As the conversation between the two figures in the room reached Xu Ke's ears, it seemed to strike his young heart with immense force.
His eyes widened in shock, his lips parting, yet no words would come.
Li Fan was not exactly shocked by Sovereign Tapir Tertius's cold, decisive view of his own disciples as mere ants. What frustrated him was that the faint aura emanating from the white-bearded elder sent a tremor of primal fear through the Xuan Bird he was possessing, a shudder that came from the very depths of its soul.
In the presence of this naturally superior being, the Xuan Bird's thoughts seemed to freeze solid under the oppressive pressure. Its body trembled slightly as an instinctive reflex, utterly incapable of any other movement.
Through the memories inherited from the Xuan Bird's bloodline, Li Fan instantly understood just how exalted a being this "Sagacious Beast" before him was among exotic beasts.
In the Primeval Era, before the exotic beast race had grown powerful, Sovereign Tapir Tertius had already served as the clan's prophet. With his unparalleled wisdom, he had guided their advancement and development.
He was an eccentric. Though an exotic beast, he always preferred to take human form. Unlike many exotic beasts who shunned contact with humans, he was said to have wandered the human world for centuries, making many human friends.
He called upon exotic beasts to unite and sacrifice for the greater good, just like humans.
He even studied many human cultivation techniques and made improvements to the various cultivation methods of the different races at the time, greatly accelerating the cultivation speed of exotic beasts.
The fact that the exotic beast race expanded from remote corners of the world to all parts of the land was due in no small part to this Sovereign Tapir Tertius.
But that was all countless years ago.
And yet, the creature standing before him looked exactly as the one his Xuan Bird ancestors had once witnessed.
The Xuan Birds had reproduced generation after generation, but Sovereign Tapir Tertius remained the same Sovereign Tapir Tertius.
The Sagacious Beast was also the Beast of Eternal Life.
Because he had lived for so long, he possessed a wisdom far beyond the reach of ordinary beings.
It was just that Sovereign Tapir Tertius began making fewer and fewer public appearances a long time ago. Eventually, he vanished completely, his whereabouts unknown.
Who would have thought he had quietly come to the Beast Taming Sect, the organization most hated by exotic beasts?
And Sovereign Tapir Tertius’s status within the Beast Taming Sect appeared far from low; he could even be considered one of its leaders.
The white-bearded elder exchanged a few more words with Lu Ya, then turned his gaze toward the Xuan Bird possessed by Li Fan.
Giving a slight nod, Sovereign Tapir Tertius said with satisfaction, "Following this child is a fortunate thing for your Xuan Bird race as well. Perhaps your line will endure longer than the other branches.
"However, little one, why do you look so malnourished... Ah, it is because you were separated from your mother after birth, lacking nourishment."
Sovereign Tapir Tertius stroked his long beard and plucked a single strand of hair.
The white hair emitted a soft, glowing light, which he flicked with a finger, sending it into Li Fan's body.
The white light coursed through him, and wherever it passed, vibrant vitality burst forth. With every passing moment, he could feel himself growing stronger with an intensity several times greater than when drawing on the wisps of providence that drifted from Xu Ke.
It was so pleasurable that Li Fan nearly let out a chirp of delight.
After completing one circuit through his body, the white light did not dissipate. It just dimmed slightly and began another cycle.
Immersed in this gentle, warm vitality, Li Fan felt an incredible sense of mental ease and comfort. A wave of drowsiness washed over him.
Just before he sank into sleep, he heard Lu Ya's voice, tinged with surprise: "Senior, you are..."
Sovereign Tapir Tertius's gift was undoubtedly a great tonic for the Xuan Bird.
Because Li Fan's journey into the Fallen Immortal Realm, which should have lasted over three months, ended just like that, without any clear reason.
When he regained consciousness, he was already back in the Tianxuan Mirror of the real world.
Although this trip was extremely short and yielded no tangible gains, Li Fan had at least learned one thing: the next time he entered, the "serial drama" would likely resume from the point after he fell unconscious.
With such a long setup, the final payoff shouldn't be too shabby.
Moreover, Li Fan was intensely curious about the exact nature of Mister Bai’s task. He also wondered about the ultimate fates of Lu Ya, Xu Ke, and Sovereign Tapir Tertius.
He replayed his entire experience in the Fallen Immortal Realm once more in his mind.
After some contemplation, and seeing that Ji Hongdao still hadn't summoned him, Li Fan once again immersed himself in cultivation.
Two months later, just as he broke through to the Foundation Establishment level of the Arcana True Spirit Transformation technique, a message finally arrived from Ji Hongdao.
It was concise, without a single wasted word.
"Meet me in the Cosmos Branch Academy within seven days."
Li Fan did not depart immediately. Instead, he first contacted Xue Mu.
"Fellow Daoist Xue, where are you now? Have you received Master Ji's summons?"
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xue Mu replied, "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, I am currently in Tianchen. Recently, there have been rumors that Old Man Fisher has been lingering here, and he seems to be interested in more things than before. Three lucky individuals have already successfully obtained benefits from him. I thought I'd come and try my luck too.
"Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side this time. By the time I arrived, he was already gone. I was planning to look around a bit more when I received Master Ji's message."
Li Fan replied, "Opportunities like that cannot be forced. This mission to construct the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays concerns both our futures. We cannot afford to delay. Fellow Daoist, you should hurry back. I'll wait for you in the city, and we can go together."
Xue Mu's voice came through, sounding both flattered and surprised. "Right, you're absolutely correct, Fellow Daoist. I'll return immediately."
In the heartlands of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, teleportation arrays were everywhere, making travel quite swift.
In just half a day, Xue Mu had returned to Tianyu City.
"Let's go," Li Fan said, nodding as he observed Xue Mu. The man looked somewhat travel-worn, but his essential qi and spirit were far stronger than before.
"My apologies for making you wait, Fellow Daoist," Xue Mu said, his face full of remorse.
"Not at all," Li Fan waved a hand dismissively, not minding in the slightest.
"Fellow Daoist, you only broke through to the Golden Core realm a year ago, but observing the aura around you, it seems you're not far from another breakthrough?" Li Fan studied Xue Mu for a moment, asking with some surprise.
Xue Mu nodded. "Your insight is sharp, Fellow Daoist. Strangely enough, I haven't been spending much time on cultivation recently. I’ve been mostly touring and visiting the wondrous natural sights in nearby provinces.
“Amidst the splendid, pulsating cadences of heaven and earth, my cultivation has progressed substantially without me even realizing it.
"Conversely, when I cultivate on my own now, the results aren't as good as I'd imagined."
He scratched his head sheepishly. "I don't really know what's going on."
Suddenly, he paused, speaking with a note of uncertainty. "Perhaps... the influence of that Mortal to Spirit Transformation Wall hasn't faded yet?"
"It's that miraculous? What did you see on that wall?" Li Fan asked, surprised by the answer.
As they chatted, they soon arrived at the Cosmos Branch Academy.
Stepping inside one after the other, they were met not by a succession of arrays this time, but instead found themselves directly within a small, pleasantly landscaped courtyard.
The yard was empty. Li Fan and Xue Mu found places to sit and resumed their previous conversation.