Rejoining the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals

Standing suspended in the air, Li Fan observed Liuli Island in Anchor Year 9. The Liuli Island of this era was far less bustling than what Li Fan had seen in his previous life. Its population was less than a third of what it would be a decade later, and naturally, it lacked that thriving, vibrant vitality where all things flourished. Faint traces left by the ravages of the wind calamity could still be seen along the island's edges, and smiles were rarely found on mortals' faces. At this moment, Liuli Island had yet to recover its vitality from the massive wind calamity of Anchor Year 5. "If True Reversion's recharge speed could be further accelerated, perhaps I'd have a chance to witness it with my own eyes," Li Fan mused inwardly. Back when he was still a mortal, hearing of the wind calamity's might—capable of shearing away two-thirds of Liuli Island—Li Fan had deeply felt the terror of heaven and earth's power. Yet later, Li Fan had witnessed with his own eyes the scarlet flames boiling the sea and turning the ocean into mountain ranges within a dozen-odd years. By comparison, this wind calamity was nothing much. … Li Fan was currently waiting for He Zhenghao to return from Liuli Island. According to He Zhenghao, cultivators at or above the late Qi Condensation stage who ventured there without authorization would be automatically attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Array. Therefore, He Zhenghao had gone ahead to handle a transit permit for Li Fan. He didn't keep Li Fan waiting long, however. Before long, He Zhenghao returned. "Mission accomplished!" He handed Li Fan a jade talisman carved with the character "Wan." "Fellow Daoist, you need only imprint a wisp of your aura onto this transit talisman." Li Fan took the talisman and channeled spiritual energy into it. A flash of light flared across the character "Wan" on the talisman before vanishing toward an unknown destination. Seeing this, He Zhenghao nodded. "That does it." He then cautioned, "Once Fellow Daoist officially joins our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, remember to return this transit talisman. By no means lose it, or you will have to compensate the Alliance with an equivalent amount of contribution points." He Zhenghao seemed to recall something extremely unpleasant, his face twitching. "A tiny talisman like this actually costs a hundred contribution points! Truly…" Stopping halfway through his sentence, He Zhenghao noticed Li Fan watching him with interest and abruptly clamped his mouth shut. "Forgive my indiscretion, Fellow Daoist!" He Zhenghao gave a light cough, and his expression promptly returned to normal. Leading Li Fan inside the Island-Protecting Grand Formation, He Zhenghao activated the teleportation array. After a bout of dizziness, Li Fan finally stood upon Wanxian Island once again. On Dharma Transmission Plaza, the statue of the elderly man with a tall crown and long beard stood quietly, gazing down over Wanxian Island. Cultivators hurried back and forth, passing through various teleportation arrays to travel all across the Congyun Sea. … At this moment, who among them could have predicted that everything here would turn into absolute nothingness in the near future? Li Fan sighed softly with emotion. He Zhenghao assumed Li Fan was simply awestruck by Wanxian Island's magnificent sights and paid it no mind. Just as in the previous life, he provided Li Fan with various introductions. "This is Dharma Transmission Plaza. It was built to commemorate the Immortal Venerable preaching the Dao back then…" Li Fan listened and nodded along. Following the path, the two arrived before the Heavenly Profound Mirror. "Fellow Daoist was an itinerant cultivator before, so you wouldn't know this. Members of our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals may recommend outside itinerant cultivators to join. Depending on the recommended cultivator's realm and potential, one receives a corresponding reward in contribution points." Before entering the Heavenly Profound Mirror, He Zhenghao seemed to recall something and turned back to say to Li Fan, "So you see, Fellow Daoist coming to seek my help suited my wishes completely." "So that's how it is. I feared I might put Fellow Daoist in a difficult position; it seems I worried needlessly." Li Fan put on a look of sudden realization, then said solemnly, "Regardless, I, Fan, will not forget Fellow Daoist's help." He Zhenghao nodded with a smile, very pleased with Li Fan's response. The two then entered the Heavenly Profound Mirror. "This person is the late Qi Condensation itinerant cultivator I reported earlier, who wishes to join our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals," He Zhenghao said, looking at Li Fan within the space of the Heavenly Profound Mirror. A moment later, a voice rang out in the space: "Recommending one late Qi Condensation cultivator: credited with middling third-class merit, converted to 300 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 1,340." Hearing this, He Zhenghao started slightly, a flicker of surprise flashing across his eyes. He stared at Li Fan for a moment before inquiring, "Pardon my bluntness, but may I ask Fellow Daoist's age?" Li Fan pondered for a moment before answering, "Twenty-nine, I believe." He Zhenghao drew in a sharp breath, thoroughly shocked. "A late Qi Condensation cultivator at twenty-nine, and an itinerant cultivator at that…" Then, overflowing with delight, he said, "Fellow Daoist's natural talent is truly something I have never seen before in my life!" Right away, he pulled out a communication talisman shaped like a mountain peak and handed it to Li Fan. "You are newly arrived and will surely encounter many problems. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I will hold nothing back and tell you everything I know. "If you run into any trouble you genuinely cannot resolve, you can also ask me for help. Although I, He Zhenghao, am merely at the middle Foundation Establishment stage, my network is quite extensive, and I have a modest amount of face within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals." Hearing this, Li Fan nodded gratefully. Only after He Zhenghao gave a few more instructions and departed with an excited expression did Li Fan's face return to normal. "The treatment this time is far better than in my last life." Li Fan tossed He Zhenghao's communication talisman up and caught it. "In the cultivation world, most cultivators keep to themselves. Someone like He Zhenghao is truly rare. Besides, my cultivation talent is only slightly above average; isn't he being a bit overly enthusiastic?" Li Fan thought it over, but couldn't come up with a definitive reason. He merely had a vague feeling it might be related to the cultivation method He Zhenghao practiced. Moreover, sensing no malice from He Zhenghao, he put the matter out of his mind. "Divine consciousness fluctuations recorded." "Independent space generated." "Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. As a welcome benefit, you are granted 100 contribution points free of charge. You may use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, Dharma treasures, and more." … The Heavenly Profound Mirror began introducing the relevant procedures. Though already very familiar with them, Li Fan still listened attentively while comparing them to the circumstances of his previous life. Li Fan discovered that after advancing to the late Qi Condensation stage, the contribution points required to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode had increased from 10 points a day to 30 points a day. "The higher the realm, the more resources required. That is only natural. It seems I must first obtain a large quantity of contribution points before doing anything else." Accumulating contribution points slowly through missions was far too slow. Li Fan didn't care for it. In reality, he already had a plan for how to earn a massive amount of contribution points in a short period. After spending 10 contribution points to purchase a slightly larger storage ring, Li Fan made a trip out through the teleportation array. In an uninhabited place, he stowed the gold, silver, and jewels looted from the Taiyan Boat, as well as the Step-Halting Broken Stele, into it. Afterward, he returned swiftly and requested an exchange. "A batch of gold and silver: convertible to 863 contribution points." "Wonder of heaven and earth: Step-Halting Broken Stele. Quality: Flawed. Convertible to 1,968 contribution points." A moment later, the prompts from the Heavenly Profound Mirror appeared.