"Xu Ke!!"
Song Yang's voice drifted faintly from below, a mix of fury and despair.
Having just escaped death, Xu Ke looked back to ensure Song Yang wasn't in pursuit.
After a long while, seeing no sign of the other man, he finally let out a sigh of relief. "Little Qing, thank you!" he said with familiar ease to the Azure Luan Bird, casually stroking its neck as he spoke.
The Azure Luan Bird let out a soft, gentle cry in response.
As for Li Fan, the strain of consecutively activating two innate divine abilities had been immense. Coupled with the high-tension chase, his spirit had been stretched taut.
Now, with the sudden release of that tension, he immediately sank into a deep, heavy sleep. And as he slept, his allotted time within the Fallen Immortal Realm came to an end.
When his consciousness returned, he was already back in the cultivation world.
Reflecting on this rather anticlimactic journey to the Beast Taming Sect within the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan couldn't help but mutter in disbelief.
"...That’s it?"
Unlike when he possessed Li Chen of the Purple Firmament Sect, retaining his own sense of self and freedom of action, his starting point this time was pitifully pathetic: a hatchling newly born from an egg.
He'd been fundamentally incapable of doing much of anything, spending his days in a cycle of eating and drinking. No matter how rapid his growth over two months, the increase in his actual power was limited. The Foundation Establishment realm was already his ceiling.
In the cultivation world of that ancient era, that level of cultivation was practically the lowest of the low. Even if he wanted to accomplish something, he would be powerless.
Do I need to reveal my true form to act freely? Or perhaps...
Unlike the muddleheaded state he had been in while possessing the Xuan Bird, Li Fan could now quickly recall the past. He thought about how Ye Feipeng, who carried Kun-Peng essence blood within him, had cultivated the Creation Forge Technique to temper and activate his Kun-Peng bloodline.
Perhaps the method of using the Creation Forge Technique to mobilize the body’s hidden reserves has a unique effect on exotic beasts. It might be worth a try. Hmm... there's no rush. Let's see what changes the next time I enter.
Since traces of that mysterious Mister Bai had appeared in both Ningyuan City and the Beast Taming Sect, Li Fan deduced that the scenario within the Beast Taming Sect must also be like Ningyuan City. In other words, it was inescapable unless certain conditions were met, trapping him in some kind of cycle.
Whether this was true or not, there was no need to dwell on it now. He would find out the next time he entered.
He sensed that the cooldown period would end in about half a year. By then, his business in Tianyu Province should be concluded, and he would be heading to Tianyun Province.
However, Ji Hongdao might not let me leave so easily.
According to the original plan, after completing our training, the trainees from each province would return to their hometowns to oversee the construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array there.
But now that the Congyun Sea has vanished, I wonder what arrangements will be made for me.
And before I leave Tianyu Province, there's one more thing I must do.
Li Fan left his secluded cultivation chamber and went to the room housing the Tianxuan Mirror, searching for information related to the bounty offered by Heavenly Venerable Jicheng.
An opportunity to use the Derivation Jade was far too precious; he certainly didn’t want to miss it.
Nowadays, the prices of rare natural treasures that extended lifespans had skyrocketed. They were now priceless and unavailable on the open market, often requiring high-level techniques or special treasures to trade for them.
Rumors suggested that a cultivator had already discovered an Ambrosial Fruit within some ruins that was refined by ancient cultivators using eternalkind as a sacrifice. Apparently, it could extend one's life by five hundred years.
Until now, it had existed only in scattered references in ancient texts; no one thought a physical specimen could still be found today.
To avoid complications, this fortunate cultivator had already presented the Ambrosial Fruit to Heavenly Venerable Jicheng and now spent his days hiding within the Tianxuan Mirror's space, refusing to venture outside and simply waiting for the appointed time to claim his opportunity to utilize the Derivation Jade.
My Rebirth Longevity Fruit can extend one’s lifespan by three hundred years. I wonder if it can rank within the top three.
Originally, I was quite confident. However, the Xuanhuang World's history is long and profound, with far too many hidden treasures. With such a substantial reward offered, it's only normal for something even more valuable than a Rebirth Longevity Fruit to appear.
If it turns out to be insufficient when the results are announced, I can investigate the origins of the top three fruits and plan ahead for the next lifetime.
Still, preparations must be made in advance.
His previous avatar had been lost along with the Congyun Sea, buried by Ink Death. To be safe, Li Fan decided to create another avatar to claim the reward.
After all, the matter of Heavenly Venerable Jicheng's bounty had captured the attention of the masses, and stepping voluntarily into the spotlight was not Li Fan's way of navigating the world.
Anyway, once the avatar learned the technique, it meant his true self mastered it as well.
An avatar created through the Heaven-Swapping Art will be one cultivation stage lower than the true self.
In order to explain the Rebirth Longevity Fruit's origins, the avatar must at least be at the Golden Core realm, capable of entering the Fallen Immortal Realm. That means I need to reach the mid-stage Golden Core realm as quickly as possible.
Relying solely on my own cultivation to achieve this will be difficult. But the new crops haven't been planted yet... I can only hope Xiao Heng provides more feedback.
Su Xiaomei and the others have been missing within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins for some time now. During this period, it's as if they’ve vanished from the world, not providing me with a single bit of cultivation feedback.
Yet, through the faint connection of the Mountain-Sitting Art, I can sense that both Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo are still alive. When they emerge, they should bring me some pleasant surprises .
Not placing all his hopes on others, Li Fan resumed his cultivation after a brief rest.
Time flowed swiftly. Soon, the final assessments for the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array trainees ended.
Once the results were out, Ji Hongdao sent word for all trainees who had gone out to return to the Cosmos Branch Academy.
As everyone gathered once more, a palpable tension filled the air.
Ji Hongdao offered a slight smile. Instead of immediately announcing the results, he first introduced the previously mentioned reward for top performers in the assessment.
Producing a jade-crafted disc, he said, "This is the little trinket I've been coveting. Or rather, any array master who learns of its function would become utterly enamored with it.
“Why don't you guess what it does?"
Li Fan examined the jade disc in Ji Hongdao's hand closely, finding it somewhat familiar.
After a moment's thought, he quickly realized what it was.
This object bore a seventy percent resemblance to the Array Breaker Discs he had seen before.
The so-called Array Breaker Disc was an artifact capable of analyzing an array's structure without damaging it, thereby providing array masters with reference solutions for dismantling arrays.
Could this be an advanced version of an Array Breaker Disc? Li Fan couldn't help but think.
Clearly, he wasn't the only one with this idea. Many students fixed their gazes on the jade disc, their expressions excited.
"It seems you've already guessed it. I won’t keep you in suspense then,” Ji Hongdao said, stroking the jade disc with a touch of reverence.
“Its function is indeed somewhat similar to an Array Breaker Disc, but it is far more powerful. When it comes to Array Breaker Discs, a full set of 1080 pieces is required for them to function properly.
“Yet with this single, small jade disc, one can dismantle arrays several times faster than with an entire Array Breaker Disc set.
“That is because it is one of the newest secondary entities born from the Tianxuan Mirror. There are nine in total. We have named them Disassembler Discs.”