Chapter 1168: The Silver Needle Deduction Method
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan shook his head, pulling himself back from the reverie.
Even if he possessed the means to analyze the Fishing Pool, Li Fan wouldn't dare to act rashly. The chilling image of the Creation Stone Slab being inexplicably fished away was still seared into his memory. How could he risk repeating such a disaster for a fleeting advantage?
The lessons from his 119th life were clear: until he was certain he could contend with a being of a True Immortal's caliber, he would never again provoke one.
Besides, the treasures within the Fishing Pool could be acquired through patient and persistent fishing. It would only take a little longer, and time was the one thing he had in abundance.
"Once the Boundless, Primordial Vision Array is fully deduced, perhaps I can test its initial power with the Deduction Jade itself."
His clone briefly checked on his main body's status, musing silently.
Within the space of the Deduction Jade, time itself seemed to have lost all meaning.
Day after day, the scenery remained the same: the ever-spinning sphere of deductive light. The child-like spirit of the Deduction Jade had grown accustomed to Li Fan's threats and was slowly becoming bolder, almost defiant. If not for the other two Dao Integration guardians present, Li Fan would have surely taught her a lesson.
For now, however, it was best not to be too brazen. He would have to be patient.
The briefing he'd received upon taking this post had indeed mentioned periodic inspections by the Dharma Transmitters, so Li Fan wasn't surprised. He simply nodded in acknowledgement.
"Once the Dharma Transmitter completes the inspection, access via the Audience Jade Tokens will likely be restored. Things should get a bit more lively around here."
"Anyone who can come here and enlist the Deduction Jade's aid is either from a prominent family or blessed with extraordinary fortune. Their futures are bound to be remarkable. While performing our duties, it wouldn't hurt to build some goodwill. Who knows? A century from now, when our watch is over, those connections might prove useful," Hua Yueye advised kindly.
Elder Zhang Xu chimed in, agreeing. "Precisely. Hundreds of years may pass without a single change in this space, but the outside world could be completely transformed. It's always wise to have another option."
Even though they were Dao Integration experts, those assigned to a five-hundred-year watch here were rarely the most central figures in their families. Planning for the future was a sensible precaution.
Half a month later, a Dharma Transmitter arrived for the inspection, just as predicted.
It was Dharma Transmitter Lang, whom Li Fan had met once before at the council.
Ignoring the three guardians, Dharma Transmitter Lang approached the child-like Deduction Jade with a beaming smile.
The little girl rolled her eyes, then clamped her hands over her ears, adopting a posture that clearly said, "I can't hear a word you're saying."
Dharma Transmitter Lang appeared completely accustomed to this behavior and showed no sign of annoyance.
A row of silver needles materialized beside his hand.
Lang plucked one from the air and then gently inserted it toward the Deduction Jade's head.
The girl's body trembled slightly, yet she seemed bound by an invisible force. Powerless to resist, she could only allow the needles to be placed one after another into various acupoints on her body.
At this seemingly cruel sight, both Zhang Xu and Hua Yueye held their tongues.
Li Fan, however, perceived something more to it, his eyes glinting with understanding.
Dharma Transmitter Lang's acupuncture technique wasn't a method of coercion or control.
Instead, it was a supreme therapeutic art designed to regulate her vital energies and soothe her meridians. And indeed, after waiting for the better part of the day before removing the needles, Lang left the child-like Deduction Jade with a much healthier complexion.
Her small cheeks were flushed and rosy, as if she had just finished some vigorous exercise.
"It's more than just a healthier appearance. Her human-like qualities have been revitalized."
Li Fan stared at the Deduction Jade, and after careful observation, he understood the true purpose of the procedure.
During his time with the Deduction Jade, Li Fan had noticed that while the girl occasionally displayed human-like tempers, she spent most of her time acting like a pure machine, ceaselessly deducing techniques.
Her desire to "slack off and rest" was likely a natural consequence of her immense workload.
It wasn't an inherent part of her nature.
Furthermore, as time passed, this slide towards pure, mechanical existence had become increasingly apparent.
"No wonder the Dharma Transmitters conduct periodic visits," Li Fan realized. "They're trying to preserve the Deduction Jade's humanity."
"Perhaps a Deduction Jade guided by the simple consciousness of a child is more effective than a purely mechanical marvel."
Yet, the Deduction Jade showed no gratitude for Lang's "help."
She puffed out her cheeks and glared fiercely at him until he sauntered away. Only then did she slam her fist on the table, venting her frustration.
Then, she flopped onto the long table and promptly fell fast asleep.
The day following the inspection was a designated recuperation period for the Deduction Jade, a time she could rest freely.
The little girl slept soundly, her snores echoing through the space.
Li Fan noticed, however, that the massive sphere of light above her head continued to shift and flicker at high speed, still deducing something.
"Interesting," Li Fan murmured, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Just as Hua Yueye had predicted, once the Deduction Jade plunged back into her endless work, the restrictions on the Audience Jade Tokens were lifted.
In addition to her regular duties, the little girl now had to take on the extra burden of deducing customized techniques for visitors.
It was no wonder her attitude toward these petitioners was so foul.
With the exception of a few particularly handsome cultivators, that is.
Consequently, the responsibilities of Li Fan and the other two Dao Integration guardians also grew heavier.
They had to remain constantly vigilant, watching for any petitioner who might have been sent by another power with malicious intent.
Fortunately, the probability of such an event was not especially high.
With three Dao Integration experts working together to monitor the space, it was unlikely anything would go wrong in the short term.
...
In the void outside the small world of the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty.
The Immortal-Forbidden Array, once used to isolate mortals, had been repurposed by Li Ping and integrated into the grander Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits Array.
Li Ping had even tamed and cultivated a school of Split Boundary Whales, tasking them with carving out new pockets of void around the Great Qi's small world to act as a natural defensive buffer.
Now, concealed within the dark void that should have been empty, was a colossal object a hundred times the size of the Great Qi's world.
It was none other than the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven!
Daoist Baihua had lived up to her reputation. At the cost of nearly lapsing back into a deep slumber, she had managed to stealthily transport it back without alerting the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
After all, as a Longevity cultivator of the ancient law, her power still surpassed that of an ordinary Dao Integration expert.
Of course, the mission's success was also due in part to the formations Li Ping had used to provide cover.
Saint Emperor Li Ping gazed from a distance at the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven, his face an impassive mask as he felt the Dao One Worms proliferating madly within.
(End of this chapter)
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