Chapter 771: Thousand-Mile First Step

"Perhaps by reaching the legendary state of having no desires, one could ignore Mr. Bai's contamination.

But then again, if one truly desired nothing at all, then there would be no need to demand a return to truth either.

Li Fan shook his head slightly, casting this unrealistic thought aside.

With a light tap of his index finger, he fixed the Disintegration Disc suspended in the air. Then, Li Fan took out eight white, shimmering crystals from his storage ring.

"In a moment of crisis, if I need to infuse the Disintegration Disc with an array formation to attract the attention of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, I certainly won't have much time to do it slowly. I need to prepare in advance."

Thinking this, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and began to inject information about the Great Array of Reversing Life and Death into each of these eight flashing crystals.

These crystals were similar to array crowns, known as array crystals. They could record and store array formations, but unlike array crowns which could be reused multiple times, array crystals were single-use.

Each array crystal was inscribed with a part of the array formation. Li Fan then manipulated them, causing them to hover around the Disintegration Disc.

"With just a thought, these array crystals would simultaneously burst open, infusing the array formation information into the Disintegration Disc."

Li Fan looked at the eight flickering white crystals and then set up another array formation to restrain them, preventing any accidents.

Next, was the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array.

After completing these repetitive actions, the Disintegration Disc, now enveloped by sixteen shimmering crystals, was no longer clearly visible.

Li Fan carefully stored it alone in a blank storage ring.

"It's still uncertain whether the Heavenly Profound Secondary Body truly remains connected to the Heavenly Profound Mirror. This is just a backup plan.

I still need to be fully prepared and give it my all."

Leaving the secret chamber, Li Fan first arrived at the Thousand Mile Hall in Tianquan City.

The place was deserted, with not even a bird at the door; the signboard was crooked, and Jiao Xiuyuan hadn't even come out to fix it.

"I heard the Thousand Mile Hall's business plummeted, and it's true," Li Fan thought to himself, stepping inside.

Due to the gradual popularization of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror, cultivators could now trade without hindrance, even across dozens of prefectures.

Transactions could occur anytime, anywhere, with almost no restrictions.

Furthermore, with the public dissemination of various information, the prices of all goods were almost transparent.

For a merchant like Jiao Xiuyuan, this was an overwhelming blow. Countless shops disappeared almost overnight.

Fortunately, Jiao Xiuyuan's business was solely for the purpose of cultivation. As long as he didn't lose money, it wasn't a big problem. Generating significant profit wasn't a life-or-death necessity for him.

However, it was clear that suddenly losing the means of his cultivation wasn't easy for Jiao Xiuyuan either.

"What should I do...?"

Jiao Xiuyuan lay listlessly behind the dust-covered wooden counter, muttering to himself.

He was so engrossed in thought that he didn't even notice someone had entered.

Li Fan gently tapped.

Jiao Xiuyuan instantly jolted, leaping up: "A customer?"

He stared at Li Fan with a hint of suspicion, disbelief still on his face.

Li Fan, on the other hand, slowly scrutinized Jiao Xiuyuan's puppet body, making the latter feel somewhat unnerved.

"You..." Jiao Xiuyuan said, a mix of surprise and uncertainty in his voice.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao, I wonder if your puppet body is for sale? The price is negotiable!" Li Fan said with a slight smile.

Jiao Xiuyuan's expression changed dramatically. He slammed the table, about to speak vehemently, but then suddenly stopped.

He stared intently at the item Li Fan had quietly taken out.

"This is..." Being well-informed, he recognized almost instantly the aura on it, similar to that of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

"A Heavenly Profound Secondary Body?" Jiao Xiuyuan was shocked.

The total number of Heavenly Profound Secondary Bodies in the entire Xuanhuang Realm definitely did not exceed fifty.

Each had unique uses, and they were essentially priceless and unobtainable in the market. No cultivator would ever take one out to sell.

Information on various Heavenly Profound Secondary Bodies flashed rapidly through Jiao Xiuyuan's mind, but none matched the item before him.

Jiao Xiuyuan's heart pounded with excitement. He waved his hand, closing the shop door, and then enthusiastically began to entertain Li Fan.

"No problem, no problem! It's just a puppet body, not an issue at all."

"I just wonder what this is, in your hand, Fellow Daoist..." Jiao Xiuyuan asked, lowering his voice.

Li Fan answered straightforwardly: "A Heavenly Profound Secondary Body, the Disc of Finality.

It can block the perception of the Heavenly Profound Mirror and the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror."

When he heard Li Fan's first sentence, Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up.

But after Li Fan spoke the second sentence, he suddenly shivered.

He instinctively glanced around and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Is this true?"

However, he soon revealed his true colors.

A flicker of greed appeared in his eyes, and Jiao Xiuyuan reached out to touch it.

To his surprise, Li Fan did not stop him from touching such a treasure at all.

Instead, he allowed Jiao Xiuyuan to take the Disc of Finality into his hands.

"Hmm?" Jiao Xiuyuan examined the white jade-like disc carefully, a hint of confusion in his expression.

He turned it over and over.

A moment later, his face revealed astonishment.

Clutching it tightly, he looked up at Li Fan, whose expression was unreadable.

"Fellow Daoist..."

Li Fan raised a hand, interrupting him: "Fellow Daoist Jiao, what do you believe the value of this item is?"

"Immeasurable! The stronger the Heavenly Profound Mirror becomes, the more urgent cultivators' need for this item will be, and its value will only increase!" Jiao Xiuyuan blurted out.

"What price are you looking to sell it for, Fellow Daoist?" Jiao Xiuyuan naturally didn't believe that the other party would bring out such a valuable treasure just for his puppet body. He quickly asked.

In that instant, he had already devised his future survival strategy.

That was to pursue a path of high-quality, monopolized goods.

"So, product information is public now?

If I'm the only one in the world who possesses this item, won't I still be able to set the price as I please?

Coupled with my shops spread across the world and unparalleled promotional capabilities...

If every high-quality item were sold by auction...

Although the business scale might be smaller, profits might not only remain unaffected but even increase further."

Jiao Xiuyuan's mind was filled with thoughts of the future.

However, a single sentence from Li Fan abruptly pulled him back to reality.

"Haven't I made it clear? Your puppet body, Fellow Daoist."

Li Fan's indifferent words left Jiao Xiuyuan somewhat bewildered.

Thus, doubts arose in his mind.

"Could it be that I misjudged it? Is this thing actually a fake?"

Jiao Xiuyuan quietly began to examine the Disc of Finality in his hand again.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao, you needn't worry. The effect of this item is absolutely fine.

Therefore, my request might be a bit unusual," Li Fan said, his voice faint.

Jiao Xiuyuan's expression fluctuated.

But as Li Fan continued to transmit his message telepathically, Jiao Xiuyuan's expression became one of increasing astonishment.

He then nodded continuously.

Inside the Thousand Mile Hall, the two conversed for a long time.

Afterward, Li Fan did not retrieve the Disc of Finality and quietly departed.

Nor did he take the puppet body with him.