Chapter 34: Clear Heart Has Divine Effect

Li Fan secretly investigated and confirmed that Yin Yuzhen had not lied about the Dust-Severing Pill.

So, three days later, he met Yin Yuzhen again and agreed to her request.

They agreed that before the Cleansing Spirit Pond opened, Li Fan would help Tianbao Tower collect a certain amount of treasures periodically.

When the pond opened, Yin Yuzhen would hand the Dust-Severing Pill over to Li Fan.

To show her sincerity, Yin Yuzhen naturally produced the deed to Tingyou Tower.

Since they had an agreement, Li Fan no longer stood on ceremony and accepted it.

Li Fan moved again.

Tingyou Tower was located in the central area of Liuli Island, surrounded by bustling activity.

However, its unique architectural design and lush greenery completely separated it from the noisy environment.

Though situated in a busy market, it felt like being nestled deep in the mountains.

This concept of finding tranquility within activity gave it the name Tingyou, or "Listening to Serenity."

Tingyou Tower was several times larger than Li Fan's previous small courtyard, and its internal rock gardens, ponds, flowers, and trees all required maintenance.

Once again, he declined the maids sent by Tianbao Tower and instead hired several workers from the island, instructing them to come clean once every three days.

Yin Yuzhen was quite helpless regarding Li Fan's caution.

Fortunately, Li Fan was not negligent about their agreement.

During his year at Tingyou Tower, Li Fan first completed three official voyages for Liuli Island, bringing back several chests of treasure each time. This not only astonished the entire island but also successfully secured a fleet quota for Tianbao Tower.

After that, whenever Tianbao Tower's fleet set sail, Li Fan would accompany them.

Over the year, Tianbao Tower made a huge profit, nearly equal to the combined earnings of the previous five years.

He also established prestige among the people of Tianbao Tower, earning their respect and awe.

In the eyes of Tianbao Tower's crew, Elder Li not only possessed immense abilities, leading them to treasure on every voyage, but he was also meticulous and decisive.

On one occasion, during a voyage, a few crew members, envious of the salvaged treasures, plotted to conspire, kill, and steal.

Unbeknownst to them, Elder Li had already sensed the anomaly and preemptively beheaded them all before they could act.

Their bodies were thrown into the sea, and their heads were strung together to deter others.

People privately whispered that perhaps those crew members had merely spoken loosely after drinking and might not have truly dared to commit murder and robbery.

Yet, even with that slight possibility, Elder Li had them all killed without mercy.

Moreover, neither the Liuli Island authorities nor the shopkeeper criticized him; instead, they highly praised Elder Li's actions, stating that he had reasonably and effectively protected Liuli Island's assets.

Even the island's residents, upon hearing the news, condemned the "bandits" as deserving of their fate and praised Elder Li for a job well done.

From then on, no one in Tianbao Tower's fleet dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts.

Everyone was cautious when they saw Li Fan, fearing he might find an excuse to execute them.

Li Fan naturally didn't care about others' opinions of him.

To quickly gain full control of the fleet, some "killing a chicken to scare the monkeys" tactics were necessary.

He didn't have much energy to waste on such mundane affairs.

Over the past year, he diligently cultivated the "Xuanhuang Cleansing Heart Incantation" whenever he had free time.

It wasn't just because it could dispel miasma, but because Li Fan had discovered something that delighted him.

The "Huanzhen" charging progress had actually accelerated!

Before this, "Huanzhen"'s charging progress could only increase naturally with the passage of time.

It would reach 100% every twenty years, gradually increasing to a maximum of 200%, after which it would no longer increase.

In his previous nine reincarnations, Li Fan had tried various methods to speed up the charging progress, but none had succeeded.

It had been over a year since Li Fan left Da Xuan and arrived in the cultivation world.

According to the previous pattern, the charging progress should have been between 6% and 7%.

However, Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that the charging progress had reached 15%.

The charging speed was nearly twice as fast!

Besides the Cleansing Heart Incantation, Li Fan had not encountered anything else that could have helped.

The only explanation was that cultivating the "Xuanhuang Cleansing Heart Incantation" could actually accelerate "Huanzhen"'s charging progress.

Although the principle was still unknown, this did not deter Li Fan from cultivating even more diligently.

With the display of the Huanzhen panel, every bit of progress was clearly visible.

This also prevented Li Fan from losing motivation due to long periods of tedious and repetitive cultivation.

Besides the charging progress, Li Fan's age limit had also significantly increased.

Name: Li FanRealm: MortalPhysical Age: 42/95↑Mental Age: 505/1210↑Void Transformation Charging Progress: 115%Anchor Stabilization Charging Progress: 51%Current Anchors: 1Bound Items: "Thousand Machine Jade Sphere Golden Chapter," Taiyan Boat, Stopped Stele Fragment (Damaged)

Time quietly slipped by as Li Fan cultivated with complete dedication.

Soon, only one year remained until the opening of the Cleansing Spirit Pond.

Liuli Island also announced the list of materials required for this event.

Li Fan was currently studying this list with the Tianbao Tower staff.

"The other items on this list are easy enough," Li Fan said, frowning after reading it, "but what is this 'Stellar Sea Quicksand'?"

Working at Tianbao Tower for a year had not been without its gains for Li Fan.

At the very least, he had a general understanding of the common ores and rare materials circulating within the Cloud Sea.

Not only was Sun Zhang bewildered, but even Yin Yuzhen, the shopkeeper of Tianbao Tower, fell silent.

"All the other required materials are quite common," Sun Zhang said. "Only this Stellar Sea Quicksand is unheard of. It seems the key to competing for a spot this time lies with this Stellar Sea Quicksand."

"I've been in business for over a decade and have never heard of this item either," Yin Yuzhen said, tapping the table with her finger. "It seems we'll have to inquire with people from Wanhua Merchant Association."

"Those people are like reincarnated hungry ghosts, extremely greedy. We'll probably have to pay a hefty price," Sun Zhang sighed.

"I'm determined to get a spot in the Spirit Pond," Li Fan stated firmly.

The Wanhua Merchant Association was not a local merchant association of the Cloud Sea but originated from a continent countless miles away.

The association was rumored to be supported by immortal masters, allowing it to easily cross endless seas to conduct business in the remote Cloud Sea.

Since Yin Yuzhen established contact with the Wanhua Merchant Association over a decade ago, both parties had maintained trade relations over the years.

It was precisely through the Wanhua Merchant Association that Tianbao Tower was able to quickly process the large quantities of treasure Li Fan salvaged and convert them into profit.

"We still have a year to prepare," Yin Yuzhen said. "The Wanhua Merchant Association's traveling merchant should pass through the Cloud Sea in three months; I can contact him then."

"We can't put all our hopes on the Wanhua Merchant Association," Li Fan decided. "Over the past year, Liuli Island has taken in many disaster victims from other islands across the Cloud Sea. It's possible some of them might know about this Stellar Sea Quicksand, so we can inquire with them. Other forces on the island will also be looking for it, so we need to monitor them closely. As soon as they make any discovery, we can act accordingly."