Chapter 113: Wind and Rain Enlighten Divine Power

The market prices of these spirit plants and herbs have plummeted due to large-scale, bulk shipments. There are even rumors that two other grotto-heavens of similar scale are hidden near the wood-attribute spiritual energy grotto-heaven.

Jiao Xiuyuan shook his head, sighing deeply. "Imagine this: you've painstakingly cultivated spirit plants and herbs for over half a year, and they finally mature. You happily harvest them, ready to sell them for a good price. But once you get to the market, you discover that their prices have dropped to next to nothing – you can't even recoup your costs. Who could bear that? In such a situation, who would still want to cultivate their own? It's far better to just buy them honestly from the market!"

Li Fan nodded. "I see. In that case, buying this small Medicine King Cauldron would be pointless for me." "No, no, I won't buy it!" Li Fan said impatiently.

Jiao Xiuyuan quickly tried to dissuade him. "Fellow Daoist, please reconsider. While the prices of spirit plants and herbs have indeed fallen, what about the future? Will they rise again? No one can say for sure! A treasure like the small Medicine King Cauldron is a rare find! If you miss this opportunity, you won't find another like it! Even if you don't cultivate herbs, it's still good for growing some flowers and plants to carry with you!"

Jiao Xiuyuan fully utilized his eloquence, trying his utmost to persuade Li Fan.

"Hmm..." Li Fan seemed somewhat swayed.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiao Xiuyuan pressed on, sweetening the deal. "I see you're an old customer of Qianli Hall, Fellow Daoist. How about this: today, I'm practically giving them away at a loss – buy one, get one free!" As he spoke, he produced another small cauldron from somewhere and placed it on the table with a clang.

Li Fan gazed at the two nearly identical cauldrons and couldn't help but look at Jiao Xiuyuan with suspicion. "Fellow Daoist, are you trying to deceive me? Is this 'small Medicine King Cauldron' truly something you unearthed from the Medicine King Sect ruins?"

Jiao Xiuyuan became flustered. "They're absolutely authentic! Our Qianli Hall's business spans the entire cultivation world; we would never tarnish our reputation! Look, the dirt on them hasn't even been cleaned off yet!" Jiao Xiuyuan patted the two small cauldrons, making specks of dirt fall off.

"500 contribution points, buy one, get one free! You absolutely won't lose out on this deal, Fellow Daoist!"

Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan pat his chest in assurance, Li Fan pondered for a moment but still shook his head. "Never mind. I don't have many contribution points to begin with. I came here for a different purpose this time, and I don't have any spare funds for these small Medicine King Cauldrons."

"Wait, no, tell me what you're looking for! I can offer some advice. After all, you're a long-standing customer of mine, aren't you?" Seeing Li Fan change his mind, Jiao Xiuyuan became anxious again.

Li Fan then explained why he had come.

"Oh, you're just looking for a place with many cultivators breaking through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment? That's simple! If you buy these two small Medicine King Cauldrons, consider this information my free gift to you!" Jiao Xiuyuan declared generously.

"Alright, since you've put it that way." Li Fan couldn't have been more pleased. He immediately took out five high-grade spirit stones, which he had already prepared, from his storage ring and handed them over.

"Excellent!" Jiao Xiuyuan, as if fearing Li Fan might change his mind, quickly put away the spirit stones. He then pulled out a blank jade slip and held it. After a moment, he handed the jade slip and the two cauldrons to Li Fan.

Li Fan put away the small Medicine King Cauldrons and scanned the contents of the jade slip.

"A Foundation Establishment Master? Interesting." With his objective achieved, Li Fan decided not to delay and prepared to head directly to the target location. As for the two small Medicine King Cauldrons, they only cost five hundred contribution points, so he bought them on a whim. What Jiao Xiuyuan said did make some sense; perhaps they would come in handy someday?

After taking a few steps, Li Fan suddenly remembered something. He turned around, fixed his gaze on Jiao Xiuyuan, and stared thoughtfully for a moment. Then he quietly departed.

Jiao Xiuyuan, however, paid no mind to Li Fan's departure, muttering to himself, "I painstakingly dug out thirty-six small cauldrons, spent ages, and only managed to sell ten. This is truly damned unlucky..."

***

The southeastern waters of Congyun Sea.

This area of the sea was remarkably vast and empty. Apart from a single unnamed island at its center, there were no other islands for thousands of miles around. The Foundation Establishment Master Jiao Xiuyuan had mentioned resided on this very island.

Although this individual was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, he was rumored to possess a profound understanding of the Foundation Establishment process. He was said to be capable of guiding cultivators, thereby shortening the time required for them to establish their foundation. Consequently, many cultivators came to seek his guidance, hoping to try their luck. And surprisingly, his methods proved remarkably effective.

However, cultivators also value their reputation greatly; after successfully establishing their foundation, most were unwilling to admit that they had relied on external assistance. Therefore, they rarely spoke of it to others. Consequently, the Foundation Establishment Master's reputation only circulated among specific groups of people.

***

As Li Fan hastened towards the island where the Foundation Establishment Master resided, a sliver of his consciousness that he had left with Zhang Haobo sent back a signal. Li Fan's mind stirred, and his attention instantly returned to Zhang Haobo.

At that moment, the wind and rain gradually receded, and the sky had cleared.

"Wind..." Zhang Haobo opened his eyes and whispered, a storm seeming to gather within them. A faint breeze swept by.

"Rain..." Zhang Haobo whispered once more. Drizzling raindrops began to fall from the sky again.

"Wind and rain intertwined..." A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Haobo's eyes as he softly uttered the command.

A clear breeze carried the rain, and the downpour slowly intensified. Rainwater poured down from the sky like a broken string of pearls. As the rain fell, the wind picked up. The wind howled, growing steadily louder. It, in turn, drove the rain to become even heavier.

Gradually, clouds were drawn from all directions across the sky, seemingly condensing into thick, dark masses, poised to bring another sudden downpour. A fierce gale whipped up terrifying waves, which continuously surged and churned. The storm was growing progressively more intense. The rain gained power from the wind, and the wind strengthened the rain's might. This cycle of mutual enhancement seemed endless.

A new storm seemed on the verge of erupting across the heavens and earth. But suddenly, the clouds dispersed. The wind abruptly died down. The extraordinary phenomenon suddenly vanished without a trace.

Zhang Haobo laughed loudly, then collapsed backward as if utterly drained. He fell from the sky into the ocean, sending up a high splash. He then sank all the way to the seabed, and all sound ceased.

"Wind and rain intertwined..." Li Fan, who had observed the entire event through his divine sight and hearing, couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration.

Although this divine ability wasn't fully unleashed due to Zhang Haobo's exhaustion, its potential power, once fully formed, could already be faintly glimpsed.

"I hope you can bring me more surprises in the future."

With his consciousness back in his main body, Li Fan continued his journey toward his destination.

***

Three days later.

The island where the Foundation Establishment Master resided was now visible in the distance. The island appeared to have only a single, compound-like structure.

Li Fan reduced his flying speed and slowly descended in front of the courtyard's gate. The main gate stood open, with a listless young man leaning against its frame. He cast a glance at Li Fan and said lazily, "With the Master's help, your Foundation Establishment is guaranteed, and our word is as good as gold. You must provide your own rare celestial and terrestrial treasures. The price is 2,000 contribution points, or the equivalent in spirit stones."