Chapter 111: Surprising Phoenix Meets Qingfeng

What exactly is 'Huanzhen'? Ever since Li Fan awakened Huanzhen, this question had lingered deep in his heart. Was it a special ability he awakened upon transmigration? Or was it a hidden treasure within his body? At times, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a subconscious fear. What if he suddenly lost Huanzhen one day? Or what if, at a moment when he needed to transform reality into illusion, Huanzhen suddenly failed him?

When he first read 'On Wonders,' Li Fan had wondered if Huanzhen was also a Heaven and Earth Wonder. Could he use it to establish his Foundation? Now, after hearing Reverend Yin's words, Li Fan was faintly convinced that Huanzhen might indeed be used to lay the Dao Foundation. But... not yet. As his ultimate trump card, he would not rashly attempt to use Huanzhen without a certain degree of confidence.

If using Huanzhen to establish a Foundation were a problem to be solved, Li Fan currently didn't even have the qualifications to participate in the discussion. After all, he hadn't even fully understood what Foundation Establishment truly entailed. Fortunately, in this era, most questions could be answered by paying a fee.

Li Fan's clone began searching for knowledge related to Foundation Establishment. 'Introduction to Foundation Establishment,' 'Heaven, Earth, and Man,' 'Records of One Hundred Foundation Establishments'... Book after book on the subject was exchanged for. Li Fan gradually gained a general understanding of Foundation Establishment.

It involves consuming a Heaven and Earth Wonder in the Dantian using the Devouring Method. The Roots of Heaven and Earth then take root upon it. Using the Wonder as soil and a breeding ground, one absorbs the laws it contains, eventually growing the fruit known as the 'Dao Foundation'.

Heaven and Earth Wonders are categorized into three main types: Heavenly Wonders, Earthly Wonders, and Human Wonders. Among these, establishing a Foundation with a Human Wonder is the easiest. This is because Human Wonders are mostly formed from deceased cultivators, containing their comprehension of laws from their lifetime. During the Foundation Establishment process, it's akin to having a teacher constantly guiding and instructing you with great care.

Earthly Wonders and Heavenly Wonders, however, are closer to pure Dao laws. Without the insights of other cultivators as reference, one must spend more time and effort to comprehend the various rules aggregated within the Wonder and integrate them into one's own Dao Foundation. However, the benefit of using Heaven and Earth Wonders to build the Dao Foundation is that failure is not an option. It's similar to how one forms the Roots of Heaven and Earth and forcibly draws spiritual energy when breaking through to the Qi Refining stage. Such a method of Foundation Establishment emphasizes 'stability'.

"If Foundation Establishment before the ancient catastrophe was a closed-book exam, then current Foundation Establishment is an open-book exam. The answers are right there; how quickly and accurately one can copy them depends entirely on the individual," Li Fan mused to himself. "The rarer the Wonder, the higher the difficulty of the exam. When the difficulty reaches a certain level, one might not even understand the questions, let alone answer them." "From this perspective, even if I wanted to use Huanzhen to establish a Foundation in a short time, it would be impossible." "However, if I gradually enhance my understanding of the Great Dao's laws during the continuous Foundation Establishment process and then try repeatedly, there might still be a chance." "As for using *me* to establish a Foundation..." "Ten years ago, was it? Perhaps, I can let Reverend Yin try it first."

Li Fan made plans for his future cultivation. His clone was still active, so the cultivator remains obtained from the Heavenly Yang Grotto-Heaven could not yet be used. The clone, Lin Fan, continued to browse secrets within the Heavenly Profound Mirror. At the same time, he exchanged for and studied various Foundation Establishment cultivation methods, accumulating knowledge for future deductions and integration with his own techniques. As for his main body, Li Fan still intended to wait for the emergence of the Sea Pearl before using it to establish his Foundation.

In his previous life, he had transformed into the vast sea, using the sea's consciousness to comprehend the world. He was already incredibly compatible with the Sea Pearl. Using it for Foundation Establishment would certainly yield twice the results with half the effort. Now, more than half of the 13 anchor years had passed. There should only be about seven or eight years left until the Fiery Inferno engulfed the sea and the Sea Pearl emerged. He could definitely wait.

Moreover, during this period, he wasn't without methods to comprehend the path of Foundation Establishment. He activated his Formless Killing Intent and the Heaven-Seeing, Earth-Listening technique. The images in his mind gradually became clear.

Amidst the raging storm, Zhang Haobo drifted like a kite with a broken string, carried by the wind. He completely disregarded the towering waves and the large raindrops, letting them lash against him. Li Fan observed Zhang Haobo. "Nearly three months have passed since I last saw him; he's now at the late Qi Refining stage..." "His eyes are tightly shut, his breathing is imperceptible, and even the spiritual energy throughout his body has quieted down." "What could he be comprehending?"

Li Fan also observed the fierce wind and rain. He wondered if it was an illusion, but a faint blue light seemed to flash in the dim, overcast sky before vanishing. "What was that...?" When Li Fan looked again, he couldn't see it anywhere. That brief glimpse seemed to have been just his imagination. "Blue..." Under the Heaven-Seeing, Earth-Listening technique, Li Fan didn't believe he could be mistaken.

He suddenly recalled the constant wind disasters that had ravaged the Cloud Sea for several years. He had previously searched for information about these wind disasters in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, but there seemed to be no significant impact on cultivators, as no records were found. Now he knew that this was likely also influenced by the Celestial Venerable of Longevity. Li Fan remembered that in his previous life, shortly before he arrived at the Cloud Sea, a massive wind disaster had occurred. Hundreds of islands were destroyed. In the following years, the scale and frequency of the wind disasters diminished, until the Fiery Inferno descended. "There might be some hidden secrets here. It's just not the time to investigate them yet..." Li Fan made a mental note of it.

His attention refocused on Zhang Haobo. He was still in a state of enlightenment. Li Fan couldn't discern anything specific; the pervasive wind and rain seemed endless, and he didn't know when it would stop. Thus, he could only reserve a sliver of his mind to constantly monitor Zhang Haobo's situation. Most of his attention, however, returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

"It's clearly not viable to put all my eggs in one basket; I need to cast a wider net. I haven't yet tested how many people Formless Killing Intent can track at most." "Hmm, I could find some cultivators who are close to Foundation Establishment and conduct some experiments."

Whenever he thought of gathering information, Li Fan thought of Jiao Xiuyuan. Although the man was greedy for money and afraid of death, his intelligence was relatively reliable. Li Fan was also an old customer of his. So, he concealed his presence and, with practiced ease, arrived outside Thousand Mile Hall.

Before he even stepped inside, Jiao Xiuyuan's voice carried from afar. "I've got the stuff! When are you going to come and pick it up?! I've reminded you several times already!" "Don't give me that nonsense about not being able to make it; I think you just don't want it anymore!" "Hello? Hello!" "Damn it!" Li Fan entered the room and saw Jiao Xiuyuan's face full of indignation. He slammed a small cauldron onto the table.