Chapter 202: Major Matters Need to Be Resolved

After spending most of the day comprehending the profundities of the complete *Sitting Mountain Art*, Li Fan purchased a blank cultivation method sales contract from the Heavenly Profound Mirror. It was largely similar to the one Li Fan had signed previously when he sold the *Thousand Machines Jade Universal Golden Tome* to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

However, since most cultivators keep their practice methods confidential, the buyer on this contract could remain anonymous. This type of contract cost five hundred contribution points, significantly cheaper than a standard commercial contract priced at one thousand contribution points. The format was fixed, requiring only the seller's name, the cultivation method's name, and the selling price.

Li Fan changed his handwriting and sequentially filled in He Zhenghao, *Sitting Mountain Art*, and fifty-five thousand contribution points. He then sent it to He Zhenghao via the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

"Fellow Daoist He," Li Fan communicated, "the deal is settled. The other party is quite generous; the price is five thousand points higher than we anticipated. Please sign the contract as soon as possible."

A moment later, He Zhenghao's voice, filled with surprise and delight, came through: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist! I'll sign it now, I'll sign it right away!"

Soon after, a golden light pierced through space and entered Li Fan's body. He Zhenghao subsequently forgot the *Sitting Mountain Art*. Li Fan then exchanged fifty-five top-grade spirit stones and handed them to He Zhenghao. The transaction was now complete.

He activated the *Primeval Scripture of the Grand Supreme* and completely transformed his cultivation method. He then spent over half a month familiarizing himself with and mastering each technique within the *Sitting Mountain Art*.

Following this, Li Fan conducted another experiment. He consecutively transformed into different Foundation Establishment wondrous items within his dantian, cultivating for a period after each transformation. This allowed him to compare the impact of different wondrous items on the cultivation speed of the *Sitting Mountain Art*.

The results were somewhat disappointing for Li Fan; the wondrous items of heaven and earth he currently possessed did not have a particularly strong affinity with the *Sitting Mountain Art*. The cultivation speeds were all quite similar. Fortunately, the impact was not significant. Li Fan valued the *Sitting Mountain Art* primarily for its investment function.

In this lifetime, only He Zhenghao had so far benefited from Li Fan's generosity. He immediately closed his eyes, ceased cultivation, and carefully sensed the changes and growth of the cultivation within his body. A moment later, Li Fan identified his target. A wisp of cultivation energy seemed to manifest out of thin air. Though minuscule and imperceptible without careful examination, it was unmistakably present. It flowed continuously, like a gentle, ceaseless stream.

Li Fan smiled faintly. "It seems Fellow Daoist He is making good progress," he murmured. "In my twelfth life, I cultivated the *Sitting Mountain Art* by prioritizing quantity in my investments. While my progress was extremely rapid, it also drew the pursuit of powerful cultivators. This time, I need a different approach. I will focus on quality investments. I will invest in the chosen ones I remember, without binding them. I'll simply grant them cultivation methods for free, allowing them to cultivate freely and seek their own opportunities. With the natural fortune of these chosen ones, and no longer constrained, their cultivation speed should undoubtedly far surpass last time's. Additionally, by monitoring them with the Formless Killing Intent, I'll be able to sense it immediately once they comprehend divine abilities. I can then continuously observe and assimilate these insights for my own use."

Li Fan's thoughts churned as he pondered silently. He had previously experimented and confirmed that freely bestowing cultivation methods was akin to exchanging contribution points for cultivation, a guaranteed profit. In this life, his contribution points were relatively abundant, sufficient to support Xiao Heng, Su Xiaomei, and others through their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage. Li Fan mused that by the time they all reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, he should also be able to break through to the Golden Core stage.

"However, I need to devise a foolproof method," he thought. "After all, things that are given away for free often arouse suspicion and aren't truly valued."

As Li Fan pondered how to maximize the benefits of passive investment, on Myriad Immortals Island, Zhou Qing'ang's mysterious disappearance finally attracted the attention of relevant personnel. The Martial Arts Hall dispatched a team of Golden Core cultivators, led by Elder Gongsun of the Heavenly Secrets Hall, to investigate the matter.

Initially, the deduction that Zhou Qing'ang had perished in the belly of a fish caused a great stir. How could a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly be killed by ordinary fish? It had to be a conspiracy by the Five Elders' Society!

A thorough investigation seemed imminent. He Zhenghao, upon hearing the news, became anxious and requested Li Fan to come to Glazed Island to discuss countermeasures. Li Fan reassured him, telling him not to worry, to act as usual, and to avoid showing any signs of distress. Afterward, he submitted the images that had been recorded using a recording stone. However, he only retained the footage of himself, after changing his appearance, searching for special stones on the nameless island. All footage of him diving into the sea and conversing with the broken stone human face was deleted.

Upon submission, Li Fan also explained that he had coincidentally seen Zhou Qing'ang change his appearance and act suspiciously. That's why he had kept a close watch, quietly followed, and recorded the scene. As for what happened afterward, he claimed he had lost track of Zhou Qing'ang and thus could not know.

The authenticity of the footage was quickly confirmed. Li Fan then underwent an investigation by the Heavenly Secrets Hall. The investigators posed a series of questions, including when the footage was recorded and why it was only submitted after Zhou Qing'ang's disappearance.

"The recording was approximately twenty-three days ago, I guess," Li Fan replied. "At the time, I didn't think much of it, only sensing that this person might be hiding a secret. Who would have thought that by the time I finished my closed-door cultivation, he'd be dead? And by such an absurd death, eaten by fish! I just knew something was wrong, which is why I immediately submitted this footage." Aided by the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, Li Fan appeared slightly nervous as he truthfully recounted his story.

A cultivator from the Heavenly Secrets Hall nodded slowly after listening. The investigators then exchanged a few words and allowed Li Fan to depart. "Don't leave the island lightly in the near future if you have no urgent business," one of them instructed before Li Fan left. "You might be needed to cooperate with the investigation again at any time." Li Fan nodded repeatedly in affirmation.

However, the promised second investigation never materialized. A few days later, the previously high-profile investigation on Myriad Immortals Island suddenly vanished without a trace. It was as if the incident had never occurred and Zhou Qing'ang had never existed. The peculiar and abnormal turn of events sparked widespread discussion among the people. However, everyone recognized the oddity of the situation and confined their discussions to private circles.

"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, what exactly happened?" He Zhenghao, relieved that the crisis was over but still full of questions, asked. "Wasn't Zhou Qing'ang a spy? How could he suddenly die? And why did the alliance suddenly stop investigating?"

Li Fan pondered for a moment and then understood the full extent of the situation. He smiled and said, "In my opinion, the investigation was probably terminated precisely because they discovered Zhou Qing'ang was a spy. Each state within the Myriad Immortals Alliance operates with a high degree of autonomy. Not only was a spy infiltrated into the Congyun Sea branch, but he even became an island guardian. This is truly a colossal scandal. To avoid punishment from headquarters and protect the positions of many, they naturally had to downplay a major incident and brush aside a minor one. In any case, Zhou Qing'ang is already dead. It makes no difference whether he died by accident or was murdered. The most crucial point is that he is truly dead. One death resolves all; they can simply pretend this incident never happened. Only then can everyone be content. As for whether he stole or transmitted any confidential information... It's irrelevant. Is the Five Elders' Society really going to attack us because of this?"

When He Zhenghao first heard Li Fan's explanation, he found it incredible and utterly absurd. However, after deep reflection, he realized that it was probably true. He was speechless for a long time.