It was like drinking a bowl of ice water on the hottest day of summer; Li Fan felt a profound sense of invigoration in both body and mind. At the same time, his soul was strengthening at a perceptible rate.
It really works!
Combining the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra together with the Sensing Life and Death method, truly produces a miraculous effect!
With his hypothesis proven correct, Li Fan felt a surge of elation.
This way, my soul will likely undergo fortification at a terrifying speed.
Just as Li Fan was about to redouble his efforts and attempt the Sensing Life and Death method again, the result deviated from his expectations.
Perhaps it was due to psychological adaptation after the initial, overwhelming shock.
This time, even as the Heavenly Physician's face nearly brushed against his own, not a shred of fear arose in Li Fan's heart.
In fact, thoughts like, "Fine, just end me. Get it over with," occasionally flickered through his mind.
If the heart knows no fear, how can death instill it?
Gaining a sliver of insight, Li Fan shook his head and ceased his cultivation.
So that's why Zhong Shentong became so cavalier about death. It seems it really is the influence of this Life-Death Profound Canon.
Still, despite its flaws, it would be a shame to abandon this method that pairs so well with the Heart Refinement Sutra.
After all, it is quite troublesome to complete each inverse refinement process.
Meanwhile, the feedback from operating this Sensing Life and Death method is almost instantaneous. And the two can be combined and operated simultaneously.
I'll wait for this period of adaptation to pass in this life, then try cultivating it once more to see the effect.
In the next life, perhaps I can use the Derivation Jade to complete the Life-Death Profound Canon.
For him, the drawbacks of a technique were never the real issue. As long as it had merits, he could make it his own.
Perhaps, once he had collected enough techniques, he could get the Derivation Jade to derive a technique that truly belonged to him alone—the real Heavenly Net Divine Technique in the truest sense.
***
Zhong Shentong’s unexpected arrival led the famously tireless Master Li to make the unusual choice of withdrawing into seclusion for several days.
No one among the cultivators of Outpost 01-11 objected. If anything, they eagerly wished Li Fan would rest even longer.
After all, if Li Fan truly worked himself to death on duty, the blame from others would likely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
But their hopes were doomed to be dashed. The moment Li Fan stepped out of his meditation chamber, he resumed construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array without the slightest pause. And once he began again, he did not stop for even an instant.
Soon, the outer framework of the array was secured and linked up. With the integration of the sections handled by Xue Mu and the other array masters, Li Fan took the initiative, volunteering to press ahead and begin constructing the inner structure toward the central core structure.
His all-out effort put Xue Mu and the others to shame. Left with no alternative, they followed behind and threw themselves into work with the same intensity.
And so time passed, until Anchor Year 35.
That day, as Li Fan focused on assembling one array unit, his hand suddenly shook. He botched the setup—something almost unheard of. The nearby cultivators watching over him stared in surprise.
Nothing like this had happened since they started working under him. Master Li was known for the speed and flawless accuracy of his work, and on the golden leaderboard, he had already risen to the top ten.
Many array masters had traveled great distances to observe him, only to leave with sighs and the feeling of being utterly outclassed. Could it be that years of relentless toil had finally broken his body? The cultivators exchanged glances, their faces etched with concern.
Yet moments later, the ripples of spiritual qi emanating from Li Fan’s body sent a wave of pleasant surprise through them.
"Master Li, has your cultivation advanced? Have you broken through?" He Chen couldn't help but ask.
Li Fan, calming the sudden surge of cultivation feedback within him, gave a slight nod.
Seeing Li Fan personally affirm it, He Chen and the others wore complex, inscrutable expressions.
Toiling in such harsh conditions for years, with almost no time for cultivation, his own lifespan nearing its end... with all these adverse factors stacked against him, Master Li had still managed a breakthrough? This completely overturned their understanding. Was this the legendary fortune of the virtuous?
Li Fan had no time to dwell on the thoughts of the cultivators around him. He was attempting to use Formless Killing Mechanism to check on the situation with Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo.
This massive surge of cultivation feedback that had dramatically accelerated his progress came precisely from those two, who had vanished into the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect nearly a decade ago.
For ten years, it was as if they had vanished from the world; there wasn’t the slightest bit of feedback. And now, a decade later, they reappear and deliver a huge surprise.
This was the single largest return on investment Li Fan had received since cultivating the Mountain-Sitting Art, far exceeding the feedback a Golden Core cultivator could provide.
Li Fan estimated that Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo had likely both stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.
Interesting. Even with their talent, progressing from the final-stage Foundation Establishment realm to the Nascent Soul realm in ten years is far too exaggerated.
Besides, where did they obtain their techniques and grotto-heavens? It seems their harvest within this Chaoyuan Sect was truly substantial.
Perhaps because he was deep within the White Mist, too far from Jiushan Province, he couldn't immediately sense any visuals from that location, even using the Spirit-Startling Array he had left with them.
Instead, the Bone Vanguard Realm, which had seen no visitors for a long time, unexpectedly welcomed a guest.
As the master of the Bone Vanguard Realm, Li Fan sensed the arrival immediately. He signaled for everyone to take a break, returned to Outpost 01-11, entered a secret chamber, and performed the ritual.
By the time he entered, the visitor's traces were already gone from the vanguard realm. However, judging by the residual aura, the visitor was undoubtedly Su Xiaomei.
Li Fan looked around and quickly noticed a pile of bizarrely shaped objects placed where “Senior Skull” was supposed to be dormant.
Recalling his previous instructions, Li Fan's heart gave a slight jump. He flew forward, grasped one of the objects, and examined it carefully.
[Discovered item convertible to charge.]
[Proceed with charging?]
The prompt appeared right on cue. After Li Fan made his choice, the anchor charging progress flickered slightly, ultimately remaining unchanged.
Curios of heaven and earth? Li Fan looked at this pile of tattered "junk" before him, his expression odd. And all of them are damaged Curios of heaven and earth, precipitated from the bodies of deceased cultivators.
As for the quantity... Li Fan counted them roughly, and his heart immediately began to pound.
Three thousand, seven hundred, and sixty-two pieces.
These were all obtained by Su Xiaomei from the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
Li Fan picked up another one, examining it closely. It didn't resemble a historical relic that had existed for a long time. Instead, it seemed as if it had just been extracted from the body of a recently deceased cultivator. It even carried a lingering trace of thick, coppery blood.
Techniques, grotto-heavens, and so many Curios of heaven and earth... Li Fan thought. Just what did Shuo Feng and Su Xiaomei encounter within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins?
Despite the myriad questions swirling in his mind, Li Fan did not delay the process of absorbing the Curios of heaven and earth.
After absorbing thirteen in a row, the charging progress bar of the next anchor point finally flickered, changing from 2% to 3%.