"For instance, the remains of Immortal Venerable Azure Lotus, the very first Dao Integration cultivator to fall during the generations of war between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association."
"Heh, over the years, the Five Elders Association has expended quite a bit of effort trying to reclaim Immortal Venerable Azure Lotus's remains."
"Another example is the War-Halting Stele of the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect. It's said that in those days, two great monoliths stood before their mountain gate. One was carved with 'Idlers Halt,' and the other with 'Visitors Cease Arms.' Those two monoliths alone rivaled an infinite number of mountain-protecting formations. Truly awe-inspiring."
"Unfortunately, the Museum only managed to collect this War-Halting Stele. The Step-Halting Stele has long vanished without a trace."
Hearing this, Li Fan could not help thinking of his own Step-Halting Broken Stele.
Could it be the very same Step-Halting Stele from the Heavenly Sword Sect?
Just as Li Fan was lost in thought, the black-robed cultivator's next words dragged his attention sharply back.
"Oh, speaking of the Museum of Divine Archives, one can't leave out the remains of the very first cultivator to be infected by the immortal-mortal miasma. You might not know this, but despite looking utterly ordinary, those bones were fiercely contested by countless cultivators. Their value is absurdly high. In fact, his skull is displayed right in the very center of the Museum."
"When I first saw it, I thought it belonged to some mighty ancient figure. Hmph, who would've thought it was just some unlucky bastard's?"
"I really don't understand those people. What's so great about collecting something like that?"
For some reason, mentioning the Museum of Divine Archives seemed to excite the black-robed cultivator, and he went on introducing various items in its collection to Li Fan and the others.
Han Yi and Ximen Yue listened with keen interest and rapt attention.
Li Fan, however, felt a stir in his heart.
'The remains of the first cultivator infected with the immortal-mortal miasma...'
'My true body's storage ring still holds one of his ribs. When Master Yin immolated himself, that rib was left intact.'
Li Fan could not help becoming intrigued by the skull displayed in the Museum of Divine Archives.
Seizing a pause in the black-robed cultivator's speech, Li Fan asked, "May I ask, Senior, if one wished to visit the Museum like that group just now, how would one go about it?"
The black-robed cultivator smiled. "The Museum of Divine Archives generally isn't open to outsiders. No matter how many contribution points you spend, it won't do. If you want to apply for a tour to broaden your horizons and have no powerful backing, the simplest way is to do what I did: pass the examination and become a dedicated docent for the Museum."
Li Fan paused slightly, exchanging glances with Han Yi and Ximen Yue.
"Why would the Museum need dedicated docents to give explanations?" Ximen Yue asked, puzzled.
The black-robed cultivator gave a low chuckle. "Why wouldn't it? Did you think sticking a placard in front of each exhibit would be enough?"
"First of all, inside the Museum—just like the avenue you walked along before the Protector Hall—spiritual energy is completely dormant. Even divine sense cannot leave the body. All exhibit plaques only carry brief summaries. If you want to learn the stories behind them, a dedicated docent naturally has to explain it."
"Furthermore, do you have some misunderstanding about how large the Museum is?" The black-robed cultivator scoffed lightly.
"It houses the collective acquisitions of the entire Alliance over thousands of years. The number of exhibits when I left was 384,756,784. Without someone to guide you, an ordinary person going in would be looking for a needle in a haystack—they'd never find what they came to see. And hoping to have a comprehensive, enjoyable visit within the allotted time limit would be pure daydreaming."
"Besides, you saw who was visiting just now. Without a docent, what could people like that possibly make of the place?"
The black-robed cultivator gave a cool snort, leaving the rest unsaid.
Li Fan and the others all wore expressions of enlightened understanding.
After a brief silence, the black-robed cultivator continued, "Of course, if you join the Alliance's administration and raise your merit rank to Yan Thirty, you'll be granted one free visit every ten years."
"Though, Yan Thirty..."
The black-robed cultivator shook his head. "It's far too difficult to attain. Even I haven't reached it yet."
Then, glancing at Han Yi with a faint smile, he added, "Of course, kid Han, if you cultivate diligently and break through to the Dao Integration realm, you won't need to go through all that trouble. A simple notification would suffice, I imagine."
Han Yi felt a bit embarrassed at his words. "Senior jokes. Even with the cultivation method, how could reaching the Dao Integration realm be that easy?"
The black-robed cultivator chuckled in a low voice and said no more.
They walked on in silence for the rest of the journey.
The black-robed cultivator led the three back to the platform where they had first arrived.
"Well then, the task entrusted to me by the Venerable can be considered satisfactorily fulfilled. If fate allows, we may meet again,"
the black-robed cultivator said coolly.
Li Fan felt an inexplicable force envelop him.
It was as if the surrounding space were rejecting him, about to expel him from the Alliance headquarters.
"May I know how to address Senior?" Li Fan asked, looking at the black-robed cultivator just before departing.
"Just a nobody. What name could I have? When I was a docent, I was Docent Ding Yin. When acting as a guide, I am Guide Black. Nothing more." The black-robed cultivator shook his head, offering no true name.
As Guide Black's figure faded from view, the three found themselves back in the Four Seasons Garden of Tianji Courtyard.
Their position was identical to where they had stood before departing for the Alliance headquarters.
"Fellow Daoist Han, now that we've visited the Alliance headquarters, do you have any idea where it's located?" Li Fan asked Han Yi with a smile.
Han Yi pondered for a moment before answering, "If I haven't guessed wrongly, the Alliance headquarters is very likely located within the Heavenly Profound Mirror."
Ximen Yue countered, "I, on the other hand, think the Heavenly Profound Mirror serves merely as a teleportation medium."
"If headquarters were truly inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror..."
"There are countless mirror surfaces throughout the world, aren't there? Wouldn't that mean anywhere with a Heavenly Profound Mirror is where the Alliance headquarters resides?"
"If so, why would Tianyu, Tianchen, Tianshu, Tianquan, and the central heartland even exist?"
Han Yi was rendered speechless, unsure how to refute her.
Li Fan considered their arguments carefully and felt both sides had merit, so he stepped in to play peacemaker.
It was merely casual speculation, and none of them pressed the matter further.
After expressing their gratitude and bidding farewell to Immortal Venerable Jicheng, the three went to the Dao Discussion Tower in Tianquan Province, where Han Yi footed the bill for a lavish feast.
As the saying goes, all good feasts must come to an end.
Afterward, the three parted ways.
Ximen Yue remained in Tianquan Province.
Meanwhile, Li Fan and Han Yi set off together for Yuandao Province.
Time slipped away; half a year passed in a flash.
Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan finally achieved introductory mastery of the *Wondrous Profound True Spirit Transformation*.
'It just so happens I haven't refined a clone yet. Now that the technique is under my belt, let's see how effective it is.'
Suppressing his excitement, Li Fan disguised himself and headed straight outside Tianyu City.
Having excavated a secret chamber and gathered all the required materials, Li Fan began the refinement.
A while later...
A mass of flesh and blood burst apart with a resounding bang.
"Huh? Why did it fail?"
Li Fan was perplexed.
He tried again.
It failed once more.
'?'
Li Fan furrowed his brows deeply.
'Wait, this kind of situation...'
'There is already a clone living in this world?'
A chill of shock ran down Li Fan's spine.
Chapter 341