Chapter 470: Transporting the Rift Whale

The cultivators in the Martial Arts Hall exchanged glances, instantly feeling a sense of difficulty.

Indeed, according to the rules, any cultivator belonging to the Myriad Immortals Alliance could apply to the Martial Arts Hall for a certain reward if they managed to kill a member of the Five Elders Council.

Eliminating four enemy Nascent Soul cultivators was considered a great achievement, no matter the province.

However, the individual before them had been too ruthless; the four cultivators from the Five Elders Council didn't even leave a trace.

Not to mention valuable remnants of their bodies or lingering souls.

While the battle record was impressive, its practical significance was limited.

If they didn't give a reward, their reputation would suffer. If they did give a reward, the annual budget of the Martial Arts Hall in Congyun Sea was already tight.

If Li Fan took a large sum like this, how would the brothers manage for the rest of the year?

Moreover, this Master Li Fan didn't seem to be lacking in contribution points at all. Even if the Martial Arts Hall made a huge payout, it might not satisfy his appetite.

More importantly, this person was now highly renowned, making it impossible to suppress him or force him to "voluntarily" forgo the reward.

Therefore, arranging a reward that satisfied both parties was indeed a contentious issue.

Li Fan, for his part, adopted a calm and unhurried posture, indicating he wouldn't leave until a satisfactory outcome was reached. The Martial Arts Hall members, with slightly furrowed brows, secretly communicated and deliberated.

After several rounds of negotiations and probing, both sides finally reached a mutually satisfactory conclusion.

Thanks to this extraordinary achievement, Li Fan was appointed as a special commissioner of the Martial Arts Hall, officially entering the Myriad Immortals Alliance's system. All rewards were simultaneously issued in the form of merit points.

According to the Martial Arts Hall's estimates, these points were enough to raise Li Fan's authorization level to Derivative Sixteen in one go. It was important to note that a regular cultivator within the system would typically need at least thirty-four years of diligent effort to reach this level. Yet, Li Fan achieved it in a single leap.

The amount of contribution points was irrelevant to Li Fan now; settlement in merit points was precisely what he desired. So, Li Fan readily agreed.

Next, it was time to cooperate with the Martial Arts Hall to complete the relevant procedures. The Martial Arts Hall submitted the application, and the Political Affairs Hall approved it at lightning speed.

After going through another formality on the White Jade Heart-Inquiring Platform, Li Fan successfully became a member of the Martial Arts Hall in Congyun Sea. Then came the distribution of merit points.

After Li Fan left the central core area of Myriad Immortals Island, he gained another identity in addition to his aura as an ancient cultivator of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, skilled in deduction: an insider within the Myriad Immortals Alliance with an authorization level of Derivative Sixteen.

"With everyone's attention on me and the protection of an official position, even if someone wants to target me, they can't do it openly."

As Li Fan walked, he felt much safer. His experiences of multiple reincarnations within the Myriad Immortals Alliance had given Li Fan a deep understanding of the importance of order and rules within the current Immortal Alliance. Even Dao Integration Immortal Venerables had to pay a price if they violated rules or broke conventions. Guan Xingxiu, who had a layer of his cultivation stripped and was exiled to Lanlin Province in the previous life, was a living example.

Having an identity within the system was undoubtedly an extra protective charm.

However, to temporarily escape the commotion caused by slaying four Nascent Soul cultivators, Li Fan still went directly into seclusion in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. A Golden Core cultivator slaying Nascent Soul cultivators, and in a one-against-four scenario no less. Anyone capable of such a feat could be called a prodigy in any era. Thus, the sensational nature of the topic was self-evident.

There was no need to specifically promote it; cultivators almost entirely spontaneously discussed and spread this extraordinary event. There were disbelievers, and there were the curious. Some were eager to try and fight Li Fan.

All these people, holding different attitudes towards the matter, had a surprisingly uniform reaction when they learned that Li Fan had killed the four Nascent Soul cultivators solely by acquiring potent artifacts purchased through the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

"Money truly is a damn good thing!"

Yes, for some reason, the "truth" of the slaying incident, which should have had a high level of secrecy and been known only to the Martial Arts Hall members, spread with astonishing speed. It spread almost simultaneously with Li Fan's deeds throughout all the provinces of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Regardless of cultivators' personal attitudes towards Li Fan, considering his ability to lead everyone to wealth, the number of cultivators coming to consult He Zhenghao surged once again. Even Fellow Daoist He became somewhat renowned among the cultivator community.

Meanwhile, Li Fan remained oblivious to all the commotion outside. He temporarily severed all external communication, dedicating himself to arduous cultivation within the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

Time flew by, and in an instant, it was the end of Anchor Year 9. The eight-month period since he last entered the Immortal Meteor Realm had passed, and Li Fan, sensing it, was startled awake from his seclusion.

"Mister Bai, the Creation Furnace Art..."

A flicker of anticipation appeared in Li Fan's eyes. After a brief preparation, he chanted, "Fortune and Prosperity, Profound Yellow Celestial Venerable."

An instant later, his vision blurred again. When he regained his senses, he was once again in the Immortal Meteor Realm.

The first thing he did upon entering the Immortal Meteor Realm was not to assess his current situation. Instead, he recalled the content of the "Creation Furnace Art" that Mister Bai had imparted to him. Exquisitely profound words instantly surfaced in his mind, allowing him to witness the profound Great Dao techniques and supreme righteous methods once again.

Li Fan became engrossed again, unable to extricate himself. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed once more.

"Xiao Hei, you're finally awake?"

Just then, an untimely remark dragged him out of that wonderful state. It was Xu Ke's somewhat naive voice.

A wave of annoyance surged in Li Fan's heart, and he swiped a claw at Xu Ke's head beneath him. He scanned his surroundings, noticing they were somewhat different from the scenery in the Beast Taming Sect where he had been before.

"What happened after I fell asleep?" Li Fan asked Xu Ke through telepathy.

"Eh? Xiao Hei, you can finally talk?" Xu Ke asked, delighted and somewhat oblivious.

After a few more scratches and a wail from Xu Ke, he finally recounted the entire story to Li Fan. It turned out that ever since Li Fan swallowed Song Yang's Ink Immortal Tiger and entered a digestive slumber last time, Xu Ke had followed the guidance of the jade token given by Lu Ya, successfully meeting with Senior Brother Lu Ya and the Beast of Wisdom, Emperor Sanmo, who were discussing matters.

Upon seeing the sleeping Heavenly Fate Profound Bird, Emperor Sanmo uttered some inscrutable words. He then sent a white hair into Li Fan's body. Consequently, Li Fan fell into an even deeper slumber on Xu Ke's head. He had only just woken up.

"You're saying I've spent three years in slumber?"

"And you came to this small canyon world specifically to find a creature called a Rift-Realm Whale?" Li Fan asked in a deep voice.

"Yes! Xiao Hei, you wouldn't believe it, these big guys, despite their massive size, usually hide in the clouds and can conceal their presence. Ordinary detection spells and magical artifacts are useless, making them incredibly difficult to find," Xu Ke complained.