Great Xuan, Jiangnan, Hanguang City.
Recently, something peculiar had happened in this fabulously wealthy city.
An extraordinary individual known as the Divine Oracle had traveled through the region, setting up a stall to tell fortunes.
He only told three fortunes per day and charged no fees, choosing instead whom he would read for.
At first, the city's residents believed this Divine Oracle was nothing more than a fraud with an empty gimmick. After all, the accuracy of his predictions was inconsistent—sometimes right, sometimes wrong.
But as time passed, the success rate of the Divine Oracle's predictions grew higher and higher.
Whether it was the location of lost items, the whereabouts of missing children, matters of marriage, or the gender of an unborn child, his predictions were flawless.
Gradually, the reputation of this Divine Oracle began to spread.
In Hanguang City, regardless of age or gender, people regarded him with a mixture of awe and respect.
On this day, a noble arrived in Hanguang City for leisure. Upon hearing of the Divine Oracle, he grew intrigued.
Disguising himself in plain clothes and accompanied only by a trusted aide, he made his way to the Divine Oracle's stall.
There, he found the Divine Oracle reclining on a long chair, eyes closed as if dozing.
"Esteemed Daoist, are you already done with fortune-telling for today?" the nobleman asked, having already inquired about the rules beforehand.
Without even opening his eyes, the fortune-teller lazily replied, "You're asking what you already know. If I was done telling fortunes, I would have packed up and gone home. Would I still be here?"
The nobleman felt somewhat embarrassed by the retort.
The aide, however, was incensed at his master's humiliation. Ignoring the Divine Oracle's fearsome reputation, he moved to smash the stall.
The nobleman raised a hand to stop him and said, "In that case, I humbly request the Daoist to tell my fortune."
Still without opening his eyes, the Divine Oracle replied, "I already foresaw that the two of you would come and prepared your fortunes in advance.
"There is a slip of paper in the small wooden box at the upper left corner of the stall. You need only read it."
The aide sneered in disdain, muttering, "Just a charlatan using deception and trickery!"
The nobleman, however, wore a grave expression and thanked the Divine Oracle.
He then opened the wooden box, retrieved the slip of paper, and slowly unrolled it.
The moment he saw the writing, his face turned deathly pale.
Shock, fear, and elation warred within him. His hand went limp, and the slip fell to the ground.
Abandoning all decorum, the nobleman hastily crouched down to retrieve it. He clutched it tightly in his palm, terrified that someone else might see it.
His body trembled with excitement as he silently repeated the lines written on the slip:
Lie low for nine years, await the opportune moment. When your brother falls, the throne will be yours to ascend.
Seeing his master so unsettled, the aide grew puzzled. Since the tragedy of that day, few things had been able to ruffle this man's composure. Could it be that this Divine Oracle truly possessed some extraordinary ability? He wondered what exactly was written on that slip of paper.
The nobleman paid no heed to his subordinate's thoughts.
Taking a deep breath to calm his agitation, he prepared to offer the Divine Oracle a formal bow of respect.
Yet, to his astonishment, he discovered that the Divine Oracle, who had been there just moments before, had vanished without a trace!
Both the nobleman and his aide were horrified. Could there truly be ghosts and deities in this world?
Heavy with thought and disheartened, the two returned to their lodgings and retired to their respective rooms.
To his surprise, the aide discovered a slip of paper in his pocket, one that hadn't been there before.
Curious, he unfolded it. Upon reading the words, his expression grew blank with confusion.
Written upon it was the line:
Generals secure the peace, yet are not permitted to see that peace.
The aide silently repeated the line, then instinctively tore the slip to shreds and swallowed it.
***
High above Hanguang City, a faint, enigmatic smile touched Li Fan’s lips as he observed the aide's reaction.
Before, I attained enlightenment after listening to your dying words, and successfully established my Dao Foundation with Return to Truth.
Today, by telling your fortune, I have repaid the debt.
I hope you will have a different fate in this life.
The two people whose fortunes were told today were naturally the Prince of Langya and the Grand General Zhenwei, who would later lead troops to quell the rebellion.
Li Fan, having taken on the identity of the Divine Oracle, had wandered the land, contemplating the path of prognostication.
After settling in Hanguang City, his deduction skills improved day by day.
By chance, he encountered these two acquaintances, the Prince of Langya and his aide, and on a sudden whim, today's events unfolded.
Acting on impulse, he settled a karmic debt.
With his thoughts clear and his heart at ease, Li Fan felt pleased.
He no longer lingered in this place and returned to Jieli Mountain.
Scenes from this period flashed through his mind, and Li Fan gained his own understanding of the so-called art of deduction.
In Hanguang City, my divine sense enveloped every person, object, and event within the city walls.
With the terrifying computational power of the Dao Transformation Stone, I could observe every detail, no matter how small.
Speaking solely of matters within the city, with all causes present, I could predict outcomes with eighty to ninety percent accuracy.
But the world holds more than just this single city. Hanguang City lies at the confluence of canals, with developed water transportation routes.
Merchants come and go in an endless stream; the number of people entering and leaving daily exceeds tens of thousands.
These are so-called variable factors.
The more variables there are, the lower the accuracy of my calculations.
Aside from external influences, the unfathomable nature of the human heart is also a variable.
As the number of people and the scope of the city expand, the variables that need to be processed multiply.
At this point, relying solely on pure computational power for prediction yields diminishing returns.
Support from prediction techniques is still necessary.
Though he understood this principle, Li Fan had no intention of deliberately seeking out a prediction technique.
To put it plainly, Li Fan was simply dipping his toes into the path of prognostication to pass the time while waiting for Return to Truth to finish charging.
He would let things take their natural course, without forcing it.
The most important matter was still the advancement of his cultivation realm.
Li Fan secretly set a personal goal: in this life, he must break through to the Golden Core realm!
***
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was nearly Anchor Year 9.
With Return to Truth about to finish charging. Li Fan went to Yi Xing's tomb once more and collected the Divine Lock Treasure Box.
Afterward, he did not forget to fuse the bound Halt Stele Fragment with the one in Qian Hong's tomb and take it with him.
Then, as usual, he swept through the area, filling the Taiyan Boat to capacity.
With all preparations complete, Li Fan passed through the Immortal-Severing Grand Array and returned to the cultivation world.
Reflecting on the schemes and plans of his previous life, Li Fan felt that there were no major issues before his encounter with the Heavenly Physician.
In this life, his starting point in cultivation was the same as in the last, with no better entry points available.
Considering that changing his actions might lead to unexpected variables, Li Fan decided to take the same course of action as his previous life:
Slay the giant Liuli Fish, obtain the Exquisite Liuli Pearl, and spark the Spirit Mist Grass incident.
Then, through He Zhenghao, join the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Complete the Blueblood Coral mission, using the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit as bait to befriend Chen Ying of the Medicine Hall.
Kill Sikong Yi and obtain the Heaven-Swapping Token.
Intimidate He Zhenghao into suspending his smuggling operations.
Take out a loan for Spirit Mist Grass at the Azure Wind Hall.
Join the Myriad Immortals Alliance and, with the aid of the Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart, successfully pass the Heart-Questioning Platform trial.
Complete merit missions to raise his permission level.
Profit immensely during the Spirit Mist Grass turmoil with little initial capital.
Reveal that Zhou Qing'ang is a spy, and coerce He Zhenghao into signing an employment contract.
Re-learn the Mountain-Sitting Art and purchase a vanguard realm.
Visit the Li World, leaving Ye Feipeng, Xiao Heng, and the others stranded on a deserted island once more.
Commission Jiao Xiuyuan to excavate the Mini Medicine King Cauldrons...
It took only a year or two to retrace the steps of his previous life, and Li Fan was a patient man.
However, drawing upon the experience of his past life, Li Fan made slight adjustments to the way he handled several matters.
First, during the Spirit Mist Grass turmoil, he knew the exact moment the Tianxuan Mirror would issue its announcement.
But to avoid suspicion, Li Fan cautiously sold off all 2900 stalks of Spirit Mist Grass he held in batches as the price rose from 320 points to 350 points.
In total, he earned 980,000 contribution points.
Second, when refining his avatar, Li Fan used a Curio of heaven and earth purchased from the Tianxuan Mirror.
The avatar's cultivation instantly rose to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm.
After that, from purchasing the Bone Vanguard Realm to pretending to be a skull to deceive Xiao Heng and the others, all these tasks were handled by the avatar.
He emphasized the might of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, urging Xiao Heng to prioritize his cultivation progress above all else.
He only needed to act like an ordinary rogue cultivator who had stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter.
Furthermore, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Li Fan chose not to purchase techniques from the Tianxuan Mirror this time.
He imparted the Sea-Calming Sword Art to Xiao Heng and Treading Waves Across the Sea to Ye Feipeng.
It would still be some time before Su Xiaomei and Su Changyu could begin cultivating. As long as he could find unclaimed techniques before then, the problem would be solved.
His true self and avatar could each go to Qin Tang to extract some from the man. However, considering that he might need a large number of techniques in the future, Li Fan felt it necessary to find a stable technique-purchasing channel outside the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
After some thought, Li Fan's avatar contacted Jiao Xiuyuan.
Soon, the other party replied.
"Oh, you wish to purchase a Golden Core technique? Why not buy it from the Tianxuan Mirror? Could it be that you can’t find a suitable one?
"Heh, I don't deal in techniques myself. That's too big a business for me to handle. But if you truly have such a need, I do know of a place that might meet your requirements.
"Have you heard of the Wanfa Trade Association?"
Li Fan was momentarily stunned, as an extremely similar name surfaced in his mind.
"Is this Wanfa Trade Association related to the Wanhua Trade Association?" Li Fan asked.
"Indeed. Actually, the Wanhua Trade Association is the Wanfa Trade Association. It simply uses a different name for its business dealings with mortals," Jiao Xiuyuan replied.
"The Wanfa Trade Association..." Li Fan couldn't help but recall how, before Crimson Flame descended, the Wanhua Trade Association had received orders to evacuate the Congyun Sea.
This Wanfa Trade Association... they have some interesting connections.