Chapter 49: Rare Goods Must Be Kept

He Zhenghao was bewildered, unsure why Li Fan reacted that way.

Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn't dwell on it. Instead, he smiled at Li Fan and asked, "No need to be nervous. I just wanted to ask if you, my young friend, are interested in guarding an island?" He clarified, "Of course, I'm not talking about Liuli Island, but Taian Island, which lies to its west. The guardian of Taian Island is a good friend of mine. He's currently experiencing a cultivation bottleneck and wishes to venture out to find opportunities. However, his responsibilities prevent him from leaving freely. So, he asked me to recommend someone suitable. As luck would have it, I met you."

Li Fan was a bit surprised. "To guard an island, one needs at least Foundation Establishment cultivation, right? I've only just entered the Qi Refining early stage; can I really be a guardian?"

In the Congyun Sea, every island with valuable local specialties is guarded by a cultivator. Guarding an island can last from as short as ten years to as long as a century. Because it requires continuous presence on the island with severe restrictions on leaving, the compensation is quite generous. Depending on the size of the island, the annual contribution points earned can range from several hundred to over a thousand. Consequently, the position of island guardian is a highly sought-after job, impossible to secure without significant connections. This is particularly true for the wealthier islands, where guardian roles are often reserved long before the previous guardian's departure.

"Naturally, it's not a formal guardian position," He Zhenghao enthusiastically explained to Li Fan. "My friend will issue a targeted commission for you to temporarily serve as his substitute guardian. Moreover, Taian Island isn't a major island; with the island-protecting formation in place, a Qi Refining cultivator is more than capable of overseeing it for a while. You don't need to worry, my young friend. And of course, as the one who introduced you, I'll also receive a portion of the compensation."

Li Fan then asked, "During the period as substitute guardian, what's the maximum time I can be away?"

"The island-protecting formation generally activates every five days," He Zhenghao replied. "If you need to leave for any reason, it's best to return within five days. It's also not advisable to leave more than three times a year." Assuming Li Fan was worried about disrupting his cultivation, He Zhenghao added, "After receiving your annual contribution points, you can exchange them at the Sky Profound Mirror for five days of assisted cultivation time. These five days can often be equivalent to more than half a year of ordinary diligent cultivation."

Li Fan knew this was a good opportunity and immediately agreed.

"However, I'll need to return to Myriad Immortals Island to turn in my task first."

"That's natural. You go first, my young friend. Once things are ready on Taian Island in a few days, I'll come find you there."

Li Fan then bid farewell to He Zhenghao and returned to Myriad Immortals Island.

He didn't need to go to the Herb Hall; he could simply submit the Glazed Beads through the Sky Profound Mirror.

A short while later, the Herb Hall confirmed receipt of twenty-three Glazed Beads. As the quality of this batch varied, Li Fan ultimately received 21 contribution points.

Current total contribution points: 26.

"That's too little, only enough for two days of cultivation," Li Fan shook his head.

Taking out the gold, silver, and the Imperfect Stone Stele from his storage ring, Li Fan requested to exchange them for contribution points.

A moment later, the Sky Profound Mirror displayed the results.

"Batch of gold and silver: exchangeable for 235 contribution points.""Heaven and Earth Wonder: Imperfect Stone Stele. Quality: Flawed. Exchangeable for 1968 contribution points."

Li Fan opened the Sky Profound Mirror's exchange menu and searched for Heaven and Earth Wonders.

He found that a pristine Heaven and Earth Wonder required at least 4000 points, meaning the Sky Profound Mirror's buy-back price was a direct 50% cut. "That's too much!" he thought. Even with a slight flaw, the price shouldn't be halved like that.

Li Fan's face twitched, but after some thought, he decided to exchange it.

The Sky Profound Mirror did not offer anonymous trading; to trade with other cultivators, one had to reveal their true identity. As a cultivator who had just entered the Qi Refining stage, rashly displaying such a Foundation Establishment wonder would undoubtedly attract considerable attention, potentially leading to unnecessary trouble. Trading directly with the Sky Profound Mirror, however, was less concerning. The Myriad Immortals Alliance was vast, and countless cultivators had fortuitous encounters. While a Qi Refining cultivator possessing a Foundation Establishment wonder might be extremely rare in the Congyun Sea, it was not a significant matter when viewed across the entire cultivation world.

Confirming the exchange, the gold, silver, and the Imperfect Stone Stele slowly vanished, and Li Fan's contribution points rose to 2229.

Having suddenly become rich, Li Fan didn't immediately choose to spend lavishly. Instead, he first consulted the Sky Profound Mirror about his concerns.

"Will any disasters occur in the Congyun Sea region recently?" Li Fan asked, recounting all the abnormal events Zhang Haobo had described to him.

The Sky Profound Mirror immediately fell silent.

After a long pause, it finally replied, "Cultivator, please do not worry. These are all normal world anomalies. According to our calculations, no major disasters will occur within the next ten years."

Since the Sky Profound Mirror had stated this, Li Fan felt reassured.

Afterwards, he thought for a moment and searched for information about Glazed Pills.

Glazed Pills are auxiliary elixirs, universally beneficial for cultivators from the Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment stages. After consumption, one's mind becomes as clear and transparent as glazed glass, providing an "enlightening" effect that enhances comprehension of cultivation techniques and accelerates cultivation speed. Moreover, their effects can be combined with the Sky Profound Mirror's assisted cultivation.

As most cultivators in the Myriad Immortals Alliance spend years journeying to accumulate contribution points, their cultivation time is exceptionally precious. Therefore, Glazed Pills, which enhance cultivation efficiency, are particularly valuable.

Glazed Pills are highly sought after by both Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, with their price fluctuating between five and six contribution points per pill. Li Fan checked and saw the current price was 6 points per pill.

"Since Glazed Fish are almost extinct for unknown reasons, the price of Glazed Pills will surely skyrocket," Li Fan mused. He then spent 2100 contribution points to purchase 350 Glazed Pills from the Sky Profound Mirror at once.

Only then did he inform the Sky Profound Mirror about the near disappearance of the Glazed Fish schools on Glazed Island.

The Sky Profound Mirror fell silent for a moment, emitting only faint ripples. After a while, Li Fan received a reward of 1 contribution point, indicating that the Sky Profound Mirror had confirmed the truthfulness of the information. Indeed, providing information to the Sky Profound Mirror could earn contribution points, with higher-value information yielding greater rewards.

Normally, the information Li Fan provided should have been worth more than just 1 contribution point. Perhaps the Sky Profound Mirror considered Li Fan's stockpiling behavior somewhat unethical, which is why it only gave him a single point as a reward.

Li Fan was not bothered by this.

With this operation, his objectives had been achieved. First, he confirmed that the Sky Profound Mirror was unaware of what happened after he left Myriad Immortals Island; that is, once outside Myriad Immortals Island, he no longer needed to worry about its scrutiny. Second, he confirmed that the Sky Profound Mirror indeed possessed its own will, which was evident from its decision to award only 1 contribution point, seemingly as a slight to Li Fan. Third, naturally, he seized this opportune moment to make a considerable profit.

The market's reaction was quite swift. The price of Glazed Pills suddenly soared in a short period, surging from 6 points to 9 points per pill.