And it seems the number of Mini Medicine King Cauldrons far exceeds just two.
Without sufficient strength, these cauldrons aren't opportunities; they're death warrants.
But watching such treasures remain buried underground, only to be claimed by others in the end... that doesn't sit right with me.
Perhaps I could use them as catalysts to stir up some chaos. If I could incidentally uncover the secrets behind the Medicine King Cauldron’s return, that would be even better.
Li Fan's thoughts churned like stormy waters.
Still, before anything else, I should have Jiao Xiuyuan retrieve the Mini Medicine King Cauldrons.
Speaking of which, just how much did Jiao Xiuyuan lose? Why hasn't he replied yet? Thousand Li Hall still hasn't reopened either.
Li Fan sighed in frustration, resorting to sending another message through his avatar.
To his surprise, Jiao Xiuyuan responded almost immediately this time, his tone tinged with surprise.
"What? I never replied? Impossible!
"My injuries healed long ago, though there have been... minor complications. Thousand Li Hall won't be reopening anytime soon."
Li Fan felt a wave of exasperation. "Check your message history."
After a moment, Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly apologized. "Ah, my bad! I truly didn't notice! But you can't blame me. I'm currently managing countless threads, way too many!"
"I thought you'd suffered such heavy losses that you'd simply fled, Fellow Daoist," Li Fan teased.
Jiao Xiuyuan chuckled. "You jest, Fellow Daoist. Commerce is the very essence of my Dao. How could I abandon it so easily? It's just... the current circumstances are unusual. Managing numerous puppets single-handedly has proven... challenging. To avoid further losses from business mistakes, I've temporarily closed some less critical establishments."
His words came in broken fragments, as though he was lagging.
Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "Has something gone wrong with your cultivation technique? If you don't mind sharing..."
"Of course, there's nothing to hide. You're my business partner, after all. Last time, my error cost you dearly, yet you never uttered a word of complaint. I've been feeling rather guilty about it." Jiao Xiuyuan remained courteous.
"As you know, the technique I practice is called the Myriad Puppets Dao. The countless puppets under my control procure materials, gather intelligence, and conduct business, keeping Thousand Li Hall's operational costs to a minimum.
"But even the most focused mind has its limits. Dividing my attention two or three ways is manageable, but attempting to command numerous puppets simultaneously... that exceeds my capabilities."
Jiao Xiuyuan spoke slowly, his words coming in bits and pieces.
"So how did you previously maintain control over so many puppets, ensuring all of them functioned smoothly?" Li Fan interjected. "Some kind of multi-tasking technique?"
"The effect resembles multi-tasking, but it doesn't rely on any technique. Rather, it's an ancient mystical art!" Jiao Xiuyuan's voice carried a note of pride. "To find this mystical art, I practically turned the entire cultivation world upside down."
"An ancient mystical art?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed with interest.
Seeing Li Fan's clear curiosity, Jiao Xiuyuan didn't keep him in suspense. "Fellow Daoist, have you heard of the ancient Taiyan Sect?"
"Taiyan Sect?" Li Fan froze momentarily, his thoughts drifting to Yi Xing's tomb buried deep beneath Great Xuan.
Yi Xing had been an outer disciple of the Taiyan Sect.
Moreover, Li Fan himself had once pretended to be a descendant of the Taiyan Sect in front of Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, tricking them into repairing the Taiyan Boat for him.
To think that the method of multi-tasking he had been desperately seeking would actually be related to the Taiyan Sect?
Noticing Li Fan's dazed silence and assuming he knew nothing about it, Jiao Xiuyuan briefly explained, "During ancient times, the Taiyan Sect was renowned throughout the world for its arts of prediction and divination.
"Their sect’s foundational technique, the Nine Scrolls of Heavenly Derivation, is profoundly mysterious and immensely powerful. When cultivated to a large degree of mastery, the practitioner is said to be capable of predicting everything about every person and event within a thousand years.
"Heh. Of course, my mystical art has nothing to do with these Nine Scrolls of Heavenly Derivation." Jiao Xiuyuan abruptly changed the subject, making Li Fan's breath catch.
"But this mystical art was something every Taiyan Sect disciple was required to learn," Jiao Xiuyuan explained.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"Think about it, Fellow Daoist—pull one hair and the whole body moves. In this world, every person and every event constantly influences one another.
"One change begets a hundred changes, and a hundred changes beget ten thousand changes. With how vast this world is, the number of variables is simply unimaginable. Even with the capabilities of a Dao Unity cultivator, it would be impossible to sort through all these variables one by one.
"The number of variables mastered is directly related to the accuracy of prediction results. So every Taiyan Sect disciple devoted their life to improving their ability to control variables.”
Jiao Xiuyuan spoke methodically.
"To put it plainly, this ability is a cultivator's deduction capability. Some cultivators are exceptionally talented, possessing extraordinary computational power. Though faced with countless complexities, all variables appear orderly and crystal clear to them.
"But such cultivators are exceedingly rare. Even in the ancient Taiyan Sect, they were extremely uncommon.
"So how could ordinary Taiyan Sect disciples improve their deduction ability?"
Jiao Xiuyuan paused.
Playing along, Li Fan asked, "Is this where your mystical art comes in?"
"Exactly!" Jiao Xiuyuan excitedly revealed the answer.
"A cultivator is not different by nature, but is adept at utilizing external tools! Since I wasn't born with this ability, why not make use of external objects?[1]
"This mystical art is called Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind.
"In ancient times, the Taiyan Sect possessed a supreme treasure called the Dao Transformation Stone.
"On the surface, the light flowing within the Dao Transformation Stone seemed to illustrate countless worlds coming into existence and perishing in the snap of a finger.
"But in truth, these cycles of creation and destruction weren't just illustrations. They were manifestations of the Dao Transformation Stone's own divinations and derivations. Though illusory, they weren't truly illusory."
"The Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind is a secret method to merge one's mind and spirit with a Dao Transformation Stone. Thus, one borrows the terrifying deduction capability of the Dao Transformation Stone for their own use, reaching the level of glimpsing heavenly secrets and probing causality."
Jiao Xiuyuan's words flowed more smoothly now.
"In ancient times, nearly every Taiyan Sect disciple possessed a Dao Transformation Stone. They were all split off from the largest one, the Mother Dao Transformation Stone.
"The higher the quality of the Dao Transformation Stone, the stronger its deduction capability.
"The reason I could easily control all those puppets previously was precisely because of the Dao Transformation Stone and the Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind.
"And the reason I’m experiencing some minor troubles now is also related to the Dao Transformation Stone.
“During the last price collapse of Spirit Mist Grass, the losses I suffered were far too great. Countless puppets simultaneously experienced a violent mental shock. The Dao Transformation Stone I was unified with wasn’t of particularly high quality, and it couldn’t withstand the strain. It cracked and lost its deduction function.”
Jiao Xiuyuan sighed heavily as he recalled this painful memory.
“To regain smooth control over these countless puppets, I need to find a new Dao Transformation Stone. But it’s a priceless treasure, nearly impossible to acquire.
“When the Great Reformation struck, the Taiyan Sect was destroyed, and the Mother Dao Transformation Stone vanished without a trace. After so many years, finding another Dao Transformation Stone is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
“However, I’ve recently uncovered some clues. If all goes well, I should be back in operation soon.”
Jiao Xiuyuan’s tone grew animated again.
Dao Transformation Stone, Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before tentatively asking, “The Taiyan Sect was destroyed thousands of years ago. How are you so intimately familiar with its secrets, Fellow Daoist? Could it be that you are a descendant of the Taiyan Sect?”
“Don’t joke, Fellow Daoist. I am certainly not a descendant of the Taiyan Sect. The reason I know these secrets is simply because I happened to dig up the grave of a Taiyan Sect disciple...”
Upon hearing this, Li Fan fell silent.
For a moment, an awkward silence settled between the two.
“Haha, Fellow Daoist, don’t misunderstand. Grave-digging is something I only do occasionally. The goods at my Thousand Li Hall are mostly legitimate. Only a small fraction comes from tombs.”
“Heh, Fellow Daoist, rest assured. I’m not particularly bothered by such matters. My belief is that regardless of origin, if it works, that’s all that matters,” Li Fan said.
“Tsk, tsk, Fellow Daoist, your words align perfectly with my own beliefs!” Jiao Xiuyuan grew excited once more.
Recalling his original purpose for contacting Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan smoothly continued, “Speaking of which, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
Jiao Xiuyuan immediately replied, “Fellow Daoist, speak freely. If it’s within my power, I will certainly assist.”
“You must be familiar with the ancient Medicine King Sect, right? While studying some texts today, I discovered that disciples of the Medicine King Sect used a type of small cauldron to plant and cultivate various spirit plants and herbs.
“These small cauldrons were self-contained spatial dimensions that could automatically generate wood-attribute spiritual qi to accelerate the growth of herbs.
“I happen to need such a cauldron to cultivate a rare herb. However, the ruins of the Medicine King Sect seem rather perilous. So I’d like to trouble you to make a trip and retrieve a few of these cauldrons for me, Fellow Daoist.
“Of course, the compensation will not be lacking. Though we share similar ideals and get along well, business is business—no ambiguity there.” Li Fan spoke slowly, a faint smile on his face.
“Well said, Fellow Daoist! Business is business. Just for that, I’ll take on this task! Small cauldrons, you say? Since every disciple was issued one, and they aren’t particularly rare treasures, they shouldn’t be too hard to find.
"Wait for my good news, Fellow Daoist." Jiao Xiuyuan readily agreed.
"In that case, I'll be troubling you with this matter, Fellow Daoist Jiao!" Li Fan expressed his gratitude in advance.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries without mentioning the Dao Transformation Stone or Unity of Dao Transformation and Mind, Li Fan ended the communication.
The tomb of a Taiyan Sect disciple... the Dao Transformation Stone...
Within the Tianxuan Mirror, memories surfaced in Li Fan's mind. They were scenes from when he was still a mortal Grand Preceptor, leading the expedition to Yi Xing's tomb.
Back then, being just a mortal, I didn't pay it much attention.
But thinking back now, Yi Xing's tomb seemed to hold deeper secrets.
The Immortal Forsaken Lands are completely devoid of spiritual qi. Yet within that tomb, mountains stood tall, and a sea of clouds remained unbroken for millennia.
This is clearly no mortal mechanism; it must have been some kind of array or restriction.
Li Fan rose abruptly.
Since that's the case, I shall return to Great Xuan!
1. The first sentence is a direct reference and modification of a famous line from the ancient philosopher Xunzi's "Encouraging Learning" (《荀子·劝学》):
Original: "君子生非异也，善假于物也。"
Translation: "A gentleman is not different by nature, but is adept at utilizing external things."
The author has replaced "君子" (jūnzǐ - gentleman/noble person) with "修士" (xiūshì - cultivator) to fit the xianxia genre.
The meaning of the line is that a cultivator's greatness doesn't come from being born special. It comes from their wisdom in using tools, artifacts, formations, pills, and other external aids to overcome their limitations and amplify their power. ☜