Considering that a few words of consolation wouldn’t resolve the issue, Ding Fan could only count on Long Ren to overcome it himself. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
A week went by swiftly.
During this period, Ding Fan gained a deeper understanding of the martial arts in "Basic Martial Arts." Though he hadn’t practiced all the martial arts therein yet, he still explored all of the martial arts inherited by the village leader during this time, gaining a better comprehension.
Additionally, Guo Linn had already almost fully recovered, so he also continuously trained while in seclusion during this phase. Guo Linn had delved deeper into "Sorcery," feeling increasingly confident. Despite being in the Nascent Soul Late Stage currently, he was optimistic about his inevitable breakthrough to the Soul Division Stage.
He believed reaching the Soul Division Stage was only a matter of time, given enough time. He was elated that although "Sorcery" was primarily about spells, it contained many unique cultivation methods. His training not only improved his spell abilities but also greatly enhanced his cultivation.
This was absolutely a tremendous fortune for Guo Linn.
During this time, Ah Du was also in an engrossed state of training, so much so that he didn’t require any dedicated recovery time, healing himself while training in "Sword Drawing Technique." As a cultivator, his body naturally had self-healing capabilities, and Ah Du, being in the Soul Division Stage, had far superior self-recovery abilities than average cultivators.
However, most Soul Division Stage cultivators would still take time to recover properly if injured. Yet Ah Du resorted to this approach to better train in "Sword Drawing Technique," facing the peerless martial art, he couldn’t afford to waste a single minute or second!
