"Sorry. I'm indeed helpless in this matter. I have a premonition that a breakthrough is imminent, and I need to go out to seek opportunities within the next two years. I can't guard Liuli Island for an extended period," Li Fan replied.
The Cloud Water Heavenly Palace would open in a little over a year. Li Fan was determined not to miss the opportunity to enter early just for a small amount of contribution points obtained guarding duty.
He straightforwardly declined He Zhenghao's request.
"I see. I'll have to find someone else then. I wish you success in reaching Foundation Establishment soon!" He Zhenghao regretfully responded.
No more messages were exchanged through the Communication Talisman.
Li Fan didn't pay much attention and, instead, spent contribution points to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.
He began cultivating "Stalking Shadow Technique."
After all, it was an auxiliary technique, and cultivating "Stalking Shadow Technique" was much simpler compared to the other two techniques.
With the double boosts from the augmented cultivation and the Golden Liuli Pearl, in less than ten days, Li Fan had cultivated it to the later stage of the Qi Condensation.
At the moment, Li Fan was testing the effects of the "Stalking Shadow Technique."
With 100 contribution points, he simulated a hunt for a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Tianxuan Mirror.
The surrounding space transformed into continuous mountain ranges.
In the mountains, a figure was swiftly flying away into the distance.
That was the target set for the hunt.
As Li Fan watched the figure getting farther away, he activated the technique, and his figure suddenly darkened.
It was as if he was covered with a dark veil, making him hard to detect amidst the ubiquitous shadows.
As the target was about to disappear from sight, Li Fan accelerated abruptly, catching up in a burst of speed.
Compared to the simple wind-controlling flight he had learned before, Li Fan's speed had greatly increased.
There seemed to be a subtle connection with the locked target, boosting Li Fan's speed to a certain extent.
It was as if Li Fan had truly become the target's shadow, making it impossible for the target to shake him off.
He could continuously leap and navigate through the shadows on the ground.
In no time at all, Li Fan caught up with the figure ahead.
The surroundings blurred for a moment, and the illusion of mountains, rivers, and the cultivator vanished simultaneously.
Once again, it returned to a pitch-black space.
The hunt concluded, and Li Fan was quite satisfied with the "Stalking Shadow Technique."
Its effect of concealing one's aura was outstanding, especially when combined with the Concealing Form Talisman. It would make it even more difficult for others to detect him.
Although Sikong Yi seemed a bit mysterious, his cultivation should be in the late stage of Qi Condensation. Li Fan had made ample preparations and had a well-devised plan. The heist of the "Cloud Water Map" should not pose significant problems.
Now that everything was in place, he awaited the intelligence from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan's eyes were deep as he gazed into the distance.
...
Two months later, Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Island, Thousand Mile Hall.
Having received a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan activated the Concealing Form Talisman and hurried over.
Upon meeting Jiao Xiuyuan, he pretended to be angry, saying, "How is Thousand Mile Hall operating? Just a mere Qi Condensation cultivator and it took so long to gather intelligence. I thought you all had forgotten about it and I was preparing to find someone else!"
Jiao Xiuyuan looked a bit embarrassed, but he quickly grabbed Li Fan and activated the shop's formation to isolate prying eyes.
He then explained in a low voice, "Please lower your voice! There were reasons for the delay."
"Hmm?" Li Fan's expression changed slightly, waiting for further explanation.
"Hehe, to be honest, this task's difficulty was beyond my expectations. The fifty contribution points we agreed upon last time were really too little! You know, I had to seek help from a senior in the late stage of Foundation Establishment to complete this task..." Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan, making obvious implications.
"What, are you trying to renegotiate the price?" Li Fan squinted his eyes, staring at Jiao Xiuyuan with a displeased expression.
Jiao Xiuyuan scratched her head. "Could you add a few more points...?"
Li Fan turned to leave.
Jiao Xiuyuan panicked and almost jumped up. "Oh my goodness, my dear ancestor, my luck is really bad! Two consecutive money-losing deals."
"Alright, alright, I'll stick to what we agreed upon—fifty it is!" he gritted his teeth and said.
"Here, added the previous deposit, it sums up to exactly fifty contribution points," Li Fan said coldly, tossing four medium-grade spirit stones over.
"I'm not making much money off you," Jiao Xiuyuan said, receiving the spirit stones with a wry face, then handed a jade slip to Li Fan.
Li Fan took the jade slip and examined it with his divine sense, his expression changing.
He then put away the jade slip and left.
Watching Li Fan's departing figure, the obsequious expression on Jiao Xiuyuan's face vanished suddenly.
He caressed the spirit stones in his hand, emitting a sneer.
"One is mysterious, with an unknown background; the other is secretive, with unclear motives."
"I'd like to see what you two are up to."
...
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan carefully read the contents of the jade slip again and then destroyed it.
"Two people?"
Li Fan frowned slightly, feeling a bit troublesome.
According to the information gathered by Jiao Xiuyuan, Sikong Yi usually kept a low profile and rarely showed up.
She had a good friend named Baili Chen, also a male cultivator.
Baili Chen's strength was slightly weaker, at the mid Qi Condensation level.
Sikong Yi and Baili Chen seemed to have an extremely good relationship, always staying together whenever they went out, inseparable.
Moreover, the two of them seemed to have a certain kind of combined attack technique.
During battles, they cooperated seamlessly, their minds connected, resembling one person.
These two individuals usually stayed on Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Island and rarely ventured out except to complete tasks and accumulate contribution points.
However, during Jiao Xiuyuan's investigation, the two of them had mysteriously disappeared once.
After leaving Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Island, they disappeared, and it was unknown where they had gone.
"Who is this Baili Chen, and why do I have no impression of him?" Li Fan carefully recollected but couldn't find any information about Baili Chen in his memory.
"It seems this person might have perished in the ruins of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace."
"However, I didn't expect to have to deal with another cultivator. My current preparations seem insufficient."
"Fortunately, there's still plenty of time."
Thoughts surged in his mind, and Li Fan began to plan again.
...
One year later.
In the eleventh year in the central region of the Congyun Sea.
The thunderstorm that had been brewing in the sky for several months roared continuously.
The thick vortex cloud layer had turned black and was slowly rotating, continuously gathering power.
The clouds seemed like thick walls guarding the center of the vortex.
There, blue lights were constantly flickering.
With each flicker, some inexplicable changes seemed to occur in this central sea area.
This abnormality naturally attracted countless cultivators.
There were even rumors that an ancient sect's ruin was about to manifest in this location.
So, in these past few months, the gathering of cultivators has become more and more prominent.
Li Fan, naturally, was among them.
His gaze swept over the crowd and discreetly paused on Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.
Then, he spotted Jiao Xiuyuan in the crowd.
Jiao Xiuyuan was staring at the vortex cloud layer in the sky, looking quite excited.
"He probably thinks he's stumbled upon an opportunity and can gain some profits."
"Little does he know, he's just digging his own grave."
A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.