Chapter 611: Ancient and Modern Differences of Xuanhuang

One must know that in Linghuchang's memories, this Liu San was a grandmaster highly skilled in alchemy.

Could it be that even such a figure needed three attempts to adapt to the changes in alchemy brought about by the difference between ancient and modern times?

Li Fan observed all this, deep in thought.

"I'll first take this Longevity Pill to Fellow Daoist Zhou and see how much it can sell for. Elder Liu, please continue your hard work and refine all the raw materials in the storage ring into pills as quickly as possible," Li Fan said to Liu San.

"Young Master, rest assured!" Liu San naturally nodded in agreement. After allowing his disciples a brief rest, he resumed the pill refining process.

Li Fan then exited the Xuanhuang Cauldron, tossing the freshly refined Longevity Pill in his hand.

"It's not convenient to sell this under the identity of 'Li Fan, the cultivator from Tianji Sect'..." After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan changed back to his original appearance and headed to Congyun City.

When he had previously purchased the Spirit Flower, Li Fan had used his original appearance to join the Myriad Immortals Alliance, creating a new persona for himself, facilitated by Huang Ranqi, the guardian of Chongwu Island.

He then activated the 'One Hand Covering the Sky' secret technique, entered the Heavenly Profound Mirror, and took out the Longevity Pill.

First, he had the mirror appraise it for free.

"Longevity Pill: Low-grade. Can extend life by 186 years."

Li Fan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

It seemed that even after Liu San had familiarized himself with the differences between the old and new methods, the quality of this first refined pill was still somewhat dismal. At the very least, it fell short of the mid-grade, 300-year life extension he had promised.

Li Fan checked the previous transaction prices for life-extending treasures in the market. He listed the pill for sale at a price of 50,000 contribution points, an increase of thirty percent.

The Longevity Pill was bought almost instantly.

Li Fan was momentarily stunned, then realized why.

Most life-extending treasures offered diminishing returns after initial consumption. However, the Longevity Pill had never appeared on the Myriad Immortals Alliance market before. This meant that for cultivators in need, one Longevity Pill virtually guaranteed an entire century of lifespan. Naturally, this made it significantly more valuable than other common life-extending treasures.

Furthermore...

As Li Fan expected, the buyer quickly sent an inquiry.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any more Longevity Pills?"

"I feel this pill is somewhat different from other life-extending treasures. It seems to have further effects if taken continuously?"

Feigning surprise, Li Fan replied, "Is that so? Such a thing exists! Then didn't I sell it at a loss?"

The other party was not fooled by Li Fan's act and persisted, "Haha, Fellow Daoist, please don't joke. That pill was clearly just refined, so how could you not be aware of its properties?"

Li Fan continued to play dumb: "Haha, Fellow Daoist, you've truly misunderstood. I just happened to stumble upon it and bought it from a roadside stall. I merely felt it was extraordinary, and never expected it to be a treasure capable of extending life."

"How about this: if Fellow Daoist truly needs more, I'll go back and check. I hope the stall owner is still there."

The other side fell silent.

After a moment, they patiently said, "Alright, if you have any more in stock in the future, you can come to me."

"Tianquan State, Zhao Tianlong!"

Li Fan did not reply and simply ended the communication.

"The value of the Longevity Pill exceeds my previous estimates. Even if I rely solely on purchasing raw materials through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, I can still make a significant profit."

"However, to maximize profits, I need to control the rate of sales."

"Additionally, I can exchange them for specific resources through bartering."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then considered that he might be able to establish sales channels not only with the Myriad Immortals Alliance but also with the Ancient Assembly.

After all, one can never have too much of a good thing like the "True Temptation Fruit."

If he could control one or two more Dao Integration cultivators, his situation would significantly improve.

"I'll wait until I have more finished products."

Li Fan feigned leaving Congyun City, but merely changed his identity back to "the cultivator from Tianji Sect."

Returning to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he contacted Ximen Yu.

"Fellow Daoist Ximen, how is the task progressing?"

After a long time, a message finally came through.

"Um, most of it has been analyzed, but I've encountered some trouble with a few locations."

"Oh? Do tell," Li Fan asked with interest.

Ximen Yu first sent over the locations for which the ancient-modern comparison had been completed, and then said, "Green Ox Ridge, Longevity Valley, Overturning River..."

"No matter how I compare these places, I cannot find any trace of their existence in the current real world."

"In my previous research, this situation has occurred before, but the probability was very low."

"I have to say, Fellow Daoist, your luck is really bad. Out of dozens of random locations chosen, so many have completely vanished," Ximen Yu complained.

"I estimate it won't be possible to complete this. I'll refund your excess contribution points," he said with a sigh.

Hearing this, Li Fan's eyes flickered slightly.

"Completely vanished? Fellow Daoist Ximen, do you know the reason?" Li Fan asked.

"There are many possibilities. One is that due to vast terrestrial changes and the passage of time, these locations naturally disappeared. The second is the existence of the White Mist Barrier; the ancient positions of those places might now be located within the current White Mist Barrier, which is why they cannot be found."

"And third..."

Ximen Yu paused here, falling silent.

"What's wrong? Do you have something you find difficult to say?" Li Fan asked, a little surprised.

"Not exactly, but my conjecture is somewhat shocking and lacks proof. I'd rather not say it and make a fool of myself," Ximen Yu hesitated.

This made Li Fan even more interested: "It's alright. Your extensive knowledge is truly rare in this world. Please share it; it would be good for me to broaden my horizons."

Perhaps it had been a long time since anyone had shown Ximen Yu such affirmation, for he became somewhat excited after hearing Li Fan's words.

He immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, you might find this hard to believe, but after years of comparing ancient and modern terrains, I've discovered that a significant portion of ancient regions on the Xuanhuang World's landmass is missing."

"It's as if a part of it was forcibly taken away."

"However..."

Ximen Yu's tone then turned somewhat puzzled again.

"Yet, some areas appear to have emerged out of thin air, as if such regions didn't exist in the ancient cultivation world at all."

"So, overall, the Xuanhuang World, far from shrinking compared to ancient times, has actually grown larger."

"It's truly strange and bewildering, leaving one completely perplexed."

Hearing this, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

"Is your conclusion reliable, Fellow Daoist?"

"Absolutely reliable! The Immortal Fall Realm contains a panoramic view of the ancient Xuanhuang World. Ordinary cultivators can only glimpse a corner each time they enter. I've consulted numerous cultivators and have largely reconstructed the original appearance of the ancient cultivation world. The conclusion drawn from comparing ancient and modern times is precisely this!" Ximen Yu stated unequivocally.