Since I can’t compete in terms of natural talent, I can either rely on fortuitous encounters or sheer effort.
A pity. I have put in the effort, but in this life, I’ve yet to stumble upon that fortuitous encounter.
As the last wisp of golden light within the Soul-Gathering Pearl dissipated into nothingness, Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh with such sentiment.
No unexpected developments occurred.
Another two months passed. While Li Fan couldn’t say he’d made no progress at all, his identification success rate had only improved from five in ten thousand to one in a thousand.
He still couldn’t perceive the difference between a normal soul and one bound by a Soul Contract, and was still just blindly guessing based on intuition.
This, of course, fell far short of the standard required of trainees.
It seems I can only try again next time. The only thing I’m somewhat reluctant to leave is this Cosmos Branch Academy, where I can activate the epiphanic state boost while they foot the bill.
Li Fan shook his head and focused on making the most of this final period of free cultivation.
Over ten days later, the monthly assessment arrived once more.
Most cultivators had already exhausted their supply of Soul-Gathering Pearls, so this test would also be the final trial determining who stayed and who left.
Li Fan’s performance was consistently stable. In the knowledge of array construction, he remained top-tier. In identifying Soul Contracts, he remained rock-bottom.
“Only those with an identification success rate above fifty percent will have the opportunity for further study.
“All who fail to meet the standard will be expelled from the Cosmos Branch Academy as of today. And their relevant superiors will be notified.”
Ji Hongdao swept his cold gaze over the young cultivators below. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly when they landed on Li Fan, but that was all. There was no way he would break the rules for the sake of this complete stranger.
Upon hearing this, nearly a hundred of the thousand-plus cultivators turned deathly pale, their faces as grim as if mourning their own parents. Thankfully, no undignified scenes of wailing or begging for another chance occurred.
Only Li Fan wore an expression of utter calm and detachment. An observer might even have mistaken him for someone who had passed the assessment.
With a sweep of his hand, Ji Hongdao enveloped the eliminated cultivators, Li Fan included, in a layer of white light.
Moments later, this group of over a hundred people appeared in a spacious, empty courtyard.
“Don’t lose heart over being eliminated. Return to where you came from. Continuing to contribute to the development of the Myriad Immortals Alliance is still a meaningful endeavor!” The speaker was a portly middle-aged cultivator with a conspicuously prominent goatee.
The plump cultivator wore a kindly smile as he patted each of the eliminated youths on the shoulder.
As he patted, he explained, “It’s not that the Alliance doesn’t trust you. It’s just that the confidentiality level of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array is rather high.”
With each pat, a flash of light enveloped the cultivator, and they vanished.
Alarm bells screamed in Li Fan’s mind. His first thought was that this portly cultivator was here to silence them permanently.
The man’s strength was unclear, but the young cultivators with Golden Core-level power could offer no resistance whatsoever before him.
Li Fan was obviously no match for him either.
Just as Li Fan prepared to silently recite the incantation for Return to Truth, the man continued, “Relax. This just seals the part of your memory containing knowledge of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array.
“Don’t look at me with such terror. I know what you’re all thinking. But this is Tianyu City, a crucial stronghold of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Who knows how many eyes are watching this place? How could we possibly do that sort of thing...”
The portly cultivator swiftly carried out his work while muttering to himself.
Hearing this, Li Fan, like the others, let out a sigh of relief.
Yet he didn’t fully trust the man’s words. He remained on guard, prepared to activate Return to Truth at any moment.
"May I know how I should address you, Senior?" When it was Li Fan's turn, he suddenly asked.
The fat cultivator was taken aback, his movements slowing for a beat.
"You're an interesting one. I have a feeling I'll run into you again someday," the fat cultivator said, giving Li Fan a once-over. "My name is Huangfu Song."
Even as he spoke, his movements didn't slow, and he swiftly slapped a palm onto Li Fan's body.
With a burst of light, Li Fan's vision swam, and he found himself in a different courtyard.
Ahead seemed to be the gate leading out of this place.
"Sign this confidentiality agreement, hand over your Cosmic Token, and you're free to leave. I suggest you don't rush to go back. It’s a rare chance for you to visit our Tianyu Province; it'd be a shame not to look around. I recommend the Dao Discourse Tower in the east of the city. Cultivators from all over choose to stay there; it's extremely lively. They even provide free spirit tea."
At the exit, a cultivator as thin as a bamboo pole stood guard, wearing a smile uglier than a grimace.
Whenever a cultivator approached him, he would pull out a golden contract and hand it over.
Only after the signing was complete and the Cosmic Token surrendered would he let them pass.
"Oh, by the way, have you heard of the wonder known as the Frozen Abyss Fire Lotus? I highly recommend you see that too."
As the thin cultivator sent off the dejected young cultivators who had completed the formalities, he recommended places worth visiting in Tianyu Province.
Soon, it was Li Fan's turn again.
Li Fan asked as usual, "How should I address you, Senior?"
"Shangguan Shi." The man replied simply, placing a glittering golden contract before Li Fan.
It seemed a bit more advanced than the standard Commercial Contract, but not as much as the Five Elders Council's Soul Contract.
Li Fan scanned the contract's contents at a glance.
It was a one-sided agreement with harsh terms. Any who divulged the secret would have their soul utterly destroyed.
It wasn't as if Li Fan could choose not to sign. Without hesitation, he wrote his name with a flourish.
A streak of golden light shot into his body. Shangguan Shi nodded. "You may go!"
Cupping his hands, Li Fan strode out of the Cosmos Branch Academy.
This is a little awkward. I'm afraid Zhang Zhiliang never imagined I'd be eliminated in the very first round.
There should still be over a year before Crimson Flame scorches the sea.
Going back is definitely not an option. I'll stick to the original plan: travel around Tianyu Province for a while and seek out Fellow Daoist He after his closed-door training ends.
As for Zhang Zhiliang, it’s unlikely that he’ll come looking for trouble... I doubt he would give up his chance at Dao Unity over such a minor matter.
Remembering the Dao Discourse Tower mentioned earlier by Shangguan Shi, and having nowhere else to go for the moment, Li Fan inquired about its location and headed straight there.
The Dao Discourse Tower wasn't just a single building; it was a sprawling complex of structures.
Not only did it cater for gatherings and dining, but it also had many small courtyards for lodging, similar to the Cosmos Branch Academy.
The main hall of the central tower was bustling with cultivators.
Most didn’t have high cultivation levels; there didn’t seem to be anyone possessing cultivation higher than the Nascent Soul realm.
He figured those at Spirit Transformation or above would likely opt for a private courtyard.
As he found an empty seat and sat down, a cup of spirit tea materialized on the table before him.
He took a sip. Immediately, the spiritual qi within him surged and churned, and a sensation of profound comfort washed over him.
After draining the cup, he placed it back on the table.
Spirit tea welled up from the bottom, refilling it to the brim.
This time, Li Fan didn't drink. Instead, he picked up a jade token on the table, carved with the word “Dao.”
Upon probing it with his divine sense, his mind was instantly flooded with images of various exquisitely presented dishes.
Nearly all of them boasted some sort of beneficial effect—slight improvements to constitution, or increasing the purity of one's internal spiritual qi.
Of course, the prices were equally extravagant. Almost every dish cost several hundred contribution points.
This Dao Discourse Tower would never survive in the Congyun Sea. Li Fan mused inwardly. An ordinary cultivator couldn't possibly afford this.
He casually ordered a few dishes to sample their effects.
While waiting, he pricked up his ears, listening to the conversations of the cultivators around him.
It wasn't much different from the chatter in mortal taverns, and topics ranged widely: A certain cultivator had broken through another cultivation stage; so-and-so was approaching their lifespan limit but still hadn't achieved a breakthrough, destined to die of old age with regrets; the Five Elders Council had been quiet for years, surely plotting some scheme in the shadows...
Li Fan didn't find it tedious as he listened to it all.
Before long, there was a flash of light, and the dishes he had ordered appeared on the table one after another, along with utensils.
Li Fan sampled each one, sensing the subtle changes within his body. He gave a slight nod of approval.
This Dao Discourse Tower is indeed famous for a reason.
Just then, a fresh wave of excited murmurs rippled through the already noisy hall.
A few key phrases drifted to his ears. Li Fan paused, then focused intently.
"Fellow Daoist Lv, you truly found a life-extending spirit fruit?"
"Shh, keep it down, keep it down. I gained a little something from my recent trip to the Subterranean Forest. The Tianxuan Mirror confirmed it—a Purple Spiritshell Fruit, capable of extending one's lifespan by one hundred and fifty years." Fellow Daoist Lv’s voice carried a note of pride.
"Sssk..."
"The Purple Spiritshell Fruit... I don't recall it being on the list provided by Immortal Venerable Jicheng, does that mean..."
"Fellow Daoist Lv has stumbled into quite the fortune!"
"A hundred and fifty years of extended life—that's an extraordinarily precious treasure. I wonder where it might place in the bounty rankings. If it's lucky enough to crack the top three..."
"That would mean the Derivation Jade..."
Their breathing grew noticeably quicker.
Li Fan listened, his expression shifting slightly.
He had no appetite for the rest of his meal. He secured a courtyard at the Dao Discourse Tower on the spot and moved in.
As expected, the courtyard came equipped with a Tianxuan Mirror.
A brief search was all it took. Li Fan soon had the full picture.
It turned out that ever since Immortal Venerable Jicheng had stepped down as Commander of the Garrison Command to focus on his recovery, his injuries had slowly improved. But the lifespan he had lost could not be reclaimed.
Like any cultivator drawing near the end of their natural lifespan, Immortal Venerable Jicheng had begun casting about for ways to extend his life. But after so many years at the height of power, he had already consumed virtually every longevity treasure of note, and none of them worked on him anymore.
So he had issued a bounty, open for three years, calling on the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance to seek out esoteric treasures that could still take effect. Anyone whose offering proved effective would be handsomely rewarded, and the more lifespan it added, the greater the prize.
But it was the special rewards for the top three that had set every cultivator's heart racing: a chance to use the Derivation Jade.
Powerful techniques were hard enough to come by. A technique tailored to one's own specific circumstances was rarer still. Technique weaver masters could provide this service, but their fees were exorbitant, their skill levels wildly uneven, and the techniques they produced were far from perfect. It was always a compromise, a second-best option.
What every cultivator truly dreamed of was using the Myriad Immortals Alliance's most prized treasure, the Derivation Jade, to derive a technique uniquely their own.
For most cultivators, this remained nothing more than a fantasy. The Derivation Jade was the very cornerstone of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Just how precious was it? Most people didn't even know what it looked like, let alone where it was kept.
Actually using it was beyond all but a handful of people in the world. Even cultivators at the Dao Unity realm couldn't necessarily claim that privilege.
Only someone like Immortal Venerable Jicheng, who had commanded the Garrison for nearly five hundred years, wielded immense authority, and accumulated vast merit through countless battles large and small, could conceivably put three uses of the Derivation Jade on the table.
"First place: the derivation of a Dao Unity technique. Second place: a Spirit Transformation technique. Third place: a Nascent Soul technique."
Li Fan read through the reward details. He had to admit, he was tempted. After all, he happened to possess a life-extending esoteric treasure of his own: the Rebirth Longevity Fruit, capable of extending life by three hundred years. And it was, conveniently, not among the treasures Jicheng had already tried.
The fruits weren't of much use to Li Fan himself. But trading them for Immortal Venerable Jicheng's reward was another matter entirely.
Even setting aside the appeal of a custom-tailored technique, simply laying eyes on the Alliance's foundational treasure, the Derivation Jade itself, struck Li Fan as worth the price of admission alone.
However, these Rebirth Longevity Fruits come from the Fallen Immortal Realm. Generally, only Golden Core realm cultivators can enter.
I'm still at the Foundation Establishment realm. Submitting them now would draw some unwanted attention.
Since the Immortal Venerable's bounty has been active for less than a year, I can wait until I break through to the Golden Core realm before submitting them. That way, I can explain their origin without fear.
Hmm... Dealing with a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable inevitably carries some risk. I need to consider this more carefully.
In the days that followed, Li Fan wandered the streets of Tianyu City, and at some point made the trip to the remarkable sight Shangguan Shi had mentioned, the Frozen Abyss Fire Lotus.
Deep within an icy chasm, countless lotuses made entirely of flame bloomed in silence.
It was undeniably beautiful, but Li Fan couldn't find anything particularly remarkable about it.
Word had it that some cultivators had gained insights here profound enough to push them a full cultivation stage forward. Apparently, his own comprehension still had a long way to go.
On the journey back from the Frozen Abyss, Li Fan suddenly received a message from Ji Hongdao via spirit talisman, ordering him to return to the Cosmos Branch Academy immediately.