Chapter 750: The Great Use of the Mountain and River Cauldron

The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion smiled faintly. "It's just for experience. Don't overthink it. Although the first nine levels of the underground world have been explored and opened up by previous generations, that doesn't mean they're without danger. Dangerous dark entities still lurk in some of the less-traveled corners. Even the stewards might not be able to handle them. Since this is your first time entering, just stick to the safe zones. Don't expect to gain too much."

Jiang Fan was struck by the gravity of the situation. *Are even the already developed levels so dangerous?* He bowed and assented.

The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion looked around. "The disciple selection process has temporarily concluded. If any more disciples arrive later, the rule of 'whoever claims it first, owns it' still applies."

After speaking, he ascended on a cloud and entered the central grand hall. As soon as he left, everyone gradually livened up.

Shang Shiqiu nudged Jiang Fan's arm. "Hey, what did that formidable monk mean? Why did he want to take you into Buddhism?"

This wasn't Taicang Great Prefecture, after all. Few people knew about Vajra Fayin, and even fewer understood the concept of assessors of prodigies. Only a few Deputy Pavilion Masters and the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, who had risen through the ranks, knew something about it.

Jiang Fan gazed in the direction Vajra Fayin had departed, a hint of unease in his eyes. As he was choosing his words, Liang Feiyan walked over.

"Why else?" Liang Feiyan scoffed. "He has too many women; even the Buddha couldn't stand it and wants to make him a monk, right?"

Jiang Fan shot him a sidelong glance. "Even that's better than having no one to care for you."

Liang Feiyan's mouth twitched. "Well, don't you worry! With so many fairies in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, getting out of singlehood should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?"

Shang Shiqiu scoffed, "I advise you not to provoke those beautiful fairies. Except for Ye Banxia, one of the Four Mythical Prodigies, almost every beautiful woman you see is already taken. Even our Senior Brother Jian hasn't dared to easily provoke those female disciples. You'd best be careful."

Liang Feiyan's face fell. Did that mean he would still be single?

On second thought, that made sense. The disciples of the Nine Sects were a mixed bag. It was difficult for male and female disciples to pair up; either their talents and strength were similar but they didn't fancy each other, or occasionally, when they did fancy each other, their potential and status differed vastly.

It was different in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Talent, status, and potential were all extremely high. As long as there was mutual attraction, it was easy for them to form a couple.

Jiang Fan chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Senior Brother Liang, I'd willingly trade ten years of my life for your lifelong singlehood."

Liang Feiyan said exasperatedly, "Get lost! I refuse to believe it; I, Liang Feiyan, can't find a woman!"

Jiang Fan smiled. He then asked Shang Shiqiu, "Senior Sister Shang, where are Senior Brother Jian and the others?"

Shang Shiqiu sighed. "They're currently dealing with a troublesome matter in the underground world." She glanced around, then immediately lowered her voice. "Senior Brother Jian discovered a hidden space. If fully explored, it could yield an astounding reward of three thousand merit points! With that many merit points, you could even exchange for a Jade Talisman capable of a Nascent Soul-level attack from the treasury."

*Three thousand merit points for just one Nascent Soul Jade Talisman?* During the Boundary Mountain War, one only needed to accumulate one thousand merit points to exchange for one. Furthermore, opportunities to accumulate merit points during the Boundary Mountain War were far more plentiful than in this underground world, which had been developed for hundreds of years.

He finally understood why Wu Manyue, Jian Linyuan, and the others had secretly gone to the battlefield to snatch merit points. If it were Jiang Fan, he would have gone too. The disparity was simply too great!

Hearing that Nascent Soul Jade Talismans could still be exchanged, Jiang Fan's heart instantly stirred. None of the four Nascent Soul Jade Talismans he had used had ever disappointed him; they were absolutely trump cards for defeating enemies.

"What's the trouble you mentioned, Senior Sister?" Jiang Fan asked.

Shang Shiqiu scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "While exploring, I accidentally shattered a Yin Pearl inside. That caused Yin energy to scatter everywhere, and now it's impossible to explore further. Steward Yunyang and Senior Brother Jian are currently trying to figure out how to weaken the Yin energy within."

Jiang Fan looked at her with a strange expression. No wonder, among so many disciples, she was the one sent away and tasked with accepting a disciple on her master's behalf. So, she had made a mistake.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Who would have thought there'd be a Yin Pearl inside?" Shang Shiqiu, feeling awkward under his gaze, said indignantly, "These things haven't appeared for over a hundred years, so it's perfectly normal that I didn't recognize it."

Jiang Fan rubbed his chin. "What's a Yin Pearl?"

Shang Shiqiu pouted. "It's a type of ore found only below the ninth level. Excessively dense Yin energy accumulates over time, forming a liquid, and these liquid droplets then coalesce into Yin Stones. When Yin Stones are further concentrated, they become Yin Pearls. I just shattered a Yin Pearl the size of a fingernail, and the Yin energy inside filled an area of nearly three *li*."

Jiang Fan's eyes widened in surprise. A thought sparked in his mind, and he looked into the Heavenly Thunder Stone, towards the Mountain River Cauldron that he had tossed into a corner, considering it useless. Since the Yin energy there could eventually condense into Yin Pearls, then, theoretically, if the Mountain River Cauldron absorbed all the Yin energy, it should still be able to condense it into Yin Pearls, right? If that were the case, wouldn't the space become explorable?

"What's the situation now?" Jiang Fan asked, his eyes gleaming.

Shang Shiqiu shook her head. "The situation isn't good. At least, it's very difficult for us to explore it. It all depends on whether the team formed by those four Mythical Prodigies has extraordinary means."

Jiang Fan's heart burned with eagerness. If he could secure this space, a Nascent Soul Jade Talisman would be his. "Senior Sister Shang, please take me there now," he said impatiently.

Shang Shiqiu chuckled. "Why are you in such a hurry? As if you going there would solve the problem. Besides, you need a team to explore. Why don't you join Senior Brother Jian's seven-member group? We can remove one person and add you." Shang Shiqiu still had great trust in Jiang Fan's strength; it was a sincere invitation.

Jiang Fan furrowed his brow slightly. He glanced at Liang Feiyan, then at Xia Chaoge and Liu Qingxian in the distance. Joining Jian Linyuan's team would certainly make things much more convenient, but what about his companions who had come this far with him?

Shang Shiqiu noticed his gaze and said earnestly, "I only know you, so I'm only inviting you. Moreover, the maximum number of members in any team is seven. If we add one, we have to remove one. We can't just kick out four people at once, can we? Kicking out even one person who usually doesn't perform well would already be heartless enough. After all, the seven of us have come a long way together."

Jiang Fan didn't want to make things difficult for her, nor did he want to inconvenience Liang Feiyan and the others. His eyes flashed. "Then, forming my own team should be fine, right?"

Shang Shiqiu looked regretful, but she also let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't too keen on kicking anyone out, as it would easily disrupt the unity of their seven-member group. If Jiang Fan had his own way, that was even better.

"That's fine too," Shang Shiqiu said. "If you have your own team, you can distribute the merit points you earn as you see fit. You won't be restricted by Senior Brother Jian. If you want to create a team, I can take you to arrange it now."

"That fast?" Jiang Fan asked. "Don't we need to discuss it with Steward Yunyang first? Forming a team isn't a small matter, is it? This would involve several Deputy Pavilion Masters."

Shang Shiqiu waved her hand. "Don't worry about her. That bookworm—give her a book, and she'd even call you 'Master'. Just ignore her."

Uh— *Could someone really call their master that?*