The cultivators first froze collectively at Li Fan's words, then erupted into a cacophony of varied reactions.
Some wore expressions of utter disdain, shouting mockingly, "Where did this Qi Refinement junior come from? Who allowed him to spout such nonsense here?"
"Exactly! Telling others to disperse their cultivation? Why don't you disperse yours first?"
Others, however, seemed thoughtful. "Fellow Daoist, do you mean the monster holding the wooden club only targets cultivators and ignores mortals?"
"Though it sounds unbelievable, it's not entirely impossible. This scene bears some resemblance to the Oddities found in sect ruins."
This perspective resonated with many cultivators.
"That azure ox is about to enter Cloudwater Palace. We don't have much time left. It might be worth trying."
"But that wooden club is no joke. Perhaps our cultivation is the only thing that keeps us alive when it hits us. If we disperse our power and become mortals, we might be killed outright by a single strike."
"Tsk... this Fellow Daoist isn't wrong either."
The crowd buzzed with debate, yet not one dared to step forward and test the theory.
Amid the hesitation, a red-haired cultivator seemed to reach his limit. With a roar, he glared at the others in frustration. "What's there to agonize over? It's just dispersing cultivation! We have the Taishang Primordial True Scripture; we can recover quickly enough. I'll go!"
With that, he arrived before the thatched hut. Operating the Taishang Primordial True Scripture, he dispersed his cultivation in moments, becoming an ordinary mortal.
Li Fan's mind stirred, immediately locking onto him with Formless Killing Mechanism.
The red-haired cultivator, who had acted brashly moments before, now grew tense when facing the tall, ferocious monster as a mortal. He swallowed hard, inching forward step by tentative step.
Every eye in the vicinity was fixed upon him.
As he slowly approached the thatched hut, the mouthless monster continued to ignore him entirely. The club-wielding monster scrutinized him for a long time, raising its wooden club several times, but never brought it down. Thus, the red-haired man reached the hut's entrance unharmed, though not without fear.
The faint sound of reading from within abruptly ceased. The door swung open with a crash, and a somewhat aged voice called out from inside. "Enter!”
The red-haired man's face lit up with joy, and he strode confidently into the hut. The door closed behind him, leaving the two monsters standing guard outside, vigilant as ever.
Around the azure ox cart, the area instantly erupted into a marketplace-like din.
"He actually succeeded?!"
"This Qi Refinement junior... no, no, this Fellow Daoist is truly brilliant! May I ask your name?"
"Damn it, Liu Zhi beat us to it. I’m not waiting any longer, I'm dispersing my cultivation too!"
Of course, many cultivators remained cautious. "No rush. Let's wait for Liu Zhi to come out and see what kind of opportunity lies within that thatched hut."
"Right. He's just a mortal now anyway. It's not like he can escape."
Amid the chaos, Li Fan frowned deeply, his gaze fixed intently on the thatched hut. The moment Liu Zhi stepped inside, Formless Killing Mechanism was abruptly terminated.
Ever since Li Fan had comprehended this divine ability, such a situation had never occurred before. Formless Killing Mechanism, borrowing the authority of heaven's will, had been unstoppable in every circumstance. But now... whatever resided within that thatched hut might be an existence of truly terrifying power.
The other cultivators lacked Li Fan's concerns. Five more Qi Refinement cultivators rushed into the thatched hut one after another. As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, they all remained cautious, watching and waiting.
There was no change within the thatched hut, only the voice echoing in everyone's minds as it continued to read. The voice seemed slightly clearer than when they first heard it, yet it remained indistinct, its specific content impossible to decipher. Though anxiety churned within them, the cultivators could only choose to wait patiently.
The next morning, without anyone noticing, all six individuals who had entered yesterday suddenly appeared on the empty ground outside the thatched hut. They lay scattered about haphazardly, but their auras were present; they just seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.
"Wait... didn't they all dissolve their cultivation and become mortals? How have they all regained their full cultivation now?" Soon, a cultivator noticed something amiss.
"Not only have they regained their cultivation, it seems... each has advanced by a cultivation stage?"
"Exactly! This Liu Zhi was previously at the early-stage Qi Refinement realm. After just one night, he's now at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm!"
"This mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator has also broken through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm!"
"The one who was at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm didn't break through, but his aura has solidified considerably. He must have gained some benefit regardless."
Amid the gasps of astonishment, the looks directed at the thatched hut were completely transformed.
A non-discriminatory, guaranteed advancement of an entire stage? What a tremendous opportunity! Who knew how much resources and time that would save? The higher one's cultivation level, the greater its value!
Burning with impatience, the cultivators woke the six and questioned them about what had transpired inside the thatched hut yesterday. All six gave identical accounts, yet their words made everyone present exchange bewildered glances.
"You just... read along inside for a whole day?"
"The teacher was a wooden slip floating in the air?"
"And you can't remember what you were reading?"
It was indeed somewhat odd, but they likely weren't lying.
With such an opportunity before them, all the present Qi Refinement cultivators dissolved their cultivation and entered the hut.
Chen An was about to step forward, but glanced back at Li Fan. Seeing he hadn't moved, Chen An found it strange and humbly asked for advice, "Fellow Daoist Li, is there something peculiar about this?"
Li Fan shook his head. "There shouldn't be any problem. However, I'm already at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. The opportunity here isn't very useful to me. Go ahead, Fellow Daoist; don't mind me. I'll observe a while longer."
Chen An hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands toward Li Fan and entered the thatched hut.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators, however, still delayed taking action.
Zhou Ningchang explained the reason for this to Li Fan. It turned out that cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm and above could indeed disperse their entire cultivation using the Taishang Primordial True Scripture. However, their Dao Foundation remained, existing between the tangible and intangible, and would not be dissolved.
Their hesitation stemmed from not knowing if they would be considered a mortal. Thus, everyone was watching and waiting.
After a long time, one Foundation Establishment cultivator could no longer restrain himself. Thus, he made the first attempt. After his cultivation dissipated entirely, no mishap occurred, and he was able to safely enter the thatched hut.
Seeing this, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators rejoiced and followed him inside one after another. Even the sole Golden Core Reverend present couldn’t resist the temptation.
As for the six cultivators who had already entered the day before, they thought to try their old trick again, hoping to raise their cultivation by another stage. Unsurprisingly, they were immediately beaten with a flurry of staff strikes.
Thus, they all left, intending to bring their close friends and family to this place before the azure ox cart entered Cloudwater Palace.
Soon, only Li Fan remained outside the thatched hut.