7 Lesser Essence Strengthening Pill (1/2)

Chen Fan said candidly, ”It was nothing. Just a little trick.”

As a matter of fact, the elderly man's inner energy was much more powerful than that of Chen Fan. But just like the knife and Tofu analogy, Chen Fan would easily defeat the elderly man even with less internal energy.

Although Chen Fan was only at the level of foundation establishment, he could channel the arcane energy into a blade of a willow leaf, turning it into a bullet. It had grazed the cheek of the girl and buried deep into the tree trunk. On the other hand, The internal force of the elderly man could at best emanate a few inches out of his body before it receded. Despite its ample supply, the quality of the energy inside the elderly man fell short.

”It might be a small trick for you, sir, but for me, it was like an unbelievable miracle!” The elderly man exclaimed. He no longer called Chen Fan ”young man,” but called him ”Sir” instead.

Although the elderly man had lived through a tumultuous life and had eventually earned himself a great fortune, his dream of life was to become a powerful martial artist. However, over the years, he had come to terms with the fact that his talent was simply mediocre.

Although China is a large country with an even larger population, the martial arts grandmasters were a rare breed. As resourceful as the elderly man was, he has not yet got the opportunity to meet a real grandmaster in person, until now.

The elderly man's words piqued Chen Fan's interest, ”The grandmaster you were talking about… could he do what I just did?”

”Of course, the Transcendent Grandmasters1were at the precipice of martial arts. They were practically immortals in a mortal body. They could unleash their internal force as far as a few dozen meters. It wouldn't be difficult for them to kill someone from a distance.”

Suddenly, confusion flashed across the elderly man's face. He asked curiously, ”Sir… as one of the grandmasters, how could you not be aware of what I have just told you? That was… common sense, after all.”

Chen Fan made a mental note to correct his vocabulary from internal energy to internal force. He wagered that in order to reshape the loosely formed internal force into something as deadly as a killing blow, it would require at least the level of Ethereal Enlightenment.

If that was true, then the so-called Transcendent Masters were martial artists who had achieved Ethereal Enlightenment. From the drift of the elderly man's words, Chen Fan gathered that such grandmasters ought to be extremely rare in this world, as it should be.

Not only the spirit qi was drying upon the earth, the lack of advanced cultivation technique meant that it would take a one-in-a-hundred-year genius to reach the Ethereal Enlightenment.

Even after knowing that there could be a Transcendent Master somewhere in the world, Chen Fan was not worried that his dominance would be challenged in the future.

Chen Fan's speedy progress aside, he also had another advantage the Transcendent Master did not have: Dharma spells.

Chen Fan paused his train of thoughts and shook his head, ”I am really just a person who follows the way of Dao. What you saw was simply the most rudimentary exercise of qi refinement. I have never heard about the internal strength nor the transcendent master. I am afraid that I am not who you think I am.”

”The way of Dao?” The elderly man seemed perplexed by Chen Fan's confession. He had heard bits and pieces about monks with otherworldly powers. However, he had been convinced that those were simply high tales. Plus, the technique the boy had just used was emblematic of a Transcendent Master's power.

But why did he deny it? Was he really not a Transcendent Master?

Unable to find an answer, the elderly man decided to push the question aside for now. His priority was to befriend this boy, regardless if he was the grandmaster or not. If he could do what a grandmaster could, what difference did it make anyway?

Plus, he was young and… not ugly. Could be a perfect match for his gorgeous granddaughter. The elderly man's mind raced as he tried to think of ways to befriend the young man.

He quickly plastered on a smiley face and then said, ”It doesn't matter. On another note, you seemed to carry an accent of Chu Zhou City. Are you from here?”

”Yes, I lived in Si Shui County for 17 years, and I came to the city for my final year of high school.” Chen Fan nodded and continued, ”My name is Chen Fan, you can also call me Chen Beixuan, 'Beixuan' is the name my teacher gave me. It's my Dao name.”

Although this elderly man is not a cultivator, he had the arcane power in him. Therefore, Chen Fan preferred to communicate with him using his Dao name: Chen Beixuan.

”Si Shui County, Chen Fan, Chen Beixuan?” The elderly man and his granddaughter exchanged a confused glance. He turned his head around and asked curiously:” We will call him Mr. Chen. What about your teacher Mr. Chen? Is He not in Chu Zhou City?”

”My teacher is not on this planet.” Chen Fan shook his head.

Chen Fan wondered which galaxy his teacher, the immortal cultivator, Cangqin was visiting right now. Based on the past life timeline, he wouldn't have graced the earth with his presence for another ten years. What's more, any changes in the current timeline might have unforeseeable effects; that meant Cangqin might never visit earth in this iteration of the time and space.

The elderly man misunderstood Chen Fan, as any normal person would. He heaved a sigh and then said heavily:” It is human nature to live and die. Your teacher will be proud of you knowing what you have become. I am old, and so are most of my friends if they are still alive. My martial arts exercise had kept me going a few years longer than my buddies, but I feel that I am going to see them very soon.”

Before the elderly man finished his words, he bent double and was caught by a fit of a violent cough.

”Grandpa!” The girl shouted with a distressed voice.

With a hint of tears in her eyes, she helped the elderly man to his feet and gently patted his back.

”I am fine, just some old wounds that never healed.” The elderly man waved a comforting hand at his granddaughter.

Chen Fan cracked a smile and put in, ”You shouldn't force the internal energy too hard. It's hurting your lungs.”

”Does Mr. Chen also dabble in medicine? How could you know that?” The elderly man said incredulously

Before Chen Fan could say anything, The girl explained, ”My grandfather had a close call with death once when he was young. In order to protect his family, he was forced to use the internal strength that he did not yet fully control. That incident had left him with two injured lungs. He didn't go to the hospital in time and hence sowed the seeds of irreversible damage. Since it was an internal injury, it was almost impossible to cure its symptoms completely.”

”Mr. Chen knew the way of Dao and was able to pinpoint the cause of my grandfather's injury; I wonder if you know a way to cure him?”