Chapter 214: Patience in Dealing with Old Matters

Dissociation Peak.

Return to Truth’s spontaneous protection allowed Li Fan to escape from the Heavenly Doctor’s gaze and successfully return to his anchor point.

The illusory scene once again became real, and Li Fan quickly scanned his surroundings, confirming he had returned to the third anchor point. Only then did he truly relax.

A moment later, the fear of narrowly escaping death from the hands of the white-haired old man arrived belatedly, settling in his heart and making his heart pound violently. Like someone who had been drowning for a long time and finally surfaced, Li Fan gasped for air uncontrollably.

After a long while, he slowly emerged from the terror of escaping calamity.

“Heavenly Doctor, above Dao Integration…”

Li Fan replayed the recent scene repeatedly in his mind, his expression grim. He had never imagined that this Heavenly Doctor’s strength would be so terrifying, far surpassing that of the black-robed Dao Integration cultivator in Yuandao State.

Heavenly Doctor seemed able to see into people’s minds. His clone had merely had a fleeting thought, yet it was detected as an anomaly. Even more frightening was the unknown method he used to force the clone to reveal everything in its mind without any resistance or concealment. His subsequent ability to raise the dead, instantly tear space, and locate Li Fan’s true body — these various methods far exceeded Li Fan’s current understanding.

“The Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Shifting Art means the true body and the clone can be regarded as completely unrelated individuals.”

“How exactly did he ascertain my identity?”

“As the foundation for the Myriad Immortals Alliance, the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s security should have been guaranteed.”

“When I joined the Myriad Immortals Alliance, the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself stated that cultivation within its mirrored space meant no need to worry about attacks.”

“Yet this Heavenly Doctor was able to forcefully intrude into my cultivation space, and the Heavenly Profound Mirror showed no reaction whatsoever.”

“When the Heavenly Profound Mirror introduced him, it didn’t even mention his name.”

“What exactly is this old man’s identity?”

The more Li Fan thought about it, the more incredible it seemed. Simultaneously, waves of lingering fear surged in his heart. If he hadn't been cautious, knowing the old man's terrifying strength and always interacting with him through a clone; if he hadn't immediately activated Return to Truth without a moment's hesitation upon sensing something was wrong; and if Return to Truth hadn't accumulated some charging progress and automatically provided protection, he likely would have been utterly finished this time. Falling into the hands of that mysterious old man, he would surely have been unable to keep any secrets and would ultimately have faced certain death.

“This cultivation world is truly too treacherous. Even with a treasure like Return to Truth, I’m treading on thin ice. A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin,” Li Fan mused, a chill secretly running down his spine.

Amidst his shock, Li Fan also reflected on himself. Since entering the cultivation world, aided by Return to Truth, his path had not been too difficult. His previous escape from a Dao Integration cultivator had even made Li Fan subtly develop a tendency to underestimate the world’s heroes.

Thinking carefully, how could these powerful cultivators, who had survived the Great Calamity Era, the Great Plague Era, and the Dark Era, be simple individuals? With the secret of Return to Truth, it was fine as long as he didn’t enter the sight of these powerful cultivators. If his cultivation were low and he foolishly paraded before them, that would truly be a path to death.

“From now on, I must be even more cautious,” Li Fan sighed inwardly. “That Cloud Water Diagram, even for 100,000 contribution points, isn’t worth it.”

After deep reflection and summing up his thoughts, Li Fan’s mind settled somewhat, and he suddenly recalled the Heavenly Doctor Immortal Scripture he had once read. As a medical text, its subject of study was not limited to humans but also included all kinds of flora and fauna in the world. The book stated that the way of medicine largely lay in the four words: “observation, hearing, inquiry, palpation.”

“Observation, hearing, inquiry, palpation…” Li Fan repeatedly whispered to himself.

“Observation: He saw the anomaly in my clone’s mind.”

“Inquiry: He received honest answers from my clone.”

“Palpation: A finger pointed in the air, bringing life back from death.”

“Hearing: He instantly discovered the relationship between my true body and my clone.”

“What a brilliant application of observation, hearing, inquiry, and palpation!”

“What a Heavenly Doctor!”

Heavenly Doctor made Li Fan truly understand, for the first time, the terrifying power of the high-level cultivators in the Profound Yellow Realm. However, recognizing the gap did not make him lose confidence.

“With Return to Truth in hand, as long as I don’t die, I can accumulate strength through endless cycles. One day, I will catch up to and surpass them.”

Li Fan silently vowed, burying all thoughts about Heavenly Doctor deep in his mind. He then began to examine the options presented by Return to Truth. When he set the third anchor point, his realm was Late Foundation Establishment. His previous life had lasted only a fleeting two years, ending abruptly. He hadn’t managed to break through a minor realm, so Li Fan naturally wouldn’t choose that option. He decisively chose the first option: retain one item he possessed, the Dao Transformation Stone.

After making his choice, Li Fan first checked his Return to Truth panel, which he hadn't looked at in a long time.

Name: Li FanRealm: Late Foundation EstablishmentPhysiological Age: 20/399Psychological Age: 1212/3700Void Transformation Charging Progress: 0%Anchor Charging Progress: 1%Current Anchor Points: 3Current Available Anchor Points: 0Bound Items: Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture, Grand Expansion Ark, Stopping Stone Tablet Remnant (Damaged), Myriad People's Essence Blood, Dao Transformation StoneCultivation Methods: Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation, Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique, Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Shifting Art, Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture, Intent Spirit Illusion TechniqueDivine Abilities: Life-Death Chain, Formless Killing Intent, Insect Binding

His physiological and psychological age limits had both stopped increasing. They should only change significantly after he broke through to the Golden Core Realm. In any case, two thousand years of reincarnation time was definitely sufficient for Li Fan currently.

In addition to the cultivation methods listed, Li Fan also possessed the Divine Sea-Calming Sword and Ocean Striding Wave, two exclusive cultivation methods; the Mountain-Sitting Art, a default cultivation method; the Dao Transformation Divine One and Purple Sky Soul Searching secret arts; and Zhang Zhiliang’s Infinite Law Inheritance.

Return to Truth’s extraordinary nature was fully evident here. Not counting the ninety-nine lifetimes where he established his Foundation with Return to Truth, Li Fan’s actual effective reincarnations in the cultivation world so far amounted to only four. These four reincarnations had given Li Fan an accumulation of resources far exceeding any other Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“This period, while Return to Truth charges, is perfect for cultivating the Dao Transformation Divine One technique.”

Thinking this, Li Fan’s mind stirred, and the deep blue Dao Transformation Stone appeared in his hand. After setting up some arrangements near Dissociation Peak to prevent mortals from accidentally trespassing, Li Fan placed the Dao Transformation Stone on his glabella. His divine sense slowly merged with the stone, and he entered a state of cultivation.

Time passed quickly in the mountains, and in the blink of an eye, it was five years since he set the anchor. On this day, as Li Fan’s divine sense completely integrated with the Dao Transformation Stone, a resplendent blue crystal instantly appeared at his upper Dantian, between his eyebrows.

His thoughts flowed, and he sensed carefully. A moment later, Li Fan quickly noticed differences from before. A look of delight crossed his face: “Ancient secret arts are truly extraordinary!”

After mastering Dao Transformation Divine One, not only did his speed of thought and deduction increase by more than a hundredfold, but all previously experienced scenes and memories could also be recalled at will with a single thought, as if reliving them, vivid and clear.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. The Heavenly Doctor Immortal Scripture, which Heavenly Doctor had imparted to his clone with a touch between the eyebrows during their first encounter, was now slowly being reconstructed under the powerful deduction capabilities of the Dao Transformation Stone.

It took Li Fan nearly a year to thoroughly memorize the Heavenly Doctor Immortal Scripture. Of course, memorization did not equate to skillful application, much like the vast difference between Li Fan's theoretical knowledge of formations and his actual skill in array deployment.

“Indeed, it’s just a pure medical text, not of much help for cultivation,” Li Fan shook his head with some regret. “The observation, hearing, inquiry, and palpation techniques described in the book also differ greatly from Heavenly Doctor’s methods.”

“However…”

“Heavenly Doctor seems to have entered the Dao through medicine. This Heavenly Doctor Immortal Scripture must be the foundation of his lifelong learning.”

“If, one day, I find a peerless prodigy and impart this medical scripture to them, it might be possible to emulate Heavenly Doctor’s story.”

“But it certainly cannot be done in the Profound Yellow Realm. Perhaps in a remote minor world far from the cultivation world, I could try it.”

Temporarily putting that thought aside, Li Fan suddenly remembered the Grand Expansion Sect’s deduction techniques. The Heavenly Mechanism Sect’s Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Scripture, when cultivated to its depths, could also predict the future. However, that was through sensing Qi flows for deduction. The Grand Expansion Sect’s deduction technique, on the other hand, pushed calculation abilities to their extreme, exhausting all possibilities to find the one most consistent with future trends.

“Actually, these two deduction techniques are not necessarily contradictory.”

“Instead, they can complement each other. Qi flow deduction to determine a general, vague trend. Grand Expansion Divine Calculation to precisely predict the future.”

“Heh, but neither can compare to my Return to Truth.”

“What deduction technique could be more accurate than having personally experienced the future?”

Spurred by a sudden whim, Li Fan drifted down the mountain.

In Han Guang City, Jiangnan, Great Xuan.

Recently, something peculiar had happened in this wealthy city. A peculiar individual named the Divine Calculator was passing through, setting up a stall to tell fortunes. He only performed three readings a day and charged no fees, only choosing whom to read for.

At first, the city residents thought this Divine Calculator was just a charlatan with nothing but a gimmick, because his readings were sometimes accurate, sometimes not. But as time passed, the Divine Calculator’s success rate grew higher and higher. Whether it was locating lost items, finding missing children, or inquiring about marriages or the gender of an unborn child, his predictions were unfailingly accurate.

Gradually, the Divine Calculator’s reputation grew. Within Han Guang City, men, women, young, and old alike held him in awe.

One day, a noble traveled to Han Guang City for leisure. Hearing about the Divine Calculator, he became interested. He immediately dressed in simple clothes and, accompanied by only a trusted confidant, approached the Divine Calculator’s stall. The Divine Calculator lay on a long chair, eyes closed, resting.

“Daoist priest, have all your readings for today been completed?” The noble, having inquired about the rules beforehand, asked.

The Divine Calculator didn’t even open his eyes, lazily replying, “You, sir, ask what you already know. If my readings were complete, I would naturally have packed up and gone home. Would I still be here?”

The noble felt somewhat awkward. However, his confidant, seeing his master slighted, became enraged. Disregarding the Divine Calculator’s reputation, he prepared to smash the stall. The noble raised a hand to stop his confidant and said, “In that case, I ask you, Daoist priest, to give me a reading.”

The Divine Calculator, still with his eyes closed, said, “This humble Daoist long ago divined your arrival and has already prepared your reading in advance. It’s in the small wooden box on the upper left of the stall. There’s a note there. You’ll know once you read it.”

Upon hearing this, the confidant scoffed even more dismissively, “Playing tricks!”

The noble, however, looked solemn and thanked the Divine Calculator. He then opened the wooden box, took out the note, and slowly unfolded it. Upon seeing the handwriting on the note, his face immediately turned pale. His heart was filled with both shock and fear, yet also joy. His hand went limp, and the note fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the noble disregarded his composure, quickly knelt down, picked up the note, and clutched it tightly in his palm, fearing that others might see it. His body trembled with excitement as he repeatedly recited the sixteen characters on the note in his mind:

“Lurk for nine years, await the opportune moment. The day your brother dies is the day you become emperor.”

The confidant, seeing his master so agitated, felt somewhat confused. Since the tragedy of that day, very little had caused his master’s expression to change. Could it be that this Divine Calculator truly had some skill? He just wondered what exactly was written on the small note given to his master.

The noble paid no attention to his subordinate’s thoughts. He took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, and was about to bow respectfully to the Divine Calculator. However, he was astonished to find that the Divine Calculator, who had just been there, had vanished from his sight at some unknown moment!

Both the noble and his confidant were utterly shocked. Could there really be ghosts and gods in this world?

With heavy hearts and spirits, the two returned to their lodging and went to their respective rooms to rest. The confidant, however, unexpectedly found a note in his pocket that wasn't there before. Out of curiosity, the confidant opened the note. Upon seeing the handwriting, his expression turned bewildered. It contained two lines of poetry:

“Peace is usually established by generals, but generals are not allowed to see peace.”

The confidant repeatedly recited the lines, then subconsciously tore the note into pieces and swallowed them.

Above Han Guang City, seeing the confidant’s reaction, Li Fan couldn't help but reveal a mysterious smile. “Before, I heard your dying words, which led to my enlightenment and successful Foundation Establishment with Return to Truth.”

“Now, I have performed a reading for you, considering it a repayment of that past kindness.”

“I hope that in this life, you will have a different fate.”

The two individuals for whom he performed readings today were naturally the Prince of Langya and the General Zhenwei, who would later lead the suppression of the rebellion. Li Fan, in the guise of the Divine Calculator, traveled across the land, comprehending the path of divination. After settling in Han Guang City, his deduction techniques improved daily. He also coincidentally met his acquaintances, the Prince of Langya and his confidant, and on a whim, this incident unfolded. Acting on impulse, he resolved a karmic connection.

Li Fan’s thoughts were clear, and his mood was joyful. He no longer lingered there, returning to Dissociation Peak. The scenes of this period flashed through his mind instantly, and Li Fan gained his own understanding of the so-called art of deduction.

“In Han Guang City, my divine sense enveloped all people and things within the city.”

“With the terrifying deduction capabilities of the Dao Transformation Stone, every detail, no matter how small, was visible to me.”

“Simply within this city’s affairs, with all factors accounted for, I could predict with about eighty to ninety percent accuracy.”

“But there’s more than just this one city in the world. Han Guang City is located at the confluence of canals, with developed shipping.”

“Merchants come and go in an endless stream; tens of thousands of people enter and exit every day.”

“These are the so-called variables.”

“The more variables there are, the lower the accuracy of my predictions.”

“Besides external influences, the unpredictability of human hearts is also a variable.”

“As the number of people and the scope of cities continuously expand, the variables that need to be processed also increase.”

“At this point, relying solely on pure deduction ability yields minimal effect.”

“It still requires the augmentation of deduction cultivation methods.”

Having understood this principle, Li Fan, however, had no intention of specifically seeking out a deduction cultivation method. To put it plainly, the path of divination was merely a casual attempt by Li Fan out of boredom while waiting for Return to Truth to finish charging. It was enough to let it happen naturally, no need to force it. The most important thing was still the improvement of his cultivation realm.

Li Fan secretly set a goal: in this life, he must break through to the Golden Core stage!

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost nine years since the anchor was set. Return to Truth was about to finish charging, so Li Fan made another trip to Yin Xingzhi’s tomb to retrieve the Heavenly Lock Treasure Box. He then didn’t forget to bring along the bound Stopping Stone Tablet Remnant and the one from Qian Hong’s tomb to merge them. Afterwards, he routinely swept through, filling the Grand Expansion Ark.

With everything ready, Li Fan broke through the Immortal Severing Grand Formation and returned to the cultivation world.

His previous life’s plans and schemes, before encountering Heavenly Doctor, Li Fan felt had no major issues. And this life’s cultivation starting point was the same as the previous life, with no better event to intervene in. Considering that changing his actions might lead to unexpected variables, Li Fan decided to follow the same path as his previous life, replicating past events.

He would kill the Giant Glazed Fish to obtain the Exquisite Glazed Pearl, ensuring the Spirit Mist Grass incident would occur. Then, he would join the Myriad Immortals Alliance through He Zhenghao. He would undertake the Blue Blood Coral mission, using the Blue Flame Illusory Spirit as bait to befriend Pharmacist Chen Ying. He would slay Sikong Yi and obtain the Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Shifting Token. He would intimidate He Zhenghao to halt his smuggling operations. He would obtain a loan of Spirit Mist Grass from Green Wind Hall. He would formally join the Myriad Immortals Alliance and successfully pass the Heart-Probing Platform test with the blessing of the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart. He would undertake merit missions to raise his authority level. He would profit immensely without capital during the Spirit Mist Grass craze. Using Zhou Qing’ang’s espionage as leverage, he would force He Zhenghao to sign a labor contract. He would relearn the Mountain-Sitting Art and purchase the Vanguard Realm. He would secretly depart the Realm alone, leaving Ye Feipeng, Xiao Heng, and others stranded on the isolated island once more. He would entrust Jiao Xiuyuan with excavating the Small Medicine King Cauldron.

Repeating the process from his previous life would only take one or two years. Li Fan was very patient. However, with the experience of his previous life, Li Fan still made some minor adjustments to how he handled a few matters.

First, during the Spirit Mist Grass craze, he now clearly knew the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s announcement timing. But to avoid suspicion, Li Fan cautiously sold all 2,900 Spirit Mist Grass in batches before the price rose past 320 points and reached 350 points, earning a total of 980,000 contribution points.

Second, in this life, when refining his clone, Li Fan used a heavenly and earthly marvel purchased in the Vanguard Realm. His clone’s cultivation immediately increased to the Middle Foundation Establishment stage. Afterward, purchasing the White Bone Vanguard Realm and impersonating a skull to deceive Xiao Heng and others were all handled by the clone. The clone also clearly explained the power of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, admonishing Xiao Heng to prioritize cultivation above all else, merely acting as an ordinary rogue cultivator who had stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter.

Furthermore, to prevent unexpected situations, Li Fan this time did not choose to purchase cultivation methods from the Heavenly Profound Mirror. He imparted the Divine Sea-Calming Sword to Xiao Heng and the Ocean Striding Wave to Ye Feipeng. It would still be some time before Su Xiaomei and Su Changyu could cultivate. He only needed to find ownerless cultivation methods before then. His true body and clone could each get some benefits from Qin Tang to solve the problem.

However, considering that he might need a large number of cultivation methods in the future, Li Fan felt it was necessary to find a stable channel for purchasing cultivation methods outside the Myriad Immortals Alliance. After thinking for a moment, Li Fan’s clone contacted Jiao Xiuyuan. Soon, he received a reply.

“Um, Fellow Daoist wants to buy Golden Core cultivation methods? Why not buy them from the Heavenly Profound Mirror? Did you not find a suitable one?”

“Heh, I don’t have cultivation methods to sell here; that’s too big a business for me to handle.”

“However, if Fellow Daoist truly has a need, I do know a place that can satisfy your request.”

“The Myriad Laws Commerce Guild, have you heard of it?”

Li Fan was slightly startled. A name extremely similar, differing by only one character, immediately surfaced in his mind. “Is this Myriad Laws Commerce Guild related to the Myriad Flowers Commerce Guild?” Li Fan asked.

“That’s right. Actually, the Myriad Flowers Commerce Guild is the Myriad Laws Commerce Guild; it just adopted a different name because it specifically handles mortal business,” Jiao Xiuyuan replied.

“Myriad Laws Commerce Guild…” Li Fan couldn't help but recall that before the Calamity of Red Flame Incinerating Seas descended, the Myriad Flowers Commerce Guild had received a notice to completely evacuate the Congyun Sea. “This Myriad Laws Commerce Guild has something special about it.”