All four were Dao Integration cultivators. Their eyes burned as they stared intently at Sacred Embryo Li Fan, their auras churning.
Yet Li Fan showed not the slightest sign of nervousness. He cupped his hands to either side. "Seniors, please be patient. Allow me to make a final confirmation."
"However, I will need to send a strand of my divine sense over there!"
As he spoke, Li Fan pointed with his index finger toward the little Yanfa girl who lay sound asleep over the long table.
The four Dao Integration cultivators exchanged glances, troubled looks crossing all their faces.
Li Fan simply waited quietly for them to make their decision.
"Boy, is there no other way?"
Li Fan answered indifferently, "One must prescribe the medicine suited to the illness. If the cause is misdiagnosed and forced treatment is attempted, it could very well cause even greater harm instead.
"It is merely the faintest strand of divine sense, used solely for observation and communication. It couldn't even harm a mortal...
"If you truly cannot rest easy, then forget it."
The four Dao Integration cultivators discussed among themselves a while longer, ultimately deciding to let Sacred Embryo Li Fan give it a try.
Once Li Fan detached a strand of divine sense, he felt four distinct strands of divine sense immediately latch onto it like chains.
The five were connected into a single entity. Everything seen and heard could be shared, and they could communicate with one another freely.
"Let us go."
All four voices echoed in Li Fan's mind at once.
Knowing this was a necessary precaution, Li Fan had no objection.
In the next moment, the five strands of divine sense flew into the little Yanfa girl's sea of consciousness together.
In a world bathed in radiant golden light, manual after manual of cultivation methods floated in the air.
It was like a sea of books, boundless and vast beyond measure.
Upon entering, one's divine sense could easily lose all sense of direction.
Li Fan could clearly see the titles of the cultivation methods drifting past him. If permitted, he could even browse their contents to his heart's content—
—if not for the four powerful strands of divine sense watching him like hawks from the side.
Forcibly suppressing the urge to peek into these countless techniques, Li Fan manifested a form with his divine sense and shouted loudly to the surroundings: "Little one, stop pretending to be asleep! Come out right now!"
Though his voice was not particularly loud, in this world filled with cultivation manuals, it was a complete anomaly.
It rippled outward in all directions with unwavering persistence.
The four Dao Integration cultivators' divine senses also manifested into figures at that moment.
"What did you say? Yanfa Jade is pretending to sleep?"
"How could that be possible?"
Having never once considered such an outcome, they stared blankly at Li Fan, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
Li Fan paid them no mind, continuing to shout toward the surroundings on his own: "Little one, do you think feigning sleep will reduce your workload? What belongs to you will always be yours! You can't run away from it!
"Once you wake up, won't you still have to keep deducing? You'll even have to make up for all the backlog you owe during this time..."
Li Fan chattered away endlessly, sounding like a heartless boss badgering his subordinates to get to work.
Even the four Protector Hall Dao Integration cultivators couldn't help but frown slightly as they listened.
Just like that, who knew how long had passed.
"So noisy!"
A petite figure suddenly appeared above Li Fan's head.
Clutching a wooden club several times larger than herself, she was about to bring it crashing down right onto Li Fan's head.
"Zhou—"
"You're awake!"
Seeing this, the four Dao Integration cultivators rejoiced.
Although Li Fan's actual combat strength was meager, he was not so weak that he couldn't dodge such an obvious strike. With a flicker of his form, he dodged the little Yanfa girl's attack.
Having swung and missed, the little girl hoisted the club onto her shoulder and stomped over to Li Fan in a huff. "Who are you calling 'little one'?! Your granny here is thousands of years old! Countless times older than you!"
Li Fan's expression darkened, and he berated her, "If that's the case, why do you look like a child and insist on pretending to sleep? Do you have any idea how many people are worried about you?!"
The little Yanfa girl flinched, her imposing demeanor instantly deflating.
Yet she soon gave a cold snort, stubbornly talking back: "Mind your own business! You're so annoying! If not for you, they would never have realized!"
As she spoke, she quietly patted the giant wooden club on her shoulder, eyeing Li Fan with an unkind glint in her eyes.
Li Fan simply turned to the four Dao Integration cultivators and cupped his hands. Everything was said without a word.
"Oh, my little ancestor, why are you throwing a tantrum again..."
The white-haired elder stepped forward to the little Yanfa girl with a wry smile, looking thoroughly helpless. "Do you have any idea that in just these past few days, the Protector Hall has nearly ground to a halt? So many urgent matters were forced to be delayed..."
"What does that have to do with me!" The wooden club on her shoulder vanished, and the little girl covered her ears, wearing an 'I can't hear you, I'm not listening' expression.
"I've worked for two thousand three hundred and twenty-seven consecutive days! I'm already exhausted! You promised me a vacation, and then suddenly took it away!" she said petulantly. "I don't care! I want my vacation!"
To think that this was the very reason Yanfa Jade had stubbornly feigned sleep.
The four Protector Hall Dao Integration cultivators could only exchange helpless, bitter smiles.
"Wasn't that due to extenuating circumstances..."
One after another, the four chimed in, continually offering comfort and coaxing words.
It took quite a bit of effort before they finally managed to persuade the little Yanfa girl to relent, agreeing that after resting for one more day, she would resume her work.
With that, the little girl vanished in a huff.
The others were also forcibly expelled from her sea of consciousness.
Returning to their own physical bodies, the group looked at the distant sphere of glowing characters, whose shifting speed was beginning to return to normal, and couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
"Little brother, how did you determine that Yanfa Jade was pretending to sleep?" the white-haired elder asked Li Fan with curiosity. His attitude was far better now, no longer as frosty as before.
"A proprietary secret technique, I'm afraid. It's not convenient to disclose," Li Fan said, showing no flattered embarrassment at being treated like a peer by a Dao Integration cultivator, simply declining to answer the question.
An awkward look flashed across the white-haired elder's face, but it quickly faded without him losing his temper.
In his view, for this young cultivator to diagnose Yanfa Jade's 'ailment' at a single glance, his attainments in 'healing' must be extraordinary.
Even if his true body was not a Dao Integration cultivator, it could hardly be much weaker.
"Haha, no matter. As long as Yanfa Jade has awakened, that is all that matters," the other three Dao Integration cultivators laughed and smoothed things over.
"Speaking of which, since I helped you resolve such a difficult problem, shouldn't there be some reward?" Li Fan suddenly asked.
The four paused slightly.
The white-haired elder was the quickest to react: "Yes! Most certainly!
"A reward is easily arranged. However, regarding the malfunction of Yanfa Jade, we must ask little brother to help keep it confidential.
"What would you like, little brother?"
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then replied, "I haven't thought of it yet. If I have a need in the future, I will come find you. How about that?"
The white-haired elder stared intently at Li Fan for a moment, then did not refuse.
Instead, he handed a jade pendant to Li Fan to verify his identity.
Now that everything was back on track, Li Fan returned to the waiting space.
Following the previous queue order, he waited for the deduction of his cultivation method.
Chapter 941