"Resonance with the heavenly mechanism... 'immortal-sitting'..."
He Zhenghao's eyes lit up. He seemed to have caught an inkling of some extraordinary secret from Senior Li Fan's words. Just as he eagerly anticipated hearing more, the other man abruptly fell silent. This drove He Zhenghao frantic with anxiety, several times opening his mouth only to stop himself.
"What? You and I now cultivate the exact same technique. You should count yourself lucky that I haven't drawn my blade against you. Do you actually expect me to give you pointers?" Li Fan scoffed coldly.
Yet He Zhenghao could tell that this senior only looked fierce on the surface and was not truly a wicked villain.
He hurried to say, "Senior has a keen eye and sees through everything. Though the Mountain-Sitting Art is a peerless divine technique, my progress has always been terribly slow. I've long harbored thoughts of switching to another technique.
"Please rest assured, Senior, I will never compete with you over this art."
Hearing He Zhenghao declare his stance so readily, Li Fan's expression softened by a few degrees. "At least you know what's good for you. It saves me from shedding more blood."
He Zhenghao probed cautiously, "However, I have practiced the Mountain-Sitting Art for over a century after all, and I've poured a great deal of sentiment into it.
"I only know that I might have practiced it wrong, but I do not know what the correct way of cultivating it is.
"It truly leaves me unreconciled.
"I only hope Senior can resolve my confusion," He Zhenghao said with utmost sincerity.
Li Fan scrutinized him closely. He Zhenghao actually felt a surge of nervous tension reminiscent of when he had been a mortal encountering an immortal cultivator for the very first time.
"Very well. You and I were originally separated by several millennia, yet we ended up cultivating the same technique. Our karmic affinity is truly not shallow. The heavenly mechanism is unfathomable; perhaps my meeting you upon awakening is Heaven's will as well." After a long pause, Li Fan gave a faint sigh.
"That immortal's cave where you obtained the technique was also..." Li Fan shook his head, cutting himself off. Straightening his expression, he said solemnly, "Since you also cultivate the Mountain-Sitting Art, you naturally understand that the crux of the technique lies entirely within the four words: 'reaping what is already ripe.'"
He Zhenghao nodded repeatedly.
Li Fan continued, "Yet changes in mountains and rivers are measured in thousands of years. Relying solely on 'mountain-sitting' makes cultivation far too slow. Strictly speaking, it would scarcely qualify as a third-rate technique."
He Zhenghao found himself agreeing more and more.
"Therefore, if one wishes to cultivate the Mountain-Sitting Art quickly, one can only rely on 'immortal-sitting'!" Li Fan declared with powerful resonance.
"Aid cultivators who are trapped in hardship. Once their luck turns and they soar into the heavens, their cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, we will naturally reap tremendous benefits.
"Furthermore, although the return from a single person is small, casting a wide net allows small amounts to accumulate into a mountain of sand. How could cultivation possibly be slow?"
"However..."
Li Fan's tone shifted. "The crux also lies right here. Though cultivators under heaven are countless, those who can advance step by step from Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment all the way to Golden Core and Nascent Soul are, in the end, only a tiny fraction.
"Without specialized methods, placing bets blindly is not merely inefficient—more often than not, it is completely wasted effort.
"I believe this is precisely why your cultivation has been so slow."
He Zhenghao nodded vigorously. "Indeed. Finding the right people is the true key."
"As the saying goes, 'Heaven and man resonate with each other.' Whenever an earth-shattering talent emerges, Heaven and Earth inevitably generate a resonance of qi mechanism.
"My Heavenly Mechanism Sect possesses a secret art capable of locating and identifying the dazzling geniuses of this world in advance, based on fluctuations in the qi mechanisms of Heaven and Earth.
"If one bestows favors upon them before they have grown into their power..." Li Fan stopped there, but He Zhenghao felt his blood surging with excitement.
*If done this way, cultivating the Mountain-Sitting Art would surely be a hundred or a thousand times faster!*
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" He wore an enraptured expression, seemingly lost in his wonderful fantasies. Only Li Fan's cold snort pulled him back to reality.
"Enough. I've given you the answer you wanted. When will you switch your technique?
"With the Cultivation Dissolution chapter of the Taishang Primordial Scripture, it won't have any negative impact on you anyway," Li Fan questioned sharply.
He Zhenghao's expression froze slightly, and he said with some embarrassment, "The technique this junior wishes to exchange for requires quite a lot of contribution points.
"Right now, my hands are a bit tied. I'm afraid..."
Li Fan's face darkened abruptly. "Boy, are you trying to fool me? If that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Seeing a flash of dark light in the other's eyes, the hairs on He Zhenghao's body stood on end. It felt as if he had been locked onto by an ancient vicious beast, his instincts screaming frantically. He Zhenghao quickly put on a bitter face and said, "It's true, it's really true!
"The technique this junior has his eye on is called the Mountain River Hidden Dragon Technique, and exchanging for it requires a full two hundred and fifty thousand contribution points..." He spoke at breakneck speed, revealing his bottom line in a single breath.
"Oh?" The dark light in Li Fan's eyes did not fade. "Then how many contribution points have you saved up right now?"
He Zhenghao showed a look of hesitation.
"Usually, I only keep a thousand or so points on hand for emergencies, while the rest is spread out as investments across various channels." He Zhenghao took out a Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror, glanced at it, and his expression shifted slightly.
"All tallied up, there should be one hundred and sixty... one hundred and fifty thousand or so." Having said this, he stole a cautious glance at Li Fan.
To his surprise, Li Fan was not enraged.
Instead, he nodded and said, "Mm, so you're still short by a hundred thousand contribution points.
"Giving you one month should be about enough." With that, he flicked his finger.
He Zhenghao merely felt an icy chill bore into his body. When he tried to sense it more closely, he could detect nothing at all.
Li Fan said coldly, "This is my Heavenly Mechanism Sect's secret art, the Spirit-Locking Binding. None can remove it except the caster.
"When the time is up, if the Spirit-Locking Binding is not dispelled, you will be reduced to ashes, your life and Dao thoroughly extinguished!"
Hearing this, He Zhenghao's face turned utterly pale.
"Boy, remember: within one month, take the initiative to switch your cultivation technique. Otherwise..." Li Fan cast a sidelong glance at He Zhenghao and prepared to fly away.
He Zhenghao couldn't help but lament, "Senior, aren't you asking the impossible?! One month to turn one hundred and fifty thousand into two hundred and fifty thousand—how could that be possible?! You might as well just kill..."
Li Fan suddenly swooped back, landing right in front of He Zhenghao. He Zhenghao cut himself off abruptly.
"Why are you so noisy, boy? I have already shown great mercy by giving you this much time.
"You can't even turn one hundred and fifty thousand into two hundred and fifty thousand in a single month?
"Then what kind of investing are you doing?" Li Fan said rather impatiently.
He Zhenghao mumbled under his breath, looking as though he dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak.
Li Fan instantly flared up. "What kind of look is that?!"
He Zhenghao had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "It's not that this junior is trying to make excuses, it's really just..."
Li Fan waved his hand dismissively. "You really are useless mud that can't be slapped onto a wall. A simple matter like this, and you act as though it's going to cost your life.
"If I were the one taking action, why would it even take a month? It could be settled in a mere seven or eight days."
The expression on He Zhenghao's face said it all.
Li Fan let out a cold laugh. "What, you don't believe me?
"How about we make a bet?"
He Zhenghao uncharacteristically showed some backbone. "A bet it is! But Senior, if you lose, you can't go back on your word!"
Chapter 423