Chapter 295: The Fortune of the Longevity Fruit

"If you can't compete with talent, you either rely on fortuitous encounters or hard work. Unfortunately, I have the effort, but I haven't encountered any fortuitous encounters in this life yet." Li Fan couldn't help but sigh as the last wisp of golden light dissipated from the Soul Gathering Pearl.

No unexpected events occurred. Another two months passed, and while Li Fan couldn't say he made no progress at all, his success rate in identification merely rose from five in ten thousand to one in a thousand. He still couldn't discern the difference between normal souls and soul-contracted souls; his so-called identification was still just a blind guess based on intuition. This, of course, was insufficient to meet the requirements for constructing the Heavenly Profound Soul-Locking Array.

"It seems I'll have to try again next time," he mused. "The only thing I'm reluctant to leave is this top-grade Grand Cosmos Courtyard, where I could enter the 'Enlightenment State' at public expense." Li Fan shook his head, seizing the remaining time to cultivate for free.

Over ten days later, the monthly assessment arrived once more. Most cultivators had used up all their Soul Gathering Pearls, so this test was also the final one to determine who would stay and who would leave. Li Fan's performance was very consistent. In the array formation knowledge section, he still scored 'excellent'. However, in the soul-contract identification section, he remained 'poor'.

"Only those with an identification success rate of over fifty percent will have the opportunity to continue their studies," Ji Hongdao announced coldly, scanning the young cultivators below. "All who fail to meet the standard will be expelled from the Grand Cosmos Courtyard starting today, and reported to the relevant personnel." Upon seeing Li Fan, his eyes flickered slightly, but that was all. It was impossible to break the rules for a stranger.

As soon as these words were spoken, nearly a hundred out of over a thousand cultivators turned pale, looking as if they had lost a parent. However, mercifully, no undignified scenes of weeping and begging for another chance occurred. Only Li Fan appeared unconcerned; an outsider might have thought he had passed the assessment.

Ji Hongdao waved his hand, and a layer of white light enveloped the expelled cultivators, including Li Fan. Moments later, these hundred-plus individuals appeared in a spacious and empty courtyard.

"Don't be disheartened by being eliminated; return whence you came. It's still very meaningful to continue contributing your share to the development of the Myriad Immortals Alliance!" The speaker was a chubby middle-aged cultivator with a very prominent goatee on his chin. The chubby cultivator revealed a benevolent smile and patted each of the eliminated youths. As he patted them, he explained, "It's not that the organization doesn't trust you; it's simply that the Heavenly Profound Soul-Locking Array has a rather high level of secrecy." Cultivators he patted flashed with light and vanished without a trace.

Alarm bells instantly rang in Li Fan's heart; he thought this chubby cultivator was there to silence them. The opponent's strength was unknown, but these young cultivators, even with Golden Core realm strength, were powerless against him. Li Fan was clearly no match for him either. Just as he was about to silently activate his 'Return to True' ability, he heard the other party continue, "Relax, we're merely sealing off the parts of your memory related to the Heavenly Profound Soul-Locking Array. Don't look at me with such horror. I know what you're thinking. But this is Tianyu City, a vital location for the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Who knows how many eyes are watching? How could such a thing possibly happen..." The chubby cultivator muttered to himself while quickly carrying out his work.

Hearing this, Li Fan, like the other cultivators, breathed a sigh of relief. However, he didn't entirely trust the chubby cultivator's words; he remained wary, ready to activate 'Return to True' at any moment. When it was Li Fan's turn, he suddenly asked, "May I know your esteemed name, senior?" The chubby cultivator paused, his hand movements slowing for a beat. "You're an interesting young man; I have a feeling we'll meet again someday," the chubby cultivator said, looking Li Fan over. "My name is Huangfu Song." While saying this, his hand movements no longer delayed. He slapped Li Fan on the body. As light burst forth, Li Fan felt a momentary daze and appeared in another courtyard.

Ahead seemed to be the exit gate. "Sign this confidentiality agreement, hand over your Grand Cosmos Token, and you may leave. I advise you not to rush back; it's a rare opportunity to visit our Tianyu Province, and it would be a shame not to explore. Here, I recommend the Dao Discussion Tower in the east of the city, where cultivators from all directions choose to stay; it's very lively. There's also free spirit tea provided." At the exit, a cultivator as thin as a bamboo pole stood guard. His face bore a smile uglier than a cry, appearing whenever a cultivator approached. He would pull out a golden contract and hand it to the person. Only after it was signed and the Grand Cosmos Token surrendered would he allow them to leave. "Oh, by the way, have you heard of the spectacle of the Ice Abyss Fire Lotuses? I highly recommend you visit it as well." The thin cultivator escorted the dejected young cultivators, who had completed their procedures, out while introducing them to interesting places in Tianyu Province.

Soon, it was Li Fan's turn again. Li Fan, as usual, asked, "May I know your esteemed name, senior?" "Shangguan Shi," the other party simply replied, placing a shimmering golden contract before Li Fan. It seemed slightly more advanced than common commercial contracts but not as potent as the Five Elders' soul contracts. He quickly scanned the contents of the contract. It was a unilateral contract with harsh terms: Any betrayer of secrets would have their soul utterly destroyed. In any case, Li Fan had no choice but to sign. Without hesitation, he gracefully wrote his name. A golden light entered his body, and Shangguan Shi nodded. "You may leave!" Cupping his hands, Li Fan stepped out of the Grand Cosmos Courtyard.

"This is a bit awkward now. Zhang Zhiliang probably wouldn't have expected me to be directly eliminated in the first round," Li Fan thought. "Calculating the time, there should still be over a year until the Blazing Inferno Sea event. Going back is definitely not an option. I'll stick to the original plan, travel around Tianyu Province for a while, and then directly join Fellow Daoist He after his closed training ends. As for Zhang Zhiliang... he likely wouldn't abandon his opportunity for Dao integration just for this minor issue and come looking for trouble with me." Recalling the Dao Discussion Tower that Shangguan Shi mentioned, and having no immediate place to go, Li Fan inquired about its location and headed straight for it.

The Dao Discussion Tower was more than just a single building; it was a continuous complex of buildings. It not only offered services like gatherings and dining but also had many small courtyards, similar to the Grand Cosmos Courtyard, available for accommodation. The main hall of the building was bustling, filled with cultivators. Most had low cultivation levels; Li Fan estimated the highest to be at the Nascent Soul stage. Cultivators above the Soul Transformation stage likely chose to arrange a separate courtyard when gathering here.

He casually found an empty seat, and a cup of spirit tea automatically appeared on the table. He took a sip and immediately felt his spiritual energy surge within him, wonderfully refreshing. After drinking it all, he placed the cup on the table, and spirit tea surged from the bottom of the cup, refilling it. This time, Li Fan didn't drink; instead, he picked up a jade token engraved with the character 'Dao' from the table. After probing it with his divine sense, numerous dishes of various styles immediately appeared in his mind. Almost all of them had the effect of slightly improving one's physique and refining the purity of internal spiritual energy. Of course, the prices were quite high; each dish cost several hundred contribution points. "This Dao Discussion Tower would definitely not survive in the Congyun Sea," Li Fan thought. "Ordinary cultivators simply couldn't afford it." Li Fan casually ordered a few dishes to test their effects.

While waiting, he pricked up his ears and listened to the conversations of the surrounding cultivators. It wasn't much different from the chattering scenes in mortal taverns; there were all sorts of topics. So-and-so cultivator advanced another minor realm; someone else's lifespan was nearing its end, yet they still couldn't break through, unfortunately dying of old age. The Five Elders Council hadn't made any major moves in recent years, so they must be secretly planning some conspiracy. Li Fan didn't find any of this tiresome to listen to.

Soon, a flash of light occurred, and the ordered dishes and cutlery automatically appeared on the table. Li Fan tasted each one, felt the changes within his body, and secretly nodded. "This Dao Discussion Tower indeed has something special about it." Just then, the already somewhat noisy hall suddenly grew a little louder. A few keywords drifted into his ears; Li Fan was slightly startled and couldn't help but concentrate on listening.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, have you truly found a spirit fruit that extends lifespan?""Shh, keep it low-key. This trip to the underground gloomy forest indeed yielded some minor gains. Verified by the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the Spirit Turtle Purple True Fruit can extend lifespan by one hundred and fifty years." Fellow Daoist Lu's voice held a hint of triumph.A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. "The Spirit Turtle Purple True Fruit... I recall it wasn't on the list provided by Immortal Venerable Jicheng, was it? Doesn't that mean...""Fellow Daoist Lu has truly encountered a great fortune this time!""Extending life by one hundred and fifty years, that's an incredibly remarkable treasure. I wonder what rank it will achieve in the reward solicitation. If he's fortunate enough to be among the top three...""That's the Law Derivation Jade..."Everyone's breathing involuntarily quickened.

Li Fan listened to the conversation of the several individuals, his expression subtly shifting. He immediately disregarded clearing the remaining food, directly rented a separate courtyard in the Dao Discussion Tower, and checked in. As expected, there was a Heavenly Profound Mirror in the courtyard. After a quick search, Li Fan immediately understood the whole story.

It turned out that ever since Immortal Venerable Jicheng resigned from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Garrison Hall and meticulously recuperated, although his injuries gradually improved, his lost lifespan could not be recovered. Like all cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan, Immortal Venerable Jicheng began seeking various methods to extend his life. However, having held a high position for many years, Immortal Venerable Jicheng had already tasted almost all sorts of rare elixirs and treasures that could extend life, rendering them ineffective for him. Therefore, he issued a reward, offering a three-year period for the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance to search for exotic treasures that could still extend his life. Anyone who presented a verified effective item would receive a generous reward; the more lifespan extended, the more substantial the reward.

The unique rewards for the top three places, moreover, made the hearts of all cultivators under heaven pound: one opportunity to use the Law Derivation Jade. It was well-known that cultivation techniques were hard to come by, and to tailor-make a cultivation technique according to one's own circumstances was even harder. Although Law Weavers could achieve this, first, the cost was substantial, and second, the Law Weavers' skill levels varied, so the techniques they compiled were far from perfect. It was merely a second-best option. What cultivators dreamed of was being able to use the Myriad Immortals Alliance's foremost treasure, the Law Derivation Jade, to deduce and create cultivation techniques for themselves.

Unfortunately, for most cultivators in the world, this was merely an unattainable dream. The Law Derivation Jade was the very foundation of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's establishment; how precious it was! Most people didn't even know what it looked like or where it was located, let alone using it. Even ordinary Dao Integration realm powerhouses might not be qualified to use it. Only Immortal Venerable Jicheng, having commanded the Garrison Camp for over five hundred years, held such high status and authority. During this period, he had experienced countless wars, both large and small, accumulating various merits. Only then could he offer the reward of three opportunities to use the Law Derivation Jade.

"First place, a Dao Integration cultivation technique can be derived. Second place, a Soul Transformation technique. Third place, a Nascent Soul technique." Li Fan examined the reward description and had to admit, he was tempted. An exotic lifespan-extending treasure, he happened to possess one. The Lifespan Creation Fruit could extend life by three hundred years. Moreover, it was precisely not on the list of exotic treasures Jicheng had already consumed. For him, this lifespan fruit was not very useful. But to exchange it for Immortal Venerable Jicheng's reward... Leaving aside the superiority of a custom-tailored cultivation technique, just being able to see the Law Derivation Jade, the Myriad Immortals Alliance's most precious treasure, was already worth the price in Li Fan's opinion.

"However, this Lifespan Creation Fruit came from the Fallen Immortal Realm. Generally, only Golden Core realm cultivators can enter there," he pondered. "I'm only a Foundation Establishment cultivator; submitting it now would be somewhat inappropriate. Anyway, less than a year has passed since the Immortal Venerable's reward was announced. I can wait until I break through to the Golden Core realm before submitting it. That way, I can openly explain its origin. Hmm... dealing with a Dao Integration Immortal Venerable surely carries some risks. I still need to consider it carefully."

Over the next few days, Li Fan wandered around Tianyu City. He also visited the spectacular Ice Abyss Fire Lotuses that Shangguan Shi had mentioned. In the icy abyss, countless lotuses formed of flames bloomed. Although beautiful, Li Fan couldn't discern anything particularly special about them. It was said that some cultivators had gained enlightenment there and directly advanced a minor realm, so it seemed his comprehension wasn't sufficient. On his way back from the Ice Abyss, Li Fan's communication talisman suddenly received a message from Ji Hongdao, instructing him to return to the Grand Cosmos Courtyard quickly.