Free Web NovelChapter 445: 445. Rapid rise of the Fang Clan.
Fang Yuan looked toward Peng Tushan.
She was still quietly hiding behind Zhu Huan, only revealing half of her face.
The moment their eyes met, she immediately lowered her gaze again.
He could not help finding her reaction somewhat amusing.
If Lin Zhaoyue had not introduced her just now, he would have found it difficult to believe that this timid young woman was the renowned Pill King.
His gaze shifted back toward Zhu Huan.
"If she’s willing to come, then I have no objections."
After all, he was only returning to the sect.
Bringing one more person would not make much difference.
Before Zhu Huan could rejoice, Fang Yuan looked toward Peng Tushan.
"The decision is still yours."
"You don’t have to force yourself."
Peng Tushan remained silent.
She quietly clutched Zhu Huan’s sleeve.
Several moments passed before she finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"...Can I really go?"
Fang Yuan smiled gently.
"Of course."
"You’ll be our guest."
Peng Tushan slowly looked toward Zhu Huan.
The latter smiled reassuringly and nodded. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Only then did Peng Tushan return a small nod of her own.
"I... I’d like to go."
With her answer, Fang Yuan naturally had no objections.
However, Lin Zhaoyue did not answer immediately.
Instead, she quietly fell into thought as a slight frown slowly appeared on her face.
During the past years, Peng Tushan had been the clan’s only true Pill King.
Almost every high-grade medicinal pill within the Fang Family came from her hands.
If she left, the clan’s overall cultivation speed would inevitably slow.
That was something Lin Zhaoyue could not ignore.
More importantly...
Her gaze slowly landed on Zhu Huan.
She knew this woman’s personality all too well.
If Peng Tushan followed Zhu Huan to the Higher Realm, there was a very real possibility that she would eventually be persuaded to join the Flying Crane Sect instead.
At that point, the Fang Family would lose its greatest alchemist entirely.
Lin Zhaoyue folded her arms.
"I can agree to let her visit."
Her calm voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"But only after she promises one thing."
Zhu Huan looked at her.
"What is it?"
Lin Zhaoyue answered without hesitation.
"Regardless of what happens in the Higher Realm, Peng Tushan will always remain a member of the Fang Family."
"Our clan’s pills cannot suddenly disappear just because someone decided to fall in love."
The courtyard immediately became quiet.
Zhu Huan instinctively looked toward Peng Tushan.
Peng Tushan’s cheeks gradually turned red.
After remaining silent for several moments, she quietly nodded.
"I... I won’t leave the Fang Family."
Only then did the tension on Lin Zhaoyue’s face finally ease.
She gave a satisfied nod before stepping back beside Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan glanced around at everyone gathered within the courtyard.
Seeing that everything had finally been settled, he smiled faintly.
"Alright."
"We’ve already wasted enough time."
"Let’s head to the Higher Realm."
The moment those words left his mouth, an excited voice immediately rang out from behind him.
"Yes! Let’s go!"
Fang Qingyue practically bounced where she stood.
Her bright eyes sparkled with excitement.
She had heard countless stories about the Higher Realm over the past several years.
Now, she was finally going to see it with her own eyes.
Even Peng Tushan could not hide the curiosity within her eyes.
Although she remained quiet, her gaze revealed a trace of anticipation.
Zhu Huan smiled gently as she watched everyone’s reactions.
Only Lin Zhaoyue remained completely composed.
To her, the Higher Realm was merely another place.
As long as Fang Yuan was by her side, it made little difference whether they stood in a Lower Realm or among the heavens themselves.
Not long afterward, the group arrived at the edge of the realm.
Towering before them was an enormous tear stretching across the heavens.
The crack resembled a wound carved directly into the world itself.
Endless streams of spatial turbulence flowed around its edges, releasing an oppressive aura that made ordinary cultivators instinctively shiver.
Fang Yuan quietly looked at the enormous rift.
This was the very same tear through which the invaders from the Higher Realm had descended several years ago.
Although several years had passed since then, the enormous crack remained suspended between the two worlds.
Fang Yuan slowly swept his gaze across the group.
"Once we step through this passage, we’ll officially arrive in the Higher Realm."
Lin Zhaoyue looked toward Fang Qingyue and Peng Tushan before speaking calmly.
"You don’t have to be nervous."
"After we move into the Higher Realm, our first task will be to stabilize this spatial passage and establish a permanent route connecting the two realms."
She raised her head and looked at the enormous tear before them.
"Only after that is accomplished can this realm truly be considered to have ascended."
Her voice carried unmistakable confidence.
"Once we succeed, the Fang Family will possess a stable path connecting both realms."
"Our descendants will no longer be trapped within a Lower Realm."
"They will be able to cultivate in the Higher Realm while continuously recruiting talented disciples from below."
"That will become the foundation of our clan for generations to come."
Zhu Huan quietly looked toward Lin Zhaoyue.
A trace of confusion gradually appeared within her eyes.
Isn’t this supposed to be her first time entering the Higher Realm?
How does she know so much about realm ascension?
Everything Lin Zhaoyue had just said was completely correct.
In the Higher Realm, every sect and clan sought one thing above all else.
They sought talented disciples.
After all, no matter how powerful a force became, it could only remain prosperous if new talents continuously emerged.
Where did those talents come from?
For countless sects and clans, the answer was naturally the Lower Realms.
Even the Flying Crane Sect was no exception.
Although the sect possessed powerful elders such as Zhao Lusi, it was ultimately nothing more than a Grade Seven Sect.
Every year, the sect dispatched its elders to various Lower Realms to search for promising disciples.
Only by continuously bringing fresh blood into the sect could it maintain its position within the Higher Realm.
