Without explaining too much to Xiao Heng and simply telling him not to worry, Li Fan immediately made his way to the Tianbao Pavilion.
Yin Yuzhen was somewhat surprised by Li Fan’s sudden arrival. After hearing the reason for his visit, she explained the whole situation with visible anger.
It turned out that after months of inquiries, the various factions on Liuli Island had finally figured out that Starsea Driftsand was actually meteorite iron.
But by the time they tried to gather the meteorite iron, they discovered that all the Starsea Driftsand around Liuli Island’s waters had already been scooped up by the Tianbao Pavilion.
They also found out that the earlier chaos in Liuli Island’s market had been secretly orchestrated by the Tianbao Pavilion.
“The Tianbao Pavilion made fools of everyone!”
Humiliated and enraged, they took their grievances to the Liuli Island Master, demanding an explanation.
Yin Yuzhen, of course, righteously defended herself, arguing that her actions were all within the bounds of legitimate business competition.
The Island Master judged that while Yin Yuzhen’s methods were somewhat extreme, the competition for spots in the Body Purification Spirit Pool had always been a free-for-all. As long as the resources required by the Immortal Master were eventually collected, slightly unconventional means were acceptable.
So instead of punishing the Tianbao Pavilion, the Island Master reprimanded the troublemakers.
How could they possibly accept this?
A few days later, rumors that the Tianbao Pavilion was secretly involved in smuggling mortals began circulating on the island.
The rumors grew wilder and more exaggerated, suggesting that the Tianbao Pavilion would soon be condemned by the Immortal Master and wiped out entirely.
“So how serious is this matter? Will the Immortal Master truly punish us?” Li Fan asked after understanding the situation.
“That’s precisely what makes this so troublesome,” Yin Yuzhen frowned. “As the saying goes, ‘If the law is unknown, its terror cannot be gauged.’ There’s no explicit rule against helping mortals sneak through, but it’s still a taboo subject, something done in the shadows.
“Moreover, over a decade ago, an Immortal Master happened to witness a smuggling operation and slaughtered every mortal present in a fit of rage.
“Since then, everyone came to an unspoken understanding to conduct this business in secret.”
Li Fan’s brow furrowed as well. “So this matter could be trivial or catastrophic, depending entirely on the Immortal Master’s mood?”
“Exactly. If the Immortal Master doesn’t make an issue of it, then it’s nothing. But if the Immortal Master is in a foul mood, then...” Yin Yuzhen trailed off, her face paling slightly.
Li Fan fell silent.
He recalled his first encounter with Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. In the eyes of these cultivators, mortals were truly like ants—easily crushed without a second thought.
“To risk execution for the sake of this smuggling business, the profits must be enormous,” Li Fan sighed.
“Naturally. The cost of a single smuggling operation often requires nearly a decade of plundering from a minor world to cover. You can imagine the profits involved,” Yin Yuzhen nodded. “It’s precisely because of this that some Immortal Masters can’t resist joining in secretly to take a cut.”
“These Immortal Masters would never admit their involvement. When dealing with us, they use immortal techniques to conceal their appearances, making it impossible to see their faces. And in the end, they take the majority of the profits,” Yin Yuzhen added with a tone of resignation. “So this matter still falls to the Tianbao Pavilion.”
Li Fan recalled the Immortal Master who had received the group from the Li World when he first entered the cultivation world, and nodded.
“What about the Immortal Master stationed on Liuli Island? What is their temperament, and what stance have they taken on this matter?”
“Immortal Master He of Liuli Island keeps to himself; I’ve only seen him a handful of times. It’s hard to gauge his stance. But judging by how he’s handled mortal affairs in the past, he’s not a merciful man,” Yin Yuzhen said gravely.
Li Fan turned the situation over in his mind, then finally sighed. He knew that no amount of cunning could overcome an absolute disparity in power. Against an unstable element like this—a veritable time bomb—he was also at a loss.
Li Fan suddenly thought of the vast stores of Immortal-Mortal Miasma preserved within one of the Taiyan Boat’s holds.
If we were back in Great Xuan, with thousands of sacrificial soldiers at our command, perhaps we could fight back. What a pity...
He quickly suppressed the dangerous notion.
“Arrange a meeting. It’s best not to let this escalate,” Li Fan said.
“Agreed,” Yin Yuzhen replied.
“All they want is a share of the Starsea Driftsand. We got in first and gathered plenty. We’ll toss out a portion and let them fight over it like dogs. They’ll turn on each other soon enough.” Li Fan snorted coldly. “There’s no such thing as an unbreakable alliance in this world.”
***
Three days later, the Tianbao Pavilion met with the various powers on Liuli Island and presented the following terms:
First, the Tianbao Pavilion would agree to hand over a portion of the Starsea Driftsand, but in exchange for goods of equivalent value.
Second, how the Starsea Driftsand was to be divided would be left for the other parties to decide amongst themselves.
Finally, the Tianbao Pavilion must be guaranteed one spot in the Body Purification Spirit Pool.
The conditions were not particularly harsh, and after some discussion, the two sides quickly reached an agreement. After all, there was no deep-seated hatred between them; this was simply a struggle over spots in the Body Purification Spirit Pool.
Thus, at the cost of several dozen pieces of meteorite iron, the Tianbao Pavilion successfully extricated itself from the chaotic struggle.
Almost immediately, the rumors about smuggling vanished from the island. The other factions, now preoccupied with fighting over the meteorite iron, had no more attention to spare for the Tianbao Pavilion.
Time flowed on, and the day of the Body Purification Spirit Pool’s opening swiftly approached.
After tallying the contributions from each faction, the final list of those granted entry was settled. Thirteen spots were allotted for this opening, and the Tianbao Pavilion secured one of them.
With this major matter finally settled, Li Fan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
Once the spirit pool opened, he would be able to purge the miasma from his body and officially embark on the path of cultivation!
He had waited far too long for this day. Even someone as composed as Li Fan couldn’t help but feel a stirring of excitement.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 42/99
Psychological Age: 505/1299↑
Virtualization Charging Progress: 121%
Charging Progress of Next Anchor Point: 51％
Anchor Points In Use: 1
Bound Items: Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Taiyan Boat, Halt Stele Fragment (Damaged)
Li Fan looked at Return to Truth’s panel. After two years, the upper limit of his biological age had reached a ceiling of ninety-nine years and showed no further signs of increasing.
Meanwhile, his psychological age’s upper limit continued to rise slowly, thanks to his cultivation of the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra day and night.
What changes would occur after the spirit pool’s baptism? Li Fan felt a stir of anticipation.
The day of the spirit pool’s opening finally arrived.
Li Fan swallowed the Mundane-Leaving Pill given to him by Yin Yuzhen. Under the directions of a designated guide, he entered the array at the center of Liuli Island.