Over these past few years, the clone had not been idle either.
It had been hungrily browsing all sorts of esoteric knowledge within the cultivation world.
Contribution points were also rapidly depleted.
Now, only a little over seventy-three thousand points remained.
This level of knowledge reserve was sufficient to handle most current situations.
So Li Fan temporarily stopped.
For a long time to come, Li Fan planned to devote his energy to delving into cultivation techniques.
With his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage approaching, it was time to upgrade several techniques in his repertoire.
The *Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos* could be cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul realm, so there was no need to worry about it for now.
The same went for the *Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique*.
According to the records within the *Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art*, in ancient times it could be cultivated all the way to the Dao Integration realm. Yet after being passed down through the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Sect for so many years, for reasons unknown, each generation had grown worse than the last.
Over the past two thousand-plus years, only a single Soul Formation cultivator had emerged. All others could at most cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm before finding it virtually impossible to advance further.
Recalling the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Token still resting in his storage ring, a certain premonition Li Fan had harbored grew ever stronger.
He decided that once he achieved Foundation Establishment, he would find an opportunity to test it out.
The *Shadow Following Art* was merely an ordinary movement technique, one he could discard at any time in favor of an escape art suited for Foundation Establishment.
However, after observing Zhang Haobo's movement art, which drifted like a gentle breeze, Li Fan had experienced an epiphany.
Perhaps he could combine the core essence of that movement art with the *Shadow Following Art* to forge a completely new technique.
The *Nether Spirit Illusion Art* was of great importance to Li Fan.
The Blue Flame phantom spirit possessed various marvelous effects, and more importantly, it could resist the greed induced by an anima of Heaven and Earth.
Thus, Li Fan searched the Heavenly Profound Mirror to see whether there were similar techniques for nurturing phantom spirits at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Indeed, he found quite a few.
There was even a technique that seamlessly built upon the *Nether Spirit Illusion Art*, named the *Netherworld Illusion Art*.
It was an advanced, upgraded version of the *Nether Spirit Illusion Art*.
However, Li Fan was in no rush to redeem it.
Having likewise gained inspiration from watching Zhang Haobo condense his sword intent, Li Fan felt he could also try blending this comprehension with the *Nether Spirit Illusion Art*.
Thereby deducing a new technique.
Indeed.
Li Fan wanted to try his hand at being a law-weaver.
He knew deducing new techniques was exceptionally difficult, but as to just how difficult, he did not yet have a quantifiable, concrete grasp.
As the saying went, to truly understand something, one had to practice it oneself.
This was an ideal chance to find out firsthand.
Under the dual enhancement of Spirit Enlightenment and the exquisite liuli pearl, the clone Lin Fan's comprehension efficiency was twenty-seven times higher than normal.
The remaining contribution points on him could sustain his uninterrupted secluded cultivation for ten years.
Two hundred and seventy years of effective time to deduce two Foundation Establishment techniques.
Li Fan reckoned that although this clone possessed only mediocre aptitude, the probability of success remained quite high.
After all, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could only live about that long.
If successful, he could break free from the constraints of Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals techniques and cultivate them directly in his next life.
More importantly, it would open up a brand-new pathway for acquiring techniques.
Taking original techniques redeemed from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals as a blueprint, infusing the insights of prodigies spied upon through Formless Killing Intent and Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing, and using an extraordinarily talented clone re-refined from a prodigy's essence blood to carry out prolonged deduction within the Heavenly Mystery Realm to produce new techniques...
All for the main body's cultivation.
If this production line truly proved viable, then Li Fan could barely be called a law-weaver.
Having made up his mind, Li Fan hesitated no longer.
The clone immersed its mind and plunged into secluded contemplation.
Over on Zhang Haobo's side, he continued his tireless cultivation every day.
Far from slowing after stepping into the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation speed grew even faster.
As for Li Fan's main body, because he intended to wait until the Vast Sea Pearl emerged before establishing his foundation, his cultivation had temporarily ground to a halt.
Finding nothing in particular to occupy himself with for the time being, he spent a rare period of leisure on Wanxian Island.
He strolled around the island daily, making acquaintances with many Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Although these cultivators were of ordinary strength, they were the grassroots personnel through whom the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals governed the Congyun Sea.
Most were knowledgeable and worldly, far from run-of-the-mill folk.
Li Fan gained a great deal from socializing with them.
After some time had passed like this, Li Fan suddenly received a visual transmission.
"Chen An?"
Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the sender's name.
Soon, however, he remembered who Chen An was.
It was the Qi Condensation cultivator who had asked him for the secret to passing Qin Tang's Trial of Focus back in the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace ruins.
After narrowly surviving the Qin Tang statue, this man had wisely quit while he was ahead and left the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace directly.
He could be considered quite shrewd.
Over all these years, he had never contacted Li Fan again.
What could he be looking for Li Fan for now?
Li Fan opened the transmission.
Chen An's smiling figure appeared at once.
"Fellow Cultivator Li Fan, how have you been lately?"
"It has been over five years since we parted in the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace ruins. I still vividly recall Fellow Cultivator's poise when effortlessly unraveling the bizarre mystery of the Qin Tang statue back then—it remains unforgettable.
"Recently, something strange happened in the Congyun Sea that Fellow Cultivator might find interesting."
...
Listening to Chen An's message, Li Fan learned why Chen An had suddenly reached out to him.
As it turned out, an unusual incident had occurred in the Congyun Sea recently.
A massive, continuously shifting bank of white fog had abruptly appeared over the Congyun Sea.
A curious cultivator had flown into the fog, only to find a colossal green ox—as massive as a mountain peak—treading the waves while pulling a two-wheeled flatbed cart.
A dilapidated thatched hut stood on the cart.
Outside the hut stood two monsters guarding the entrance.
One monster had no mouth and possessed a terrifying countenance.
The other was burly and powerfully built, wielding a wooden club.
From within the thatched hut faintly came the clear sound of reading aloud.
Such a peculiar sight naturally caught the cultivator's attention.
The man was quite bold.
Convinced that an opportunity lay within, he flew before the thatched hut to investigate.
Yet he was barred outside by the two guardian monsters.
The cultivator offered polite greetings, hoping to enter the thatched hut.
To his surprise, instead of receiving a response, he was soundly thrashed with the wooden club and driven out of the ox cart's perimeter.
When he tried to approach again, he found that no matter what he did, he could not fly near the thatched hut.
He had no choice but to give up in defeat.
After returning and recounting the tale to a close friend, the friend's interest was piqued as well.
The next day, they went together back to the vicinity of the ox and cart.
To his delight, the cultivator found that he was once again able to approach the thatched hut.
The two of them cautiously drew near, only to be driven off by the barrage of club strikes once more.
Not disheartened, they tried again on the third day.
The outcome was unchanged.
Yet far from being discouraged, they grew rather thrilled.
Since their lives were not in danger, they could simply call over more people.
Surely, they would eventually find a way into the thatched hut.
Chapter 119