The group of youths watched as Li Fan departed as if riding on clouds, and only then did they realize the truth in Immortal Master He's words, feeling a sense of shame.
"Those who enter the spirit pool first will receive more spirit liquid. Hurry along," Immortal Master He said, his expression softening as he addressed the youths.
The youths then rushed eagerly towards the sea of clouds.
...
Surrounded by the dense sea of clouds, Li Fan felt lost and disoriented.
The white clouds gathered around him, becoming increasingly dense.
In an instant, they coalesced into white spirit liquid, enveloping Li Fan.
Within the spirit liquid, Li Fan did not feel suffocated; instead, he felt an unparalleled warmth and comfort.
Like a fetus in the womb, Li Fan's mind gradually relaxed completely.
A gentle and warm aura flowed through every inch of his skin, entering his body through his pores.
His entire being, along with his soul, seemed to be soaking in hot water, making Li Fan almost moan in comfort.
But soon, the warmth turned into heat.
The heat became scalding.
The scalding transformed into a fiery blaze.
Caught off guard, Li Fan let out a wail.
In that instant, he lost control over his own body.
He felt a magma-like heat flow rampaging within him, tearing and drilling through every nerve.
The pain was unbearable for any human, and Li Fan instinctively wanted to invoke [Return to Origin], but he forced himself to endure.
"Three hundred years of relentless pursuit, all for this moment."
"No matter what, I will not give up."
"I want to cultivate immortality, I want eternal life!"
Li Fan's consciousness became fragmented amidst the excruciating pain, but a strong obsession supported him, preventing him from collapsing.
The heat circulated endlessly within him, seemingly without end.
With each cycle, the destruction and pain deepened.
Eventually, the pain reached an indescribable level.
The agony was like a knife, slicing Li Fan's soul into countless pieces, over and over, endlessly.
Even with Li Fan's strong will, he gradually lost his resistance against such intense pain.
Slowly, Li Fan's consciousness began to drift.
His awareness started to dissipate.
Even at this moment, the obsession in Li Fan's heart kept him from activating [Return to Origin].
His consciousness became nearly blank.
Cultivation, immortality, dispelling miasma, spirit pool, Glass Island, heavenly treasures, Return to Origin...
All these thoughts faded as Li Fan's consciousness sank into silence.
Instinct replaced self, and thus the Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra, which Li Fan had been diligently practicing since arriving at Glass Island, naturally began to operate.
As the Clear Heart Mantra ran its course, Li Fan's consciousness seemed to find its anchor, gradually regathering and strengthening.
Though still in a state of ignorance, it became like a rock by the sea, unwavering despite the crashing waves.
...
Three days passed in a flash.
Of the thirteen who entered the purification spirit pool, eleven had already emerged.
Among the eleven, only four successfully expelled the miasma from their bodies, while the remaining seven failed to withstand the pain and were unsuccessful.
Aside from the unfortunate one who perished, the one who had yet to appear was naturally Li Fan.
He Zhenghao, sensing the faint presence within the spirit pool array, grew increasingly astonished.
As the cultivator overseeing the spirit pool array, he knew well the excruciating pain of expelling the immortal miasma from a mortal's body.
The immortal miasma was deeply embedded in a mortal's bloodline, present since the formation of the fetus.
As the mortal grew, the miasma became inseparable from the flesh and blood.
This purification spirit pool array was created by one of the leaders of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, the Eastern Supreme.
It expelled the miasma by completely destroying the body and then using regenerative power to reconstruct it.
This process repeated until all the miasma was expelled.
The older one was, the more inseparable the miasma was from the flesh, requiring more cycles of destruction and reconstruction to completely remove the immortal miasma.
The pain experienced in this process was unimaginable!
He Zhenghao had overseen the array on Glass Island for over fifty years and had seen the oldest person to successfully complete purification at thirty-one years old.
For someone of Li Fan's age, He Zhenghao believed there was no hope of success.
But now, Li Fan's performance was beyond his expectations.
"This person's willpower is truly terrifying. If he succeeds in purification, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage will be no challenge, and perhaps even the Golden Core stage..." He Zhenghao's eyes flickered. "Perhaps I should establish a good relationship early on."
With that thought, He Zhenghao sent the others out of the array, waiting alone for Li Fan.
Another three days passed, and He Zhenghao was left speechless with shock as Li Fan still had not emerged.
If he hadn't been able to sense Li Fan's stable life force within the array, He Zhenghao would have rushed in.
But there was nothing he could do; the purification array could not be interrupted at will, so he could only continue to wait.
...
Another three days passed.
He Zhenghao's expression turned grim as he wondered what kind of monster could endure in the purification spirit pool array for so long.
Worse yet, the materials sustaining the array were running low.
If the materials ran out, the array would be forcibly halted, potentially resulting in failure.
By normal standards, if the array stopped now, it would be considered Li Fan's misfortune, unrelated to He Zhenghao.
But thinking of Li Fan's terrifying determination, He Zhenghao's expression shifted.
"Forget it, I'll gamble on this young man's future achievements!"
With that, He Zhenghao formed a seal with his hands, and several items flew from his storage ring, disappearing into the depths of the sea of clouds.
"Luckily, I always kept a portion of the materials for myself..." He Zhenghao muttered, feeling the pain of seeing his storage ring half empty.
...
Two more days passed, and the turbulent sea of clouds finally began to calm.
The white clouds joyfully gathered, carrying Li Fan back to the mountaintop.
Sensing that Li Fan's body was free of miasma, He Zhenghao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, young friend! The shackles are gone, and immortality is within reach!" He Zhenghao said warmly.
Feeling unprecedentedly well, Li Fan was still adjusting to his new body.
Seeing Immortal Master He's sudden change in attitude, Li Fan felt puzzled.
Although he had expelled the immortal miasma, he had not yet formally begun cultivation and was still a mere mortal.
Why was He Zhenghao being so courteous?
Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a questioning gaze.
Understanding Li Fan's confusion, He Zhenghao explained how Li Fan had stayed in the purification spirit pool for a full eleven days.
"What? I was in there for so long?"
Li Fan was genuinely surprised.
"Yes, young friend, you have no idea. The array materials were nearly exhausted. I had to invest heavily to replenish them for you..." He Zhenghao said, seeking credit.
Li Fan was deeply moved, not by He Zhenghao's "selfless contribution," but because he discovered a new technique on his [Return to Origin] panel.
It was not the Xuanhuang Clear Heart Mantra he had been practicing.
It was the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra.
(End of Chapter)