Li Fan stood suspended in the air, observing Liuli Island in Anchor Year 9.
The island was far from the bustling hub he’d witnessed in his past life.
Its population was less than a third of what it would be a decade later, and it lacked that vibrant, thriving energy.
Scars from the stormflood still marred the island’s edges, and smiles were rare among the mortal populace.
Liuli Island had yet to recover its vitality from the great stormflood in Anchor Year 5.
If I manage to further shorten the charging time of Return to Truth, perhaps I’ll have a chance to witness it firsthand. Li Fan mused silently.
When he was still mortal, he had learned about how the stormflood had sheared away two-thirds of the island. Back then, he had been awed by the terrifying might of heaven and earth.
But later, he witnessed Crimson Flame scorch the sea and watched it transform into a mountain range over a mere decade.
Compared to that, this stormflood seemed almost insignificant.
Li Fan was currently waiting for He Zhenghao to return from Myriad Immortals Island.
According to He Zhenghao, any cultivator at the late-stage Qi Refinement realm or above who tried to enter Myriad Immortals Island without permission would face automatic attacks from the Myriad Immortals Array. So he had gone ahead to secure a travel permit for Li Fan.
He didn’t keep Li Fan waiting long. Soon enough, He Zhenghao returned.
“Mission accomplished!” He handed Li Fan a jade spirit talisman engraved with the word “Myriad.”
“Fellow Daoist, you can just imprint a trace of your aura onto this passage talisman.”
Li Fan took the talisman and channeled his spiritual qi into it.
A flash of light gleamed across the engraving before vanishing, flying off to some unknown destination.
Seeing this, He Zhenghao nodded. “That should do it.”
Then he added, “Remember to return this talisman after you officially join the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay the equivalent value in contribution points.”
He Zhenghao’s face twitched, as if recalling something deeply unpleasant. “Such a tiny talisman actually costs a hundred contribution points. It’s really...”
He cut himself off mid-sentence when he noticed Li Fan watching him with faint amusement.
“My apologies, Fellow Daoist!” He Zhenghao cleared his throat, and his expression instantly returned to normal.
After leading Li Fan through the island protection array, He Zhenghao activated the teleportation array.
A wave of dizziness later, Li Fan finally set foot once more on Myriad Immortals Island.
In the Dao Transmission Plaza, a statue of an elderly man with a tall headpiece and long beard stood silently, gazing down upon the island.
Cultivators hurried to and fro, using various teleportation arrays to travel across the Congyun Sea.
Little did any of them know that everything here would soon be reduced to ash.
Li Fan felt a pang of emotion.
Assuming Li Fan was simply awestruck by the magnificent scenery, He Zhenghao paid it no mind.
Just as he had in a past lifetime, He Zhenghao began introducing the place.
“This is the Dao Transmission Plaza. It was built to commemorate the Immortal Venerable’s original act of imparting the Dao...”
Li Fan listened and nodded along.
Following the path, the two arrived at the Tianxuan Mirror.
“As a rogue cultivator, you might not know this, but members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance can recommend rogue cultivators to join the alliance. Depending on the recommended member’s realm and potential, the referrer receives corresponding contribution points as a reward.”
Before entering the Tianxuan Mirror, He Zhenghao seemed to remember something and turned back to Li Fan. “So you coming to me for help works out just fine.”
“I see. I’d worried I might be troubling you, but it looks like I needn’t have.” Li Fan wore an expression of sudden understanding, then added solemnly, “Either way, I won’t forget this kindness, Brother He.”
He Zhenghao smiled and nodded, clearly pleased with Li Fan’s reaction.
The two then stepped into the Tianxuan Mirror.
Within the mirror’s space, He Zhenghao looked at Li Fan and announced, “This is the late-stage Qi Refinement rogue cultivator I reported earlier. He wishes to join our Myriad Immortals Alliance.”
A moment later, a voice echoed through the space. “Recommending one late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Recorded as a Grade D+ merit, converted to 300 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 1340.”
He Zhenghao froze for a moment upon hearing this. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he stared at Li Fan. After a while, he asked, “If you don’t mind me asking... how old are you, Fellow Daoist?”
Li Fan thought for a moment before answering, “Twenty-nine.”
He Zhenghao drew a sharp breath, his face a mask of shock. “Twenty-nine years old... late-stage Qi Refinement... and a rogue cultivator...”
Then, elation washed over him. “Fellow Daoist, I have never witnessed such talent in my life.”
He immediately produced a mountain-shaped spirit talisman and handed it to Li Fan.“You’re new here, so you’ll definitely have a lot of questions. Feel free to ask me, I’ll tell you whatever I can.
“And if you ever run into trouble you truly can’t handle, come find me. My cultivation is only at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, but I’ve got some connections and a bit of pull in the Myriad Immortals Alliance.”
Li Fan listened and nodded gratefully. Only after He Zhenghao offered a few more excited words of advice and departed did Li Fan’s expression return to normal.
The treatment this time is far better than in my last life. Li Fan mused, tossing the communication talisman lightly in his hand.
In the cultivation world, most cultivators keep to themselves. Someone like He Zhenghao is truly uncommon. Besides, this level of cultivation talent is just slightly above average; his enthusiasm seems a bit excessive. Li Fan pondered this but couldn’t pinpoint a reason.
He had a faint suspicion it might be related to the cultivation technique He Zhenghao practiced. But sensing no malice from the man, he decided to set the thought aside for now.
“Divine sense fluctuations recorded.”
“Independent space generated.”
“Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to the Myriad Immortals Alliance. As a benefit, you will receive 100 complimentary contribution points. You may use contribution points to redeem spirit stones, techniques, artifacts, and more...”
The Tianxuan Mirror began its usual introduction to the relevant procedures. Though already familiar with it all, Li Fan listened attentively, comparing the situation to that of his previous life.
He discovered that after advancing to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm, the cost to activate the Assisted Cultivation Mode had increased from 10 contribution points per day to 30.
The higher the realm, the more resources one requires. That’s only natural. It seems acquiring a large number of contribution points remains the priority.
Accumulating points slowly through missions was far too slow for Li Fan’s taste. In truth, he already had a plan to earn a substantial amount of contribution points in a short time.
After spending 10 contribution points to purchase a slightly larger storage ring, Li Fan stepped through the teleportation array, making his way to a desolate stretch of land.
There, he transferred the hoard of gold, silver, and jewels, along with the Halt Stele Fragment, from the Taiyan Boat into his new storage ring.
He returned just as swiftly, immediately converting them to contribution points.
“Batch of gold and silver: Convertible to 863 contribution points.
“Curio of heaven and earth: Halt Stele Fragment. Quality: Flawed. Convertible to 1968 contribution points.”
Moments later, the Tianxuan Mirror gave its assessment.