Chapter 1600: Self-Harm to Become a Saint

"Simulated memories of a person closely related to oneself in this simulation..."

"And these memories can be inherited by that person."

Li Fan savored the description of the third option repeatedly, a look of realization dawning on his face.

"The information on the 'Reversion' panel, such as my previously bound items and cultivation techniques, isn't arranged haphazardly. Instead, it follows a specific order, like the sequence of binding or differences in power level."

"Following this line of thought..." Li Fan reviewed the three options.

"The three choices are: items first, cultivation second, and memory inheritance third."

"If it were me, using the 'True-False Transformation' ability to manifest, the difficulty of recreating cultivation would be higher than that of items."

"This difference in difficulty doesn't change based on the rarity of an item or the level of cultivation. It's simply due to their fundamental nature. An object is, after all, just an object. Cultivation, however, is far more profound, involving the power of the Infinite Sea and the Above Mountain."

"And the third option, memory inheritance..."

"Its difficulty, or perhaps its value, surpasses even that of inheriting cultivation!"

"In fact, the mere fact that this option is listed alongside inheriting items and cultivation is highly significant."

"I've overlooked it all this time."

In the previous life, all of his aunt's memories surfaced in Li Fan's mind. From the initial anchor point to her final demise, every thought and memory during that period was fully within Li Fan's grasp.

In other words, Li Fan had virtually experienced the entire previous simulation as his "aunt."

His aunt held no more secrets from Li Fan.

With the perspective shifted, his aunt's heartfelt and undying love for "Li Fan" also subtly moved him.

When he perceived that his aunt's last concern before her death was still whether her homebody nephew, Li Fan, would be able to eat enough in the future, Li Fan's heart, which had grown increasingly indifferent due to countless "Reversions," couldn't help but ripple.

However, these ripples lasted only for a moment before quickly fading.

A ten-thousand-year-old glacier cannot be melted by a single candle flame.

Li Fan still suppressed these unnecessary emotions and focused on the key changes brought by the third option.

Because Li Fan had chosen for his aunt to inherit the memories of her previous life, he could now clearly perceive the subtle changes occurring in her after this indirect "Reversion."

Before this, his aunt was merely a mortal, with extremely low cultivation talent; even reaching the Qi Refining stage would have been a lifelong struggle for her.

But now...

She was barely able to formally cultivate!

It was as if the aunt of the previous life and the aunt of this life had overlapped and merged!

"An increase in spirituality! The carrier of simulated memories is actually spirituality!"

A peculiar light gleamed in Li Fan's eyes, and in an instant, he understood the crucial point: "Spirituality cannot manifest out of thin air; even 'Reversion' cannot create something from nothing. Therefore, essentially, this additional spirituality is being expended by me. It's like how the activation of 'Reversion' consumes from my infinite spirituality."

Even though it was his own choice, understanding this still made Li Fan feel a little uncomfortable.

After all, sacrificing himself for others was something he had never done before.

"But perhaps, this is the key to breaking the deadlock!" Thinking this, Li Fan could only force himself to endure.

Having gained the memories of her previous life, the reborn aunt spent most of the day finally calming down completely.

She quietly walked outside Li Fan's room and peered through the crack in the door, observing Li Fan's profile as he lay silently asleep on the bed. Tears of emotion welled up in her eyes.

After gazing for a long time, she finally made up her mind.

"In this life, I can't let Fan'er suffer with me anymore."

"At the very least, I can let him eat more meat and fish."

With Li Fan's current strength, clearly sensing the other person's thoughts was not difficult.

Li Fan seemed to see this kind-hearted woman, in one reincarnation after another, gradually improving her understanding of the world, eventually coming into contact with the secrets of immortal cultivation.

"However, Aunt's knowledge is limited after all. She also doesn't have as strong a motivation for cultivation as I do. I still need to lend her a hand!" Li Fan smiled slightly, a profound look on his face.

Relying on the memories of her previous life, his aunt cleverly thwarted the village chief's younger brother's covetousness over their family's ancestral land, successfully protecting her property.

Time and again, she helped villagers in critical moments, resolving their troubles.

She even secretly collaborated with a witch, using talk of ghosts and spirits to predict a major drought in Jiangnan four years later. This successfully helped the villagers survive the disaster and established her authoritative position in their hearts.

In the years that followed, she led the villagers through one natural disaster after another. Her reputation spread far and wide, even reaching the attention of officials.

Even the county magistrate humbly visited, not to inquire about the common people, but about ghosts and spirits.

With a few pointers from his aunt, the county magistrate's political achievements became remarkable, and he was promoted to prefect years later. In return, he reported his aunt's virtuous reputation to the emperor.

His aunt was thus granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Edict, completing her transformation from commoner to official.

From then on, she had no worries about food or clothing, seemingly about to fulfill the wish she had once made. At this crucial moment, however, Li Fan, for reasons unknown, fell ill and remained bedridden.

His aunt invited many famous doctors to treat Li Fan. But Li Fan's condition continued to worsen day by day, his body growing thinner, until he eventually died.

The heartbreak of a white-haired person burying a black-haired one, his aunt was heartbroken and her hair turned white overnight.

Two years later, his aunt, sick with grief, also passed away.

The people throughout the prefecture mourned; every household set up memorial tablets for his aunt, honoring her as the "Spirit Mother of Protection."

"Reversion!"

A soft murmur echoed through the darkness. The moon in the mirror, flowers in the water, shattered and reappeared.

His aunt awoke from the nightmare once more.

Only this time, her eyes held more confusion and doubt.

Li Fan, too, was impacted by his aunt's memories.

The ripples in his calm mind grew more frequent.

Having fully inherited his aunt's memories and experienced a lifetime from her perspective, Li Fan deeply felt the excruciating pain of a parent burying their child.

This is one of the most intense emotions for living beings, like throwing a boulder into calm water, causing splashes to ripple outwards.

Even though Li Fan quickly suppressed this emotion, he still frowned slightly.

During simulations, he could naturally manipulate everything from the detached perspective of an observer.

But when the memories of those involved became a part of his own experience, the situation became somewhat different.

"Is doing this..."

The thought had barely surfaced before it was stifled invisibly.

"Without experiencing various pains, how can one achieve the steadfastness required to seek the Dao?"

Li Fan looked at his slowly recovering aunt, his expression turning cold once more.

"Let me see the changes in your spirituality this lifetime."

"As expected, it has increased further. Her cultivation limit can now just about touch the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage."

Li Fan nodded slightly.

"This is only the third time the inheritance has been stacked. One can imagine, if it happens many more times..."

"It might not be impossible for me to personally forge transcendent powerhouses!"

"Or even further, to prove the Dao and reach the Saint realm..."

"Through them, I can peer into the true nature of the Saints on the Other Shore. This is precisely where the solution lies!"

"I'm not afraid of losing control. I just need to hide and, once everything settles, activate 'Reversion.' Then I can obtain their memories..."

With hope so close, Li Fan was overjoyed.

However, moments later, he suddenly frowned: "But there are also quite a few issues to be mindful of. This method of stacked inheritance is just like alchemy. Once started, it cannot be abandoned halfway until the successful trial."

"Unless the stacked spirituality can be preserved in the 'Reversion' space through some special method..."

Thinking this, Li Fan's thoughts paused, as if waiting for an answer from "Reversion."

Unfortunately, after providing the hint for the third option, "Reversion" seemed to have been annoyed. It was no longer willing to offer any more information and gave no reaction.

Li Fan was unconcerned: "Since there's no way to preserve the stacked spirituality, then I can only continuously 'Revert' and inherit, causing the target's spirituality and potential to constantly climb, all the way to the Saint realm!"

"This is the Saint-Making Project!"

"There are several points I need to pay close attention to."

"As I thought before, once the Saint-Making Project begins, it cannot be stopped midway, or all efforts will be in vain. How can I ensure that the target remains under my control through countless reincarnations? As the target grows stronger, how can I ensure I won't be discovered by them?"

"Once detected by the other party, even if I can 'Revert' with a single thought, all past efforts would instantly vanish. Even I would feel immense pain from that."

"Therefore, before officially starting the project, I probably need to recover my transcendent realm strength. I must possess the qualifications to be the mastermind."

"Furthermore..."

Li Fan's spiritual sense swept over his body.

"The continuous stacking and amplification of the target's spirituality in the Saint-Making Project comes at the cost of my infinite spirituality being diminished. Although I possess infinite spirituality, still..."

"Even 'Mountains and Seas,' with its name signifying infinity, was still swallowed by the Dao Annihilation. Sometimes, infinity isn't truly infinite. This is a point I need to pay special attention to. If the cost is too great, I might need to find another method."

"And there's this..."

Thinking of this last point, Li Fan's expression subtly changed.

A hint of fear even emerged in his heart.

This panic was greater than his previous concern about the potential depletion of his infinite spirituality.

"The target reincarnates and becomes a Saint, but at the same time, I also have to bear the impact of their memories."

Though unwilling to admit it, Li Fan deep down began to realize that after fully accepting the memories of those involved, he could no longer view them simply as NPCs.

Instead, they became flesh-and-blood beings, distinct and real "people."

Although he didn't yet know what specific impact this would have on him, the unknown was precisely what Li Fan feared most deep down.

"Regardless, the plan must proceed."

"After all, this is what 'Reversion' has ordained, and it's the only way I've found to break the deadlock."

"The Saints on the Other Shore..."

Li Fan's expression turned indifferent again, his gaze reaching beyond the primal possibilities, as if seeing into the Other Shore.

In this lifetime, Li Fan paused the Saint-Making Project with his aunt as the target.

Instead, he first began to recover his strength.

As before, he crafted the Profound Yellow Immortal Boat and broke out of the primal possibility.

After finding transcendent true meanings like the Lone Sail and Kalpa-Ending Contemplation, he concealed himself within the Mountains and Seas, no longer heading towards the Other Shore.

After spending a long period, he almost completely grasped the essence of these two transcendent true meanings.

His strength nearly reached the peak achievable for a transcendent being who does not enter the Other Shore but wanders the Mountains and Seas.

With a single thought of "Reversion," he returned to anchor point 1.

Li Fan chose to preserve his cultivation.

Then, a new anchor point descended!

"This will be the starting point for my Saint-Making Project from now on."

The arrival of a transcendent powerhouse seemed poised to stir up tremendous waves in the primal realm.

However, all disturbances were confined by Li Fan within half a foot of himself.

Others could not detect even a hint.

Li Fan's gaze was profound as he looked at his aunt: "Next, let us continue."

"Bai Shuyue."

Bai Shuyue was, naturally, Li Fan's aunt's name.

It was given by the village scholar and was unlike the names of ordinary women.

After Li Fan's soft call from within, Bai Shuyue once again began her "Reversion" cycle of experiences.

Just as before.

In the first life of the Saint-Making Project, Li Fan was bedridden for twenty-three years, and Bai Shuyue died from overwork and illness.

In the second life of the Saint-Making Project, the reborn Bai Shuyue endured hardships to ensure Li Fan had a comfortable life, free from worries about food and clothing. However, she ultimately experienced the heartbreak of a white-haired person burying a black-haired one and passed away in grief.

The third life of the Saint-Making Project!

The awakened Bai Shuyue still peered through the crack in the door, looking at Li Fan, who was soundly asleep on the bed. A soft light flickered in her eyes.

"My dear Fan'er, Auntie will definitely find a way to cure you."

The naive Bai Shuyue simply believed that Heaven had given her repeated opportunities to be reborn so that she could save her poor nephew.

Thus, her heart was incredibly resolute.

In the following years, Bai Shuyue continuously expanded her influence according to her precognitive memories. At the same time, she self-studied medical texts, attempting to find a cure for Li Fan's "strange illness." In the previous life, she had visited many famous doctors, but none could cure Li Fan. In this life, she would find a way herself.

"Even if Fan'er falls ill and passes, I cannot take my own life. I will spend the rest of my life studying medicine. After all, I don't know how many times such a rebirth can be repeated." Although this life had just begun, Bai Shuyue already felt a sense of urgency.

In her previous life, Bai Shuyue had transitioned from commoner to official, profoundly realizing the disparity in resources available to commoners versus officials. For an ordinary person, even just finding and reading medical books was not easy. Therefore, in this life, to gain as much "official power" as possible, she set her sights on the future emperor.

Though a woman, Bai Shuyue knew the principle that no merit was greater than serving the dragon (the emperor).

First, she created immense influence within the prefecture under the guise of gods and spirits.

Then, in the fifth year, amidst a refugee influx, she saved the family of Prince Langya.