Chapter 735: Ji Wangxian Of The Ji Family

Ji Shiwen produced a golden command banner and cast it to the ground.

In that instant, a complete array bloomed beneath their feet.

Chu Zongyi's face flushed with excitement. Li Fan's expression remained unchanged.

The array's light blazed, and the three of them transformed into streams of light, shooting from the market district straight up to the city of spirit stones in the sky.

A few breaths later, they stood on ground forged from spirit stones.

The spiritual qi in the sky city had reached a shocking concentration. It surged violently into their bodies and clogged the flow of their own energies. Chu Zongyi's face turned purple, like a mortal whose throat had been seized, unable to breathe.

A sharp slap on his back from Li Fan brought him back.

"Cough, cough..." Once back to normal, Chu Zongyi greedily inhaled the pure spiritual qi around him, his face a mask of awe.

Pride flickered in Ji Shiwen's eyes at the sight. But when he turned to Li Fan's impassive face, his own expression darkened at once.

They walked through the city of spirit stones, and in a central garden, Li Fan finally met the Ji family's founding patriarch.

Ji Wangxian looked nothing like the aged figure Li Fan had imagined. He looked like a young man barely past twenty.

His hair fell to his shoulders, his features were handsome, and starlight seemed to shimmer within his eyes.

Had Ji Shiwen not bowed deeply, murmuring, "Greetings, Patriarch," neither Li Fan nor Chu Zongyi would have believed this "young cultivator" was none other than the family’s founder.

"You are the ones who wished to see me?" Ji Wangxian asked, his voice soft.

He made no effort to project pressure, yet the aura that drifted from him left both Li Fan and Chu Zongyi with a tightness in their chests.

Chu Zongyi nodded repeatedly, ready to pour out the whole story.

But Li Fan stopped him again.

Looking at the man who was his current body's biological father, Li Fan said flatly, "Secrets must be kept close. It isn't appropriate to speak with him here."

Ji Shiwen exploded. "You bastard..."

Before his rage could fully erupt, Ji Wangxian raised a hand to cut him off.

Ji Wangxian laughed softly. "This boy is quite interesting. Shiwen, withdraw."

No one dared defy the patriarch's command. Ji Shiwen bowed his head and stormed off. Hatred burned in his eyes, as though promising to hack Li Fan into a thousand pieces.

"Well, now you can speak," Ji Wangxian said, his smile fading.

Chu Zongyi's heart trembled. He poured out everything in a rush: the Heavenly Sword Sect's desperate need for massive amounts of Taiyuan Essence Gold to forge a World-Breaching Divine Armament, and the promise that whoever solved the problem would be in line to become the next sect leader.

"Senior Ji, with the immense wealth of the World Commerce Guild behind you, if you involve yourselves, the position of sect leader is all but guaranteed. After our Heavenly Sword Sect departs, the fertile lands stretching ninety thousand li around Heavenly Sword Mountain will all belong to you, Senior..." Chu Zongyi pleaded, his voice eager.

But Ji Wangxian was nothing like he had imagined. He remained unmoved.

Instead, he sighed. "Everyone knows the position of Heavenly Sword Sect leader is a hollow title. The true power behind the sect is that Big Senior Brother, Situ Yao.

"Taiyuan Essence Gold is rare in this world, and its value is immense. A World-Breaching Divine Armament...

"Even the World Commerce Guild's financial strength would suffer a massive hemorrhage meeting the requirements to forge such an artifact. And in exchange, all we'd get is an empty title..."

Ji Wangxian's gaze shifted to Li Fan. "You're called Ji Zhaoxuan, yes? This is your first time home since you left. Now that you've made this long journey, do you think this plan is feasible?"

Li Fan shook his head slightly. "No."

Chu Zongyi was stunned. "Junior Brother Ji..."

Li Fan continued, "But it's worth a gamble."

A strange light burst in Ji Wangxian's eyes, and he laughed heartily. "Good. You have something of my younger self in you.

"You're not wrong. The uncertainty here is far too high. The risk doesn't match the reward. Once the Heavenly Sword Sect finishes the job and washes their hands of it, scurrying away like rats, we won't even know where to find our debtor.

"But it's something we can gamble on.

"The foundation of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects... if the World Commerce Guild could swallow that..." Ji Wangxian clasped his hands behind his back and turned to gaze into the distance, his tone unreadable.

With that, the blocked path opened.

Chu Zongyi was overjoyed beyond measure.

With the patriarch's approval, things proceeded far more smoothly than Li Fan had expected.

Under Ji Shiwen's incredulous gaze, Li Fan and Chu Zongyi returned with three thousand jin of Taiyuan Essence Gold from the World Commerce Guild's stockpiles.

Ji Wangxian further declared that the World Commerce Guild would, from now on, spare no effort to purchase Taiyuan Essence Gold to support "Ji Zhaoxuan" in his fight for the Heavenly Sword Sect's leadership.

He was exceptionally generous and demanded no promises from Li Fan in return.

Had Li Fan not known that this very body had once been controlled someone, he might have been moved by such unconditional trust.

It seems the Ji family is rather confident in its ability to control the spies it has planted in the various sects. Li Fan thought coldly, already thinking of ways to counter it.

Back at the Heavenly Sword Sect, Li Fan handed over three thousand jin of Taiyuan Essence Gold and announced that a steady supply would follow.

The news threw the entire sect into an uproar.

After all, everything the disciples had gathered so far, combined with the sect's original stock, barely topped a thousand jin.

Li Fan had procured more than three times that by himself.

After Li Fan presented a few flasks of fine wine from the Ji Manor, Situ Yao, the Heavenly Sword Sect's Big Senior Brother, broke into smiles and praised him on the spot, calling him a model for the sect's younger disciples.

With Chu Zongyi spreading the news, word of Li Fan's ties to the World Commerce Guild gradually spread.

For a time, his residence bustled with fellow disciples coming to visit and curry favor.

Most cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect came to see Li Fan as a strong candidate for the next sect leader.

And as the World Commerce Guild's shipments of Taiyuan Essence Gold kept arriving, that conviction only grew stronger.

It was at this critical juncture that Li Fan paid a quiet visit to the current sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Huo Yuzhu.

"Oh? Isn't this the pillar of our Heavenly Sword Sect, the designated successor to the sect leader's seat? What business do you have with me?" Huo Yuzhu smiled, but mockery flickered in his eyes.

Li Fan's expression was calm. "It’s regarding the position of sect leader."

Huo Yuzhu's expression shifted. "Don't think you can rely on..."

"Sect Leader Huo, surely you don't wish to hand your position to someone else? Even as an empty title, the authority of a sect leader can still be intoxicating."

Hearing the hidden meaning in Li Fan's words, uncertainty flickered across Huo Yuzhu's face. "What exactly are you driving at?"

"I know of a place with a vast quantity of Taiyuan Essence Gold. Far more than the Ji family could ever amass," Li Fan said in a low voice.

Huo Yuzhu stared at him, unable to fathom his intent.

"I wish to trade the position of Heavenly Sword Sect leader for complete freedom," Li Fan said with a smile. "I wonder, Sect Leader, if you could help me achieve that?"

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