This Mini Tianxuan Mirror is good stuff.
Li Fan's eyes burned with desire.
The device He Zhenghao used to track the price fluctuations of Spirit Mist Grass must have been this Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
The basic model isn't too expensive, just five thousand contribution points.
But the higher-tier models are absurdly pricey. The cultivation-enhanced version costs fifty thousand contribution points. The combat-capable one goes for two hundred thousand. I can only look at them for now.
The Myriad Immortals Array Banner Set costs ten thousand contribution points.
If purchased together, the total will be 13,500 contribution points. I have just enough.
It's certainly expensive, but worth the price.
After hesitating briefly, Li Fan still spent the enormous sum to acquire both treasures.
Having seen the Mini Tianxuan Mirror before, Li Fan kept it in his storage ring without paying it much attention.
However, he carefully examined the Myriad Immortals Array Banner Set.
The main banner was roughly half the height of a person, featuring an alternating black and yellow design with the words "Myriad Immortals" inscribed.
By touching it, he could sense the presence of the remaining 364 secondary banners.
Apart from the complete banner set, there were three variations he could also deploy: thirty-six, seventy-two, and one hundred eight banners.
Fewer banners meant reduced power, but significantly faster deployment—perfect for personal protection during his travels.
Having gained some understanding of arrays, Li Fan naturally recognized the power of this miniature Myriad Immortals Array.
Satisfied, he stored it and immediately rushed back to Brightmoon Lake.
Over the last twenty days, Su Xiaomei and the others had thoroughly surveyed Brightmoon Lake's surroundings.
It was indeed just an ordinary large lake, with no spiritual treasures nearby.
Li Fan designated the small island in the center of the lake as the core, systematically deploying the 364 Myriad Immortals Array Banners around it.
As the main banner settled into position, the miniature Myriad Immortals Array took shape.
"I will be undergoing secluded cultivation here, hence the array. Do not enter without permission, or you will certainly die.
"During my cultivation session, you may choose suitable islands nearby to settle in. If none satisfy you, you can construct your own.
"After I emerge from seclusion, I will expand the array's radius to thirty li. Choose islands within this area."
After these instructions, Li Fan fully activated the Myriad Immortals Array, completely blocking the view of the array's interior from those outside.
Rather than beginning cultivation immediately on the island, he dove underwater, descending to the lakebed.
He found a massive boulder and hollowed it out. Then, using the misdirection technique from the Heaven-Swapping Art, he concealed the chamber.
Only then did he enter the stone chamber to begin secluded cultivation.
The stone chamber was simple, without any furnishings.
Li Fan paid this no mind.
Sitting cross-legged, he floated mid-air. His consciousness immersed itself within the Deepsea Pearl.
Nineteen years after entering the cultivation world in this lifetime, Li Fan finally began Foundation Establishment.
Borrow the Curios of heaven and earth to build a Dao Foundation.
The Foundation Establishment process requires Curios of heaven and earth, but the concept of 'borrowing' is equally crucial.
To borrow, not to rely upon completely.
Curios of heaven and earth aggregate the laws of heaven and earth while retaining fragments of their own consciousness.
Cultivators establishing their foundation must transform the aggregated laws within Curios of heaven and earth into their Dao Foundation while maintaining complete awareness of themselves.
Under Li Fan's control, the formless Heaven-Earth Root attached itself to the Deepsea Pearl within his dantian.
Instantly, countless memory scenes flooded his mind. These were the Congyun Sea's past experiences.
Accompanying them were emotions of extreme fury, resentment, and bitterness.
The memories of the Congyun Sea were too vast, crashing over him in endless waves like an unceasing tide.
Had Li Fan recklessly accepted them all, the sheer torrent of information would have overwhelmed his current divine sense, washing away his will and leaving him a mindless fool.
So Li Fan did the only thing he could—he anchored his mind and ignored the onslaught.
Like a steadfast reef battered by wind and waves, he remained unmoved.
As for the negative emotions, the moment they arose, they became fuel for the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra. They failed to affect him in the least.
The Congyun Sea raged and roared, but Li Fan stood firm as a mountain.
Threads of faint blue light were slowly drawn from the Deepsea Pearl by the Heaven-Earth Root.
A vast, shimmering projection of a sea began to take shape within Li Fan's dantian.
***
At Brightmoon Lake, Su Xiaomei and the others were in the midst of carving out their cave dwellings.
Suddenly, they sensed something and looked around.
The sky was clear, yet waves began to rise on Brightmoon Lake for no reason. The waters churned, the swells growing higher and more violent.
All eight hundred li of Brightmoon Lake began to boil.
Towering waves crashed and rampaged across the lake. The cave dwellings they had painstakingly begun to shape were swiftly submerged.
With no other choice, they took to the air to avoid the surging waters.
"What technique is Master comprehending now? He’s causing such a spectacle just by going into seclusion!" Su Xiaomei blinked her large eyes, her gaze brimming with curiosity.
The others had no answer, only staring in awe at the tumultuous lake below.
***
At the bottom of the lake, as the phantom of the sea gradually solidified, Li Fan's perception slowly shifted.
It rose from his body into the air above, then rapidly expanded, soon enveloping the entirety of Brightmoon Lake.
This sensation was familiar to Li Fan, exactly like when he had once become one with the sea.
But why was it happening now?
Li Fan was puzzled.
The Deepsea Pearl's power was being siphoned by the Heaven-Earth Root, shifting from real to illusory. His Dao Foundation was nearly complete. Everything was proceeding smoothly and perfectly.
So why had he suddenly become one with Brightmoon Lake?
Li Fan calmed his mind, focusing intently on the sensation.
After a long while, understanding dawned. He felt both amusement and exasperation.
It turned out this phenomenon was the Deepsea Pearl's doing.
As it faced its imminent transformation into a cultivator's Dao Foundation, the Deepsea Pearl became aware of the nearby Brightmoon Lake, a far weaker existence.
If the vast Congyun Sea could not escape calamity, how dare this insignificant Brightmoon Lake continue to thrive?
And so, with the last of its strength, the Deepsea Pearl sought to drag Brightmoon Lake down with it.
It was, of course, a futile effort. A cultivator could not use two Curios of heaven and earth to build a Dao Foundation.
Yet this final act of spite brought Li Fan an unexpected benefit.
***
The waters of the Brightmoon Lake raged and surged, waves climbing skyward.
This extraordinary phenomenon persisted for eighteen days.
Su Xiaomei and the others had withdrawn to the lakeshore and temporarily made camp there.
Then, on this day, without warning, the ceaselessly turbulent waters fell still.
The group exchanged glances, then focused their attention on the small island where Li Fan was undergoing Foundation Establishment.
Protected by arrays and shrouded by walls of light, the interior remained obscured from view.
Before long, a figure shot skyward from the island and hovered high in the air. His sleeves fluttered gracefully, and his bearing was otherworldly.
It was Li Fan, emerging from his long seclusion.
He extended his left hand, gazed down at Brightmoon Lake below, and slowly clenched his fist.
Nothing seemed to happen.
"What is Master doing?" Su Xiaomei asked, resting her chin in her hands as she stared ahead, puzzled.
The others shook their heads in silence, offering no answers.
Yet knowing Li Fan would never act without purpose, they fixed their eyes on the lake, afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
Moments later, they understood the reason for Li Fan's earlier gesture.
An unending suction force seemed to be generated within his palm. All eight hundred li of Brightmoon Lake's waters began rising from below, forming countless water dragons that flew toward Li Fan's hand.
These white water dragons roared as they soared from every corner of Brightmoon Lake, streaking toward Li Fan suspended in the sky, as if paying homage to their sovereign.
Above Brightmoon Lake, a single figure stood.
Three million water dragons danced through the air, churning up endless mist.
Sunlight poured down, revealing a brilliant rainbow.
Su Xiaomei and the others stared dumbfounded at the magnificent and dazzling spectacle before them, their minds momentarily blank.
The water dragons flying toward Li Fan's palm converged, forming a single tiny droplet.
Though the lake's waters continued to drain, the droplet's size remained unchanged, its color slowly shifting from white to deep blue.
Less than half a day later, the Brightmoon Lake had completely dried up.
Countless fish, shrimp, and crabs lay stranded on the lakebed, struggling in the throes of death.
Li Fan examined the droplet that was somewhat reminiscent of the Deepsea Pearl. There was a glint of understanding in his eyes.
A Dao Attainment Ground...
The Deepsea Pearl might not have been able to transform the Brightmoon Lake into a second Dao Foundation. But under the coverage of the Deepsea Pearl's laws, the entire Brightmoon Lake had gradually been assimilated.
And now, having used the Deepsea Pearl to establish his Dao Foundation, Li Fan could command the entire Brightmoon Lake as easily as moving his own arm.
In the ancient cultivation world, there were cultivators who, while comprehending the Dao, would inadvertently release the aura of their laws, which would influence and assimilate the surrounding environment.
These affected places often bore the strong personal imprint of the cultivator in comprehension, sometimes even preserving one of their abilities.
Such locations became known as Dao Attainment Grounds.
Brightmoon Lake's relationship with Li Fan resembled this phenomenon, though in truth, it went even deeper. Essentially, through the Deepsea Pearl, Li Fan had refined the Brightmoon Lake itself.
Within these waters, the Brightmoon Lake was him, and he was the Brightmoon Lake.
At full power, his might rivaled any Golden Core cultivator!
"Go!"
Li Fan crushed the water droplet in his hand.
Countless water particles exploded outward, then transformed back into soaring water dragons that roared their return to Brightmoon Lake.
The dried lakebed quickly refilled, returning within moments to its original vast, mist-shrouded appearance.
With some simple gestures, he controlled the waters in all eight hundred li.
Yet Li Fan felt no particular joy in his heart. This, like the Deepsea Pearl before it, was just external power. Ultimately, it was not truly his own.
Lost in thought, Li Fan opened Return to Truth’s panel, the first time in a long while.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Early-Stage Foundation Establishment
Biological Age: 49/365↑
Psychological Age: 569/3560↑↑
Virtualization Charging Progress: 200%
Charging Progress of Next Anchor Point: 20%
Anchor Points In Use: 1
Available Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Taiyan Boat, Halt Stele Fragment
Techniques: Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra, Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art, Heaven-Swapping Art, Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Intent Spirit Illusion Art, Shadow Stalk Art
Divine Abilities: Interlocking Chains of Life and Death, Formless Killing Mechanism, Insect Binding
His biological age limit had finally surpassed three hundred years. Meanwhile, his psychological age limit had reached over 3600 years and was still increasing.
Li Fan could feel that the strength of his divine sense had multiplied several times over compared to before.
The total quantity of spiritual qi within his body was now incomparable to the past.
Li Fan began contemplating his next steps for his cultivation path.
After the Deepsea Pearl transformed into his Dao Foundation, it could no longer be freely manipulated as before.
It was now like a treasure sealed within his body. He needed to advance his own cultivation to unlock the functions of this treasure. The more functions he unlocked, the greater the power he could wield.
Eventually, he would fully restore the Deepsea Pearl's original might.
The entire Foundation Establishment cultivation process was about converting the power of a Curio of heaven and earth into one's own strength.