Chapter 44: Finally Entering the Qi Refinement Stage

Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan with a mix of awe and joy in his eyes.

He had heard that Elder Li had already washed away his miasma and would soon become an Immortal Master revered by all.

Seeing him now, he was naturally both respectful and fearful.

"So it is you." Li Fan had a decent impression of this person, so he smiled immediately, "Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other for several years. How have you been lately?"

Zhang Haobo dared not be negligent and honestly reported, "Thanks to Elder Li's blessing, the fleet's profits these past few years have been quite good. Especially since the news that Elder Li can haul back a large amount of treasure every time you go out to sea, it has been attracting a large number of young people who want to join the fleet."

"Our compensation and status on the island have also risen accordingly. I don't know how many people envy us."

Halfway through speaking, Zhang Haobo paused, hesitating to continue.

"Speak freely." Li Fan signaled for him to continue.

"However… the brothers on the Cangyuan have been discussing leaving Liuli Island recently. I also have this vague idea."

"Oh?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised, "Where are you planning to go?"

"To be honest with Elder Li, we haven't decided yet." Zhang Haobo said with some trepidation.

Li Fan became interested: "Since life has been going well, why have you suddenly developed the idea of leaving?"

Zhang Haobo scratched his head: "I'm afraid Elder Li will laugh at me if I say it, it's just… I feel a vague sense of unease in my heart."

"Unease? Tell me about it in detail." Li Fan instructed.

Zhang Haobo was silent for a moment, appearing to be organizing his words.

After a while, he looked left and right, then whispered: "To be honest with Elder Li, our brothers have encountered various strange things while out at sea recently."

"For example?"

"During our last few trips out to sea, we would often catch over a thousand jin of fish with a single net, completely full. Nine out of ten nets are like this, and there are all kinds of fish."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is indeed a good thing, but I have been fishing at sea for over a decade, and I have never seen such a thing before." A trace of doubt and fear flashed in Zhang Haobo's eyes.

"It's as if all the fish at the bottom of the sea are fleeing, all gathered together."

"What else?" Li Fan pondered for a moment before asking further.

"We brothers have lived on this Liuli Island since we were young, and we are very familiar with the reefs around the island. But we recently discovered that there are more exposed reefs around the island." Zhang Haobo said seriously.

"You mean… the water level is dropping?" Li Fan understood instantly.

"There have been water level changes every year in the past, but this year's changes seem somewhat unusual. The brothers are all a bit worried." Zhang Haobo said.

"We already reported this to the Liuli Government a month ago, but they obviously didn't pay much attention to it, saying it was just a routine water level change." Zhang Haobo added.

"There is another matter that worries us even more. In the past three years, there hasn't been a single wind disaster. Not just in the waters around our Liuli Island, but the entire Congyun Sea is like this."

"We have communicated with fleets from various islands, and we are absolutely certain. Wind disasters have vanished from the Congyun Sea for these three years." Fearing Li Fan wouldn't believe him, Zhang Haobo quickly added.

Not knowing what this meant, Li Fan remained silent.

"Wind disasters have never stopped since the day I was born. Sometimes there were over a dozen a year, and at the very least, there were two or three. It has been like this for decades."

"But now, there hasn't been a single wind disaster for three whole years. Some people on the island are clapping and cheering, saying it's the protection of the Immortal Masters. But my brothers and I don't see it that way."

"This is too abnormal; something big must be about to happen." Zhang Haobo said firmly.

"Perhaps it just means the weather will be a bit hot in the future." Li Fan thought for a moment and offered comfort. "The island is protected by the Island Protection Array, and furthermore, Immortal Master He is here. Even if there is some situation, I believe it can be handled."

"What Elder Li says naturally makes sense. Many of the brothers on the ship think the same way. But I just feel a vague sense of unease and can't set my heart at ease no matter what." Zhang Haobo smiled bitterly.

"So I have decided to leave, to leave the Congyun Sea." Zhang Haobo's gaze gradually became firm.

Seeing this, Li Fan could only say: "Leaving your homeland is not an easy matter; you must consider it carefully."

Zhang Haobo nodded.

Li Fan said no more. After bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he wandered around the marketplace for another half day before returning home.

After thinking about it carefully, Zhang Haobo was not necessarily worrying groundlessly.

Various signs did indeed indicate that something unusual was likely to happen in the Congyun Sea.

Perhaps a massive wind disaster was secretly gathering strength;

Or perhaps a severe drought was vaguely taking shape.

But this was nothing major.

Zhang Haobo was, after all, just a Mortal. When a great disaster came, he would have no power to protect himself and would only be able to resign himself to fate.

It was normal for him to be worried and fearful.

But Li Fan had already stepped into the threshold of being an Immortal Cultivator. As long as he could achieve a Breakthrough to the Qi Refinement Stage, he would be able to go to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

There, Immortal Cultivators gathered, so naturally, he wouldn't need to worry about these disasters.

Taking a step back, if a disaster that even Immortal Cultivators couldn't handle truly occurred, worrying would be useless anyway.

Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was to continue cultivating the Five Spirits Qi Sensing Method with peace of mind.

Right, regarding the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, he could notify Yin Yuzhen to let her prepare early.

…

This episode quickly passed, and Li Fan continued to Cultivate with dedication.

Time passed.

Another year went by.

Half a year ago, Zhang Haobo ultimately chose to leave the Congyun Sea with some of the brothers from the Cangyuan. This matter caused a stir on the island, and people began to worry.

However, the last six months had been calm, with no sign of any great disaster, so people dismissed the matter as a joke again.

Yin Yuzhen finally accumulated enough strength and returned to Nightfall Island in high spirits. After some twists and turns, she managed to reclaim the position of Head Manager of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion headquarters.

Nightfall Island had just stabilized, and there were many miscellaneous matters to handle. To prevent petty people from causing trouble again, Yin Yuzhen would have to stay on Nightfall Island for the next few years and could not return. She only sent someone to report the good news to Li Fan.

He Zhenghao did not send anyone to visit anymore either. In He Zhenghao's view, Li Fan had taken nearly four years just to guide Qi into his body, which clearly meant his potential was exhausted, and he was no longer worth the effort of his attention.

Xiao Heng, on the other hand, would occasionally send people to deliver letters, asking about Li Fan's recent situation.

It was said that Xiao Heng was making rapid progress and was now at the Middle Stage of the Qi Refinement Stage.

…

The world was chaotic, but Li Fan watched coldly like a passerby.

He only cultivated patiently.

On this day, Li Fan's heart stirred.

Having accumulated enough Five Spirits fuel, the Root of Heaven and Earth was finally about to take shape!

A phantom image appeared in Li Fan's Dantian. A moment later, Li Fan felt a subtle yet incredibly close connection between himself and Heaven and Earth.

Like a waterwheel drawing water from a river to irrigate parched fields.

Wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flowed slowly along the Root of Heaven and Earth into Li Fan's Dantian, quickly spreading throughout his entire body.

In the seventh year since Li Fan entered the Cultivation World, he had finally entered the Qi Refinement Stage.