Chapter 290: Entry-Level Linked Array Formation

After absolute silence, a sharp, grating noise, like metal scraping, continuously echoed in his ears. It slowly subsided, turning into a lazy voice.

"Those who have completed the teleportation, move forward, don't block the way!"

Li Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort within him. While surveying his surroundings, he moved forward as instructed. This place looked quite similar to the long-range teleportation space on Myriad Immortals Island, but the brilliance of the starry background was several times more intense. And it was extremely bustling; while Li Fan was adjusting to his body, another two or three cultivators arrived via teleportation.

Li Fan walked up to the cultivator who had spoken. This person was wearing the standard black and yellow Daoist robe of the Myriad Immortals Alliance and casually handed over a pill. "Pure Body Dust-Cleansing Pill. Taking it will alleviate any discomfort. Move forward and get checked! Next!"

Li Fan took the pill, observed it for a moment, but did not take it, merely storing it in his storage ring. Further ahead, there was a mirror glowing with a faint light, suspended high in the air. From its appearance, it looked exactly like the Heaven-Profound Mirror.

Li Fan walked below the mirror and stood still for a moment. A beam of light swept over him, and moments later, the familiar yet strange voice of the Heaven-Profound Mirror sounded in Li Fan's ears.

"Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to Tianyu State."

His vision blurred, and the scenery changed. By the time Li Fan regained his senses, he had already left the interior of the Heavenly Venerable Statue and arrived at the Dharma Transmission Plaza.

The number of teleportation arrays on Tianyu State's plaza was also several times higher than on Myriad Immortals Island. They not only connected to various cities within Tianyu State but could even reach cities under the jurisdiction of Tianchen, Tianshu, and Tianquan States. These four major states, guarding the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, were subtly integrated into one entity. What's more, unlike other states, these four states had no mortals. In every city, only cultivators resided. Consequently, the total number of cultivators in these four states far exceeded that of other regions.

After scanning the jade slip given by Zhang Zhiliang with his divine sense, Li Fan knew his destination for this trip: The Universal Villa within Tianyu City.

Unlike on Myriad Immortals Island, where all Myriad Immortals Alliance organizations were clustered together, in Tianyu City, each department had its own separate headquarters. Some more influential ones, such as the Martial Arts Hall, even had more than one location. This Universal Villa was a large courtyard belonging to the Strategy Array Hall.

Li Fan navigated through Tianyu City, following the guidance in the jade slip. Before long, he arrived at the entrance of the Universal Villa. The gate was open, with no one guarding it. Li Fan stepped forward and walked in.

The next second, the air suddenly became scorching hot. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless, ceaseless desert. The sand beneath his feet also seemed to flow like water, silently shifting.

"Ten Thousand Miles Shifting Sand Array..."

Li Fan felt no panic, knowing this was the first test to enter the Universal Villa. He narrowed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. In Li Fan's eyes, the surrounding scenery of swirling yellow sand instantly transformed into various array patterns. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Dao Transformation Stone emitted a faint blue glow as Li Fan rapidly calculated the weaknesses of the Ten Thousand Miles Shifting Sand Array.

While breaking the array, he didn't stand still. Instead, every so often, he would carefully move to a new foothold. Soon after he left a spot, a quicksand vortex would appear at his previous location, devouring everything. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Fan finally found a way to escape the array. Hovering and pausing, he finally escaped the Ten Thousand Miles Shifting Sand Array.

He still hadn't entered the Universal Villa proper, and what awaited Li Fan was another brand-new array: The Black Stone Flowing Fire Array. Compared to the previous Ten Thousand Miles Shifting Sand Array, this one was a few degrees more perilous. Li Fan was unsure if falling into this array would lead to instant death or if someone would come to his rescue. He immediately raised his vigilance to the highest level and responded cautiously. After a little less than half a day, he broke out of the array.

Following this, in succession, were the Eight Gates Qi-Closing Array, the Misty Rain Falling Immortal Array, and the Illusory Spirit Soul-Seizing Array... These were all arrays that Zhang Zhiliang had mentioned and introduced in his spiritual jade slip. Although he had systematically studied them before, it was only when Li Fan was truly caught within the arrays that he understood the vast difference between theory and practice. Fortunately, these arrays did not seem to be fully activated and were purely for testing purposes. Although he was a bit disheveled, Li Fan managed to break through each one.

After the last array, the Ten Directions Xi Yi Array, was breached, Li Fan finally arrived in a safe space. This place was very similar to where Zhang Zhiliang had given his lectures, and a young cultivator dressed in white robes was waiting there.

"Li Fan, from Congyun Sea."

"Total array-breaking time: one day and twelve hours."

"Performance: slightly below average."

"No rest taken during the array-breaking process, and no signs of fatigue even after completion."

"His mind and spirit are tenacious; can be rated superior."

"Hmm..."

"Overall assessment: moderately superior!"

The white-robed cultivator mumbled, and as he spoke, a silver jade tablet appeared out of thin air before Li Fan. "This token serves as your identity proof during your time at the Universal Villa. Keep it safe; do not lose it. All notifications and the distribution of relevant resources will be done through this token. You may go rest now. Once all trainees have arrived, you will be notified!" the white-robed cultivator instructed.

Li Fan put away the silver token and bowed in thanks to the white-robed cultivator. He then asked, "May I ask for your name, Senior?"

The white-robed cultivator smiled, "Ji Hongdao of Tianyu State. You may go now!" Saying this, he waved his hand, and the silver token emitted a burst of light, enveloping Li Fan.

By the time the silver light before his eyes disappeared, Li Fan had already appeared inside a small courtyard. The courtyard was not large, but it was exquisitely decorated. Originally, at its center were a lake and rock garden, but through the token, it could be freely adjusted and transformed into different sceneries such as mountain peaks and cloud seas, desolate Gobi deserts, or vast oceans. After adjusting it, Li Fan discovered that it was not merely an illusion. Instead, one could truly fly into it; it was genuinely real. It was as if another space had been embedded within it.

Li Fan couldn't help but marvel at the lavish materials used in this Universal Villa. Not only was the scenery beautiful, but the spiritual energy concentration in the small courtyard was astonishingly high. Following the direction of the spiritual energy flow, Li Fan found a small Heaven-Profound Mirror in the room at its source. It was not much different from those commonly seen in various state cities, offering basic functions like inquiry and trading, and could even activate an assisted cultivation mode. What truly astonished and excited Li Fan was that, within this courtyard, the use of assisted cultivation was completely free. Although he currently wasn't short on contribution points, who could refuse the joy of getting something for free?

Li Fan immediately did not hesitate and directly entered the Enlightenment state. "It's a pity this is just a special privilege during the training period and won't last long. Otherwise, I could stay here for a lifetime. The core territory of the Myriad Immortals Alliance is truly extravagant. Congyun Sea simply can't compare. No wonder countless cultivators fight tooth and nail to get in here. Just by taking a little advantage of one's position, who knows how many resources could be saved." Li Fan couldn't help but exclaim.