Top-tier Unruly Master

A third grade Artifact of Attack had been given so casually to Zhou Ruoran by Ding Fan. Mu Zi, standing off to the side, was stunned. It was known that not a single person in the Royal Guard, composed of third, fifth, sixth, and seventh grades, was privileged enough to wield a third grade Offensive Artifact.

After these arrangements, Ding Fan was not in a hurry to leave Xiao Dao.

In the recent fight against Zhang Kaizhi, Ding Fan felt as if he had come to a realization. The Long-Arm Boxing technique was exquisite, and during the fight with Zhang Kaizhi, Ding Fan had been hit by it twice, even sustaining some internal injuries.

Zhang Kaizhi's cultivation was merely at the sixth Grade Earth Level, while Ding Fan's cultivation had reached the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation. Currently, Ding Fan was entirely capable of contending against those at the Peak of the Earth Level. Yet, Zhang Kaizhi had managed to hurt Ding Fan with that technique, which showed the exquisite nature of this Fist Technique.

After taking care of Ruoran and Mu Zi, Ding Fan found a quiet corner and began to contemplate Zhang Kaizhi's style of boxing, inch by inch from memory.

Just one exchange was enough for Ding Fan to mimic the opponent's boxing technique, probably something only he could achieve, with his formidable memory and extraordinary Divine Sense probing ability. Achieving this, however, was no difficult task for him.

In a little over two hours, Ding Fan had completely replicated the Long-Arm Boxing technique.

Having unraveled the mysteries of the technique, Ding Fan felt even more that it was an exquisite form of boxing, with the sophisticated circulation of energy and the unpredictable movements of the technique making it a rare Fist Technique.

However, since the Fist Technique was ultimately rooted in Ancient Martial Arts, some aspects of the technique were inevitably incompatible with Ding Fan's path of Cultivation.

Therefore, Ding Fan made several modifications to the martial skills within it. Taking about seven or eight hours, Ding Fan finally perfected the Long-Arm Boxing technique.

After the new modifications, the boxing technique exhibited softness within softness, a balance of both firmness and gentleness, coupled with the original technique's versatility, which made it even more exquisite than before.

However, Ding Fan felt the name "Long-Arm Boxing" was not particularly appealing. After pondering for a moment, he decided to name the technique "Subdue Demon Fist."

Zhang Kaizhi was akin to a demon, and today he had been subdued and punished using this technique, making "Subdue Demon Fist" a rather fitting name. Moreover, it sounded quite imposing.

After such a lengthy period of research, Ding Fan's Divine Sense and True Qi were significantly depleted. Feeling somewhat exhausted, he sat down cross-legged, grabbed a Foundation Building Pill and tossed it into his mouth, then began to practice the Breathing Technique.

He didn't know how many Grand Circulation and Xiao Zhoutian cycles he had gone through, but by the time Ding Fan opened his eyes again, the day had already fully dawned outside.

Now, after some rest, both Ding Fan's physical strength and True Qi had been replenished.

Ding Fan quickly tidied up and then went to look for Ruoran and the others.

During their exploration of the island the previous day, Ruoran and Mu Zi had accidentally discovered a hot spring on the island.

Upon seeing Ding Fan, the two girls clamored excitedly about wanting to soak in the hot spring.

Ding Fan was not in a rush to travel, and since there were no pressing matters at hand, he decided to let them play to their hearts' content.

With Ding Fan's permission, the two women joyfully headed to the hot spring.

Ding Fan, meanwhile, was not idle. He took out the Ancient Cauldron, and alongside it, he also took out the Spider Silk he had bought from Dragon Snake Island and the Dragon Hunting Scales he had obtained.

"Master, are you going to refine an artifact?" At this moment, Ink Monkey leaped onto Ding Fan's shoulder.

After some time cultivating, Ink Monkey had undergone significant changes. Although its size had not increased much from that of a thumb, Ink Monkey could now walk upright, looking more and more like a human, and even speaking in a manner somewhat resembling Ding Fan's.

The most noticeable change in Ink Monkey, however, was the growth of two white hairs at its temples, giving it a rather immortally dignified appearance.

Ding Fan nodded slightly in agreement.

Ink Monkey's eyes lit up, and it obediently went beneath the Ancient Cauldron to tend the Nine Luminaries Fire.

Seeing Ding Fan refine an artifact was an opportunity not everyone got. Ding Fan was a master of Artifact Refining.

Ding Fan then sat down with legs crossed, and a majestic aura emanated from his being. Mu Zi, witnessing this, couldn't help but regard him with even more respect.

With a single hand gesture, the scattered Dragon Hunting Scales on the ground were pulled up by Ding Fan's telekinetic power and thrown into the Ancient Cauldron.

The Ancient Cauldron was a treasure that Ding Fan had acquired from the Longxi Auction. To this day, Ding Fan had not yet fully understood its mysteries, and so far, he could only use the Ancient Cauldron as a normal Pill Furnace.

However, Ding Fan was aware that the true use of this Ancient Cauldron was not merely that of a Pill Furnace. The profound secrets within it remained to be solved later on.

Seeing Ding Fan throw the Dragon Scales into the Pill Furnace, Ink Monkey busily started to manage the Nine Luminaries Fire below the Ancient Cauldron.

Now the coordination between Ding Fan and Ink Monkey had reached perfection. Working together, after about an hour, a crackling sound began to resonate from within the Ancient Cauldron.

"Increase the fire!" Ding Fan suddenly yelled out to Ink Monkey.

Ink Monkey knew that it was a crucial moment in the refinement process and didn't dare delay. It opened its mouth wide, and a surge of Nine Luminaries Fire, no weaker than before, roared out explosively.

The Ancient Cauldron was instantly enveloped by the Nine Luminaries Fire, and the crackling noises from within grew even louder.

Boom…

By the end, intense rumbling emanated from the ancient cauldron, and a dazzling array of light flashed forth.

Ding Fan reached out through the air.

Inside the furnace, the scales of the Dragon Hunter slowly levitated.

At this moment, the transfixed Zhao Ruoran was utterly astonished by the scene before him. The Dragon Hunting Scales no longer resembled their previous form; they shimmered with a golden light, appearing as a divine treasure descended from heaven.

Without hesitation, Ding Fan beckoned once more, and the bundle of spider silk immediately responded to his call. He activated his Divine Sense, his hands fluttering nonstop.

This flurry of activity lasted for a good six to seven hours.

During this period, Ruoran and Mu Zi had already returned. When the two women saw Ding Fan refining the artifact, they didn't dare to disturb him and went off to rest far away.

Ding Fan infused the last bit of True Qi into the Dragon Scales.

Suddenly, a bright light flared up. The sky had already darkened, yet the light from the Dragon Scales turned night into day.

Ding Fan snatched the Dragon Scales from the air.

Before him, a Treasure Armor manifested. It was resplendent with gold, the Dragon Scales neatly arranged, making it exceedingly beautiful.

Beyond that, the Treasure Armor radiated Ling Guang, clearly no ordinary object.

The Dragon Hunting Scales were inherently impervious to both fire and water, and resistant to swords and spears. Ding Fan had even incorporated some formations into these scales.

The material used to stitch the Dragon Scales was spider silk Ding Fan had obtained at the auction on Dragon Snake Island. The spider silk was itself a rare treasure. The combination of these materials resulted in a very high-quality Treasure Armor.

Thanks to the high-end materials, along with Ding Fan's refining techniques, the assistance of the Ancient Cauldron and the Nine Luminaries Fire, this Treasure Armor was bound to be no less than an Earth Level Eight Defensive Artifact.

Ding Fan put away the Treasure Armor, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He intended to gift it to Ruoran. With his current level of cultivation, not many on Earth could harm him.

Even if he encountered a foe, Ding Fan could escape even if unable to prevail in battle. Ruoran, however, was different; her cultivation level wasn't high, and lacking the protection of the Treasure Armor would be a disadvantage.

Having stored the Treasure Armor, Ding Fan sat down cross-legged. Crafting the Treasure Armor had drained much of his spirit, and without delay, he took out a Foundation Building Pill, giving one to Zhao Ruoran and swallowing one himself before starting to meditate.

Rustle, rustle, rustle... Time passed indiscernibly when footsteps approached from afar.

A frown briefly marred Ding Fan's brow.

The only ones on this island were Ruoran, Mu Zi, and himself; there shouldn't be anyone else.

Clearly, Ding Fan could sense that the footsteps did not belong to Ruoran or Mu Zi—they were heavy, undoubtedly those of a man.

Immediately, Ding Fan extended his Divine Sense to investigate.

Not far away, indeed, Ding Fan discovered five men approaching them. To his surprise, all five were Martial Artists.

It was not yet dawn, and these five men had climbed the island at this time, causing Ding Fan to speculate on their intentions.

Ding Fan instantly concealed his own presence. His Qi Cultivation spot was already secluded, so he wasn't worried about being detected by the others.

The five men stopped when they were just tens of meters away from Ding Fan.

"That Cheng Bufan is too ruthless, chasing us all the way here. We might as well confront him," grumbled a burly man discontentedly among the group.

Cheng Bufan?

Ding Fan was briefly taken aback. Cheng Bufan was his sworn brother, and these five were being pursued by him.

"Lao Niu, you think we're really afraid of him?" A man with a mustache sneered disdainfully. "Cheng Bufan may be skillful, but if the five of us brothers join forces, we could severely injure him, even if we are bound to lose."

"Boss, then why have we been avoiding him all this time?" The burly man known as Lao Niu was clearly puzzled.

"Why? It's so that today we can kill him on this island!" the mustached man declared.

"Big brother, what's the plan?" the burly man inquired.

"We will set up the Five Extremes Formation here and trap Cheng Bufan when he arrives. Then we can kill him," the mustached man declared.

"Five Extremes Formation? But we don't know how to set it up," the burly man objected.

"Just stand at the critical points and wave the Array Flags. Leave the rest to me!" the mustached man assured...