"That's true!" Lu Fan nodded and chuckled, "Manager Zhao is a decent fellow."
"Naturally. That old man, although he loves to brag, he's quite thorough when it comes to his work. Most importantly, once he takes a bribe, he's guaranteed to mess things up." Big Head smiled faintly and took out some beef jerky from his pocket. "I hid this today. Since it's your first day, I'll give it to you!"
"Beef jerky?"
Lu Fan gave an awkward smile. "Actually, I'm not hungry."
"Are you a fool? This beef jerky has spiritual liquid infused into it, which will greatly aid your cultivation!" Big Head quickly said. "Most of the people who get to be杂役 (za yi - errand boy/servant) in the Tianhuo Pavilion are low-level spiritual cultivators, precisely for this reason. If you can keep this up for a long time, you're bound to achieve great things in the future."
"So that's how it is!"
Looking at the beef jerky in Big Head's hand, Lu Fan was slightly surprised. He now understood what Big Head meant earlier.
"How many years have you been working in this Tianhuo Pavilion?"
Lu Fan accepted the beef jerky and started to eat it slowly. He indeed discovered that spiritual liquid had been infused into it. He assumed this kind of beef jerky was for the disciples of the Tianhuo Pavilion to consume. However, the spiritual power was limited, so it wasn't anything particularly special.
"It's been three years already."
Big Head smiled faintly. "Actually, when I first joined, I wasn't even a spiritual cultivator. I've secretly eaten quite a bit over these three years, and that's how I became one."
"I see!"
Lu Fan nodded slightly. He finally understood how difficult it was for ordinary people to navigate the spiritual world.
"But I made it clear, you can't just take things from the kitchen as you please. If you're caught, you'll be executed!" Big Head said frankly.
"If that's the case, why are you telling me this?" Lu Fan frowned slightly. "Aren't you afraid I'll report you and get you killed?"
"I can tell you're not a bad person!" Big Head waved his hand. "Besides, I've been in the Tianhuo Pavilion for so many years, and you've only just arrived. It's unlikely you could report me even if you wanted to."
"Don't worry, I won't do that!"
Lu Fan smiled slightly and took out a Ju Ling Dan. "I found this by chance. Consider it a meeting gift!"
"This is..."
Looking at the pill in Lu Fan's hand, Big Head was filled with disbelief. He could feel that the spiritual energy of this pill was extremely potent; he hadn't even seen such a precious item in the Tianhuo Pavilion.
"It must be a good pill. Please accept it," Lu Fan said with a smile.
This item was of little use to him, but it would be very useful to Big Head. Lu Fan saw this clearly.
"How can I accept this? Such a valuable item, I can't take it." Big Head quickly shook his head.
"It's not that rare. If you don't accept it, you'll be looking down on me," Lu Fan said earnestly.
Big Head looked embarrassed. "But..."
"Alright, don't be so polite with me!" Lu Fan spoke again.
Big Head nodded slightly. "In that case, I'll accept this pill. But don't worry, I'll give you something better in the future. I understand the principle of 'a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring'."
Lu Fan smiled faintly and didn't say much more. He had initially wanted to inquire about the specific location of the Tianhai Kingdom, but then he thought that people like them, being mere servants, could probably only move around freely in the First Heaven their entire lives. As for places like the Third Heaven, they were simply beyond their reach.
Thinking of this, Lu Fan felt a little helpless. He had to reach the Third Heaven to find out the location of the Azure Lotus Sacred Flame.
When night fell and Big Head had fallen asleep, Lu Fan finally got up and headed outside. He wanted to go to the Third Heaven and see if he could find the Azure Lotus Sacred Flame there.
"Old man, can you sense how many experts are in this Tianhuo Pavilion?" Lu Fan asked.
"About eighty to a hundred Spirit Emperor powerhouses, there should be." Hongmeng old man smiled faintly.
"Eighty to a hundred?"
Lu Fan's expression turned strange as he looked at the old man. "Are you sure you're not bluffing me? The Tianhuo Pavilion actually has a hundred Spirit Emperor powerhouses?"
"What are you thinking, kid? In the entire White Dragon Dynasty, there are three pavilions, two valleys, and one sect. These are all top-tier powers," Hongmeng old man said frankly. "It's not unusual for there to be so many Spirit Emperor powerhouses."
Lu Fan nodded slightly. Although he was surprised, he knew that Hongmeng old man would never be wrong.
After staying in the First Heaven for a moment, Lu Fan's figure arrived at the Second Heaven. As soon as he entered the Second Heaven, he felt the temperature of the flames, which was very different from the First Heaven.
"I really didn't expect the power of these flames to be so strong!"
Lu Fan frowned. "Won't the flame temperature in the Third Heaven be even higher?"
"The cultivation techniques of the Tianhuo Pavilion are inherently fire-element. The flame temperature enhances their cultivation," Hongmeng old man said frankly. "For you, these flames might be an obstruction, but for those who cultivate fire-element techniques, they are a great help."
"I see!"
Lu Fan nodded slightly. He now understood why the Tianhuo Pavilion chose to build its establishment in such a place with many fiery mountains.
After passing through the Second Heaven, Lu Fan dared not delay. In a blink of an eye, he arrived at the Third Heaven. However, in this Third Heaven, there were not many houses, and the area was sparsely populated. He couldn't even see the figures of disciples.
"You need to be careful, kid. The Second Heaven is where most of the disciples reside, but the Third Heaven is where the elders are. If you accidentally run into them, you might be in big trouble," Hongmeng old man warned.
Lu Fan nodded slightly. "Don't worry, I've already used the White Lotus Sacred Flame to suppress my aura. My aura won't be exposed, so naturally, no one will see me."
Hongmeng old man didn't say anything more. He naturally understood Lu Fan's words.
After searching around the Third Heaven for a long time without finding the location of the Azure Lotus Sacred Flame, Lu Fan frowned. This situation was extremely unfavorable.
At that very moment, Lu Fan suddenly unleashed his spiritual sense, peering into the Third Heaven. Only by doing so could he find the exact location of the Azure Lotus Sacred Flame.
As expected, after unleashing his spiritual sense, Lu Fan detected a place with immense energy fluctuations. He assumed this was the hiding place of the Azure Lotus Sacred Flame.
"What kind of scoundrel dares to spy on my Tianhuo Pavilion!"
A cold voice echoed in the void. The voice was extremely ancient and soul-shattering.
Lu Fan hurriedly withdrew his spiritual sense but found that it had already been severely injured. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his face looking extremely grim.
He had never imagined that the people within the Tianhuo Pavilion were so powerful that they could injure his spiritual sense just by manipulating the void.
"Quick, get out! This place is not safe to linger!" Hongmeng old man's voice sounded.