Li Fan was somewhat surprised. He had only just arrived on Wanxian Island, so how could someone already be sending him a visual transmission?
Upon opening it, a somewhat familiar figure instantly materialized.
It turned out to be Xiao Heng.
He looked like an entirely different person compared to four or five years ago.
Clad in a white robe, with his long hair drifting freely, he carried a faint air of otherworldly transcendence.
"Brother Li, you've finally arrived," Xiao Heng said with a smile.
"Back on Liuli Island, I was blessed with much of your care. I have never been able to repay you, and leaving without saying goodbye the day I broke through to the Qi Condensation stage only added to my guilt.
"Only after coming to Wanxian Island did I realize how difficult it is to obtain cultivation methods in the cultivation world today. Newcomers who have just joined the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals often need a year or two to scrape together enough contribution points just to afford a Qi Condensation cultivation method.
"That was how it was for me back then. Fortunately, as one's strength grows, the ways to earn contribution points also increase, and circumstances gradually improve.
"Since embarking on cultivation, I have had a string of fortuitous encounters. A year ago, I broke through to the late Qi Condensation stage, but now I've hit a bottleneck. I plan to travel to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace ruins in the center of the Congyun Sea to search for a wonder of heaven and earth to establish my Dao Foundation. Such wonders are rare and hard to find; once I depart, it may be several years before I return.
"Before leaving, I left behind a water-attribute cultivation method for you. Wanxian Island is situated in the Congyun Sea, where water qi is at its peak. Water-attribute methods are the easiest to practice here and boast formidable power. Brother Li, be sure to cultivate diligently. Until you reach the middle Qi Condensation stage, it is best not to venture off the island rashly.
"When I return, you and I must drink to our hearts' content!"
...
Xiao Heng's silhouette gradually faded, leaving behind a jade slip.
"*Lesser Water Derivation Technique*, Qi Condensation cultivation method, current practitioners: 0."
Li Fan inspected it. The *Lesser Water Derivation Technique* Xiao Heng had given him only covered up to the middle Qi Condensation stage; it was incomplete.
Even so, exchanging for it through the Heavenly Profound Mirror would have cost a full eight hundred contribution points.
"This kid..." A warm feeling rose in Li Fan's heart.
Truth be told, Li Fan had never bestowed any great favor upon Xiao Heng.
He had merely buried Su Changyu and helped Xiao Heng secure a slightly better place to settle down on Liuli Island.
Xiao Heng, on the other hand, had also provided Li Fan with accurate information regarding the Star Sea Flowing Sand.
Yet Xiao Heng had remembered that modest kindness all this time, refusing to cast it aside even though his cultivation realm now far surpassed Li Fan's.
Seen in this light, Xiao Heng's character was indeed admirable.
Of course, part of it might also have been because Xiao Heng believed they both hailed from the Li Realm.
Regardless, Li Fan took note of this kindness.
He was certainly not someone to repay kindness with ingratitude.
Appearing alongside the *Lesser Water Derivation Technique* was another small jade slip.
It was precisely the *Taishang Primordial Scripture*, which Li Fan had heard Kou Hong mention long ago.
Cultivating this method allowed one to disperse their cultivation at will without suffering much loss to their progress. In the modern cultivation world, it was essential learning for every cultivator.
With both the *Lesser Water Derivation Technique* and the *Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos* in hand, supplemented by the *Taishang Primordial Scripture*...
Li Fan quickly reached a decision.
On the surface, he would practice the *Lesser Water Derivation Technique* to divert prying eyes, while secretly cultivating the *Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos* underneath.
Naturally, it would be best to find a pretext to leave Wanxian Island before beginning the *Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos*. Although the Heavenly Profound Mirror might not pay heed to an insignificant Qi Condensation cultivator like him, an excess of caution was never a mistake.
Having just entered the cultivation world, Li Fan was thoroughly ignorant of many matters.
He urgently needed to make up for lost ground.
Fortunately, general knowledge of this sort was made available for free within the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Thus, Li Fan spent several full days inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, voraciously reading through the relevant materials.
*Illustrated Records of the Congyun Sea* provided detailed accounts of the topography, local specialties, and history of the islands across the Congyun Sea.
*Introductory Treatises on Cultivation* laid out essential concerns for a cultivator after entering the Qi Condensation stage and before formally practicing a technique—such as the basic application of divine sense and the manipulation of spiritual qi.
*Method, Wealth, Companions, and Sanctuary* introduced the four indispensable elements of cultivation: methods, material wealth, Dao companions, and immortal abodes. Among them, it placed special emphasis on the scarcity and supreme importance of cultivation methods in today's cultivation world, issuing a stern warning to young cultivators never to disclose their methods to others carelessly, lest it invite unimaginable catastrophe.
*Secret History of Ancient Cultivation* was told from a first-person perspective, narrating how an outer disciple of the ancient Dadao Sect endured various trials, rising step-by-step to become an inner disciple, a true disciple, a Dao Child, and ultimately the sect master of the Dadao Sect.
*Heavenly Profound Mirror Shopping Guide* listed the items most worthy of prioritized redemption for cultivators within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, such as storage rings and protective dharma robes.
...
It took Li Fan seven or eight days to read through all of these free texts.
As for the volumes that made his mouth water afterward—such as *Introduction to Formations*, *Elementary Exposition on the Dao of Alchemy*, *Fundamentals of Artifact Crafting*, and *Illustrated Compendium of Cultivation World Treasures*—they all required substantial amounts of contribution points to exchange.
As a newcomer with thin pockets, Li Fan could only put them aside for the future.
Taking advantage of the remaining free lodging time inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan began cultivating the *Lesser Water Derivation Technique*.
He had already learned about the advantages of cultivating within the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
By spending contribution points, one could activate the Heavenly Profound Mirror's auxiliary cultivation mode.
In this mode, the concentration of spiritual qi inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror would multiply several times compared to the outside world, rivaling even top-tier grotto-heavens. Furthermore, it could be converted into the corresponding elemental qi required by the cultivator in boundless supply, allowing one to cultivate to their heart's content without worrying about running short of spiritual qi.
On top of that, the Heavenly Profound Mirror would grant cultivators practicing within it a state known as "Spirit Enlightenment." Under this state, comprehension would receive an immense boost, making the cultivation of techniques far easier.
Expending ten contribution points, Li Fan exchanged for one day of auxiliary cultivation.
As a torrent of spiritual qi poured in, Li Fan began to cultivate according to the *Lesser Water Derivation Technique*.
Soon, he experienced the acceleration granted by the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
As if compressed and accelerated, the spiritual qi converged spontaneously toward the inside of Li Fan's body.
The obscure, profound phrases of the water derivation technique were understood at a single reading, mastered the moment he laid eyes on them.
Though circulating along the technique's pathways for the very first time, the spiritual qi flowed with absolute smoothness, as if it had traversed the route thousands of times before.
This "super cultivation state" nearly gave Li Fan the illusion that he was a peerless prodigy.
Cultivation turned into sheer enjoyment.
Li Fan was completely immersed in it, unable to pull himself away.
A day slipped by in the blink of an eye.
The moment time was up, Li Fan was abruptly expelled from that extraordinarily smooth state of cultivation.
When he circulated his energy once more, he felt the stark difference.
The cultivation speed in auxiliary cultivation mode was over thirty times faster than cultivating on his own!
This profound sense of contrast made Li Fan nearly unable to resist exchanging for another day.
Yet, looking at his remaining ten contribution points, Li Fan forced himself to hold back.
"A treasure like this truly ought to belong to me."
A surge of greed abruptly welled up in Li Fan's heart.
Chapter 47