Now, this guy is willing to help me on behalf of the Ancient Cultivators without any conditions, which was something Xu Fan wanted to achieve before he came here.

To put it bluntly, it's like a pie falling from the sky, but Xu Fan isn't willing to just take it like that.

It's a good thing, for sure, but Xu Fan doesn't want to be used by this guy in the end.

After all, pies never fall from the sky.

"Hehe."

With a laugh, Xu Fan looked at the other and said, "Mutual benefit is a good thing, but I've never believed in goodies falling from the sky."

"If you are interested in cooperating with me, why not make things clear."

"Otherwise, it would be meaningless."

He wasn't worried that his words would offend this guy; since he was so willing to help him, he definitely needed something from him.

Xu Fan was confident he wouldn't turn hostile easily.

But whether he would honestly tell him was a different story.

This guy, why does he look so familiar…

Finishing his words, Xu Fan stared at him, silently pondering.

He always felt like he'd seen this guy somewhere before, extremely familiar, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, he had no impression at all…

"You young man, you are quite interesting…"

While Xu Fan was deep in thought, the other suddenly laughed.

Xu Fan's reaction indeed exceeded his expectations.

At this point, Xu Fan had only this one path left. Logically speaking, upon seeing his willingness to help, he should have agreed without hesitation.

But who could have guessed that he would still remain cautious at this moment?

"There are some things I really want to tell you, but I'm just not at liberty to say."

"Xu Fan, by helping you, I'm essentially helping myself. That's all I can say."

He explained to Xu Fan, emphasizing the word "myself."

Hearing this, Xu Fan couldn't help paying a bit more attention.

So this means? I'm helping him, not the Ancient Cultivators?

Logically, now that he is cooperating with me, he should be asking me to help capture the guy who stole the Seven Treasures Relic.

That guy covets Monk Xuyun's Martial Arts Heritage, and they, the Ancient Cultivators, are the guardians of that heritage.

By capturing that guy, I should be helping the Ancient Cultivators, so why does he emphasize that I'm helping him personally?

Could it be that he wants me to do something else?

That seems to be the most likely scenario.

In a short time, Xu Fan couldn't figure out what this guy was up to, so he steadied his mind and said, "Okay, then tell me exactly how you want me to help you."

"And by the way, tell me what you can do for me."

Seeing Xu Fan's compromise, the other showed a slight smile.

Looking at Xu Fan, he said, "I don't need you to do anything for me; you just need to act according to your wishes."

"As for how I can help you, I know everything about the guy you've been tracking. I know what he plans to do next too. Does this count as a big help for you?"

"What?"

He doesn't need me to do anything for him?

Hearing his explanation, the doubts in Xu Fan's heart deepened.

But this guy had already made it clear that he wouldn't tell him why, so Xu Fan didn't bother to ask.

He actually knew everything about that guy, which suddenly made things a lot more interesting.

Looking at him, Xu Fan said, "Okay, then tell me, what exactly is up with that guy."

"The reason I know everything about that guy is simple; he once belonged to the Ancient Cultivators line."

At this point, the other began to explain.

"This series of events is quite long, so you better not get impatient."

"It all starts with the existence of our Ancient Cultivators. I believe you've guessed by now why we have been guarding Ancient Nara for generations."

"Indeed, Ancient Nara holds Ancient Martial Arts Heritage, and the mission of our line of Ancient Cultivators for generations is to guard this heritage."

This mission has spanned over a thousand years of history.

Saying this, a trace of lament flashed in his eyes.

"Restricting Martial Artists from stepping into Ancient Nara and even other rules are all for protecting this. Honestly, some of the rules of our ancestors are a bit too rigid."

Sure enough, Xu Fan's guess was entirely correct, and hearing the other's complaints, he couldn't help but frown.

"I have a question."

Xu Fan interrupted and asked, "With such a treasure under your control, why not open it yourselves?"

After all, that's Monk Xuyun's Martial Arts Heritage, a precious thing with a thousand years of history. These guys have a mountain of gold but don't use it, which Xu Fan found incomprehensible.

If they opened Monk Xuyun's Martial Arts Heritage, the overall Cultivation Level of the Ancient Cultivators would rise significantly. Why wouldn't they do such a good thing?

It seemed like the other had anticipated Xu Fan's question. With a slight smile, he said, "This is a bit embarrassing. The ancestral teachings of the Ancient Cultivators have been passed down for thousands of years; we cannot open the heritage privately."

"Moreover, the key to opening the heritage is not controlled by the Ancient Cultivators but by the Saintess whom they serve across generations."

"The current generation Saintess has died, and the Seven Treasures Relic used to open the heritage is lost. Even if we wanted to, there's nothing we can do."

Though the Ancient Cultivators possess the highest level of martial arts in Fusang, they also have numerous rules.

Ancient Cultivators are forbidden from any desires for life, including sexual desires, and the Saintess they serve is no exception.

Moreover, to prevent the Saintess who holds the key to the heritage from having personal desires for the Martial Arts Heritage, the Saintess is stripped of any possibility of Martial Cultivation from a young age.

Listening to him narrate the numerous rules of the Ancient Cultivators, Xu Fan couldn't help but lament.

My goodness, these guys really have it rough.

Now, even the monks in those temples have this as a profession, drawing high salaries, enjoying wine and meat, and even getting married after work.

As for them, they live a life of asceticism, guarding a mountain of gold they can't touch…

Xu Fan vaguely understood why this guy was lamenting earlier.

Xu Fan naturally knew what the Seven Treasures Relic was, and now he was curious about how it ended up in Huaxia from Dongying.

Most likely, it had something to do with Xiao Tianfang.

But this wasn't the time to ask these questions.

"After all that, what is the background of that guy?"

He'd been explaining for so long, talking about the origins of the Ancient Cultivators but hadn't mentioned anything about the guy who stole the Seven Treasures Relic.

Xu Fan asked directly.

The other sighed and said, "This starts with the current generation's Saintess…"

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