Chapter 12: Second Anchor Point Emerges

"Thousand Machines Jade Universal Golden Chapter, Nascent Soul stage cultivation method, current practitioners: 0."

Li Fan picked up the jade slip, and a piece of information naturally appeared in his mind.

"The Nascent Soul stage..." A wave of longing surged in Li Fan's heart. Unfortunately, he was currently just a mortal, without even divine sense. Although he could simply use the storage ring, he was powerless before this true Nascent Soul cultivation method. He could only stare longingly, unable to discern its specific content. Having a treasure mountain yet being unable to enjoy its riches, Li Fan could only gaze at it a few more times with greed, finally putting it down reluctantly.

Next, Li Fan looked at a rusty iron sword beside him. It was Dao Xuanzi's Foundation Establishment marvel, the Rusty Sword Dao Xuan.

According to Kou Hong, Qi Refining cultivators need to use various marvels of heaven and earth as a basis to forge their Dao foundations if they wish to break through. Each marvel of heaven and earth possesses unique wonders, and only those with destiny can find them. Once a cultivator uses one to forge their Dao foundation, it becomes intimately linked with them. If the cultivator perishes, the marvel will also lose its wondrous properties and become an ordinary item, fading away with the cultivator's demise.

Li Fan's hand stroked the ordinary iron sword before him, but his attention was focused on the information that suddenly appeared from Huanzhen.

"Discoverable rechargeable item: Rusty Sword Dao Xuan (Damaged)."

"Initiate charging?"

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then selected "Yes."

The rusty sword in his hand silently vanished. Following this, a line of small text appeared in Li Fan's mind.

"Current Anchor Charging Progress: 1%""Current Anchor Points: 1"

Li Fan's heart stirred. According to the information from Huanzhen, a second anchor point would be unlocked once the anchor charging progress reached one hundred percent. Afterward, everything would be virtualized, and upon choosing to return, he could restart from any activated anchor point.

"If I could truly unlock a second anchor point, it would be so much more convenient," Li Fan mused for a while, filled with anticipation. For instance, in his current cycles of reincarnation, he had repeatedly tried to obtain cultivation methods from Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. The previous fifty years had, for him, been a repetitive ordeal, not to mention the occasional uncontrollable variables that arose. If he could directly restart the cycle from the point where he became the Grand Tutor and controlled the world, the efficiency of his attempts would greatly increase.

Thinking further, as a mere mortal, each reincarnation cycle lasted only fifty years. Although somewhat long, Li Fan could still barely accept it. However, once he embarked on the path of cultivation, which could span hundreds or even thousands of years at a time, failing and wanting to restart would mean beginning everything from scratch. The thought made Li Fan's scalp tingle.

Furthermore, if he could unlock more anchor points, Li Fan would have ample opportunities for trial and error. By continuously experimenting step by step in this manner, it might even be possible to forge a perfect path to longevity. As for the initial anchor point, it could serve as a final safeguard.

"Although marvels of heaven and earth are rare, the cultivation world is vast, and these wonders emerge endlessly. As long as I can leave this land devoid of immortals and break free from these shackles..." As he considered all this, Li Fan's desire to depart from this place grew ever stronger.

After absorbing the Rusty Sword Dao Xuan, Li Fan paid little attention to the other items in the storage ring. They were merely some standard spirit stones and low-grade magic artifacts. Standard spirit stones were jointly manufactured by organizations such as the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council. They came in different grades and served as the legal tender of the cultivation world. Each spirit stone possessed unique anti-counterfeiting enchantments, making them impossible for others to replicate.

In fact, standard spirit stones held value because they were recognized by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, allowing them to be exchanged for cultivation methods. Privately forged low-quality spirit stones and natural spirit stones mined from various spiritual ore veins were utterly worthless. Ultimately, in the current cultivation world, what constrained cultivators was not resources like spiritual energy or spirit stones, but cultivation methods – specifically, methods for each realm. The Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council became colossal entities spanning the entire cultivation world precisely because they controlled the vast majority of cultivation methods.

As for the low-grade magic artifacts, they were mostly used as consumables in combat. Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were by no means wealthy. Thus, the magic artifacts they carried were ordinary items of little value.

After putting the items before him, including the Nascent Soul stage cultivation method, back into the storage ring one by one, Li Fan was already breathless. His body was so aged, like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to extinguish completely at any moment. Taking a deep breath, Li Fan closed his eyes, as if to engrave his current weakness deeply into his mind. Then, Li Fan no longer hesitated. He summoned Huanzhen and ended this life.

In the darkness, scenes flashed rapidly, and finally, a few familiar lines of text appeared in his vision.

Simulation Ended

You may choose one of the following options to retain:1. An item you possessed during this simulation.2. Your cultivation realm during this simulation.3. The simulated memories of an individual closely related to you during this simulation. These memories can be inherited by that individual.4. Forfeit the above choices to accelerate charging progress.

This time, Li Fan chose the first option. Unfortunately, his attempt to gain an advantage by placing all items into the storage ring at the end of his previous life did not succeed. The storage ring, the Nascent Soul cultivation method, spirit stones, magic artifacts, and other items appeared sequentially in Li Fan's mind. Naturally, Li Fan chose the Nascent Soul cultivation method.

To his pleasant surprise, once he selected this cultivation method, he could retrieve and return it from Huanzhen at any time. Moreover, the cultivation method had formed a binding relationship with him in a certain sense. This cultivation method now completely belonged to him; even if he chose not to bring it back in the next simulation, it would permanently reside within Huanzhen.

"This way, I can make many more plans..." Li Fan took out the golden jade slip, fiddling with it in his hand while contemplating his action plan for this life.

"The Great Migration Era has passed for several millennia, and relevant clues are long buried deep underground. The act of extensively excavating ancient tombs is simply too shocking and audacious. Even with the strong control I exerted over the imperial court in my previous life, it still provoked considerable opposition. If the court were to attempt this immediately after stabilization, it would surely be unsustainable."

"However, if I start planning from this moment and spend twenty years, it might not be impossible to change the minds of the people across the land..."

Name: Li FanRealm: MortalPhysical Age: 20/86Mental Age: 282/1109↑Virtualization Charging Progress: 0%Anchor Charging Progress: 1%Current Anchor Points: 1Bound Item: *Thousand Machines Jade Universal Golden Chapter*

Time flowed, and Li Fan's sixth life began. Everything proceeded according to its predetermined course, but with Li Fan's subtle guidance, many minor changes occurred in the world.

Starting from the third year of anchoring, rumors of immortals descending began to spread successively across Da Xuan. In the fifth year of anchoring, the School of Antiquarianism emerged. This school brought several ancient texts to the capital to meet the emperor, and their exquisite and rare nature shocked the entire world. The ancient texts were named: *I Ching*, *Dao De Jing*, *Nan Hua Jing*, *Analects*, *Great Learning*...