Why have they called me back again? Could the situation have changed? Li Fan thought with some puzzlement as he returned to Tianyu City.
After some consideration, he did not head directly for the Cosmos Branch Academy. Instead, Li Fan first went to the Tianxuan Mirror in Tianyu City.
Back in his private space within the Tianxuan Mirror, his avatar, stationed far away in the Congyun Sea, set aside its cultivation of the Creation Forge Technique and turned to searching for Curios of heaven and earth that could sharpen one's sensitivity and affinity with souls.
Information on various items appeared one after another.
Li Fan browsed through them and selected a high-grade Curio of Man: the Wraith Hairpin. He then sent it into the Bone Vanguard Realm.
His true self immediately initiated the ritual, absorbing the Curio within the vanguard realm.
Within his dantian, Return to Truth slowly transformed, finally taking on the forms of the Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart and Wraith Hairpin.
Only after completing all this and returning to reality did Li Fan finally make his way to the Cosmos Branch Academy.
The transformation of Return to Truth into the Wraith Hairpin was, of course, Li Fan's attempt to increase his chances of identifying Soul Contracts.
The reason he hadn't done this earlier during the closed training was still due to considerations for his own safety.
It was entirely possible that the Cosmos Branch Academy was under someone's surveillance at all times.
His original performance had been average. If his results started improving right after redeeming a Curio, the stark contrast before and after would likely draw attention. There was no need to take that risk.
Outside the Branch Academy, within the Tianxuan Mirror, there were far fewer concerns. At the very least, from the current situation, the Tianxuan Mirror was still temporarily trustworthy.
When Li Fan entered the Cosmos Branch Academy again, he didn’t have to undergo the array tests, instead appearing directly before Ji Hongdao.
"Greetings, Senior!" Li Fan bowed.
"Hmm, so quick?" Ji Hongdao seemed surprised. "Good, that saves us from further complications."
He sighed, his expression seeming somewhat weary.
"Senior, may I ask what has happened?" Li Fan inquired.
"Ah, it's a long story." Ji Hongdao distributed a Cosmic Token to Li Fan for the second time. While leading him to see Huangfu Song, he explained the reason for the sudden summons.
"What? Tantai Tao and over a dozen others went out together for leisure, encountered an accident, and... died?' Li Fan was sure he'd misheard. He stared blankly at Ji Hongdao.
It was no wonder Li Fan was so shocked, for it was simply too absurd.
Tantai Tao was the most outstanding among all the trainees in the Cosmos Branch Academy. As early as the first assessment, he had received two A+ evaluations. On top of that, his Soul Contract identification rate had reached a staggering one hundred percent.
Anyone with eyes could see that such a person was destined for extraordinary achievements in the future.
Inevitably, some cultivators intentionally sought to converse with and befriend him during training breaks.
On the surface, Tantai Tao was polite and courteous to everyone.
In reality, his standards were extremely high; he was only willing to befriend those who also ranked at the top of the assessments.
Thus, over the course of nearly half a year, a small clique gradually formed around Tantai Tao. It consisted of over a dozen members, all possessing exceptional talent in the array path.
Their cultivation levels were also formidable, the weakest among them being Golden Core cultivators.
Tantai Tao himself, despite his youth, had already reached the Nascent Soul realm.
To call these people Heaven's Chosen would be entirely fitting.
Yet, it was precisely such a group that met with an accident and died in Tianyu Province, the heartland of the Myriad Immortals Alliance?
Seeing Li Fan's expression, Ji Hongdao's voice was also full of regret. “Tantai Tao and the others said they’d been cooped up for half a year and wanted to take the opportunity before the second phase of closed training began to go out, relax, and clear their minds.
“The group was quite capable to begin with, and each of them possessed protective measures gifted by their elders. On top of that, this is Tianyu Province. There shouldn’t have been any real danger.
“I thought about it and agreed. Who could have imagined...
“Haiz, a single moment of poor judgment! A single moment!”
Ji Hongdao sighed repeatedly.
“With over a dozen people dying all of a sudden, the slots for the second phase were vacated.
“Thus, to avoid wasting all our preparations, we had no choice but to extend invitations down the list according to the results of the first assessment, selecting replacement members.
“That’s also the reason you were summoned back in such a hurry.”
Li Fan didn’t feel that being a replacement was anything shameful.
Compared to those talented cultivators who had died so mysteriously, his own fortune was far better.
After hesitating a moment, Li Fan couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Ji, do you know what sort of accident...”
Ji Hongdao waved a hand, cutting off Li Fan’s question. “This matter has serious implications. Knowing too much would only bring you harm.”
Li Fan nodded and fell silent.
Not long after, Li Fan saw Huangfu Song again.
The man looked at him, a smile playing on his lips. “Well, kid, my intuition was pretty accurate, wasn’t it? I said we’d meet again soon, and here you are.”
“Your foresight is formidable, Senior!” Li Fan cupped his hands in salute. “Could it be that the incident involving Tantai Tao and the others was...”
Before Li Fan could finish, Huangfu Song’s expression shifted abruptly.
He slapped Li Fan on the shoulder, simultaneously removing the memory seal and cutting off his words.
“Kid, you can’t just say things like that.” Huangfu Song looked at Li Fan with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, his gaze unfriendly.
“You babbling nonsense is one thing, but if someone overheard and took it seriously...
“Every one of those youngsters has powerful connections. Their influence is immense. Even Guan Xingxiu has been suspended. I certainly couldn’t withstand the fallout.”
Ji Hongdao cut in impatiently, “Both of you, enough.”
With that, the conversation between the two effectively ended.
Ji Hongdao’s status was clearly above Huangfu Song’s. At his words, Huangfu Song indeed fell silent.
He then instructed Li Fan, “You should return to the courtyard and wait for now. Another Soul-Gathering Pearl has been prepared for you within the Cosmic Token. Don’t slack off during this time; focus on contemplating it.”
“Thank you for the trouble, Senior.” Li Fan voiced his thanks.
Ji Hongdao waved him off, and Li Fan returned once more to the familiar courtyard, though it was hard to say whether it was the exact same one he had stayed in before.
Guan Xingxiu.
Recalling Huangfu Song’s earlier words, Li Fan’s mind stirred, and he began searching for information on Guan Xingxiu.
Commander of the Tianyu Province Garrison Command...
One of the candidates for the next Chief Commander of the Garrison Command.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking it over.
This so-called accident was likely just a convenient story. No matter how one looked at it, the whole affair reeked of conspiracy.
Heavenly Venerable Jicheng is stepping down as the Chief Commander of the Garrison Command.
The struggle for that position must have reached a fever pitch.
At such a critical moment, a major case erupts right in the jurisdiction of Guan Xingxiu, a strong contender for the role. It gets him suspended...
It seems some people have grown utterly ruthless in their desire for the Chief Commander's seat.
Hmm... wait.
This framing is too crude, too obvious at a glance. So, it could also be a 'Self-Injury Stratagem' orchestrated by Guan Xingxiu himself. [1]
First, withdraw from the eye of the storm and fade from view. Then, strike where least expected, achieving victory through surprise.
Of course, it's also possible the opponent is banking on that very line of thinking, brazenly planting evidence in plain sight.
Whatever the truth may be, so-called geniuses like Tantai Tao are simply crushed to death with ease before the true powers of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, just tools for attacking political rivals.
What does supreme talent matter in the end?
Once you're dead, it all turns to dust.
Li Fan sighed inwardly. He retrieved the golden Soul-Gathering Pearl and, with practiced ease, drew forth a soul.
1. One of the most famous of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The core of the stratagem is deliberately injuring oneself or appearing as a victim to win the enemy's trust, lower their guard, and create an opportunity for a surprise attack. ☜