TL Note: I had mistakenly published a draft for the previous chapter 68, and it has now been fixed with the final edited version.
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Before entering seclusion, Li Fan had set a minimum contribution point threshold of 100. If it dropped below this number, the auxiliary cultivation mode would forcibly terminate.
It felt like he had just woken up from a beautiful dream, abruptly disturbed. Li Fan felt a momentary annoyance, but he quickly suppressed that emotion.
"These contribution points are depleting too quickly."
The days when he had over three thousand contribution points seemed like they had just passed yesterday, yet in the blink of an eye, they were gone.
"The opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace is still about two years away. Before that, I need to figure out how to earn more contribution points and strengthen my power."
He once again browsed through the task page of the Tianxuan Mirror.
Li Fan chose to ignore the official tasks posted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Even in the late Qi Condensation stage, the official tasks he could undertake were still all low-yield and low-risk missions.
For instance, assisting alchemists, craftsmen, or talisman makers, or helping to maintain and inspect arrays scattered throughout the Cloud Sea.
Although these tasks were safe, they earned contribution points too slowly. If Li Fan had an interest in learning alchemy, craftsmanship, or talisman making, they might have been considered.
But for now, the most important thing was to obtain the "Cloud Water Map."
Unfortunately, Li Fan's luck seemed to be lacking this time. He couldn't find any suitable tasks even after searching for a long time.
After thinking for a moment, Li Fan took out the communication talisman given to him by He Zhenghao and sent him a message.
"May I ask, fellow Daoist He, if there are any fast ways to earn contribution points? I've been searching the Tianxuan Mirror for a long time, and most of the tasks only offer a few dozen points. I need thirty points of contribution every day just for my cultivation. At this rate, when will I be able to exchange for a Foundation Establishment cultivation method?"
Li Fan complained in his message.
After sending the message, he placed the communication talisman aside and continued his cultivation.
Even though he didn't have the assistance of the Tianxuan Mirror, his cultivation speed had improved somewhat.
After three days had passed, He Zhenghao finally replied.
"Hahaha, that's how it is in our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Newly joined cultivators often need several years of hard work to exchange for a cultivation method. It's the same for everyone."
"But..."
He Zhenghao's tone suddenly changed, and he continued, "Since fellow Daoist Li joined through my recommendation, I naturally want to help you."
"After all, I hope fellow Daoist Li can enter the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible!"
"However, this matter isn't convenient to discuss through a communication talisman. If fellow Daoist Li is willing, you can come to Liuli Island. We can talk face to face."
...
Originally, Li Fan had just asked casually, not expecting He Zhenghao to respond so readily.
"It's quite timely. However, there must be a reason behind this..." Li Fan thought, considering that He Zhenghao had always been generous to others in both his lives. He was indeed an anomaly among cultivators.
Without hesitation, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror and headed straight for Liuli Island.
Inside the protective array of Liuli Island, He Zhenghao sat in a pavilion on the mountaintop, sipping tea. He seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.
"It seems that fellow Daoist Li couldn't wait any longer," He Zhenghao said with a big smile.
He clapped his hands, and suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
Shortly after, Li Fan saw the surrounding mountains rise in unison.
However, he quickly realized what was happening.
The other mountains weren't rising; it was the mountain Li Fan was on that was descending.
The mountain rapidly sank and soon descended below the ground, entering a space filled with silver clouds and mist.
Li Fan looked up, and the continuous group of mountains within the protective array seemed like stars, floating above his head.
The mountains were dispersed, yet they seemed to form a whole according to some rule.
It appeared stationary but was in constant motion.
Seeing Li Fan's expression, He Zhenghao showed a hint of satisfaction. "How do you find my Mountain Star Formation, fellow Daoist?"
Li Fan hadn't seen the true face of the Liuli Island protective array even in his past life, so now that he witnessed it, he sincerely said, "The Mountain Star Formation is quite extraordinary. However, why does Liuli Island's protective array seem..."
He Zhenghao already knew what Li Fan wanted to ask and spoke even more proudly, "That's because I personally constructed Liuli Island's array, so naturally, it's different from arrays on other islands."
Li Fan was astonished, "I didn't expect you, fellow Daoist, to be proficient in formations."
But he was also somewhat puzzled, "Is it possible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you to build such a vast Mountain Star Formation?"
He Zhenghao coughed and said seriously, "Naturally, there were others assisting on the side. However, the arrangement of the formation was mainly done by me."
"I won't hide it from you; the Foundation Establishment treasure I possess is the Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams. Hence, I have a talent for formations that ordinary cultivators can't compare to. If we talk about formations without considering cultivation level, even a typical Nascent Soul stage formation master might not surpass me." He Zhenghao spoke confidently.
"I see..." Li Fan nodded and then asked, "I wonder what exactly you invited me for, fellow Daoist? Why is it so secretive and elaborate?"
He Zhenghao grinned and said, "It's not a big deal; I'm just being a bit cautious."
"Do you know that many years ago, mortals in the cultivation world were once collectively banished to various small worlds?"
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, "I've heard a bit about it."
He Zhenghao continued, "In these small worlds, there are many valuable things that can be exchanged for a lot of contribution points. But gathering them by yourself is quite time-consuming and laborious, and is not worth the effort."
"However, often those influential ordinary people in these small worlds scheme to return to the cultivation world. So..."
Li Fan already understood what He Zhenghao was planning, "So?"
"We can make it a condition for those ordinary people to help us collect resources. Coincidentally, I know of a small world called Dali, which is quite vast and has several precious treasures. There are even quite a lot of Starry Sea Quicksand."
"Starry Sea Quicksand is a common material for arranging formations, and often, a pound of it costs between two to three contribution points..."
He Zhenghao explained non-stop, but he noticed Li Fan's eyes looking at him becoming stranger and couldn't help feeling a bit awkward.
He then said, "Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking."
"As cultivators, how could we lower ourselves to do such things, right?"
"But fellow Daoist, you don't know that even if you don't do these things, others will."
"A small world, every dozen years, can yield over two thousand contribution points. If you have several worlds like this, doesn't it mean you can get over two thousand contribution points for free every year?"
"You see, after I explained it like this, you find it quite reasonable, don't you?"