Affinity with the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation's array hub, alongside formation structure and comprehension of soul covenant traces, was one of the three major assessment criteria for this closed-door training.
In fact, it carried even more weight than the first two.
When Li Fan personally laid down the core formation and tried to guide the array hub into it, only to receive no response whatsoever, he finally understood why affinity was so crucial.
At this moment, the Heavenly Profound array hub was like an aloof goddess, cold and indifferent to Li Fan. No matter how much effort he poured into it, he could not move her in the slightest.
Yet for the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation to function, she was indispensable. Without an array hub, no matter how vast the formation was, it remained an empty shell.
This central core formation could be said to have been designed specifically for her. Its sole purpose was to seamlessly integrate the array hub into the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation. Now that the palace was built, the intended mistress refused to move in, which naturally put Li Fan in a bind.
And the unique nature of the array hub prevented Li Fan from even attempting a trick like the one he pulled at the Prince of Langya's manor back then.
After trying numerous methods and still failing to draw the array hub into the formation, Li Fan had no choice but to take a different approach.
If the goddess refused to budge and would not enter the palace, then Li Fan would build a new palace right where she sat.
He dismantled the already established central core formation and rebuilt it. With the array hub as the center, Li Fan spent another two-plus days constructing a brand-new formation structure around her.
"This way, even if it falls short of a seamless fit, the formation can at least be considered barely functional."
"There's no hope of getting a reward in this life. I only hope my score won't be too pathetic."
Once the formation was set, Li Fan sighed inwardly.
Yet it seemed Li Fan's relentless persistence had touched the array hub ever so slightly. After settling into the core formation area and gazing at this new residence, it shifted its body just a little.
Just that tiny movement caused the compatibility between the array hub and the core area to more than double.
Overjoyed, Li Fan immediately tried to communicate with the array hub once more.
Unfortunately, that brief bit of initiative seemed to have been her limit. From then on, no matter what Li Fan did, nothing changed.
Before long, the seven-day limit arrived. Looking at the formation before him that could barely be deemed passing, Li Fan shook his head secretly and departed from the assessment space.
"The formation construction section should earn a passing score. As for tuning and calibrating the array hub, that's essentially a blank test sheet. But this is the limit of what I can achieve in this life."
"The array hub didn't give me any face; there was really nothing I could do."
"I heard that among the disciples who took the test in previous rounds, there was even someone into whose arms the array hub threw itself of its own accord?"
"Who knows if that's true or not."
...
With the exam concluded, it would take another two to three months for the results to be released. Li Fan temporarily left the Universal Courtyard. Rather than wandering around Tianyu City, he returned to the small courtyard he had previously reserved at the Dao Discussion Tower.
When he received Ji Hongdao's summons earlier, he had departed in haste and never relinquished the rental. Fortunately, Li Fan had paid a substantial deposit, so even though he had been absent, the place had remained reserved for him.
Entering the courtyard, he made his way into the cultivation chamber—one said to possess exceptional privacy and the ability to block the divine sense probes of Dao Integration cultivators. Li Fan retrieved the four items representing clothing, food, shelter, and travel, placed them in the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—and silently chanted:
"Heavenly Venerable of Fortune and Xuanhuang!"
Without a moment's delay, he intended to initiate the ritual and enter the Fallen Immortal Realm.
During the closed-door training, the restriction preventing entry had in fact long since disappeared. However, back then he had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage. In order to avoid exposing his secrets, Li Fan had chosen to endure patiently for a while.
Now that he had advanced to the Golden Core realm, he could enter and exit the Fallen Immortal Realm openly without arousing suspicion.
Yet out of wariness toward Ji Hongdao and the others from the Formation Planning Hall who had created the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, Li Fan still chose to perform the ritual in the relatively private Dao Discussion Tower.
"Senior Brother Zhang, I know how wise and mighty you are, so please don't show up again this time."
Li Fan silently muttered in his heart, and then the ritual was activated.
The process of entering this time seemed longer than ever before. Darkness stretched before his eyes as he drifted in an inexplicable, unknown space.
Li Fan wanted to see his surroundings clearly, but his mind was groggy and he could not concentrate. Thus, he could only rely on his senses to discern what was around him.
It felt as if he were submerged in water, yet it lacked the chill of water. The liquid enveloping his entire body brought warmth and peace of mind.
Whenever feelings of hunger or weakness surfaced, a gentle, soothing energy would flow from somewhere unknown, comforting him and lulling him back into a deep slumber.
His body seemed even weaker than when he had experienced Tianyang, and he spent the vast majority of his time asleep.
Fortunately, after reaching the Golden Core realm, the strength of Li Fan's divine sense had skyrocketed. The duration he could remain in the Fallen Immortal Realm had also increased from half a month or so to over two months—roughly comparable to an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
Thus, he was spared the tragic fate of having his journey into the Fallen Immortal Realm end abruptly in slumber.
Like this, Li Fan continuously absorbed the warm fluid around him and the occasional waves of gentle energy. He felt himself steadily growing stronger.
After an unknown period, when there was no more liquid around him to absorb, an inexplicable sensation welled up in his heart.
It was time.
Understanding dawned on Li Fan in an instant.
Driven by bodily instinct, Li Fan began to peck ceaselessly at the darkness ahead with his long, sharp beak.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though mere gentle pecks, to Li Fan at this moment, they resonated like the thunderous roar of heaven and earth splitting open at the dawn of creation.
After trying for a long time, Li Fan began to feel tired. Yet in the darkness, only a nearly invisible fissure had appeared. A sense of discouragement welled up within him.
Just then, that gentle energy surfaced once more, nourishing Li Fan's body. The exhaustion and weariness vanished in an instant.
Re-energized, Li Fan continued his grand enterprise of "splitting heaven and earth." Whenever he grew tired, he rested for a short while, and wisps of soothing energy would immediately flow into him, enabling him to press on.
Repeating this cycle over and over, more and more cracks appeared before him. However, Li Fan could also sense that the energy that had been supporting him all along seemed to be growing steadily weaker.
Fortunately, Li Fan's luck held out. Before the gentle energy was exhausted, he finally pecked a small hole through the endless darkness.
A ray of sunlight pierced through, parting the dark and shining upon Li Fan.
Summoning his remaining strength, Li Fan struck repeatedly with his long beak. The small hole widened into an opening, eventually becoming a gap large enough for him to squeeze through.
Shaking his head, Li Fan pushed headfirst toward the way out.
Sunlight, a gentle breeze, the chirping of insects and birds, the fragrance of flowers and grass...
In an instant, a beautiful and vast world unfolded before Li Fan.
Yet he had no leisure to admire this exquisite scenery, for an overwhelming hunger gripped him.
Looking back at the broken egg he had just crawled out of, a sudden realization struck him.
Without hesitation, Li Fan began to devour it ravenously.
Chapter 314