In Death, All Turns to Naught

"Why are they calling me back? Could things have taken an unexpected turn?" With a flicker of doubt in his heart, Li Fan returned to Tianyu City. After some thought, rather than heading straight to the Cosmos Courtyard, Li Fan first went to Tianyu City's Heavenly Profound Mirror. He stepped into his personal mirror space. At the same time, far away in the Congyun Sea, his clone paused his cultivation of the Creation Furnace Technique and began searching for wonders of heaven and earth capable of boosting soul perception and soul affinity. Entries of various items appeared one after another. After browsing through the options, Li Fan settled on a superior wonder of Man: the Nether Soul Hairpin. He then transferred the Nether Soul Hairpin into the White Bone Vanguard Realm. His true body immediately initiated the ritual and completed the absorption of the wonder within the Vanguard Realm. Inside his dantian, True Reversion slowly shifted form, ultimately settling into an appearance that was half Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart and half Nether Soul Hairpin. Having finished all this, Li Fan returned to reality and set off for the Cosmos Courtyard. Transforming True Reversion into the Nether Soul Hairpin was naturally done in hopes of raising his chances of identifying the soul covenant. As for why Li Fan had not done this earlier during the enclosed training camp, it was purely out of concern for his own safety. There was no telling whether the Cosmos Courtyard was under constant surveillance by someone. If his results had been mediocre all along, only to steadily improve after exchanging for a wonder, the stark contrast would very likely attract unwanted attention. There was no need to take that risk. Outside the courtyard, inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, there were far fewer worries. At the very least, judging from the current circumstances, the Heavenly Profound Mirror was still temporarily trustworthy. When Li Fan entered the Cosmos Courtyard once more, there was no trial of interlocking formations. Instead, he appeared directly before Ji Hongdao. "Greetings, Senior!" Li Fan offered a salute. "Hmm, back so soon?" Ji Hongdao seemed a bit surprised. "Just as well; it saves any further mishaps from cropping up." He let out a sigh, looking somewhat haggard. "May I ask, Senior, what has happened?" Li Fan inquired. "Sigh, it's a long story." Reissuing Li Fan a Cosmos Token and leading him on the way to see Huangfu Song, Ji Hongdao explained the reason for his abrupt recall. "What? Tantai Tao and over a dozen others went out together to relax, met with an accident, and perished?" Li Fan thought his ears were playing tricks on him, staring blankly at Ji Hongdao. Li Fan could hardly be blamed for his astonishment; the news was simply too absurd. Tantai Tao was the most outstanding figure among all the cultivators in this training camp. As early as the very first evaluation, he had scored the highest marks in both sections. His identification rate for the soul covenant had even reached a staggering one hundred percent. Anyone with eyes could see that a person like him was bound for extraordinary achievements in the future. Naturally, during breaks in the training, some cultivators intentionally sought him out to strike up conversations and build connections. On the surface, Tantai Tao was courteous and polite to everyone. In reality, his standards were exceptionally high; he was only willing to associate with cultivators who also ranked at the very top of the evaluations. And so, over the course of more than half a year, a small clique led by Tantai Tao had gradually formed. Its dozen or so members were all individuals with astonishing talent in the Dao of formations. Their cultivation levels were far from weak either, the lowest among them being Golden Core cultivators. Tantai Tao himself had already achieved the Nascent Soul realm at a remarkably young age. Calling them the favored darlings of heaven was not an exaggeration in the slightest. Yet such a group of people had died in an accident right in the heartland of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, in Tianyu Province? Seeing Li Fan's expression, Ji Hongdao spoke with deep regret: "Tantai Tao and the others said they had been cooped up for half a year and wanted to take advantage of the break before the second stage of enclosed training began to go out, take a trip, and unwind. "They were formidable in their own right, and every single one possessed protective measures bestowed by their elders. On top of that, this is Tianyu Province, where danger is practically nonexistent. "I considered it and granted their request. "Who could have foreseen... Sigh, a single wrong decision! A single momentary lapse!" Ji Hongdao sighed repeatedly. "With more than a dozen people suddenly dead, a massive gap opened up in the roster for the second stage. "To avoid waste, we could only move down the rankings from the first round of evaluations and pick alternates. "That is why you were summoned back in such a hurry." Li Fan did not find being an alternate shameful in the least. Compared to those geniuses who had inexplicably met their ends, his fortune was vastly superior. After hesitating for a moment, Li Fan could not resist asking, "Senior Ji, may I ask what kind of accident..." Ji Hongdao waved a hand, cutting Li Fan off. "This matter has vast ramifications. Knowing too much will only bring you harm." Li Fan nodded and said no more. Before long, he met Huangfu Song once again. Huangfu Song looked at Li Fan with a beaming smile. "Well, kid, wasn't my hunch pretty accurate? I told you we'd meet again soon, and sure enough, you turned right back around." "Senior's foresight is miraculous!" Li Fan cupped his hands. "Could it be that the misfortune that befell Tantai Tao and the others was Senior's..." Before Li Fan could finish speaking, Huangfu Song's expression shifted drastically. He slapped a palm onto Li Fan's body, lifting the memory seal while abruptly cutting off Li Fan's words. "Kid, don't go spouting nonsense like that." Huangfu Song gave Li Fan a forced smile, his gaze unkind. "It's fine if you're just blabbering, but if someone overhears and takes it seriously... Those little brats all have powerful family ties and connections; their influence is immense. "Even Guan Xingxiu got suspended. I certainly can't bear that kind of heat." Ji Hongdao chimed in impatiently, "Both of you, hold your tongues," putting an end to their conversation. Ji Hongdao's status was clearly above Huangfu Song's. The moment he spoke, Huangfu Song dutifully shut his mouth. "You should return to the courtyard to wait for now," Ji Hongdao instructed Li Fan. "Another Soul-Gathering Pearl has been prepared for you inside the Cosmos Token. Do not slack off during this time; seize every moment to comprehend it." "Thank you for your trouble, Senior," Li Fan expressed his gratitude. Ji Hongdao waved his hand, and Li Fan returned once again to the familiar courtyard. However, whether it was the exact same residence he had stayed in before was hard to tell. *Guan Xingxiu.* Recalling Huangfu Song's earlier remark, Li Fan felt a stir in his heart and looked up information on Guan Xingxiu. *Commander of the Tianyu Province Garrison Court...* *One of the candidates for the next Garrison Court Commander-in-Chief.* Li Fan narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. The so-called accident was very likely nothing more than an excuse. Whichever way one looked at it, the matter reeked of conspiracy. *Heavenly Venerable Jicheng stepped down as Commander-in-Chief of the Garrison Court.* *The struggle for that seat must have reached a boiling point by now.* *At such a critical juncture, for such a catastrophic incident to happen in the jurisdiction of Guan Xingxiu, a strong contender, leading to his suspension...* *It seems that in pursuit of that Commander-in-Chief position, certain people have grown utterly unhinged. Uh... no, that's not quite right.* *This framing method is far too crude; anyone can see through it at a glance. So it could also be a self-inflicted ruse by Guan Xingxiu himself.* *Step away from the center of the vortex and fade from view first, then catch everyone off guard and claim victory through a surprise move.* *Of course, it's also possible that his opponent exploited this exact mindset to frame him in broad daylight.* *Regardless of the truth, supposed geniuses like Tantai Tao were casually crushed to death without ever knowing why before the true wielders of power in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, reduced to mere tools for attacking political rivals.* *What good is immense talent?* *Once death comes, all turns to naught.* Li Fan sighed softly to himself. Drawing out the golden Soul-Gathering Pearl, he deftly extracted a strand of divine soul.