"Buzz..."
The rumbling sound echoed incessantly in his ears, and the scene before his eyes kept spinning, making it hard to see clearly.
After a long while, Li Fan finally recovered from this disorientation.
"It's always like this the first time you use a teleportation array. You'll get used to it," He Zhenghao casually explained.
Li Fan nodded silently, observing the surroundings.
It seemed they were in a large plaza.
At the forefront of the plaza stood a gigantic statue.
It was of an elder with a long beard wearing a high crown.
Beneath the statue, the plaza was filled with tens of thousands of stone statues of various shapes and sizes.
Without exception, all the stone statues were gazing up at the long-bearded elder.
The teleportation array from which Li Fan emerged was situated in front of one of these statues.
"This is the Transmission Plaza. It was built to commemorate the time when the Immortal Sovereign imparted his teachings. Every stronghold of our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has such a plaza," He Zhenghao introduced.
Recalling the scene described in the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method, where the Immortal Sovereign manifested his divine form and taught the masses, Li Fan gazed at the elder's statue for a long time and nodded silently.
"Flying is not prohibited on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, but remember not to fly higher than the Immortal Sovereign's statue. Otherwise, you will surely be attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, and even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator would perish in an instant," He Zhenghao warned sternly.
Li Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately took note.
"Although flying is not prohibited on the island, I advise you not to fly around carelessly. Cultivators from the entire Congyun Sea Region gather here, including many powerful ones at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. If you fly above their heads and offend them, they might hold a grudge against you."
"If they follow you off Ten Thousand Immortals Island and kill you on a whim, you won't have anywhere to seek justice."
He Zhenghao led Li Fan, explaining in a low voice the matters to be cautious of on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Concerned about life and death, Li Fan remembered everything carefully.
After walking for a while, they passed through a corridor naturally formed by woven vines and arrived at a serene forest full of greenery.
In the clearing of the forest stood a large, ancient mirror.
From time to time, cultivators hurriedly passed through the mirror, their destinations unknown.
Some cultivators also emerged from the mirror and left directly.
"This mirror is our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Heavenly Profound Mirror."
"Legend has it that before the Immortal Sovereign imparted his teachings, this Heavenly Profound Mirror was just an ordinary mirror. Later, when the Immortal Sovereign taught, the mirror reflected the Immortal Sovereign's divine image and unexpectedly developed a trace of its own consciousness. It then began to cultivate like a cultivator, evolving from an ordinary object into the spiritual treasure it is today."
"Most matters concerning us cultivators in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals are handled by this Heavenly Profound Mirror. It's said to hold grudges, so be careful and watch your words," He Zhenghao quietly warned Li Fan.
Then, He Zhenghao pulled Li Fan into the mirror.
What met their eyes was a separate space, with no other cultivators in sight.
It felt as if they were in the void, surrounded by nothingness and darkness.
"This person is a newly initiated cultivator, here to join our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals on Ten Thousand Immortals Island," He Zhenghao said, pointing at Li Fan.
"Introducing a Qi Refining stage cultivator, recorded as medium-level Ding merit, equivalent to 50 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 920," a voice echoed in the space.
He Zhenghao's expression remained unchanged.
Li Fan seemed thoughtful.
He Zhenghao received the contribution points, showing a hint of joy.
"Since you've arrived here, I can rest assured. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the Heavenly Profound Mirror. Generally, it will inform you in detail. I still have island-guarding duties, so I won't accompany you further."
With that, He Zhenghao hurriedly left.
Li Fan was left alone in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
A flash of light appeared in the surrounding darkness, then extinguished.
"Spiritual consciousness wave recorded."
"Independent space generated."
"Please state your name, cultivator."
A somewhat peculiar voice sounded.
"Li Fan," Li Fan replied.
"Welcome, Cultivator Li Fan, to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. As a benefit, you will be gifted 20 contribution points. You can use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, magical treasures, and more."
"You can earn contribution points by submitting resources, completing tasks, trading with others, etc."
"Similarly, if you encounter problems you cannot solve, you can spend contribution points to post a bounty."
"Your current total contribution points: 20."
"As a newly joined cultivator of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, you can reside in the Heavenly Profound Mirror for free for thirty days. After thirty days, you will need to pay contribution points to continue residing."
"The residence fee is: 10 contribution points every thirty days."
"Of course, you can also choose to spend contribution points to purchase your own cave dwelling on Ten Thousand Immortals Island."
...
The Heavenly Profound Mirror tirelessly explained the living essentials within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals to Li Fan.
"If I can't make it in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, can I choose to leave and join the Five Elders Council?" Li Fan asked suddenly after listening for a long time.
As if its throat was being choked, the Heavenly Profound Mirror's words abruptly stopped.
After a moment of silence, the Heavenly Profound Mirror continued, "Once you join the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, you cannot join the Five Elders Council. The reverse is also true."
"If violated, both sides will jointly hunt you down."
Now it was Li Fan's turn to be silent.
"I don't think I agreed to join your Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals yet?"
"Once you enter the Heavenly Profound Mirror and your spiritual consciousness is recorded, it is considered a voluntary joining of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
"Can I leave the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, not join the Five Elders Council, and choose to be a rogue cultivator?" Li Fan asked again.
The Heavenly Profound Mirror fell silent once more.
After a while, it responded.
"You can. But if you choose to leave, all items obtained within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals will be forcibly reclaimed. Please make your choice carefully."
"Can gold and silver be exchanged for contribution points?"
"Yes, see the exchange list for specific exchange rules."
...
Li Fan asked the Heavenly Profound Mirror question after question, tirelessly.
After a long time, he finally stopped.
"I have no more questions for now."
"Alright, cultivator. If you have new questions, you can call me anytime. You can also check through your spiritual consciousness."
The space returned to silence.
With Li Fan's spiritual consciousness control, the space transformed from a pitch-black void into an ancient room.
The interior decoration was exactly the same as the one in the Grand Tutor's residence in the Great Xuan Kingdom.
Li Fan touched the decorations and items in the room, finding them almost indistinguishable from the real ones.
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror is truly an extraordinary treasure," Li Fan thought to himself.
Through the previous Q&A, he had gained a general understanding of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
He opened the cultivation method exchange menu with his spiritual consciousness and saw that even the simplest Qi Refining stage methods required a thousand contribution points.
He then opened the task list, filtering for tasks suitable for a Qi Refining stage cultivator. The rewards were all five or ten points.
"Truly, cultivating immortality is a tough path," a nameless emotion slowly arose in Li Fan's heart.
"You have a new image transmission message, please check it promptly," the voice of the Heavenly Profound Mirror suddenly sounded again.
(End of Chapter)