Chapter 69: So It Was You

Before entering seclusion, Li Fan had set a minimum threshold of 100 Contribution Points.

Once it dropped below this number, the auxiliary cultivation mode would be forcibly interrupted.

Feeling as if he had been rudely awakened from a pleasant dream, Li Fan felt a wave of annoyance in his heart, though fortunately, this emotion was quickly suppressed.

"The consumption of Contribution Points is just too fast."

The days of holding a huge sum of over three thousand points seemed like only yesterday, yet in the blink of an eye, he was empty-handed again.

"There are still almost two years until the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace opens. Before that, I must find a way to obtain some Contribution Points and increase my strength."

He immediately began browsing the Tianxuan Mirror's task page again.

Li Fan chose to directly ignore the tasks officially posted by the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

By the Qi Refining Late Stage, the official tasks available were still all low-reward but risk-free jobs.

For example, acting as an assistant for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or talisman masters, or helping to repair and inspect Formations across the Sea of Clouds.

While safe, the Contribution Points came too slowly.

If Li Fan were interested in learning Alchemy or Artifact Refining, it wouldn't be impossible to consider.

But with the opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace imminent, the most important thing right now was to get his hands on the Cloud Water Diagram first.

Unfortunately, Li Fan's luck seemed poor this time.

After looking for a long time, he couldn't find any tasks that caught his eye.

Thinking for a moment, Li Fan took out the communication spirit talisman given to him by He Zhenghao and sent him a message.

"May I ask Fellow Daoist He, is there any way to quickly obtain Contribution Points? I have been looking at the Tianxuan Mirror for a long time, and most of the tasks only offer a few dozen points as a reward. My cultivation requires thirty Contribution Points a day. At this rate, when will I ever be able to afford a Foundation Establishment Cultivation Technique?"

Li Fan spoke in a complaining tone.

After the message was sent, Li Fan set the communication spirit talisman aside.

While waiting for He Zhenghao's reply, Li Fan began to Cultivate again.

Although the cultivation speed was much slower without the help of Enlightenment, he was still making slow progress.

Just like that, three days passed, and He Zhenghao finally sent a reply.

"Hahaha, that is how our Myriad Immortals Alliance is. New Cultivators often need to struggle for several years before they can exchange for a Cultivation Technique. Everyone is like this."

"However…"

He Zhenghao changed the subject and continued: "Since Fellow Daoist was introduced by me, I naturally want to help you."

"After all, I also hope that Fellow Daoist can enter the Foundation Establishment Stage soon!"

"However, it is not convenient to discuss this via communication spirit talisman. If Fellow Daoist is willing, you can come to Liuli Island. Let us discuss it in person."

…

Originally, Li Fan had only asked casually with the mindset of giving it a try; he hadn't expected He Zhenghao to give such a straightforward and definite answer.

"He really is a timely help. However, there must be a reason for everything…" Thinking of how generous He Zhenghao had been in both of these lifetimes—a rare breed among Cultivators—Li Fan was lost in thought.

Without hesitation, he exited the Tianxuan Mirror and headed straight for Liuli Island.

Inside the Liuli Island protective Formation, He Zhenghao was sitting in a pavilion on the mountaintop drinking tea, apparently having waited for a long time.

"It seems Fellow Daoist couldn't wait." He Zhenghao laughed when he saw Li Fan.

He clapped his hands, and the mountain beneath their feet suddenly began to shake.

Immediately after, Li Fan saw the strange sight of the surrounding mountains rising together.

However, Li Fan quickly realized what was happening.

It wasn't that the other mountains were rising, but that the mountain he was on was descending.

The mountain sank rapidly, soon dropping below sea level and arriving in a space filled with silver clouds and mist.

Li Fan looked up and saw that the rolling mountains within the protective Formation now seemed like stars, floating above his head.

The mountains were scattered, yet they seemed to form a whole according to some pattern.

They appeared motionless, yet they were constantly in motion.

Seeing Li Fan's expression, He Zhenghao looked slightly smug: "Fellow Daoist, what do you think of my Mountain and River Star Formation?"

Li Fan had not seen the true appearance of the Liuli Island protective Formation in his previous life, so upon seeing it now, he said sincerely: "Mountain and River Star Formation… truly extraordinary. However, why does this Liuli Island protective Formation seem…"

He Zhenghao already knew what Li Fan was going to ask, and became even more smug: "That is because this Liuli Island Formation was built by me personally, so naturally, it is different from other islands."

Li Fan was immediately surprised: "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist to be proficient in Formations?"

But he had some doubts: "This Mountain and River Star Formation is so massive; could you build it with your Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation?"

He Zhenghao coughed and said solemnly: "Naturally, there were others assisting on the side. However, the layout of the Formation was definitely dominated by me."

"To tell you the truth, my Foundation Establishment treasure is a Mountain and River Vein Array Diagram. Therefore, I have a talent for Formations that ordinary Cultivators cannot compare to. Just in terms of Formations, without considering cultivation level, even ordinary Nascent Soul Realm Formation Masters might not be better than me." He Zhenghao said confidently.

"So that's how it is…" Li Fan nodded, then asked: "I wonder what exactly Fellow Daoist is talking about? Why so mysterious and such a big effort?"

He Zhenghao smiled and said: "It's nothing major, just a bit taboo."

"Does Fellow Daoist know that many years ago, the Mortals of the Cultivation World were all exiled to various Small Worlds in the surrounding areas?"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes: "I have heard a little."

He Zhenghao continued: "Actually, in these Small Worlds, there are quite a few valuable things that can be exchanged for many Contribution Points. But relying on one person's strength to collect them is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the gains do not justify the losses."

"However, the powerful Mortals in these Small Worlds are often racking their brains to return to the Cultivation World. So…"

Li Fan already understood what He Zhenghao wanted to do: "So?"

"We can use this as a condition to let those Mortals help us collect resources. It just so happens that I know of one such Small World called Da Li, which is quite vast and produces several types of precious treasures. There is even quite a lot of Starsea Quicksand."

"Starsea Quicksand is a common Material for setting up Formations, and the price of one catty is often between two and three Contribution Points…"

He Zhenghao explained enthusiastically, but noticed that Li Fan's gaze toward him was becoming increasingly strange, which made him feel somewhat awkward.

He immediately said: "Don't look at me with that kind of gaze; I know what you are thinking."

"A dignified Immortal Cultivator, how could I lower myself to do such a thing, right?"

"But Fellow Daoist, you don't know that if you don't do this, others will."

"A Small World, looted once every ten years or so, can yield over two thousand Contribution Points. If there are a few more such worlds, wouldn't it be equivalent to getting over two thousand Contribution Points for free every year?"

"Look, after I analyzed it for you like this, don't you think it makes a lot of sense?"