"It is as if, from taking so many beatings, he has developed a resistance to divine abilities," Li Fan thought to himself in shock.
Li Fan's techniques were growing increasingly ineffective.
Yet Shuo Feng only fought with greater and greater vigor.
In the end, Li Fan took his leave on the pretext that he was truly outmatched and needed to return to contemplate new divine abilities.
He did not go anywhere else; instead, he headed straight for the Heavenly Profound Mirror in Tianquan and exercised the privilege of his authority clearance, Yan Thirty-Five.
It was different from what he had imagined.
No passageway leading directly to the primary Heavenly Profound Mirror opened within the space of the Heavenly Profound sub-mirror.
Instead, Li Fan was given a time and place to report.
When the time came, a guide would escort him, and anyone who arrived late would not be waited for.
At the agreed-upon time, Li Fan arrived outside Tianquan City at a towering stone mountain shaped like a lotus.
A middle-aged cultivator was already waiting there.
The middle-aged cultivator wore a goatee and blue Daoist robes. He cast a somewhat surprised glance at Li Fan.
However, he was quite courteous, proactively cupping his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am Wang Wan."
Judging by the aura that the man inadvertently leaked, Li Fan discerned that Wang Wan was at least at the Soul Formation stage. Not daring to be remiss, he returned the salute. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wang. I am Li Fan."
After introducing themselves and exchanging subtle nods, they spoke no further.
*An authority clearance of Yan Thirty-Five cannot be attained purely through powerful cultivation. One must have extensive connections within the Alliance. No wonder he is so polite to me even though I only have mid-Nascent Soul cultivation,* Li Fan realized.
Moments later, a female cultivator dressed in form-fitting white attire arrived at the mountain peak.
After exchanging greetings with Li Fan and Wang Wan, she likewise remained silent, waiting quietly.
Li Fan learned her name: Deng Mingqian.
After that, no more cultivators arrived.
After a full incense stick's worth of time, spatial ripples surfaced above the summit.
As if sliced open by invisible threads, a transparent doorway appeared, and a black-robed cultivator stepped out from it.
He cast a sweeping glance over them and confirmed the identities of the three.
"Follow me," the black-robed cultivator said in a low voice.
Without any visible movement on his part, the transparent doorway expanded in an instant, enveloping Li Fan and the other two.
Then, it erupted with dazzling light.
The doorway vanished, taking the people with it.
A familiar sensation welled up in Li Fan's heart.
Just like when he had sneaked into the location of the Root of Heaven and Earth in the void of Tianling Province.
His flesh, blood, and bones all felt as though they were being dissolved and transformed.
When Li Fan regained his senses, he discovered that he had once again turned into that comical form composed entirely of black-and-white lines.
Yet it was different from being inside the Root of Heaven and Earth.
In this vast black-and-white space, a mysterious power seemed to dwell.
It fell upon Li Fan, exerting a suppressing effect so that his own lines would not silently drain away.
Silently sensing this faint suppressing power around him, Li Fan thought, *This must be the protective measure provided by the Heavenly Profound Mirror.*
*After all, we are here to comprehend divine abilities. Without this layer of protection, an ordinary cultivator would probably be completely assimilated by this space within moments.*
*Still, given my experience inside the Root of Heaven and Earth and my comprehension of the similar divine ability, Silk Pulling Life Reduction, I should be able to survive longer than others here.*
Li Fan looked around.
He saw Deng Mingqian and Wang Wan not far away, both reduced to forms of drawn lines as well.
However, there was a slight difference compared to their true bodies.
Deng Mingqian's figure was smaller than those of the two men, appearing like that of a girl of thirteen or fourteen.
Meanwhile, although Wang Wan's build had not changed much, his vaguely discernible features had shifted from the middle-aged man with a goatee into the image of a decrepit old man.
Wang Wan did not seem to be here for the first time; with practiced familiarity, he sped forward.
Deng Mingqian was initially somewhat bewildered and frightened.
Yet she possessed strong mental resilience and quickly adjusted, following Wang Wan toward the center of this black-and-white space.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then followed along.
As they flew, Li Fan discovered that this place was not the same as where the Heavenly Profound Mirror birthed its sub-mirrors, which he had seen in his previous life.
It was not as vast, and it was relatively independent.
Yet there was a faint connection between them.
*In essence, both belong to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, but their roles are divided differently,* Li Fan realized.
Before long, they arrived at the very center of the black-and-white space.
There, crisscrossing lines had formed a suspended platform.
Deng Mingqian and Wang Wan landed on the platform.
The lines representing their feet grew chaotic, splitting into countless thin black threads that connected to the surface beneath them like tiny tentacles.
The sight looked rather bizarre.
Li Fan pondered for a moment and imitated their actions.
The next second, his vision burst into vibrant color once more.
Countless characters cascaded before his eyes like a waterfall.
Finally, they formed several lines of small text:
"Cultivator Li Fan connected."
"Please demonstrate the divine ability you wish to deduce within your sea of consciousness."
"Based on Cultivator Li Fan's current cultivation level, the power ceiling of the deduced divine ability is capped at the Soul Formation realm."
"Remaining deduction time..."
At the very end was a ticking countdown timer.
Only ten shichen.
In front of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, one had to keep reservations.
Yet this opportunity was hard-won, so he also had to maximize his gains.
The shocking Chaos divine ability definitely could not be revealed.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, having already made his decision.
*This space within the Heavenly Profound Mirror is remarkably similar to the inside of the Root of Heaven and Earth.*
*If my guess is correct, it is analyzing the process of the world's creation.*
*In that case...*
With a thought from Li Fan, various insights regarding the Reverse Five Elements Creation and Annihilation Sword surged into his mind.
The Reverse Five Elements Creation and Annihilation Sword was a divine ability Li Fan had comprehended based on the Great Five Elements Oblivion Sword, combined with his own understanding of the Dao of Creation and Annihilation.
However, he was only at the Nascent Soul realm, so his comprehension of the Dao of Creation and Annihilation was quite superficial.
After all, the main body's talent and perception were not as heaven-defying as his clone Xu Bai's.
Ever since he comprehended it, it had seen little practical use.
For the most part, he had merely used it as an oblivion sword.
As for the creative function of "Creation," it was currently limited to trivial party tricks like condensing spirit stones with a bare hand.
*I hope this brings me some pleasant surprises,* Li Fan thought.
He noticed that as he meditated in his mind on the insights of the Reverse Five Elements Creation and Annihilation Sword, the lines beneath his feet connecting him to the platform began to sway incessantly, as if stirred by a gentle breeze.
The blackness of the lines deepened.
It was as though something was being transmitted.
Just moments later, the Heavenly Profound Mirror's response arrived.
Before Li Fan's eyes, countless scenes flashed into view in an instant.
Vaguely, he saw once more the process of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens being born. Then, myriads of fleeting images flashed in unison, rising from the bottom up to form a great tree with countless branches.
Li Fan stood at the base of the great tree, on the verge of making a choice.
Chapter 764