The appearance of the avatar Xiao Fan was completely different from the nondescript, forgettable looks of the avatar Lin Fan.
When crafting him, Li Fan had deliberately shaped him to be eight chi tall, with sword-like eyebrows and star-bright eyes, fair-skinned and extraordinarily handsome.[1]
"The more attention-grabbing, the better. Go and claim Immortal Venerable Jicheng's bounty. Then, with everyone's eyes upon you, proceed to Yuandao Province.
"Let's see if that monster lurking over Yuandao Province truly is something no one can perceive."
The avatar Xiao Fan smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.
Transforming into a streak of blue light, he departed from the secret chamber.
Li Fan did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained in place for over a month, waiting until Anchor Year 29 before leisurely returning to Tianyu Province.
During this time, the avatar had been occupied with a single task: obtaining a legitimate identity within the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Once someone cultivated to the Golden Core realm, joining the Myriad Immortals Alliance was no longer as simple as getting a casual referral.
After all, the path of cultivation was arduous. For a rogue cultivator to reach Foundation Establishment was already a thousand hardships piled upon ten thousand difficulties. A rogue cultivator reaching Golden Core was truly an uncommon sight.
While it wasn't as stringent as joining the official system, which required facing the test of the White Jade Heart-Questioning Platform, some basic questions and a series of trial missions were still necessary.
Fortunately, Li Fan had already learned about the procedures in advance.
Though it took some effort, he ultimately succeeded in joining the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
He also incidentally made the acquaintance of Zhou Luo, the guardian of Juyu City in Tianyu Province.
Zhou Luo was a cultivator at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm. However, because the avatar Xiao Fan was a young rogue cultivator who had already reached the Golden Core realm, Zhou Luo treated him with a degree of courtesy.
After the two exchanged communication spirit talismans, the avatar took a teleportation array to get to Tianyu City. He then headed straight for Tianquan Province.
The location of Immortal Venerable Jicheng's bounty mission was there.
Tianquan had long been associated with power and authority.
Many cultivators holding important positions within the Myriad Immortals Alliance would acquire property and establish cave dwellings within this province.
Their relatives and subordinates often followed suit, settling nearby.
As a result, land in Tianquan was extraordinarily scarce and expensive; every inch worth its weight in gold.
Unlike other provinces with vast stretches of wilderness, here, looking out across the expanse of Tianquan, the open fields were all shrouded by one private defensive array after another, marking them as occupied residences.
And those who could live within Tianquan City itself were the elite among the elite.
The Heavenly Pinnacle Estate, Immortal Venerable Jicheng’s residence, was situated within Tianquan City.
Upon exiting the teleportation array, Li Fan's avatar made a few inquiries and quickly learned the Heavenly Pinnacle Estate's location.
Arriving at the gate, he found two cultivators clad in gray robes standing like sentinels on either side.
Judging by their cultivation, both were at the Nascent Soul realm.
Their expressions were stern, radiating an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
However, upon hearing that Li Fan was there to participate in the bounty mission and possessed an esoteric treasure for extending one’s lifespan, their demeanor instantly shifted to one of extreme enthusiasm.
A beam of mirror-light swept over the gate, confirming the avatar's identity.
One of the men promptly greeted him, "Fellow Daoist Xiao Fan, I presume? This way, please."
He then led Li Fan into the estate.
After several twists and turns, they arrived at a large hall.
It was already crowded with numerous cultivators, their collective gaze fixed upon a mirror hanging at the center of the hall.
Li Fan looked and saw line after line clearly displayed upon it, listing the cultivators' names alongside the lifespan-extending treasures they had presented.
From the murmurs of the cultivators, Li Fan learned the reason.
The bounty had caused too great a stir. While it had attracted countless cultivators to come bearing treasures, it had also stirred discontent among some.
They argued that the opportunity to use the Derivation Jade was a reward from the Myriad Immortals Alliance for Immortal Venerable Jicheng's immense contributions—a symbol of honor.
Yet now, to save his own life, Immortal Venerable Jicheng was choosing to transfer this honor to others. This was a desecration of the Alliance's glory!
Anyone with eyes could see that this rhetoric was pure provocation.
Immortal Venerable Jicheng had overseen the Garrison Command for over five centuries. While his position was lofty and powerful, it had inevitably earned him many enemies.
Now, gravely injured, having resigned as Chief Commander, and with his lifespan clearly waning, those enemies naturally seized the chance to stir up trouble.
For the sake of the greater good and the Myriad Immortals Alliance's reputation, things wouldn't escalate to open conflict. But they could certainly make things difficult for Immortal Venerable Jicheng, both openly and covertly.
Thus, a storm of rumors seemed to sprout overnight. All cloaked in righteous rhetoric, they condemned Immortal Venerable Jicheng.
The controversy grew so loud that rumors even began circulating outside, claiming Immortal Venerable Jicheng, buckling under pressure, had already secretly allocated the three Derivation Jade usage slots to the descendants of other Immortal Venerables to quell the unrest.
The cultivators offering their life-extending treasures, the rumors said, would just be toiling for others' benefit.
Though the rumors were transparently false, repetition lent them a veneer of truth. Many cultivators began to reconsider their participation.
It was then that Immortal Venerable Jicheng, who had remained silent throughout the affair, finally spoke. "The talk of pre-arranged slots is utterly baseless," he declared. "To ensure fairness and justice, and to earn your trust, the evaluation of the life-extending treasures will not involve personnel from the Heavenly Pinnacle Estate. Instead, the Tianxuan Mirror will publicly display the rankings to eliminate any possibility of underhanded dealings."
Hearing that the Tianxuan Mirror itself would appraise and rank the treasures, the assembled cultivators felt their anxieties ease. The Tianxuan Mirror... now that couldn't be faked.
Furthermore, Immortal Venerable Jicheng made a promise: even those cultivators whose offerings didn't make the top three would receive compensation from him at twice the market price.
With this personal pledge from the Immortal Venerable, cultivators began to flock back in greater numbers.
Now, the three-year deadline of the bounty was drawing to a close. Those who had submitted their treasures hadn't left. They remained in the hall, their eyes fixed on the rankings displayed on the Tianxuan Mirror.
Li Fan also looked at the list. The name of the top contributor was unclear, but the treasure's name was already widely known: the Five-Hundred-Year Ambrosial Fruit.
The second place, however, fell far behind. "Wan Yu, Qingmu Longevity Pill. Lifespan Extension: 286 years."
Seeing this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a wave of relief. To think my Rebirth Longevity Fruit would rank second. What luck.
He continued down the list, finding names of life-extending treasures he'd never heard of.
Immortal Venerable Jicheng has consumed too many life-extending treasures. Only these nearly one-of-a-kind, hard-to-replicate items would have any effect on him now.
Just as he was lost in these thoughts, another cultivator entered the hall.
He moved through the room as though it were empty, his gaze sweeping past the surrounding cultivators without pause, and strode directly to the central Tianxuan Mirror. He produced a purple wooden box and opened it slowly.
"I possess a single Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill, capable of extending one's lifespan by eight hundred years. I hereby offer it to Immortal Venerable Jicheng!"
His voice was soft, yet it fell upon the ears of those present like a thunderclap. They rose to their feet in shock, their eyes turning to scrutinize the newcomer.
Li Fan's gaze was also drawn to the man.
The Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill? From Yuandao Province?
Wait... this person... why does he look so familiar?
In that instant, Li Fan recognized him.
This was the cultivator who, at the end of Anchor Year 16, had won the grand prize in the Congyun Sea fish betting game, sweeping up a staggering 1,560,000 contribution points:
Han Yi.
1. 8 chi × 23.1 cm/chi ≈ 184.8 cm (about 6 feet 1 inch) ☜