Chapter 881: Limitless Strengthens the Soul
"What's more, the Federation just received word a short while ago."
"Within the next decade, the Xuanhuang Realm is expected to manifest two Earthly Treasures."
Ji Shaoli dropped the bombshell.
"One of them will appear right here in the Cong Yun Sea. It's the [Canghai Pearl], containing the power of the boundless ocean."
"The other is in Guanglan Province. It's the [Hundred Thousand Mountains Cauldron], within which an entire mountain range gestates, holding infinite mysteries."
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Earthly Treasures?"
Treasures of such a high caliber were something they only dared to dream about.
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi stood frozen on the spot.
They could only suspect they had misheard.
The two of them...
What had they ever done to deserve such an opportunity?
As if reading their minds, Ji Shaoli clapped them on the shoulders. "There's no need to underestimate yourselves. While those so-called prodigies may surpass you in background and talent..."
"...what we in the Federation value most is character!"
"The ambition you two possess is second to none I have ever seen!" Ji Shaoli declared with conviction.
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were completely bewildered.
*Am I really that remarkable?*
The same thought surfaced in both their minds.
"I believe that if you're given a high enough starting point, you'll be more than capable of crossing swords with those prodigies!" Ji Shaoli stated in a deep voice.
"Are you willing?" he asked once more.
Although they still found it hard to believe such good fortune would fall upon them...
...looking at it from another angle, what did two struggling brothers like them have that was worth deceiving?
If they could truly have the honor of obtaining an Earthly Treasure...
Then even if they were to die in the process, would there be any regrets?
The two men, who had struggled and scraped by in the wilderness for half their lives, immediately nodded again and again.
"If I can truly establish my foundation with an Earthly Treasure, I will pledge my life to the Federation!" Kou Hong vowed with sincere conviction.
Dao Xuanzi made a similarly solemn promise.
"Excellent! Then it's settled," Ji Shaoli decided on the spot.
With a casual air, he had just allocated the Earthly Treasures, which he once regarded as priceless, to Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.
The Canghai Pearl was an old acquaintance of Li Fan's.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains Cauldron was also an Earthly Treasure he had previously divined would manifest around this time.
Both were, in fact, incredibly valuable.
However, as his cultivation grew day by day, these Earthly Treasures had become useless to him.
Rather than letting them be discovered and claimed by cultivators from the Immortal Alliance...
...it was better to use them to strengthen the Federation of All Worlds.
As for why he chose Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi...
It was purely a whim on Grand Preceptor Li's part, a thought that simply came to him.
After all, from his perspective, there was no essential difference between some peerless prodigy and cultivators like Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, who had been stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage their whole lives until they died of old age.
"Actually, their talent can't be said to be too poor. At the very least, judging by their performance during the battle in Xuanjing City, their actual combat prowess already far exceeds that of ordinary cultivators."
"Since the destiny of their current lives has already deviated so significantly, I might as well add more fuel to the fire and see just where their limits truly lie!"
As Ji Shaoli mused on this, he stood guard for the two brothers.
He took out various treasures to minimize the risks of their process of shattering their cores and recultivating.
To be honest, the appearance of these two before Li Fan in this lifetime was somewhat unexpected.
And in the current Xuanhuang Realm, things that could bring Li Fan even a slight surprise...
...were truly few and far between.
Thus, this experiment came to be.
However, what was a day that would completely alter the destinies of Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi was, for the clone Ji Shaoli, merely an experiment born of boredom from staying on Haixuan Island for too long.
He couldn't care less about the outcome.
The only thing Li Fan truly cared about was himself.
At this moment, in the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan's main body had sunk his consciousness deep into meditation, becoming one with the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven.
Feeling the surging power of the five elements, he attempted to merge them into a single point.
"The five elements return to one, limitless in fullness and emptiness; its power unceasing, the soul indestructible."
"With an inexhaustible supply of the five elements' power, I can push my [Limitless Fullness and Emptiness] technique to a whole new level."
"And shore up my final weakness."
Under Li Fan's precise control, the powers of the five elements perfectly converged.
They formed a type of unknown energy that Li Fan had never seen before.
His soul, as if starved for a long time, suddenly caught the scent of food.
Waves of hunger washed over him, making Li Fan almost think that the side effects of the [Hunger] character were acting up again.
However, he quickly discerned that this was a natural reaction from his soul sensing something immensely beneficial to it.
Without further hesitation, like a great whale drawing in the sea, he swallowed this mysterious energy.
The sensation was similar to when he consumed the Will Horse back then; his soul felt as if it were soaking in a hot spring, a pleasant warmth spreading all over.
But the difference between the two was that the effect of the [Will Horse] was temporary.
Once it was fully digested, the nourishment for his soul vanished without a trace.
This Limitless Fullness and Emptiness technique, however, would never stop as long as Li Fan's supply of converted five-element power continued!
If consuming the Will Horse was like taking a hot bath where the water quickly cooled...
...then this technique was a hot spring that maintained its heat indefinitely.
Under this constant nourishment, Li Fan's soul began to strengthen at a rate he could almost perceive with his own senses.
If the preliminary protection he formed back in the Great Xuan Kingdom was like draping a simple cloak over his soul...
...then at this moment, as the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness technique operated, Li Fan felt as if his soul no longer needed any external protection.
By its own power, it was as hard as steel.
Let the wind blow and the rain beat down; I shall remain unmoved!
"Perhaps it's because my soul was so weak before that the effects of this cultivation are so pronounced."
Not long after, however, Li Fan felt the effects of the technique begin to wane, and he came to a realization.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance guards its soul-related techniques too closely. Even with the help of the Deduction Jade, and after living through countless lives, I've found very few quality methods."
"But after today, things will be different."
Li Fan closed his eyes, immersing himself in the mental cultivation of the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness technique.
It had been a long time since he had felt the joy of his cultivation advancing so rapidly.
"I wonder if the functions of [Truth] will change as my soul grows stronger?"
A thought suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
...
When Li Fan awoke from his seclusion, the first thing he did was test the so-called "indestructible soul" effect of the [Limitless Fullness and Emptiness].
He recalled a secret art that allowed one to burn their own soul in exchange for a temporary, massive boost in cultivation: the [Burning Soul] technique.
Without a shred of hesitation, Li Fan unleashed it.
(End of Chapter)
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