Sects 1

Xiao Fan going outside himself had, of course, a reason for it as if not he would just stay inside and cultivate.

His plans for this airing were to go and see some of those independent businesses that were in Hangzhou. As inside this city, almost everything was owned by Zou Zexi the local Warlord except for these stores.

For them to be independent here would there only be one reason.

And that reason was they were powerful enough that Zou Zexi didn't dare to touch them.

Warlord Zexi might seem like an invisible man.

Yet when facing these companies, he didn't try to lift a finger on them or even tax them, so there must be a good reason he thought while walking into one of these stores.

Coming inside the shop, it seemed so for there was an immediate difference coming into this place, the lobby was filled with youths around his age or older.

But coming inside Xiao Fan would have thought that these people would notice him, as he was one of the brightest stars in town.

To his confusion, however, no one cared.

However, what Xiao Fan didn't know about these people was that none of them was here for the tournament. Everyone here was but following their masters, who had come here for some reason.

They all looked as if their carriage had broken down and were now stuck somewhere in the wilds, having nothing to do.

Xiao Fan didn't mind this since for once he could walk around without constant harassment from opportunists.

Despite this wish of his, it would seem that some of the people were interested in him.

But not in a positive way as they looked at him with the same gaze as Lei Tao did gaze at mortals when he was still working at the north gate.

For them, Xiao Fan was almost ruining the little fun they were having in this almost closed environment where these poor locals didn't come in.

Xiao Fan had been seen as a stain.

Still not caring of their gazes Xiao Fan came in front of a book that holds the inventory that would be offered to everyone coming inside.

Him not leaving but doing so, it didn't take long that some of the people in the lobby decided to burn their time here by bullying the local.

A group of girls came to him all of them dressed in fancy dresses and such, while the person leading the charge stepped outside the group.

¨Get lost¨ She said in a tone that was an order, for she couldn't look at a commoner like him anymore.

Xiao Fan didn't honestly hear this and continued to read his book, sometimes turning the page, not even considering that someone was speaking to him.

The woman who saw herself being ignored tapped her foot and gave him an icy glare.

Still, nothing happened.

Soon after the woman had enough of this and decided to stamp her hand onto the book, Xiao Fan was reading in all peacefulness.

This did finally get Xiao Fan's attention.

He looked at this lady whose clothing resembled more of a doll dressed up than a cultivator much more powerful than him.

¨What is it?¨ He asked, he still didn't know what she wanted, maybe she just also wanted to read the book?

¨Didn't you hear me? Get lost¨ She said to him in a way that Xiao Fan was now convinced that she wasn't here to be kind.

And would Xiao Fan leave because told to? 'No'

he simply turned his head off her and continued to read the book that was in front of him.

Turning the page over her hand so that her hand didn't bother him anymore.

The woman trying to annoy him took this as an insult and was just about to hit him before remembering where they were.

Outside this building, Xiao Fan would most likely be smushed already by this woman and her group of friends watching this occur, but inside this shop, she didn't dare to be too noisy.

The woman thought of a new approach, for if the boy wasn't leaving per her request, she would make him leave embarrassed.

Plan in mind, she took her hand that was already hidden by a few pages and placed one of her fingers in a randomly chosen spot.

¨Tell me what this is¨ She said whilst not even bothering to look at what she had picked.

There was no way for him to know anything about it.

¨Oh that is red spruce. Found near artic volcanos, it can help with weight loss and many other things since it burns with such a hot flame. However, if the lady needs it I have to inform you that will not be finding it here¨ He went with her play.

¨Oh, making some fake stuff are we?¨ Hearing this the woman could easily know that what Xiao Fan was talking about was bullocks.

¨But miss if it isn't red spruce then what is it?¨ He asked, and by now, he was sensing that she was just here to cause trouble for him.

The woman now decided to look at the spot where her finger had landed, and it would seem that he might be right; however, as she herself looked at the picture, she had no idea what this tree was.

Now for the first time, she realised that this man was looking at the unknown plants' section where there were only some mentions and pictures of the items.

No one really knew all of the things in this world or were wanting to tell others, so bigger shops usually had some information wherefrom the people that knew something about them could purchase the items.

It was an open, but also a closed list, so to say.

Studying the picture itself.

She could somewhat see what Xiao Fan meant, as the picture was one of a tree, but the colour of it was burning red and also in flames.

What was even weirder that there was nothing about the name or the effect only the picture was there.

Realising this a thought run through her head.

Did the man she was talking to know what this thing was called and its effects?

A fat chance, she deemed. There was no way for a random boy here to know it.

¨How could you know it? Like I said you are spewing lies as expected from a lowborn in these wastes¨ She said shaking her head at the end.

The group behind her also left out a small laugh to help one of their own.

¨Then if the lady doesn't believe me... then show me something that you know of to test my skill? If I lose I will leave right away¨ Xiao Fan proposed an unfair deal where there wasn't anything for her to lose at first sight.

Which the lady, of course, accepted.

For she knew many plants that weren't described much in these books, her master and family had considerably more knowledge than Zou Zexi might have, so what was one junior?

Flipping through the book, her finger this time landed on a puddle of water that looked as if there was nothing special.

This would work ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

The lady knew from doing this in her home area where people didn't know about this.

However, to her surprise, Xiao Fan knew precisely what this small inconspicuous pond of water actually was.

¨Ah, just a minor pool of life? This is but a small pond that if one uses can he or she gain some lifespan, maybe a year or two¨ He said casually.

Unlike Xiao Fan, who casually said her family secret, the woman looked at Xiao Fan as what was going on here?

This boy shouldn't have come here with the others, so how could he know about this?

Xiao Fan looking at her face in which her mouth resembled a ¨o¨ chuckled ¨The lady doesn't believe me?¨

The lady took a few seconds to gather herself from this before just slightly nodding, 'he's just lucky' she reasoned to herself.

Then her hand again proceeded to hower around the book ready to point out the thing while the other flipped pages into another thing she had this time learned from her master.

This time the item had no picture but only a description of its effects ¨Tell me how does this item look like?¨ She smirked at him.

The item of her choosing was known to her only by listening to her master's legend.

The legend told her was about a person, who went into a mystical garden where all kinds of plants were present.

This was one of the plants there.

When he had been there, the man had no idea what those plants were, and neither were their names presented.

All information about this plant only includes its effects and a brief description; however, it would seem that in this book, there is no picture of the bamboo growing in circles.

Xiao Fan had to admit that this time looking for the plant from his memories was much harder, but after flipping a few hundred pages of his mind, he found the correlating effect and image of it.

¨It is round bamboo, and as the name implies, it is bamboo that grows in a circle. Finally, after a circle is complete, will it grow up¨ He told the description.

Before telling the ¨Usages other than what this book says is to feed it to a mutant which will become much tamer than before¨ He tried to act casual again, for he was also impressed by it usages and rarity.

Okay.

Now she was lost for words, this thing was from a legend, and it was just a side note in that obscure legend to which no one had explanations to, so why was this man knowing of such things and even offering usages for it?

Luckily the woman was a little smart, so at this point, she did realise that maybe she hadn't bitten soft but metal.

But before she could retreat from the middle of the room where everyone was watching this event unfold, Xiao Fan challenged her into a third round.

¨What if we try one more round? This time the prizes will be different. Winner will win 10 000 gold coins okay?¨ He said.

The money sum was small for him to care, but for the person in front of him, it was big money.

She thought for a moment before replying ¨Okay, I accept your demands, but only with the condition that I can choose the item with my group here¨ She wasn't going to back down, and there was still a lot of plants to be chosen.

For the book had tens of thousands of species and weeds that some might only be explained with one word and so with her group thinking the money could be won and the prestige saved.

This was a request which to Xiao Fan agreed to and watched as the group of women started rummaging through the book trying to find the hardest one possible.

It would take a while for them to come to a conclusion of the thing they would be asking.

In the meantime, Xiao Fan had gotten some positive opinions around from the other people hanging around the lobby.

So he approached one of the groups that didn't seem to have such good relationship with he group of girls.

¨Greetings¨ He said to them when taking a seat in their table that had a free seat.

The other people were all men inside this group who viewed Xiao Fan somewhat positively after he had won a couple of challenges from the woman.

¨You sure showed those Rising Fox Sect sluts their place, huh¨ The man, who seemed to be the leader spoke.

Xiao Fan jolted a bit from him just saying their name in a way like that.

He had thought these people to be some righteous men in their almost all-white uniforms that had some black lines running in them, and all those clean-cut hairs, and clear facial features, but guess not.

¨Ah, they are from the Rising Fox Sect I haven't heard about them yet¨ He replied.

¨You really are a local. I'm not saying being one isn't bad, but how does a local know these things?¨ The man in white asked.

¨Shouldn't it be better to introduce yourself before asking questions?¨ Xiao Fan didn't answer them.

Which to the person thought it was fair, so he stood up and introduced himself ¨We are from the White Sun Sect¨ He didn't give his name.

But before he could ask about it, the man was already giving a reply to his confusion.

¨We are referred to as Disciple inside the White Sun Sect since we have no name yet¨ To which the other disciples sitting nodded in too much unison, it was as if they were programmed.

'Okay bunch of weird people' Xiao Fan had now concluded that he might have been better off going somewhere else to sit and chat.