Xue Mu took a scroll from his storage ring and passed it to Li Fan.
“This is a painting of what I saw, recreated from memory.
“I've revised it hundreds of times, and still, not even a ten-thousandth of its true spirit makes it onto the page.
“Yet whenever I quiet my thoughts and try to paint it again, it feels as though my body and soul are being washed clean. My gains each time are immense.
“I didn’t understand it before, but after speaking with you just now, Fellow Daoist, I suddenly realized something. The reason I’ve been advancing so quickly lately may be because I keep returning to that scene in my mind.”
His expression was utterly solemn.
A mortal achieving Spirit Transformation...
Curious, Li Fan accepted the scroll and unrolled it.
At once, it felt as if winds and clouds were shifting before his eyes.
A thin figure in white stood with his back to the viewer, looking up at the heavens.
Though tiny, he seemed to confront all of heaven and earth.
Above him, clouds surged and boiled, transforming into endless forms. Layer upon layer they stacked, pressing down like an overwhelming weight.
A fierce gale whirled through them, whipping the cloud banks like snow flung by the wind.
The white robes snapped violently, yet the frail figure did not move—unyielding beneath the sky’s crushing pressure.
Confronted by the might of heaven and earth, he showed no fear. Instead, his presence swelled with every heartbeat.
Then he stepped forward.
The white clouds shrank back, scattering in confusion.
He stepped again.
The clouds split apart, the wind fell silent, and the sky cleared into a pure, open blue.
In the next moment, extraordinary signs filled the world.
Countless golden beams broke forth, and flowers rained down miraculously.
All kinds of auspicious exotic beasts flew in from the horizon, crying out in delight.
On the ground, flowers bloomed everywhere, as if spring had arrived in an instant.
The slender figure seemed to release a soft, quiet laugh. Hands clasped behind his back, he took one more step.
With that step, he rose to the sky. Then, he blended into the vast celestial veil and disappeared.
Seeing Li Fan’s transfixed expression, Xue Mu said awkwardly, “My skills are limited. This rough piece must seem laughable to you, Fellow Daoist.
“What I saw was ten thousand times more spectacular than what I could paint. And even that was only a recording on a projection wall. One can only imagine how grand the real scene must have been.” He let out an emotional sigh.
“Your painting is extraordinary, Fellow Daoist Xue. It truly makes one feel as though they were present at the scene itself,” Li Fan replied courteously, though his gaze never left the scroll, fixed on the white-robed figure.
Inside, he could hardly believe it.
Even if this was a painting copied from a recording, and surely far from the real thing, the sensation it gave him felt strangely familiar.
Mister Bai?
Li Fan had crossed paths with that enigmatic powerhouse several times in the Fallen Immortal Realm. But like ships passing in the night, he had never seen more than a vague silhouette.
Precisely for that reason, he was able to recognize the figure in this painted imitation immediately.
At Mister Bai’s level, what mattered was not outward appearance but spirit and intent. Once someone had seen him, it was hard to mistake him for anyone else.
And Li Fan’s instincts had always been keen.
He was nearly certain that the Mortal to Spirit Transformation Wall in Tianyun Province had recorded the very moment the mortal Mister Bai broke through to the Spirit Transformation realm in a single step.
Li Fan suddenly recalled Xu Ke’s earlier account: after witnessing Mister Bai slaughter numerous exotic beasts, Xu Ke had sworn that Mister Bai had been a mortal not long before, and that Mister Bai had said so himself.
Now it seems Mister Bai might have been telling the truth. Before parting ways with Xu Ke, he really had been only a mortal.
And in a single instant of enlightenment, he became a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
Although he had long heard tales of a mortal achieving Spirit Transformation in an instant, legends were, after all, just legends.
Yet when the protagonist of such an anecdote was someone he personally knew, Li Fan found it somewhat difficult to accept for a moment.
What kind of talent must one have to achieve Spirit Transformation in a single day?
Recalling how his own arduous scheming across more than a hundred lifetimes had only brought him to the mid-stage Golden Core realm, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment.
Even if this had occurred in the ancient era, which emphasized the unity of heaven and man and allowed for sudden enlightenment, this still somewhat exceeded Li Fan's imagination.
Truly... the gap between people is simply too vast.
However, Li Fan's mind was resilient after all. After a moment, following a brief daze, he collected himself.
He shook his head inwardly, sighing with emotion for a while.
Yet deep down, he couldn’t help but yearn to go to the Mortal to Spirit Transformation Wall himself, to witness Mister Bai’s grandeur with his own eyes.
Simultaneously, his anticipation for his next trip to the Fallen Immortal Realm grew even stronger.
Taking a deep breath, Li Fan rolled up the painting and handed it back to Xue Mu.
"My thanks, Fellow Daoist. Viewing your masterpiece today has been greatly beneficial to me," Li Fan said earnestly.
Xue Mu grew slightly flustered. "I dare not accept such praise. It was only after your reminder back then that I went to see that Spirit Transformation Wall. If anything, I should be thanking you, Fellow Daoist."
“You two are so sickeningly polite it makes my teeth ache. Who knows if you actually mean it or if you're just putting on a show.” A rather sardonic voice cut in just as the two were busy deferring to each other.
Li Fan looked over and saw that the speaker was the fat Huangfu Song, whom he had previously met at the Cosmos Branch Academy.
Li Fan didn’t grow angry, instead responding with some surprise, "So it's Senior Huangfu Song. I’m amazed to see you still alive!
"Previously, I heard Master Ji say we needn't worry about another incident like the attack on Tantai Tao happening again. I thought you had already been... Your connections truly run deep, Senior Huangfu. As your junior, I admire you greatly." Li Fan said with a completely solemn face.
Seeing Li Fan bring up his previous slip of the tongue again, Huangfu Song's face instantly turned the color of liver. "Kid, why are you spouting nonsense again? The incident with Tantai Tao has absolutely nothing to do with me."
Li Fan quickly nodded, wearing an expression that said “I understand, I absolutely won't spread it.”
Huangfu Song nearly laughed in exasperation. "You, kid, your acting has truly reached a transcendent level. Who knows if you're pretending to be a fool or truly are one."
Xue Mu, meanwhile, looked at the two with some confusion, not understanding the riddles they were speaking in.
Right then, Ji Hongdao's voice abruptly sounded.
"Enough, Huangfu. What is a man your age doing, bickering with juniors? Hurry and bring them over. We're about to depart."
In terms of status, Ji Hongdao still held some authority over Huangfu Song.
Not daring to delay, Huangfu Song let out a cold snort and seized Li Fan and Xue Mu, one in each hand.
In a flicker of light and shadow, the three of them reappeared aboard a flying boat. Ji Hongdao was already waiting on the foredeck.
After setting them down, Li Fan and Xue Mu hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Ji Hongdao simply gave a slight nod. His gaze remained fixed on the distance ahead, as if observing something beyond sight.
"Master Ji, this flying boat...?" Li Fan ventured after a moment.
"The original plan was to take you to rendezvous with the other array masters from Tianyu Province’s Strategy Array Hall and proceed to the Hidden Dragon Grotto-Heaven for array construction," Ji Hongdao said, his tone somewhat casual.
"But I've just received new orders. I'm needed at the Roaring Abyss.
"There's been some trouble there, and they require additional hands. So I'm bringing you along."