172: To the south of Wanjie Mountain, the trace of Mo Fan's father

Leaving the Sword Pavilion, Mo Fan returned directly to Chixia Peak and entered his Immortal Cave.

Master was still 'furthering his studies' in Magic Arrays, and wouldn't be back for at least a year or so.

His Granddaughter was still searching for indestructible substance in the Secret Realm and likewise, he didn't know when she would return.

His other Senior Sisters also had their own matters to attend to.

As for himself, he followed a two-point-one-line routine every day.

Thus, the entire Chixia Peak appeared desolate, with no one in sight year-round.

Mo Fan shook his head, feeling that he should interact more with his Senior Sisters when he had time, otherwise, they would become too distant.

As fellow disciples, maintaining good relations was necessary.

While contemplating, Mo Fan sat down cross-legged and began to Cultivate the Golden Body Art... The next morning, Mo Fan woke with the rising sun and, as usual, Cultivated the Golden Body Art for a quarter of an hour.

After Cultivating, he meticulously washed up, pushed open the door, left his Immortal Cave, and flew towards Jiangcheng.

Destiny Martial Artists flying by leveraging momentum were much faster than Transcendent Martial Artists flying on swords.

In just a few minutes, Mo Fan returned to Jiangcheng.

Arriving back at Blue Moon Residential Area, he greeted the familiar aunties and uncles, then went straight upstairs, took out his key, and opened his long-sealed security door.

However, as soon as he pushed the door open, Mo Fan froze.

"Someone's been here?"

The floor was clean and bright, reflecting light, a stark contrast to the dusty scene he remembered.

"Could Yingying have come back?" Mo Fan frowned.

"No, Yingying is still in the Secret Realm; she wouldn't be back this quickly.

"Even if she did return, she would go to Yuxu Academy to find me first, not come back here.

"There isn't even a speck of dust on the floor, and every corner is meticulously cleaned. Clearly, someone has been here in the past two days and cleaned up—"

Mo Fan sat on the sofa, frowning in thought.

Soon, a somewhat absurd idea surfaced in his mind:

"Could it be Dad has returned?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

Besides him and his Granddaughter, only his unreliable old man would return here.

"But Dad doesn't seem like the type to clean—"

Mo Fan shook his head, finding the matter a bit strange.

He sat on the sofa for a while.

He turned on the TV, aimlessly pressing the remote control.

Speaking of which, this old TV had been scrapped long ago, but his Granddaughter had fixed it after she arrived.

Mo Fan pressed the remote control randomly while thinking about things.

After cycling through all the channels several times, Mo Fan turned off the TV and got up to tidy up.

After tidying the house and putting some useful items into his system space, Mo Fan pushed open the door and left.

He locked the door, checked the spare key, glanced at the security door one last time, and then turned to go downstairs.

After leaving the house, Mo Fan walked directly towards the eastern suburbs of Jiangcheng.

On the way, he bought a fruit basket.

Then, he took out some spirit fruits from his system space and put them into the basket.

The spirit fruits were freshly picked from Chixia Peak when he left in the morning, still covered with dew.

Half an hour later, an old-fashioned detached courtyard came into Mo Fan's view.

He glanced at the two large characters 'Sun Residence' carved on the plaque and pulled the copper knocker.

The copper knocker was connected to a doorbell.

Soon, the main door opened.

A figure, dressed in a simple white training suit, with a high ponytail, delicate features, and a few beads of sweat on her smooth forehead, looking youthful and radiant, appeared before Mo Fan's eyes.

"Mo... Mo Fan?" The young girl was slightly stunned, utterly surprised, clearly not expecting Mo Fan to be the one knocking.

"Oh, Sun Shan, you're home too?" Mo Fan was also a little surprised.

He hadn't expected to see Sun Shan.

Shouldn't this girl be diligently Cultivating at the Imperial Capital Martial Dao Academy at this time?

"It's summer vacation, so I came back to accompany Grandpa."

As she spoke, Sun Shan lowered her head, subtly glancing behind Mo Fan. Seeing no one, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"So it's already summer vacation—" Mo Fan suddenly realized.

It was already mid-July; upon closer calculation, it was indeed summer vacation.

Because Yuxu Academy didn't have the concept of summer vacation.

Mo Fan hadn't thought of it at first.

Of course, the Martial Dao Academy's summer vacation was very short, only half a month.

"You're here to see Grandpa, right? Come in quickly, Grandpa is exercising in the courtyard, I'll lead you over."

Sun Shan smiled sweetly, pulled open the vermilion wooden door, and gestured for Mo Fan to enter.

"Thank you." Mo Fan nodded and stepped into the Sun Residence.

As they walked, Sun Shan casually said:

"Mo Fan, why didn't your girlfriend come with you? You should introduce her to Grandpa and me."

Hearing this, Mo Fan was stunned: "Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

Seeing Mo Fan's reaction, Sun Shan's expression froze, and she subconsciously said:

"The incredibly beautiful girl from last time, who walked away holding your hand..."

Towards the end, her voice became almost inaudible.

Mo Fan suddenly understood and shook his head: "You mean Yingying? She's not my girlfriend; she was just joking with you last time."

"Ah?" Sun Shan was instantly stunned, frozen in place, her face filled with disbelief, "J-joking?"

"Yes, just joking." Mo Fan nodded, rubbing his temples with a hint of helplessness.

This whole thing, it was indeed misunderstood.

"It's good that it's not..." Sun Shan whispered.

For some reason, her mood suddenly brightened at this moment, like a blooming flower.

"What did you say?" Mo Fan looked at her, puzzled.

"N-nothing!"

Sun Shan quickly shook her head, hurried to catch up with Mo Fan, and casually said: "Then who is she? Your long-lost sister?"

She remembered that Mo Fan didn't have a sister.

"Not a sister." Mo Fan shook his head.

"Then..." Sun Shan hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

Being pressed like this, Mo Fan also found it a bit difficult. After thinking for a moment, he could only say:

"Perhaps a... very, very close relative?"

"A very, very close relative... ?"

"Yes, a very, very close relative. Next time, I'll bring her over and introduce her to you and Grandpa Sun." Mo Fan said perfunctorily.

Hearing this answer, Sun Shan was momentarily stunned. Although still puzzled, she didn't ask further, instead smiling brightly and saying:

"Let's walk faster. Grandpa might be finished exercising by now, and we can eat breakfast together."

"Alright." Mo Fan nodded and quickened his pace.

Soon, Mo Fan saw Second Master Sun exercising in the courtyard.

At this moment, Second Master Sun was practicing a set of martial arts that exuded a fierce, murderous aura, each move powerful and resonant.

Second Master Sun's original name was Sun Weiguo.

Because he was the second oldest in the family, he had always been called Second Master Sun.

Walking into the courtyard, Mo Fan carefully watched Second Master Sun practice his boxing.

Second Master Sun was originally a Guiyuan Peak expert.

After being injured twenty years ago, his health deteriorated. Not only was his Primordial Spirit Light worn away, but even the Transcendent secret power within his body began to wane.

Six months ago, when Mo Fan visited Second Master Sun, the old man was still robust and radiant, clearly indicating extraordinary skill.

But now, his figure was somewhat hunched, and his cultivation was almost about to fall below the Transcendent realm.

After finishing a set of punches, Second Master Sun finally noticed Mo Fan, quickly exhaled a mouthful of stale Qi, and walked towards Mo Fan.

"Haha, so it's Xiao Fan! Grandpa's eyesight is failing, I didn't recognize you right away."

Walking up to Mo Fan, Second Master Sun carefully observed him.

Although his cultivation was not what it once was.

His eyesight, at least, was still there.

He could sense it.

The current Mo Fan's cultivation was quite extraordinary.

He seemed to have already entered the Transcendent realm.

Thinking of this, Second Master Sun couldn't help but be utterly astonished.

A Transcendent not yet nineteen years old.

What did this mean?

"Grandpa Sun, I've come to see you." Mo Fan said with a smile.

At this, Second Master Sun snapped back to attention, looked at the fruit basket in Mo Fan's hand, and said with some displeasure: "You child, you came, and you brought things? How many times have I told you not to listen."

Mo Fan scratched his head and chuckled: "These were just picked from Yuxu Academy, they're not worth much. But they taste really good, and I thought Grandpa Sun might like them, so I brought some back."

"You child—" Second Master Sun shook his head helplessly, while also signaling Sun Shan to wash and cut the spirit fruits.

Mo Fan handed the basket to Sun Shan and sat under the willow tree, chatting with Second Master Sun.

Second Master Sun pondered for a moment, then asked: "Your current cultivation, you should have already entered the Transcendent realm, right?"

Mo Fan nodded: "More or less."

"Hiss—" Second Master Sun couldn't help but gasp, "Your cultivation talent is no worse than your father's."

Mo Fan scratched his head, and then asked: "Grandpa Sun, have you heard any news about my father recently?"

Hearing this, Second Master Sun straightened his expression and said: "Grandpa was just about to tell you this. Even if you hadn't come, Grandpa would have called you later."

Mo Fan was startled: "You mean, you have news about my father?"

Mo Fan hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

Could it really have been his dad who cleaned the house?

Did this mean he could finally see him?

Second Master Sun composed himself and said: "Grandpa recently received news that two months ago, your father seemed to have appeared in the area south of Myriad Realms Mountain."

"Two months ago... south of Myriad Realms Mountain?" Mo Fan was stunned.

"Yes, two months ago, your father's figure appeared in that area south of Myriad Realms Mountain."

Pausing, Second Master Sun continued: "Unfortunately, it was just an appearance; further tracking yielded no more traces."

Speaking of this, Second Master Sun smiled helplessly: "Grandpa doesn't know what your father is doing, or why he hasn't returned yet.

"Logically, he has already advanced to the Supreme realm, found the path he wanted, and should have returned by now.

"But in the past six months, although I have been asking people to keep an eye on your father's movements, the harvest has been minimal.

"This time, I finally tracked down some clues, but they were just a flash in the pan."

At the end, Second Master Sun sighed helplessly.

He himself really wanted to find Mo Lin.

Firstly, he missed his old friend whom he hadn't seen for so many years.

Secondly, he felt that his time was short, and there were many things he wanted to discuss with Mo Lin.

Finally, the authorities also seemed to be re-focusing on Mo Lin, sending people to inquire about him several times in the past six months.

Second Master Sun was not surprised by this.

In front of the authorities, there were actually not many secrets to speak of.

Thinking of this, Second Master Sun shook his head and continued:

"Xiao Fan, you don't have to worry. Your father must still have things to deal with. Once he's done, he'll be back soon.

"As I said before, he is now a Supreme expert, there's no reason for him to stay outside and ignore his own son."

"Understood, thank you, Grandpa Sun." Mo Fan regained his senses and spoke his thanks.

Seeing that Mo Fan seemed a bit off, Second Master Sun said again:

"You don't have to worry about your father. His combat power is extraordinary; he's always been invincible among those of the same rank, and can even kill enemies across ranks.

"Although he has just entered the Supreme realm, there are definitely no more than five beings on the entire Blue Star that can threaten him. You can rest assured."

After a pause, Second Master Sun seemed to remember something and added:

"Don't blame your father for not leaving you cultivation resources or Peerless Secret Chapters.

"When he left, you had just begun to Cultivate. Leaving those things for you might not have been a good thing."

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Sun." Mo Fan thanked him again, but his expression was still somewhat distant.

Second Master Sun was also a bit helpless about this.

This child is nothing like his father.

Not carefree enough, always worrying about unnecessary things.

What Second Master Sun didn't know was.

Mo Fan wasn't worried about his father, Mo Lin, at this moment.

Instead, he was thinking about some things.

Some things about Myriad Realms Mountain.

Mo Fan still remembered that his daughter, in her quest to comprehend 'potential' and reach the Heavenly Mandate, had inadvertently visited Myriad Realms Mountain.

In that area, she encountered a woman who was suspected to be his "future mother."

Ultimately, the clue about his suspected "future wife" also disappeared in the area south of Myriad Realms Mountain.

There was a hidden Magic Array protecting a teleportation array.

And now, Second Master Sun told him that his father's figure had also appeared in the area south of Myriad Realms Mountain two months ago.

Although the area south of Myriad Realms Mountain is vast, the two might not be in the exact same region.

However, a careful comparison would reveal that the time difference between the two was actually not significant.

This made it hard for Mo Fan not to make connections.

"What did father go there for?

"Is that incredibly powerful mysterious woman really my future wife, the one with the pendant?

"The timing is similar, and both appeared there.

"What is the connection between the two?"

At this moment, Mo Fan's head was spinning.

Things were becoming increasingly convoluted.

Taking a deep breath, Mo Fan forced himself to calm down.

No matter what, once he was strong enough, he would have to visit that area, break or bypass the Magic Array, enter the teleportation array, and see what was inside that space.

Perhaps then, all questions would be answered.

Just as Mo Fan was pondering, Sun Shan came over with a fruit platter.

She handed the fruit platter to Mo Fan, smiling sweetly: "Mo Fan, here, have some—"

At the same time, Second Master Sun's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Watching his Granddaughter personally select the best fruit and offer it to Mo Fan's lips, Second Master Sun felt chills down his spine, and his heart grew cold.

At this moment, he completely lost interest, looked up at the somewhat hazy sky, and murmured, "So, love disappears, doesn't it?"

...After eating the spirit fruit in a subtle atmosphere, Second Master Sun finally recovered and enthusiastically invited Mo Fan to eat breakfast together.

Mo Fan didn't stand on ceremony and stayed to dine with Sun Shan and Second Master Sun.

Although the Sun Residence was large, it didn't employ any servants.

Breakfast was cooked by Sun Shan herself, and it tasted very good.

Especially the pot of alluring, fragrant porridge, which made Mo Fan devour three large bowls, lingering over it and wanting more.

"How did you make this porridge so delicious?

"Also, what kind of meat is in the porridge? The texture is too good; I've never had meat with a similar flavor..."

After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Mo Fan couldn't help but ask.

He himself enjoyed cooking.

Since he encountered such delicious porridge, he naturally wanted to find out how to make it so he could go back and research it himself.

Before Sun Shan could answer, Second Master Sun immediately said, "This porridge is called longevity porridge, and the meat in it is Tang Monk meat."

Mo Fan was dumbfounded: "Tang Monk meat?"

Seeing this, Sun Shan rolled her eyes at her Grandpa and explained:

"The porridge is indeed longevity porridge, but the meat is actually Golden Cicada meat."

"Golden Cicada meat?" Mo Fan was even more puzzled.

Isn't that the same as Tang Monk meat?

Seemingly guessing Mo Fan's thoughts, Sun Shan smiled and shook her head, saying:

"It's actually the breast meat of a cicada, isn't there an idiom called 'golden cicada shedding its shell'?

Sun Shan explained with a smile:

"Golden Cicada refers to the cicada we usually talk about. During summer, they wake up from underground, quietly climb up to the treetops in the evening, and begin their metamorphosis into Golden Cicadas.

"Within one to two hours after the Golden Cicada sheds its shell, it stores a large amount of protein in its body, so the meat of the Golden Cicada is most delicious at this time.

"As long as you find the cicada holes beforehand, do a little work on the tree trunk, and then go back in the middle of the night, you can harvest Golden Cicadas that have just shed their shells."

Hearing Sun Shan say this, Second Master Sun couldn't help but interrupt:

"Shan Shan, how is that 'a little work'? You clearly stayed up all night just to catch those golden cicadas—"

Only a tiny bit of breast meat, smaller than a fingernail, can be extracted from one Golden Cicada. It's hard to imagine how long Sun Shan must have worked for such a large pot of porridge.

"Uh, it's longevity porridge, it's good for Grandpa's health, so it's worth spending some time on it!

"Besides, I'm a Martial Artist, staying up occasionally is no problem!"

"I told you Grandpa's body is fine, don't go doing these unnecessary things. How can drinking a bowl of porridge make one's body better?" Second Master Sun said with a stern face.

"Hmph, I say it's useful, so it's useful. You just drink it," Sun Shan said, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Second Master Sun: "..."

Hearing the conversation between the grandfather and Granddaughter, Mo Fan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

This porridge was specially cooked by Sun Shan for Second Master Sun, and he had actually eaten three large bowls!

Thinking of this, he once again gazed at Second Master Sun.

Due to damaged Foundation and a drop in cultivation, the old injuries Second Master Sun sustained from years of battle began to manifest.

This situation was quite serious.

Currently, he still had some extraordinary secret power within him, barely maintaining balance.

But over time, when the extraordinary secret power completely dissipated, Second Master Sun's body would face major problems.

By then—

Mo Fan didn't want to think about it anymore.

"If my attainments in alchemy were as outstanding as my Formation Field, perhaps I could find a solution..."

Thinking of this, Mo Fan paused, his gaze becoming more resolute.

He had one more goal for his next Secret Realm entry: to visit the Legacy land corresponding to Cangyan Peak. If he could improve his alchemy attainments, he might be able to solve Second Master Sun's problem!

to visit the Legacy land corresponding to Cangyan Peak. If he could improve his alchemy attainments, he might be able to solve Second Master Sun's problem!

Just as Mo Fan was pondering, Sun Shan continued to explain:

"After collecting and cleaning the Golden Cicada meat, remove their breast meat, then use it with spiritual rice to cook porridge, add simple seasonings, and you'll have a healthy and delicious longevity porridge.

"How is it, doesn't it taste great?"

After speaking, Sun Shan looked at Mo Fan with anticipation.

Mo Fan nodded earnestly, sincerely saying, "It's truly wonderful. Can you teach me?"

"Uh—" Sun Shan froze, not reacting for a long time.

But eventually, she cheerfully said, "No problem, I'll tell you the detailed recipe after we finish eating. Let's have breakfast first, do you want another bowl?"

"Uh, no, I'm full!" Mo Fan quickly waved his hand.

Although he could still eat two more bowls.

He was truly too embarrassed to eat any more.

"Haha, it's fine, there's so much porridge, Grandpa can't finish it all anyway. Drink as much as you like~"

Second Master Sun: "?"

When you say that, can you ask Grandpa first?

Second Master Sun felt heartbroken, a daughter grown up cannot be kept!

But then again.

Doesn't Mo Fan have a girlfriend?

Why hasn't Shan Shan given up on him?

Thinking of this, Second Master Sun became anxious.

You can't be a third party!

...After eating and drinking to his fill and receiving the detailed recipe for the longevity porridge, Mo Fan bid farewell to Second Master Sun and Sun Shan.

This time, he didn't let Sun Shan see him off again.

Leaving the Sun Residence, Mo Fan went directly to the market and began to shop extensively.

After a full four or five hours of shopping, Mo Fan finally stopped, satisfied, walked to a deserted corner, and flew through the air towards Yuxu Academy.