It's understandable. These mechanical golems, even when their power is reduced to the Qi Refining stage, have bodies strong enough to withstand attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators. How could mere Qi Refining cultivators harm them?
Despite a flurry of attacks from over thirty Qi Refining cultivators, the seventeen golems didn't feel a thing. They couldn't even break through their defenses!
On the flip side, with the golems' attacks limited to the Qi Refining stage, they weren't as terrifying either. After a round of fighting, although the third exploration team was badly beaten, most managed to survive.
At this point, everyone finally realized that the Sunlight True Immortal's cave mansion was not something these small-time Qi Refining cultivators could covet. The seventeen high-defense golems stood like gatekeepers, keeping all outsiders at bay.
Li Fan thought about it and realized that even if he went, the result would likely be the same—not much to gain. "I wonder how this cave mansion affair ended in my previous life?" Li Fan pondered.
After joining the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, he hadn't heard anything about the Sunlight Cave Mansion. Clearly, by then, it had already disappeared. "Perhaps in the end, a powerful figure intervened to settle the matter," Li Fan speculated.
Thus, the commotion caused by the Sunlight Cave Mansion gradually died down. For this treasure trove that was visible but unattainable, everyone decisively chose to forget about it. Of course, there were some clever folks who tried to secretly persuade others, hoping to gather a hundred or more Qi Refining cultivators to explore again.
They planned to use sheer numbers to hold off the seventeen golems, allowing others to enter the cave mansion and seek opportunities. But no one paid attention. Everyone was a Qi Refining cultivator—why risk our lives for your chance at fortune? No one wanted to be the sacrificial pawn.
As a result, fewer and fewer cultivators thought about the Sunlight Cave Mansion. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals also seemed to forget about it, never mentioning it again. The Congyun Sea Region suddenly became peaceful.
Li Fan also took this rare opportunity to calm down and focus on his cultivation. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed, reaching the 13th year of anchoring.
On this day, Li Fan was checking the results of his dedicated cultivation over the past six months. He was practicing the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal" and the "Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Technique" together, both reaching the late Qi Refining stage, sensing the presence of a bottleneck.
Once he broke through this bottleneck, he could use the wonders of heaven and earth to establish his Dao foundation and become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, progress with the "Cloud Water Dream Technique" slowed after reaching the third level, forcing him to temporarily stop practicing it.
The third level of the Dream Technique could somewhat affect Foundation Establishment cultivators, with the effect depending on the mental strength difference between Li Fan and the opponent. As for the "Shadow Following Technique" and "Underworld Phantom Technique," he hadn't had time to practice them due to the short period.
"It seems practicing too many techniques isn't a good thing. Perhaps I should consider merging and simplifying them..." Li Fan mused. "With my current understanding of techniques, I can't do it yet. But if I stay in an enlightened state for a long time and keep researching, there's a chance of success."
When Li Fan was in the early Qi Refining stage, his enlightenment and comprehension efficiency was thirty times normal. As his cultivation improved, the efficiency decreased. In the mid Qi Refining stage, with the dual boost of enlightenment and the Exquisite Glass Pearl, it was roughly twenty-seven times.
With enough contribution points, Li Fan could maintain this state indefinitely. Ten years would be equivalent to two hundred seventy years of continuous hard work in a normal state. Li Fan believed that while merging and simplifying techniques might be difficult, it was definitely worth trying. After all, he had plenty of opportunities to make mistakes.
His avatar, Lin Fan, was still in a state of epiphany, having consumed over six thousand contribution points. Li Fan wasn't distressed; instead, he was pleased. The longer the epiphany lasted, the stronger the divine abilities he would comprehend.
Li Fan hoped his avatar would spend all ten thousand contribution points. Suddenly, Li Fan felt a change. The formless killing intent that had been locked onto Zhang Haobo seemed to have diminished slightly.
"Zhang Haobo finally broke through to the Qi Refining stage?" Li Fan thought. "Good, faster than I expected. Perhaps he really can reach the Golden Core stage in just a few years."
In less than a year, Zhang Haobo transformed from an ordinary person to a Qi Refining cultivator. After his fate changed, his cultivation speed was much faster than in the previous life. The faster he cultivated and the stronger he became, the more chaos he could stir.
Although he might not directly participate in the battle against the red flame, Li Fan, who had a vague understanding of the "Life and Death Chain," knew not to underestimate the chain reaction a Golden Core cultivator could cause.
"This time, the red flame burning the sea is truly something to look forward to."
Three months later, while in seclusion, Li Fan received a message from Yu Wenxing. "Li Fan, do you know? Our Glass Island recently produced an extraordinary person!"
Li Fan's eyes lit up. "Oh? Please tell me more."
"Hehe, take a look." Yu Wenxing sent a video. In the footage, seventeen massive golems with dark red bodies swung their giant fists, clashing with blue water swords in front of them. And in the center of these seventeen golems was a single person—Zhang Haobo!
Around him floated seven blue swords, continuously rotating in a protective manner. He controlled seventeen water swords, fighting all the golems simultaneously. This kind of battle clearly took a toll on his mind.
Before long, three golems broke through the water sword blockade, closing in on Zhang Haobo. The seven protective blue swords split, with three rushing to meet the golems, while Zhang Haobo himself retreated swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he exited the cave mansion amidst the golems' angry and unwilling roars.
After a while, Yu Wenxing's proud voice came through. "What do you think?"
"These seventeen golems are from the Sunlight Cave Mansion? Fighting seventeen golems alone, even if just for a moment, is quite impressive. Who is this person?" Li Fan feigned ignorance.
"Hehe, his name is Zhang Haobo. Just over a year ago, he was an ordinary person. A few months ago, after breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, I introduced him to our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. After hearing about the Sunlight Cave Mansion, he went there alone. At first, I didn't know what he was doing. Later, I found out he was using the seventeen mechanical golems for training!"
"Initially, he could only last a few seconds. But over time, he managed to hold out longer and longer. The video I sent you is from over half a month ago. I wonder what the situation is like now."
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