Review and Planning

... [Current simulation ended.] [You may choose one of the following options to retain: 1. An item currently in your possession during this simulation. 2. Your cultivation realm from this simulation. 3. The simulation memories of an individual closely associated with you in this simulation. These memories may be inherited by that individual. 4. Forfeit the above options to accelerate the charging progress.] As consciousness slowly returned, Li Fan felt his twenty-year-old body, looking around at the surroundings that were at once familiar yet foreign. Only after a long while did he fully come to his senses. His previous life had lasted merely forty-eight years, yet to Li Fan, it felt longer than all nine of his prior lives combined. Beyond the fact that the splendor and complexity of his experiences in the cultivation world far surpassed mortal life in Great Xuan, another pivotal factor was that perceiving the qi mechanism of Heaven and Earth through the will of the Vast Sea Pearl had subjected him to assimilation. Of course, setting foot in the cultivation world for the first time had yielded remarkable gains. Li Fan looked at the first option—the items he could choose. The storage ring and various manuals purchased from the Heavenly Profound Mirror went without saying, but wonders of heaven and earth such as the Step-Halting Broken Stele and the Vast Sea Pearl were also prominently listed. Focusing his intent on the Vast Sea Pearl, Li Fan had an intuitive realization: if he chose it, what he would receive was the Vast Sea Pearl that had already mostly formed near the end of his previous life's lifespan. Having merged his consciousness with the pearl for over a decade, Li Fan was naturally well aware of its might. Though tempted, Li Fan resolutely chose the second option: retaining his cultivation realm. After all, cultivation was the foundation of everything. For a mere mortal to hold a treasure was simply inviting disaster. Besides, Li Fan knew the current Vast Sea Pearl was still on Liuyun Island; when the time came, he could simply go and claim it. As Li Fan made his decision, two familiar strands of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air within his dantian. At the same moment, Li Fan's expression changed. He abruptly remembered that at this moment, he was still nothing more than an ordinary mortal. His body was still suffused with immortal-mortal miasma. If this suddenly manifested spiritual energy clashed with it, he would be in grave danger. Fortunately, what Li Fan feared did not come to pass. An inexplicable fluctuation descended upon Li Fan. Moments later, the spiritual energy in his dantian surged forth like a rushing river, sweeping across his entire body, transforming his physique and elevating his realm. Early Qi Refining stage, middle Qi Condensation stage, late Qi Condensation stage! In just a few breaths, he achieved the realm that had cost him all his painstaking effort and consumed his very life in his previous existence. Li Fan's aura gradually stabilized. Yet an inexplicable sense of shock lingered on his face. It was not because he had reached the late Qi Condensation stage in an instant, but because of that strangely descended fluctuation! Li Fan clearly felt that the moment the fluctuation descended, the immortal-mortal miasma within his body had vanished like smoke in an instant, purged with absolute thoroughness! The effect far surpassed the forced expulsion through the Purifying Spirit Pool formation in his previous life. "This fluctuation..." Li Fan carefully recalled the fleeting sensation, vaguely finding it familiar. "It is the will of Heaven and Earth—the power of law!" Li Fan suddenly came to a realization. Having observed the cycles of the qi mechanism of Heaven and Earth for over a decade through the Vast Sea Pearl, Li Fan was still far from refining and mastering it, yet recognizing it upon seeing it was well within his ability. "If the immortal-mortal miasma is the will of Heaven and Earth permanently separating immortals from mortals, then that fluctuation just now was completely opposite to it." "The immortal-mortal miasma that has plagued the cultivation world for thousands of years vanished just like that, so effortlessly." "True Reversion is truly unfathomable." "If I could master this method of purifying the immortal-mortal miasma..." Li Fan's thoughts surged with excitement. Only after a long while did he slowly calm himself. A nine-story tower begins with heaps of earth; with merely a Qi Condensation cultivation, wishing to replicate that power of law from just now was no different from a fool's dream. He still had to take things step by step. Li Fan opened the True Reversion panel to review his previous life. Name: Li Fan Realm: Late Qi Condensation Stage Physiological Age: 20/199 Psychological Age: 531/2300↑ Reversion Charging Progress: 0% Anchor Charging Progress: 51% Current Anchors: 1 Bound Items: *Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos*, Taiyan Boat, Step-Halting Broken Stele (Damaged) Techniques: Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, Minor Water Derivation Technique, Golden Chapter of Thousand Mechanisms and the Jade Cosmos "The path of immortal cultivation is arduous indeed. Especially in this realm, where cultivators plunder heaven and earth, while Heaven and Earth are steeped in killing intent." "In my previous life, when I first entered the cultivation world, I met Su Changyu. I thought he possessed an uncommon temperament and a devoted heart toward the Dao, and that he would certainly accomplish something. Who could have foreseen that he would die mysteriously in just a few days?" "In contrast, Xiao Heng, unassuming beside him, possessed innate genius. Within just a few years, he was poised to establish his Dao Foundation." "Both He Zhenghao and I believed he would surely achieve the Golden Core Dao in his lifetime, yet who could have guessed..." "Heaven and Earth had already laid down their killing intent. The multitudes in the Congyun Sea, whether riding high or languishing in misfortune, whether cultivators or mortals, were all long destined to meet their deaths." "Only Zhang Haobo, an ordinary fisherman, survived the catastrophe and met with another fortuitous encounter, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator." "Nothing in the world is more unpredictable than this." Recalling his past life, Li Fan felt boundless sighs rise within him. Then, a trace of doubt surfaced in his mind. "Just as I told Xiao Heng before, if the authorities intend to surround and wipe out bandits, they do not let the bandits know in advance. This world and its cultivators are just like the authorities and bandits." "So when Heaven unleashes its killing intent to eradicate cultivators, they naturally cannot sense it. That was also why when I asked the Heavenly Profound Mirror whether a catastrophe loomed, it replied that there was none. It was simply blinded by the heavenly design." "Then why did the Wanhua Merchant Guild seem to have noticed beforehand and ordered all their personnel to withdraw from the Congyun Sea?" "And why did they not warn the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, idly watching countless lives perish?" "There must be something fishy behind this. If I have the chance in this life, I must uncover the truth." After pondering carefully for a long time, Li Fan laid out his plans for this lifetime. "The cultivation world is fraught with perils. Before the reversion charge is complete, it is best not to step foot there recklessly." "Now that I cultivate the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, the charging speed is greatly accelerated. It won't take twenty years to complete like before; within ten years, it should reach one hundred percent." "That way, my arrival in the cultivation world this time should be more than a decade earlier than in the previous life." "I recall that during those ten-odd years, a major event seemed to have occurred in the Congyun Sea. This happens to give me time to plan ahead." "Furthermore, after the Congyun Sea dried up in the last life, I saw secret treasures hidden across various islands. Right now, no one knows of them; if the opportunity arises, I should retrieve them one by one." "The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation repeatedly helped me break through predicaments in my previous life. This technique is truly extraordinary, and there seems to be more behind it. I must cultivate it diligently and never slacken." "As for Chi Yan burning the sea, whether I choose to flee alone or make it public..." "I can only play it by ear when the time comes..." ... In his previous life, Li Fan had plunged headlong into the unfamiliar cultivation world, only reaching the late Qi Condensation stage and enduring forty-eight years before his body died and his Dao was extinguished. Yet in this life, armed with foresight, Li Fan believed he would undoubtedly go much farther.