Chapter 761: Protecting the Unique King's Family

The Deng Mingqian I saw in the Tianxuan Prime Mirror space appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. That should be her actual age.

"Given her young age, she must have been well protected by her clan. Therefore, even with her mind-reading ability, she probably lacks cunning," Li Fan mused to himself. "Despite only having a Core Formation cultivation, she can sense my thoughts..."

"This shouldn't be due to her cultivation method. It might be related to her Foundation Establishment wondrous item. Mind-reading abilities are already rare in the Xuanhuang Realm. To be able to do so regardless of cultivation differences, it could almost be considered a semi-Celestial Wonder." A peculiar glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

Throughout his cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan had encountered many cultivators possessing semi-Celestial Wonders, in addition to the Celestial Wonder Derivation Jade and Celestial Wonder Sword. These included He Zheng'hao's daughter He Xingxing's Daoist Text Compass, Fairy Kongyou's Yin-Yang Jade, and Sun Qi's Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. However, none of them had stirred Li Fan's heart as much as the mind-reading wondrous item Deng Mingqian possessed.

As the saying goes, 'the human heart is unfathomable.' This is especially true in the Xuanhuang Realm, where cultivation methods cannot be shared. No one can guarantee that a companion who calls you a brother isn't secretly harboring murderous intentions. If one could master mind-reading, even just for a few crucial moments, it would greatly reduce the various risks encountered during cultivation. Not to mention, it could also serve as a sort of power assessment tool. If one suddenly found their mind-reading ability ineffective, they would know the other person was someone not to be provoked.

"Perhaps, it could even be used to deduce a method to prevent one's thoughts from being read by others."

Li Fan, a person of strong execution, immediately returned to the Tianxuan Mirror within Tianquan City to inquire about Deng Mingqian. To his surprise, he found no valuable information. It was as if Deng Mingqian had appeared out of thin air.

Li Fan changed his approach, searching instead for 'Brother Qingyu,' whom Deng Mingqian had mentioned. He also added the characteristics Wang Wan had described: arrogance, domineering behavior, and vindictiveness. The description matched almost instantly. However, Deng Qingyu's backing wasn't the Deng clan; it was the Wang family of Tianquan.

"So he's an adopted son. Yet, the Wang family treats him as their own, even better than their direct descendants.""Perhaps he benefits from his sister's influence," Li Fan silently nodded.

Although the Tianquan Wang family wasn't among the top powerful elites of the Immortal Alliance, ordinary people couldn't afford to offend them. Many cultivators within the clan held positions in the mysterious Protector Hall. It was said that the Wang family patriarch bore the heavy responsibility of guarding the Derivation Jade...

The moment he saw this information, Li Fan made a decision. He vowed to be friends with the Wang family for generations.

However, after searching for more information, Li Fan slightly frowned. It turned out that Deng Qingyu wasn't the only one in the Wang family with a poor reputation. The entire younger generation of the Wang family, including the elders, had no good reputation whatsoever. Throughout the entire Myriad Immortal Alliance, no cultivator was willing to speak up for them. When the Tianquan Wang family was mentioned, people would instinctively spit to show their disdain.

"They are thoroughly isolated as individuals, not just as a family. This isn't a matter of personal conduct; it's deliberate.""Is it to avoid suspicion?"Having once navigated officialdom, Li Fan was no stranger to such tactics.

"The Derivation Jade."Li Fan pondered for a moment, then stopped his search there. He didn't delve further into related content. In this era, the Tianxuan Mirror had already undergone an upgrade. If he focused too much on sensitive topics, he might be flagged. Li Fan, who had long been wary of the Tianxuan Mirror, naturally didn't want to cultivate within it.

Currently, cultivators of the Myriad Immortal Alliance were scouring mountains and seas, searching everywhere for entrances to small worlds. Digging deep, hidden chambers in the wilderness was also no longer safe.

"The hidden danger from Liu San's side has not yet been eliminated..."

For a time, vast as the world was, Li Fan couldn't even find a secure place for secluded cultivation.

"This is the consequence of the Tianxuan Mirror's growing power, just like the Xuan Net in his previous life."

After weighing his options, Li Fan chose to rent a courtyard in the Discourse Tower within Tianquan City. At the same time, he set up multiple layers of formations as protection. Only then did he feel a little at ease.

"Although I haven't engaged in any self-destructive behavior, and all my actions and plans still seem to be under my control, I subtly feel that progress is difficult in this world.""This is the pressure of the general trend. My cultivation is too low, so I must follow the flow. If I go against the current, even a slight misstep could lead to complete destruction.""Perhaps it's time to truly act.""However, before that, there are a few things I must do."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. A moment later, he lightly shook his head. Because the Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness had absorbed too much data, Li Fan felt a slight sluggishness in his thoughts.

"One step at a time," he thought. "First, I need to fully master the Wuji Yingxu Art."

Li Fan closed his eyes. In his mind, the blue crystal, as if overstuffed, struggled to emit a faint glow, slowly and meticulously analyzing and processing the divine ability data poured into it.

***

Tianliang City.

Xu Bai suddenly received a message from Liu San.

"Young Master, good news. Someone from Old Fang's newly recruited batch of disciples has successfully established their foundation!"

"What?" Xu Bai was instantly stunned. Regarding the Foundation Establishment Through Self-Mastery, with Venerable Yin now deceased, almost no other cultivator in the world could surpass him. How incredibly difficult it is to establish one's foundation this way. How could someone succeed in such a short time?

"Liu San, this is..."

For a moment, many thoughts flashed through Xu Bai's mind. He suddenly fell silent. After a while, Liu San's next words slowly resounded.

"However, it wasn't Foundation Establishment Through Self-Mastery. It was a young man named Xie Lin. Because he found this method of foundation establishment too difficult, he surprisingly, without a teacher, figured out a way to establish his foundation using other objects from heaven and earth."

"At first, I didn't pay much attention. In the blink of an eye, he successfully established his foundation using a Ten-Thousand-Year Crouching Dragon Grass from Longevity Valley."

"Haha, then this Xie Lin is indeed an extraordinary talent. Since he has successfully established his foundation, there's no need to force him. Just take him aside and ensure that the true Foundation Establishment method doesn't circulate among the disciples," Xu Bai instructed, his expression softening.

Liu San's laughter came from the other end: "Heh heh, I've already done that. Such a prodigiously talented individual would undoubtedly have been recruited by the Ten Immortal Sects in ancient times. There's no way he would have come to our Medicine King Sect. Truly, times have changed."

Xu Bai then instructed again, "You can use Xie Lin's successful foundation establishment as an inspiration for others. Perhaps it will stimulate even more geniuses."

"As expected, Young Master, your consideration is thorough."