"Still, they cannot be compared to me."
The eyes of the avatar, Ji Shaoli, gleamed. Drawing upon the experiences of his past lifetimes, he made a swift series of purchases, spending five hundred thousand in an instant.
He converted all those contribution points into supplies that were bound to appreciate rapidly in value over the coming period.
"Mm, it seems the fall of Jiushan Province has had an impact after all."
"The price trends for certain commodities have already shifted. Some experienced premature spikes, while others depreciated in ways that didn't happen before."
The avatar operated the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Meanwhile, a beam of shadowy light isolated the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror, preventing it from sensing anything from the outside world.
After spending another million contribution points to procure a large quantity of common supplies, Li Fan put them away and quietly departed Haixuan Island.
The avatar remained seated, holding down the fort, but reached out to He Zhenghao.
Indeed, Ji Shaoli was acquainted with He Zhenghao as well.
After all, Daoist He had a wide circle of friends, and since both were within the Congyun Sea, it was hardly unusual for them to know one another.
Still, they had met only a few times, and their acquaintance was not deep.
"Daoist He, how have you been of late?"
"Would you be willing to gather on Haixuan Island for a get-together?"
And it was not just He Zhenghao.
The avatar sent banquet invitations to every cultivator in his memory with whom he had even a passing connection.
...
"While pushing the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association toward an all-out clash, research into establishing the foundation with oneself cannot be neglected either."
"After all, this is what can truly shake Chuanfa's very foundation."
Leaving Haixuan Island, Li Fan's eyes flickered with thought as he took a detour and flew straight toward Yinyin Island.
Upon arrival, he did not act rashly.
Instead, he carefully observed his surroundings first.
Faint wails of mortals could vaguely be heard drifting from the island.
Evidently, he was still researching the mysteries of the immortal-mortal miasma.
That little dog with shifting eyes across its belly was sprinting wildly across the island, clamping a white rib in its jaws.
It seemed thoroughly delighted.
*Master Yin only succeeded in establishing the foundation with oneself in Year 3 of the Anchor.*
*Not much time has passed since then.*
Li Fan pondered. Not daring to be overconfident, he sent a divine sense transmission: "Is Daoist Yin present?"
The scene of battling Master Yin in his previous life remained vivid in his memory.
Even with a Nascent Soul cultivation and countless divine abilities and secret arts at his disposal, he had been helpless against Master Yin.
In the end, he had only managed to slay him by resorting to the Luan Formula.
In this lifetime, to avoid alarming Chuanfa, Li Fan would not casually deploy the Luan Formula.
Moreover, he was counting on Master Yin to further deduce the method of establishing the foundation with oneself on his behalf...
Persuasion through words was by far the best course.
"I am here. Please enter, Fellow Daoist!"
The stone gate on the island swung open with a rumble, and Li Fan flew down.
The human-handed puppy suddenly whipped its head around, glaring at Li Fan.
It let out a threatening growl, its eyes filled with vigilance.
As its jaws opened to bark, the white rib clattered to the ground.
Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he drew it into his hand with spiritual energy.
This rib came from the first cultivator surnamed Su to be infected by the immortal-mortal miasma.
In his 115th lifetime, Li Fan had thrown it out to draw the attention of the colossal monster formed from countless corpses in the white mist, thereby escaping with his life.
Seeing its prized possession snatched away, the human-handed puppy's gaze turned vicious.
Yet when Li Fan cast a slight glance at it, it looked as if it had suffered a tremendous fright and instantly tucked in its aggression.
Dropping its tail, it scurried dejectedly into the island's building.
Li Fan chuckled softly and followed it inside.
Familiar with this place, Li Fan quickly located Master Yin.
Just as when he had met him in previous lifetimes, Master Yin seemed somewhat possessed, staring intently at mortals being tormented by experiments inside a transparent cage.
He was muttering something unintelligible under his breath.
Li Fan tossed the white rib over, and Master Yin caught it by reflex.
"This is..." He froze at first, then gripped it tightly with tremendous force.
"Just now at the entrance, I saw the little creature carrying this in its mouth. Sensing the bone was somewhat extraordinary, I figured the little fellow had misbehaved and stolen it to play with," Li Fan explained with a smile.
Understanding dawned on Master Yin, and he gave the human-handed puppy a vicious kick before putting the white rib away.
His expression softened considerably as he turned to Li Fan and asked, "May I ask what brings Fellow Daoist here?"
Li Fan glanced left and right. "This is hardly the place to speak..."
Master Yin was struck dumb for a moment.
Still, he did not press the matter and led Li Fan to an underground secret chamber.
As they walked through the gallery of Master Yin's collections, he introduced the exhibits to Li Fan.
To his surprise, Li Fan seemed quite knowledgeable about these curiosities as well, chiming in with insightful remarks from time to time.
Having gone so long without finding a kindred spirit, Master Yin was pleasantly surprised, and his attitude toward Li Fan grew even warmer.
He kicked the human-handed puppy again, ordering it to serve two cups of churning, pitch-black spiritual flora tea.
Before Master Yin could say a word, Li Fan casually picked his cup up and drained it in a single gulp without batting an eye.
"Fine tea!" he remarked, seemingly savoring the lingering taste.
This caught Master Yin even more off guard.
"This secret chamber is quite secluded. Whatever you wish to say, Fellow Daoist, please speak freely," Master Yin said slowly after taking a sip of his own.
"Daoist Yin, do you know of 'establishing the foundation with oneself'?"
Li Fan's next words froze him on the spot.
"Cough, cough..." Choking and coughing a few times, Master Yin set down his teacup, staring at Li Fan with a rather peculiar expression.
"You have come for establishing the foundation with oneself, Fellow Daoist?"
He had indeed spoken of this concept to others before, but most had dismissed it as preposterous nonsense, laughing it off.
Someone coming for a solemn personal visit like Li Fan was an absolute first.
Out of mutual appreciation, Master Yin could not help but advise him, "However, I see you have already achieved the Golden Core realm. The method of establishing the foundation with oneself has not yet been perfected..."
To his surprise, Li Fan raised a hand, cutting him off.
His next sentence struck like thunder from a clear sky.
"When I first heard of your method of establishing the foundation with oneself, I was in awe of your genius. Yet upon careful reflection, I found significant flaws within it."
"Thus, exhausting my mind and expending immense effort, I have finally brought it to completion."
"Delighted by this breakthrough, I came here specifically to share it with you."
"I hope Daoist Yin will point out any remaining deficiencies for me."
Li Fan spoke calmly.
Hearing these words, Master Yin sprang to his feet.
He stared at Li Fan, his eyes rife with disbelief.
He even burst out laughing. "You completed the method of establishing the foundation with oneself? Fellow Daoist, please don't jest at my expense..."
However, as Li Fan recited the mnemonic formula word by word, the smile on his face swiftly vanished.
In its place came surprise.
Then gravity.
Then utter shock.
In the end, once Li Fan finished expounding the entirety of the method of establishing the foundation with oneself, Master Yin's body was trembling completely out of control.
"How is this possible..."
"How can this be..."
His eyes were filled with dazed confusion as he seemed to test the feasibility of this method.
Yet no matter how he deduced and calculated, only a single conclusion emerged.
Impregnable. Flawless.
Master Yin's knees went weak, and he stumbled, collapsing to the floor.
His finger pointed at Li Fan, trembling incessantly.
For a long time, he could not utter a single word.
Chapter 816