Hearing Li Fan's bordering-on-shameless words, far from taking offense, Huangfu Song revealed a rather appreciative expression.
"When I first heard of your deeds, brat, I thought you'd been possessed.
"No matter how you look at it, you don't have the slightest connection to phrases like 'sacrificing oneself for others' or 'utterly selfless.'
"Yet what you did was witnessed by all and couldn't be faked, which puzzled me for quite a while.
"Today, these words of yours have completely dispelled the doubts in my heart."
Huangfu Song sized Li Fan up, nodding slightly. "You brat are truly ruthless!"
Li Fan's expression remained calm. "Senior flatters me! And what about that compensation?"
Huangfu Song patted his belly and sneered. "Aren't you just trying to learn from me where to go next to climb the rankings most efficiently? Why bother beating around the bush?"
With that, he tapped the air before Li Fan.
In an instant, information spanning the construction progress of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formations across the vast majority of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' territories, along with the roster of corresponding array masters, filled Li Fan's vision in dense, exhaustive detail.
It not only noted each array master's score and ranking on the current Grand Competition Gold Ranking, but even thoughtfully provided predictions regarding each contestant's potential to surge up the leaderboard.
Huangfu Song said smugly, "This is the top-secret roster circulated just yesterday. Even though a day has passed and the points will have shifted, it can definitely serve as a reference.
"For ordinary people to lay eyes on this, they'd have to pay quite a steep price."
Li Fan quickly scanned the contents of the roster. A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly.
Catching Li Fan's expression, Huangfu Song asked in surprise, "What, kid, you're still not satisfied with this?"
"Senior Huangfu, does this roster seem to have omitted certain places?" Li Fan asked, his gaze piercing.
"Omitted? Absolutely impossible! My—"
Before Huangfu Song could finish refuting, Li Fan cut him off directly: "What about the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven?"
Huangfu Song froze on the spot.
Yet Li Fan continued unabated: "As the spark that ignited the war in Tianling Province between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association back then, and currently the primary source of countless supplies within the Alliance, such an important place couldn't possibly lack a Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, could it?
"And what about the Boundless Sea? The sacred cultivation ground countless cultivators dream of, where crossing the sea in a single step allows one to reach the peak of their current major realm. I don't see it on the roster either.
"Star Pivot Plain, Jieshi Heaven..."
"Though this junior is ill-informed, I have still heard of these regions."
To conceal his true objective, Li Fan rattled off many secretive, crucial locations in succession.
These were places Li Fan had learned of from browsing classified records; he had never actually visited them.
Bringing them up now to create confusion, however, could not have been better.
"You brat know quite a lot." Exposed by Li Fan, Huangfu Song showed no awkwardness on his face.
After muttering a word, Huangfu Song took on a serious tone: "To be frank, you already know the importance of those places. There is simply no way outsiders would be allowed to set foot in them casually.
"It's true that building formations in those locations yields several times the contribution points of ordinary regions. But the formations there are all assigned to dedicated personnel. A junior like you, with neither connections nor backing, wanting to sneak in to farm points... you're dreaming."
Huangfu Song shook his head repeatedly. "Look at all those people on the Grand Competition Gold Ranking—who among them could pull that off?
"Are they not stronger than you?"
Facing Huangfu Song's dismissal, Li Fan did not lose heart in the slightest; instead, he seized upon the core takeaway.
Thoughtfully, he said, "So Senior means that as long as one has connections and a background, participating in the formation construction in those regions isn't entirely impossible?"
Huangfu Song was rendered somewhat speechless by Li Fan's peculiar line of thought.
Just as he was about to mock him, he saw Li Fan's earnest, contemplative look, and for some reason, a sudden jolt struck his heart.
"You brat... don't tell me you really have some kind of backing?" Huangfu Song asked suspiciously.
Li Fan did not answer directly, offering only a faint smile. "I am merely doing everything within human power. Later, this matter might still require Senior Huangfu to mediate."
These ambiguous words left Huangfu Song even more unsettled with doubt.
"If it proves feasible, I will contact Senior again later. When the time comes, I hope Senior will lend a helping hand," Li Fan said politely.
With that, he moved to exit the room.
Watching Li Fan's retreating figure, Huangfu Song's eyes flickered.
Hesitating for a moment, he could not resist asking after all: "Regarding Tantai Tao..."
Li Fan did not halt his stride, vanishing from Huangfu Song's sight in an instant.
Only faint words lingered behind like an echoing refrain:
"Merely a junior's jest. Senior has helped me time and again; if you dislike it, I simply won't mention it again in the future."
Huangfu Song stared in the direction Li Fan had disappeared, his expression inscrutable.
With a cold snort, he slammed the room door shut with a heavy boom.
***
His expression calm as ever, Li Fan returned to his residence.
Whether the unnatural deaths of Tantai Tao and the others were truly related to Huangfu Song was something Li Fan was not certain of.
However, back when Li Fan first casually teased Huangfu Song about the Tantai Tao affair, he had detected an unusual trace from his somewhat overreactive expression.
He had even faintly sensed a thread of killing intent directed at himself.
Though nearly imperceptible, having mastered Formless Killing Intent, how sharp was Li Fan's perception of murderous intent?
It was basically certain that in that split second, Huangfu Song had indeed harbored the impulse to kill Li Fan.
This had piqued Li Fan's curiosity.
Thus, moving forward, Li Fan had continually used the matter of Tantai Tao's violent death to test Huangfu Song's bottom line.
To his surprise, as long as Li Fan brought up Tantai Tao, Huangfu Song truly became somewhat more accommodating.
Because of this, his attitude toward Li Fan was vastly different from how he treated the other students.
Until today, with that question from Huangfu Song.
It essentially confirmed that he did indeed have some connection to the deaths of Tantai Tao and the other students.
The possibility of him personally doing the deed was slim; otherwise, he would have been purged long ago.
Yet leaking information regarding Tantai Tao and the others was something he could very well have done.
This was precisely why Huangfu Song was touchy about the name Tantai Tao—because he could not withstand a thorough investigation.
Although circumstances had changed and the names of Tantai Tao and the others had been forgotten by the vast majority of people, Li Fan pulling that stunt in front of Huangfu Song every now and then truly left him somewhat rattled.
Naturally, Li Fan understood the wisdom of knowing when to stop.
Now that Huangfu Song had brought the matter out into the open today, it would be impossible in the future to keep feigning ignorance while knowing the truth.
The message conveyed was also clear: so long as you lend me a hand one last time, from now on, I will never speak of this matter again.
He had already gleaned enough information from Huangfu Song; cornering him too far would only backfire.
In taking this stance, Li Fan felt no reluctance whatsoever.
Chapter 371