Chapter 101

All around, everyone devoutly worships, focusing the mind to cultivate the fire‑refining light pattern passed down by Lu Fan. The power of faith surges, rushing toward the original body's dharma image and condensing. Yet the original body's dharma image is radiant light and mist swirling, gathering the source of faith power into a torrent that pours into the technique‑refining crystal furnace.

Furthermore, by relying on the power of the rune war chariot, it flowed and activated the profound formation, condensing into a hexagram star array.

In a moment, the surrounding fluctuations seemed to gradually subside; the formation transformed from the crystal ballista, the war chariot seal with the power to separate original phases, seemed to have already collapsed.

"Everyone, let's join forces and take down this brat. Otherwise, within the Dragon Tower, those we protect will surely not be his match!"

Someone shouted loudly, and six powerful figures slowly emerged, their gazes blazing, fixed tightly on Lu Fan. They stepped on the void and flew over.

"Hexagram Star Array, suppress them!" Lu Fan let out a cold laugh, slapped with one hand, and the formation around the technique-refining crystal furnace instantly erupted, profound mechanisms unfolding sternly.

In an instant, it enveloped the entire void, replacing the original quasi-fifth-rank grand formation of the Rune Cultivators' Guild, and its power was activated to the utmost, crushing the surroundings.

Mysterious light flowed and energy spread. The person below who had been contemplating the fire-refining light glyph slowly awoke, witnessed the scene before him, and his face turned pale with shock.

Only six strong figures stepped forward, their surrounding aura surging, exactly like the previously rampant Lei Di.

It turned out to be six Martial Sovereigns acting together, and their target was none other than Lu Fan.

Zu Qing Tan and the other two fourth-rank grand rune masters, Zhu Ge Qing Ming, and that Qing Yi changed their expressions. Without hesitation, they leapt forward, splitting into five directions, each blocking one Martial Sovereign.

"Good, good, good! Since you all have such heroic spirit, I, Lu Fan, will fulfill you. Hexagram Star Array, formation power boost!"

Lu Fan laughed loudly to the heavens; he hadn't expected Zu Qing Tan and the others to wake up now, and without hesitation he dared to rush forward to oppose the Martial Sovereign experts.

That Qing Yi herself is a Martial Sovereign, so facing one opponent is naturally no problem. However, the remaining four are only at the fourth-rank level; wanting to cross two major realms to fight is nothing but a foolish daydream.

Even in such adversity, they are still able to do this, which shows their courage and nature. As long as Lu Fan is here today, he will absolutely not let anyone get hurt.

"Hmph! Overestimating yourself, a mere grand martial master dares to act recklessly—you're asking for death! Fine, I'll take that banner of yours."

A middle-aged man with triangular eyes coldly glanced at Zhu Ge Qing Ming, full of mockery, and then swung a palm strike.

Zhu Ge Qing Ming's expression turned stern; he now only has the cultivation of a fourth-rank grand martial master. Although he possesses the Seven-Star Phantom Mirage Banner for protection, his strength is limited and he cannot unleash much power. Even if he puts all his strength into this palm, he can barely defend himself.

Although he thought so, his face showed no fear, bearing the look of one who regards death as home. He waved the Seven-Star Phantom Mirage Banner, ready to charge forward.

At that very moment, the Hexagram Star Array's power surged, and a massive force instantly bolstered him. Almost in an instant, he felt his strength fully restored.

"This is the formation's support!" he exclaimed with ecstatic joy, disbelief written on his face, nodded toward Lu Fan, and then leapt forward.

Just a moment ago he was fighting desperately; now he bore the bearing of a strong warrior. He swept the banner, unleashing a furious gust of force.

"What? A mere fourth-rank grand martial master, even with formation support, what of it?"

The triangular-eyed middle-aged man had just looked disdainful, but now his face turned pale with shock. Yet he still didn't believe it, thinking the opponent had merely used an illusion.

"Bang bang bang!"

Several explosive sounds burst forth; the fourth-rank grand martial master Zhu Ge Qing Ming and the triangular-eyed Martial Sovereign fought on equal footing, not yielding an inch.

Zu Qing Tan and the others also felt the formidable power transmitted from the formation; techniques they previously dared not use lightly now came easily to hand. Although their realms were far inferior, each strike was a desperate trump card, and their momentum rose greatly, not yielding an inch.

Originally, a black-robed old man was about to attack Lu Fan, but Qing Yi, under the formation's support, had her strength reach absolute peak, suppressing the opponent so he had no chance to counter, forcing him to call for help from the black-robed old man. This turned into Qing Yi facing two opponents alone, yet she still held a sure victory, handling them with ease.

"The Hexagram Star Array has already been upgraded to fifth rank; even without those few people acting, I, Lu Fan, could take you down in a minute. This time I give you a chance to expend your remaining heat, to temper the formation, and also let those few practice their hands."

Lu Fan let out a hearty laugh, his aura filling the venue; all the newly awakened martial cultivators and rune cultivators were shocked, their excitement uncontainable.

"Young Master Fan, what method is this? I heard Master Zhu Ge say that this Hexagram Star Array is merely a fourth-rank formation; how did it reach fifth rank in just a moment?" Han Zhu exclaimed in astonishment.

At the start of the assembly, Lu Fan had everyone address him as Young Master Fan; Han Zhen naturally stopped calling him Young Master Lu and instead called him Young Master Fan.

He had inexplicably fallen into a strange state just now; unconsciously, following the light glyph method, he cultivated a wisp of fire true qi. Originally excited, upon hearing Lu Fan's words, he instead began to ask questions.

Lu Fan glanced at him briefly and laughed heartily: "Hmm, not bad. I originally thought that given your disposition, this Dao-transmitting assembly would be of little benefit to you. Now it seems you have already laid the foundation of the martial path; with some more effort, surpassing these six petty fellows will be no problem."

His words were light and offhand, yet to others they sounded like a shocking secret, each one hard to believe.

Zhan Xiao wore an expression of utter disbelief, exclaiming, "President, you're not joking, are you! Han Brother's martial way was previously meager; even if he gained something today, it's past the golden period of martial cultivation. Those six are all Martial Sovereign powerhouses—even in the entire Bright Moon Empire, there are only three to five of such people!"

Others also wore doubtful looks, but since these words came from Lu Fan, they could not bring themselves to doubt. Just moments ago, everyone had been immersed in the wondrous state of cultivation, gaining much insight from the fire-refining light patterns Lu Fan had casually imprinted, and this time most people were completely convinced.

Lu Fan gave a light smile, gazing meaningfully at Zhan Xiao, and said, "Cultivation of the martial way never looks at age. When opportunity arrives, even a young child or an elderly person can soar to the heavens and step into a new realm of martial arts."

Everyone was stunned, never expecting him to speak so. Whether it's the martial way or the symbol way, cultivation always stresses gradual progress, step by step, right?

Those martial artists and symbol cultivators who fell half a step behind at the start of their youthful cultivation basically end up with limited achievements, yet there has never been a saying that when opportunity arrives, one can simply soar to the heavens.

Han Zhen rubbed the back of his head; although he could clearly feel the scorching true qi within his body, he only thought Lu Fan's fire-refining method was profound and that he had fortuitously gained something. As for Lu Fan's words, he felt Lu Fan was just saving his face, not wanting everyone here to look down on him.

Strictly speaking, he is merely an ordinary person. Although he aspires to the way of commerce and hopes to accomplish something earth-shattering, in the eyes of many martial artists and symbol cultivators, engaging in trade is nothing but a lowly occupation, and they fundamentally look down on him.

"Young Master Lu, I, Han Zhen, know my own limits well; I don't aspire to become a king or lord in the martial way, I only wish to strengthen my body and stay healthy."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan's eyes lit up; he stared at Han Zhen, nodded, and loudly praised, "Han Zhen, Han Zhen, it seems I previously misjudged you. With your easygoing nature, you might inadvertently achieve great things in the martial way."

"In our cultivation, obsession and delusion are the greatest taboos. Many people spend their lives unable to let go, which is why the notion of bottlenecks exists; but for you, it's likely to be a natural progression, with no cultivation barriers to hinder you."

Lu Fan looked delighted; originally he only thought Han Zhen could achieve something in the way of commerce, but now, with such a disposition, even reaching the pinnacle of the martial way is not out of the question.

Everyone was astonished beyond measure, gazing enviously at Han Zhen on the symbol war chariot. They could see nothing extraordinary about the chubby little fellow before them, yet Lu Fan valued him so highly that he would undoubtedly become a great figure in the future.

Some interested parties have already been discreetly inquiring into Han Zhen's background; if they could connect with him, even leaving a favorable impression might someday bring great opportunities.

Zhan Xiao was even more shocked; born into a powerful clan, he had extraordinary insight. Lu Fan's words were not idle nonsense—he had heard such statements before.

Han Zhen felt a little embarrassed, with everyone around staring at him fervently. Having never seen such a scene, he could only shift the topic awkwardly, saying, "Young Master Lu, you still haven't answered my question! Why did this fourth‑level formation become fifth‑level, and what exactly happened here while we were 'in a daze'?"

Lu Fan laughed heartily; it's truly baffling that Han Zhen would equate meditative cultivation with being in a daze—what on earth has this kid been doing during his two years at the academy?

He shook his head and casually said, "Originally this six‑pointed star array was already dilapidated; I refined it again, gathered everyone's strength, and it naturally returned to its original state—plus it went up a level!"

As his words fell, Qi Yue exclaimed in shocked delight, "Is this for real? Our Symbol Cultivators' Guild now has a fifth‑level sealing formation—those petty people from the Sacred Martial Hall can no longer bully us at will!"

Earlier, he and Zhao Zu went to the guild's secret chamber to inspect the formation and discovered that the six‑pointed star array had been tampered with in secret. Only the imperial family and the Sacred Martial Hall possessed such capability, but the only one who would do such a thing was the Sacred Martial Hall.

Lu Fan waved his hand at Qi Yue and said lightly, "The Sacred Martial Hall merely relies on its strong background and its fifth‑level sealing formation for protection. Now the Symbol Cultivators of the Bright Moon Empire stand united, martial artists and symbol cultivators help each other; any external force that tries to bully the weak must first consult our Symbol Cultivators' Guild."

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually pointed to the five battle groups. Only then did one see Zu Qing Tan and the others clashing joyfully with the opposing Martial Sovereigns, occasionally shouting provocations, yet never losing an ounce of vigor—truly a great boost to the morale of the Bright Moon Empire's martial artists and symbol cultivators.

Everyone's hearts were shaken; the former dread of Martial Sovereigns spontaneously dissipated. Zhao Zu and the others were merely fourth‑level symbol cultivators, yet they could battle opponents two levels higher—surely this is due to the profundity of that fifth‑level sealing formation.

Lu Fan witnessed this scene and gave a slight nod. Striking while the iron is hot, adding fuel to the fire—the Dao‑transmission convention must have someone astonishing; this method still isn't enough!

He suddenly let out a loud shout, waving the hand seal in his palm, gesturing slightly toward the illusory original‑form image above his head. Boundless radiant symbols swirled, and the statue actually began to sway; in an instant it came to life, twisted its wrist, slowly stepped down, and walked toward the Symbol Cultivators' Guild hall.

"The Art God manifests holiness—this must be the Art God manifesting holiness!"

Qi Yue was shocked and lost color, his face a mix of astonishment and ecstasy; with a 'plop', he actually threw himself to the ground in a full prostration. A statue came to life and stepped forward—this wasn't the legendary Technique God manifesting its holiness; what else could it be?

The talisman cultivators present also, like Mingwu, came over, almost following Qi Yue in exactly the same five-limbed prostration, murmuring incessantly with trembling voices. No one knew whether they were praying for the Technique God to bestow the profound mysteries of the Dao and techniques, or secretly muttering something else.

As for the other martial artists, they had already been frightened stiff, their bodies trembling, and one after another knelt down. Before the resurrected original-body dharma image, they kept kowtowing without cease.

On the battlefield, the five combat teams fought fiercely, still unaware of the 'Technique God manifests holiness.' Only four people remained standing: Lu Fan, Han Zhen, Zhan Xiao, and Wang Wu.

Lu Fan need not be mentioned; even if the true Founding Ancestor Technique God appeared before him, he would not change his expression in the slightest. As for Han Zhen, he simply does not know what a 'Technique God' is, lacks any devotion to the Dao, and thus cannot speak of reverence or admiration.