Chapter 1161: Targeting the Fishing Pond
Chapter 1161: Targeting the Fishing Pond
After suffering such a stinging defeat at the hands of Mo Rubin and the Heavenly Profound Mirror, it was utterly impossible to believe Li Fan had no plans for revenge.
However, Mo Rubin was one of the Law Kings of the Xuantian Sect, and his abilities were far too uncanny. He had infiltrated the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance as if strolling through an empty house.
Though he had later died mysteriously in the Gloomy Realm, Li Fan wasn't entirely confident he could overpower him in the present.
As long as there was no fundamental conflict of interest between them, Li Fan had no plans to provoke him in this lifetime.
"Perhaps I can observe from the shadows and learn how the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance deals with this Law King of the Xuantian Sect."
Following the normal course of history, Mo Rubin would be unearthed by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance before he even had a chance to awaken.
Perhaps the Alliance had some special, hidden methods for dealing with members of the Xuantian Sect. Caught off guard by a preemptive strike, Mo Rubin might have truly been rendered powerless to resist.
If so, Li Fan could simply follow their lead and employ the same methods to neutralize Mo Rubin in every life to come.
...then Li Fan would not actively make an enemy of him until he found a definitive way to handle him.
As for the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Possessing a fragment of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's Origin, he was already in an unassailable position.
And now, he had mastered a way to peer inside it...
Heaven offers a gift; to refuse it is to invite calamity!
Li Fan's mind raced, weighing the possibilities.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's search for Mo Rubin among the ruins of the great sects was all a means to an end—to find the ultimate method of controlling the Heavenly Profound Mirror. The Mirror Holder lineage was surely pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
"Cang... Fu..." he chuckled softly. "Neither of them is someone to be trifled with."
"But that is also where my opportunity lies."
His thoughts churning, Li Fan transformed back into an ethereal ray of light and slipped into the Immeasurable Mirror.
Once inside, he resumed constructing arrays to solidify his control over it.
While waiting for Sun Luyuan to return to the secret chamber, he also took the opportunity to study the remnants of the immortal-grade grand array etched within the mirror.
...
Great Qi, Sacred Capital.
During this period, Wang Xuanba had been tirelessly scouring the Xuanhuang Realm.
Following his efforts, the "Stars of Xuanhuang" chosen by Li Ping—figures like Ou Daozi and his son, and Ximen Yu, in addition to Yin Shangren—had all been cajoled into the Great Qi Sage Dynasty by Wang Xuanba, who used the very arguments taught to him by the Sage Emperor.
Of course, not everyone on the list was persuaded. Some not only refused the invitation but went so far as to destroy Wang Xuanba's clone.
Unperturbed, Wang Xuanba simply recorded their names and reported them to the Sage Emperor.
He then moved on, proceeding to the next person on his list.
Upon arriving in the Great Qi, the Stars of Xuanhuang were personally welcomed by Li Ping. Just like Yin Shangren before them, they all settled down within the Sage Dynasty.
Each found a purpose and a place for their talents.
For Ximen Yu, Li Ping promised to support his in-depth research into the power of earth veins, even revealing some vital information about an ancient, titanic tree connected to them.
Ou Daozi, for instance, was tasked with overseeing the construction of Great Qi's new Sacred Capital. Furthermore, he was appointed as the chief architect for the reconstruction of every small world the Sage Dynasty would conquer in the future.
More importantly, Li Ping recognized at a glance that Ou Shangtian possessed two extraordinary wonders: the Heaven and Earth Bone Hand and the Ten Thousand Death Book. He immediately took the boy as his personal disciple.
Ou Shangtian felt not the slightest trace of malice from Li Ping.
Moreover, the fascinating secrets of the cultivation world and the profound principles of the Great Dao that the Sage Emperor spoke of during their conversations deeply captivated the young Ou Shangtian.
And so, he willingly accepted him as his master.
In life, people seek nothing more than fame, fortune, or fulfillment.
And Sage Emperor Li Ping could offer them all three.
As for those who had refused his summons...
Li Ping had already decided their fate.
Beneath the Sage Emperor's throne.
In a place even deeper than Yin Shangren's subterranean laboratory.
The Sage Dynasty's secret intelligence agency, the Monitoring Heaven Division, was gradually being established.
As the central hub of the Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits Array, it allowed for complete, unobstructed surveillance of all affairs within the small world.
Once the Sage Dynasty began its campaigns of conquest and brought other small worlds into its fold, they too would fall under the strict surveillance of the Monitoring Heaven Division.
Not only that.
In Li Ping's grand design, the name "Monitoring Heaven" was not meant to apply only to those small worlds.
It was intended to encompass the Xuanhuang Realm itself.
The paper figures of the Salvation Sect, the Heavenly Profound Mirror...
With these tools as a foundation, building a comprehensive intelligence network would not be difficult.
The agents of the Monitoring Heaven Division would be handpicked by Li Ping himself.
The effects of the worldly phenomenon—[Heaven's Favor Opens, The Stars Descend]—were already becoming apparent in the Great Qi's small world. Recently, a noticeable number of infants born within the Sage Dynasty had displayed extraordinary abilities from birth.
With Sacred Medical Institutes established throughout the land, Li Ping could immediately perceive the constitution of every newborn infant.
These children would receive personal training from Li Ping from a young age. Once they came of age, they would either join the Monitoring Heaven Division or participate in Yin Shangren's project to deduce the New Method...
Every resource would be utilized to its fullest potential.
The cultivation of talent, like the growth of an empire, required time.
The Great Qi Sage Dynasty was developing at an unprecedented pace, yet the most talked-about event within its borders was a magnificent and widespread competition.
A fishing competition.
Decreed by the Sage Emperor himself, it was a nationwide event open to anyone with an interest, regardless of their prior fishing experience.
Regional champions would be determined first, after which they would travel to the Sacred Capital for the final tournament.
The Sage Emperor himself would be present to celebrate with his people.
The top one hundred contestants were all guaranteed lavish rewards, enough to ensure an ordinary family could live without a single financial worry for the rest of their lives.
Furthermore, it was rumored that those who performed exceptionally well would receive a unique, additional prize directly from the Sage Emperor.
The news had spread for half a month, and the response was overwhelming, with countless people signing up.
If not for the aid of the Sage Dynasty's immortal masters stationed in every region, the rivers would likely have been fished empty, leading to the awkward predicament of a fishing competition with no fish.
In addition to the common folk, the Sage Emperor's own disciples were also set to participate.
This news, naturally, ignited the people's enthusiasm to a fever pitch.
It was common knowledge that the Sage Emperor had publicly stated on more than one occasion that he had no offspring and never would.
The Sage Emperor had no heirs.
His disciples were, therefore, the undisputed successors to the Sage Dynasty.
If one could catch the Sage Emperor's eye during the competition and be accepted as a direct disciple...
...it would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate—a chance to ascend to greatness in a single day!
Fueled by these rumors, the people of Great Qi developed an almost fanatical obsession with the art of fishing.
It was now considered even more important than studying or cultivating.
Li Ping, of course, observed all of this.
The reason he allowed it, and even fanned the flames of this fervor, was for one purpose: the supreme treasure known as the Fishing Pool.
This immortal artifact was a creation that transcended even the Xuanhuang Realm itself.
It held countless opportunities.
Perhaps, hidden within, was the very key he needed to break his current stalemate.
He would certainly not pass up a chance to acquire a vast number of divine treasures at absolutely no cost.
Any single secret treasure fished from its depths could dramatically increase the Sage Dynasty's might.
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