Li Fan briefly explained the matter of rebuilding the immortal city of the Congyun Sea, then extended an invitation to meet in person.
His tone was warm, entirely free of the airs one might expect from an Island Master.
Gao Yuan was left flustered, uncertain how to receive such unexpected courtesy.
Having spent most of his life grinding away within the Myriad Immortals Island's hierarchy, he knew all too well that those with "acting" and "deputy" titles were often harder to deal with than formally appointed ones.
He had no idea why this rather well-known cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanisms Sect had singled him out, but the man was his highest-ranking superior. There was no room for carelessness.
Gao Yuan tidied himself up and set off at once for the meeting location.
As for defecting... that had been nothing more than venting. The idea was out of the question. Not only was the risk enormous, but he, Gao Yuan, was a member of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's system, for better or worse.
If he truly crossed over to the Five Elders Council without any specialized skills to offer, would his life be any better? More likely, once they had wrung every scrap of useful information from his head, they would discard him without a second thought.
He wasn't that foolish.
Pushing aside the clutter of his thoughts, Gao Yuan spent the journey puzzling over why this newly appointed Acting Island Master had chosen to summon him specifically.
It took some time before he finally reached the meeting place: Tai'an Island.
The island protection array parted to reveal a passage, and Gao Yuan flew through.
Acting Island Master Li Fan sat waiting ahead of him.
To one side stood Tai'an Island's guardian, Zhou Qing'ang. He looked extremely tense, standing rigidly and drenched in sweat.
The two appeared to have been in the middle of some sensitive discussion. They fell silent the moment Gao Yuan arrived.
His spirits dropped slightly at the sight.
Zhou Qing'ang outranked him by a full level. If even he looked this rattled in Li Fan's presence, then this ancient Heavenly Mechanisms cultivator was clearly not someone to be taken lightly.
Gao Yuan had spent decades reading people. He sharpened his attention at once, stepped forward, and bowed.
"I pay my respects to the Island Master!"
"You're here." Li Fan looked at him with a pleasant smile. "Do you know why I asked you to come?"
Gao Yuan's mind churned through possibilities, but his answer came without hesitation. "This humble one does not know."
A silence followed, long enough to set him on edge, before Li Fan finally spoke.
"I heard you previously stood guard at the entrance of the Administration Hall?"
"Reporting to the Island Master, that is correct." He knew perfectly well that Li Fan already knew the answer, but Gao Yuan replied with full deference regardless.
"How long have you held that post?"
"Over ninety-eight years."
"A century passes in the blink of an eye. You've worked hard. To hold the same post for that long without any promotion... have you ever harbored resentment?"
"This humble one would not dare." Gao Yuan's chest tightened. He shook his head quickly, doing his best to project loyalty.
"Good." Li Fan gave a nod of approval and moved to the matter at hand.
"Every cultivator who enters the Alliance's system must pass through the Administration Hall for the White Jade Heart-Questioning Platform test. Daily affairs and communications pass through there as well. I imagine you've built up at least a working understanding of the cultivators within the Congyun Sea branch?"
"Reporting to the Island Master, I wouldn't claim to know everything, but I have a firm grasp of the essentials." Gao Yuan lifted his gaze briefly toward Li Fan, then continued, "At the very least, I can confirm anyone's identity without error. Beyond that, I make it my business to know who has a short temper, who has powerful backers, who must never be offended—all those unspoken rules and intricacies.
"In my line of work, my standing is low. One wrong word to the wrong person, and the consequences are unpleasant."
"Good. Then help me identify which of these cultivators are worth using." Li Fan paid no particular attention to the complaint woven into Gao Yuan's words. With a sweep of his hand, a dense constellation of cultivator portraits materialized in the air before them.
"Worth using?" Gao Yuan blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Then he recalled the grand undertaking Li Fan had mentioned—rebuilding the immortal city—and his heart began to pound.
"As you know, I have only recently awoken," Li Fan said, his voice calm and unhurried. "I am not yet familiar with the personnel of the Congyun Sea. To be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility so suddenly fills me with trepidation. I greatly fear making a mess of it.
"As the saying goes, to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools. To see this through, I need a capable team around me. Since you have some understanding of these people, why not offer your counsel? When the immortal city's foundations are laid, your contributions will not be forgotten."
Gao Yuan's throat went dry.
He stared at the portraits spread before him—cultivators he had once served with the utmost care and caution, now laid out for him to select.
Once, he could only look up at them. Now, with a word, he could shape their fates.
A single recommendation from him, and they would find themselves on the new Island Master's team, aiding him in building his achievements.
So this is what power tastes like.
His composure cracked. His pulse hammered, and a rush of heat rose to his face, leaving him slightly lightheaded.
Yet he did not let the intoxication blind him. He understood clearly that whatever small authority he now held existed only because Island Master Li had placed it in his hands. Before the Congyun Immortal City was built, all of this was a castle in the air—beautiful to look at, but liable to vanish at the first misstep.
But if the immortal city was successfully built, that authority might become something real.
The feeling of holding other people's fates in his hands, even briefly, was intoxicating. Having barely tasted it, Gao Yuan found he wanted more.
He made a silent vow: he would seize this rare chance with everything he had, and use it to transform his life entirely.
Without further delay, he began working through the list, introducing each cultivator to Li Fan one by one.
Time passed steadily.
Li Fan listened with inexhaustible patience, and with each name, the pleasant surprises kept coming.
This gatekeeper, whom he had happened to cross paths with during his recruitment in his past life, was far more capable than he had anticipated. Not only did Gao Yuan have a firm command of every cultivator's basic information, but he also had genuine insight into their temperaments and the layered web of relationships behind them.
I've truly unearthed a treasure.
The more Gao Yuan elaborated, the more satisfied Li Fan became.
Even minor figures have their uses. This was precisely the opening he needed to break the deadlock.
One by one, Li Fan selected the suitable candidates and committed them to memory.
Half a month later, every surviving system-affiliated cultivator in the Congyun Sea received a message from the Acting Island Master.
In seven days, at the former site of Myriad Immortals Island, a ceremony would be held to commence the reconstruction of Congyun Immortal City.
All personnel were required to attend without fail.