Chapter 26

As soon as Lu Fan's words fell, Zhao Zhenchuan and Zu Qing Tan were filled with wild joy. Both of them had witnessed Lu Fan's methods and had long harbored a thousand questions and ten thousand desires in their hearts.

The Art Refining Crystal Furnace and the fourth-tier refined potion before them were merely an introduction; the Art Refining Great Dao hidden behind them was what the two truly longed to glimpse.

Within two or three breaths, the two had made their decision. In a flurry, they each tore the Universe Bag from their waists. Without any hesitation, they poured them out, and two small hills suddenly appeared in front of Lu Fan.

The two immediately dove into them, rummaging through, and several extraordinary items were soon revealed.

They impatiently reported the names, but Lu Fan shook his head with an indifferent expression, not even having the interest to take a look.

The faces of Zhao and Zu turned ugly. They usually felt their net worth was quite high, but now they realized it was all just junk.

Clearly, the opportunity was right before their eyes, yet they didn't even have a chance to touch it, sighing and lamenting with deep regret.

He shook his head and smiled faintly: "You two want my Blazing Flame Skill, nothing more than to improve the level of the two guild's Art Refining apprentices. I am willing to fulfill your wishes, without taking a single cent, but there is only one condition!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao and Zu reignited their hope, excited and impatient, asking: "What condition!"

Lu Fan smiled slightly, his hands behind his back, and an aura as vast as the sea was released. He said indifferently: "I want a Preaching Assembly!"

"No!"

As soon as the four words "Preaching Assembly" were spoken, the expressions of Zhao and Zu changed immediately, and without even thinking, they blurted out a refusal.

But after saying this, the two realized what they had done, their brows furrowed, and they were filled with regret again.

Clearly, the Rune Dao opportunity was right before them, yet they had missed it again. Could it be that heaven was playing with them, and everything before them was just a fleeting shadow, ethereal and impossible to find?

Lu Fan's expression was calm; he was not surprised by this answer at all, as if he had known it long ago.

He was very patient, not furrowing a single brow, nor showing any sign of impatience or dissatisfaction.

Zu Qing Tan sighed and said: "Young Master Lu, we are very happy that you are willing to contribute your Rune Dao wisdom, but..."

Before he could finish, Lu Fan raised his hand and interrupted directly: "But the Sacred Martial Hall has strictly forbidden it. Unless one is a God-Building Realm Rune Emperor, ranked above a seventh-tier Great Sorcerer, no one is allowed to hold a Preaching Assembly! Those who violate the order will die!"

Zu Qing Tan was terrified, and Zhao Zhenchuan was also surprised. This was a secret of the Rune Master Guild; how did Lu Fan know?

Zhao Zhenchuan was the first to recover. He thought again of the peerless Rune Master behind Lu Fan. This must have been told to Lu Fan by that person; otherwise, no matter how strong Lu Fan's talent was, he shouldn't have such experience or knowledge of these things.

He subconsciously glanced around, and after confirming the restrictions were strict, he sighed slowly:

"The Sacred Martial Hall is powerful and claims to be the orthodox authority of the world. Although our Rune Master Guild has a long history and covers the entire Heaven Origin World, we still have to be cautious. That ban cannot be broken by anyone!"

Zu Qing Tan continued: "Our Mingyue Empire Rune Master Guild has not held a Preaching Assembly for three hundred years, leading to a decline in talent in the Shenfeng Empire's sorcerer world, with no successors. Consequently, the martial arts world and the Mingyue Empire have also declined, becoming a minor existence in the entire Dongxuan Domain."

The Heaven Origin World is vast and boundless, and there are four major regions where humans live densely, divided into East, South, West, and North. The Dongxuan Domain has eight major dynasties, and under them are dozens of vassal states.

Although the Mingyue Empire is called an empire, it is actually just one of the eight major dynasties, one of several vassal states of the Longxiang Dynasty. For hundreds of years, its national strength has declined, and its jurisdiction is only ten thousand miles away. In the entire Heaven Origin World, it is just like a grain of sand in the vast sea, insignificant.

Lu Fan naturally knew the situation of the Mingyue Empire. Hearing the sighs of Zhao and Zu, he couldn't help but think of the situation of the world under his command in his previous life.

He had suddenly met with misfortune, and the entire interface was likely already in turmoil. With countless people from outside the world pouring in, chaos and disorder were inevitable, and decline was certain!

"Sigh!" With a light sigh, Zhao and Zu were both awakened, thinking that Lu Fan was sighing for the fate of the Shenfeng Empire, and they also began to lament.

"The Preaching Assembly must be held! I will take responsibility for any situation; you two don't need to worry!"

Lu Fan's decisive words suddenly crashed down, and Zhao and Zu felt terrified and confused.

Where did the other party get the confidence to dare to resist the Sacred Martial Hall? Not to mention him, even the Mingyue Empire's royal family would not dare to oppose the Sacred Martial Hall at all.

"Could it be..." Zhao Zhenchuan was slightly stunned, and couldn't help but think of the non-existent expert behind Lu Fan again. His eyes lit up, and he suddenly said: "Does Master Lu really have confidence?"

"Of course!" Lu Fan said indifferently, his demeanor relaxed, clearly not taking the Sacred Martial Hall to heart at all.

"Good! Since the Master is willing to contribute his Rune Dao wisdom, this old man is willing to facilitate it!" Just as these words fell, Zu Qing Tan was unhappy and began to shout loudly.

But Zhao Zhenchuan did not get along with him, so how could it work? Seeing that he couldn't oppose it, he turned to persuade Lu Fan.

Lu Fan naturally wouldn't listen to the other party's nonsense. With a glance, the aura of a peak powerhouse erupted.

Zu Qing Tan was scared into silence, unable to say another word, his heart filled with bitterness and silent grievances!

"Alright!" Lu Fan smiled slightly, flipped his hand, and the Art Refining Crystal Furnace appeared, which he pushed directly to Zu Qing Tan, saying: "Well, since you and Han Zhen signed the contract, I'll give this thing back to you!"

Zu Qing Tan was slightly stunned, then a touch of joy appeared, but then he frowned again and shook his head, not even daring to touch it. He insisted that it was something Lu Fan had refined, and he could not accept a reward without merit.

Having no other choice, Lu Fan could only put the Art Refining Crystal Furnace away and said leisurely: "How about this! I'll teach you two a couple of special incantations for refining this crystal furnace last time!"

He turned his head and looked at Zhao Zhenchuan again: "Your method of refining fourth-tier refined potions has many errors and took many detours; I'll help you correct them!"

Both of them were overjoyed. A moment ago, Lu Fan was indifferent and insisted that they bring out treasures to trade for the "Blazing Flame Skill," so why was he so generous this time?

The Preaching Assembly was still them taking advantage, with all the risks on Lu Fan's side. The two of them hadn't paid anything, yet they had gained an improvement in the level of the guild's Art Refining apprentices. If it were really held as wished, I'm afraid...

While the two were imagining, Lu Fan threw down two slips of paper and left directly.

In the corner of a tavern, Lu Fan ordered a few small dishes and began to drink by himself.

"The time of the Preaching Assembly will be the opportunity for my rise. Old Ghost Yuwen, the Sacred Martial Hall collects faith for you in this world; at the Preaching Assembly, I will cut off your foundation of faith!"

He muttered in deep thought, and scene after scene since his rebirth surfaced in his mind. The grievances of his previous life and the love and hatred of his "current life"—the most crucial step had now been taken, and he waited quietly for the opportunity to arrive.

Just at this moment, a man and a woman walked into the tavern, immediately attracting Lu Fan's attention.

The two looked like father and daughter, dressed as street performers. The father held an ancient zither, playing an unknown melody, while the daughter sang along, her voice pleasant and melodious, causing the crowd eating and drinking around them to cheer loudly.

"Yo! To let such a pretty girl come out and show her face, old man, you are truly heartless!" A frivolous whistle sounded, and then a youth in green and flowery clothes stumbled over.

"Little girl, give me a smile!"

This youth was clearly a playboy from a noble family, used to such acts of molesting good women. As he spoke, his right hand reached for the girl's chin, while his left hand reached around her waist, intending to embrace her.

Under these circumstances, the street-performing girl seemed slightly flustered, but her eyes were calm, and there was even a trace of disgust.

And her father, the ancient zither he was plucking, was not even put down, with no intention of helping at all.

Lu Fan's gaze narrowed; this father and daughter were suspicious. His brow suddenly twitched, and his figure flashed, immediately reaching the youth's side.

With a twist of his hand, he grabbed the other party and swung him through the air!

"Ah!" The youth let out a scream, clutching his arm in extreme pain. He crashed directly onto a wine table, leaving a mess everywhere.

"I'll break one of your arms as a warning! Get out now!"

The hooligan youth, who originally had a hateful gaze, was scared pale by Lu Fan's cold stare. As if he had seen the King of Hell, he scrambled away, fleeing.

"Thank you, Young Master, for your rescue. My name is Xiulan, and I am deeply grateful!"

Xiulan was slightly stunned, then turned into a look of panic, bowing to Lu Fan. It seemed the shock from the youth earlier had not yet dissipated, and her body trembled slightly, making her look pitiful. Her father also became timid, as if he had truly escaped a great disaster.

Lu Fan smiled slightly, slowly taking two steps forward, almost pressing against the girl who called herself Xiulan, and whispered in her ear: "What are you thanking me for? Do you expect me to be grateful that I saved that hooligan's life?"

As soon as these words fell, Xiulan's face turned pale with terror, her body suddenly shook, and she took several steps back, saying coldly: "Who are you?"

Her "father" also heard Lu Fan's words, his face looking extremely ugly. The palm that had been resting on the zither strings slowly lowered and moved to his waist.

A murderous aura permeated the surroundings. It seemed that if one more word went wrong, they would resort to weapons.

"Hehe!" Lu Fan blinked, then looked out the window and smiled: "In ten more breaths, the Sacred Hall Knights will rush in. If you two want to leave now, there is still time!"

As soon as his words fell, he turned around on his own, slowly sat back in his seat, and began to eat and drink leisurely again.

"Quick! Quick! That pair of father and daughter is inside, don't let them run away again!"

A powerful shout came from outside the window, followed by the sound of metal clashing and armor colliding.

Xiulan and her father trembled all over, looking incredulous. They looked at each other, but without saying a word, they immediately leaped out and escaped through the back window.

Just at this moment, a team of fully armored Sacred Martial Hall guards rushed in, and without saying a word, they immediately gave chase.

The people in the tavern all had their expressions changed. To be able to mobilize the Sacred Martial Hall, that pair of father and daughter must not be ordinary people; they might even be evil heretics.

Lu Fan smiled slightly, poured himself another cup of wine, shook his head, and said: "Dark believers, interesting! It seems my Soul-Returning Grass has a lead!"