As the head of the Xuantian Sect, Xiang Wentian could not allow the situation to remain deadlocked, so he had to say, "Let's discuss this matter later. Let your junior sister pay her respects first."
"That won't do. If we discuss it later, no one will agree to the sect leader's chief disciple leaving the Xuantian Sect. Besides, Xiang Wentian knows he has a pure Yang physique and has taught him superior techniques; it's even less likely he'll let him leave." Xu Zifan simply bowed deeply to Xiang Wentian and said loudly, "Master, please allow me to leave the Xuantian Sect. My mind is made up; please grant my request!"
The other sects smiled, having witnessed the Xuantian Sect's humiliation; their trip had been worthwhile. Someone then spoke up to advise, "Sect Leader Xiang, since your disciple is so determined, why not grant his wish?"
"Yes, Sect Leader Xiang, you can't force things. Since True Master Zhengyang is unhappy at the Xuantian Sect, how about he come to our sect?"
"Sect Leader, we elders only wish for the younger generation to be happy. For the sake of Master Zhengyang, please allow him to leave."
Those who came to watch the ceremony were eager for a good show. The strength of a faction depends on its people. Although the departure of Xu Zifan wouldn't have a significant impact on the Xuantian Sect, a small leak can sink a great ship. It would weaken the Xuantian Sect's strength, wouldn't it? If the news spread that the sect leader's beloved daughter had betrayed her fiancé and that the sect leader had protected her and forced his chief disciple to leave, the Xuantian Sect's reputation would be tarnished.
Xiang Wentian had also considered this, and his anger continued to rise. However, with everyone's persuasion and Xu Zifan's unwavering resolve, he was caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to agree! He looked at Xu Zifan, never expecting that his once most favored disciple would betray the Xuantian Sect at this moment. He suddenly felt somewhat fortunate that Xiang Yushuang hadn't chosen Xu Zifan; how could someone with such a narrow mind be worthy of taking over the Xuantian Sect? Thinking of this, he showed a pained expression and said in a deep voice, "Zhengyang, you were the first disciple I personally accepted, like a son to me. How could you... Sigh, never mind," he waved his hand wearily, "Leave if you want. Remember, the Xuantian Sect is your home. Come back whenever you want."
Objective achieved! Xu Zifan didn't care about Xiang Wentian's forced attempt to save face; others weren't fools, could they not see right from wrong? His acting was superb; he glanced gratefully at Xiang Wentian, tears welling in his eyes, bowed deeply again, and resolutely turned to walk away. The crowd automatically made way for him, and once he was out of the crowd, he immediately summoned his flying sword and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Shi Yunxuan chuckled and leaned close to the ear of the beautiful woman representing the Hehuan Sect, saying, "Uncle-Master, this Xuantian Sect is really interesting. They actually forced their sect leader's chief disciple to leave. That groom isn't much better either; I think he's far inferior to Xu Zifan."
The beautiful woman frowned slightly. "Shut up! Don't talk nonsense."
Standing on the other side of the woman was a pretty woman with a flirtatious look in her eyes. She gave Shi Yunxuan a flirtatious wink and said softly, "Junior sister, you haven't experienced the taste of a man yet. It is said that Master Zhengyang is seriously injured. Tonight, how can he compare to the healthy and strong junior brother?"
Shi Yunxuan glanced at her, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at the embarrassed newcomer, ignoring her. The pretty woman, having been rebuffed, lost her smile, her face darkening. Xu Zifan, who had just left and had Shaohua scan and relay the situation, nearly stumbled off his flying sword upon hearing this. What nonsense! They even doubted his ability as a man? These women of the Joyous Union Sect truly lived up to their reputation; they dared to talk about bedroom matters so openly.
After getting a general idea of everyone's reactions, Xu Zifan quickly flew away from the Xuantian Sect. He no longer had the backing of the number one sect, making him essentially a rogue cultivator. Murder and robbery were commonplace in the cultivation world; as long as it was well-concealed, no one would investigate. He had some reputation in the past, which inevitably earned him some enemies, but now, without a backer, traveling outside was even more dangerous than for a rogue cultivator.
Xu Zifan found a secluded spot at the foot of the mountain, took out some things he had prepared beforehand, and applied them to his face, quickly changing his skin tone and the shape of his eyebrows and eyes. He then raised his shoes, broadened his shoulders, changed into a dark blue robe, and changed his hairstyle. Looking in the mirror, he looked only three-tenths like his previous self; unless someone knew him well, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless they looked closely.
Xu Zifan's personality is very different from the original owner's. Although he showed some of these differences when he was in the Xuantian Sect, supposedly due to a major upheaval, he has only shown his face three times in the past three months. Others' impressions of him are still stuck in the past. Now, as long as he is true to himself, his aura will be very different from the original owner's, making him even less likely to be recognized.
Having successfully disguised himself, Xu Zifan confidently entered the city gate and began strolling freely through the towns of the cultivation world. The cultivation world also had ordinary people, mostly family members of cultivators who possessed considerable knowledge of cultivation. There were also those with poor cultivation talent, those who had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation, or those who, while able to cultivate, no longer had a strong passion for it; these people lived without belonging to any sect or faction in the towns.
The streets were impeccably clean, thanks to the cultivators' effective cleaning techniques. Stalls and shops lined both sides of the street, making it seem much like the ancient world. The only difference was that many people carried swords on their backs, and many were cultivators. Xu Zifan walked among them unnoticed. He was at the late Golden Core stage; only those with higher cultivation levels could discern his level. Others only knew he was more powerful than them, unaware of the significant difference in their cultivation.
Xu Zifan walked discreetly down the street, browsing into shops that interested him. Shaohua kept zooming in on the map, noting down everything she scanned. Xu Zifan discovered one advantage of this: if he wanted something in the future, he could simply have Shaohua find it on the map, and he'd know where to buy it. Shaohua was truly an indispensable companion for home and travel!
He was incredibly busy during his seclusion to recover from his injuries, but he didn't forget the most important thing—treasure hunting. He wanted Shaohua to be able to scan for the treasure.
At different levels, he conducted numerous experiments with the original owner's various magical artifacts, including the Golden Concealment Bell given to him by Xiang Wentian. He modified some of Shaohua's data, finally improving the scanning function.
The higher the grade of a treasure, the more precious the materials used, the more intricate the mechanisms, and the higher the spiritual energy. However, treasures conceal their spiritual energy, making it impossible for cultivators to discern. This is like gambling on jade; even the most knowledgeable person can make a mistake. But the system cannot. It can scan an object from the inside out, analyzing its composition, density, energy, and other data. Based on this, Xu Zifan can distinguish which is an ordinary magic tool and which is a magic treasure. The classifications of top-grade, high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade are no longer a problem for him.
This cheat code is too amazing; even Xu Zifan himself felt like he was cheating. However, since he developed this function himself, he felt a little proud. Walking down the street, he kept looking at the magical artifacts for sale. The ones in the shops were a bit better, but most of them were mid-grade or low-grade. The better high-grade ones were similar to his magical artifacts and very expensive. The top-grade ones were very rare and too expensive for him to afford, so he didn't even consider them. He only looked at the small stalls, hoping to find a bargain.
This place is probably too close to the Xuantian Sect; finding something worthwhile is unlikely. After all, those disciples frequently go down the mountain on missions, making it extremely difficult for them to slip through the net. Xu Zifan walked for half an hour without seeing anything good and couldn't help but feel disappointed. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly spotted a deserted stall with a folding fan. How could he come to ancient times without a folding fan? Seeing a glimpse of something appealing, Xu Zifan headed straight for the stall.
[Shaohua: Scanning detected three magical treasures at a stall on the left, 300 meters ahead: one top-grade, one mid-grade, and one low-grade.]
Xu Zifan paused, "[You mean that dirty stall owner? He has three magical items at his stall?]"
[Shaohua: That's right. The top-grade magic weapon is a jet-black folding fan, an offensive weapon; the mid-grade magic weapon is a dusty alchemy furnace; and the low-grade magic weapon is that umbrella, a defensive weapon.]
Xu Zifan's heart skipped a beat. The folding fan he'd spotted at first glance was actually a top-grade magic weapon? Why was this person selling it here? How much money could he make at an auction house? As he walked towards the stall, he sized up the disheveled vendor. He was a man around fifty years old, with messy hair and filthy clothes, looking like a beggar. He didn't call out to customers or look at passersby, leaning against the shadows in the corner, clutching a cloth bag, staring blankly ahead. If it weren't for the things he had in front of him, passersby would probably have given him money.
Xu Zifan walked up to the stall, picked up the folding fan, looked at it, and asked, "How much is this fan?"
The stall owner looked up at him, his voice rough as if it had been sanded, "One high-grade spirit stone."
Xu Zifan was taken aback; the price was far too high for someone unaware of the value of a folding fan. A food stall owner nearby, seeing his expression, scoffed, "You find it unbelievable too, don't you? Does this guy think everyone's stupid? High-grade spirit stones? This junk isn't even worth a mid-grade spirit stone. Don't be fooled; he's been here for half a day, and nobody's bought anything from him. If you want to buy anything, go to the Treasure Pavilion over there."
Xu Zifan returned a friendly smile, toying with his folding fan, and asked, "What do you mean? Why are these items worthless? Is there some story behind them?"
The stall owner glanced at the beggar man and said disdainfully, "Nobody uses this method of dirtying things to store good stuff anymore. You could just use a cleaning spell to clean it. Why make it so dirty? At the very least, wash it with water and wipe it properly. That alchemy furnace looks like it was pulled out of the mud. It's so fake. Besides, he's a complete stranger. I don't know how he got here. He's unreliable."
Xu Zifan looked thoughtfully at the items on the stall. So that's why others had overlooked these treasures. Well, that suited him perfectly. He picked out a folding fan, an alchemy furnace, and an umbrella, and smiled at the beggar man, saying, "These items look quite interesting. How much are they in total?"
The beggar man's eyes flickered slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Three high-grade spirit stones."
The stall owner next to him gasped, looking at the man as if he were a madman. Xu Zifan then simply took out three high-grade spirit stones and placed them in front of the beggar man. With a flick of his wrist, he stored his folding fan and other items into his spatial storage. Now the stall owner also looked at Xu Zifan as if he were a madman! He had made himself so clear, how could this man still be willing to be deceived?