Chapter 1023: The Just Duel

Tears streamed down his face as his round body laboriously prostrated itself on the ground. He begged the Immortal Master to save his life.

Only then did Li Fan reveal himself.

"It seems the rules become invalid when an outsider intervenes. The victory is only effective if he wins the competition entirely on his own," Li Fan thought to himself.

Without wasting words on the corpulent figure, Li Fan gazed intently at him, and an invisible force suddenly descended. It pulverized the more than a hundred thousand constantly wailing thoughts in the man's mind, turning them into nourishment for consciousness. At the same time, Li Fan also performed a liposuction on the man.

After a short while, the survivor, having regained his normal physique and with a consciousness so powerful it could almost rival that of a typical Nascent Soul stage cultivator, slowly awoke.

"Jiang Nian'er, you residents of Fanyong Island occupy a land blessed by Heaven, yet you spend your days without striving for progress, disregarding this divine grace. Therefore, Heaven has sent down this punishment, bringing this calamity upon you. However, I recall Heaven's virtue of cherishing life, and seeing your pitiable state, I decided to intervene and save you."

Li Fan's voice boomed like thunder, and his divine sense directly poured into the man's mind, imprinting his words deeply, as if branded, into his consciousness.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for your great kindness! Thank you, Immortal Master!"

Soon after, Jiang Nian'er, having returned to normal, wept profusely and continuously kowtowed on the ground.

"My only wish is to follow the Immortal Master from now on, to serve as your humble servant, and to repay this life-saving grace..." Jiang Nian'er, even with the collective consciousness of over a hundred thousand mortals, had been effortlessly brainwashed by Li Fan, and he spoke with genuine sincerity.

Li Fan did not respond, only stating sternly, "This is a calamity, but also a tremendous opportunity. You wish to become my disciple... You are not yet qualified. For now, you shall simply follow me as a Daoist attendant. Let's see your future performance; if you prove satisfactory..." Li Fan said coolly.

Jiang Nian'er kowtowed to Li Fan once more, still not daring to lift his head.

"He will be your test!" Li Fan then pointed at the immobilized Foundation Establishment cultivator beside them and said.

"Cultivators in this world are divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment..." After briefly introducing the cultivation system of the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan continued, "This person is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. You must defeat him with your own strength! My patience is limited; I will only give you fifteen days."

Jiang Nian'er's body instantly stiffened. Although he didn't understand the exact power of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had seen immortal masters flying in the sky before. How could a mere mortal like him possibly defeat someone capable of flight, earth manipulation, and summoning wind and rain? What could fifteen days possibly accomplish?

Sensing Jiang Nian'er's apprehension, Li Fan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to do something meaningless that will only lead to your death."

Gently pointing a finger at Jiang Nian'er's glabella, Li Fan transmitted to him a Core Formation cultivation method and an introductory set of simplified formations.

"What I've taught you will be enough to deal with him. Of course, if you can't assimilate much of this content within fifteen days... then the lucky one will be him." Li Fan said, smiling as he looked at the unknown Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Jiang Nian'er's heart tightened, and he immediately sat down on the ground to begin comprehending the content Li Fan had transmitted.

"Absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to control its qi..." Starting from the most basic cultivation knowledge, a brand-new world of immortal cultivation slowly unfolded before Jiang Nian'er's eyes.

Although his divine sense was now almost as strong as that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Jiang Nian'er clearly hadn't adapted to how to utilize such power. He still read slowly, word by word, like a mortal, seemingly afraid of missing any detail. Not until night fell did he suddenly awaken.

"Half a day has passed already?" The thought of the fifteen-day deadline caused a huge, invisible pressure to instantly surge into Jiang Nian'er's mind.

"No, no. I must be faster, even faster."

It must be said that Jiang Nian'er was indeed the ultimate victor among over a hundred thousand people. He quickly learned to read ten lines at a glance and to multitask. While studying the introductory cultivation methods, he also began to ponder the formations.

Three days later, Li Fan sensed a spiritual energy fluctuation emanating from Jiang Nian'er.

"Three days to enter Qi Condensation? His aptitude seems rather ordinary," Li Fan mused. Because the dark and anomalous power had already infiltrated him, the immortal-mortal miasma within Jiang Nian'er was almost entirely gone. Although this bypassed the step of removing miasma from his body, completing the "qi guidance into body" process in three days still indicated a far-from-poor aptitude. However, Li Fan had encountered too many geniuses, so his standards were naturally high. Aptitude, in truth, was not what Li Fan cared about regarding Jiang Nian'er, and he paid it no mind. Instead, he continued to observe Jiang Nian'er's choices.

Jiang Nian'er did not disappoint Li Fan. Upon successfully entering the Qi Condensation stage and attempting to cultivate for a period, he realized that he absolutely could not achieve advancement within the remaining twelve days. Consequently, Jiang Nian'er almost entirely dedicated his remaining energy to studying the introductory formation Li Fan had bestowed.

The introductory formation Li Fan taught, in terms of raw power, was more than enough to trap and kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Moreover, he had specially simplified it so that even Qi Condensation cultivators could use it.

"As long as you're not too foolish and don't forget to accumulate the spiritual energy needed to maintain the formation." Li Fan revealed a faint, enigmatic smile.

In reality, who won or lost between the two was utterly insignificant to him. After all, the winner would inherit the anomalous power and would not escape his grasp, ultimately serving his purpose. What Li Fan truly desired was to observe the specific changes that occurred when an identity was consumed under the influence of the anomalous rules.

"The anomalous rules can actually be seen as principles of heaven and earth. They are, however, principles of heaven and earth that emerged during the transitional phase of world integration, and are not acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm. Cultivators like us who harbor anomalies are destined to face divine retribution. But as for divine retribution..." Li Fan subtly shook his head to himself; he truly had never been afraid of it!

The fifteen days passed swiftly.

"The deadline is up. Begin."

On this day, Li Fan suddenly spoke, breaking the island's tranquility. At the same time, he instantly lifted the restrictions on the Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Foundation Establishment cultivator had remained conscious the entire time, listening to the conversation between Li Fan and Jiang Nian'er.

"A mere Qi Condensation cultivator who has only trained for a dozen days actually thinks he can defeat me? This is an utter disgrace! I will certainly wash it away with your blood..." His eyes turned bloodshot. The moment he regained his freedom, he immediately summoned his Foundation Establishment marvel. A straight wooden staff appeared in the sky, instantly locking onto Jiang Nian'er. It was about to launch an attack and crush him.

However... he suddenly found his vision blurred, and the opponent's figure had inexplicably vanished.

"What?" The Foundation Establishment cultivator was startled. He looked around, only to discover that at some unknown point, he had appeared in a sea of bamboo. His previous encounter on the desolate island felt like nothing more than an illusion.

Outside the formation, Jiang Nian'er, barely maintaining the "Bamboo Sea Dragon Trapping Formation," breathed a sigh of relief.