The image on the broken stone abruptly fell still.
Li Fan did not press him, waiting patiently instead.
After a long while, the face gave its answer: "Found it! There is something, and it suits you exceptionally well!"
"Oh? What is it?" Li Fan feigned a touch of excitement.
"The Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth!" the face declared with palpable pride.
"Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, searching his memories, but found no trace of any information regarding it.
Fortunately, the face had no intention of testing him and explained directly, "It was left behind by an ancient cultivator of utter infamy.
"He blazed a unique path. Rather than drawing spiritual energy from the world around him, he chose to cultivate by directly swallowing spiritual veins and earth veins.
"Though his progress was astonishingly rapid, he possessed no restraint and acted with reckless abandon. In a short span of time, he drained the spiritual energy of several provinces dry and altered the very terrain of mountains and rivers.
"Eventually, he was discovered and met his end—flayed, his bones stripped, and his soul scattered to the winds.
"Even so, this secret method of his was pried from him under interrogation and preserved."
Li Fan pondered for a moment, appearing pensive. "Boss, do you mean for me to use this Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth to secretly siphon off the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' spiritual veins and earth veins?"
The face nodded with an air of seeing great potential in a pupil. "Most of the Alliance's garrison strongholds are built upon earth veins.
"As the garrison of Tai'an Island, so long as you are cautious and siphon only a tiny fraction each time, no one will ever discover it.
"And even a tiny fraction of an earth vein is immense nourishment for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you. With that, you should be able to advance to the Golden Core realm before long."
Li Fan beamed with delight. "Boss, you truly are brilliant and farsighted!"
The face was unmoved by the flattery, merely offering a cold snort. "Go get the first day's exam questions from that He Zhenghao. Once the results are out and confirmed to be accurate, we'll make the exchange that very evening.
"When the time comes, I will dispatch someone specifically for the trade. You need only handle the handover.
"I'll also have him deliver the Great Method of Devouring the Heavens and Consuming the Earth to you while he's at it."
Li Fan was not at all surprised by the face's decision.
Five million contribution points was no trifling sum, after all. There was no way they would let an ostensible Foundation Establishment cultivator like him oversee it directly.
He nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Go on, then," the face instructed.
"Our meetings have been fairly frequent lately, so be careful on the road. At this critical juncture, don't let slip any mistakes."
"Don't worry, Boss," Li Fan promised, patting his chest.
After setting the location for their next contact, the broken stone gradually lost its luster and crumbled into fine dust.
*Cultivating by swallowing the power of earth veins...* Li Fan was suddenly reminded of something.
*If I can put it to use, my cultivation speed in this life might be even faster than anticipated.*
Bearing the appearance of Zhou Qing'ang, Li Fan quietly flew back to Tai'an Island.
His clone remained concealed deep within Tai'an Island's protective formation, so he had no fear of anyone discovering it.
Even so, to be safe, Li Fan laid down another layer of formations inside the secluded cultivation chamber.
He then cast the secret technique Covering the Sky with One Hand, adding yet another veil of concealment.
Only after completing all this did he retrieve a blank jade slip from his storage ring.
A blue radiance flowed through the Dao Transformation Stone in Li Fan's mind, and all the examination questions he had committed to memory in his previous life were inscribed into the jade slip.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' grand induction examination encompassed numerous subjects, including Governance, Law, Scripture, Martial, Artifacts, Formations, Alchemy, and Talismans.
It was hosted by the local Administration Halls with assistance from the Martial Practice Halls.
Anyone who registered was required to sit for every subject.
After comprehensive evaluations, the top candidates were selected and assigned to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters or other vital, classified areas.
Only after that were positions distributed based on a combination of the cultivator's scores and their personal career preferences.
The format of the assessments was not confined to question-and-answer sessions like those conducted via spiritual awareness orbs.
For example, during the Governance examination, examinees would be plunged into a realistic illusory realm similar to 'Era.'
They would undergo various trials and tribulations to test their awareness, temperament, and loyalty.
Likewise, in technical crafts such as Artifacts, Formations, Alchemy, and Talismans, examinees were required to perform practical, hands-on demonstrations in addition to written theory tests.
A vast number of cultivators took part in each induction examination, and while the overwhelming majority were merely along for the ride, completing the entire process was nonetheless time-consuming and laborious.
Yet cultivators never tired of it, and the number of applicants grew with every cycle.
All told, for those paying attention, the decennial induction exam was quite a grand event.
After engraving the first day's questions and the rest onto two separate jade slips, Li Fan let out a gentle breath.
Li Fan himself had no intention of sitting for the exam.
After all, he possessed far more convenient means of entering the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' system. Moreover, his primary objective in this life was to advance to the Nascent Soul realm through the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
Joining the Alliance would only add an unnecessary shackle, hindering his freedom of movement.
*There is still a month and a half left. I need only wait patiently.*
Cultivating steadily, Li Fan carefully turned over every potential variable that might arise in the future.
Time drifted by.
During this period, to ensure no flaws were exposed, Li Fan invited He Zhenghao over to Tai'an Island several times as a guest.
They sealed the formations and conversed through the night.
Knowing He Zhenghao's temperament intimately, Li Fan naturally hit it off with him, and their talks were full of mirth.
After a few visits, He Zhenghao increasingly viewed 'Zhou Qing'ang' as a kindred spirit.
In their casual chats, He Zhenghao also repeatedly bragged about having received guidance from an 'ancient cultivator of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.'
A single investment had allowed him to turn his fortunes around completely, altering his destiny ever after.
Having begun cultivating a Nascent Soul technique, he was now on the verge of forming a Golden Core.
On the surface, Li Fan displayed immense envy.
He praised He Zhenghao unreservedly and pleaded time and again for him to keep Zhou Qing'ang in mind whenever a lucrative opportunity arose.
Unable to withstand Li Fan's persistent buttering-up, He Zhenghao readily agreed.
Li Fan smiled with satisfaction.
Beyond that, the Congyun Sea remained calm and tranquil, with no other unusual occurrences.
Soon, only three days remained before the grand induction examination officially began.
After meeting He Zhenghao for another lengthy talk and seeing him off, Li Fan rose abruptly.
"It's time."
He took to the air quietly, flying toward the meeting point agreed upon with the face on the broken stone.
Following the same procedure as before, he located the rendezvous spot.
Once his identity was verified, the face promptly materialized.
"Well? Did you get the exam questions?" For once, a rare trace of tension and anticipation tinged the face's voice.
Li Fan's excitement was similarly difficult to conceal.
He nodded, retrieved the jade slip inscribed with the first day's exam questions, and placed it atop the broken stone.
A yellow glow enveloped the jade slip, and the projection of the face blurred.
A moment later, the voice rang out:
"Excellent! Wait right here. Three days from now, we will have our answer."
Without waiting for Li Fan to reply, the face vanished impatiently.
The yellow light faded, but this time, the broken stone did not crumble.
Li Fan gazed at the stone, his eyes brimming with profound, unspoken meaning.
Chapter 434