The two sisters had returned to their hometown, settled old scores, and vented the resentment they'd carried for years. They were just about to head back to the desolate island when they stumbled upon Zhao Erbao, whose movements struck them as suspiciously furtive.
Yin Yuzhen keenly felt a strange premonition that this man was connected to something significant.
Having both reached the Foundation Establishment realm, the sisters were far from the helpless mortals they'd once been. They decided to tail him.
They tracked him back to his lair, caught him off guard, and subdued him. Then the interrogation began.
Zhao Erbao held out at first, insisting he was nobody, just an ordinary cultivator who knew nothing. But the sisters had their methods, and it wasn't long before he was in tears, calling for his parents and spilling everything.
***
"Sea-overturning palm strike? Dao resonance antiques?"
A strange light flickered in Xiao Heng's eyes.
If Zhao Erbao wasn't lying, this was a genuine windfall. But Senior White Bone's warning hung over them. There was no time to linger.
"How many more are needed?" Xiao Heng asked, his voice cool, the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator quietly bearing down.
Zhao Erbao broke into a cold sweat. "Just over a hundred," he blurted. "A hundred more, and the combined Dao resonance should be enough to comprehend it."
Xiao Heng considered briefly, then made up his mind. "I'll call Changyu and the others to help. We collect what we need as fast as possible, and the moment we have enough, we leave the Congyun Sea."
The Yin sisters both froze.
"Leave the Congyun Sea?"
Xiao Heng told them about Senior Skull's warning. Their expressions shifted, and they nodded.
Three months later, a flying boat loaded with Dao resonance antiques carried the group out of the Congyun Sea, setting course for Shilin Province.
***
At that same moment, on Myriad Immortals Island, where Li Fan's avatar resided...
"Fellow Daoist Lin Fan? Fellow Daoist Lin Fan?"
The communication spirit talisman, which had been quiet for some time, suddenly came to life.
The avatar stirred from cultivation, glanced at it, and the faintest smile touched the corner of its mouth.
"Is Fellow Daoist Lin Fan there? I've received word that changes may soon occur in the Congyun Sea. If you're still there, I'd strongly suggest leaving soon.
"Sales of the Mini Medicine King Cauldrons have been steady these past few years. Most of them are gone now.
"There have been some subtle clues about where the meteor landed; it seems to be somewhere within the Cangwu Abyss. A few cultivators have already gone to look. The Cangwu Abyss is bottomless, so it'll probably be a few more years before anyone turns anything up.
"Still, I plan to move faster on the remaining sales. Once the meteor's true nature becomes public, the bubble we built together will burst. And when that happens, the Mini Cauldrons will be worthless..."
Jiao Xiuyuan went on for a while longer, then transferred another thirty thousand contribution points.
Over the years, he had stayed true to his word, faithfully passing along a cut of the profits for every Mini Cauldron sold. All told, he had sent Li Fan 260,000 contribution points. The avatar had converted all of it into standard spirit stones, tucked away within the Bone Vanguard Realm.
Fellow Daoist Jiao is a man of his word. Perhaps in another life, we'll do business again.
Li Fan sent a reply, stating that he was already aware, and grateful for the heads-up. A few more pleasantries, and the communication closed.
So it's finally coming . The avatar sighed inwardly, seizing the last moments to contemplate and deduce the Creation Forge Technique.
***
Anchor Year 28, Tianyu Province.
Having remedied his shortcomings, Li Fan had completed the second phase of his closed-door training.
His Soul Contract mark identification rate was one hundred percent, and he consistently ranked at the very top of the knowledge assessments on array structure.
Now, Li Fan stood among the foremost of the many brilliant talents on the array path. Cultivators sought him out in growing numbers, friend requests arriving one after another.
Li Fan did not put on an aloof act. He accepted them all with a smile, refusing none.
He also fully utilized the Dao Transformation Stone's multi-threading capability, simultaneously maintaining and deepening connections with all these new friends.
Gradually, an image of Li Fan as amiable, approachable, and refined began to take root in everyone's minds.
This was now a period of relaxation following the completion of the training phase.
Having learned from past experience, Ji Hongdao kept the trainees from leaving this time, confining their recuperation to the Cosmos Branch Academy.
It was during this rare stretch of ample free time that Li Fan's network of connections grew quickly.
After another month of recuperation, having adjusted both body and mind to their optimal state, the final training phase for the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array was about to commence.
Li Fan was eagerly anticipating it. According to Ji Hongdao, this last phase was likely connected to the Myriad Immortals Alliance's supreme treasure: the Tianxuan Mirror itself.
When the day arrived, Ji Hongdao gathered everyone together, his expression grave.
Shangguan Shi stood at his side.
"What you are about to witness is the manufacturing process of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array's hub device. You've probably already guessed—the reason this array bears the name 'Tianxuan Soul-Locking' is because the Tianxuan Mirror's function is, naturally, central to it.
“In fact, the core component of each hub device is a newborn mirror surface of the Tianxuan Mirror."
Even those who had braced themselves showed looks of shock.
Ji Hongdao paid their reactions no mind and continued. "Although the Tianxuan Mirror has countless avatars, these newborn mirror surfaces are not comparable to ordinary mirror objects.
“As is well known, the Tianxuan Mirror possesses its own sentience. For thousands of years, it has continuously changed and grown like a cultivator. The later a mirror creation comes into being, the more potent its efficacy.
"This particular batch of newborn mirror surfaces was produced just three years ago. They were originally planned for—" He paused. "Well. Suffice it to say their value can no longer be measured in contribution points or spirit stones.
"The opportunity to observe this production process was something our Strategy Array Hall fought hard to secure. You will each need to sign a new confidentiality contract."
Shangguan Shi, who had stood motionless until now, stirred. A light tap of his finger sent golden lights drifting down from above, one settling before each person present.
Without hesitation, everyone signed.
Only then did Ji Hongdao go on. "A newborn mirror surface serves as the core component of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array’s hub device, playing a central role in the array's command and control. To construct a functioning Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array, you must achieve one hundred percent compatibility between the array's structure and the newborn mirror surface.
"What you will see today are mirror surfaces in their most primal, purest form, before they are sealed within the core structures of the arrays.
“This opportunity is rare, and what you take from it will directly improve both your precision and your success rate when the time comes to build the array.
“Without this step, constructing a qualified Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array would be extraordinarily difficult."