Li Fan's light laughter attracted Kou Hong's displeasure. Kou Hong flew over, stared at Li Fan with an unfriendly tone, and said, "Why are you laughing?"
Feng Shu's expression changed; this Foundation Establishment cultivator seemed not easy to deal with. It seemed like he was ready to take action with just a few words.
However, Li Fan remained fearless, sighed deeply, and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know. I pride myself on being well-versed, but I didn't anticipate that in the current cultivation world, there are still cultivators like you who are noble and not swayed by cultivation techniques."
"I feel ashamed, truly inferior!"
"May I know your name?"
Li Fan deliberately asked.
Kou Hong, upon hearing this, eased his expression slightly and proudly said, "I am Kou Hong."
Then, pointing to Dao Xuanzi on the side, he said, "This is my brother, Dao Xuanzi."
Dao Xuanzi didn't come over; instead, he watched Li Fan and Feng Shu from a distance, nodding slightly.
Li Fan composed himself and said, "Unexpectedly, it's Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi in person! I've long admired you."
Seeing Li Fan's reaction, Kou Hong felt somewhat puzzled. He then looked at Li Fan with suspicion and asked, "Have you heard of us brothers?"
Dao Xuanzi was also slightly stunned, carefully observing Li Fan. Unfortunately, the opponent had hidden his cultivation with a Concealing Form Talisman, making it impossible to see through him.
"Of course. Kou Hong possesses exquisite Dao techniques and is proficient in the art of refining. As for Dao Xuanzi, your swordsmanship is extraordinary, and the might of the Rust Sword Dao Xuan is unmatched. How could I not have heard of you?" Li Fan said earnestly.
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi blushed.
Dao Xuanzi quickly approached and said, "Fellow Daoist, keep your voice down. The two Soul Transformation cultivators are still battling above us. It's inappropriate to praise us like this."
Kou Hong's face immediately returned to normal, and he happily said, "I didn't expect our names to spread to Yuandao Prefecture. May I ask for your name?"
"I am Li Fan."
...
The two immediately engaged in conversation.
The more they talked, the more Kou Hong felt a connection with Li Fan. Their topics and temperaments were highly compatible as if they were natural brothers with endless shared topics.
Moreover, Li Fan's claim of being well-versed was not an empty boast. He effortlessly brought up various secret stories in the cultivation world, many of which were unheard of by Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.
In formations, alchemy, talisman crafting, and pill refining, Li Fan had a breadth of knowledge. Especially in the field of formations, his expertise surpassed expectations. Although Kou Hong was skilled in refining, he only had a superficial understanding of formations compared to Li Fan.
With just a few concise words, Li Fan provided enlightening answers, resolving many doubts Kou Hong had in self-studying formations. This made Kou Hong greatly impressed and opened his eyes.
Unlike the conversation with Dao Xuanzi, when speaking with Kou Hong, Li Fan occasionally praised him inadvertently. This made Kou Hong feel elevated and uncontrollably pleased.
So, he found Li Fan more pleasing to the eye, feeling as if they had met too late, creating a strong sense of camaraderie.
Dao Xuanzi stood on the side, listening to the two converse without intervening, occasionally nodding in agreement.
Feng Shu, witnessing this scene, felt strange. However, this strange feeling was fleeting, well concealed, and unnoticed by Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong.
In this way, the few of them chatted while watching the battle.
The Soul Transformation battle continued for two more days, and they chatted non-stop for another two days.
Two days later, the intense Soul Transformation battle above finally came to a temporary halt.
However, the outcome was still undecided.
Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi agreed to reconvene and battle again in one year.
Subsequently, they transformed into streams of light and successively flew away from the Tian Du Martial Arena.
As the grand battle concluded, the numerous onlookers among the cultivators gradually dispersed.
"I plan to return to the Yuandao Heavenly City. How about the two of you joining me?" Li Fan asked warmly at this moment.
Kou Hong also felt the conversation was unfinished and was about to agree when he saw a meaningful look from Dao Xuanzi. He couldn't help but express regret, saying, "We have some matters to attend to temporarily, so we won't be going back now."
"Next time we have a chance, let's have a good chat."
"No problem, I'll be sure to accompany you!" Li Fan readily agreed.
After exchanging Communication Talismans, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi watched Li Fan leave from a distance, sighing, "Unexpectedly, in this Yuandao Prefecture, we could encounter such a kindred spirit."
"If we had met a couple of hundred years earlier, the three of us would have surely become sworn brothers," Dao Xuanzi added.
"Unfortunately, there are only two Blue Feather Legacies in that place. Otherwise, we could have invited him along," Kou Hong said with a hint of regret.
...
"Is it the Blue Feather Legacy again? I thought they had found the 'Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra'..."
"But after thinking about it, it's still early for them to discover this technique."
Li Fan, watching the scenes transmitted through his Vision of Heaven and Earth, felt a bit regretful.
Getting closer to Kou Hong was a precautionary measure for Li Fan, preparing for the future.
Li Fan hadn't forgotten that in about twenty years, these two would likely find the technique he was currently cultivating. In such a short time, Li Fan would probably not advance to the later stages of Foundation Establishment. He and Kou Hong conversed so harmoniously, and he felt the urge to become sworn brothers on the spot.
Therefore, to prevent the tragic scenario of brothers fighting each other, Li Fan had to find an opportunity to kill them before that happened.
Returning along the way, Feng Shu looked at Li Fan, wanting to say something but hesitated. In the end, he didn't say anything. After arriving at Yuandao Heavenly City, the two bid farewell and went their separate ways.
Li Fan went straight to the Tianxuan Mirror.
This time, his visit to the Yuandao Heavenly City was to purchase some defensive formations.
With Li Fan's current mastery of formation techniques, he could deceive Kou Hong with words, but if he wanted to set up a large formation capable of resisting external enemies, he fell short.
Currently, Li Fan has 14,600 contribution points.
To ensure absolute safety during Foundation Establishment and considering the need to guard the cultivation cave, as well as protect Dao resonance artifacts in the future, Li Fan decided to invest heavily and buy a formation capable of withstanding attacks from Golden Core cultivators.
Browsing through the options in the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan soon found an item that caught his eye.
"Ten Thousand Immortals Formation Flags."
"A set of three hundred and sixty-five flags. They can form a miniature Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, covering an area of up to thirty miles. Even a Golden Core perfection cultivator can't break through."
"When all the flags are deployed, the covered area is considered under the protection of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Any unprovoked attacker will be hunted down by the Martial Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Note: not recommended for use outside the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Suggested to be purchased together with the Tianxuan Minor Mirror for a 10% discount."
"Tianxuan Minor Mirror."
"A mirror image of the Tianxuan Mirror, available in multiple versions."
"The most basic version only provides information and allows searching and purchasing of items, as well as releasing and accepting tasks."
"The upgraded version comes with the Tianxuan Mirror Space, usable for cultivation and enlightenment."
"The Supreme version adds a defensive function, reflecting all attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators."