My Longevity SimulationImmortality Simulator

My Simulated Road to Immortality

我的模擬長生路

Chapter 38: Finally Entering the Spirit Pool

Without explaining too much to Xiao Heng, Li Fan rushed to Tianbaolou after telling him not to worry.

Yin Yuzhen was surprised by Li Fan's sudden arrival.

And after hearing the reason why Li Fan came, Yin Yuzhen explained the cause and effect of the matter with an angry face.

It turned out that after a few months of inquiries, the various forces on Liuli Island finally figured out that Star Sea Sand was meteorite iron from the sky.

But when they wanted to collect meteorite iron, they found that the Star Sea Sand in the sea area of Liuli Island had been swept away by Tianbaolou.

And the previous chaos in the market on Liuli Island was caused by Tianbaolou secretly.

"Tianbaolou is playing us like monkeys!" They were ashamed and angry, so they went to the island master to ask for an explanation.

Yin Yuzhen naturally defended herself with righteous words, saying that her behavior was legitimate business competition.

And the island master also thought that Yin Yuzhen's actions were a bit excessive, but the competition for the quota of the Spirit Pool was based on their own abilities. As long as they could collect the materials needed by the immortal master in the end, even if their methods were a bit outrageous, it was not unacceptable.

So the island master didn't punish Tianbaolou, but instead scolded those who made trouble.

How could they be willing?

So a few days later, there were rumors on the island that Tianbaolou was secretly doing business of smuggling mortals.

And the more they spread, the more exaggerated they became. It seemed that Tianbaolou would be punished by the immortal master tomorrow and be wiped out.

"How serious is this matter? Will the immortal master really blame it?" After understanding what happened, Li Fan couldn't help but ask.

"This is also the headache of this matter." Yin Yuzhen frowned. "The so-called unknown punishment is unpredictable. Helping mortals smuggle has never been explicitly forbidden. But this matter is ultimately taboo and can't be seen in public."

"Plus, ten years ago, an immortal master happened to bump into a smuggling incident and killed all the mortals present in anger."

"Since then, everyone tacitly did this smuggling business secretly."

Li Fan listened and frowned slightly. "So this matter can be big or small. It depends on the mood of the immortal master?"

"That's right. If the immortal master doesn't care too much, then it's nothing. But if the immortal master is in a bad mood, then..." Yin Yuzhen didn't finish her sentence, but her face turned pale.

Li Fan analyzed it in his mind and finally sighed.

Li Fan knew that even if he had a hundred schemes, everything would be in vain in front of absolute power difference.

He had no way to deal with this unstable factor like a time bomb.

Li Fan had an idea and thought of the large amount of immortal-mortal miasma stored in a cabin of Taiyan Boat.

"If I had thousands of dead men in Daxuan, maybe I would have a chance to fight. Unfortunately..."

But soon, he suppressed this dangerous idea.

"Let's set a time and meet them. This matter shouldn't be too big." Li Fan said.

"Um, I think so too." Yin Yuzhen said.

"They just want us to hand over some Star Sea Sand. Anyway, we took advantage of it and collected enough. We might as well throw out some of it and let them fight each other. They will surely start fighting soon." Li Fan snorted coldly. "There is no such thing as an unbreakable alliance in this world."

...

Three days later, Tianbaolou met with various forces on Liuli Island and proposed the following requirements:

Tianbaolou agreed to hand over some Star Sea Sand, but they needed the other party to exchange materials of equal value.

At the same time, how to divide the Star Sea Sand among each family was up to them to decide.

Finally, they had to ensure that Tianbaolou had one quota for the Spirit Pool.

These conditions were not too harsh, so after some discussion, both sides quickly reached a reconciliation.

After all, there was no deep hatred between them. They just competed for the quota of the Spirit Pool.

So Tianbaolou paid a price of dozens of meteorite iron pieces and successfully got out of this chaotic vortex.

Almost on the same day, the rumors about smuggling on the island disappeared without a trace.

And other families began to fight openly and secretly for those dozens of meteorite iron pieces, and they had no time to care about Tianbaolou anymore.

Time flies and the day when the Spirit Pool opens is coming soon.

After finishing counting the materials handed over by each family, the quota for this Spirit Pool was finally determined.

There were a total of thirteen places to enter the pool, and Tianbaolou had one of them.

The big event was settled, and Li Fan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as the Spirit Pool opened, Li Fan would be able to get rid of the miasma in his body and officially embark on the path of cultivation!

He had been waiting for this day for too long.

So even with Li Fan's scheming, he became a bit excited.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Physiological Age: 42/99
Psychological Age: 505/1299↑

Hua Xu Charging Progress: 121%

Ding An Charging Progress: 51%

Current Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: [Thousand Mechanism Jade Sphere Golden Seal], Taiyan Boat, Zhi Bu Can Bei (damaged)

Li Fan looked at [Zhen]'s panel. After two years of transformation, his physiological age reached the limit of 99 years old and stopped growing.

And the upper limit of his psychological age was still slowly increasing because he practiced [Xuan Huang Qing Xin Zhou] day and night.

What kind of changes would happen after the baptism of the Spirit Pool?

Li Fan was looking forward to it.

The day when the Spirit Pool opened finally came. On this day, Li Fan took the Lichen Pill that Yin Yuzhen gave him and entered the formation in the center of Liuli Island under the guidance of a special person.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 39: The First Lesson of Cultivation

Among the thirteen people who entered the central formation, except for Li Fan, they were all teenagers in their teens.

They were instructed not to speak easily, but they looked around with excited and curious eyes.

As soon as they entered the formation, their environment was completely different from Liuli Island.

It was as if they had come from a bustling city to a deep mountain in an instant. The trees were lush, green and verdant, and the birds and insects were incessant.

Looking into the distance, the peaks were misty and the mountains were undulating.

A breeze blew by, and the sound of rustling echoed like waves.

Li Fan and the others were standing at the foot of the mountain.

Looking up, the top of the mountain was hidden in thick clouds and invisible.

They stepped on the ancient stone steps and climbed up without stopping for two hours.

These teenagers had excellent physiques. They climbed for so long and didn't even pant.

But Li Fan was old after all. Maybe he hadn't exercised for a long time. He was already sweating profusely and could barely keep up without falling behind.

Another hour passed, and they finally reached the top of the mountain.

The top of the mountain was only a small open space. The people stood scattered and it was already crowded.

This peak was the highest among the mountains. Looking around, there was only a vast sea of clouds.

The wind was blowing, and the sea of clouds was rolling. Occasionally, some mountain tops like islands were exposed.

These teenagers were born and raised on the sea. How could they have seen such a spectacular sight?

They were all stunned and lost in thought.

But for Li Fan, this scene was nothing but ordinary. He squinted his eyes and looked at the sun in the sky.

They had been in the formation for half a day, but the position of the sun had never changed.

It seemed to be some kind of illusion.

"How do you like this scenery?" Suddenly, a voice sounded beside them.

The teenagers were startled, and then quickly reacted.

"Meet the immortal master!" They bowed and greeted him.

Li Fan also followed suit.

The visitor was naturally He Xianshi, who guarded Liuli Island.

He looked like he was only in his thirties, wearing a blue robe.

He had kind eyebrows and a gentle smile, very amiable, like a good old man.

Seeing that this immortal master was not as scary as the legend, some of them plucked up their courage and answered: "This place has a beautiful scenery, worthy of being a holy land for immortals."

"I have never seen such a wonder before. It makes me feel surging."

...

He Xianshi nodded with a smile, but what he said made the young people suddenly quiet down: "When I first came to Liuli Island, this mountain peak was only at the end of the mountains, far below the sea of clouds."

The teenagers were stunned by He Xianshi's words. They were silent for a long time before someone praised: "The immortal master's magical powers are really incredible. He can actually make the mountain grow taller."

He Xianshi smiled bitterly: "I'm just a small foundation-building cultivator. How can I have such ability?"

The teenager who flattered him immediately blushed and lowered his head in shame.

The rest of them also looked at each other, not knowing what He Xianshi meant by this.

But Li Fan looked at the countless mountains in the sea of clouds and thought to himself.

"Do you know that the mountains and rivers in the world will also grow taller like people?" He Xianshi didn't keep them guessing and slowly said.

The teenagers heard this and were all dumbfounded, with disbelief on their faces.

"This is too unbelievable..."

"Is...is it true? Could it be that these mountains and rivers are also living things?"

Although the fact that mountains and rivers could grow taller was too shocking, it was said by an immortal master who was high above them. The teenagers naturally chose to believe it.

But their faces turned pale and they couldn't accept it for a while.

He Xianshi then continued: "Some peaks seem towering, but they have exhausted their fate and can't go any further in their lives. Some are just small mounds now, but they have infinite potential. Who knows how many years later, they won't become pillars that support the sky?"

"Just like this Shaowei Mountain under your feet. It was inconspicuous back then, but in just a few decades, it has become able to look down on all other mountains."

"Of course, most of them are like those countless peaks under the sea of clouds. They can only serve as foils from beginning to end, silently looking up at those peaks above the sea of clouds."

"Mountains are like this, let alone people?"

"Today you are fortunate enough to enter the Spirit Pool and wash away the miasma in your body. Whether you can step on the path of cultivation, or even hope for the great way of longevity, and what kind of achievements you will have in the future, depends on your own fate."

Looking at the bewildered and confused young people, He Xianshi sighed.

"No matter what happens in the future, you need to do your best today. That's all I have to say. Go ahead!"

"Immortal master, may I ask where is the Spirit Pool?" Some teenagers didn't understand what He Xianshi meant, but they finally understood that they could enter the Spirit Pool.

They were still young and eager to try, so they asked boldly.

"It's right there!" He Xianshi said indifferently.

The people looked in the direction he pointed, and where He Xianshi pointed was beyond the square inch of land on the top of the mountain, at the edge of a cliff!

"Immortal master, are you joking?" A teenager couldn't help but exclaim.

He Xianshi's face changed and he snorted coldly. He didn't see how he moved, but the teenager's head flew high and his body fell down with a bang.

Blood spattered out and splashed on everyone around.

This sudden scene stunned the young people.

Some people were scared and wanted to scream, but they covered their mouths tightly, only trembling and pale.

Some fell to the ground with weak legs.

Some knelt down and kowtowed to He Xianshi for forgiveness.

"Let me give you one more lesson. When you step on the road of cultivation in the future, your vision is also very important. You have to weigh carefully who you can insult, who you can't offend, what you can say, and what you can't say. Don't wait until you die in the future and blame me for not reminding you today." He Xianshi changed his previous good old man image and looked at the young people coldly.

Li Fan watched this good show, watched the different reactions of the young people, and knew that this lesson from He Xianshi would surely leave a deep impression on them.

Not to mention these teenagers, Li Fan listened to He Xianshi's words and also gained some insights.

He bowed deeply to He Xianshi and said sincerely: "I have learned a lot."

Then he turned around and walked to the edge of the mountain.

There was a cliff ahead. If he stepped on it, he would surely fall to pieces.

But Li Fan didn't hesitate or hesitate at all. He didn't change his face and stepped out.

He didn't fall. The sea of clouds in front seemed to have a sense of consciousness. They rolled and gathered under Li Fan's feet and held him steady.

He stepped out with his other foot. After standing firm, Li Fan was wrapped by rolling white clouds and flew to the depths of the sea of clouds.

He Xianshi looked at Li Fan's back and muttered: "He has excellent temperament, but it's a pity that he's too old!"

"What a pity!"

(End of chapter)

Chapter 40: A Fortunate Opportunity to Gain a Marvelous Skill

The young people watched Li Fan leave like riding on the clouds, and then they realized that He Xianshi's words were not deceiving or exaggerating, and they felt a bit ashamed.

"The one who enters the Spirit Pool first will get more spirit liquid. You should hurry up." He Xianshi's face softened and said to the young people.

So the young people rushed to the sea of clouds.

...

Surrounded by thick clouds, Li Fan felt lost.

The white clouds around him kept gathering, becoming denser and denser.

In a moment, they condensed into white spirit liquid and wrapped Li Fan up.

In the spirit liquid, Li Fan didn't feel suffocated, but rather extremely warm and comfortable.

Like a fetus in the mother's body, Li Fan's mind gradually relaxed completely.

The warm and gentle breath flowed over every inch of his skin, penetrated through his pores, and entered Li Fan's body.

His whole body and soul seemed to be soaked in hot water, making Li Fan almost unable to help moaning comfortably.

But then, warmth turned into heat.

Heat turned into scorching.

Scorching turned into fire roasting.

Caught off guard, Li Fan let out a scream.

At this moment, he lost control of his body.

He only felt that the magma-like heat flow was rampaging and destroying in his body, tearing and drilling every nerve.

This kind of pain was unbearable for humans. Li Fan subconsciously wanted to activate [Revert], but he still held back.

"Three hundred years of hard pursuit, isn't it for this moment?"

"No matter what, I will never give up."

"I want to cultivate, I want to live forever!"

Li Fan's consciousness became fragmented in the pain, but a obsession supported him, preventing him from collapsing.

The heat flow circulated in his body, seemingly endless.

Every cycle, the destruction and pain increased by one point.

Later on, this pain reached a level that was hard to describe with words.

The pain was like a knife, cutting Li Fan's soul thousands of times and then thousands of times again, endlessly, never stopping.

Even if Li Fan's will was strong enough, he gradually lost his resistance in the face of this level of pain.

Slowly, Li Fan's consciousness became vague.

His consciousness began to dissipate.

Even at this moment, Li Fan's obsession in his heart made him hold on and didn't activate [Revert].

His consciousness became almost blank.

Cultivation, longevity, miasma removal, Spirit Pool, Liuli Island, wonders of heaven and earth, Revert...

All these thoughts faded away as Li Fan's consciousness sank.

Instinct replaced self. So the [Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra] that Li Fan had been practicing almost non-stop since he came to Liuli Island ran naturally.

With the operation of the Clear Heart Mantra, Li Fan's consciousness seemed to have a backbone. It reassembled and strengthened.

Although he was still in a state of ignorance, he gradually became like a reef by the sea. No matter how strong the wind and waves were, he remained firm.

...

Three days passed in a flash.

Among the thirteen people who entered the Spirit Pool, eleven had already come out.

Only four of them completed the removal of the miasma in their bodies. The remaining seven couldn't bear the pain and failed to remove it.

Except for that unlucky guy who died. The remaining one who never appeared was naturally Li Fan.

He Zhenghao sensed the faint breath in the Spirit Pool formation and became more and more surprised.

As the cultivator who presided over the Spirit Pool formation. He knew very well how painful it was when the miasma was removed from a mortal's body.

The miasma was hidden in the bloodline of mortals. It was with flesh and blood since the fetus was formed.

As mortals grew up. The miasma became more inseparable from flesh and blood.

This Spirit Pool formation was created by one of the leaders of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The Heavenly Venerable of the East Pole.

It forced out the miasma by completely destroying the body. And then rebuilt it with regenerative power.

Repeatedly until all the miasma in the body was removed.

The older you are. The harder it is to separate the miasma from flesh and blood.

The more times you need to destroy and rebuild to completely remove it.

The pain experienced in this process is unimaginable!

He Zhenghao had been presiding over the formation on Liuli Island for more than fifty years. He had seen that the oldest one who could complete purification was only thirty-one years old.

He thought that someone like Li Fan had no hope of success at all.

But now. Li Fan's performance was far beyond his expectations.

"This person's will is so firm. It's shocking. If he can succeed in purification. It will not be difficult to cultivate to the foundation-building stage. Even the golden core stage..." He Zhenghao's eyes flickered. "Maybe I can make a good relationship with him early."

Right now. He Zhenghao sent the others out of the formation first. And waited for Li Fan alone.

Another three days passed. He Zhenghao's face became a bit ugly. He didn't know what kind of monster he had encountered. He could persist in the Spirit Pool formation for so long.

What's worse. The materials for maintaining the formation were running out.

If the materials were not enough, the formation would be forced to stop. This would cause unpredictable consequences. Maybe it would ruin all the previous efforts.

Normally speaking, even if the formation stopped at this time, it would only be Li Fan's bad luck. It had nothing to do with him, He Zhenghao.

But thinking of Li Fan's terrifying and firm will, He Zhenghao's face changed.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's just bet that this kid will have a great achievement in the future!"

With that, He Zhenghao made a hand gesture, and one by one items flew out of his storage ring and disappeared into the depths of the sea of clouds.

"Fortunately, I always secretly kept a portion of these materials for myself..." He Zhenghao looked at his storage ring that was half empty and muttered.

...

Another two days passed. The rolling sea of clouds finally calmed down.

The white clouds leaped and surrounded Li Fan and brought him back to the top of the mountain.

He sensed that there was no miasma in Li Fan's body, and He Zhenghao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Congratulations, my friend! From now on, you are free from shackles and have hope for longevity!" He Zhenghao said enthusiastically.

Feeling that his body condition was better than ever, Li Fan was still adapting to his new body.

At this moment, seeing He Xianshi's attitude change suddenly, he was a little puzzled.

Although he had removed the miasma from his body, he still hadn't officially started cultivating after all. He was just a mortal.

Why was he so polite to himself?

Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a puzzled look.

He Zhenghao understood and told Li Fan that he had stayed in the Spirit Pool for eleven days.

"What? I stayed in there for so long?"

Li Fan was really surprised this time.

"Yes, my friend. You don't know how much trouble you caused me. The materials for this formation were almost exhausted. It was me who paid a lot of money and added another portion for you..." He Zhenghao boasted for himself.

Li Fan was shocked at this moment.

Not because of He Zhenghao's "selfless dedication", but because he found that there was an extra skill on his [Revert] panel.

Not the [Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra] that Li Fan had been practicing almost non-stop since he came to Liuli Island.

But the [Xuanhuang Refining Heart Mantra].

(End of chapter)

Chapter 41: Sitting on the Mountain and Enjoying the Benefits

After removing the miasma from his body, Li Fan's panel underwent a huge change.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Physiological Age: 42/120↑

Psychological Age: 505/2053↑

Hua Xu Charging Progress: 121%

Ding An Charging Progress: 51%

Current Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Seal], Tai Yan Boat, Stop Step Broken Tablet (Damaged)
Skill: Xuanhuang Refining Heart Mantra
His physiological age limit broke through the hundred mark, and temporarily had an upward trend.

What made Li Fan more pleasantly surprised was the psychological age limit, which almost doubled directly, reaching more than two thousand years!

It was impossible to have such an effect just by the Spirit Pool.

Was it because of this inexplicably appearing [Xuanhuang Refining Heart Mantra]...

Li Fan himself was also confused about why the Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra became the Refining Heart Mantra.

He was almost completely unconscious in the Spirit Pool because he couldn't bear the pain.

He didn't know what happened later.

But this is not the time to examine it carefully. Li Fan stabilized his mind and said to He Zhenghao with a bow: "I will never forget the kindness of Xianshi. I will repay you generously in the future."

He Zhenghao was waiting for Li Fan's words, so he said more kindly: "What are you talking about, my friend? The immortal path is difficult. I just try to help as much as I can."

He took out a book and handed it to Li Fan: "After removing the miasma, you need to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and draw it into your body. If you can condense the first trace of spiritual energy in your body, it means that you have entered the Qi Refining stage. At this time, you can be officially called a cultivator. This book [Five Elements Sensing Qi Method] is a summary of the experiences of the predecessors on sensing spiritual energy. You need to study it carefully."

He then took out a square talisman and gave it to Li Fan solemnly: "This is a Leaving Dust Talisman. You need to carry it with you before drawing qi into your body."

Seeing Li Fan put these two things away, He Zhenghao explained: "Although you have removed all the miasma from your body, it is not permanent. You still live in the secular world and need to interact with mortals every day. Over time, you will inevitably be contaminated with miasma again. This Leaving Dust Talisman can help you isolate the miasma invasion, but it is not sustainable and can only last for about five years."

"But with your talent, my friend, breaking through to the Qi Refining stage within five years should not be difficult." He Zhenghao said with a smile.

"After breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, you can come to me on the island. Then I will take you to our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's residence in this Congyun Sea, Wanxian Island. After arriving on the island, you can choose the corresponding skills and continue to cultivate."

He Zhenghao told Li Fan some precautions during the process of drawing qi into his body in detail.

Li Fan also memorized them firmly in his mind.

After all related matters were explained, Li Fan also tactfully bid farewell and left.

"I hope this time I can get some benefits."

Watching Li Fan's receding figure, He Zhenghao muttered to himself.

Then He Zhenghao looked at the mountain under his feet and shook his head: "The potential is exhausted. It's time to change a mountain."

With that, he flew onto the sea of clouds, waved his sleeve, and collected all the rolling clouds into his sleeve.

Looking down at the continuous mountains below, He Zhenghao chose the next mountain that would grow the highest in the next hundred years.

He Zhenghao's skill was called [Sitting on the Mountain Decision].

The biggest feature of [Sitting on the Mountain Decision] was sitting on the mountain and enjoying its benefits.

Choose a mountain peak, sit on it, run your skill, spend several years of time, and then you can merge your breath with the mountain peak.

After that, every time the mountain peak increases by one point, your cultivation will be rewarded accordingly and increase correspondingly.

On the contrary, if you choose wrong and the height of the mountain does not increase afterwards, it is equivalent to wasting ten years of cultivation time for nothing.

In addition to benefiting from increasing mountains, you can also benefit from helping others.

For example, helping Li Fan this time. If Li Fan can break through to the Qi Refining stage in the future, he will receive feedback in secret and increase his cultivation.

It is not to absorb or steal the other party's cultivation, but more like one person attaining the Dao, and the chickens and dogs ascending to heaven.

The mountain peak will grow with the trees on it; the giant's growth will also bring along the things in his sleeve.

Of course, compared with mountains and rivers, the conditions for helping people are not so harsh. You don't have to bind one person, you can cast a wide net. But correspondingly, how much you pay at the beginning also determines how much you will get in the future.

So whenever he meets a promising junior, He Zhenghao never stingy to give them a hand.

...

Only one step away from stepping into the threshold of cultivators, and also obtained the [Xuanhuang Refining Heart Mantra], such a miraculous skill.

Li Fan couldn't help feeling a little complacent.

But not long after, he received a letter.

The news in the letter shattered his complacency.

Xiao Heng successfully drew qi into his body and had already gone to Wanxian Island.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 42: Immortals and Mortals Cannot Coexist


"I'm not interested in cultivating."

In his memory, Xiao Heng's expression when he said this seemed to be still vivid.

How long has it been since then? How did he manage to remove the miasma from his body and break through to the Qi Refining stage directly?

Li Fan was full of shock and confusion for a moment.

Li Fan read Xiao Heng's letter several times, and then went out to inquire about it. He reluctantly accepted this fact.

It turned out that although Li Fan comforted him that day, saying that the rumors of smuggling on the island were aimed at Tianbao Tower, Xiao Heng was still uneasy and restless after returning home.

He closed his eyes and seemed to see the terrifying scene of the immortal descending from the sky and killing all the people who left the realm.

For several days, Xiao Heng was like this.

After thinking hard, Xiao Heng finally made up his mind.

In order to sleep peacefully, and more importantly, to become a cultivator, he no longer had to live in fear every day. He began to practice [Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra] earnestly.

Unexpectedly, after Xiao Heng calmed down, his cultivation progress was really amazing.

With the help of medicine, he removed all the miasma from his body in less than a month.

Then he felt that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was like a living thing, wandering around him affectionately.

He was deeply attracted by this scene and immersed his mind in it.

He felt like he had a good sleep and then successfully drew qi into his body.

At first he was not sure if he had become an immortal as in the legend.

But after he tried to get intimate with a maid in his house, but suddenly felt a palpitation and subconsciously slapped her to death, Xiao Heng finally confirmed that he was already a cultivator.

Immortals and mortals must be separated forever.

Although he was already a Qi Refining cultivator, Xiao Heng had no idea what to do next.

So he wanted to see the immortal who guarded Liuli Island.

Unfortunately, at that time He Zhenghao was presiding over the Spirit Pool formation and couldn't get away.

Xiao Heng could only go home and wait patiently.

When Li Fan came out of the Spirit Pool and He Zhenghao finally had time, Xiao Heng finally saw him.

He Zhenghao heard about Xiao Heng's experience, then carefully checked it and confirmed that Xiao Heng did not lie.

He was overjoyed at first, then slapped his thigh regretfully, looking very remorseful.

After a while, he cheered up and couldn't wait to take Xiao Heng to Wanxian Island.

Xiao Heng proposed to say goodbye to his friends, and He Zhenghao naturally agreed.

After that, Xiao Heng bid farewell to everyone who left the realm one by one, and then left gracefully.

As for Li Fan here, Xiao Heng wanted to come.

But he also knew that Li Fan was devoted to cultivation. It took him more than three years to cleanse his body.

And not long ago, he said in front of Li Fan that he was not interested in cultivating. But now he became a Qi Refining cultivator in the blink of an eye!

Xiao Heng really didn't know how to face Li Fan. And he was afraid of stimulating Li Fan. So he just left a letter and asked someone to send it.

Xiao Heng was grateful for Li Fan's repeated help. So he said that he would wait for him on Wanxian Island and repay him when they met.

"Today I owe everything to you."

"I heard that you successfully removed the miasma. I'm sure you will break through to Qi Refining soon."

"I'll go ahead and wait for you on Wanxian Island."

"When we meet again, if you have anything to ask me, I will not refuse even if I have to die."

"Heng bows again."

...

Li Fan put down Xiao Heng's letter and slowly exhaled.

Is this what they call a genius?

He didn't rely on any help. He accidentally broke through to the Qi Refining stage by himself.

He even felt the affection of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for him...

Although he knew that the talents of cultivators varied greatly, Li Fan also knew that his talent was not high. But this feeling of having such a genius by my side...

It really makes me uncomfortable.

It seems that Xiao Heng's worry is not unreasonable. If he suddenly appeared in front of me who had just succeeded in removing the miasma, I might really lose my balance mentally.

Li Fan smiled bitterly.

But it was just a mental imbalance.

Li Fan knew clearly that his reliance was never his talent, but the countless opportunities to start over again given by [Huanzhen].

With [Huanzhen] in hand, no matter what kind of genius, he had the confidence to crush them.

It's just that this process might be a bit long and require a lifetime of planning.

The Refining Heart Mantra ran, and Li Fan's chaotic mind gradually calmed down.

He opened the [Five Elements Sensing Qi Method] given by He Zhenghao and slowly read it carefully.

The book records that in ancient times, there was the concept of spiritual roots.

At that time, only mortals who had spiritual roots could cultivate.

There were ordinary metal, wood, water, fire, and earth five elements spiritual roots, as well as thunder, wind, dark and other special attribute spiritual roots.

Single spiritual root cultivators had a fast cultivation speed in the early stage. They specialized in corresponding attribute skills and could easily cultivate them to perfection.

Multiple spiritual root cultivators had a slower cultivation speed. They needed to take care of various attributes and easily wasted energy without much effect. But once there was a heaven-defying genius who could handle multiple spiritual roots, their strength would often surpass single spiritual root cultivators of the same realm by a lot.

But these are all old talks from the past.

The ancient cultivation world valued the harmony between heaven and man.

Spiritual roots were the gifts of heaven. Only those who were favored by heaven could sense the laws of heaven and earth and have the qualifications to attain the Dao and become immortals.

But there are so many mortals in the world. After all, only a few have spiritual roots.

The vast majority of people can only hope for cultivation but never achieve it.

How unfair is this?

Fortunately, in ancient times, there was an immortal who taught the Dao!

The immortal observed the heaven and earth, faced countless mortals who had no hope of becoming immortals, and taught them the way of longevity.

The immortal said: I want to become an immortal. Why should I ask heaven? If heaven does not give it, I will take it myself!

To follow heaven is to be mortal. To go against heaven is to be immortal!

A mortal who wants to live forever does not need to seek harmony between heaven and man. He only needs to contend with heaven!

So, the immortal established his doctrine and told everyone his way.

It is also the way of cultivation that is followed by today's cultivation world.

The way of immortality is:

Absorb the spirit of heaven and earth to control its qi;

Use the wonders of heaven and earth to build your foundation;

Peek at the laws of heaven and earth to refine your golden core;

Seize the essence of heaven and earth to form your nascent soul;

Extract the marrow of heaven and earth to obtain its spirit;

Sacrifice the soul of heaven and earth to merge with the Dao;

Go against the principles of heaven and earth to prove eternal life!

...

With a snap, [Five Elements Sensing Qi Method] fell to the ground.

Li Fan picked it up with trembling hands, unable to hide his shock in his heart.

The way of cultivation in this world was completely different from what he expected.

Even...

A bit horrifying.

No wonder, ever since he came into contact with the cultivators in this world, he had a strange feeling.

The heavenly Dao in this world seemed to have a great malice towards cultivators.

Whether it was the rule that immortal skills could not be cultivated together, or the strange sight that shone across thousands of miles in the sky after a cultivator died, like a broadcast, or the strange miasma in mortals' bodies that was extremely harmful to cultivators, they all hinted at this point.

Until today, after Li Fan came into contact with the cultivation world, the mystery was finally revealed.

"Go against the principles of heaven and earth to prove eternal life!" Li Fan said softly, exhaling slowly.

The world is slowly unfolding.

(End of chapter)

(Chapter 43: Condensing the Root of Heaven and Earth

The description of the immortal path in the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method made Li Fan feel more and more horrified as he read.

Before the Golden Core stage, it was relatively normal, absorbing the spirit of heaven and earth, imitating the wonders of heaven and earth, and peering into the laws of heaven and earth.

After the Nascent Soul stage, the style gradually became crazy.

Plundering the essence of heaven and earth, extracting the marrow of heaven and earth, sacrificing the soul of heaven and earth...

And even the final defying the principle of heaven and earth.

Just reading these words would make one feel terrified.

The heavenly path was high above, nurturing all living things.

The cultivators practiced in this way, as if they were antagonizing heaven and going against the natural order.

What did this mean? Didn't the cultivators know?

But this kind of cultivation method was too fast to progress.

The book recorded that after the Immortal Sovereign preached, a large number of ordinary people who could not cultivate rose up in just a few decades.

Cultivators with cultivation levels such as Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

The prosperity of the cultivation world at that time was truly golden cores everywhere, nascent souls inferior to dogs.

And the original cultivators who adhered to the ancient cultivation method, watching their cultivation level being easily surpassed by mere mortals, how many could persist in themselves and not try the Immortal Sovereign's method?

As a result, the ancient cultivation method gradually declined; the new method gradually replaced it.

In the thousand years after the new method became popular, the prosperity of the cultivation world also reached its peak.

Unfortunately, heaven's justice was clear, and prosperity would decline.

Countless cultivators greedily plundered the resources of heaven and earth without restraint.

Even the increasingly frequent heavenly tribulations could not suppress the increasing number of cultivators.

So, one day, heaven's counterattack came.

The world changed drastically, and a great calamity came.

Since then, immortal methods cannot be practiced together!

The flourishing cultivation world was like a blow to the head.

The cultivators fought endlessly for a chance to survive.

For a long time, the cultivation world had a sense of decay and decline.

It took thousands of years to slowly recover.

The cultivators of today have become accustomed to the malice of heaven and earth.

They summed up their lessons and established a new cultivation order on the wasteland after the great calamity.

...

After introducing the origin of today's cultivation world, the content behind the book is that "Five Spirits Sensing Qi" method.

If an ordinary person who removes miasma cannot easily draw qi into their body, they can nurture their own five spirits, forcibly absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, refine it, and break through to the Qi Refining stage.

The so-called five spirits are the five emotions that people are born with.

Greed, fear, rage, hatred, egoism.

These five emotions are hidden in people's hearts, inexhaustible and endless.

The Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method uses these five spirits as fuel to cultivate [the Root of Heaven and Earth] in the dantian.

The Root of Heaven and Earth connects the cultivator's dantian with heaven and earth. Once formed, the cultivator can use it to forcefully absorb spiritual qi from heaven and earth and use it for themselves.

Compared with ancient cultivation methods that depend on aptitude, the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method emphasizes stability.

Those with excellent aptitude can cultivate their Root of Heaven and Earth in one day and night and step onto the path of cultivation.

And even those without any aptitude for cultivation can form their own Root of Heaven and Earth within ten years at most through daily hard work.

After mastering how to draw qi into their body, Li Fan spent every day in seclusion at home practicing this Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method.

Although he was mentally prepared that his path of cultivation might not be so smooth,

But day after day passed by. After three years had passed, Li Fan still had not succeeded in drawing qi into his body.

Li Fan was very clear about his talent for cultivation. He had average aptitude. He was not a genius but definitely not bad either.

There must be another reason for this situation now.

"The Mysterious Yellow Heart Refining Mantra... It's really hard to tell whether it's good or bad." Li Fan felt somewhat helpless in his heart.

This Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method required using five emotions as fuel to promote
the formation of Root of Heaven and Earth.

But Li Fan practiced Mysterious Yellow Heart Refining Mantra. These five emotions were very scarce in his mind.

Even if he didn't deliberately run the Heart Refining Mantra, it was like an instinct, spontaneously shattering these negative emotions in his mind.

It was equivalent to walking with a heavy load, which also resulted in Li Fan's slow progress.

Li Fan had also tried to draw qi into his body without using Root of Heaven and Earth.

But he obviously didn't have Xiao Heng's talent.

The spiritual qi outside his body completely ignored him.

Without anyone's guidance, relying on his own exploration, Li Fan really had no confidence in how long it would take him to draw qi into his body.

So Li Fan decided to honestly use the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method to break through to the Qi Refining stage.

It was slow, but it was stable.

What Li Fan lacked the least was time.

In the beginning of the three years, He Zhenghao also occasionally sent people to inquire about Li Fan's cultivation situation.

But after Li Fan had no progress for a long time, he didn't send anyone much anymore.

On the side of Wanbao Tower, because of Li Fan and Xiao Heng's sake, even though they lost Wanhua Chamber of Commerce as their backing, their business situation on the surrounding islands improved instead.

No one wanted to offend a business that might have an immortal master behind it, and they tried to avoid conflict with Wanbao Tower as much as possible.

As a result, Wanbao Tower expanded its market aggressively in three years, showing a thriving momentum.

Yin Yuzhen became more confident and eager to return to Yelan Island and regain control of Tianbao Tower's headquarters.

...

Li Fan only occasionally cared about things outside.

Most of his energy was focused on cultivating Root of Heaven and Earth.

Unfortunately, this matter really couldn't be rushed.

Li Fan estimated that if nothing went wrong, he would need another two years to succeed.

He had been bored at home for a long time. On this day, Li Fan felt restless and wanted to go out for a walk.

Without alarming anyone, he changed his clothes, put on a felt hat, and came to the market of Liuli Island.

Compared with three years ago, there seemed to be no change here.

The sound of bargaining, shouting to attract customers, and playing and fighting were endless.

Here, Li Fan felt the long-lost "human touch".

All kinds of thoughts in his mind were like dried seedlings that were nourished, and they sprouted out in large numbers.

At this moment alone, the progress of Root of Heaven and Earth was more than his three days of seclusion at home.

Li Fan suddenly realized.

For ordinary cultivators, seclusion and meditation were necessary because ordinary people did not lack those five spirits as fuel.

But Li Fan's situation was special. The Heart Refining Mantra in his mind was always running, and these distractions turned into nourishment for his powerful spirit.

And the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method obviously was not as advanced as the Mysterious Yellow Heart Refining Mantra and could not snatch much from it. It could only pick up some leftovers.

Li Fan could not change this situation for now. If he wanted to speed up the formation of Root of Heaven and Earth, he needed to increase the amount of distractions that were born in his mind every day.

Seclusion every day obviously wouldn't work. He needed to enter the world.

After understanding this truth, Li Fan couldn't help feeling happy.

It seemed that he might not need two years to enter the Qi Refining stage.

...

"Senior Li?" Just then, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind.

Li Fan turned his head and saw the other person's face clearly. He paused for a moment before remembering who it was.

It was surprisingly the captain of Cangyuan Ship on Liuli Island who had met him once before, Zhang Haobo.

(End of chapter))

(Chapter 44: Entering the Qi Refining Stage

Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan, his eyes full of awe and joy.

He had heard that Senior Li had already washed away the miasma from his body and would soon become an immortal master that everyone admired.

He was both respectful and afraid when he saw him now.

"So it's you." Li Fan had a good impression of this person and smiled. "It's been a few years since I last saw you. How have you been lately?"

Zhang Haobo didn't dare to neglect and honestly reported: "Thanks to Senior Li's blessing, the fleet has been doing well in the past few years. Especially since you, Senior Li, can always bring back a lot of treasures every time you go out to sea, it attracts a lot of young people who want to join the fleet."

"Our treatment and status on the island have also risen with the tide. Many people envy us."

He paused halfway through and hesitated.

"But it's okay to say it." Li Fan signaled him to continue.

"However... The brothers on Cangyuan Ship have been discussing leaving Liuli Island lately. I also have this idea vaguely."

"Oh?" Li Fan was surprised. "Where are you going?"

"I don't mean to hide it from Senior Li, but we haven't decided yet." Zhang Haobo said with some trepidation.

Li Fan became interested: "Since you're doing well, why do you suddenly have the idea of leaving?"

Zhang Haobo scratched his head: "I'm afraid Senior Li will laugh at me, but it's just... I feel a bit uneasy in my heart."

"Uneasy? Tell me more." Li Fan ordered.

Zhang Haobo was silent for a moment, as if organizing his words.

After a while, he looked around and whispered: "Don't hide it from Senior Li, we brothers have encountered some strange things when we went out to sea recently."

"Such as?"

"Recently, every time we go out to sea, we often catch thousands of catties of fish in one net. It's full. Nine out of ten nets are like this, and there are all kinds of fish."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's indeed a good thing, but I've been fishing in the sea for more than ten years, and I've never seen anything like this before." Zhang Haobo's eyes flashed with confusion and fear.

"It's as if all the fish in the seabed are fleeing, and they all gather together."

"What else?" Li Fan pondered for a moment and continued to ask.

"We brothers have lived on this Liuli Island since we were young, and we are very familiar with the reefs around the island. But we recently found that there are more exposed reefs around the island." Zhang Haobo said solemnly.

"You mean... The water level is dropping?" Li Fan understood immediately.

"There are always water level changes every year, but this year's water level change seems a bit unusual. The brothers are worried." Zhang Haobo said.

"We reported this matter to Liuli Mansion a month ago, but they obviously didn't care much. They said it was just a normal water level change." Zhang Haobo added.

"There is one more thing that worries us even more. In the past three years, there has not been a single wind disaster. Not only in our Liuli Island surrounding waters, but also in the entire Congyun Sea."

"We have communicated with the fleets of various islands, and there is no mistake. The wind disaster has disappeared from the Congyun Sea in these three years." Zhang Haobo said quickly, afraid that Li Fan would not believe him.

I don't know what this means. Li Fan remained silent.

"Wind disaster has never stopped since I was born. Sometimes there are more than ten times a year, sometimes there are two or three times. It has been like this for decades."

"But now there hasn't been a wind disaster for three years. Some people on the island are applauding and saying that this is the blessing of the immortal master. But I and my brothers don't think so."

"This is too abnormal. There must be something big happening." Zhang Haobo said firmly.

"Maybe it just means that the weather will be a bit hot in the future." Li Fan thought for a while and comforted him. "There is an island protection formation on the island, and there is also He Immortal Master sitting here. Even if something happens, I think we can cope with it."

"What Senior Li said makes sense too. Some of the brothers on the ship also think so. But I just feel uneasy and can't let go of my worries." Zhang Haobo smiled bitterly.

"So I decided to leave and leave Congyun Sea." Zhang Haobo's eyes gradually became firm.

Li Fan saw this and could only say: "Leaving your hometown is not easy. You have to think twice about it."

Zhang Haobo nodded.

Li Fan stopped talking, and after bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he wandered around the market for half a day before returning home.

He thought about it carefully, and this Zhang Haobo was not worrying for nothing.

Various signs did indicate that there should be something unusual happening in Congyun Sea.

Perhaps a huge wind disaster was secretly accumulating strength;

Or maybe a severe drought was looming.

But, none of this was a big deal.

Zhang Haobo was just an ordinary person after all. When a great disaster came, he had no power to protect himself and could only resign himself to fate.

It was normal to be worried and afraid.

But Li Fan had already stepped into the threshold of cultivators with one foot. As long as he could break through to the Qi Refining stage, he could go to Wanxian Island.

There were many cultivators there, and naturally there was no need to worry about these disasters.

Even if there was a disaster that cultivators could not cope with, worrying would be useless.

So, what Li Fan needed to do now was still to practice the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method with peace of mind.

By the way, at Wanbao Tower, he could inform Yin Yuzhen and let her prepare early.

...

This episode soon passed, and Li Fan continued to cultivate diligently.

Time passed by.

Another year passed.

Zhang Haobo finally chose to leave Congyun Sea with some of his brothers on Cangyuan Ship half a year ago. This matter caused a wave on the island, and people began to worry.

But nothing happened in the next six months, and there was no sign of any disaster. So people took it as a joke.

Yin Yuzhen finally accumulated enough strength and returned to Yelan Island with high spirits. After some twists and turns, she regained the position of the chief manager of Tianbao Tower's headquarters.

Yelan Island was initially settled, but there were still many chores to deal with. In order to prevent villains from repeating their tricks, Yin Yuzhen had to stay on Yelan Island for the next few years and couldn't come back. She only sent someone to report the good news to Li Fan.

He Zhenghao didn't send anyone to visit anymore. In He Zhenghao's view, Li Fan had used nearly four years to draw qi into his body, which showed that his potential was exhausted and he was no longer worth his attention.

Xiao Heng occasionally sent letters to ask about Li Fan's situation.

It is said that Xiao Heng progressed rapidly and now had the cultivation level of the middle stage of Qi Refining.

...

Li Fan watched the worldly affairs like a passerby.

He just patiently cultivated.

On this day, Li Fan felt a movement in his heart.

He had accumulated enough fuel for the five spirits, and Root of Heaven and Earth was finally about to take shape!

A phantom appeared in Li Fan's dantian. In an instant, Li Fan felt a faint but extremely close connection between himself and heaven and earth.

Like a waterwheel drawing water from the river and irrigating the dry fields.

Bits of spiritual qi from heaven and earth flowed into Li Fan's dantian along Root of Heaven and Earth, and soon spread throughout his body.

In the seventh year that Li Fan entered the cultivation world, he finally entered the Qi Refining stage.

(End of chapter))

(Chapter 45: Teleporting to Wanxian Island

As soon as he entered the Qi Refining stage, Li Fan felt the earth-shaking changes in himself.

The spiritual qi in his body surged and circulated, silently improving Li Fan's slightly aged body.

The fine wrinkles on his face disappeared, and his skin became smooth again.

The long-lost vitality emerged in Li Fan, as if he had returned to his youth, with endless energy.

Rejuvenated, his physique was greatly enhanced.

The most important thing was that Li Fan could finally manipulate the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

He controlled bits of spiritual qi and changed them into various shapes.

Unfortunately, he was now only manipulating the spiritual qi by instinct. To use it more efficiently, he definitely needed corresponding spells.

After exploring for a while, Li Fan dispersed the spiritual qi in his hand and focused on the [True Return] panel.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Early Stage of Qi Refining

Physiological Age: 47/199
Psychological Age: 510/2169↑

After breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, Li Fan's lifespan limit had reached the maximum of 199 years.

The Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method mentioned that although cultivators had a much longer lifespan than ordinary people, compared with the ancient times, they also suffered a great suppression.

Qi Refining cultivators had a lifespan of no more than two hundred years.

And Foundation Establishment cultivators could only live for another hundred years or so before they reached their limit.

Only by achieving Golden Core and glimpsing the laws of heaven and earth would their lifespan increase dramatically, reaching about five or six hundred years.

In contrast to physiological age, there was psychological age.

There was almost no increase.

After all, he had already increased it greatly by practicing the Xuanhuang Lianxin Mantra before, and Li Fan was not surprised.

Next, Li Fan took out the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter from Taiyan Boat.

He had obtained this Nascent Soul realm technique from Kou Hong a long time ago, but he had no divine sense and could not read it.

But he always remembered it in his heart.

Now that he had finally entered the Qi Refining stage, Li Fan couldn't wait to know its contents.

"Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter, Nascent Soul realm technique, current number of practitioners: 0."

He picked up the jade slip, and the explanation of the technique naturally appeared in his mind.

Li Fan knew that this was also a change that occurred after the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, when immortal techniques could not be practiced together.

He sensed the jade slip with his divine sense, and in an instant, countless words and images flooded into Li Fan's mind.

It was his first time reading a jade slip, and Li Fan was still a bit unaccustomed to it.

He felt that his brain was stuffed with a lot of things, and his temples were slightly swollen.

Fortunately, his divine sense was much stronger than that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, and he soon adapted and returned to normal.

He calmed his mind and carefully checked the technique.

After a long time, Li Fan finally had a general understanding of it.

Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter was the technique practiced by the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect.

In ancient times, they pursued harmony between man and nature.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect believed that everything in heaven and earth had their own thoughts like humans.

It was hard to detect by ordinary means.

But just as people would have killing intent when they wanted to kill someone, everything in heaven and earth would also emit some aura from time to time.

When heaven had killing intent, there would be changes such as everything withering and stars shifting positions.

When earth had killing intent, there would be changes such as seas turning into mulberry fields and dragons rising from the land.

By capturing and refining various auras from heaven and earth, one could trace back to the source and reach a state of resonance and unity with them.

Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter was such a technique that sensed and refined aura for one's own use.

When the technique was completed, one could not only use the killing intent of heaven and earth to harm people, but also deduce and predict the future through aura.

This technique was very powerful. But it was also very dangerous to practice it.

The will of heaven and earth was so vast that even a trace of aura that was triggered was hundreds or thousands of times stronger than that of cultivators.

If one rashly contacted it, one would easily be hurt by the aura itself.

Or even be unknowingly assimilated and become a puppet of the will of heaven and earth.

So when practicing this technique in ancient times, the Heavenly Mechanism Sect did not choose to refine and sense the aura of heaven and earth, but instead took a second best option and practiced various alternative methods.

They cultivated their own killing intent, took the vitality of everything in spring, sensed the aura from some spiritual objects of heaven and earth...

They gathered thousands of auras and concealed themselves, thus achieving the purpose of confusing the heavenly mechanism and sensing the will of heaven and earth.

In theory, this method could reach the highest realm and merge with heaven and earth, becoming a dao.

Unfortunately, it was only in theory.

In reality, even with the shortcut method, Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter was extremely difficult to practice.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect had a heritage of ten thousand years, and there were tens of thousands of cultivators who practiced Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter.

But the highest one only reached the Nascent Soul realm.

That was the case back then, let alone the cultivation world today where the malice of heaven and earth was everywhere.

But Li Fan had [True Return] to help him, so he didn't have to worry too much about the risks of practicing this technique.

Li Fan pondered for a moment. He didn't need to decide on his main technique right away.

He could go to Wanxian Island first and see what the current situation of the cultivation world was like before making plans.

So, Li Fan came to the central formation on Liuli Island and wanted to see He Zhenghao.

He had just arrived outside the formation when he found that several servants had been waiting for a long time.

Under the guidance of the servants, Li Fan met He Zhenghao again.

The place where he was now was no longer the towering mountain peak before, but an ordinary small mountain.

It was inconspicuous among the surrounding mountains.

He Zhenghao was sitting upright in a small pavilion on the top of the mountain.

"I just sensed that there was some change in the spiritual qi on the island, and I knew it must be you who broke through."

He Zhenghao looked at Li Fan with a look of gratification. "Although it took a bit long, you finally broke through."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Li Fan said politely.

"It's just a trivial matter." Feeling the slight increase in his cultivation level, He Zhenghao smiled and said.

"Are you looking for me because you want to go to Wanxian Island?"

"Yes. I have no worldly affairs to worry about. I can leave at any time." Li Fan nodded.

"Good. In that case, come with me."

He Zhenghao flashed in front of Li Fan and grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't struggle."

He Zhenghao's voice came from his ear. Li Fan dispersed his self-protective spiritual qi as he heard it.

He was taken by He Zhenghao and flew into the sky.

The speed was very fast. In a blink of an eye, he passed through the clouds and came to the top of the mountains.

"Draw!"

He Zhenghao made a gesture with one hand and pointed at the continuous mountains below.

After a while, countless mountain peaks in his sight shot out white lights, converging in front of He Zhenghao, forming a huge ball of light.

"Open!"

He Zhenghao raised his hand upwards.

The ball of light suddenly accelerated, following He Zhenghao's direction, straight up.

It instantly formed a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth.

It hit the sun above in the sky.

The surface of the sun twisted, then split into two halves.

A portal formed in the middle.

"Let's go!"

(End of chapter))

(Chapter 46: The Heavenly Mysterious Mirror of the Spirit Treasure

"Buzz..."

The rumbling sound kept echoing in his ears, and the scene in front of him was constantly spinning, making it unclear.

It took a long time for Li Fan to recover from this anomaly.

"It's like this for the first time you sit on the teleportation array. You'll get used to it." He Zhenghao casually explained.

Li Fan nodded silently, observing the surroundings.

He seemed to be in a large square.

At the front of the square, there stood a huge statue.

It was an old man with a long beard and a high crown on his head.

Below the statue, in the square, there were also thousands of stone statues of various shapes and sizes.

Without exception, all the stone statues looked up at the old man with long beard.

And the teleportation array that Li Fan came out of was in front of one of the stone statues.

"This is the Transmission Square. It was built to commemorate the Immortal Sovereign's transmission of the Dao. Every station of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has such a square." He Zhenghao introduced.

Thinking of the scene in the Five Spirits Sensing Qi Method where the Immortal Sovereign manifested his Dao and transmitted it to all living beings, Li Fan stared at the old man's statue for a long time and nodded silently.

"Flying is not forbidden on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, but remember that the height must not exceed that of the Immortal Sovereign. Otherwise, you will be attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Great Array. Even if you are in the Nascent Soul Realm, you will die in an instant." He Zhenghao said solemnly.

Li Fan's heart shuddered and he remembered it immediately.

"Although flying is not forbidden on the island, I advise you not to fly around if you have nothing to do. The cultivators of the entire Cloudy Sea are gathered here, and there are many strong people in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realm among them. If you fly over their heads and annoy them, they might remember you."

"And then follow you out of Ten Thousand Immortals Island and kill you casually. You won't have a place to reason with them."

He Zhenghao led Li Fan, walking and whispering about what he needed to pay attention to on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

As it concerned life and death, Li Fan also remembered them one by one.

After a while, the two passed through a corridor naturally formed by vines and came to a quiet forest full of greenery.

On the clearing in the forest, there was a huge ancient mirror.

From time to time, cultivators hurried past the mirror surface, not knowing where they were going.

There were also cultivators coming out of the mirror and leaving directly.

"This mirror is our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Heavenly Mysterious Mirror."

"It is said that before the Immortal Sovereign transmitted his Dao, this Heavenly Mysterious Mirror was just an ordinary mirror. Later, when the Immortal Sovereign bestowed his Dao, this mirror reflected his Dao image and actually gave birth to its own trace of will. Later, it also learned to cultivate like cultivators, evolving from an ordinary object into today's Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasure."

"Most of the things we cultivators do in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are handled by this Heavenly Mysterious Realm. It is said that this guy is very vengeful. You have to be careful not to talk nonsense." He Zhenghao warned Li Fan softly.

Then he pulled Li Fan into the mirror.

What he saw was a separate space with no other cultivators in sight.

It was as if he was in a void, surrounded by nothingness and darkness.

"This person is a newly promoted cultivator who came to Ten Thousand Immortals Island to join our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance." He Zhenghao pointed at Li Fan and said.

"Introducing a Qi Refining Early Stage cultivator will earn you a medium-level merit. It can be converted into 50 contribution points. Your current total contribution points: 920." A voice sounded in the space.

He Zhenghao looked normal.

Li Fan thoughtfully.

He Zhenghao received contribution points and looked happy.

"Since you have arrived here, I can rest assured. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Heavenly Mysterious Realm. Generally speaking, he will tell you in detail. I still have island guarding duties on me, so I won't accompany you much."

After that, He Zhenghao left hurriedly.

Leaving Li Fan alone in this Heavenly Mysterious Realm.

A light flashed in the darkness around him, then went out again.

"Divine sense fluctuations recorded."

"Independent space generated."

"Cultivator, please state your name." A somewhat strange voice sounded.

"Li Fan." Li Fan answered.

"Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to join Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. As a benefit, you will be given 20 contribution points for free. You can use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, magic treasures, etc."

"You can get contribution points by handing in materials, completing tasks, trading with others, etc."

"Similarly, if you encounter problems that you can't solve by yourself, you can also spend contribution points to issue rewards."

"Your current total contribution points: 20."

"As a new cultivator who joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, you can live in the Heavenly Mysterious Mirror for free for thirty days. After thirty days, you need to pay contribution points to continue living."

"The living fee is: 10 contribution points every thirty days."

"Of course, you can also choose to spend contribution points to buy your own cave on Ten Thousand Immortals Island."

...

The Heavenly Mysterious Mirror tirelessly told Li Fan about the common sense of life in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

"What if I can't get along in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance? Can I choose to leave and join the Five Elders Association?" Li Fan listened for a long time and suddenly asked.

As if his neck was pinched, the Heavenly Mysterious Mirror stopped abruptly.

After a silence, the Heavenly Mysterious Mirror continued: "Those who have joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cannot join the Five Elders Association. And vice versa."

"If violated, they will be hunted down by both sides."

This time it was Li Fan's turn to be silent.

"I don't seem to have agreed to join your Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance yet?"

"Once you enter the Heavenly Mysterious Mirror and have your divine sense recorded, you are deemed to have voluntarily joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

"Can I leave Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and not join the Five Elders Association afterwards and choose to be a loose cultivator?" Li Fan asked again.

The Heavenly Mysterious Mirror fell silent again.

After a while, he replied.

"You can. But if you choose to leave, everything you have obtained in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will be forcibly recovered. Please make your choice carefully."

"Can gold and silver be used to exchange for contribution points?"

"Yes, the specific exchange rules can be seen in the exchange list."

...

Li Fan asked the Heavenly Mysterious Mirror tirelessly.

After a long time, he finally stopped.

"I don't have any questions for now."

"Okay, cultivator. If you have any new questions, you can call me at any time. You can also check by yourself through divine sense."

The space became quiet again.

And as Li Fan manipulated his divine sense, this space changed from a pitch-black void into an ancient room.

The interior decoration was no different from what Li Fan had in the Great Xuan Grand Master's Mansion.

Li Fan touched the decorations and items in the room with his hand. They were almost exactly the same as the real ones, and he couldn't tell the difference at all.

"Heavenly Mysterious Mirror, it's really an amazing treasure." Li Fan said silently in his heart.

Through the previous questions and answers, he also had a general understanding of this Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

He opened the cultivation method exchange menu with his divine sense and saw that the simplest Qi Refining Period cultivation method required a thousand contribution points.

He clicked on the task bar again and filtered out the tasks that Qi Refining Early Stage could take. What he saw was that the task rewards were all five or ten points.

"It's really hard to cultivate but easy to die." Li Fan felt a strange emotion slowly rising in his heart.

"You have a new video message. Please check it in time." Just then, the voice of Heavenly Mysterious Realm suddenly sounded again.

(End of Chapter))

(Chapter 47: Heavenly Mysterious Realm Can Enlighten

Li Fan was a little surprised. He had just arrived on Ten Thousand Immortals Island not long ago. How come someone sent him a video message?

After opening it, a somewhat familiar figure appeared.

It turned out to be Xiao Heng.

He looked completely different from four or five years ago.

He wore a white robe, with long hair fluttering, and had a faint sense of transcendence.

"Brother Li, you're finally here." Xiao Heng smiled and said.

"Back then on Luli Island, I owed you a lot of favors. I have always been unable to repay you. When I broke through to the Qi Refining Period that day, I left without saying goodbye, and felt even more guilty in my heart."

"After coming to this Ten Thousand Immortals Island, I only learned that nowadays in the cultivation world, cultivation methods are hard to come by. Especially for newcomers who just joined Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, they often need one or two years of time to accumulate contribution points before they can exchange for Qi Refining Period cultivation methods."

"That was the case for me back then. Fortunately, as my strength improved, the ways to get contribution points also increased, and the situation gradually improved."

"Since I started cultivating, I have had many adventures. A year ago, I just broke through to the Qi Refining Late Stage, and now I have encountered a bottleneck again. I want to go to the center of Cloudy Sea, the ruins of Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, to look for heaven and earth wonders and achieve my Dao Foundation. Wonders are hard to find. I may have to leave for several years before I can come back."

"Before leaving, I left you a water attribute cultivation method. Ten Thousand Immortals Island is located in Cloudy Sea, where water qi is the most abundant. Water attribute cultivation methods are the easiest to practice and have very good power. Brother Li, you must remember to practice well and not rashly leave the island until you break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage."

"When I come back, I will definitely have a good drink with you!"

...

Xiao Heng's figure gradually disappeared, leaving behind a jade slip.

"Small Profound Water Technique, Qi Refining Period cultivation method, current number of practitioners: 0."

Li Fan checked it out. The Small Profound Water Technique that Xiao Heng gave him only had the part up to the Qi Refining Middle Stage and was not complete.

Even so, it would cost 800 contribution points to exchange it at Heavenly Mysterious Mirror.

"This kid..." Li Fan felt a warmth in his heart.

Speaking of which, Li Fan didn't have any great favors for Xiao Heng.

He just buried Su Changyu back then and helped him buy a slightly better place to live on Luli Island.

And he also provided Li Fan with the correct information about Star Sea Quicksand.

But Xiao Heng always remembered this small favor in his heart. Even though his cultivation realm had far surpassed Li Fan now, he didn't forget it.

It seems that Xiao Heng's character is really good.

Of course, this might also have something to do with Xiao Heng thinking that they were both from the Outland Realm.

Anyway, Li Fan remembered this.

He was not someone who would repay kindness with enmity.

Along with the Small Profound Water Technique, there was another small jade slip.

It was the Primordial True Scripture that Kou Hong had mentioned a long time ago.

By practicing this technique, one could disperse one's cultivation without much loss of cultivation base. It was something that every cultivator in today's cultivation world had to learn.

With the Small Profound Water Technique and the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Wheel Golden Seal in hand, supplemented by the Primordial True Scripture.

Li Fan quickly made a decision.

On the surface, he practiced the Small Profound Water Technique to hide his true intentions. In secret, he practiced the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Wheel Golden Seal.

Of course, it would be better to find an excuse to leave Ten Thousand Immortals Island and then practice the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Wheel Golden Seal. Although Heavenly Mysterious Realm might not pay attention to Li Fan, this small Qi Refining Period cultivator, it was always better to be careful and cautious.

Li Fan was new to the cultivation world and knew nothing about many things.

He also needed to catch up on a lot of things.

Fortunately, these free books in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror were free to access.

Li Fan spent several days in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror, reading these books eagerly.

"Cloudy Sea Atlas", which detailed the geography, specialties and history of various islands in Cloudy Sea.

"Preliminary Discussion on Cultivation", which explained some issues that need to be paid attention to before officially practicing cultivation methods after entering the Qi Refining Period. For example, the basic application of divine sense, the manipulation of spiritual qi, etc.

"Law, Wealth, Companion and Land", which introduced the four essential elements for cultivation. Cultivation methods, wealth, Dao companions and cave dwellings. Among them, it emphasized the scarcity and importance of cultivation methods in today's cultivation world. It especially warned young cultivators not to reveal their cultivation methods to others casually, otherwise there would be unimaginable troubles.

"Secret History of Ancient Cultivation", which told the story of an outer disciple of the Ancient Great Dao Sect in the first person perspective, how he went through various trials and became an inner disciple, a true disciple, a Dao son, and finally the head of the Great Dao Sect.

"Heavenly Mysterious Mirror Shopping Guide", which listed the first few things that cultivators should prioritize to exchange in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror. Such as storage rings, body protection clothes, etc.

...

Li Fan spent seven or eight days reading all these free books.

Next, what made Li Fan covet were things like "Introduction to Formation", "Initial Explanation of Pill Dao", "Basics of Refining", "Illustrated Handbook of Treasures in the Cultivation World", etc., which required a lot of contribution points to exchange.

Li Fan was new here and had little money. He could only wait until later.

Taking advantage of the free living time in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror, Li Fan practiced the Small Profound Water Technique.

He already knew the benefits of practicing in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror.

By spending contribution points, one can activate Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's auxiliary cultivation mode.

In this mode, the spiritual qi concentration in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror will increase by several times compared to the outside world, almost comparable to the top cave heavens. And it can be converted into the corresponding attribute spiritual qi that cultivators need, endless, allowing cultivators to practice freely without worrying about running out of spiritual qi.

And Heavenly Mysterious Mirror will also give cultivators who practice inside it an "Enlightenment" state. In this state, one's comprehension will be greatly increased. Practicing cultivation methods will also become easier.

He spent 10 contribution points and exchanged for a day of auxiliary cultivation.

With the influx of a large amount of spiritual qi, Li Fan practiced according to the Small Profound Water Technique.

Soon, he felt Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's enhancement to his cultivation speed.

Spiritual qi seemed to be compressed and accelerated, spontaneously converging towards Li Fan's body.

The obscure and profound sentences in Small Profound Water Technique were easy to understand and learn.

Spiritual qi circulated according to the route of the cultivation method for the first time, but it seemed as if it had been running for thousands of times, smooth and unimpeded.

This kind of "super cultivation state" almost made Li Fan have the illusion that he was a genius.

Cultivation became a kind of enjoyment.

Li Fan immersed himself in it and couldn't extricate himself.

A day passed quickly.

As soon as time was up, Li Fan suddenly withdrew from that smooth cultivation state.

When he ran his cultivation again, he felt the difference deeply.

The cultivation speed in auxiliary cultivation mode was more than thirty times that of Li Fan's self-cultivation!

This deep gap made Li Fan almost unable to resist exchanging for another day.

But looking at his remaining 10 contribution points, Li Fan still forcibly held back.

"This treasure should belong to me."

Li Fan felt a surge of greed in his heart.

(End of Chapter))

(Chapter 48: The Vanishing Luli Pearls

Unfortunately, Li Fan could only think about it for now.

Heavenly Mysterious Mirror was the supreme treasure of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the foundation of its existence.

It was not something that Li Fan, a small Qi Refining Period cultivator, could covet.

It was more realistic to take on tasks and earn contribution points.

Suppressing his greed, Li Fan opened the contribution point task list.

He filtered out the tasks that were suitable for the Qi Refining Early Stage and had no danger.

At a glance, they were all chores and errands, and the rewards were mostly only one or two contribution points.

And they often disappeared in a short time, apparently not only Li Fan was watching them.

After removing the condition of low danger, many more tasks appeared.

These tasks often required going to various islands in Cloudy Sea and doing something. But because the objects of the tasks were all mortals, there was no need for fighting, and the danger was not too high.

The rewards for these tasks were around five or ten points.

And using Ten Thousand Immortals Island's teleportation array also required contribution points, one point per time.

After deducting the two points required for round-trip teleportation, there was not much left of the reward for a task.

It was not easy to earn enough contribution points to stay in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror and practice from time to time.

Although as one's strength improved, earning contribution points would become easier, but the higher the cultivation level, the more contribution points required to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.

In this way, one still had to run around for contribution points.

Plus, exchanging cultivation methods also required a lot of contribution points...

Li Fan suddenly understood why Heavenly Mysterious Mirror would open this auxiliary cultivation function.

Anyone who had experienced that super cultivation mode would find it hard to refuse to try again.

And in addition, under the premise of spending the same amount of time, saving contribution points and then activating auxiliary cultivation was faster than cultivating by oneself in terms of overall cultivation progress.

Cultivation methods, resources, auxiliary cultivation...

This Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance really had a tight grip on cultivators.

Li Fan thought to himself while looking for suitable tasks.

Earning contribution points was secondary. Li Fan's main purpose was to find an opportunity to go out and take out the Taiyan Boat hidden in [True Return].

There were still a lot of gold and silver jewels in Taiyan Boat, and there was also a heaven and earth wonder: The Stepping Stone Fragment.

It should be able to exchange for a lot of contribution points.

As for why he didn't just take it out on Ten Thousand Immortals Island...

He wasn't stupid. Doing so would be telling others that he had a strange treasure on him.

Li Fan believed that every inch of land on Ten Thousand Immortals Island was under Heavenly Mysterious Realm's surveillance.

If he attracted their attention, it would be troublesome.

Although [True Return] could turn reality into illusion, it also required his own conscious manipulation.

What if someone with great power made a move and fixed his divine sense so that he couldn't think?

Wouldn't he be powerless and at their mercy?

Even if there was such a slight possibility, Li Fan wouldn't take the risk.

Moreover, judging from the power displayed by Heavenly Mysterious Mirror, there must be such level of powerful beings in today's cultivation world.

Anyway, being careful and cautious was Li Fan's first rule of conduct.

...

At this moment, Li Fan suddenly saw a few familiar words among a bunch of tasks.

"Luli Island."

He was overjoyed and quickly accepted the task first.

Then he carefully checked the content of the task.

It turned out that within Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, Luli Island's specialty Luli Pearls had run out.

And according to the regulations, the next delivery had to wait until half a year later.

Pill refining was in urgent need, so Pill Room issued a commission to recruit people to go to Luli Island and get at least twenty Luli Pearls.

The reward was determined by the quality and quantity of Luli Pearls.

Li Fan had heard about these Luli Pearls since he came to Luli Island. They occasionally appeared in Luli Fishes' bodies.

He just didn't know what kind of pills they were used to refine.

But this task was perfect for him.

After spending 5 contribution points to buy a smallest storage ring as a cover, Li Fan didn't delay and left Heavenly Mysterious Mirror and headed straight for Teleportation Square.

Following the original route back, Li Fan came to the statue he had seen before.

He now knew that each of the ten thousand statues on Teleportation Square corresponded to an island in Cloudy Sea.

The teleportation array was connected to the island protection array of each island.

And the statue in front of him that symbolized Luli Island was a jumping Luli Fish.

After deducting one point of contribution, Li Fan activated the teleportation array.

This time the dizziness was much weaker. Soon, Li Fan recovered.

"Which Dao friend is this..." He Zhenghao's voice came faintly.

"Huh? Why is it you?" Seeing the visitor, He Zhenghao was a bit puzzled.

Li Fan then told him about the task he had accepted and the reason for coming to get Luli Pearls.

"Luli Pearls, huh. I'll have someone take you to get them." He Zhenghao didn't care much and nodded. "You're quite adaptable, huh. You're so eager to do tasks as soon as you come out."

"Hey, I have no choice." Li Fan pretended to be a bit helpless.

He Zhenghao immediately had a look of understanding.

Following the servant to Luli Mansion, Li Fan saw the steward in charge of finances.

The steward bowed respectfully to the ground and didn't know if he recognized Li Fan.

After all, Li Fan had been in charge of a fleet on Luli Island before and had met the steward several times.

But even if he did recognize him, he probably would pretend not to.

Anyway, in their eyes, immortals were high above and not to be offended.

After receiving the order, the steward quickly took out all the Luli Pearls stored on the island.

"Reporting to immortal, there are only twenty-three Luli Pearls left on the island. This is also all we can collect on Luli Island recently. If immortal still needs more, I'm afraid it will take another year or so." The steward said with some fear.

"Oh? What happened?" Li Fan asked.

"I dare not deceive immortal. According to the feedback from the fishing fleets on the island, it seems that because of overfishing, they have encountered fewer and fewer Luli Fishes. I'm afraid they have to wait for them to recover naturally for a while before they can fish again." The steward said.

Li Fan nodded.

He suddenly remembered what Zhang Haobo had said to him.

"I know about this." Li Fan put the Luli Pearls into his storage ring and didn't return immediately, but went to Tingyou Tower first.

Entering his home, Li Fan waited for a while, released his divine sense, and made sure that He Zhenghao wasn't secretly spying on him. Then he took out Taiyan Boat.

Then he quickly completed the transfer of gold and silver and The Stepping Stone Fragment in Taiyan Boat.

After doing all this, Li Fan came back to the protection array.

He was about to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Island directly, but he heard a voice behind him.

"Young friend, please wait!"

Li Fan's hair stood on end and turned around immediately, looking at He Zhenghao with a wary look.

(End of Chapter))

(Chapter 49: Rare Goods Can Be Expensive

He Zhenghao didn't know why Li Fan had such a reaction.

He didn't know why Li Fan was so nervous.

Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn't think too much and smiled at Li Fan, saying, "Don't be nervous. I just want to ask, do you have any interest in guarding this island?"

"Of course, not this Luli Island, but Tai'an Island to the west of Luli Island."

"The island guard of Tai'an Island has a good relationship with me. He is now facing a bottleneck in his cultivation and wants to go out to look for opportunities."

"But he has a duty and can't leave easily. So he asked me if I have any suitable people to recommend."

"It's such a coincidence that I met you."

He Zhenghao explained.

"To guard an island, one needs at least Foundation Establishment Period cultivation level, right? I'm just at the early stage of Qi Refining Period. Can I also be an island guard?" Li Fan was a bit surprised.

The islands in Cloudy Sea, as long as they had some valuable specialties, would have cultivators guarding them.

The island guards would stay on the island for at least ten years or up to a hundred years.

Because they had to stay on the island all the time and couldn't leave easily, there were many restrictions, so the rewards were quite generous.

According to the size of the island, one could get hundreds to thousands of contribution points per year.

Therefore, the job of guarding an island was really a hot cake. Without some connections, one couldn't do it at all.

And the guarding positions of those rich islands were even more so. They were often reserved long before the previous one left.

"Of course it's not an official guarding position. It's just that my friend issued a commission specifically for you. You just need to temporarily replace him as the island guard. Besides, Tai'an Island is not a big island. With the island protection array in place, a Qi Refining Period cultivator can take care of it for a while. You don't have to worry."

"And as the introducer, I will naturally get a part of the reward." He Zhenghao enthusiastically explained to Li Fan.

"How long can I leave during the proxy guarding period?" Li Fan asked again.

"The island protection array usually runs once every five days. If you have something to go out, it's best to return within five days. You shouldn't leave more than three times in a year."

Thinking that Li Fan was afraid of delaying his cultivation, He Zhenghao added, "After receiving the contribution points every year, you can go to Heavenly Mysterious Mirror and exchange for five days of auxiliary cultivation time. These five days are often equivalent to half a year of hard work."

Li Fan knew it was a good thing and agreed right away.

"But I still have to wait until I go back to Ten Thousand Immortals Island and finish my task first."

"That's natural. You go ahead. I'll come to the island to find you in a few days when everything is ready on Tai'an Island."

Then Li Fan bid farewell to He Zhenghao and returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

He didn't need to go to Pill Room. He just had to deliver the Luli Pearls in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror.

After a while, Pill Room received twenty-three Luli Pearls.

Because this batch of Luli Pearls had good and bad quality, Li Fan finally got 21 contribution points as reward.

Current total contribution points: 26 points.

"Too little. It's only enough for two days of cultivation." Li Fan shook his head.

He took out gold and silver and The Stepping Stone Fragment from his storage ring and asked for contribution points exchange.

After a moment, Heavenly Mysterious Mirror gave the result.

"A batch of gold and silver: can be converted into 235 contribution points."

"Heaven and earth wonder: The Stepping Stone Fragment. Quality: flawed. Can be converted into 1968 contribution points."

Li Fan opened Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's exchange menu and searched for heaven and earth wonders.

He found that intact heaven and earth wonders required at least 4000 points.
Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's recycling price was directly halved.

Too black!

Although it had some flaws, it shouldn't have reduced the price by half.

Li Fan's face twitched, but he thought about it and chose to exchange them anyway.

Heavenly Mysterious Mirror didn't provide anonymous trading function. If he wanted to trade with other cultivators, he had to reveal his true identity.

But he was just a Qi Refining Period cultivator who had just stepped into it. If he rashly took out this Foundation Establishment wonder, he would surely attract a lot of attention.

It might bring some unnecessary trouble.

But if he chose to trade directly with Heavenly Mysterious Mirror, he wouldn't have to worry so much.

Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was so big. There were countless cultivators who had adventures.

A Qi Refining Period cultivator with a Foundation Establishment wonder might be very rare in this Cloudy Sea, but in the whole cultivation world, it was not a big deal.

"Confirm exchange"

Gold and silver and The Stepping Stone Fragment slowly disappeared, and Li Fan's contribution points also reached 2229 points.

He became rich overnight. Li Fan didn't choose to spend lavishly, but first asked Heavenly Mysterious Mirror about his concern.

"Will there be any disasters in Cloudy Sea area in the near future?"

Li Fan told Heavenly Mysterious Mirror all the abnormal things that Zhang Haobo had told him.

Heavenly Mysterious Mirror fell silent.

After a long time, it replied.

"Please don't worry, cultivator. These are all normal changes of heaven and earth. According to the calculation, there will be no major disasters in the next ten years."

Since Heavenly Mysterious Mirror said so, Li Fan also let go of his worries.

Then he thought for a while and searched for information about Luli Pill.

Luli Pill, an auxiliary pill, suitable for Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment Period.

After taking it, one's mind would be like Luli, clear and transparent.

It could achieve a similar effect as "Enlightenment", increasing the comprehension and cultivation speed of cultivation methods.

And the effect could be stacked with Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's auxiliary cultivation.

Because most of the cultivators in Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were running around all year round, saving contribution points, and cultivation time was precious.

So Luli Pill, which could improve cultivation efficiency, became even more precious.

Luli Pill was very popular among Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators. The price of one pill fluctuated between five and six contribution points.

Li Fan looked at it and found that the current price was 6 points per pill.

"Luli Fishes almost disappeared for some unknown reason. The price of Luli Pill must rise sharply." Li Fan thought and spent 2100 contribution points to buy 350 Luli Pills from Heavenly Mysterious Mirror at once.

Then he told Heavenly Mysterious Mirror about the disappearance of Luli Fishes on Luli Island.

Heavenly Mysterious Mirror was silent for a while, only emitting faint fluctuations.

After a while, Li Fan received 1 contribution point as reward.

This was Heavenly Mysterious Mirror confirming the authenticity of the news.

That's right. Providing news to Heavenly Mysterious Mirror could also earn contribution points.

The higher the value of the news, the more rewards one would get.

According to common sense, Li Fan's news was worth more than 1 contribution point.

Maybe it was because Li Fan's hoarding behavior was a bit bad in Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's view, so it only gave him 1 point as reward.

Li Fan didn't care.

He had achieved his purpose with this operation.

First, he proved that Heavenly Mysterious Mirror didn't know what happened after he left Ten Thousand Immortals Island. That is, as long as he left Ten Thousand Immortals Island, he didn't have to worry about Heavenly Mysterious Mirror's spying.

Second, he proved that Heavenly Mysterious Mirror indeed had its own will. This could be seen from its giving him only 1 point of contribution to disgust him.

Third, of course, it was to take this opportunity to make a good profit.

The market reaction was quite fast.

The price of Luli Pill soared in a short time, from 6 points per pill to 9 points per pill.

(End of Chapter))

Chapter 50: Spirit Fruits of Tai'an

The prices of the items sold in the Heavenly Mystery Mirror were not fixed.

They were regulated by the Heavenly Mystery Mirror, and positively correlated with the number of buyers.

For example, at this moment, the news that the Luminous Pearls were out of stock and that the Luminous Pills could not be refined for a while had spread, and immediately caused some people to buy them in large quantities.

Some of them really needed the Luminous Pills to speed up their cultivation, but more of them were like Li Fan, who wanted to hoard them and make a fortune.

As a result, the price of the Luminous Pills rose from 6 points to 9 points in a short time.

And this sudden change in price also attracted the attention of those who were still unaware.

After asking around, they learned about the imminent extinction of the Luminous Pearls.

So they hurriedly joined the buying frenzy.

The price of the Luminous Pills also rose again.

It reached an astonishing 12 points per pill for a brief period.

Li Fan saw that it was almost time, and decided to sell all the Luminous Pills in his hands.

He naturally sold them directly to the Heavenly Mystery Mirror.

Because there were many buyers, the Heavenly Mystery Mirror's purchase price was not like before when it bought the Zhibu Remnant Tablet, almost halved.

Instead, it was at a "high price" of 10 points per pill.

Li Fan was not greedy, and readily sold all 350 Luminous Pills he had.

3500 points of contribution entered his account, plus the remaining 129 points from before, Li Fan's total contribution at this time had reached 3629 points!

After Li Fan sold them, the market's frenzy gradually cooled down.

12 points per pill obviously exceeded the value of the Luminous Pills themselves.

After all, the effect of the Luminous Pills was not irreplaceable. There were many other pills with similar functions. And the reason why the Luminous Pills were so popular was because they were cheap.

The price spike of the Luminous Pills was only because people in the market were stimulated by the sudden news and temporarily lost their rationality.

When people calmed down, the price of the Luminous Pills also returned to a relatively reasonable and stable level.

8 points of contribution per pill.

At this time, Li Fan bought another 100 Luminous Pills for his own cultivation use.

He spent 800 points, leaving 2829 points of contribution.

Li Fan increased his contribution by 600 points through this operation, and also got 100 Luminous Pills for free!

600 points of contribution was equivalent to a year's income for an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator who only focused on doing tasks diligently.

Not to mention those 100 Luminous Pills that were as good as hard currency.

It was like killing people and setting fires with a golden belt, and repairing bridges and roads without corpses!

Li Fan sighed.

However, his sigh did not affect his spending speed as a beneficiary.

He bought books such as "Introduction to Formation Arts", "Preliminary Explanation of Pill Dao", "Basics of Refining Tools", "Treasure Catalogue of Cultivation World" and so on without caring whether they were useful or not.

He also bought things that cultivators often used, such as Body Protection Clothes, Concealment Talismans, Primary Composite Formations, Primary Pill Refining Sets and so on.

As his storage ring gradually filled up, his contribution also plummeted to 346 points.

Li Fan didn't feel sorry at all. After spending everything, he took a Luminous Pill and activated the auxiliary cultivation mode. He began to practice "Little Prolongation Water Technique".

Abundant water attribute spiritual energy surged out, and Li Fan once again experienced what it meant to have a genius cultivation speed.

The auxiliary cultivation mode of the Heavenly Mystery Mirror plus the effect of the Luminous Pill made Li Fan's cultivation progress almost as fast as a thousand miles a day.

In just two days, Li Fan broke through to the early stage of Qi Refining. Then, in another three days, he cultivated "Little Prolongation Water Technique" to perfection in the middle stage of Qi Refining.

There was no bottleneck. It was smooth sailing. He was exhilarated and unsatisfied!

Li Fan was deeply addicted to this kind of cultivation method. So when his cultivation automatically stopped because he lacked the technique for the late stage of Qi Refining in "Little Prolongation Water Technique", he felt very disappointed and empty.

Fortunately, the price of 600 points of contribution for "Little Prolongation Water Technique" late stage part made Li Fan calm down a bit.

Just as he was wondering whether to sell some Luminous Pills to exchange for the next technique, he received a visit request from He Zhenghao.

Li Fan thought for a moment, took out a Concealment Talisman from his storage ring and put it on himself, then let He Zhenghao in.

As soon as He Zhenghao saw Li Fan, he said excitedly, "I have already talked to the guardian of Tai'an Island. Next, I will take you to see him and accept the commission."

Then, He Zhenghao took out a spirit talisman and handed it to Li Fan, "Wear this on you. Remember, don't talk too much when you meet him. Just leave everything to me."

Li Fan took the spirit talisman and looked at it, and his face turned black.

If it weren't for the fact that Li Fan had just bought one exactly like it, he wouldn't have recognized what it was.

This spirit talisman was called "Praise Talisman", and its effect was opposite to that of the Concealment Talisman.

The Concealment Talisman was used to hide one's cultivation level, while the Praise Talisman was used to disguise oneself as a cultivator of a certain realm.

He Zhenghao gave this Praise Talisman to make Li Fan pretend to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Sure enough, what Qi Refining cultivator could guard an island by himself, it was all a lie to Li Fan.

He Zhenghao had long planned to let Li Fan disguise himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, accept the commission of guarding Tai'an Island, and earn the difference!

You should know that hiring a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Qi Refining cultivator would cost a lot of contribution points.

He Zhenghao didn't notice Li Fan's expression, and smiled as he introduced the guardian of Tai'an Island to Li Fan: Zhou Qingang.

Li Fan didn't want to expose He Zhenghao, so he could only force a smile and greet Zhou Qingang.

This person is not to be befriended! Li Fan glanced at He Zhenghao's smiling face with his peripheral vision, and secretly complained in his heart.

Zhou Qingang looked at Li Fan and was very satisfied.

He immediately issued a directed commission to He Zhenghao.

And after He Zhenghao accepted the commission, he turned his head and issued another commission to Li Fan.

"Replace Zhou Qingang as the guardian of Tai'an Island while he goes out to look for opportunities. Reward: 800 contribution points per year."

Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn't deduct too much. At this point, Li Fan could only accept this task.

Zhou Qingang handed over a jade token to He Zhenghao, and then left eagerly, looking for his breakthrough chance.

And He Zhenghao also breathed a sigh of relief, handed over the token to Li Fan, and said solemnly, "This is the Guardian Order of Tai'an Island. With this item, you can control the island protection formation. You must be careful and not lose it."

Li Fan took the token, and then the two of them went through the teleportation formation and arrived at Tai'an Island.

The island protection formation of Tai'an Island was not as majestic as that of Luminous Island, with thousands of peaks standing tall. It was just a city that looked prosperous.

What was different was that the residents in the city were all fruits with strange human faces.

These fruits were like real people, working, living, marrying, and having children in this city created by the formation.

They lived their whole lives.

"These are the special products of Tai'an Island, Tai'an Fruits." He Zhenghao walked with Li Fan in this city, pointing at the busy "crowd" and said.

"When these fruits' illusions die, it means that the Tai'an Fruits are ripe. Taking ripe Tai'an Fruits can increase the lifespan of Foundation Establishment cultivators and below by five years."

"Each person can only benefit from taking them once." He Zhenghao said regretfully.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 51: Human-faced Smiling Fruits

"The number of Tai'an Fruits that need to be handed in every year is thirty. The extra ones can be kept for yourself, as a benefit of being the guardian."

"On average, you can save two Tai'an Fruits per year. In the Heavenly Mystery Mirror, the price of Tai'an Fruits is usually between 90 and 100 points of contribution."

"So if you add it up, the reward for being the deputy guardian is not low at all." He Zhenghao introduced to Li Fan with a smile.

Li Fan nodded, although He Zhenghao had used some tricks, but this was true.

In Wanxian Island, a Qi Refining cultivator who could earn 1000 points of contribution per year was extremely rare.

He Zhenghao ate the meat and gave Li Fan some soup.

"Thank you very much, senior." Li Fan bowed his hands.

"You're welcome. You came from the island I guarded, and it's only right for me to help you. As long as you improve your cultivation in the future, you won't let me down..." He Zhenghao was saying, when he suddenly stopped.

He uttered a soft sound of surprise, and looked at Li Fan with a hint of astonishment: "You broke through to the middle stage of Qi Refining?"

Li Fan was shocked, he didn't expect that he could be seen through by the other party even after using a Concealment Talisman.

He nodded and admitted generously: "Yes. I have a close relationship with Xiao Heng. He left me a water attribute technique before he went out. This technique is very compatible with me, and I made rapid progress in cultivation. I just broke through a few days ago."

"Hehe, you are quite cautious. If it weren't for my special technique, I almost didn't notice it. Did you use a Concealment Talisman?"

Li Fan nodded.

"I can understand that. After all, it's better to be careful. In this cultivation world, there are many people with ulterior motives..." He Zhenghao was saying, when he suddenly realized that Li Fan was looking at him with a strange expression. He quickly laughed and changed the topic: "I didn't expect that you have such a good relationship with Xiao Heng. He even left you a technique specially."

"Xiao Heng is really a genius blessed by heaven. How many years has he been cultivating? He's almost at Foundation Establishment. His future is limitless!" He Zhenghao also had been paying attention to Xiao Heng, and felt very emotional and envious when he mentioned him.

"He might achieve Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul in the future. You are friends with him, and you are really lucky."

He Zhenghao said, his tone becoming more enthusiastic.

"It's also a fortunate thing to meet senior." Li Fan complimented casually.

He Zhenghao laughed heartily, very happy.

Just then, he stopped his steps and turned his head to look at a direction in the city: "It happens that there is a Tai'an Fruit ripe now. I will demonstrate for you how to pick this Tai'an Fruit."

Li Fan nodded and followed He Zhenghao to a house.

Before entering the yard, they heard some crying sounds.

They went in and found that there were more than a dozen human-faced fruits kneeling in the house, wearing mourning clothes and white garments.

In the middle of a coffin, there was a human-faced fruit lying as if asleep.

The fruit closed its eyes, tilted its mouth, showing a weird smile, and its body was motionless.

The human-faced fruits in the house didn't notice Li Fan and He Zhenghao's arrival, they were just grieving for their relatives' departure.

The scene in the house looked somewhat ridiculous and terrifying.

As they got closer, Li Fan smelled an odd fragrance coming from the coffin.

He Zhenghao came to the side of the coffin, muttered some words, and pointed at the smiling fruit's brow.

A gentle light enveloped it, and the smiling fruit slowly rose from the coffin and floated in mid-air.

Then it gradually shrank and turned into a small red fruit.

And as the Tai'an Fruit took shape, those human-faced fruits wearing mourning clothes suddenly quieted down.

Their white garments slowly disappeared, and their expressions changed from grief to confusion.

They looked around blankly for a moment, then dispersed silently.

"How is it?" He Zhenghao handed the Tai'an Fruit to Li Fan.

"It's very strange." The scene of picking the Tai'an Fruit made Li Fan feel somewhat creepy for some reason. He just answered reluctantly.

Li Fan held the Tai'an Fruit in his hand and observed it carefully.

The fruit looked similar to an apple in his memory, but its color was so red that it hurt his eyes.

And waves of fragrance kept coming out of the Tai'an Fruit.

This fragrance seemed to penetrate into the depths of one's soul. Li Fan smelled it and couldn't help swallowing.

"You haven't eaten this Tai'an Fruit before, why don't you try it first?" He Zhenghao suggested.

"Things that can increase lifespan have a natural attraction for us cultivators. The longer you hold it, the more tempting it becomes." He Zhenghao added with a smile, seeing Li Fan hesitating.

Sure enough, the effect of the fragrance seemed to accumulate. As Li Fan hesitated, its smell became stronger and stronger.

Under the influence of the fragrance, waves of hunger emerged from his heart.

So, after a while, Li Fan stopped hesitating and swallowed the Tai'an Fruit whole.

The hunger disappeared instantly. Although it was only a small fruit, Li Fan felt full after eating it, as if he had eaten a big meal.

He checked his [True Self] panel, and sure enough, his physiological age limit increased by 5 years.

He smacked his lips and savored the taste of the Tai'an Fruit: "This is the first time I've encountered such a miraculous thing that can increase lifespan. It's really extraordinary. It's just that its appearance is weird. It looks like a person, and it's creepy."

He Zhenghao laughed and replied: "This Tai'an Fruit is transformed from a person, of course it looks like one."

Li Fan's expression froze.

Suppressing the turmoil in his stomach, Li Fan asked in horror: "Are the Tai'an Fruits in this city real people?"

He Zhenghao was somewhat dismissive of Li Fan's reaction.

But Li Fan had just entered the cultivation world not long ago, and he could understand. So he continued to explain: "Strictly speaking, Tai'an Fruits are fruits, not humans."

Li Fan felt a little relieved when he heard this, but he was still uneasy: "Then what does it mean to be transformed from a person?"

"This has to do with the origin of this Tai'an Fruit." He Zhenghao took Li Fan and flew above this city while talking.

"Five hundred years ago, this Tai'an Island was just a very ordinary island. There was nothing valuable around the island's waters, and there were only a few thousand mortals living here for generations."

"There are countless such small islands in the Cloud Sea."

"But one day, everything suddenly changed."

"First, the mortals on the surrounding islands found that they hadn't seen the residents of Tai'an Island for a long time. Before, there would occasionally be merchants from the island who came and went. But they hadn't seen them for more than a year."

"Driven by curiosity, some people sailed to Tai'an Island to find out what happened."

"Who knew that several groups of people went there and never came back."

"Realizing that something was wrong, they quickly reported the matter to the island's guardian at that time."

"That guardian was already a Golden Core cultivator. Even so, when he saw what had happened on Tai'an Island, he was also deeply terrified."

(End of chapter)

Chapter 52: Guarding Tai'an Island
"All the mortals on the island disappeared. And the cities where the mortals used to gather, somehow grew one after another lush trees, like a primitive forest."

"On the branches of those trees, there were many human-faced fruits hanging."

"When the breeze blew, the human faces on the fruits showed a creepy smile."

As He Zhenghao narrated, Li Fan seemed to see countless human faces smiling at him.

Thinking that he had just eaten one of these fruits, Li Fan felt even more goosebumps.

He Zhenghao continued to speak.

"The Golden Core guardian was shocked at first, but then he came to his senses and went down to the city to investigate."

"There was not a single mortal survivor on the island, they all turned into smiling fruits. But why this bizarre thing happened, the Golden Core guardian couldn't figure out. So he had to report it."

"Wanxian League sent someone to check it out, but no one knew what the result was. Only later, the trees in the city were all cut down, and the city was restored to its original appearance. And those smiling fruits acted as if nothing had happened, and continued to live in the city as before."

"Generation after generation, they multiplied until now. Wanxian League also built a large formation here, assigned someone to guard it, and harvested the fruits."

Li Fan listened and couldn't help but say: "In that case, aren't these Tai'an Fruits just people?"

He Zhenghao shook his head: "How can they be people? They have no consciousness of their own, and act purely on instinct. If you have to say it, they are at most remnants of some human attachments."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, but eventually didn't refute.

This matter was too mysterious, and he didn't know how to define these Tai'an Fruits.

But after their lifespan-increasing effect was discovered by cultivators, these things didn't matter anymore.

Not to mention these Tai'an Fruits, even if they were real mortals, if eating them could increase lifespan, they would not escape being eaten.

Li Fan fell into thought.

He Zhenghao didn't know what he thought of either, and also fell silent.

After a long time, they came back to their senses.

Next, He Zhenghao explained to Li Fan some things that he needed to pay attention to when guarding the island.

Li Fan also remembered them one by one.

"The large formation covers the whole island, and every time it operates, it will extract a trace of essence from the mortals within it."

"The amount of extraction is very small, and it will not have any impact on the mortals. But when these essences are gathered together, they become considerable in quantity."

"These essences are transformed and can increase the spiritual energy concentration in the formation."

"So cultivating in this island protection formation is not as efficient as opening the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Heavenly Mystery Mirror, but it is also much faster than the ordinary outside world."

Finally, He Zhenghao proudly told Li Fan a secret that only those who had been island guardians knew.

After some more reminders, telling Li Fan to contact him if he had any problems, He Zhenghao left leisurely.

Li Fan held the guardian token in his hand. With the blessing of the large formation, his divine sense immediately covered the whole island.

The ordinary mortals on the island and the Tai'an Fruits in the central core formation were all busy living their own lives.

He looked for a long time and sighed.

"Extracting the marrow of the world for cultivation."

If he could, Li Fan naturally wanted to do something. But unfortunately he was still just a small Qi Refining cultivator.

The only thing he could do now was to cultivate hard.

Li Fan suppressed his thoughts.

From then on, Li Fan settled down on Tai'an Island.

It had to be said that being an island guardian was really quite easy.

The mortals on the island dared not disturb the immortal master without any reason.

All Li Fan needed to do was check every once in a while whether the island protection formation was running normally, harvest and store ripe Tai'an Fruits in time and other trivial matters.

The rest of the time, Li Fan could arrange freely.

Li Fan naturally devoted himself to hard cultivation.

He started learning from some basic cultivation knowledge such as [One Hundred Ways to Use Spiritual Energy], [An Introduction to Spells], [Secrets of Winning Duels - Strike First], [Survival is Victory], [Speed is Everything]...

He gradually mastered some simple spells such as Concealment Technique, Feign Death Technique, Wind Riding Technique, Strength Technique and so on.

During his learning process, Li Fan also had to lament Wanxian League's protection level of knowledge monopoly.

These knowledge that he bought and learned from Heavenly Mystery Realm were fine for him to use.

But if he wanted to teach them to others after learning them, he couldn't.

Unless his strength could surpass the Heavenly Mystery Mirror, he could naturally break the restrictions mixed in it.

Li Fan didn't know how powerful the Heavenly Mystery Mirror was, and what realm of cultivator it was equivalent to.

But from common sense, it should be at least not below a Soul Formation cultivator.

The power of a Soul Formation cultivator was far beyond what Li Fan could imagine now.

So even if he had many complaints, he could only accept the reality for now.

He finished reading these books and started to try reading some related content on alchemy, artifact refining, formation and so on.

Compared to the previous spell part, these contents were too complicated.

There were too many things to learn, and Li Fan didn't know where to start.

Just the alchemy basics in [An Introduction to Alchemy]: the age, efficacy identification and analysis of various herbs, it took Li Fan more than ten days to read it completely.

Not to mention the later parts: the selection and control of alchemy fire, the refining of alchemy furnace, the practical part of alchemy. Li Fan estimated that it would be impossible for him to finish reading it without a year or two.

Knowing that these skills often required a master to guide him, Li Fan decided to give up temporarily after some hesitation.

So he temporarily put aside his distractions and began to cultivate [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter].

This ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect technique was really obscure and difficult to understand. It was completely different from the [Small Proliferation Water Technique] that Li Fan had cultivated before. It was not a product of the same system at all.

Even with the help of the Lapis Lazuli Bead, which increased his comprehension, Li Fan took more than half a year to barely get started.

The difficulty of this made Li Fan once had the idea of going to the Heavenly Mystery Mirror and cultivating [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter] under the super auxiliary cultivation mode.

But in the end, he still suppressed this idea.

After all, Li Fan still couldn't let go of Wanxian League.

From their actions, Wanxian League was obviously not a good kind.

If they aroused the interest of Heavenly Mystery Realm, exposing the Nascent Soul technique was nothing. But if they exposed the existence of [True Self], that would be truly doomed.

So Li Fan would rather cultivate slowly by himself.

In this way, a year passed.

Li Fan returned to Wanxian Island and received his reward for being a deputy guardian: 800 points of contribution. Then he exchanged for the Qi Refining late stage part of [Small Proliferation Water Technique].

He cultivated for five days under the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Heavenly Mystery Mirror, then reluctantly returned to Tai'an Island.

Five days of rapid cultivation made Li Fan feel that he was not far from Qi Refining late stage.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 53: Cultivators Face Calamity

Tai'an Island, within the island protection formation.

"Bottleneck? Heavenly Calamity?" Li Fan browsed through the [Miscellaneous Notes on Cultivation] that he had bought, frowning slightly.

Ever since he came back from Wanxian Island a few days ago, he had never stopped cultivating.

He originally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the Qi Refining late stage in one fell swoop.

But even though he felt that he was not far from breaking through, no matter how he cultivated, he always felt that he was missing a little bit.

It was this seemingly insignificant gap that stood in front of Li Fan like a chasm.

After reading the [Miscellaneous Notes on Cultivation], Li Fan finally confirmed that he had encountered a bottleneck.

There was a saying about cultivation bottlenecks in ancient times.

During cultivation, one's cultivation level might get stuck at a certain point and not make any progress.

In today's cultivation world, bottlenecks have an even greater impact on cultivators.

Starting from the Qi Refining middle stage, every cultivator would inevitably encounter a bottleneck when breaking through each small realm.

This kind of bottleneck could not be broken through by blindly cultivating hard.

One had to find and sense the opportunity in the heaven and earth that suited oneself, and then dissolve it and break through successfully.

This opportunity could be seeing a painting, drinking a cup of tea.

It could also be a sudden enlightenment, a flash of inspiration in a life-and-death fight.

Or it could be a casual word from someone else, or a careful guidance from a senior.

In short, there was no rule to follow, it all depended on the "destiny" in the dark.

The existence of this bottleneck undoubtedly suppressed the cultivation speed of cultivators to a great extent.

It was like a calamity from heaven, blocking the cultivators' cultivation.

Therefore, cultivators called it Heavenly Calamity.

In any case, this Heavenly Calamity had fallen on Li Fan's head now.

It made his plan to break through in a short time fall through.

He sat in the formation for a few days, but he didn't feel any hint of his breakthrough opportunity in his heart.

Knowing that this matter couldn't be forced in a short time, he didn't rush and temporarily put down the cultivation of [Small Proliferation Water Technique], and instead cultivated [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter].

[Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter] had five layers. In ancient times, they corresponded to the five major realms of Innate, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core and Nascent Soul.

The Innate realm was a kind of special existence in some sects' techniques in ancient times.

It emphasized expelling all the impure breaths that one had acquired after birth and returning to the pure state of Innate.

Those sects believed that starting cultivation from the Innate realm would make it easier to comprehend the heavenly dao.

Both their cultivation speed and limit would far surpass ordinary cultivators.

Heavenly Mechanism Sect was one of the sects that advocated that all cultivation should start from Innate.

But after the new technique replaced the old technique, cultivators plundered the heaven and earth and no longer cared about harmony between heaven and man.

Naturally, they didn't talk about returning to Innate anymore.

But the most basic part of [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter] was the Innate realm.

So what Li Fan had to do was to use Qi Refining to replace Innate and complete the first layer of cultivation.

Generally speaking, using a higher realm to replace a lower realm would naturally be compatible and easy to cultivate.

But when it came to the difference between the old and new cultivation systems, it was not so easy.

Especially Li Fan was still just a beginner who had cultivated for only a few years. His relevant knowledge reserve was seriously insufficient.

This was also why Li Fan had only barely entered the door after spending half a year before.

This was still under the condition of taking Lapis Lazuli Pills and having an increase in comprehension.

Nowadays, when Li Fan's cultivation of [Small Proliferation Water Technique] encountered a bottleneck, he began to cultivate the second layer of [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter].

He planned to cultivate both techniques to Qi Refining middle stage at the same time and see if he could break through the bottleneck with this.

After all, techniques were precious in this era. It was rare for ordinary cultivators like him who could cultivate multiple techniques at the same time.

According to [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter], after successfully cultivating the second layer of technique, one would be able to master the divine ability of "Distinguishing Mechanisms".

The so-called "Distinguishing Mechanisms" meant being able to discern and sense the various mechanisms of heaven and earth.

This was also the foundation of [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter].

Only by first discerning and sensing the mechanisms, could one capture and refine them later.

The second layer of technique was even more difficult than Li Fan had imagined.

If [Small Proliferation Water Technique] was simple and clear, telling you how to cultivate without any nonsense.

Then [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter] was hiding how to cultivate in a bunch of obscure words, letting you guess and figure it out yourself.

Not only that, but it also mixed in some insights on the heavenly dao, anecdotes from the ancient cultivation world and so on.

All kinds of things were mixed together, making Li Fan dizzy and nauseous.

After reading it once, it seemed like he understood it. But when he cultivated, he found out that he actually didn't understand anything.

Fortunately, Li Fan was not someone who gave up easily.

Even though there were many difficulties, Li Fan patiently studied and comprehended word by word.

In Li Fan's hard cultivation, another year passed.

The cultivation of [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter] had almost no progress.

Li Fan didn't get discouraged.

The second time he went to Wanxian Island to receive his deputy reward, he exchanged all his 800 points of contribution and the 5 Tai'an Fruits that he had accumulated in two years for some ancient technique cultivation insights.

Then Li Fan opened the auxiliary cultivation mode in Heavenly Mystery Realm.

He didn't cultivate any technique, but just read these insights and compared them with his own experience that he had summarized in the past year.

It was like a sudden enlightenment, all kinds of doubts that he couldn't figure out before were all answered now.

Seeing the wonderful parts, Li Fan couldn't help but dance with joy and delight.

At this moment, Li Fan had a little understanding of what it meant to hear the dao in the morning and die in the evening.

Five days passed quickly.

Li Fan, who had gained some insights, hurried back to Tai'an Island and closed himself again.

This time when he cultivated again, it was really different from before.

The obscure and difficult parts of the technique were all clear to him, and there was no obstacle in his cultivation.

Li Fan's mind soon immersed in it.

He didn't know how time passed in cultivation.

One day, a golden mist-like spiritual energy that was completely different from water attribute spiritual energy suddenly appeared in Li Fan's dantian.

Li Fan opened his eyes abruptly, showing a happy expression.

"I finally completed the second layer of [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Sphere Golden Chapter]." Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

He stretched his slightly stiff body and turned his head to look at the time. He felt a bit dazed.

He didn't expect that this retreat lasted for a whole year.

And in Li Fan's perception, he only felt like he had slept for a night.

Fortunately, there was always a reward for hard work.

Li Fan moved his mind and gathered the golden spiritual energy in his eyes. He displayed "Distinguishing Mechanisms".

"Let me see what the so-called mechanisms of heaven and earth are like." Li Fan tried his divine ability for the first time and felt excited.

He looked towards Tai'an Island.

But he saw a scene that made him feel terrified.

Thick black death qi, like dense dark clouds, enveloped the entire Tai'an Island!

The heavy death qi was almost solid, making Tai'an Island look like hell even in daylight!

He withdrew his technique and used it again.

He looked at it several times before he was sure that he didn't see it wrong.

"How could this be?" Li Fan was shocked and doubtful.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly changed into Water Mirror Technique and looked at himself in the mirror.

He only saw,

The death qi gathered on Li Fan's head in the mirror was hundreds or thousands of times higher than that of the mortals on the island!

(End of chapter)