Unlike Li Fan, who had always been stranded alone in Ningyuan City, other cultivators could arrange to explore the Fallen Immortal Realm together.
By merely adding a corresponding medium during the ritual, one could arrive at a peculiar space suspended between illusion and reality before stepping into the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Within this space, cultivators could exchange intelligence and even trade items.
Such spaces were generally equipped with specialized formations as well.
These formations integrated ritual solidification arrays and mental connection amplification arrays, thereby enabling the formation of exploration squads of up to four people in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Cultivators called this type of space a Vanguard Realm.
It was said that the earliest Vanguard Realm was forged by a mighty Dao Integration cultivator who wanted a convenient way to invite friends to explore the Fallen Immortal Realm together.
Later, because of its sheer convenience, other cultivators gradually followed suit.
Now, after several millennia of development, countless Vanguard Realms had come into existence.
Some Vanguard Realms were public and open to all cultivators.
Spacious and vast, they could accommodate tens of thousands of cultivators simultaneously.
One needed only to pay a small fee each time to enter.
Other Vanguard Realms were private.
Only the owner knew the medium. Without permission, outsiders could not enter through the ritual.
The essence of a Vanguard Realm was carving out a spatial rift connecting the Fallen Immortal Realm and the real world to serve as a transit hub.
Spatial rifts were unstable.
Thus, every few decades, a Vanguard Realm had to be maintained and reinforced.
The maintenance costs were considerable.
Only truly powerful cultivators possessed both the capability and the willingness to sustain a Vanguard Realm indefinitely.
Over thousands of years, many such cultivators had fallen along the way.
The Vanguard Realms carved out by these fallen cultivators were mostly abandoned over time.
Consequently, certain individuals set their sights on these derelict realms.
They sought out these unowned Vanguard Realms, gave them basic repairs and a fresh redecoration, and then sold them at exorbitant prices.
Although these Vanguard Realms commanded steep prices—often costing hundreds of thousands of contribution points—it was still far more cost-effective than forging a brand-new one from scratch.
Therefore, there were indeed cultivators willing to buy them.
However, because maintaining them incurred costs, holding too many Vanguard Realms without finding buyers would instead turn into a heavy burden, potentially even leading to financial losses.
Hoping to pass on the costs, these dealers took up the business of leasing out vacant Vanguard Realms.
There was no need for a massive lump-sum payment of contribution points.
As long as one paid a modest annual sum of contribution points, one could obtain the right to use a Vanguard Realm.
Yet, with inexpensive public Vanguard Realms available, cultivators willing to lease private ones were naturally few and far between.
To find clients, they posted a great deal of promotional messages on Seeking Immortals.
Li Fan had just been drawn in by these advertisements.
'Vanguard Realms... interesting.' Li Fan's thoughts turned, and he registered a fake account—Palace Master Mingyue—to conceal his identity.
He then contacted one of the posters.
This person was named Immortal Venerable Zimiao. It was unknown whether they truly possessed Dao Integration cultivation or, like Li Fan, were merely using a pseudonym.
"Fellow Daoist Zimiao, what are the specific rates for leasing a Vanguard Realm?" Li Fan asked.
Before long, the other party replied.
"The prices vary depending on the size of the Vanguard Realm. The lowest is eight thousand contribution points a year, while larger ones run in the tens of thousands."
The tone was aloof and devoid of emotion.
Li Fan asked again, "Only a divine sense at the Golden Core stage can withstand exploring the Fallen Immortal Realm. Is the same true for a Vanguard Realm? Can those in the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment stages enter it?"
"Looking to make things convenient for your juniors, right? Rest assured, a Vanguard Realm is not part of the Fallen Immortal Realm, but an independent rift space. It has no requirements on divine sense strength. As long as one has divine sense, one can enter via the ritual."
Perhaps sensing that Li Fan genuinely had a need to rent, Immortal Venerable Zimiao's tone grew slightly warmer.
He explained, "If performing the ritual uses the power of the Fallen Immortal Realm to forcefully pull a portion of our divine sense into it, a Vanguard Realm interrupts this process by establishing a space midway. Different mediums actually correspond to guiding coordinates for different spaces."
"Can one enter a Vanguard Realm only while physically in the Xuanhuang Realm? Are minor worlds and grotto-heavens subordinate to the Xuanhuang Realm within the effective range?"
"As long as it hasn't broken away from the Xuanhuang Realm, it remains under the shroud of the Fallen Immortal Realm. So there is no issue at all."
Having received this confirmation, Li Fan felt tempted.
However, he did not rush to reply. Instead, he inquired with two other cultivators who had posted rental listings.
The answers he received were completely identical.
Eight thousand contribution points per year was indeed the lowest price.
'It seems they've reached a consensus.'
Only then did Li Fan contact Immortal Venerable Zimiao again: "Please send over the details of these Vanguard Realms for me to look over."
This time, the response was much faster.
The moment his message went out, a reply arrived.
In an instant, detailed introductions to hundreds of Vanguard Realms with diverse landscapes appeared before Li Fan.
In order to sell or lease these Vanguard Realms, Immortal Venerable Zimiao had evidently gone to great lengths.
The scenery within these hundreds of spatial rifts differed completely from one to the next.
There were views of mountain peaks amid boundless seas of clouds, islands in vast oceans, and ancient sect ruins steeped in mystery.
"If you take a liking to a certain Vanguard Realm but aren't entirely satisfied with the scenery, I can also remodel it for you."
"Of course, the price will be slightly higher," Immortal Venerable Zimiao added.
"After leasing a Vanguard Realm, can you guarantee that no outsiders will barge in?" Having picked one, Li Fan did not rush to finalize the deal, instead inquiring carefully.
"The ritual medium functions like encrypted spatial coordinates. Generally speaking, without the guidance of the medium, the consciousnesses entering the Fallen Immortal Realm cannot intrude into a private Vanguard Realm."
"Of course, nothing is absolute. In the long span of history, there was indeed one mix-up."
"Yet that was the only time it ever occurred, so there is no need to worry," Immortal Venerable Zimiao explained. "Each of our Vanguard Realms comes equipped with at least ten mediums. If that's not enough, more can be added at any time."
Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slowly.
He then sent over the Vanguard Realm he had selected.
"I'll take this one."
"One-year minimum lease, three periods' deposit and one period paid in advance. If you wish to renew, rent must be paid again at this time every year."
"You may only terminate the lease after a full year, after which your deposit will be refunded," Immortal Venerable Zimiao said practicedly.
Li Fan asked, "Are there any discounts for a long-term lease?"
Immortal Venerable Zimiao paused. "That can be negotiated."
"If you lease for ten years, I can offer a five percent discount."
"If you lease for twenty years, you get a ten percent discount."
"Anything over twenty years gets twenty percent off!"
"Then I'll start with thirty years," Li Fan said quite readily.
Chapter 204