From Beast Abilities to Sect Grand Master

The old man first picked up the yellow orb.

He lifted it against the sunlight shining in through the window.

"I haven’t seen this in a while. It’s the Sun Forge Orb, which can elevate the level of artifacts forged with it. And you must be the future Family Head since you got this."

The old man then picked up the rattle drum and inspected it closely.

He frowned and looked up at the ceiling, trying very hard to recall what it was.

After a few moments of silence, he suddenly slapped himself on the forehead.

"Ah. How could I forget about this? It’s a rattle drum made with Void Steel; it can nullify elemental attacks. Same thing with the needles over there."

Sima Liang got excited and asked, "Would it be possible for you to help me forge a pair of hammers with the material? My friend’s hammers got damaged, maybe you can have a look."

"Sure. It would be my honor to forge something with the Sun Forge Orb," the old man replied.

Lin Fan stepped forward and took out his hammers.

The old man shook his head when he saw the cracks on the hammers. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"It’s a pity, but the damage is beyond repair. I could use the demonic beast core for the new hammers if you don’t mind," the old man said.

"Go ahead, please," Lin Fan replied as he put the hammers on the table in the workshop.

"Come back after a week. It should be ready by then."

With that, Lin Fan and Sima Liang bid farewell to the old man.

"I assure you, Master Xin is our best Artifact Cultivator. You won’t be disappointed," Sima Liang said as they went back to Sima Liang’s lodging.

When Madam Choo saw them, she clapped, and the servants brought out plates of delicacies, placing them on the table.

"You must be starving. Have some food first," she said with a smile.

She was now brimming with pride, totally different from how she was before.

Her son had been able to prove his worth, and he would have a future in the Sima Family.

While they ate, Lin Fan thought about his next move.

He had one more week to go before the hammers were finished.

He could go back to the sect first or wait here in Hong Feng City.

But if he stayed, he could make better use of his time.

The Governor’s invitation to complete a mission sounded appealing to Lin Fan.

"Lin Fan, I’ve decided to leave Qing Feng Sect now," Sima Liang said as they ate.

It was not surprising to Lin Fan.

Now that Sima Liang would claim the Family Head position, there was no point in staying in Qing Feng Sect for him.

Sima Liang most likely joined Qing Feng Sect because he couldn’t get resources back then, Lin Fan thought.

As long as he helped Lin Fan, it didn’t matter where he did it.

After the meal, Lin Fan bid farewell and left the Sima Family Mansion.

Lin Fan wandered around and found an inn to stay in.

He settled down and took out the bracelets.

With the Devouring Qi to Poison Transformation Technique manuscript in front of him, he took out some of the snakes from the space in the bracelets.

Following the instructions, he took out the venom glands.

He swallowed the glands and directed his Qi to absorb them.

The Qi that absorbed the glands turned volatile and caused Lin Fan to feel pain as it traveled between his meridians.

He quickly diverted it to the meridians at his neck.

Slowly, the meridians kept the Qi within, and the poison from the venom glands got stored in them.

Lin Fan then used his Qi, going through the meridians, and puffed out some black smoke.

Just like how the Dark Lotus Sect members did in the cave.

However, he was out of poison after one single puff.

So, Lin Fan got more snakes out of the bracelets and continued.

He did it until it was dinner time.

The progress was slow, but Lin Fan was satisfied with it.

At least he had finally started on the cultivation.

When he was done, he looked at the room full of dead snakes.

Not knowing what to do with the bodies of the snakes, he asked the inn to make some snake soup for him.

He gave them the excuse that he was here to sell snakes but couldn’t find buyers and didn’t want to bring them back.

The waiter happily obliged his request after receiving some copper coins from Lin Fan.

He suggested that Lin Fan sell these snakes to the inn since he couldn’t eat all of them.

Lin Fan agreed to it, and the inn offered thirty copper coins for it.

…

In a dark room.

The Dark Envoy was seated in a chair, and opposite him was Skin Puppet Diao.

Skin Puppet Diao smirked at him and said in his high-pitched voice, "Hehe. I wonder what the Dark Lord has for us. Rare for him to summon us here."

Silence.

The Dark Envoy crossed his arms and stared at Skin Puppet Diao.

"Fine. At least I know it’s not about how I messed up. Someone else did. Hehe."

Before the Dark Envoy could lash out, a gust of wind blew the door open.

Both of them felt an aura pressing on their hearts.

They couldn’t see anything in the darkness but sensed a being that was far more powerful than them.

It was the Dark Lord, or to be precise, a manifestation of him.

He was still recovering from the wounds he sustained from the battle with the righteous sects years ago.

"All hail the Dark Lotus. May our blessings spread across the lands."

The Dark Envoy and Skin Puppet Diao bowed and chanted.

A voice boomed out from the darkness.

"Dark Envoy, I’m utterly disappointed in your performance. How much more time do you need to take down Qing Feng Sect?"

"Hehe. Dark Lord, he failed twice already. Please allow me to attack Qing Feng Sect and wait for victorious news," Skin Puppet Diao interjected.

"Silence!"

The Dark Lord’s voice shouted.

Skin Puppet Diao felt his chest tighten, and the pain made him cry out in grimace.

"You think a hundred of your Skin Puppets would be sufficient? Come back with more!"

"Yes, my lord," Skin Puppet Diao quickly replied, and the pressure on his chest went away.

Skin Puppet Diao then looked at the Dark Envoy.

All the pressure was on him now.

The Dark Envoy, having failed in the blood pool twice, wasn’t in a good position.

He lowered his head and said, "I think we should deal with the Emperor first. I’ve already set up contact with the Emperor’s Concubine."