Chapter 43: Grand Master Lei Qianjue
"Is Lei Qianjue really such an admirable figure overseas?" Third Lord of Wei asked incredulously.
He found it inconceivable that a martial artist would achieve such a high social status.
"He is a Transcendent Master; it will make him an admirable person even in China much less in the Chinese community overseas. " Guo Wei lamented. "I have told the martial artists at the Xin Yi sect about you, and no one would believe me that a sixteen-year-old boy has the power of a transcendent master.
"I wouldn't have believed it either if I didn't see it with my own eyes."
After saying that, Guo Wei gave Chen Fan a respectful nod. Seeing Chen Fan's aloof and casual expression, a wave of admiration and reverence swept through his body.
Lei Qianjue was not only a Transcendent Master but also had the same level of authority as the chairman of the Hong Sect. On the other hand, although Chen Fan was much younger than Lei Qianjue, he had already attained the same level of prowess as the old man. The achievements of Lei Qianjue spoke loudly of Chen Fan's stunning feat.
When Zhou Tianhao and the Third Lord of Wei finally realized that Chen Fan and Lei Qianjue were on the same level, their admiration for Chen Fan had grown to a whole new level.
They only knew that Chen Fan was a powerful fighter, but they were oblivious as to exactly how powerful he was.
If Lei Qianjue could garner such respect and authority using his martial arts skills, so could Chen Fan.
After a while, the banquet started. They were presented with many delicacies as well as all kinds of expensive drinks. The dishes didn't stop coming until midnight, and The Third Lord suggested that they should go to the clubs next.
Chen Fan was not in the mood of clubbing with a group of middle-aged men, so he left for home once he was done eating.
When he got home, he made a phone call to Sister Yin and told her that he would not come to work due to the increasingly heavy load of assignments. Sister Yin knew it was an excuse, but she accepted his resignation without pressing for more answers. After Chen Fan hung up the phone, he heaved a sigh of relief for not needing to explain his relationship with Zhou Tianhao to Sister Yin.
The next day, Xin Zhong wired the forty-five million yuan to Chen Fan's bank account. By then, Chen Fan's bank account had swelled to sixty million, with such a strong financial backing, Chen Fan decided that it was time to take a leap forward in his cultivation.
Ever since he was reborn, he had only spent a little over a month on cultivation. He was still three months away from entering the late-stage of the Foundation Establishment Level. Although the Void Mortal Refinement Art was powerful, it required a huge amount of Spirit Qi. Furthermore, as Chen Fan progressed through his cultivation, the Qi required to run the Void Mortal Refinement Art would increase exponentially.
The Spirit Qi around the numinous abode had long since fallen short. Chen Fan was able to maintain his rate of progressing all thanks to the Spirit Gathering Array on the Jade Marrow Talisman.
Therefore, Chen Fan decided to put his money to good use and speed up his cultivation process.
"There are only two feasible methods to speed up the cultivation process; one is to find another Numinous Abode, and the other was to use Spirit Stones and Elixirs.
"I should forget about the elixirs for now, and focus on the first method. "
"Over the past month, I have traveled all over the city and its suburbs but wasn't able to locate an area where the Spirit Qi pooled together. I wager that I will have to brave deeper into the mountains in order to find the hidden veins where the Qi flowed. However, even if I can find such a place, it would be so far away from Chu Zhou City that it would be impossible for me to cultivate and go to school at the same time.
"That being said, if I can't find one in nature, I can create one for myself."
A confident smile surfaced on Chen Fan's face.
Many schools of cultivations had their own Spirit Land for the convenience of their disciples. At its core, a Spirit Land was a Spirit Gathering Array on steroids. It could be as small as a few square kilometers or as big as a small galaxy.
The sacred cultivation land of the True Martial Immortal Sect was a huge Celestial Array made up of countless stars and planets.
In order to create a Spirit Land, Chen Fan would have to find a secluded location. The noisy and densely populated area would not do.
"Lucky for me that Mr. Wei had given me a villa high up in the mountain."
Chen Fan fished out the key to the villa and looked at it thoughtfully.
"I have visited the villa once since I got the key. It was located at the very top of the highest peak of the Yunwu Mountain, at the head of the serpentine mountain range. From there, I could have a bird's eye view of the Yan Gui lake and the Yun Wu Mountain. I wager that this Villa would cost at least fifty million yuan.
"As such, Mr. Wei really had given me a great present. That being said, I still think my gift for him: the Secret Art of the Wei was better."
Chen Fan didn't waste any time as he began to plan his next step.
"If I could cast a large Dharma Array up in the mountain, I should be able to gather the Qi that spreads across the mountain and the lake to the Villa and create a small Grotto-heaven Spirit Land. By then, I should have enough Spirit Qi to last until I reach Ethereal Enlightenment.
"This Dharma Array needs not only to gather Qi but also serve as a defense. I don't want to be sneak attacked while I am cultivating at home."
Guo Wei's warning about Lei Qianjue and Linbao had raised Chen Fan's guard.
Although Lei Qianjue wouldn't come after him personally, he could have sent his disciples. Plus, the number of resources from the Hong Sect that was under his disposal should not be taken lightly. Chen Fan was not afraid of vengeful martial artists, but he would be in trouble if those martial artists played nasty and brought modern weapons with them.
Although the Jade Marrow Talisman could provide him some measure of protection, it was no match against high caliber ballistic weapons such as the .357 magnum.
Plus, modern weapons had evolved greatly, and Chen Fan was convinced that there were weapons specially designed for killing Internal Force users.
"Finally, the last piece of the Dharma Array was the Stabilizer, also the most crucial component. I can use the Jade Marrow talisman, but that would mean that I have to walk around without any protection."
Chen Fan furrowed his brows as he could not find a solution to the problem. However, he reckoned that it would take him a while to build the Dharma Array and therefore, he still had time to think about it.
He decided to let the matter rest for now and worry about it when he has to. Perhaps the answer would turn up by itself.
With newfound determination, Chen Fan carried on.