Chapter 44: End of Qi Refinement Stage

Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan, his eyes filled with both awe and joy.

He had heard that Elder Li had purged himself of the miasma and would soon become an immortal master revered by all. Meeting him now, he felt both respect and trepidation.

“So, it’s you.” Li Fan had a rather good impression of this man, so he immediately smiled and said, “It’s been several years since we last met. How have you been lately?”

Zhang Haobo dared not be slow in responding, and honestly replied, “Thanks to your blessings, Elder Li, the fleet has performed remarkably well these past few years. Especially the fact that you, Elder Li, retrieve large amounts of treasure every time you go out to sea, has constantly attracted many young people who want to join our fleet.”

“Our benefits and our standing on the island have also risen significantly. Many people envy us.”

Mid-sentence, Zhang Haobo paused, seemingly hesitant to speak further.

“Speak freely,” Li Fan gestured for him to continue.

“However… the brothers on the Cangyuan have recently been discussing leaving Liuli Island. I, too, subtly share this idea.”

“Oh?” Li Fan was somewhat surprised. “Where do you plan to go?”

“To be honest, Elder Li, we haven’t decided yet,” Zhang Haobo said with a hint of trepidation.

Li Fan then became interested. “Since you’re doing well, why would you suddenly think about leaving?”

Zhang Haobo scratched his head. “I’m afraid you’ll laugh, Elder Li, but… I just have a subtle sense of unease in my heart.”

“Unease? Tell me more in detail,” Li Fan instructed.

Zhang Haobo was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

After a moment, he glanced around and whispered, “To be honest, Elder Li, my brothers and I have encountered various strange occurrences recently while at sea.”

“Such as?”

“On our last few trips, we’ve often cast a single net and hauled in thousands of pounds of fish, completely filling the nets. Nine out of ten nets are like this, and there are all kinds of fish.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is indeed a good thing, but I’ve been fishing at sea for over a decade, and I’ve never seen anything like this before.” A flicker of doubt and fear crossed Zhang Haobo’s eyes.

“It’s as if all the fish on the seabed are fleeing some disaster, gathering together.”

“What else?” Li Fan pondered for a moment, then continued to ask.

“My brothers and I have lived on Liuli Island since childhood and are very familiar with the reefs around the island. But we recently noticed more exposed reefs around the island,” Zhang Haobo said somewhat gravely.

“Are you saying… the water level is dropping?” Li Fan understood instantly.

“In previous years, there have always been changes in water level, but this year’s changes seem unusual. The brothers are a bit worried,” Zhang Haobo said.

“We reported this to the Liuli Prefecture a month ago, but they clearly didn’t pay much attention, saying it was just a normal fluctuation in water level,” Zhang Haobo added.

“There’s one more thing that worries us even more. For the past three years, there hasn’t been a single wind disaster. This isn’t just true for the waters around Liuli Island, but for the entire Congyun Sea.”

“We’ve spoken with fleets from various islands, and it’s absolutely true. Wind disasters have been completely absent from the Congyun Sea for these three years,” Zhang Haobo quickly added, fearing Li Fan wouldn't believe him.

Not knowing what this meant, Li Fan remained silent.

“Wind disasters, ever since I was born, have never stopped. In abundant years, there could be over a dozen, and even in lean years, there were at least two or three. It’s been like this for decades.”

“But now, for three whole years, no wind disasters have occurred. Some people on the island are applauding, saying it’s the protection of an immortal master. My brothers and I, however, don’t see it that way.”

“This is too abnormal; something major is definitely going to happen,” Zhang Haobo stated with conviction.

“Perhaps the weather will just be a bit hot in the future,” Li Fan said, offering comfort after a moment of thought. “The island is protected by a great formation, and Immortal Master He is here. Even if something happens, I’m sure it can be dealt with.”

“What you say, Elder Li, certainly makes sense. Many of the brothers on the ship think so too. But I just have this subtle feeling of unease that I can’t shake off,” Zhang Haobo said with a wry smile.

“So I’ve decided to leave, to leave the Congyun Sea.” Zhang Haobo’s gaze gradually became resolute.

Seeing this, Li Fan could only say, “Leaving one’s homeland is not easy. You should think it over carefully.”

Zhang Haobo nodded.

Li Fan said no more. After bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he wandered through the market for another half a day before finally returning home.

After thinking it over carefully, Zhang Haobo wasn't being an alarmist after all.

Various signs indeed indicated that something unusual was likely to happen in the Congyun Sea.

Perhaps a massive wind disaster was secretly gathering strength;

Or perhaps a severe drought was subtly forming.

But, none of this was a big deal.

Zhang Haobo was, after all, just a mortal. When a major disaster struck, he had no power to protect himself and could only resign himself to fate.

It was normal for him to feel worried and anxious.

As for Li Fan, he already had one foot through the threshold of cultivation; as long as he could break through to the Qi Cultivation stage, he could go to Wanxian Island.

Cultivators gathered there, so naturally, there would be no need to worry about such disasters.

Even if one were to take ten thousand steps back, if a disaster that even cultivators couldn't handle truly occurred, worrying would be useless.

Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was to peacefully cultivate the Five Spirits Qi Sensing Technique.

Oh, and at Wanbao Tower, he could notify Yin Yuzhen to prepare early.

This interlude quickly passed, and Li Fan continued to focus on his cultivation.

Time flowed by.

Another year passed.

Half a year ago, Zhang Haobo eventually chose to leave the Congyun Sea with some of the brothers from the Cangyuan. This incident caused a stir on the island, and people began to worry.

However, the past six months had been completely calm, with no sign of any major disaster, so people once again dismissed the matter as a joke.

Yin Yuzhen finally accumulated enough power and returned to Yelan Island in high spirits. After some twists and turns, she managed to regain her position as the head manager of Tianbao Tower headquarters.

With Yelan Island initially stabilized, there were still many miscellaneous matters to handle. To prevent troublemakers from stirring up trouble again, Yin Yuzhen would have to remain on Yelan Island for the next few years and could not return. She merely sent someone to deliver the good news to Li Fan.

He Zhenghao no longer sent anyone to visit either. In He Zhenghao’s view, Li Fan had taken nearly four years to guide Qi into his body, clearly reaching the limit of his potential, and was no longer worth his full attention.

Xiao Heng, however, would occasionally send letters asking about Li Fan’s recent situation.

It was said that Xiao Heng had progressed rapidly and was now at the middle stage of Qi Cultivation.

Amidst the world’s disturbances, Li Fan observed with detachment, like a mere passerby.

He simply cultivated patiently.

One day, Li Fan felt a stir in his heart.

Having accumulated enough Five Spirit fuel, the Root of Heaven and Earth was finally about to take shape!

A phantom image appeared in Li Fan’s dantian. A moment later, Li Fan felt a subtle yet incredibly close connection to heaven and earth.

It was like a waterwheel drawing water from a river to irrigate dry fertile land.

Strands of spiritual energy from heaven and earth slowly flowed along the Root of Heaven and Earth into Li Fan’s dantian, quickly spreading throughout his entire body.

In his seventh year since entering the cultivation world, Li Fan finally entered the Qi Cultivation stage.