Li Fan just smiled in response, offering no further explanation.
Huangfu Song, however, had no intention of letting him off so easily. Even though the two had little actual interaction to date, that didn’t stop Huangfu from acting as if they were old friends, showering him with enthusiastic familiarity.
Li Fan gave sporadic, absent-minded replies.
As Huangfu Song continued to drone on endlessly, Li Fan finally interrupted him with a question. “Senior Huangfu, how often do you get to see Chief Lu?”
Huangfu Song was taken aback.
He answered somewhat awkwardly, “Chief Lu’s status is such that...”
Before he could finish, Li Fan said meaningfully, “In that case, a heaven-sent opportunity is right before you. Shouldn’t you seize the chance to make a good impression, Senior Huangfu?”
Huangfu Song blinked, then seemed to have an epiphany.
Overjoyed, he exclaimed, “You’re absolutely right, young friend! If I’m fortunate enough to catch Chief Lu’s eye, a meteoric rise could be within reach!”
“Heh, it’s fine to say that to me. But in front of others, it’s better to be cautious,” Li Fan reminded him again.
“Understood, understood,” Huangfu Song nodded hastily.
He then hurried off to find his “opportunity to shine.”
Finally, Li Fan had some peace.
The advance knowledge of Chief Lu’s movements had naturally come from Lu Xuejing’s covert tip-off.
But that was the extent of it. He hadn’t asked her to do anything more.
It wasn’t a sudden burst of kindness from Li Fan, but a deep understanding that in the presence of a top-tier powerhouse like Chief Lu, even the slightest anomaly in behavior could be detected.
Old Man Fisher’s methods were indeed profound, but whether they could evade the scrutiny of the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s peak combatants remained unknown. When his own safety was at stake, Li Fan had to be exceedingly cautious.
This could hardly be called a scheme. A Golden Core cultivator trying to plot against a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable was simply courting death. Li Fan was not foolish enough for that.
All he had done was create an opportunity for a “chance encounter” with Chief Lu.
As for what would happen after the meeting, it was as Li Fan had said earlier—success or failure depended entirely on fortune.
Ever since Dongfang learned that Chief Lu was coming to inspect the array, the working atmosphere within the entire Spirit-Transforming Ravine underwent an immediate shift.
From top to bottom, not a single idle person could be seen. Every cultivator moved with hurried steps and serious expressions.
Dongfang himself repeatedly inspected the completed sections of the array, terrified of any oversight.
The heavy atmosphere, as though they were preparing for war, made the various cultivators who had come with Huangfu Song as guests restless as well.
None of them were dullards. Seeing that even the usually somewhat lazy Huangfu Song was, unprecedentedly, bustling about, they immediately guessed that a major figure might be coming for an inspection. Thus, they volunteered to help.
The lean man named Dongfang naturally didn’t refuse this unexpected batch of elite assistance.
Within the Spirit-Transforming Ravine, even cultivators found it difficult to move a single step without special countermeasures.
To this end, Dongfang urgently requisitioned a batch of Life Spirit Pearls so that Li Fan and the others could move about freely.
“Senior Dongfang Yao has allocated these to you.” The speaker was a clear-eyed, handsome boy of seven or eight, dressed in black and white Daoist robes.
He pulled a white jade vial from his robes, from which he took out several multicolored orbs and distributed them to everyone.
"Swallow it and place it in your dantian. Then you will be able to sense the flow of spiritual qi once more." Though the boy appeared extremely young, he explained the usage and precautions for the Life Spirit Pearls with practiced ease.
Li Fan took the seven-colored Life Spirit Pearl from him and observed it for a moment in his hand. Yet he couldn't discern anything special about it.
He swallowed it in one gulp.
The orb entered his stomach, and streams of multicolored light surged from it, spreading throughout his entire body. Like a medicinal catalyst, it stirred the dead spiritual qi within him.
The spiritual qi that had been suppressed by the Spirit-Transforming Ravine instantly regained its vitality.
Though still far from the full functioning capacity it would have in the outside world, it was just sufficient to keep up with the spiritual power needed for daily tasks.
It's less like the suppression has been lifted, and more like a catalyst that has increased the reactivity of the spiritual qi, thus partially offsetting the deadening effect of the Spirit-Transforming Ravine.
If that's the case, if one took this Life Spirit Pearl in a normal region outside, wouldn't it...
Li Fan contemplated, sensing the foreign spiritual qi tinged with variegated colors now circulating within him.
As he was pondering this, he heard the boy before him speak again: "The effects of the Life Spirit Pearl last for thirty days. Do pay close attention to the timing.
"There have been cases of cultivators becoming too engrossed in their work, forgetting the time limit. When the effects expired, their spiritual power vanished completely, and they fell from the sky to their deaths.
"If you wish to stop using it midway, you can circulate your spiritual power and expel the orb from your body."
Upon hearing this, the assembled cultivators all nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing. Before leaving this Spirit-Transforming Ravine, either wait for the Life Spirit Pearl's effects to fade completely, or directly expel it.
"Don't forget. Otherwise, you risk spiritual qi detonating within your body. Of course, if you have a physique as formidable as Elder Dongfang Yao's and are unafraid of spiritual qi eruption, then feel free to disregard what I said."
The boy had covered every detail, saying all that needed to be said.
He bowed to the group, then, before everyone's eyes, transformed into a single-legged white bird. With a flap of his wings, he flew away.
Aided by the Life Spirit Pearls, the group, now restored to vigor, immediately threw themselves into supporting the construction of the array.
They were familiar with the work and quickly adapted to the environment of the Spirit-Transforming Ravine.
A full day passed.
While conducting a calibration check on an array unit, Li Fan suddenly sensed something. He stopped his work and looked up.
There, a rainbow light streaked across the sky, cleaving through the dark crimson of the Searing Wastes of Ten Thousand Li and heading straight down towards the Spirit-Transforming Ravine below.
The placid green river seemed to sense something. Waves rose without wind, churning nonstop.
The suppressive force abruptly intensified by another level. The cultivators, who had only been able to move freely thanks to the Life Spirit Pearls, were all caught off guard.
Their spiritual power destabilized, nearly causing them to plummet from the air.
At that moment, Li Fan saw countless transparent patterns emanating from the rainbow light.
They expanded outward like a colossal curtain blotting out the sky, enveloping the entire Spirit-Transforming Ravine in an instant.
An array? Li Fan looked up, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
The patterns flickered, and in a flash, a grand array took form.
The churning, green river seemed to be pressed down by a tremendous weight. Not only did it instantly grow calm, but the entire water level subtly sank by a noticeable degree.
The oppressive effect of the Spirit-Transforming Ravine seemed to vanish in an instant.
A wave of relief washed over the cultivators within the array.
Flanked by over a dozen black-robed cultivators, Lu Xichan, clad in pristine white, descended while riding a beam of rainbow light.
She landed before the assembled group.
"Greetings, Chief!"
Dongfang Yao and Huangfu Song hurried forward to meet her and offered respectful bows.
Lu Xichan's gaze swept over them, her expression frosty.
"Proceed," she said. "Take me to see the current progress on the array's construction."