As the entire Jiangnan City was stirred by the name Ling Fan, Ling Fan remained indifferent.
One by one, fire crystal stones were extracted from the ore veins and, as per Ling Fan's instructions, placed within the grand formation he had set up.
Day one, day two, day three…
The formation gradually took shape.
Terrifying fire-attribute spiritual energy quietly gathered, especially from the ubiquitous and fearsome fire spiritual energy within the underground fire crystal ore veins, which was being drawn out and channeled into the Lan Family Fort's grand formation.
By the fifth day, when the entire grand formation was completed, a terrifying power fluctuation that made Liang Hutu's heart pound quietly permeated the air.
Liang Hutu gazed at the grand formation enveloping the entire Lan Family Fort, his eyes unable to conceal his shock.
The art of formations was inherently profound, and very few cultivators could master it.
Even fewer than weapon smiths and alchemists.
He never expected Ling Fan to possess such a miraculous ability to form a formation from seemingly nothing!
Liang Hutu was once again deeply astonished by Ling Fan.
"Master, Hutu dares to ask, how powerful is this formation?"
Ling Fan pondered and replied, "By the standards of the lower realm, it should be able to withstand a quasi-Heavenly Origin realm expert. Even a true Heavenly Origin realm expert would be able to resist it to some extent."
"Holy crap…"
The shock in Liang Hutu's eyes intensified.
To casually set up a grand formation capable of blocking a quasi-Grandmaster, was this Ling Fan's capability?
Moreover, this formation was not merely defensive; it could both guard and attack…
This meant that this formation could kill quasi-Grandmasters!
Upon realizing this, Liang Hutu trembled inwardly, his gaze towards Ling Fan filled with even greater reverence.
Concurrently, a sense of anticipation arose in his heart.
Now that he had followed Ling Fan, perhaps he would have the opportunity to break through the late stage of the Profound Gang realm in the future.
As if seeing through Liang Hutu's thoughts, Ling Fan smiled faintly, "I, Ling, am never a stingy person. Since I have accepted you as my servant, it would be too much of a disgrace to me if you remained stuck in the late stage of the Profound Gang realm."
"This grand formation is named Flowing Flame. It's just right to use you to test its power."
Ling Fan's pupils reflected the formation's light as he spoke indifferently.
Liang Hutu's body trembled, and he was startled, exclaiming, "Master, no! My small physique can't withstand even one strike from this grand formation. Don't joke with me; I'll be blown to smithereens."
Seeing the burly man Liang Hutu's terrified expression, yet calling himself small, was quite comical.
The Lan family members standing nearby all chuckled.
Lan Xueyi also lightly covered her lips and let out a giggle.
Ling Fan's expression turned cold, and he said to Liang Hutu, "Do you dare to disobey me?"
Liang Hutu's face crumpled, "I dare not… but…"
"What 'but'!"
Ling Fan raised his foot and kicked Liang Hutu's backside, sending him flying.
Immediately, Ling Fan flicked his finger, and countless patterns lit up. Everyone felt a world-shattering power fluctuation as countless fiery red spiritual energies converged, transforming into a ferocious tiger about three to four zhang in size.
Liang Hutu's face turned pale with terror.
From this fire spiritual energy-transformed fierce tiger, he felt a terrifying fluctuation capable of annihilating a peak Profound Gang realm expert.
If he felt this way, let alone the Lan family members, who were all trembling in genuine fear.
Liang Hutu cried out in alarm but could only force a wry smile.
He finally hardened his resolve, closed his eyes.
Let it be death.
Boom!
The fierce tiger transformed from spiritual energy descended with a roar.
However, the scene they had imagined did not occur. Liang Hutu was not blasted into ashes.
That immense power was actually channeled into Liang Hutu's body.
In an instant, Liang Hutu's aura began to surge.
Originally, he had been burned by the Demonic Fire Red Lotus, showing signs of regressing to the mid-stage of the Profound Gang realm, but now his cultivation was recovering at a visible speed.
Peak of the mid-stage Profound Gang realm.
Late stage Profound Gang realm…
Peak of the late stage Profound Gang realm.
Peak Profound Gang realm!
"Hahaha!"
"I've finally broken through to the peak Profound Gang realm! Who in the five cities will be my match from now on!"
Liang Hutu roared with laughter, his spirit soaring.
Especially when he felt that the power channeled into his body was not yet exhausted, and after fully absorbing it, he might even have a chance to glimpse the quasi-Grandmaster realm, he laughed even more joyfully.
"Ahem."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had spoken out of turn, getting carried away.
He quickly corrected himself, "From now on, in these five cities, besides my master, who else will be my match!"
This was not him flattering Ling Fan, but his genuine feeling.
Although his strength had greatly increased, not only did he not dare to underestimate Ling Fan, but he felt even more that Ling Fan's power was as deep as the abyss, terrifying and boundless.
Especially his eyes, which made him feel an immense sense of threat.
"Master is truly a divine being!"
Liang Hutu exclaimed inwardly and bowed deeply to Ling Fan.
The moment Liang Hutu's aura surged to the peak Profound Gang realm, everyone was so shocked they fell silent.
Ling Fan, with just a casual gesture, had pushed Liang Hutu to the peak Profound Gang realm!
One must know that Liang Hutu had been stuck at this bottleneck for nearly ten years.
But the bottleneck that had hindered him for a decade without any progress was broken by Ling Fan's casual touch.
This ability to bestow fortune shook everyone's hearts.
Ling Fan, however, remained as calm as ever.
What was a miraculous feat for others was merely a simple task for him.
Furthermore, his mind was not focused on this matter.
He was thinking that once the formation was complete and enough fire spiritual energy was accumulated, he would not need to enter the Profound Gang realm himself. He could then use the formation to help Lan Xueyi overcome her tribulation in advance.
However, even with the formation's assistance, he would need to reach the Qi Refining realm at the very least to be safe.
"It's time to cultivate the final earth-attribute meridians."
Ling Fan muttered to himself.
After the crowd had been excited for a while, they departed.
Lan Xueyi, however, seemed to have something to say to him, standing there gracefully without leaving.
Although Liang Hutu appeared rough, he was actually quite perceptive. He quickly found an excuse and left.
Ling Fan smiled slightly, "What is it? Do you want to have a private chat with your husband about life and dreams?"
Lan Xueyi's pretty face blushed, her alluring appearance making one want to bite her cheeks.
She twisted her body and said playfully, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're never serious. I have something to tell you!"
"What is it?"
"My mother said… you were able to push Liang Hutu to the peak Profound Gang realm. Can you help my father? He was seriously injured before, and his strength has also been affected…"
Ling Fan nodded. This was indeed something he had overlooked.
Since coming out of seclusion, he had either been solving the Lan family's problems or busy setting up the grand formation, and had not considered these matters.
Logically, Lan Tianxiong was one of the people closest to him, and his strength improvement should be considered first.
Ling Fan said, "This is only right. Why didn't mother tell me herself?"
Lan Xueyi smiled, "My mother is very afraid of you now. She doesn't dare to tell you."
Ling Fan chuckled in amusement.
"Don't worry, I will help father improve his strength. The way I used the grand formation to boost Liang Hutu's strength is a shortcut. Although it's fast, it will leave some hidden dangers and hidden injuries. If I want to help father, I naturally cannot use this barbaric method again."
After thinking for a moment, Ling Fan said, "The major families have sent quite a few spiritual herbs and old medicines. I will refine a batch of pills for father today, which should help him cultivate to the quasi-Heavenly Origin realm. As for helping him break through to the Heavenly Origin realm, the pills refined from spiritual herbs and old medicines of this level are not enough. I will find a way later."
Seeing how thoughtful and meticulous Ling Fan was, Lan Xueyi felt deeply moved.
Her gaze towards Ling Fan was filled with adoration.
"I didn't expect you to know alchemy too. I heard that alchemy is a very difficult thing, and alchemists are even rarer than weapon smiths. Our Jiangnan City doesn't even have a single alchemist; the pills sold here are all imported from other major cities!"
"How can mere alchemy be difficult for your husband? To tell you the truth, your husband is a peerless genius proficient in all paths. Those so-called Pill Emperors and Pill Saints, strictly speaking, are not worthy of being my apprentices' apprentices."
Ling Fan said with an arrogant smile.
In his past life, he possessed the Heavenly Heart Dao Body, naturally close to the Great Dao, so cultivating any technique or skill was effortless, and alchemy was no exception.
"Show off!"
Lan Xueyi playfully scraped her impossibly smooth cheek with her finger, her charming demeanor capable of stealing one's soul.
Ling Fan sighed inwardly.
Even with his two lifetimes of experience, he found it somewhat difficult to maintain composure.
If he had ample time, he truly wished to pull Lan Xueyi into his embrace and "ravage" her properly.
Unfortunately, his time was extremely tight now. He had to refine pills, further perfect the grand formation, and after that, he still had to cultivate the earth-attribute meridians. Once all this was done, he still had to prepare to help Xueyi overcome her tribulation. At least for the next month, he would have no leisure time to think about these matters.