Chapter 259: Zheng Hao's Ambition

During this period, the tribulation body, designed to receive cultivation feedback from the "Sitting Mountain Art," had reached a semi-real, semi-illusory state. Quantified, this was roughly equivalent to half of Li Fan's cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Completion stage.

Now, with He Zhenghao's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, Li Fan received the largest return on investment since he began cultivating the "Sitting Mountain Art." The sheer amount somewhat exceeded Li Fan's expectations. Within his dantian, the tribulation body's illusory form instantly transitioned from a substantive state to a more ethereal one, as the stored cultivation, upon reaching Foundation Establishment Completion, thoroughly solidified. A lifelike miniature figure, with clearly discernible features, sat cross-legged within Li Fan's dantian.

A sudden realization dawned on Li Fan: this tribulation body had reached its absorption limit for cultivation. Just as he felt a pang of regret, thinking the remaining feedback cultivation would be wasted, a second tribulation body abruptly appeared. It continued until it had stored another one-third of the total amount before finally stopping.

"As expected of a Four-Method Golden Core, it can bring such immense cultivation benefits!" Li Fan was secretly astonished.

After careful introspection, Li Fan gained further understanding. "Besides the Four-Method Golden Core's power far surpassing that of an ordinary Golden Core, the intricate connection between me and He Zhenghao is also a significant reason for receiving so much cultivation. Firstly, it's due to the Du Fa (method of transference). Secondly, my actions prevented He Zhenghao's fated demise; this is what's called saving a life. Additionally, his safe breakthrough this time also has something to do with my diligent protection. All these factors combined led to this effect after his breakthrough. If it were merely the Du Fa and a breakthrough to Golden Core, the returns definitely wouldn't have been this much."

As Li Fan's thoughts flowed, the tumultuous fluctuations from He Zhenghao's side gradually subsided. With his aura contained, He Zhenghao slowly opened his eyes.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on achieving the Four-Method Golden Core! Your future is limitless from this moment on!" Li Fan said with a smile.

He Zhenghao burst into hearty laughter, sweeping away all the past melancholy from his chest. Then he said solemnly, "A man knows his own worth. At least half of my success in forming the core is due to you, fellow Daoist. Although I have formed my core now, you are not far from a breakthrough yourself. I merely took one step ahead. How about we continue to interact as we did before, fellow Daoist?"

He Zhenghao was very considerate, and Li Fan was highly pleased. The two then exchanged another round of mutual praise.

During their casual chat, they brought up the cluster of palaces that had previously emerged. He Zhenghao frowned, saying, "When I was breaking through, I originally intended to form a Three-Method core. But as the formation diagram sensed the three sub-seabed fault lines, I inexplicably detected something hidden beneath the seabed. It even resonated with my Abyssal Concealment method, closely connected to it. I initially thought it might be some exotic treasure, but I never expected it to be an entire ruin."

Li Fan interjected, "This ruin, whose origin is unknown, transformed into the size of an ordinary cave dwelling right as you broke through, and then flew eastward. So, fellow Daoist, are you interested in this ruin?"

He Zhenghao shook his head. "It would be a lie to say I'm not interested. Unfortunately, even with my current cultivation, recalling the direct encounter I just had with it, a sense of danger arises in my heart. There are countless opportunities in the world; there's no need to seize every single one you encounter. Let's just forget about it!"

Li Fan nodded. "What you say makes sense, fellow Daoist." However, he secretly thought to himself, "With his daughter as a bond, Fellow Daoist He has become much more cautious in his actions. If he were still alone as before, he might very well have entertained the idea of exploring it." They didn't bring up the topic again.

"What are your plans next, fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked, knowing that promotions within the Myriad Immortals Alliance naturally entail job changes after achieving Golden Core.

He Zhenghao hesitated for a moment before replying, "If possible, I want to use this promotion opportunity to try and get transferred to Tianyu State. Of course, Tianyu State is the central heartland of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Even as a Four-Method Golden Core, it's unrealistic to expect a direct transfer there. However, I can work towards it gradually, using other states as stepping stones. I'll see if there's a chance when I next break through to the Nascent Soul stage. In any case, I need to leave this remote Congyun Sea first."

Upon hearing this, Li Fan's heart stirred. He Zhenghao had escaped his fated tribulation, reconciled with his daughter, and after breaking through his realm, his destiny had inexplicably changed. By a strange coincidence, the thought of leaving the Congyun Sea had arisen in him. It seemed that even without Li Fan's intervention, he would still be able to escape the calamity of the Blazing Flame Burning Sea. "This is truly surviving a great disaster and finding subsequent fortune."

"It seems heroes still find it hard to resist the allure of beauty!" Li Fan naturally knew why He Zhenghao was so keen to return to Tianyu State and immediately began to tease him. "Fellow Daoist, feel free to pursue your goal. If you need contribution points to smooth things over, just say the word," Li Fan promised with a smile.

He Zhenghao's face immediately lit up with joy upon hearing this. He knew that Li Fan had made a huge profit during the Spirit Mist Grass incident and was incredibly wealthy. "With my existing connections as a foundation, coupled with the prestige of a Four-Method Golden Core, and then paving the way with sufficient contribution points, I might just secure an unexpectedly good position this time," he thought to himself.

"Perhaps I won't even need to go to Shilin State in this life, as I'm unfamiliar with the place. I'll see if I can tag along with Fellow Daoist He instead. I'll wait and see," Li Fan mused.

The two returned, each lost in their own thoughts. He Zhenghao first returned to Glazed Island to stabilize his cultivation. Li Fan, on the other hand, returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

News of the undersea cave dwelling's appearance had gradually spread, and many cultivators followed its path, hoping to find opportunities. However, by the time the cluster of buildings appeared in everyone's sight, it had already shrunk significantly. Thus, it didn't seem large, and the number of cultivators willing to pursue it wasn't very high. If nothing unexpected happened, after dozens of cultivators went missing, the matter would slowly fade from memory.

However… Li Fan still wanted the cultivators to scout ahead for him and uncover the secrets within that ruin. How could he allow such a thing to happen? So, he decided to ignite a spark. Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he recounted the appearance of the ruin as an eyewitness.

It wasn't long before this caused a sensation. It's important to note that ancient cultivator cave dwellings and ancient sect ruins are two entirely different concepts. Cultivator cave dwellings usually contain a limited number of cultivation techniques and magical artifacts. However, sect ruins, especially those that have been sealed for countless years and have just appeared, the number of opportunities within them is hard to predict. The prosperity of the ancient cultivation world was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Even casually acquiring a single cultivation technique would be an enormous gain. Moreover, according to Li Fan's description, a hundred-mile-long cluster of buildings hardly seemed like the site of an obscure, weak sect. Thus, the cultivators' enthusiasm was quickly ignited.