Three days later, at sunset.
Li Fan sat cross-legged on the seabed, eyes closed in cultivation.
Sensing a yellow glow suddenly flare on the broken stone, Li Fan opened his eyes.
Rising to his feet, he asked, "Boss? How did it go? Are the exam questions real?"
"Haha, you've done a tremendous service this time, kid!" The face's voice trembled with poorly suppressed excitement.
"The questions are real! Absolutely identical, down to the last detail!
"I'd long heard that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals looks dazzling on the surface but is rotten to the core inside. To think reality is even more outrageous than the rumors!
"A matter as momentous as the induction examination, which bears directly on the organization's future and destiny, could actually be peddled for personal profit!
"And that's just a single Heng family from Tianyu Province!
"What about those with even greater power? I dare not even imagine!"
The face's worldview seemed to have suffered a profound shock, clicking its tongue in disbelief over and over.
Li Fan chimed in, "Isn't that even better for us? The faster the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals collapses, the sooner our Five Elders Association can unite the Xuanhuang Realm."
The face nodded repeatedly. "Indeed! Victory will ultimately belong to our Five Elders Association!"
He paused, his exhilaration gradually settling.
With a grave expression, he instructed, "There's no time to lose. Contact He Zhenghao immediately and secure the remaining exam questions as soon as possible. The trade location will be inside the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Repositories.
"I will send someone there; you will be responsible for receiving them.
"By the way, to ensure the remaining questions aren't counterfeit, you must wait until the examination concludes and notification is received before letting him leave."
The face carefully drilled Li Fan on numerous precautions, relayed the secret identification signals, and only then vanished.
As usual, Li Fan destroyed all traces at the scene before returning to Tai'an Island.
Deep within the protective array, Li Fan and his avatar sat facing each other.
"The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Repositories..."
Li Fan had been there before.
It was where He Zhenghao had deposited his legacy, the *Detailed Explanation of the Hundred Meridians Formation Diagram*, prior to his violent death in the twelfth life.
It was located on Youlan Island in the Congyun Sea.
Moreover, in his previous life, Zhou Qing'ang had also received spirit stone stipends from the stone face through that very place.
"It seems that location might be a hidden stronghold of the Five Elders Association."
Li Fan pondered for a moment. He immediately cast the secret technique Covering the Sky with One Hand, donned a Qi-Concealing Talisman, and masked his avatar's cultivation, waiting for the Five Elders Association's operative to arrive.
His true body, meanwhile, took on another random appearance and used the teleportation array to head to Youlan Island ahead of time.
Roughly half a day later, once his true body had quietly submerged into the waters surrounding Youlan Island...
A cultivator abruptly emerged from the teleportation array on Tai'an Island.
The newcomer's features were obscured. Upon reaching Tai'an Island, he first circled in midair, then made a show of shaking his head and sighing.
After lingering aloft for a short while, he slowly flew off.
Seeing this, Li Fan's avatar quietly followed.
The cultivator was not flying quickly, maintaining a leisurely pace as if deliberately waiting.
Once they were a good distance from Tai'an Island and had arrived above an empty stretch of desolate sea, he suddenly halted and sent a voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist, why are you tailing me in secret?"
Following the stone face's instructions, Li Fan's avatar said nothing.
Instead, he struck out with a palm imbued with yellow earth-attribute power.
The other man seemed not to anticipate such an unprovoked strike, freezing in place without resisting in the slightest.
Just as the palm was about to hit him, the earth attribute abruptly transformed into wood attribute.
The man neither dodged nor parried, taking the blow head-on without flinching.
"Let's go. To Youlan Island."
Having verified Li Fan's identity, he made no small talk and spoke directly in an odd, warped voice.
"Take the teleportation array, or...?" Li Fan asked.
"Fly."
With that, he stepped close, seized Li Fan, and strode forward.
The surrounding scenery blurred past at blistering speed—barely a fraction slower than the Dust-Crossing Boat Li Fan had ridden in his previous life.
*Such speed... Soul Formation realm?*
*Or perhaps a Nascent Soul cultivator specializing in speed...*
Li Fan kept his expression calm and made no attempt to scrutinize the cultivator beside him.
Neither spoke a word throughout the journey.
Before long, the man brought Li Fan to Youlan Island.
He scanned the surroundings, finding no sign of He Zhenghao.
"Did you speak with He Zhenghao?" he asked, seeking confirmation.
Li Fan nodded. "Should I ask him where he is?"
The man stopped him. "Wait a bit. Better not to use a communication talisman."
His words seemed laden with hidden meaning. Li Fan nodded in agreement.
At the same time, Li Fan's true body flew openly toward the two without any concealment.
Before long, the Five Elders Association operative sensed the true body's approach.
Frowning slightly, he raised his guard.
Li Fan walked up to the pair with broad strides. "You're Zhou Qing'ang, right?
"He Zhenghao sent me."
The moment those words were spoken, both the Five Elders Association cultivator and Li Fan's avatar changed expression.
The cultivator glanced at "Zhou Qing'ang," his face darkening as he asked coldly, "What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist?"
Li Fan adopted an utterly nonchalant attitude. "What do you mean, what's the meaning? I'm here for the trade, of course."
"Why didn't He Zhenghao come in person?" the operative asked after a brief hesitation.
Li Fan let out a scoff. "For something this dangerous, why on earth would he show up himself? If things go south, wouldn't he get dragged down with it?
"It seems you people don't know him very well after all."
The operative looked at "Zhou Qing'ang" once more.
He pressed on, "If you get caught, wouldn't that still implicate him? And five million contribution points—does he really trust you that much?"
Li Fan grew completely impatient. "That's none of your concern. Are we making the trade or not?
"If not, I'm leaving. What kind of rogue are you, being this cowardly?"
Li Fan glared at them with blatant dissatisfaction.
"Besides, what do you care who you're trading with, as long as the questions are real?"
His voice boomed like a bronze bell, utterly devoid of restraint.
The operative's expression shifted slightly as he instinctively glanced around.
Reflecting on the words, he realized the man had a point.
Glaring at "Zhou Qing'ang," he said in a hushed tone, "Fine, keep your voice down.
"Follow me."
He then led the two into the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Repositories.
The staff inside acted as if they did not even see Li Fan's party.
They walked unobstructed all the way to the innermost secret chamber.
Once the chamber was sealed, the Five Elders Association cultivator said in a heavy voice, "Where are the questions?"
Li Fan countered, "Where's the five million?"
"Payment in one hand..."
"Goods in the other."
They spoke in unison, locking eyes for a moment.
After a brief standoff, they exchanged storage rings.
"You cannot leave yet," the operative stated coldly.
"I know, I know! You're worried the questions are fake, right?" Li Fan acted completely unbothered.
"Look at you, acting like bumpkins who've never seen the world."
With a sneer of disdain, he took a seat boldly and crossed his legs.
"Doesn't matter to me. I'll just wait right here until the exam is over."
Chapter 435