As it turned out, after the two sisters had returned to their hometown, eliminated all their past enemies, and thoroughly vented their resentment, they were just about to head back to the deserted island when they chanced upon Zhao Erbao behaving suspiciously.
Yin Yuzhen had even felt an inexplicable intuition that this man was tied to an immense opportunity.
Having both reached Foundation Establishment, the two sisters were far removed from the mortals they once were.
They chose to follow him in secret. After arriving at Zhao Erbao's hideout, they struck without warning, subdued him, and proceeded to interrogate him.
At first, Zhao Erbao was stubborn, claiming he knew nothing and was merely an ordinary cultivator.
Under the sisters' methods, however, it was not long before he was crying for his parents and confessed everything in full.
"The Ocean-Overturning Palm, and artifacts with Dao charm?" Xiao Heng's eyes flashed with curiosity upon hearing this.
If Zhao Erbao was not lying, this truly was an enormous stroke of fortune. However, the crisis Senior White Bone had warned of was imminent and brooked no delay.
"How many pieces are still missing?" Xiao Heng asked coldly, releasing his pressure as a Golden Core cultivator.
Zhao Erbao shuddered, breaking out in a cold sweat, and quickly replied, "A hundred-odd pieces. With just over a hundred more, the Dao charm resonance they form will be enough for us to comprehend."
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment before making a swift decision. "I will notify Changyu and the others to help so we can finish gathering them as quickly as possible."
"Once we have enough, we leave the Congyun Sea immediately."
Hearing this, both Yin sisters froze. "Leave the Congyun Sea?"
Xiao Heng promptly told the two about Senior Skull's warning. The sisters' expressions shifted slightly, and they nodded in silent understanding.
Three months later, a flying boat laden with artifacts containing Dao charm departed the Congyun Sea carrying the people of the Li Realm, sailing in the direction of Shilin Province.
***
Meanwhile, on Wanxian Island, where Li Fan's clone resided.
"Fellow Daoist Lin Fan? Fellow Daoist Lin Fan?"
The communication talisman, silent for so long, suddenly received a message.
Awakening from cultivation, the clone sensed the talisman, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"Fellow Daoist Lin Fan, are you there?"
"I received intelligence recently that upheavals may soon occur in the Congyun Sea."
"If you are still in the Congyun Sea, it would be best to leave quickly."
"Sales of the Small Medicine King Cauldrons have been very steady over the past few years; I've already sold off most of them."
"We've caught some vague wind of where that falling fire meteor landed—it seems to be inside the Cangwu Abyss. Several cultivators have already gone to explore. The Cangwu Abyss is bottomless, so finding its trace will likely take a few more years."
"Even so, I plan to speed up our sales. Once the true nature of that fire meteor is revealed to the world, the bubble we created together will burst. When that happens, the price of the Small Medicine King Cauldrons will plummet, and we won't be able to sell them even if we want to."
Jiao Xiuyuan rambled on for quite a while. Afterward, he transferred over another thirty thousand contribution points.
Over these years, he had truly kept his original promise, sharing a portion of the profit with Li Fan for every Small Medicine King Cauldron sold.
All told, he had transferred two hundred and sixty thousand contribution points to Li Fan.
They had all been converted by the clone into standard spirit stones and stored inside the White Bone Vanguard Realm.
"Daoist Jiao truly is a conscientious businessman."
"Perhaps in my next life, I can work with him again."
Li Fan replied to Jiao Xiuyuan, stating that he was aware and thanking him for the concern. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he ended the communication.
"Is it finally coming...?" The clone sighed inwardly. Seizing his remaining time, he focused on comprehending and deducing the Creation Furnace Technique.
***
Anchor Year 28, Tianyu Province.
Having made up for his shortcomings, Li Fan had completed the second phase of closed training.
With a one-hundred-percent identification rate for soul covenant marks and top marks on every examination of formation structural knowledge, Li Fan was now among the front-runners even within this gathering of formation prodigies.
Cultivators attempting to cozy up to him gradually increased. They sent him friend requests one after another.
Li Fan put on no airs of aloof detachment. He turned no one away, smiling as he accepted every request.
Moreover, he fully utilized the multi-threading capability of the Dao Transformation Stone to communicate simultaneously with these new contacts and deepen their bonds.
Gradually, an image of Li Fan as genial, welcoming, gentle, and refined took root in everyone's minds.
Presently, it was downtime following the completion of this phase of training. Having learned from past lessons, Ji Hongdao did not let the trainees leave this time.
He merely permitted them to rest within the Cosmos Courtyard.
It was precisely during this rare period when everyone had plenty of free time that Li Fan's social circle rapidly expanded.
After resting for another month and adjusting his body and mind to their peak state, the final training for the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation was about to begin.
Li Fan looked forward to it with great anticipation as well.
For according to Ji Hongdao, the final phase of training was very likely related to the supreme treasure of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals—the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
On this day, Ji Hongdao assembled the trainees, looking stern. Shangguan Shi appeared by his side as well.
"Next, you will witness the manufacturing of the array hubs for the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation. You have likely already guessed that for this formation to be named 'Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking,' the role played by the Heavenly Profound Mirror is naturally indispensable."
"In fact, the core component of each array hub is a newborn mirror surface of the Heavenly Profound Mirror."
Even though everyone present had mentally prepared themselves, hearing it directly from Ji Hongdao's mouth still left them visibly shocked.
Ignoring their reactions, Ji Hongdao continued, "Although the Heavenly Profound Mirror possesses myriad avatars, the value of these newborn mirror surfaces cannot be compared to ordinary mirror projections."
"As everyone knows, the Heavenly Profound Mirror has its own sentience."
"Over several millennia, like a cultivator, it has continually evolved and grown. The later a mirror creation is born, the greater its efficacy."
"This batch of newborn mirror surfaces was generated only three years ago. Originally, the plan was to use them for..."
"Well, in short, their value can no longer simply be measured in contribution points or spirit stones."
"Securing the opportunity to observe the manufacturing process of the array hubs took immense effort on our Formation Planning Hall's part."
"You are required to sign a new confidentiality covenant."
Shangguan Shi, who had remained motionless until now, finally moved. With a gentle point of his finger, a shower of golden light scattered and drifted before everyone.
Without hesitation, everyone cleanly inscribed their names upon them.
Only then did Ji Hongdao continue, "As the core hub of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, the newborn mirror surface exercises critical overall control over the entire formation."
"If you wish to construct the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, you must ensure that your formation structure achieves a hundred percent compatibility with the newborn mirror surface."
"Before being sealed inside the array hub, it is in its most primitive and pure state."
"Therefore, only by seizing this rare opportunity can you gain an understanding of it, thereby greatly improving your precision and success rate when erecting the formation."
"Without this step, constructing a qualified Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation would truly be extraordinarily difficult."
Chapter 300