After comprehending the intricacies of the completed "Mountain Meditation Technique" for most of the day, Li Fan purchased a blank 'Technique Exchange Contract' from the Tianxuan Mirror.
It was essentially the same as the one Li Fan had signed when selling the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to the Tianxuan Mirror before.
However, since most cultivators had confidentiality requirements for the techniques they practiced, the buyer in this contract could remain anonymous.
This kind of agreement costs five hundred contribution points per piece. It was much cheaper than the usual one thousand contribution points for a standard 'Commercial Contract.'
The format was fixed, requiring only the seller's name, the technique's name, and the selling price to be filled in.
Li Fan changed his handwriting and wrote down He Zhenghao, "Mountain Meditation Technique," and fifty-five thousand contribution points.
Then he sent it to He Zhenghao using the Tianxuan Mirror.
"Fellow Daoist He, the matter has been settled. The other party is quite generous; the price is five thousand points higher than expected. Hurry up and sign the agreement."
After a moment, He Zhenghao's delighted voice came, "Thank you, fellow Daoist! I'll sign it right away!"
Not long after, a golden light tore through space and entered Li Fan's body.
From then on, He Zhenghao forgot about the contents of the "Mountain Meditation Technique."
Li Fan exchanged for fifty-five high-grade spirit stones and handed them to He Zhenghao.
The transaction was thus completed.
Li Fan activated the Tai Shang Primordial Scripture and dissolved his cultivation.
Then, he spent more than half a month familiarizing himself with and mastering the techniques within the "Mountain Meditation Technique."
After that, Li Fan conducted experiments.
[Truth] transformed into different Foundation Treasure successively within his dantian. With each transformation, Li Fan cultivated for a period of time.
This was to compare the affinity of different Heavenly Treasures with the "Mountain Meditation Technique."
The results left Li Fan somewhat disappointed; none of the Heavenly Treasures he currently mastered were suitable for the "Mountain Meditation Technique." The speed of cultivation was similar regardless of the Heavenly Treasure used.
Fortunately, the impact was not significant. Li Fan valued the "Mountain Meditation Technique" primarily for its investment function.
In this life, only He Zhenghao had benefited from Li Fan's favor so far.
Li Fan closed his eyes, stopped cultivation, and carefully sensed the changes in his internal cultivation.
After a while, Li Fan found the target.
A stream of cultivation arose seemingly out of nowhere. Although the quantity was extremely small and couldn't be discerned precisely, it flowed continuously like a clear stream.
Li Fan smiled faintly, "It seems fellow Daoist He is progressing well."
"In the twelfth life, when I practiced the 'Mountain Meditation Technique,' I invested in quantity. Although the progress was extremely fast, it attracted pursuit from powerful beings."
"This time, I need a different strategy. Instead, I must invest in quality."
"I should invest in the outstanding talents from my memories without restricting them. Just provide free guidance, let them cultivate freely, and allow them to seek their own opportunities."
"With the fortunes of these outstanding talents, I believe their cultivation speed will far exceed the previous time."
"Along with monitoring through the Formless Killing Intent, once they comprehend divine methods, I will be able to sense it at any time, observe, and assimilate for my own use."
Li Fan's thoughts turned as he silently contemplated.
Previously, Li Fan had already conducted experiments. Providing free guidance was equivalent to exchanging contribution points for cultivation, a guaranteed profit.
This time, contribution points were relatively abundant, enough to support Xiao Heng, Su Xiaomei, and others to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Li Fan thought that when they all reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, he should be able to break through to the Golden Core stage.
"I just need to think of a foolproof plan. After all, things offered for free may make people suspicious."
...
Just as Li Fan was contemplating how to maximize the effectiveness of 'Meditate and Wait for Success,' on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the mysterious disappearance of Zhou Qingang finally caught the attention of relevant personnel.
The Martial Hall dispatched a team of Golden Core cultivators, led by Elder Gongsun of the Heavenly Secrets Hall, to investigate the matter.
Initially, the revelation that Zhou Qingang had been bitten to death by ordinary fish caused a great shock.
How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator be bitten to death by ordinary fish?
It must be a conspiracy by the Five Elders Association!
A thorough investigation was about to arise. Upon hearing the news, He Zhenghao, anxious and uneasy, asked Li Fan to come to the Liuli Island to discuss countermeasures.
Li Fan comforted him, telling him not to worry, to behave normally, and to not show any abnormalities.
Afterward, he submitted the recording from the recording stone.
However, only the part where Zhou Qingang changed his appearance and looked for special stones on the unnamed island was retained.
The part where he later dove into the sea and conversed with the stone human face was completely deleted.
While submitting the footage, Li Fan also explained that he had accidentally witnessed Zhou Qingang changing his appearance and subsequently acting suspiciously.
Having kept a close eye on him, Li Fan secretly followed him and recorded the scenes.
As for what happened afterward, it remained unknown because Li Fan had lost track of him.
The authenticity of the footage was quickly confirmed.
Li Fan also faced an investigation from the Heavenly Secrets Hall.
They raised a series of questions about when the footage was recorded, why it was submitted only after Zhou Qingang went missing, and so on.
"The recording time was about twenty-three days ago. At that time, I didn't think much, and only felt that this person might have some secrets."
"Who knew that during my closed-door cultivation, he died. And it was such a ridiculous death, eaten by fish!"
"I knew something was off, so I immediately submitted this footage."
Under the effect of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, Li Fan appeared a bit nervous and confessed honestly.
The cultivator from the Heavenly Secrets Hall nodded slowly upon hearing this.
Afterward, the people in charge of the investigation exchanged some words and let Li Fan leave.
"Unless there's something important, don't leave the island easily. We may need your cooperation again in the future," the person reminded before leaving.
Li Fan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
However, the promised second investigation did not come.
Several days later, the investigation that had been widely discussed on Ten Thousand Immortals Island suddenly quieted down.
It seemed as if nothing had happened, and Zhou Qingang had never existed.
The mysterious and abnormal changes in the situation sparked various discussions among the people.
However, everyone knew that this matter was a bit strange, and discussions were kept private.
"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, what exactly is going on? Wasn't Zhou Qingang a spy? How did he suddenly die?"
"Why did the alliance suddenly stop investigating?"
He Zhenghao, who had breathed a sigh of relief from the crisis, was full of doubts.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan understood the whole story.
Smiling, he said, "In my opinion, it's probably because they found out that Zhou Qingang was a spy, so the investigation was abruptly terminated."
"Different branches of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are highly autonomous. If a spy infiltrated the Cong Yun Sea branch and even became the guardian of an island, it would be a tremendous scandal."
"To avoid punishment from headquarters and to protect the positions of many people, they naturally need to downplay the situation and sweep it under the rug."
"Anyway, Zhou Qingang is already dead. Whether he died accidentally or was murdered, it doesn't make much difference."
"The most important thing is that he's really dead. Once he's dead, it's as if this matter never happened."
"This way, everyone is happy."
"As for whether he stole and transmitted any confidential information..."
"It doesn't matter. Would the Five Elders Association still come after this small branch?"
When He Zhenghao first heard Li Fan's words, he found them unbelievable and absurd.
However, after deep thought, he felt that the reality might indeed be like that.
So, he remained silent for a long time.