After expelling the miasma from his body, Return to Truth’s status panel underwent a dramatic transformation.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 42/120↑
Psychological Age: 505/2053↑
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)
Techniques: Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra
His maximum biological age had broken through the hundred-year threshold and was still showing a temporary upward trend.
What surprised Li Fan even more was that his psychological age limit had nearly doubled, reaching over two thousand years!
The Body Purification Spirit Pool alone couldn’t possibly have produced such an effect. Was it because of this Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra that had appeared out of nowhere?
As for why the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra had become the Heart Refinement Sutra, Li Fan himself was utterly confused.
Inside the purification pool, the unbearable agony had caused him to nearly lose consciousness entirely. He had no idea what had happened afterward.
But now wasn’t the time to examine it closely. Steadying his mind, Li Fan cupped his hands respectfully toward He Zhenghao and said, “I dare not forget the kindness you have shown me, Immortal Master. I, Li Fan, will repay you generously in the future.”
He Zhenghao had been waiting for these very words. His tone grew even more amiable. “What are you saying, young friend? The path of immortality is arduous. I merely helped where I could.”
He produced a book and handed it to Li Fan. “After expelling miasma, the next step is to sense the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and draw it into your body.
“If you can coalesce the first strand of spiritual qi within yourself, it means you have entered the Qi Refinement realm and can officially be called a cultivator.
“This Five Spirits Qi Sensing Method is a summary of your predecessors’ experiences in sensing spiritual qi. Study it well.”
He then took out a square spirit talisman and solemnly passed it to Li Fan. “This is a Mundane-Leaving Talisman. Before you have successfully drawn qi into your body, you must carry it with you at all times.”
After watching Li Fan safely store both items, He Zhenghao explained further. “Although you have expelled the miasma from your body, it is not a permanent solution. You still live in the mortal world and interact with mortals daily. Over time, you will inevitably be contaminated again.
“This Mundane-Leaving Talisman can help shield you from the intrusion of miasma, but its effects will only last about five years.
“However, with your talent, reaching the Qi Refinement stage within five years should not be difficult,” He Zhenghao said with a smile.
“Once you break through to the Qi Refinement realm, you can come look for me on the island. I will then take you to our Myriad Immortals Alliance’s headquarters in the Congyun Sea, Myriad Immortals Island. There, you will be able to select appropriate techniques to continue your cultivation.”
He Zhenghao detailed various precautions during the process of drawing qi into the body, and Li Fan committed each one firmly to memory.
After all relevant matters were concluded, Li Fan tactfully took his leave.
“I hope this investment yields returns,” He Zhenghao murmured to himself, watching Li Fan’s retreating figure.
Then, he surveyed the mountain beneath his feet and shook his head. “Its potential is exhausted. Time to find a new mountain.”
With that, he soared above the sea of clouds and gathered the rolling mist into his sleeve with a wave.
Gazing down at the mountain range below, He Zhenghao began pondering over which peak would grow the tallest over the next century.
He Zhenghao cultivated a technique known as the Mountain-Sitting Art.
The Mountain-Sitting Art’s greatest feature was that practitioners could reap rewards by simply sitting atop a mountain.
He would select a mountain peak, sit on it, operate the technique, and spend several years harmonizing his own aura with that of the mountain.
Thereafter, for every inch the mountain grew in height, his own cultivation would receive feedback and improve correspondingly.
Conversely, if his judgment was flawed and the mountain’s height did not increase afterward, it would mean he had wasted over a decade of cultivation for nothing.
Beyond benefiting from a mountain’s growth, he could also gain advantages from aiding others.
For instance, by helping Li Fan, He Zhenghao would mysteriously receive feedback if Li Fan were to break through to the Qi Refinement realm in the future, thereby improving his own cultivation.
It wasn’t about siphoning or stealing the other’s cultivation; it was more akin to the ancient saying: When a man attains the Dao, even his pets ascend to heaven.
A mountain’s growth would carry the trees upon it to greater heights; a giant’s growth would naturally lift what was held within its sleeve.
Of course, compared to mountains, the conditions for aiding people were less stringent. He didn’t need to bind himself to a single individual; he could cast a wide net.
But correspondingly, the amount of effort he initially invested would determine the magnitude of his future harvest.
Therefore, whenever He Zhenghao encountered a promising junior, he never hesitated to lend them a hand.
***
After exiting the central array of Liuli Island, Li Fan returned quietly to the Quietude Manor without alerting anyone.
He could truly feel a difference in his body after expelling the miasma.
It was as if he were now a decade younger. His vision and hearing had sharpened considerably, and he could even faintly sense the pure, ubiquitous energy flowing throughout the world.
Is this... spiritual qi? Joy blossomed in Li Fan’s heart.
Once he guided this qi into his body, he would officially become a Qi Refinement cultivator.
Li Fan wished he could begin cultivating immediately. But before that, he needed to examine the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra that had inexplicably appeared.
He searched his mind but found no new method of operation. Thus, Li Fan began cultivating it using the same method as the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra.
The moment he started, he noticed the difference between the Heart Refinement Sutra and the Heart Clarification Sutra.
Previously, when practicing the Heart Clarification Sutra, it often took him more than an hour to calm his mind and clear away all distracting thoughts.
But with the Heart Refinement Sutra, Li Fan felt his heart turn as clear and still as a mirror within moments.
It was as though a massive millstone had appeared in his mind, incessantly absorbing distracting thoughts and grinding them into nourishment that strengthened his spirit.
After three years of practicing the Heart Clarification Sutra, Li Fan hadn’t noticed any benefits aside from the acceleration of Return to Truth’s charging process.
But with the Heart Refinement Sutra, he could clearly feel his spirit strengthening with every passing moment. The increase was minuscule, almost negligible, but it was undeniably there!
A surge of astonishment and delight washed over Li Fan, followed by countless questions.
Why had the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra, a common technique to dispel miasma that was found everywhere in the cultivation world, transformed into this miraculously profound Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra within him?
Immortal techniques could only be cultivated exclusively, so did this Heart Refinement Sutra even count as a cultivation technique?
Based on his current understanding of the cultivation world, Li Fan could find no answers. But he had a faint suspicion that an enormous secret lay hidden behind this phenomenon. If the opportunity arose in the future, he would have to investigate it discreetly.
He stood on the precipice of becoming a true cultivator, just one step away from crossing the threshold. And now he had even obtained a miraculous technique like the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra.
Li Fan couldn’t help but feel a wave of soaring elation.
Not long later, a letter arrived.
The news it contained shattered his burgeoning pride into dust.
Xiao Heng had successfully guided qi into his body and had already departed for Myriad Immortals Island.