The Heavenly Physician's Gift

Li Fan then deliberately slowed his pace, taking his time as he made his way back toward the entrance of the Spirit Wood Realm. Just as he expected, midway there, the Heavenly Physician's voice echoed in his mind once again. "Well done." Evidently, the Heavenly Physician had already sensed that the seals on the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace had been reinforced. "With your help, I was indeed spared some trouble." "Had I gone myself..." The Heavenly Physician gave a soft chuckle before trailing off. "While reinforcing the seals, I also encountered a few things." Without waiting for the Heavenly Physician to speak again, Li Fan took the initiative to report everything that had transpired within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, faithfully and in full detail. After a protracted silence, Li Fan could not resist asking, "Venerable, back then, what truly...?" It was as though Li Fan's address of "Venerable" had stirred memories buried deep within the Heavenly Physician's mind. In a rare lapse, his tone carried a faint ripple of emotion. "That you were able to uncover the hidden truth within Hanhai's consciousness was genuinely beyond my expectations. No wonder Tianjue took you as his successor despite your aptitudes..." Li Fan's expression stiffened slightly. "The events of that era..." "It is enough that I bear the burden. Knowing too much will do you no good." "You are still too weak. Once you reach the peak of Dao Integration someday, perhaps you will be qualified to know." The Heavenly Physician offered a few rare words of explanation. Li Fan opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed his words and merely nodded slightly. "By the way, how is your study of the Mending the Heavens Record progressing? Have you found anything difficult to grasp?" A moment later, the Heavenly Physician asked again. From the looks of it, he actually intended to resolve Li Fan's doubts in person. How could Li Fan let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by? He immediately brought forth the questions that had puzzled him during his self-study and sought guidance. The Heavenly Physician answered each one with great patience. He truly lived up to his name as the Heavenly Physician; his insights into the Dao of Medicine had reached a transcendent, saintly pinnacle. Often, with just a few sparse words, Li Fan would arrive at sudden enlightenment. Moreover, from mere offhand remarks, the Heavenly Physician derived novel propositions not recorded within the Mending the Heavens Record. Li Fan greedily absorbed the Heavenly Physician's teachings. Good times were always fleeting. Before long, something seemed to have demanded the Heavenly Physician's attention, and he brought the lesson to an end. "You must have been hiding within a pocket world before, which was why I spent some effort and still failed to find you." A chill ran through Li Fan's heart, and just as he was about to answer... ...he heard the Heavenly Physician continue, "Mm, a wise choice. Before achieving success in your cultivation, staying in a pocket world as much as possible is indeed safer." "Continue cultivating. Remember, cultivation methods are secondary. What truly matters is contemplation upon the workings of the Heavenly Dao and the essence of the world." "No matter how powerful a technique is, it ultimately belongs to someone else. Only what truly suits you is the most perfect cultivation method." Hearing these words, Li Fan felt as if struck squarely by a bolt of lightning, his mind shuddering violently. A method truly suited to myself? His eyes glazed over as he plunged into boundless reflection. "A gentleman conceals his instruments close at hand, awaiting the right moment to act. The present Xuanhuang Realm is not yet your true stage. Wait a little longer; it won't be long..." the Heavenly Physician said, his voice deep and laden with veiled meaning. Then, a streak of golden light descended from the heavens. Streaking forward at extreme speed, it arrived before Li Fan in an instant. Only then did Li Fan snap out of his reverie. Focusing his gaze, he saw a golden needle floating before him. "Heh. Back in the day, the reputation that 'Beneath this needle, none fall into Samsara' was known throughout the world." "Had I kept a few more, perhaps some sparks of life could have been preserved." The Heavenly Physician spoke in an indifferent tone. "I give you this needle for self-defense. So long as the needle is not destroyed, you shall not perish." Delight showed on Li Fan's face. "My thanks to the Venerable!" Yet no further response came from the Heavenly Physician. Not wanting to be remiss in etiquette, Li Fan bowed once more toward the sky above. Then he looked at the golden needle before him, his expression indecipherable. In the end, he reached out and tried to touch it. Unlike a physical needle, there was no icy chill. Instead, Li Fan felt a warm current flow from the palm of his hand into his body. In an instant, it formed a protective shell, enveloping his entire divine soul. Li Fan felt as though his divine soul were soaking in a warm spring—gentle, moist, and thoroughly comfortable. A sense of security he had never experienced before welled up in his heart. What a treasure! The thought flashed through Li Fan's mind, and he hurriedly made his way toward the Spirit Wood Realm. Upon returning to the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan keenly sensed that the spiritual energy density here had risen slightly. It seemed the treeman clan's "afforestation" project had already yielded preliminary results. Without disturbing them, Li Fan headed straight to where the faceless stone statue stood. Only after his mind established a connection with the faceless stone statue, and images of the believers of the Myriad Realms Association and the Compassionate Immortal of the Mortal Dust surfaced in his mind, did Li Fan let out a quiet breath of relief. A genuine sense of security welled up through his body and mind. Although he had preliminary confirmation that the Heavenly Physician was indeed quite "kind" toward cultivators of the Tianfa Realm, Li Fan had not lowered his guard because of it. He remained constantly vigilant against the Heavenly Physician's mind-reading ability. Even if they were not face-to-face, even if it was just a golden needle from him, the same caution applied. Before ruling out the possibility that the Heavenly Physician might sense his thoughts through this golden needle, how could Li Fan—having already suffered a major setback once—accept the golden needle without any reservations? And among the hidden cards currently at his disposal to counter the Heavenly Physician, the foremost was this faceless stone statue. The true strength of that Faceless True Immortal was evidently above that of the Heavenly Physician. Under the interference of His stone statue, it should be possible to shield against the Heavenly Physician's perception. Even though he knew this was, in a sense, drinking poison to quench a thirst, Li Fan did so anyway. After all, apart from the King of Profound Heaven, no one had ever truly seen the Faceless True Immortal. Whereas the Heavenly Physician was a real opponent existing right now. "Though there is some risk, the gains are undoubtedly immense." "Setting aside this golden needle, just the pointers from the Heavenly Physician are worth a decade of painstaking cultivation." "Furthermore, there was his final reminder." "The workings of the Heavenly Dao, the essence of the world..." "A cultivation method truly suited to myself..." Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, a preliminary concept already beginning to take shape in his mind. For now, however, he set it aside and turned his attention to examining the golden needle bestowed by the Heavenly Physician. Though bestowed by another, inside Li Fan's body it felt as if it had been with him since birth. Without requiring any process of refinement, he could control it entirely at will. Methods like this were something Li Fan had never heard of before. With a single thought, the golden needle manifested before Li Fan once again. "It isn't forged from any metallic material..." After observing it repeatedly with his divine sense, this was the first conclusion Li Fan reached. "Furthermore..." Calling upon the imagery recorded by the Dao Transformation Stone to carefully compare the golden needle in his memory with the one before him, Li Fan made a new discovery. "It seems that after coming into contact with my divine soul, a unique transformation took place."