172 Chapter 297: The Serendipity of Longevity Fruits (2.5k words)

"Unable to compete with innate talent, one relies on encounters or effort."

"Unfortunately, effort is there, but encounters have yet to come this lifetime."

When the last strand of golden light dissipated in the Soul Gathering Bead, Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

Nothing unexpected happened.

Two more months passed, and although Li Fan couldn't say there was no progress at all, the success rate of identification only increased from five in ten thousand to one in a thousand.

He still couldn't perceive the difference between a normal divine soul and a soul-contracted divine soul. The so-called identification was still just a blind guess based on intuition.

This, of course, couldn't meet the requirements for constructing the "Heavenly Profound Locking Spirit Array."

"It seems I can only try again next time."

"The only thing I'm a bit reluctant about is this high-quality universal mansion that can open the Awakening state at public expense."

Shaking his head, Li Fan seized the last bit of time to cultivate for free.

A dozen days later, the monthly assessment arrived once again.

Most cultivators had already exhausted their Soul Gathering Beads, so this test would determine the final outcome of who stayed and who left.

Li Fan's performance was quite stable.

In the knowledge of array formation construction, he remained at the top.

However, in the identification of soul contracts, he still ranked at the bottom.

"Those with a success rate of over fifty percent in identification will have the opportunity to continue their advanced studies."

"For those who do not meet the standard, they will be expelled from the universal mansion starting today."

"And the relevant personnel will be notified."

Ji Hongdao scanned the young cultivators below, saying in a cold voice.

When he saw Li Fan, his eyes fluctuated slightly, but that was all.

It was impossible to break the rules for someone he didn't know.

With these words, among the over a thousand cultivators, nearly a hundred had pale faces, as if mourning the death of relatives.

Fortunately, none of them appeared in an undignified manner, crying or begging for another chance.

Only Li Fan looked relaxed, and those who didn't know him might have thought he had passed the assessment.

Ji Hongdao waved his hand, enveloping these eliminated cultivators, including Li Fan, in a layer of white light.

After a moment, these over a hundred people appeared in a spacious and empty courtyard.

"Don't be disheartened if you're eliminated. From where you came, go back. Continuing to contribute your strength for the development of the Wan Xian Alliance is also meaningful!" spoke a plump middle-aged cultivator with a goatee under his chin, very conspicuous.

The plump cultivator revealed a friendly smile, patting each of the eliminated youths one by one.

As he patted them, a white light flashed on their bodies, and they disappeared without a trace.

Li Fan's internal alarm bells rang for a moment, thinking that this plump cultivator was here to silence them.

The opponent's strength was unknown, but these young cultivators with Golden Core strength had no resistance in front of him.

Clearly, Li Fan was not his opponent either.

Just as he was about to silently recite the True Awakening, he heard the plump cultivator continue, "Relax, I'm just sealing the parts related to the Heavenly Profound Locking Spirit Array in your memories."

"Don't look at me with such fearful eyes. I know what you're thinking. But this is the city of Tianyu, a vital place for the Wan Xian Alliance. Who knows how many eyes are watching here. That kind of thing is impossible..."

The plump cultivator muttered while quickly executing his own work.

Li Fan, like the other cultivators, breathed a sigh of relief at his words.

However, he still didn't completely believe the plump cultivator's words and remained on guard, ready to activate the True Awakening at any moment.

"I wonder how I should address the senior?" When it was Li Fan's turn, he suddenly asked.

The plump cultivator was momentarily stunned, and his hand paused for a beat.

"You little guy have some charm. I always felt that I would meet you again one day," the plump cultivator assessed Li Fan with a glance and said, "I'm called Huangfu Song."

While saying this, the plump cultivator didn't delay his actions.

A slap landed on Li Fan's body.

With a burst of light, Li Fan's vision blurred, and he appeared in another courtyard.

In front of him seemed to be the gate leading out of this place.

"Sign this confidentiality agreement, hand over the universal token, and you can leave on your own. I suggest you not rush back. It's rare to come to our Tianyu City. It would be a pity not to wander around. I recommend the East City Dao Discussion Tower. It's lively with cultivators coming and going, and they even provide free spirit tea." A thin cultivator guarding the entrance said.

His face wore a smile uglier than crying every time a cultivator came before him.

He would take out a golden contract, handing it to the cultivator.

Only after signing it and handing over the universal token would he let them leave.

"By the way, I don't know if you've heard of the spectacle of the 'Ice Abyss Fire Lotus'? I also highly recommend that you take a look."

While completing the procedures and sending the dejected young cultivators away, the thin cultivator introduced places worth visiting in Tianyu City.

Soon, it was Li Fan's turn.

As usual, Li Fan asked, "How should I address you, senior?"

"Shangguan Shi."

The other party responded briefly, placing a dazzling golden contract in front of Li Fan.

It seemed to be a bit more advanced than the common Merchant Contracts but not as exquisite as the Five Elders' Soul Contracts.

Li Fan scanned the contents of the contract with a glance.

The conditions of the unilateral contract were harsh.

For those who leaked secrets, their divine souls would be annihilated.

In any case, Li Fan had no choice but to sign. Without hesitation, he wrote down his name.

A golden light entered his body, and Shangguan Shi nodded.

"You can go!"

Arching his hand, Li Fan stepped out of the universal mansion.

"Now it's a bit awkward. I'm afraid Zhang Zhiliang didn't expect me to be eliminated directly in the first round."

"Calculating the time, there should be a little over a year before the Red Flame Burning Sea event."

"I can't go back for sure. It's better to follow the original plan, travel in Tianyu City for a while, and directly join him after Daoist He's closed training ends."

"As for Zhang Zhiliang..."

"He probably won't give up the opportunity to advance in the Dao to trouble me for such a small matter."

Thinking of the Dao Discussion Tower mentioned by Shangguan Shi just now, Li Fan inquired about its location and headed there directly.

The Dao Discussion Tower was not just one building but a continuous complex of buildings.

Not only providing services such as gatherings and dining, but there are also many small courtyards similar to the Universal Mansion that offer accommodation.

The main hall of the main building was extremely lively, filled with cultivators.

Most of them were not highly cultivated, and Li Fan estimated that the highest among them was probably at the Nascent Soul realm.

Thinking that those above the Nascent Soul realm would choose to arrange a separate courtyard for gatherings, Li Fan casually found an empty seat. Automatically, a cup of spirit tea appeared on the table.

After taking a sip, he felt the spiritual energy churning within him, incredibly refreshing.

After finishing the drink, he placed the cup on the table. The spirit tea refilled itself from the bottom.

This time, Li Fan didn't drink but instead picked up a jade card on the table engraved with the character "Dao."

After probing with his divine sense, various styles of dishes appeared in his mind.

Almost all of them had the effect of improving the physique and refining the purity of spiritual energy in the body.

Of course, the prices were extremely high, each dish costing several hundred contribution points.

"This Dao Discussion Tower probably won't work in the Congyun Sea."

"Ordinary cultivators can't afford the consumption here."

Li Fan randomly ordered a few dishes to taste their effects. While waiting, he perked up his ears to listen to the conversations of the cultivators around him.

It wasn't much different from the scenes of ordinary people chatting in a mortal tavern. Topics varied widely.

Some cultivators had advanced to a minor realm; someone's life expectancy was nearing its end, and despite their regrets, they hadn't broken through; the Five Elders had been quiet for years and must be plotting some conspiracy.

...

Li Fan found the conversations not boring at all.

After a while, radiance flashed, and the ordered dishes and utensils appeared on the table one by one.

Li Fan tasted each one, feeling the changes in his body and nodding in satisfaction.

"This Dao Discussion Tower indeed has its merits."

Just at this moment, the originally somewhat noisy main hall suddenly became a bit more lively.

A few keywords floated into Li Fan's ears, and he couldn't help but focus on listening.

"Friend Lu, did you really find the life-extending spiritual fruit?"

"Hush, keep it down. This trip to the Underground Silent Forest did yield some results. According to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the Purple True Fruit of the Spirit Turtle can extend life by 150 years." Friend Lu's voice sounded somewhat proud.

"Hiss..."

"The Purple True Fruit of the Spirit Turtle, I remember that it wasn't on the list given by Senior Jicheng Xianzun, right? That means..."

"Friend Lu has truly encountered great fortune this time!"

"Extending life by 150 years is an extremely precious treasure. I wonder where it will rank in the reward rankings. If it's lucky enough to be in the top three..."

"That would be the Condensed Law Pearl..."

The breath of the crowd couldn't help but quicken.

...

Li Fan listened to the conversation of the others, and his expression changed slightly.

He couldn't be bothered to clean up the remaining food, directly settling in one of the courtyards in this Dao Discussion Tower.

Sure enough, there was a Heavenly Profound Mirror in the courtyard.

After searching for a while, Li Fan suddenly understood the ins and outs of the matter.

It turned out that since Jicheng Xianzun resigned from the position of Supreme Commander of the Garrison, he had been carefully recuperating. Although his injuries gradually improved, the lost lifespan could not be recovered.

Just like all cultivators whose lifespan was nearing its end, Jicheng Xianzun began seeking various methods to extend his life.

However, being in a high position for many years, he had already tasted almost all the precious treasures that could extend life. For him, they had lost their effectiveness.

So, he issued a reward, lasting for three years, for the Wan Xian Alliance to search for effective life-extending treasures that could still benefit him.

All confirmed effective items would be rewarded generously.

The more extended the lifespan, the more generous the reward.

And the unique rewards for the top three were enough to make all cultivators in the world excited.

A chance to use the Condensed Law Pearl.

It was well-known that good cultivation methods were hard to come by.

And wanting to tailor a cultivation method based on one's own situation was even more difficult.

Although Weaving Masters could achieve this, the cost was high, and their proficiency varied. The compiled cultivation methods were far from perfect.

But it was a compromise.

In the hearts of many cultivators, what they dreamed of was the opportunity to use the Wan Xian Alliance's top treasure, the Condensed Law Pearl, to create a cultivation method for themselves.

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of cultivators in the world, it was just an unreachable dream.

The Condensed Law Pearl was the foundation of the Wan Xian Alliance, how precious!

Even ordinary cultivators didn't know what it looked like or where it was located.

Not to mention using it.

Even ordinary Nascent Soul realm powerhouses might not have the qualifications to use it.

It was only Jicheng Xianzun, who had controlled the garrison for nearly five hundred years and held a high position of power, who had experienced numerous battles and gained various merits, that could produce three chances to use the Condensed Law Pearl as a reward.

"The first place can create a cultivation method for refining the Dao. The second place can form the Nascent Soul. The third place can establish the Core Infant."

Li Fan looked at the description of the rewards and couldn't help but feel tempted.

He happened to have a life-extending treasure—Wellborn Longevity Fruit, which could extend life by three hundred years. Moreover, it was not on the list of treasures that Jicheng had already taken.

For him, this longevity fruit was not of much use.

But exchanging it for Jicheng Xianzun's reward...

Putting aside the advantages of customizing a superior cultivation method, just being able to see the treasure, the Condensed Law Pearl, was worth the price for Li Fan.

"However, this Wellborn Longevity Fruit comes

 from the Fallen Immortal Realm. Typically, only cultivators at the Golden Core realm and above can enter."

"I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator; it seems inappropriate to hand it over now."

"In any case, the Xianzun's reward has been announced for less than a year. I can wait until I break through to the Golden Core realm before handing it over."

"This way, I can explain its origin openly."

"Well... dealing with a Daoist Sovereign involves some risks. I need to think carefully."

In the next few days, Li Fan wandered around Tianyu City.

He also visited the scenic spot mentioned by Shangguan Shi, the "Ice Abyss Fire Lotus."

Countless lotus flowers made of flames bloomed in the depths of the icy abyss.

Although it was beautiful, Li Fan couldn't discern any particularly remarkable features.

It was said that some cultivators comprehended the Dao here, directly advancing to a minor realm. It seemed that his comprehension was not enough.

On the way back from the Frozen Abyss, Li Fan's communication talisman suddenly received a transmission from Ji Hongdao.

He was asked to return quickly to the Universal Mansion.

(End of this chapter)