Chapter 297 The Opportunity of Longevity Fruit

“If you can’t compete with innate talent, then you rely on either opportunity or effort.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve put in the effort, but I haven’t encountered any opportunities in this life yet.”

As the last wisp of golden light in the Soul Gathering Pearl vanished without a trace, Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

No surprises occurred.

After more than two months, while Li Fan couldn't say he made no progress at all, his success rate for identification only increased from five ten-thousandths to one one-thousandth.

He still couldn't discern the difference between a normal Divine Soul and a Soul Contract Divine Soul; his so-called identification was still just a blind guess based on intuition.

This, of course, could not meet the requirements for constructing the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array.

“It seems I can only try again next time.”

“The only thing I’m a little reluctant to part with is this High Grade Haunyu Manor, which allows for publicly funded Spirit Enlightenment state activation.”

Li Fan shook his head, seizing this last bit of time to Cultivate for free.

Ten-odd days later, the monthly assessment arrived again.

Most Cultivators had already exhausted all the Soul Gathering Pearls in their possession, so this assessment was also the final test to determine who would stay and who would leave.

Li Fan's performance was very stable.

In the Formation construction knowledge section, he still scored High Grade.

However, in the Soul Contract identification section, he remained at the lowest Rank.

“Only those with an identification success rate of fifty percent or higher will have the opportunity to continue their Advanced studies.”

“All those who fail to meet the standard will be expelled from Haunyu Manor starting today.”

“And reported to the relevant personnel.”

Ji Hongdao scanned the young Cultivators below him, speaking in a cold voice.

Upon seeing Li Fan, his eyes flickered slightly, but that was all.

It was impossible to break the rules for someone he didn't know.

As soon as these words were spoken, among the more than a thousand Cultivators, nearly a hundred turned pale, as if they had lost their parents.

However, thankfully, there were no undignified scenes of them crying and begging for another chance.

Only Li Fan remained calm and collected; those who didn't know might have thought he had passed the assessment.

Ji Hongdao waved his hand, and a layer of white light enveloped the eliminated Cultivators, including Li Fan.

A moment later, these more than a hundred individuals appeared in a spacious and empty courtyard.

“Don’t be disheartened if you’re eliminated. Return to where you came from. It’s still very meaningful to continue contributing your strength to the development of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!” The speaker was a chubby middle-aged Cultivator with a very prominent goatee on his chin.

The fat Cultivator revealed a kind smile, patting each of the eliminated young individuals.

As he patted them, he explained, “It’s not that the organization doesn’t trust you, but rather that the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array has a high level of confidentiality.”

The Cultivators he patted flashed with light and vanished without a trace.

A sudden alarm blared in Li Fan’s mind, thinking that this fat Cultivator was here to silence them.

The other party’s strength was unknown, but these young Cultivators with Golden Core Realm strength had no power to resist before him.

Li Fan was clearly not his opponent either.

Just as he was about to silently recite Huan Zhen, he heard the other party continue, “Relax, we’re just sealing the parts of your memories related to the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array.”

“Don’t look at me with such horror. I know what you’re thinking. But this is Tianyu City, a crucial stronghold of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Who knows how many eyes are watching this place? How could such a thing possibly…”

The fat Cultivator mumbled as he swiftly carried out his task.

Upon hearing this, Li Fan, like the other Cultivators, breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he didn't fully trust the fat Cultivator's words and remained vigilant, ready to use Huan Zhen at any moment.

“May I ask for Senior’s name?” When it was Li Fan's turn, he suddenly asked.

The fat Cultivator was stunned, his movements slowing by a beat.

“You're an interesting kid. I have a feeling we’ll meet again someday,” the fat Cultivator said, sizing up Li Fan. “My name is Huangfu Song.”

While he said this, his actions didn't pause again.

He slapped Li Fan.

As light erupted, Li Fan's vision blurred, and he appeared in another courtyard.

Ahead seemed to be the exit from this place.

“Sign this confidentiality agreement, hand over your Haunyu Manor token, and you can leave on your own. I suggest you don’t rush back. It’s a rare opportunity to visit our Tian Yu State; it would be a shame not to look around. I recommend the Lundao Tower in the east of the city. Cultivators from all directions choose to stay there, and it’s very lively. They also provide free spiritual tea.” At the entrance, a Cultivator as thin as a bamboo pole stood guard.

His face bore a smile uglier than a cry, and whenever a Cultivator approached.

He would pull out a golden contract and hand it to the other party.

Only after it was signed and the Haunyu Manor token was handed over would he allow them to leave.

“Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of the spectacle of the ‘Ice Abyss Fire Lotus’? I highly recommend you see it.”

The thin Cultivator sent off the young Cultivators who had completed the procedures and were dejected, while also introducing them to worthwhile places in Tian Yu State.

Soon, it was Li Fan’s turn again.

Li Fan, as usual, asked, “May I ask for Senior’s name?”

“Shangguan Shi.”

The other party simply replied, placing a golden, shimmering contract in front of Li Fan.

It seemed a bit more Advanced than the common 'Commercial Contract', but not as good as the Five Old Men Association's 'Soul Contract'.

He quickly scanned the contents of the contract.

It was a unilateral contract with harsh terms.

Anyone who leaked secrets would have their Divine Soul extinguished.

Anyway, Li Fan had no choice but to sign it. Without hesitation, he boldly wrote his name.

A golden light entered his body, and Shangguan Shi nodded.

“You may go!”

Cupping his hands, Li Fan stepped out of Haunyu Manor.

“This is a bit awkward now. I'm afraid Zhang Zhiliang wouldn't have expected me to be eliminated directly in the first round.”

“Counting the time, there should still be more than a year until the Crimson Flame Burning Sea.”

“I definitely can’t go back. I’ll stick to the original plan and travel around Tian Yu State for a while. After Fellow Daoist He’s closed training ends, I’ll go directly to him.”

“As for Zhang Zhiliang…”

“I don’t think he would give up the opportunity to achieve Harmony Dao Realm just for this small matter and come looking for trouble with me.”

Recalling the Lundao Tower that Shangguan Shi had just mentioned, Li Fan, having nowhere else to go for the time being, inquired about its location and headed straight for it.

Lundao Tower was not just one building.

Instead, it was a continuous complex of buildings.

It not only provided services like gatherings and dining but also had many small courtyards, like Haunyu Manor, for accommodation.

The main hall of the main building was extremely lively, filled with Cultivators.

Most of them had low cultivation, with Li Fan estimating the highest to be at the Nascent Soul Realm.

Presumably, those above the Soul Transformation Realm who gathered here would choose to arrange a separate courtyard.

He casually found an empty seat and sat down; a spiritual tea automatically appeared on the table.

He took a sip and immediately felt the Spiritual Qi churning within his body, feeling incredibly refreshed.

After drinking it all, he placed the cup on the table.

Spiritual tea emerged from the bottom of the cup, refilling it.

This time, Li Fan didn't drink it. Instead, he picked up a jade tablet engraved with the character “Dao” on the table.

After a Divine Sense scan, numerous dishes of various styles immediately appeared in his mind.

Almost all of them had some slight effects on improving Physique and refining the purity of Spiritual Qi within the body.

Of course, the prices were also extremely high.

Almost every dish cost several hundred contribution points.

“This Lundao Tower would definitely not be able to open in Congyun Sea.”

“Ordinary Cultivators simply can’t afford it.”

Li Fan casually ordered a few dishes to taste their effects.

While waiting, he perked up his ears and listened to the conversations of the surrounding Cultivators.

There wasn't much difference from the scene of people chatting and discussing in a Mortal inn.

All sorts of topics were discussed.

A certain Cultivator Advanced a minor Realm; someone reached their Lifespan limit but still couldn't Breakthrough, regrettably dying of old age.

The Five Old Men Association hadn't made any major moves in recent years, so they must be secretly plotting something.

…

Despite all this, Li Fan didn't feel bored listening.

After a while, light flashed, and the ordered dishes and utensils automatically appeared on the table one after another.

Li Fan tasted each one, feeling the changes within his body, and nodded in approval.

“This Lundao Tower truly lives up to its reputation.”

Just then, the already somewhat noisy main hall suddenly erupted into a slight commotion.

A few keywords drifted into his ears, and Li Fan was slightly startled, instinctively concentrating to listen.

“Fellow Daoist Lü, did you truly find a longevity fruit?”

“Shh, keep it low-key. This trip to the underground dark forest indeed yielded a small harvest. After tianxuan mirror appraisal, the Spirit Turtle Purple True Fruit can extend Lifespan by one hundred and fifty years.” Fellow Daoist Lü’s voice held a hint of pride.

“Hiss…”

“Spirit Turtle Purple True Fruit? I remember Immortal Venerable Jicheng’s list didn’t include this kind of spiritual fruit, did it? Doesn’t that mean…”

“Fellow Daoist Lü has truly encountered a great Opportunity this time!”

“Extending Lifespan by one hundred and fifty years, that’s an incredibly rare treasure. I just wonder where it will Rank in the reward征集. If it’s fortunate enough to be among the top three…”

“That would be the derivation law jade…”

Everyone’s breathing involuntarily quickened.

…

Li Fan listened to the conversation of the several individuals, his expression subtly changing.

He immediately disregarded cleaning up the remaining food and directly booked a separate courtyard in this Lundao Tower, moving in.

As expected, there was a tianxuan mirror in the courtyard.

After some searching, Li Fan immediately understood the whole story.

It turned out that ever since Immortal Venerable Jicheng resigned from his position as the overall commander of the Garrison Academy and focused on recuperating, although his injuries gradually improved, the lost Lifespan could not be recovered.

Like all Cultivators whose Lifespan was nearing its end, Immortal Venerable Jicheng began to seek various methods of extending his Lifespan.

However, Immortal Venerable Jicheng had held a high position for many years, and he had already tasted almost all kinds of Heaven And Earth Treasure for extending Lifespan, which had lost their effectiveness for him.

So he issued a bounty, for a period of three years, to search the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for rare treasures that could still extend his Lifespan.

Anyone whose contribution was proven effective would be given a generous reward.

The more Lifespan added, the more generous the reward.

And the special rewards for the top three made all Cultivators in the world excited.

An opportunity to use the derivation law jade.

It was well known that Cultivation Techniques were hard to come by in the world.

And wanting to customize a Cultivation Technique according to one's own situation was even more difficult.

Although Weavers could do this, it was costly, and the quality of Weavers varied, so the Cultivation Techniques they compiled were far from perfect.

It was merely a second-best option.

What the Cultivators dreamed of was being able to use the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s most precious treasure, the ‘derivation law jade,’ to deduce and create Cultivation Techniques for themselves.

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of Cultivators in the world, this was just an unattainable dream.

The derivation law jade was the foundation upon which the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was established. How precious it was!

Most people didn't even know what it looked like or where it was located.

Let alone using it.

Even ordinary Harmony Dao Realm powerhouses might not be qualified to use him.

It was only because Immortal Venerable Jicheng had controlled the Garrison Academy for nearly five hundred years, holding a high and influential position.

During this period, he experienced countless large and small wars and earned various merits.

Only then was he able to offer three opportunities to use the derivation law jade as a reward.

“The first place can deduce a Harmony Dao Realm Cultivation Technique. The second place, Soul Transformation. The third place, Nascent Soul.”

Li Fan checked the reward description and had to admit, he was tempted.

He happened to have a longevity fruit.

The rebirth longevity fruit could extend Lifespan by three hundred years.

And it just so happened not to be on the list of rare treasures Immortal Venerable Jicheng had already consumed.

For him, this longevity fruit was not very useful.

But to exchange it for Immortal Venerable Jicheng's reward…

Not to mention the superiority of customized Cultivation Techniques, just the opportunity to see the derivation law jade, the treasure that stabilized the Alliance, was already worth it in Li Fan's opinion.

“However, this Lifespan Transformation Fruit comes from the Fallen Immortal Realm. Generally speaking, only Golden Core Realm Cultivators can enter.”

“I am only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so handing it over now would be inappropriate.”

“Anyway, the Immortal Venerable’s bounty has only been out for less than a year. I can wait until I Breakthrough to Golden Core Realm before handing it over.”

“That way, I can openly explain its origin.”

“Hmm… dealing with a Combined Dao Immortal certainly carries some risks.”

“I need to think it over more carefully.”

Over the next few days, Li Fan explored Tianyu City.

He also visited the wondrous sight of the Ice Abyss Fire Lotus that Shangguan Shi had mentioned.

In the cold abyss, countless lotus flowers made of flames bloomed.

Although beautiful, Li Fan couldn't discern anything particularly special about it.

It was said that some Cultivators gained enlightenment here and directly Advanced a minor Realm; it seemed his Comprehension Ability was not yet sufficient.

On his way back from the cold abyss, Li Fan's communication spiritual talisman suddenly received a message from Ji Hongdao.

It instructed him to return to Haunyu Manor at once.