Upon hearing Li Fan's words, the cultivators were momentarily stunned before bursting into an uproar of mixed reactions.
Some wore expressions of utter disdain and sneered loudly, "Where did this little Qi Condensation cultivator come from, spouting such nonsense?"
"Exactly! Telling others to disperse their cultivation—why don't you disperse your own?"
Others fell into thought. "Could Fellow Daoist mean that the club-wielding monster only targets cultivators, not mortals?"
"Though it sounds rather unbelievable, it's not entirely impossible. In some respects, the situation here is very similar to the anomalies found in sect ruins."
This line of thinking resonated with quite a few cultivators.
"Seeing how this ox-drawn carriage is about to enter the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, we don't have much time left. It is indeed worth a try."
"Yet that wooden club is terrifying. Perhaps our cultivation is the only reason we've survived. If we disperse our power and become mortals, we might just be beaten to death in a single blow."
"Hiss... what this Fellow Daoist says makes sense as well."
A flurry of debate swept through the crowd, and for a time, not a single person dared step forward to test it.
Amid their indecision, a red-haired cultivator seemed unable to endure it any longer. He let out a loud bellow and glared irritably at the crowd. "What is there to agonize over? It's just dispersing cultivation! With the Taishang Primordial Scripture, it won't take long to train it back anyway. I'll do it!"
With that, he flew down before the thatched hut. He circulated the Taishang Primordial Scripture, and within moments, his entire cultivation dissolved away, leaving him a mortal.
Li Fan's thoughts stirred, and his Formless Killing Intent locked onto him at once.
The red-haired cultivator had seemed carefree moments earlier, but now, facing that towering, ferocious monster in a mortal body, he could not help growing tense.
He swallowed hard and shuffled forward, inch by inch.
Every gaze present converged on him. In an instant, dead silence fell over the surroundings.
As he slowly drew near the thatched hut, the mouthless monster continued to ignore him entirely. The club-wielding monster, however, stared intently at him for a long while; several times it raised its wooden club, yet never brought it down.
Just like that, without mishap, the red-haired man reached the doorway of the thatched hut.
The faint sound of reading inside came to an abrupt halt.
The door swung open with a boom, and a somewhat aged voice carried out from within:
"Enter!"
Delight showed on the red-haired man's face, and he strode into the hut.
The door shut behind him, while the two door gods continued their vigilant watch outside.
Around the ox-drawn carriage, the scene instantly erupted into clamor like a bustling market.
"It really worked?!"
"This little Qi Condensation... no, no, no, this Fellow Daoist is truly brilliant! How might one address you?"
"Damn it, Liu Zhi got ahead of us. No, I'm going to disperse my cultivation and head in too!"
Naturally, many cultivators maintained their composure: "No need to rush. Let's wait until Liu Zhi comes out to see what kind of fortune lies within this thatched hut."
"Indeed. He's only a mortal now anyway; it's not like he can run off."
...
Amid the noisy chaos, Li Fan's brow was tightly furrowed as he stared fixedly at the thatched hut.
Because the very instant Liu Zhi stepped inside, the Formless Killing Intent locked onto him failed.
Ever since Li Fan had comprehended this divine ability, such a thing had never occurred.
Formless Killing Intent harnessed mock heavenly mandate. Under every circumstance, it had proven unfailingly effective.
And yet now...
Whatever resided within this thatched hut was likely an utterly terrifying existence.
The other cultivators shared none of Li Fan's misgivings. Five more Qi Condensation cultivators scrambled one after another into the hut.
As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, they prudently held back to observe.
Nothing changed inside the thatched hut; only that seemingly eternal reading voice echoed in everyone's hearts.
The sound seemed slightly clearer than when they had first heard it, yet it remained indistinct, its contents impossible to discern.
Though burning with impatience, the cultivators had no choice but to wait.
The next morning.
Without anyone noticing, all six who had entered the day before suddenly reappeared on the open ground outside the thatched hut.
They lay strewn haphazardly across the ground, but their auras remained intact; they appeared merely to have fallen into a deep sleep.
"Wait, didn't they all disperse their cultivation and become mortals? How has all their cultivation returned?"
Cultivators soon noticed something unusual.
"Not only has their cultivation fully returned, but their cultivation seems to have risen by a minor realm compared to before!"
"That's right! Liu Zhi was only in the early Qi Condensation stage before. After just one night, he's reached the middle Qi Condensation stage!"
"And that middle Qi Condensation fellow broke through to the late Qi Condensation stage!"
"The late Qi Condensation cultivator didn't break through, but his aura is considerably denser. There are certainly benefits to be had!"
Amid gasps of astonishment, the looks directed toward the thatched hut changed entirely.
A fortune—a monumental fortune!
Indiscriminately forcing a breakthrough in a minor realm could save an immense amount of resources and time!
The higher the cultivation, the greater the value!
Unable to contain their eagerness, the cultivators shook the six awake and questioned them about what had happened inside the thatched hut the previous day.
All six gave identical accounts, yet their answers left everyone glancing at one another in bewilderment.
"You just sat inside and read alongside it all day?"
"The one teaching was a roll of wooden slips floating in midair?"
"And you can't even remember what you read?"
...
It was indeed rather bizarre, yet they did not appear to be lying.
With fortune before them, after a moment's hesitation, the many Qi Condensation cultivators present dispersed their cultivation and entered the hut.
Just as Chen An was about to step forward, he glanced back at Li Fan. Seeing that Li Fan made no move, he could not help feeling puzzled.
He humbly asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, is there something amiss here?"
Li Fan shook his head. "There shouldn't be any issue. However, I am already in the late Qi Condensation stage, so the opportunity here isn't of much use to me. Feel free to head inside without minding me, Fellow Daoist. I'll observe a bit longer."
Chen An hesitated briefly, then cupped his hands to Li Fan before entering the thatched hut.
Meanwhile, the Foundation Establishment cultivators still had not made a move.
Zhou Ningchang explained the reason to Li Fan.
As it turned out, while cultivators at Foundation Establishment or above could disperse their cultivation through the Taishang Primordial Scripture, their Dao Foundations remained intact, suspended between the tangible and intangible, and could not be dissolved.
Their hesitation stemmed from not knowing whether they would still be treated as mortals under those conditions, so everyone held back to watch.
After waiting for a long while, one Foundation Establishment cultivator finally could not hold back.
He was the first to try.
After fully dispersing his cultivation, no mishap occurred, and he safely entered the thatched hut.
At that, the rest of the Foundation Establishment cultivators rejoiced and followed him inside.
Even the sole Golden Core Master present could not resist the temptation.
As for the six cultivators who had entered the day before, they attempted to repeat the feat to advance another minor realm.
Unsurprisingly, they were promptly driven out by a flurry of clubs.
They soon departed, hoping to bring their friends and relatives here before the ox-drawn carriage entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
Before long, outside the thatched hut, only Li Fan remained.
Chapter 121