Rather than choosing to leave seclusion immediately, Li Fan returned to the stone chamber at the bottom of the lake and promptly began his first cultivation session since achieving Foundation Establishment.
What he cultivated was the Foundation Establishment chapter of the Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos.
Before long, however, his brows furrowed, and he stopped.
During his cultivation, he faintly sensed a slight sluggishness in the circulation of his spiritual energy.
Though it was merely an infinitesimal trace, impossible to notice without close attention,
it undeniably existed.
After some thought, Li Fan ceased the technique and turned instead to cultivating the Sea-Calming Divine Sword.
Ever since Zhang Haobo's death, no one else had cultivated this technique.
As soon as he began, Li Fan clearly sensed the difference compared to when he cultivated the Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos.
Even with Li Fan's aptitude, cultivating it went incomparably smooth.
As though bolstered by Spirit Enlightenment, in mere moments, his spiritual energy circulated along the technique's pathways for only a few cycles before easily breaking through to the middle Qi Condensation stage.
...
"By the way, you are already in the late Qi Condensation stage now. When choosing a Foundation Establishment technique, if conditions allow, remember to pick one whose nature matches your Foundation Establishment wonder. That way, not only will cultivating it yield twice the results with half the effort, but there will be many other benefits as well."
He Zhenghao's past words suddenly surfaced in his mind, leaving Li Fan pensive.
"Matching natures... So that's how it is."
With a thought, a blue water sword instantly took shape within his dantian.
With a casual flick of his hand, the water sword shot out, effortlessly piercing a small hole through the boulder.
"The power of spell techniques has also noticeably increased."
Li Fan recalled the Sea-Calming Sword, musing to himself.
"If an ordinary cultivator had both a Nascent Soul technique and a Golden Core technique in hand, even if cultivating the Golden Core technique progressed faster, they would certainly choose to cultivate the Nascent Soul technique.
"But I am different. True Reversion can carry my cultivation realm back into the next life. Thus, what suits me best is whichever technique raises my current realm the fastest.
"Before, I had no choice, with only the Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos to cultivate. Now that my options have grown, there is no need to cling to it at all costs."
Li Fan examined the techniques column on his True Reversion panel.
Back when he cultivated few techniques, he hadn't paid much attention.
Now that he cultivated as many as six techniques at the same time, he noticed something telling in their ordering:
Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique, Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art, Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos, Intent Spirit Illusion Art, Shadow Following Art.
They appeared to be ranked from highest to lowest according to the value of the technique.
"Looking at it this way, the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation actually ranks above the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique?"
The Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique had been personally imparted by Qin Tang, belonging to an entirely different system from contemporary cultivation arts.
Regardless of one's cultivation realm, as long as the previous layer reached completion and met the advancement requirements, one could cultivate the next layer on their own.
The seven layers of the Cloud Water Illusory Dream corresponded respectively to mortal, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, and Dao Integration.
Its preciousness could well be imagined.
Even so, in the eyes of True Reversion, the grade of the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation surpassed even the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique.
The implications of this sent Li Fan into deep contemplation.
Yet as to how he had comprehended this Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation in the first place, Li Fan was entirely in the dark.
So he was destined to reach no clear conclusion.
At present, the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation operated without pause, almost like the instinct of breathing.
But its cultivation progress had become exceedingly slow.
Twenty-eight years had passed in this life, yet there was still no obvious change.
Li Fan was not in a rush, however. In any case, he had plenty of time.
His thoughts returned to choosing the technique to cultivate next.
Li Fan could not help thinking of the Mountain-Sitting Art that He Zhenghao had cultivated during his lifetime.
From He Zhenghao's descriptions between the lines, this technique could infinitely amplify the advantage of foresight granted by True Reversion.
Still, as to just how effective the so-called 'sitting on the mountain to reap the rewards' truly was, he would have to test it in practice.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then retrieved a pile of unrecognizable remains from his storage ring.
These were precisely the remains of the cultivators he had collected from Master Tianyang's cave abode earlier.
His clone was dead; it was time to refine a new one.
A sharp gleam flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"First, I must find the portion belonging to Fellow Daoist He."
Thinking it over briefly, Li Fan hit upon an idea.
Setting up a rudimentary version of the Cosmic Astral Array, he poured the entire pile of remains into it.
The debris immediately drifted and spun around the center like the stars of the cosmic heavens.
Li Fan then increased the array's output frequency.
The remains revolved faster and faster.
Soon, the debris settled into distinct orbital tracks, clearly divided.
Li Fan carefully distinguished He Zhenghao's aura.
It was still mingled with some other remains.
Li Fan patiently repeated the process.
After more than half a day, he finally separated He Zhenghao's remains.
Supreme Bone, Celestial Spirit Milk, Bone-Shattering Treasure Sinew, Heavenly Crystal Spirit Sand...
Li Fan retrieved the materials he had previously prepared one by one.
And began the refining.
"According to the description in the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art, when usurping a deceased cultivator, one randomly senses certain memories from their life.
"Generally speaking, the more valuable something was to the cultivator during their lifetime, the lower the probability of it appearing.
"So what can actually be usurped depends largely on luck.
"During his lifetime, He Zhenghao was already planning to switch techniques, clearly placing little value on the Mountain-Sitting Art.
"The probability of me successfully recreating it should be quite high."
As Li Fan mused, he began condensing the clone.
Bones, internal organs, skin, hair...
Slowly took shape.
In the end, he fashioned its facial features just like those of his previous clone.
Li Fan nodded in satisfaction and pointed a finger toward the crown of the clone's head.
"Sever!"
Unlike before, once his consciousness connected to the clone this time,
numerous yellowed scenes suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Like long-cherished paintings.
Some were merely aged, while others were riddled with holes and tattered beyond recognition.
Yet all vanished in a flash.
Li Fan concentrated all his focus, carefully scanning for any fragment containing the Mountain-Sitting Art.
The scenes appeared in fewer and fewer numbers, and began to tremble violently.
Li Fan's heart remained unswayed.
He wanted nothing but the Mountain-Sitting Art.
Finally, fortune smiled upon him.
In the instant before all the images were about to vanish, Li Fan saw it.
The scene of a young He Zhenghao holding a jade slip with an overjoyed expression after exploring a cave abode.
A gleam of light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"That's the one!"
His thoughts pounced like a predator that had stalked its prey for ages, fiercely devouring the yellowed, fragmented scene.
Boundless information surged into Li Fan's mind like flowing water.
Li Fan slowly digested it.
After a long while, Li Fan opened his eyes, a look of astonishment in his gaze.
"This Mountain-Sitting Art... wasn't meant for humans to cultivate at all!"
Chapter 148