If nothing goes wrong, the Medicine King Cauldron of the Cangwu Abyss should be manifesting soon.
I hope Su Xiaomei and the others can protect those four mini cauldrons, allowing me a chance to glimpse the secrets of the true Medicine King Cauldron.
Before leaving his courtyard in the Dao Discourse Tower, Li Fan checked his rank within the Tianxuan Mirror once more.
He remained firmly entrenched in second place, unshakable.
More than two years of frenzied point-grinding within the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens had opened a significant gap between him and third place.
Barring any major unforeseen events, this would likely be his final standing.
As for the top-ranked Guo Yezhong, thanks to his irrefutable and unique points-commission method, his lead over Li Fan was vast. At present, there seemed to be no hope of overtaking him.
Li Fan stared intently at Guo Yezhong's name.
The Disassembler Disc... Perhaps the Myriad Immortals Alliance never intended to give it away in the first place.
With a cold snort, Li Fan closed the ranking and checked the messages he'd received over the years.
Having been residing in various secret realms, his communication spirit talismans had been unable to connect to the world outside. Most messages had been sent to his Tianxuan Mirror space.
Most were casual greetings sent intermittently by He Zhenghao, Daoist Jingxuan, and others. Nothing of great importance.
Li Fan skimmed through them.
Finally, he checked his own merit rank.
“Yan 31.”
The moment he saw the number, his heart gave an involuntary jump.
Truly worthy of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's once-in-a-thousand-year project. I just participated in the construction of three grand arrays, and my merit rank skyrocketed to 31.
If I'd relied on the usual slow, plodding merit tasks, a Golden Core cultivator like me would probably never reach this height in a lifetime.
Participating in the construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array came with merit rewards. Furthermore, settlement occurred in real-time upon the completion of each array. Ji Hongdao had made this clear during the initial mobilization.
Reaching a merit rank of Yan 31 had unlocked new privileges.
First were some minor benefits: He could apply for free visits to certain famous sites within the Myriad Immortals Alliance, such as the Museum of Divine Treasures he'd come across before.
He could also apply for a lateral transfer of his official position across regions.
If He Zhenghao had possessed this privilege back then, he wouldn't have needed to trouble Shen Yuzi and Daoist Jingxuan; he could have transferred directly to Tianyu Province.
Beyond these, what Li Fan valued more was gaining access to certain forbidden materials.
Much information that was previously inaccessible was now visible to him within the Tianxuan Mirror, such as the materials for the Myriad Immortals Alliance's entrance recruitment examinations, held once every ten years.
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he committed the exam questions for Anchor Year 9 to memory.
Two days slipped by as Li Fan browsed through the various pieces of information with voracious hunger.
On the final day of rest, Li Fan received messages from Gu Youguang and Xiang Liu.
The two of them had searched around but hadn't found Li Fan within the Thousand Stars Branch Academy. Somewhat worried, they had sent inquiries.
After replying that he was fine, Li Fan returned to the celebration venue at the very last moment.
The Thousand Stars Branch Academy was brilliantly lit, and a steady stream of people came and went. The atmosphere was lively and bustling.
"I felt somewhat fatigued, so I went to rest for a while. My apologies," Li Fan said with a smile.
Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang both nodded repeatedly, expressions of complete understanding on their faces.
"What a pity, though," Gu Youguang sighed, shaking his head.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Li Fan asked.
Xiang Liu took up the explanation. "I suppose you wouldn’t know, Fellow Daoist. Yesterday, the renowned Immortal Maiden Kong You from the Myriad Immortals Alliance came to offer her regards.
"It is truly a great pity that you missed the chance to lay eyes on such beauty!"
Gu Youguang heartily agreed. "Immortal Maiden Kong You's beauty is peerless, truly rare in this age. The Image Recording Stone I possess cannot capture even one ten-thousandth of her divinity. That kind of beauty transcends the limits of what words can describe. Only by seeing her with your own eyes can you understand why she is truly worthy of her reputation."
Li Fan had thought it was something serious. So it was just about a woman.
He gave a dismissive laugh, unconcerned. "I am a dying old man. Why would I care about such things?"
Gu Youguang grew solemn, lowering his voice. "Fellow Daoist, if you have the chance to get close to her, it might not be impossible to reverse your fate.
"Immortal Maiden Kong You... she has a special constitution... Mm. You understand."
Li Fan smiled and shook his head.
Xiang Liu sensed that the topic was becoming somewhat inappropriate and immediately changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist, what are your plans next?"
"Senior Qi has already made public the overall construction status of the Soul-Locking Arrays within the Myriad Immortals Alliance's territories. All cultivators who participated in building the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens are free to choose their next location."
As he spoke, he retrieved a jade slip-like crystal from his storage ring and handed it over.
As Li Fan examined it, he felt some surprise.
"Why is the construction progress so fast?"
Compared to what he had seen from Huangfu Song over two years ago, the visible Soul-Locking Array construction tasks were now almost entirely complete.
The overall progress was close to 95%.
"It's all because of those dissenting voices making trouble," Gu Youguang shrugged. "Opposition to the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array has been growing more and more intense lately. In some places, there have even been incidents of people using force to halt construction. Although they were suppressed immediately, it shows how dangerous the situation is.
"To avoid complications, everyone has been pushing themselves to the limit recently, working without a moment's rest."
Xiang Liu also sighed with deep emotion. "I truly don't understand why some people hold such strong objections.”
"If they could see the performance of the Soul-Locking Array around the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, they would definitely change their minds," Gu Youguang said earnestly. "It's a pity Senior Qi has already instructed that it's classified information, not to be disclosed. Otherwise, I'd certainly have a word with them."
Li Fan gave an outward nod of agreement, all the while thinking to himself. What a load of bullshit. If those opponents witnessed the formidable power of the Soul-Locking Arrays firsthand, they'd probably fight with their last breath to stop their construction.
“No matter. When the day comes that the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays are implemented universally, all doubts will collapse of their own accord." The voice of Qi Buyi suddenly came from beside the three of them.
Startled, Li Fan and the others hurriedly bowed to her.
Qi Buyi waved dismissively. She seemed to have drunk quite a bit of spirit wine, and her face was slightly flushed.
She said to Li Fan, "You can rest assured as well. The Myriad Immortals Alliance will never treat its contributors poorly. The matter of extending your lifespan has been approved. Treasures will be delivered in a few days. Barring any accidents, the additional lifespan should be enough for you to persist until your breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm."
Hearing this, Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang were overjoyed.
Li Fan also wore an expression full of gratitude and thanked Qi Buyi.
As the group was speaking, a ray of sunlight shone into the Thousand Stars Branch Academy.
"Hmm. Dawn has come.
“Just as this long night must eventually pass, under the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays, the Myriad Immortals Alliance shall surely usher in a future of unparalleled brilliance."
Qi Buyi's gaze was distant, yet her voice held an iron certainty.
Li Fan and the others exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
At that very moment, a flood of information manifested abruptly within Li Fan's mind.
It was the experience of that avatar—the one that had vanished so inexplicably before.
Yuandao Province... the missing ten years...
In an instant, Li Fan's expression shifted, a flicker of alarm crossing his features.