Chapter 73: Caring for Fan Chen Is Everyone's Responsibility
"Xiao Jin, next time you really can't just pull out that long spear whenever you feel like it. It's… kind of terrifying."
Meng Xiaoyan spoke with lingering fear in her heart. After all, when Di Yue took out the Golden Dragon Spear back then, she had been standing right beside her.
The Golden Dragon Spear was a bona fide divine artifact. The horrifying pressure it released had nearly scared Meng Xiaoyan into cardiac arrest.
"Oh, Xiao Jin understands. I won't do that again next time."
Di Yue hadn't expected Meng Xiaoyan's tolerance to be this poor. She had only released the tiniest fraction of the Golden Dragon Spear's power, yet it had already frightened her to this extent.
Meanwhile, Fan Chen, who was also standing nearby, was completely unaffected. Compared to Meng Xiaoyan's lingering dread, Fan Chen looked rather excited at this moment.
However, the source of his excitement wasn't the Golden Dragon Spear.
Instead, it was Xiong Kuohai and the two men from the Qiangu clan, who were currently beating each other senseless.
"Hand the person over. You can't handle this disciple."
"Exactly. Do you even know how to use a spear? You'll just end up misleading the kid."
The appearance of the Golden Dragon Spear completely made Qiangu Junyu and Qiangu Junhuai see red with envy.
Although Di Yue's martial soul wasn't a weapon-type martial soul, what she was holding in her hands was undeniably a divine artifact.
And not only that — it was a spear.
Long staffs and long spears shared the same origin; the only real difference was the spearhead. There were plenty of similarities between spear techniques and staff techniques.
In other words, they were the most suitable ones to teach Di Yue.
Especially when it came to Di Yue's physique — they had already investigated it.
She didn't need to undergo so-called physical strengthening training like Fan Chen and the others. The strength of her body far exceeded their imagination.
Her innate physical power alone was enough to split mountains and shatter rocks. What could Xiong Kuohai possibly teach her?
Taking him as her master would be a waste of Di Yue's talent.
That was why the two of them had completely cast aside their dignity and were prepared to snatch her disciple away by force.
Naturally, Xiong Kuohai was unwilling. A precious disciple he had finally obtained—there was no way he'd let someone else steal her.
Forget Qiangu Junyu and Qiangu Junhuai—even if Qian Daoliu himself showed up, there would be no room for negotiation.
And so, a full-blown battle to protect a disciple officially began.
Fan Chen, acting as a bystander, watched the three of them tear into each other with great interest.
He had missed the last group brawl involving Golden Crocodile Douluo, but this time, he finally got his chance.
He really wanted to see what a brawl between Titled Douluo looked like compared to one between ordinary people.
However, after only a short while of pulling and grappling, Qian Daoliu and the others surrounded them.
After separating the three, they sternly scolded them.
"You're all grown men already, yet you're still fighting. Aren't you afraid of becoming a joke in front of the children?"
"If you really want to fight, I'll find you a proper arena and let you fight to your heart's content. Don't come out until someone's crippled or completely unable to move."
Qian Daoliu was clearly irritated. As the eldest among them, watching his own brothers beating each other up naturally put him in a foul mood.
But after understanding the whole situation, he fell silent.
He truly hadn't expected this little girl to be carrying a divine artifact with her.
Has this family really reached such an extravagant level? Letting a child casually bring out a divine artifact?
Qian Daoliu grew increasingly suspicious that there was more than one god backing Di Yue.
Otherwise, it would be very difficult to explain the many secrets surrounding her.
The accumulated wealth of Spirit Hall over so many years might not even compare to the private stash she carried alone.
"Well… Xiao Jin, could you let me take a look at that spear of yours? Just a look—I won't take it."
Qian Daoliu had become noticeably cautious when speaking to Di Yue now.
"No. It'll scare big sister."
Di Yue glanced at Meng Xiaoyan, who still hadn't fully recovered, and shook her head repeatedly.
"It's fine. You can take it out. I'll just move farther away."
Meng Xiaoyan was quite sensible and chose to distance herself first.
She didn't want her own issues to interfere with everyone else.
"No need to leave. I'll protect you with soul power."
As he spoke, Qian Daoliu directly released a stream of soul power, enveloping Meng Xiaoyan within it.
Pale golden soul power covered her body like a golden veil, wrapping around her form and causing a faint radiance to emanate from her entire body.
After finishing this, Qian Daoliu once again looked toward Di Yue and asked for her opinion.
Di Yue, however, turned her gaze toward Fan Chen, as if seeking his approval.
"Take it out and let him have a look."
Since Qian Daoliu had already been alerted, it was only a matter of time before he saw it anyway.
Fan Chen hadn't expected Di Tian to actually let Di Yue bring this thing out with her.
Was he really not afraid that Qian Daoliu might sense something? Or that the Angel God might perceive something unusual?
After all, this thing was closely connected to the Golden Dragon King. If the God Realm detected it, things would truly spiral out of control.
"I can only hope you don't suddenly lose your mind."
Fan Chen could only pray silently. Faced with the situation at hand, he had no solution—he could only leave it to fate.
After receiving Fan Chen's approval, Di Yue once again took out the Golden Dragon Spear.
A long spear, entirely golden from end to end, appeared before Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu didn't reach out to touch the Golden Dragon Spear. Instead, he maintained some distance and used soul power to sense it.
Feeling the faint divine might emanating from the spear, Qian Daoliu subconsciously swallowed.
He could clearly sense that the Golden Dragon Spear before him was of an extremely high grade—so high that its original owner seemed to surpass even the Angel God.
"What a terrifying aura… but it seems there's a reinforced seal placed on it. This doesn't appear to be the artifact's true form."
When Qian Daoliu attempted to probe deeper, he was blocked.
An extremely powerful sealing technique had been applied to the Golden Dragon Spear, preventing further investigation.
At the same time, Qian Daoliu noticed the seal; Fan Chen did as well.
He finally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Di Tian hadn't acted foolishly—otherwise, Fan Chen really would have cursed him out loud.
The seal on the Golden Dragon Spear successfully blocked the aura belonging to the Golden Dragon King, leaving only the divine might of a divine artifact to prove its identity.
Moreover, the vast majority of the spear's power was locked away by the seal, to the point where the artifact could display less than one percent of its true strength.
Yet even at one percent, a divine artifact was still a divine artifact.
No mortal weapon could contend with it — not even the Clear Sky Hammer, reputed to be the number one weapon type martial soul in the world, which would be shattered on contact.
Qiangu Junyu and Qiangu Junhuai understood this perfectly. That was precisely why they had fought Xiong Kuohai so fiercely.
Fan Chen's Reverse Edge Demon Armor was impressive, but it was still within the realm of martial souls and couldn't compare to a divine artifact.
What Di Yue held was the real deal—and she could use it.
This alone meant she was a chosen one of the gods, much like Qian Renxue.
The prospect of cultivating a being who might ascend to godhood in the future was enough to drive anyone mad.
And the most critical point was this: the artifact was a spear.
If Di Yue's master were a spear expert, the two of them wouldn't have said a word.
But Xiong Kuohai was a brute—someone who fought with his fists.
How were the two of them supposed to accept that?
Anyone in their position would find it impossible to swallow.
Qian Daoliu was well aware of his brothers' temperaments and was already calculating a reasonable solution in his mind.
But both sides mattered—how was he supposed to decide?
Moreover, Di Yue's wishes weren't something he could control. Ultimately, it depended on what she herself wanted.
Even if the two of them beat Xiong Kuohai into the ground, it would be meaningless if Di Yue didn't agree.
Just as Qian Daoliu was troubled by this, his gaze suddenly landed on Fan Chen.
In that instant, the confusion in Qian Daoliu's eyes vanished, replaced by clarity.
Fan Chen also noticed Qian Daoliu's gaze and shuddered.
"No way! This can get dragged onto me too?!"
Fan Chen's mentality completely exploded. He had just been happily watching the show, and now he was getting pulled into it.
"Um, I—"
Just as Fan Chen was preparing his final resistance, Qian Daoliu directly ignored him.
He turned instead to Xiong Kuohai and the brothers Qiangu Junhuai and Qiangu Junyu.
"No need to argue anymore. I've already made a decision."
"From now on, the three of you will teach her together. The title of master will still go to the Fourth."
The fact that Di Yue herself had chosen Xiong Kuohai was indisputable. Even if he wasn't the most suitable, there was no justification for snatching another person's disciple.
Just like Fan Chen, have you ever seen anyone dare to steal him from Golden Crocodile Douluo?
And besides, Qiangu Junyu and Qiangu Junhuai were brothers. Even if they did snatch her away, who would hold the main title?
Their levels were similar; whoever became the primary would leave the other dissatisfied.
Rather than that, it was better to cut off the idea entirely.
Let the three of them teach Di Yue together—just like Fan Chen.
Fan Chen also had to learn from Sixth and Seventh. One each — it worked out perfectly.
At worst, they could just take turns.
Didn't they just want a title? Now everyone benefits.
After hearing Qian Daoliu's proposal, the three of them found it quite reasonable. They asked Di Yue for her opinion, and since she didn't object, the matter was settled just like that.
And all of them unanimously ignored Fan Chen.
The reason was simple: Fan Chen was durable, tough-skinned, and extremely useful.
His reputation was universally excellent.
However, Fan Chen himself was utterly speechless about their decision.
"I'm really impressed by this bunch of old geezers."
"Care for Fan Chen—everyone has a responsibility!"
End of Chapter