Amid the vast sea of information in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the sudden update of more than a dozen works by Ling Xiao hardly drew anyone's notice.
Except for Ling Xiao's die-hard fans, that is.
Within this tiny circle of barely a dozen or so people, the following conversation took place that day.
"Fellow Daoists, look what I've found! *Fairy Qiongbai*, *The Fantastic Journey of My Third Junior Brother and Me*, *Record of Locked Passions*..."
"Eh? They're all signed by Ling Xiao? Could someone be using his name to forge these?"
"Let this old man take a look... *Hiss*, this writing style, this brushwork, and that familiar sense of being right there in the scene..."
"There are also the illustrations for each chapter, capturing both form and spirit!"
"Most important of all, the protagonist's union partners have no taboos whatsoever!"
"Humans, immortals, objects, beasts... This is unquestionably Ling Xiao's own posthumous work, without a doubt!"
"This poor Daoist has read every single one of Ling Xiao's works at least hundreds of times. By my assessment, these are definitely Ling Xiao's authentic works!"
"To think that in my lifetime, I would actually get to see new works from Ling Xiao again, hahaha! Even if I die during my breakthrough tomorrow, I'll have no regrets!"
"So many volumes popped up all at once... If I had to guess, they were probably unearthed together from some ancient cave abode ruin. Master Ling Xiao was truly prolific back then. Sigh, who knows just how many works have been lost to the river of history."
"This fellow connoisseur is truly generous and selfless, actually making so many works publicly available for free. If it were a certain someone, with so many rare, surviving copies, he would definitely be black-hearted enough to charge an exorbitant price!"
"Old Ghost Jingxuan, what's with the sarcastic insinuation? Are you looking for a fight?"
"Hehe, flustered, he's flustered!"
"Enough, Jingxuan, Guangwu. Even so many rare, secret volumes can't shut your mouths. Well... in any case, this fellow connoisseur has been so generous, treating our eyes to such a feast, so we ought to express our gratitude. Let me handle this matter."
"Let me see... Congyun Sea, Li Fan. That place is a bit remote."
"Hmm? He's only at the Foundation Establishment realm? Well, no matter. We only gathered together because of our shared interest anyway."
...
And so, within the Heavenly Profound Mirror on Wanxian Island.
After uploading Ling Xiao's posthumous works, Li Fan hadn't paid much attention to them. Instead, he was pondering how to break through the predicament in Tianyang's Lingering Thought when he suddenly received a friend request.
"Tianyun Province, Shenyuzi? Who is this?" Li Fan felt somewhat puzzled.
"No cultivation realm information is displayed; his cultivation should be above Golden Core."
After some thought, Li Fan accepted the friend request.
The figure of a refined, scholarly middle-aged man dressed in snow-white robes appeared before him.
With a smile, Shenyuzi explained the ins and outs of the situation and expressed his gratitude for Li Fan's spirit of selfless sharing.
Li Fan hadn't expected that thousands of years after Ling Xiao's death, a group of his die-hard fans would still exist.
For a writer, this was probably the greatest reward imaginable.
If Ling Xiao had consciousness after death, this would surely bring him immense comfort.
Rather than taking credit or acting haughty, Li Fan modestly stated that it was merely a small effort on his part.
Shenyuzi nodded and said little else, merely telling Li Fan that if he ever ran into any trouble, he could contact him.
Li Fan agreed at once.
Ending the transmission, Li Fan searched within the Heavenly Profound Mirror for information on "Tianyun Province, Shenyuzi."
He found no information on Shenyuzi.
There was, however, plenty on Tianyun Province.
This province lay in the west-central part of the Xuanhuang Realm and seemed to be extremely far from the Congyun Sea.
The most famous wonder in the province was a spirit wall.
The spirit wall had a history spanning thousands of years, seemingly having existed since before the great calamity descended.
Every year in mid-year, light and shadows shone upon the spirit wall, projecting a scene of a Mortal Transcending to Soul Formation.
This spectacle of a mortal transcending to Soul Formation was said to have truly occurred thousands of years ago.
That was an era when the harmony of man and nature and following the Dao of nature were still revered.
Back then, a mortal had attained sudden enlightenment in broad daylight.
A mortal transcending to Soul Formation, ascending to heaven in a single step.
Such a sight, exceedingly rare throughout history, happened to be captured by this spirit wall.
Over the countless years that followed, it replayed continually.
Just as in the past, whenever the wondrous spectacle appeared, it would resonate with the laws of heaven and earth, giving rise to numerous astonishing anomalies.
Almost any cultivator below the Soul Formation realm could gain some insight by observing this wondrous spectacle of a Mortal Transcending to Soul Formation.
Consequently, many cultivators from other provinces traveled from afar to Tianyun Province, drawn by its fame to seek opportunities.
*A mortal transcending to Soul Formation... If I find myself trapped at a bottleneck in the future, I could go and take a look.*
In today's cultivation world, due to the presence of the White Mist Barrier, the vast majority of cultivators spent most of their lives confined to a single province. Forming a connection with a cultivator from another province was extraordinarily difficult.
This time, thanks to Ling Xiao, getting in touch with a cultivator in distant Tianyun Province was indeed an unexpected pleasant surprise.
However, this would likely only prove useful later on.
For now, Li Fan resumed his interrupted train of thought.
He began once more to consider how to break through the predicament of the Eternal Lingering Thought.
The method was actually quite clear by now.
Before the Immortal Conscription Order arrived, he needed to become the strongest in the Path of Bodily Transformation and take the place of Eldest Senior Brother Sixing to join the war.
However, this seemed to be an impossible task.
From the start of the simulated world's plot to the arrival of the Immortal Conscription Order, barely over six years had passed in total.
And to enable a congenitally frail mortal to defeat a powerful ancient cultivator at the late Golden Core realm within such a short time...
It was simply too difficult.
At the very least, judging by Tianyang's innate talent alone, there was virtually no hope of success.
In this lifetime, Tianyang's Eternal Lingering Thought only had one remaining use.
Before having a certain degree of confidence, Li Fan would not attempt it rashly.
*Still, there's no need to take it too heavily. If I'm confident that I can surpass Golden Core combat power before those seven people barge into the Path of Bodily Transformation, I can also give it a try to see what happens next.*
As for how to rapidly boost his practical combat power, Li Fan already had a faint idea.
After a search, over a hundred pieces of information regarding the "human body's secret treasure" surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Many required paying to unlock.
Such an amount of contribution points was a mere drop in the bucket for Li Fan.
He examined the reliable ones one by one.
*Another Possibility Beyond the Immortal Path: An Exploration into the Potential of Developing the Human Body's Secret Treasure*
*An Essay on the Possible Link Between Ancient Body Cultivators and the Human Body's Secret Treasure*
*Rebirth from a Drop of Blood, Boundless Vitality*
...
The human body contained infinite potential.
This was not something known only to the Heavenly Physician.
Over the long history of the Xuanhuang Realm's development, many schools of thought studying the human body's secret treasure had emerged.
And after the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was established, with the Heavenly Profound Mirror—a supreme spiritual treasure that enabled high-level sharing and communication of information—research into the utilization of the human body's secret treasure had sprung up incessantly.
Unfortunately, as of now, the practical results were limited.
Even though the Heavenly Dao's backlash made the immortal path fraught with hardships today, it was still far more practical than developing the human body's secret treasure.
Chapter 236