Top-tier Unruly Master

Ding Fan had spent another sleepless night, almost madly concocting the Youth Preserving Pill. However, despite his frenzied efforts, judging by the current pace, it would still take at least three more days to finally produce the pills.

The Youth Preserving Pill was, in fact, just a First Grade Medicine Pill. If it had been during his Nascent Soul Stage in the past, it probably wouldn't have taken half a day for him to handle it with ease.

After breakfast, Ding Fan was about to return to his room to continue making pills when Xu Rui approached him.

"Ding Fan, thank you for your help during this time," Xu Rui said in an unusually gentle tone, different from her usual sharp manner.

Seeing Xu Rui like this felt somewhat unfamiliar to Ding Fan. Usually, Xu Rui was arrogant and domineering, making her gentle speech now quite rare.

Ding Fan thought briefly and then remembered, Xu Rui had mentioned that she was leaving today. It seemed that she was coming to bid him farewell.

"You are leaving, aren't you?" Ding Fan asked calmly.

Xu Rui nodded.

Ding Fan spoke evenly, which was rare for him, giving Xu Rui a strangely warm feeling inside.

"The ore you wanted, my father will bring it over in a moment."

Ding Fan nodded. He was indeed looking forward to the attributes of that ore; some ores merely contained Spiritual Energy and were referred to as Crystal Stones. In the grand path of Cultivation, Crystal Stones could also serve as a kind of currency.

Considering the circumstances described by Xu Guanjie and Ye Chenliang, the ore seemed to emit a waste gas, leading Ding Fan to deduce that it must be a material for Refinement of Magic Artifacts. Given his current shortage of cultivation resources, he had some expectations for this ore.

"Take care on your journey," Ding Fan said with a slight smile.

"You should smile more often; you look much nicer than when you frown," Xu Rui said out of the blue.

Ding Fan was momentarily startled.

This time, it was Xu Rui who smiled. "Ding Fan, I hope that the next time we meet, we can argue just like we used to."

Ding Fan paused. Although he had not known Xu Rui for long, their interactions had always ended in arguments. Nonetheless, he esteemed Xu Rui's forthright nature, although he was somewhat put off by her indulgent airs.

At that moment, seeing Xu Rui's smile, he responded with a smile of his own.

Xu Rui then turned to leave very fashionably, stretching out her right hand to wave midair. "Goodbye…"

The person who came for Xu Rui was Xu Guanjie, who had followed Ding Fan's request to pack the black ore in Purple Sandalwood.

After seeing off Xu Rui and Xu Guanjie, Ding Fan returned to his room and opened the wooden box.

Upon opening the box and seeing the black ore, Ding Fan was so astonished that his eyes almost popped out.

This ore turned out to be Superior Nascent Stone, a material known as the Mie Tian Stone, used in the Refinement of Magic Artifacts. Among the Refining Materials, this was considered a Superior Nascent Stone, a rarity in the Cultivation World. Such a Nascent Stone, even a Three Stars Sect might not possess it in the Cultivation World.

Ding Fan had not expected that he would find such a treasure on Earth.

Ding Fan inwardly exclaimed at his great fortune. Now he felt that it was indeed better to establish good karma. If it weren't for his several assists to the Xu Family, how could he have acquired such a treasure?

Instantly, Ding Fan carefully stored the Nascent Stone away. Since he did not yet possess the ability to Refine Magic Artifacts, all he could do was preserve this treasure for the time being.

Ding Fan decided to go out for a walk.

The slow pace of his pill concoction these past few days was partly due to Ding Fan's low cultivation, but more importantly, it was because he currently lacked a proper pill furnace.

A couple of days ago, while Ning Luoxi was watching TV, Ding Fan inadvertently saw a program mentioning some furnaces from the Shang and Xia Dynasties, which were used for rituals or other purposes.

Among these furnaces, however, Ding Fan spotted one used by Cultivators for Pill Concoction.

It sparked an idea in Ding Fan, who surmised that Cultivators must have existed on Earth in ancient times, only to have withdrawn for unknown reasons later.

Having no other commitments today, Ding Fan decided to visit the curio market to see if fortune would favor him with one or two treasures.

Ding Fan then took a taxi since he was unfamiliar with the area; it made sense to be clear about where he intended to go and let the driver take him there. These drivers could nearly memorize the map of Dongcheng, so finding a curio market was trivial.

Eventually, Ding Fan was dropped off at a place called Wenchang Street.

Ding Fan got out of the taxi and looked down the street, where almost all the shops sold curios and treasures.

Ding Fan then casually started walking down the street as any ordinary tourist would.

Upon entering the street, Ding Fan saw a rather large antique shop. The shop had an ancient look that conveyed a sense of grandeur and elegance.

The sign above the curio shop read 'Dongming Pavilion'.

Ding Fan paced into Dongming Pavilion. Upon entering the shop, a series of landscape paintings and calligraphies immediately caught his eye.

As a cultivator, it's most important to cultivate the mind, and practicing calligraphy is a crucial part of that, so Ding Fan also had some research on calligraphy. He looked at each piece with concentration, feeling the artist's brushstrokes and technique.

However, after a while, Ding Fan found it somewhat dull.

These artworks were mostly high-quality imitations and, although they resembled the form, they failed to capture the essence. Thus, Ding Fan lost interest in continuing to look.

Ding Fan swept the shop with his divine sense and, not sensing any spiritual energy, he decided to leave.

"Brother Fan?" At this moment, a voice called out to Ding Fan from behind.

It was a young girl's voice, melodious and pleasant, the kind that could cause those with lesser self-control to be emotionally stirred just by hearing it.

Ding Fan turned around to see coming down from the upper floor of Dongming Pavilion a woman who looked like Su Maner, but whose temperament was completely different.

Ding Fan indeed recognized her, she was the woman named Su Qinger whom he had rescued previously in the Primal Forest of Immortal Peak.

"Ah? It really is you. I thought I was seeing things," Su Qinger said with a bright face as she jogged down from the second floor.

Ding Fan could tell that if there were no one else around, judging by Su Qinger's posture, she might even jump into his arms. It seemed Su Qinger was truly happy to see him.

Ding Fan simply smiled lightly at Su Qinger.

Although Ding Fan hadn't spent much time with Su Qinger in that primal forest, he had a better impression of her than of Su Maner.

Su Maner usually acted like a strong, independent woman, cold and aloof, while Su Qinger was different. She seemed like a chirpy little bird, possessing a kind of infectious enthusiasm that seemed to liven up the atmosphere around her.

"Brother Fan, last time I thought something had happened to you in the forest. I've been looking for you ever since I left the forest," Su Qinger mentioned, her eyes beginning to redden.

That day, Ding Fan was being tightly pursued by He Chen, so to avoid involving Su Qinger and others, he chose a different path to escape.

Seeing Su Qinger's somewhat teary eyes, Ding Fan realized that she was indeed a genuinely kind-hearted girl.

"I'm fine," Ding Fan said.

"Qinger? Who is this person? Your friend?" At that moment, a voice came from behind Su Qinger.

Ding Fan looked up to see a man with gold-rimmed glasses slowly walking up to Su Qinger's side.

"Brother Sirong, this is the hero I often tell you about, the senior who saved me in the primal forest, Ding Fan, Brother Fan," Su Qinger excitedly told the man next to her.

"Brother Fan, this is the son of my father's sworn brother, Qi Sirong from the Qi Family of Haicheng," Su Qinger introduced Qi Sirong after introducing Ding Fan.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Qi Sirong. I'm always hearing about you from Qinger. Thank you for saving my little sister that day," Qi Sirong said, extending his hand towards Ding Fan.

Ding Fan also extended his hand and politely shook hands with Qi Sirong. "Don't mention it."

Ding Fan didn't have a good impression of this Qi Sirong. There was a certain aura about him that seemed covered up by something else, but Ding Fan's divine sense was strong, and he recognized this aura.

It was very similar to the aura of Iron Dragon and Tie Hu, meaning that this Qi Sirong was also practicing an evil cultivation technique. He was from the White Lotus Sect.

Knowing the other person was from the White Lotus Sect, Ding Fan became more cautious. Just yesterday, Tie Hu had mentioned that people from the White Lotus Sect were already dispatched to Dongcheng because of Iron Dragon's death. Perhaps this person in front of him was from the White Lotus Sect as well.

"Brother Fan, it's rare for us to meet. How about we go grab some food after I finish buying the paintings?" Su Qinger then eagerly looked at Ding Fan with hopeful eyes.

Ding Fan found it hard to resist such a pleading look from a woman. He smiled lightly. "Alright then."

"That's great..." Su Qinger beamed with joy.

At this moment, a clerk came over to Su Qinger, holding a scroll. "The painting you requested has been purchased. Please take a look."

Su Qinger pulled out a credit card. "Go ahead and charge it."

Ding Fan was now curious about what Su Qinger had bought. He scanned the scroll with his divine sense, and his brow slightly furrowed.

"What do you intend to do with this painting?" Ding Fan asked Su Qinger who was next to him.

Su Qinger was taken aback, not expecting Ding Fan to ask her this.

"I'm giving this painting to a highly respected elder, why? Is there something wrong, Brother Fan?"

Ding Fan nodded. "This painting is a fake..."