On this day, Li Fan received a message from Zhang Zhiliang, summoning him to the Strategy Array Hall.
After securing the position of array maintenance technician, Li Fan had yet to perform any actual duties.
He presumed Zhang Zhiliang had been occupied with his research on the Mountain River Grand Array around the recently resurfaced island, which explained the lack of communication.
Li Fan didn't delay. Changing into his black and yellow Daoist robes, he swiftly arrived at the Strategy Array Hall.
With his official status, the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Array above the core district completely ignored his presence.
Upon entering the tilted cubic structure, the smaller cube seemed to recognize Li Fan's identity and activated automatically.
Moments later, it transported him to Zhang Zhiliang's space.
This place felt extremely familiar to Li Fan. During his eleventh life, he'd studied arrays here obsessively for years, formally stepping onto the path of arrays through that dedication.
Zhang Zhiliang stood motionless, his back turned to the entrance.
"Greetings, Senior," Li Fan called out, bowing.
Zhang Zhiliang remained still, as if he hadn't noticed Li Fan.
Seeing this, Li Fan repeated his greeting.
As if experiencing significant lag, Zhang Zhiliang slowly turned around after a long delay.
"Oh... you’re... here."
Li Fan immediately realized this figure was likely an avatar or similar construct.
Still, he asked, "Senior, have you completed your research on the Mountain River Grand Array?"
After another pause, Zhang Zhiliang's fragmented voice responded.
"Not yet. Research on the Mountain River Grand Array... reached a critical stage...
"More complex than anticipated... likely another year or two before completion.
"Fellow Daoist He seemed to have urgent business... departed hastily...
"I... suddenly remembered I haven't taught you anything about arrays since your appointment.
"Given the current... circumstances, I cannot spare the time.
"However, it’ll be unreasonable to delay your training for another year or two.
"Therefore, I shall provide you with relevant study materials first. Go through them independently.
"Any questions can wait until my return."
His speech was halting, the short passage taking him considerable time to deliver.
Zhang Zhiliang then handed over a storage ring.
Li Fan accepted it, scanning it with his divine sense. The contents weren't unfamiliar: an encrypted jade slip, and Mind Ape incense.
"Since you’ve grasped the fundamentals of arrays through self-study, your aptitude... cannot be poor. The encrypted jade slip contains my carefully compiled primer on the path of arrays. Study diligently, and cross-reference the information with your existing knowledge. After thorough reading, your array proficiency... should improve significantly."
After these final words, Zhang Zhiliang's figure fell completely silent.
Li Fan kept the storage ring and returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.
Retrieving the encrypted jade slip, he read it carefully and found its content similar to what Zhang Zhiliang had taught in his previous life.
This time, however, it included numerous examples.
One of them was the current island protection array of the Myriad Immortals Alliance: the Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array.
Unlike the Myriad Li Mountain River Array of three thousand years ago that focused heavily on defense, the current Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array balanced offense and defense while also absorbing essential qi from mortals within its range to enhance spiritual qi concentration.
Although the jade slip did not include the core structural data of the Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array, it contained diagrams of its vulnerable nodal structures.
From these details, Li Fan could glimpse the vast scale and sophisticated craftsmanship of this array.
Within the jade slip, Zhang Zhiliang also left a stern reminder: the contents of this grand array were secrets of the Myriad Immortals Alliance and must never be leaked.
Besides the Heavenly Vitality Transformation Array, the jade slip also contained analyses of many other arrays he had never seen before, such as the Azure Wood Spirit Gathering Array and the Soaring Sky Five Thunders Array, which broadened Li Fan's horizons immensely.
However, Li Fan only skimmed through them briefly without delving deeper. These arrays were profound and extremely intricate, and he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Setting aside the jade slip, Li Fan checked the price of Spirit Mist Grass.
Zhang Zhiliang had mentioned earlier that He Zhenghao had dropped everything and rushed off, pausing his research into the Mountain River Grand Array. Immediately, Li Fan guessed that the Dracowhale exotic beast must have attacked the Spirit Mist Grass island. The timing lined up.
Sure enough, not long ago, the price of Spirit Mist Grass had experienced a slight increase, rising from 18 contribution points per stalk to 19 points.
Li Fan currently had a stockpile of 2700 stalks and wasn't in a hurry to sell them off immediately. After all, there was still some time before the news spread, the situation developed, and the price of Spirit Mist Grass skyrocketed to 25 points.
A price of 25 points is still too low. Perhaps I can add fuel to the flames...
But it’s better that I don’t use my true self for this matter. It's time to send my avatar. Li Fan's eyes gleamed with calculations.
The avatar, which had been quietly performing errand tasks on Myriad Immortals Island, just barely meeting its own needs, activated a Form-Concealing Talisman. After hiding its aura and appearance, it made its way to Thousand Li Hall.
The shop was deserted, with not a single customer in sight.
Jiao Xiuyuan was lying down behind the counter, his eyes closed.
The moment Li Fan stepped inside, Jiao Xiuyuan sprang up, his face eager. "A customer, finally! What can I get for you?
"Array talismans, artifacts, pills—we have everything! Order in bulk for better prices!"
Li Fan chuckled. "Fellow Daoist Jiao, I've heard that you have quite a few defective Form-Concealing Talismans that were discarded by the Talisman Hall?"
Jiao Xiuyuan grinned cheekily. "I indeed have quite a few Form-Concealing Talismans, but I can’t disclose where I got them from. How many do you want, Fellow Daoist?"
"How many do I want? I'd like to buy all the Form-Concealing Talismans you have..." Li Fan paused mid-sentence.
Immediately, he saw Jiao Xiuyuan's face light up with wild joy.
"But my funds are tight; I don't have that many contribution points!" He sighed, shifting his tone.
Jiao Xiuyuan's face darkened, his tone turning unfriendly. "You rascal, are you just wasting my time?"
But then he frowned, somewhat puzzled. "Why would you need so many Form-Concealing Talismans? For something like this, keeping a few on hand is enough."
Li Fan smiled faintly. "That's precisely the reason I've come to find you, Fellow Daoist."
Seeing that he had piqued Jiao Xiuyuan's interest, Li Fan deliberately kept him in suspense, falling silent.
Jiao Xiuyuan snorted coldly. "Playing hard to get? Who knows if what you're saying is true or not? If you're unwilling to talk, forget it!"
Li Fan didn't get angry, but instead smiled faintly, cupping his hands. "If that's the case, then I apologize for disturbing you."
Without a hint of hesitation, he turned and left.
As he walked, he sighed. "They all say Jiao Xiuyuan of Thousand Li Hall never makes a losing deal.
"I thought your business sense was truly remarkable, but it appears to be nothing special after all."
Li Fan shook his head, one foot already stepping through the main gate of Thousand Li Hall.
"Wait!"
Just then, Jiao Xiuyuan called out to stop him.
He enthusiastically pulled Li Fan back inside and closed the shop's entrance.
Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his hands together. "Fellow Daoist, though I clearly recognize that you're using a provocation tactic, I'm still willing to fall for it."
A flicker of greed appeared in his eyes. "Because... I can smell the scent of a business opportunity."