Chapter 38: Finally Entering the Spiritual Pool

Without explaining too much to Xiao Heng, after reassuring him, Li Fan hurried to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Yin Yuzhen was somewhat surprised by Li Fan's sudden arrival.

After hearing the reason for Li Fan's visit, Yin Yuzhen angrily explained the whole story.

It turned out that after several months of inquiries, the various forces on Liuli Island had finally figured out that the Starsea Quicksand was actually celestial iron.

But when they tried to collect the celestial iron, they discovered that all the Starsea Quicksand within the waters of Liuli Island had already been swept clean by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

And the chaotic scene in the Liuli Island market earlier was all secretly orchestrated by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has been treating everyone like fools!" In their anger and humiliation, they went to the Lord of Liuli Island to seek an explanation.

Yin Yuzhen naturally defended herself with righteous words, claiming her actions were legitimate business competition.

The Lord of Liuli Island also believed that although Yin Yuzhen's methods were a bit extreme, the competition for the Net Body Spiritual Pool slots was ultimately about each relying on their own abilities. As long as the materials needed by the Immortal Master were collected, even if the methods were slightly out of line, it was still acceptable.

So the Island Lord did not punish the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion but instead reprimanded those who had caused trouble.

How could these people be willing to accept that?

Thus, a few days later, rumors began circulating on the island that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was secretly engaging in the business of smuggling Mortals.

And the rumors grew more and more exaggerated, as if the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would be condemned by the Immortal Master and wiped out the next day.

"So, how serious is this matter? Will the Immortal Master really take offense?" After understanding the situation, Li Fan couldn't help but ask.

"This is what makes the matter so troublesome," Yin Yuzhen frowned. "As they say, if the punishment is unknown, the authority is unfathomable. There has never been an explicit rule prohibiting the smuggling of Mortals. But this matter is still somewhat taboo and cannot be done openly."

"Moreover, over a decade ago, an Immortal Master happened to witness the smuggling and, in his anger, slaughtered all the Mortals present."

"Since then, everyone has tacitly conducted this smuggling business in secret."

After hearing this, Li Fan also frowned. "So, this matter can be big or small. It all depends on the Immortal Master's mood?"

"Exactly. If the Immortal Master doesn't make a big deal of it, then it's nothing. But if he's in a bad mood, then…" Yin Yuzhen didn't finish her sentence, her face turning pale.

Li Fan fell silent.

He recalled the scene when he first met Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.

In the eyes of these Immortal Cultivators, Mortals were like ants, to be killed at will.

"Even risking death, they still engage in this smuggling business. The profits must be extremely high," Li Fan sighed.

"Of course. The cost of a single smuggling trip often requires nearly a decade of plundering from a Small World to satisfy. You can imagine how much profit there is," Yin Yuzhen nodded. "Because of this, some Immortal Cultivators can't resist secretly joining in to take a share."

"These Immortal Cultivators never admit to participating. When they contact us, they use immortal arts to conceal their appearances. And in the end, they take most of the profits." Saying this, Yin Yuzhen also felt helpless. "So, we at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion have to handle this ourselves."

Li Fan thought of the Immortal Master who had guided the people from the Li Realm when he first entered the Cultivation World, and nodded.

"So, what is the temperament of the Immortal Master stationed on Liuli Island? What is his attitude toward this matter?" Li Fan then asked.

"Immortal Master He of Liuli Island usually keeps to himself. I've only seen him a few times, so I really can't gauge his attitude. But judging by his past methods of handling Mortal affairs, he is not a soft-hearted person," Yin Yuzhen said solemnly.

After analyzing the situation in his mind, Li Fan finally sighed.

Li Fan knew that no matter how many schemes he had, in the face of an absolute power gap, everything was futile.

He had no solution for such a ticking time bomb of instability.

Li Fan's mind stirred, recalling the large amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma stored in a cabin of the Taiyan Boat.

"If I were in Great Xuan, with thousands of death warriors, there might be a chance to fight. But unfortunately…"

But soon, he suppressed this dangerous thought.

"Set a time to meet them. This matter shouldn't be blown out of proportion," Li Fan said.

"Mm, I think so too," Yin Yuzhen replied.

"They just want us to hand over some Starsea Quicksand. Since we had the advantage and collected enough, we might as well throw out a portion and let them fight over it like dogs. They will soon turn on each other," Li Fan snorted coldly. "There is no unbreakable Alliance in this world."

…

Three days later, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion met with the various forces on Liuli Island and proposed the following conditions:

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion agreed to hand over a portion of the Starsea Quicksand, but required equivalent value in materials in exchange.

At the same time, how the Starsea Quicksand was to be divided among the parties would be decided by themselves.

Finally, they must ensure that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion received one slot for the Net Body Spiritual Pool.

These conditions were not too harsh, so after some discussion, both sides quickly reached a settlement.

After all, there was no deep-seated hatred between the parties, only competition for the Net Body Spiritual Pool slots.

Thus, at the cost of several dozen pieces of celestial iron, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion successfully extricated itself from the chaotic vortex.

Almost on the same day, the rumors about smuggling on the island disappeared without a trace.

And the other forces, now fighting over the dozens of pieces of celestial iron, had no time to pay attention to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Time passed, and the day for the Net Body Spiritual Pool to open soon arrived.

After completing the inventory of materials submitted by the various parties, the slots for the Net Body Spiritual Pool were finally determined.

There were a total of thirteen slots for entering the pool this time, and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had one.

With the major matter finally settled, Li Fan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Once the Spiritual Pool opened, Li Fan would be able to cleanse his body of all miasma and officially embark on the path of Immortal Cultivation!

He had been waiting for this day for too long.

So, even with Li Fan's composure, he became somewhat excited.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Physiological Age: 42/99

Psychological Age: 505/1299↑

Virtualization Charge Progress: 121%

Anchor Charge Progress: 51%

Current Anchor Count: 1

Bound Items: Thousand Machines Jade Universe Golden Chapter, Taiyan Boat, zhibu remnant stele (Damaged)

Li Fan looked at the [Huan Zhen] panel. After two years of transformation, his physiological age had reached the limit of 99 years, with no signs of further increase.

As for the upper limit of his psychological age, due to his daily cultivation of the Mystic Yellow Heart Cleansing Mantra, it was still slowly increasing.

He wondered what changes would occur after being baptized by the Spiritual Pool?

Li Fan felt a sense of anticipation.

The day for the Spiritual Pool to open finally arrived. On this day, Li Fan took the Lichan Pill that Yin Yuzhen had given him and, under the guidance of a specialist, entered the formation at the center of Liuli Island.