After purging the miasma from his body, there was a significant change in Li Fan's attributes.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical Age: 42/120↑
Mental Age: 505/2053↑
Virtualization Charging Progress: 121%
Anchor Charging Progress: 51%
Current Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra, Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)
The upper limit of his physical age had surpassed one hundred and was still on the rise.
What surprised Li Fan even more was that the upper limit of his mental age had nearly doubled, reaching over two thousand years!
This effect couldn't be solely attributed to the Pure Body Spirit Pool. Could it be because of this inexplicable Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra?
Li Fan was puzzled as to why the Cleansing Heart Mantra had transformed into the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.
During his time in the Pure Body Spirit Pool, he had almost lost consciousness due to the unbearable pain, making it unclear what had transpired afterwards.
However, it wasn't the time to examine this in detail. Li Fan stabilized his mind and respectfully said to He Zhenghao, "I shall never forget the Immortal Master's kindness. I will surely repay it in the future."
He Zhenghao was waiting for these words from Li Fan, and his tone became even more amiable. "Young friend, there's no need for such words. Cultivation in the immortal path is arduous, and I'm only doing my best to help."
He took out a book and handed it to Li Fan. "After purging the miasma, the next step is to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and guide it into your body. If you can condense the first trace of spiritual energy within your body, it signifies the entry into the Qi Condensation stage. At that point, you can officially be called a cultivator. This book, Five Spiritual Sensing Techniques, summarizes the experiences of past practitioners in sensing spiritual energy. Study it carefully."
He then handed a square-shaped talisman to Li Fan with great solemnity. "This is a Purification Talisman. Before guiding the spiritual energy into your body, you should carry it with you."
Seeing Li Fan put away these two items, He Zhenghao explained, "Although you've purged the miasma from your body, it's not a one-time fix. You're still living in the secular world and need to interact with ordinary people every day. Over time, it's inevitable that you'll be contaminated by the miasma again. This Purification Talisman can help you resist miasma intrusion, but it can only be effective for about five years."
"But with your talent, breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage within five years shouldn't be difficult," He Zhenghao said with a smile.
"After breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage, you can come to the island to find me. By then, I'll take you to the residence of our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in the Cong Yun Sea, the Ten Thousand Immortals Island. After arriving on the island, you can choose the appropriate technique and continue your cultivation."
He Zhenghao informed Li Fan of the precautions during the process of guiding energy into the body in detail.
Li Fan memorized everything carefully.
After explaining everything, Li Fan politely bid farewell and left.
"Hopefully, I gain something from this investment."
Watching Li Fan's departing figure, He Zhenghao muttered to himself.
Afterwards, He Zhenghao inspected the mountain beneath his feet and shook his head. "The potential of this mountain has been exhausted. It's time to choose a new mountain."
Saying this, he flew to the sea of clouds above, and with a wave of his long sleeves, he collected all the rolling clouds into them.
Looking at the continuous mountain range below, He Zhenghao selected the peak that would have the highest growth in the next century.
The technique He Zhenghao cultivated was called Sitting on the Mountain.
The most significant feature of Sitting on the Mountain was enjoying harvest from the growth of a mountain.
By choosing a peak, sitting on it, operating the technique, and spending several years, one could merge their aura with the mountain. Afterward, for every increase in the height of the mountain, one's cultivation would be reciprocally enhanced accordingly.
On the contrary, if one were to choose poorly and the height of the mountain did not increase afterward, it would be tantamount to wasting more than a decade of cultivation.
Apart from benefiting from the increase in the mountain's height, one could also gain advantages from helping others.
For example, just like the help given to Li Fan. If Li Fan were to break through to the Foundation Building stage in the future, then he would also receive feedback, enhancing his own cultivation.
It wasn't absorbing and stealing the cultivation of the other party but more akin to a rising tide lifting all boats.
The increase in the mountain's height would cause the trees on the mountain to reach higher; the growth of a giant would also inadvertently elevate the people on their shoulders.
Of course, compared to mountains and rivers, the conditions for helping others were not so stringent. One didn't need to bind to a specific individual and could cast a wider net. However, correspondingly, the amount of effort initially invested determined the magnitude of future gains.
So, whenever He Zhenghao encountered promising juniors, he would never hesitate to help them.
...
After leaving the central array on Liuli Island, Li Fan did not disturb others and quietly returned to his home.
After purging the miasma, Li Fan did indeed feel a significant difference from before.
It was as if he had become ten years younger, with greatly improved vision and hearing.
Moreover, he could vaguely sense the ubiquitous pure energy flowing in the heavens and earth.
Is this spiritual energy?
Li Fan rejoiced in his heart.
After guiding the energy into his body, the next step was to become a Qi Condensation cultivator.
Li Fan couldn't wait to start cultivating day and night.
But before that, he needed to examine the inexplicable Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.
After searching his mind, there was no new way to operate it.
So, Li Fan began to practice according to the cultivation method of the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra.
As soon as he initiated it, Li Fan noticed the difference between the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra and the Cleansing Mantra.
Previously, while practicing the Heart Cleansing Mantra, it often took nearly half an hour to gradually calm down and rid the mind of all other distractions.
But once the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra was cultivated, in just a moment, Li Fan felt his heart becoming clear.
It was as if a huge millstone appeared in his mind, constantly absorbing and crushing distractions, turning them into nourishment to enhance his spiritual sense.
Practicing the Heart Cleansing Mantra for three years, aside from the slight manifestations on his status panel, Li Fan had not noticed any other benefits.
However, practicing the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra, Li Fan could clearly feel that his spirit was strengthening every moment.
Although the increase was very small, it was indeed growing!
Li Fan was inexplicably delighted, followed by numerous doubts.
Why did this "Cleansing Heart Mantra," a technique commonly used to remove miasma, turn into this extraordinary "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra" for himself in the cultivation world? Was this Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra considered a cultivation technique?
With his current understanding of the cultivation world, Li Fan couldn't find an answer.
But Li Fan had a faint feeling that there must be a great secret hidden within.
He secretly vowed to investigate it in the future when the opportunity arose.
...
Just a step away from entering the realm of cultivators and having unexpectedly obtained the miraculous technique "Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra," Li Fan couldn't help feeling a bit elated.
However, not long after, he received a letter.
The message in the letter shattered his sense of self-satisfaction.
Xiao Heng had successfully guided the energy into his body and had already gone to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island!