"The Deng Mingqian I saw in the Heavenly Profound True Mirror space appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. That is likely her actual age.
"At such a young age, she must have been sheltered well by her clan. That is why, even with mind-reading abilities, she shows little shrewdness or guile," Li Fan mused inwardly.
"Clearly only possessing a Golden Core cultivation, yet she could sense my inner thoughts...
"It shouldn't be due to a cultivation technique. Perhaps it relates to her Foundation Establishment wonder. Mind-reading is exceedingly rare in the Xuanhuang Realm to begin with. To achieve it while disregarding differences in cultivation realm... that might already border on half a wonder of Heaven." A curious gleam flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
Reincarnating across lifetimes, Li Fan had encountered quite a few cultivators bearing half a wonder of Heaven, alongside true wonders of Heaven like the Yanfa Jade and the Sword.
There was He Zhenghao's daughter He Xinxin with her Dao Script Compass, Fairy Kongyou with her Yin-Yang Jade, and Sun Qi with his Primal Qi of Qiankun.
Yet none had stirred Li Fan's interest quite as intensely as Deng Mingqian's mind-reading wonder.
The human heart was unfathomable. In a Xuanhuang Realm where techniques could not be cultivated together, this was all the more true. No one could ever guarantee whether a companion claiming brotherhood at one's side harbored murderous intent beneath the surface.
If one could master the ability to read minds—even if just capturing a few stray thoughts at crucial junctures—the myriad risks encountered along the path of cultivation would plunge dramatically.
Not to mention, it could also serve as a gauge of strength in a certain sense.
If one suddenly found the mind-reading ability failing against someone, one would immediately realize that the other party was not someone to be crossed.
*Perhaps I could even reverse-engineer a method to prevent my own thoughts from being read by others.*
A man of swift action, Li Fan immediately returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror within Tianquan City to inquire about any information regarding Deng Mingqian.
The outcome surprised him slightly: not a single shred of useful information came up.
It was as though Deng Mingqian had materialized out of thin air.
Li Fan shifted his approach, searching instead for the Brother Qingyu she had mentioned.
At the same time, he factored in the arrogant, overbearing, and vindictive temperament Wang Wan had described.
A match was found almost instantaneously.
However, Deng Qingyu's backing was not some Deng Clan.
It was the Tianquan Wang Clan.
"An adopted son, then. Yet the Wang Clan treats him as their own, offering him privileges surpassing even their direct descendants.
"He is likely riding on his sister's coattails," Li Fan nodded to himself.
Though the Tianquan Wang Clan could hardly be counted among the topmost nobility of the Alliance, ordinary cultivators still could not afford to offend them. Many of their clan members served within the secretive Protector Hall.
Word had it that the Wang Clan Patriarch even bore the heavy responsibility of guarding the Yanfa Jade...
The moment he saw that detail, Li Fan made up his mind.
He swore to be friends with this Wang Clan across several lifetimes.
Yet as he searched for further details, Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly.
As it turned out, Deng Qingyu was not the only one in the Wang Clan with a foul reputation.
The entire younger generation of the Wang Clan, as well as the elders of the older generation, lacked a good name without exception.
Across the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, one could not find a single cultivator willing to speak on their behalf. At the mere mention of the Tianquan Wang Clan, people practically spat on the ground to show their contempt.
"Utter loners—no, an 'isolated clan.' This is no longer a matter of personal character; it is deliberate.
"Are they doing it to avoid suspicion?"
Having once navigated the imperial bureaucracy, Li Fan was intimately familiar with such maneuvers.
"The Yanfa Jade."
Li Fan fell silent for a moment, letting his search end there without probing any deeper into the subject.
In this lifetime, the Heavenly Profound Mirror had already completed its ascension. Digging too heavily into sensitive matters like these might cause him to be flagged.
Having long grown wary of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan naturally had no desire to cultivate within its space either.
Presently, cultivators of the Alliance were scouring every mountain and combing every sea in search of pocket world entrances. Digging deep secret chambers in the wilderness was no longer safe, either.
*The hidden trouble on Liu San's end has yet to be eliminated, too...*
For a moment, though the world was vast, Li Fan found it difficult to locate a single secure place where he could peacefully engage in closed-door cultivation.
"This is the consequence of the Heavenly Profound Mirror growing powerful, just like the Profound Net in my past life."
Weighing his options, Li Fan chose to rent a courtyard inside the Dao Discussion Tower within Tianquan City.
At the same time, he laid down layer upon layer of arrays for defense.
Only then did he feel a measure of ease.
"Though I haven't taken any reckless risks and all my actions and plans seem to remain within my grasp, this lifetime is faintly beginning to feel like trudging through mud.
"Such is the oppressive weight of the overarching tide. When one's cultivation and strength are too meager, one can only drift with the current. To swim against it is to risk being smashed to pieces at the slightest misstep.
"Perhaps it is time to consider True Reversion.
"Before that, however, there are still a few things I must attend to."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
A moment later, he gently shook his head.
Because the Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness had absorbed far too much data, a faint sluggishness had crept into his thoughts.
"Step by step. First, I'll fully master the Limitless Waxing and Waning Method."
Closing his eyes, Li Fan felt the blue crystal in his mind struggle to emit a faint glow, looking as though it were gorged to bursting. It slowly and painstakingly began to analyze and process the divine ability data poured into it.
***
Tianliang City.
Xu Bai suddenly received a transmission from Liu San.
"Young Master, good news! Among the batch of disciples Old Fang recently took in, someone has successfully established their foundation!"
"What?" Xu Bai froze.
When it came to understanding establishing the foundation with oneself, now that Master Yin was dead, practically no cultivator in the world surpassed him. Establishing the foundation with oneself was extraordinarily difficult. How could someone have succeeded in such a short time?
Could Liu San be...
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xu Bai's mind, and he fell abruptly silent.
After a moment, Liu San's voice drifted through once more at an unhurried pace.
"Not through establishing the foundation with oneself, mind you. Rather, one lad named Xie Lin found the method far too arduous. Through sheer self-taught instinct, he came up with a way to establish his foundation using other external objects of heaven and earth on his own.
"I didn't pay it much mind at first. But in the blink of an eye, he succeeded in establishing his foundation using a stalk of Ten-Thousand-Year Coiled Dragon Grass from the Valley of Longevity!"
"Haha, in that case, this Xie Lin is indeed quite an exceptional talent. Since he has already succeeded, there is no need to force the matter. Isolate him from the others, and make sure the true method of foundation establishment doesn't leak among the disciples," Xu Bai instructed, his expression relaxing.
Liu San's laughter echoed from the other end. "Haha, I've already done so. In ancient times, a genius of this caliber would have long been snapped up by the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. How could it ever be our Medicine King Sect's turn? Times truly have changed."
Xu Bai added another instruction. "You can use Xie Lin's success to motivate the others. Perhaps it might inspire even more geniuses."
"As expected, the Young Master thinks of everything."
Chapter 767