He Zhenghao was puzzled, not understanding why Li Fan reacted this way. Fortunately, He Zhenghao didn't dwell on it and instead smiled warmly at Li Fan, saying, "No need to be nervous. I just wanted to ask if you have any interest in guarding an island?"
"Of course, not this Glass Island, but Taian Island to the west of Glass Island."
"The guardian of Taian Island is on good terms with me. He is currently facing a bottleneck in his cultivation and wishes to venture out to seek opportunities."
"However, due to his responsibilities, he cannot leave easily. So he asked me if I could recommend someone suitable."
"Coincidentally, I met you."
He Zhenghao explained.
"To guard an island, one must at least have the foundation establishment stage cultivation, right? I'm only at the early stage of qi refining. Can I really take on this guardian role?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
Among the islands of the Congyun Sea Region, any island with valuable resources would have an immortal cultivator stationed as a guardian. The duration of guarding an island could range from ten to a hundred years. Due to the requirement to stay on the island and the inability to leave easily, the compensation was quite generous.
Depending on the size and scale of the island, the annual contribution points could range from several hundred to over a thousand. Therefore, the position of island guardian was highly coveted and usually required connections to secure. The guardianship of wealthy islands was even more so, often reserved well before the previous guardian left.
"It's not an official guardian position. My friend is issuing a specific commission for you to temporarily take over the guardian role. Moreover, Taian Island isn't a large island. With the island protection array in place, a qi refining stage cultivator can manage for a while. You needn't worry."
"And as the introducer, I will naturally receive a portion of the reward as well." He Zhenghao enthusiastically explained to Li Fan.
"During the temporary guardianship, how long can I leave the island at most?" Li Fan asked further.
"The island protection array operates once every five days. If you need to leave, it's best to return within five days. It's advisable not to leave more than three times a year."
Thinking Li Fan was concerned about delaying his cultivation, He Zhenghao added, "After receiving the annual contribution points, you can go to the Profound Mirror to exchange for five days of auxiliary cultivation time. These five days can often be equivalent to half a year of regular hard cultivation."
Knowing it was a good opportunity, Li Fan agreed immediately.
"But I still need to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Island to complete my task first."
"Naturally. You go ahead, and in a few days, once Taian Island is ready, I'll come to the island to find you."
Afterward, Li Fan bid farewell to He Zhenghao and returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island. There was no need to go to the medicine hall; he only needed to submit the Glass Pearls through the Profound Mirror. After a while, the medicine hall received twenty-three Glass Pearls. Due to the varying quality of these Glass Pearls, Li Fan received a reward of 21 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 26.
"Too little, only enough for two days of cultivation." Li Fan shook his head.
Taking out gold, silver, and the Fragmented Stele from his storage ring, Li Fan requested to exchange them for contribution points. Moments later, the Profound Mirror provided the results.
"Batch of gold and silver: convertible to 235 contribution points."
"Heaven and Earth Treasure: Fragmented Stele. Quality: flawed. Convertible to 1968 contribution points."
Li Fan opened the exchange menu of the Profound Mirror to search for Heaven and Earth Treasures. He found that intact Heaven and Earth Treasures required at least 4000 points. The Profound Mirror's buyback price was directly halved. Too ruthless! Although flawed, the price shouldn't be cut in half.
Li Fan's face twitched, but after some thought, he chose to exchange it. The Profound Mirror does not provide anonymous trading functions, and to trade with other cultivators, one must reveal their true identity. As a newly advanced qi refining stage cultivator, suddenly possessing a foundation establishment treasure would undoubtedly attract attention and possibly unnecessary trouble.
By choosing to trade directly with the Profound Mirror, he didn't have to worry as much. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is vast, and there are countless cultivators with fortuitous encounters.
While a qi refining cultivator possessing a foundation establishment treasure might be rare in the Congyun Sea Region, it is not a big deal in the broader Immortal Cultivation World.
"Confirm exchange."
The gold, silver, and Fragmented Stele slowly disappeared, and Li Fan's contribution points increased to 2229. Suddenly wealthy, Li Fan did not immediately choose to splurge but first consulted the Profound Mirror about his concerns.
"Will there be any disasters in the Congyun Sea Region soon?"
Li Fan recounted all the unusual events Zhang Haobo had mentioned to the Profound Mirror. The Profound Mirror fell silent for a long time before responding.
"Please do not worry, cultivator. These are normal celestial changes. According to calculations, no major disasters will occur in the next ten years."
Since the Profound Mirror said so, Li Fan felt relieved. Then, he searched for information about the Glass Pill.
Glass Pill, an auxiliary elixir, is suitable for both qi refining and foundation establishment stages. After consumption, the mind becomes as clear as Glass, pure and transparent. It can provide an effect similar to "spiritual enlightenment," enhancing comprehension and cultivation speed. The effect can also be combined with the Profound Mirror's auxiliary cultivation.
Since most cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals are often out gathering contribution points, their cultivation time is precious. Therefore, the Glass Pill, which can improve cultivation efficiency, is even more valuable. The Glass Pill is highly sought after among qi refining and foundation establishment cultivators, with its price fluctuating between five and six contribution points per pill. Li Fan checked and found the current price to be 6 points per pill.
"Due to unknown reasons, the Glass Fish have almost disappeared, and the price of the Glass Pill is bound to rise." Li Fan pondered, then spent 2100 contribution points to purchase 350 Glass Pills from the Profound Mirror.
Afterward, he reported the near disappearance of the Glass Fish in the Glass Island waters to the Profound Mirror. The Profound Mirror remained silent, emitting only slight fluctuations. After a while, Li Fan received a reward of 1 contribution point. This confirmed the authenticity of the information. Indeed, providing information to the Profound Mirror can also earn contribution points. The higher the value of the information, the greater the reward.
Logically, the information Li Fan provided should be worth more than 1 contribution point. Perhaps the Profound Mirror found Li Fan's hoarding behavior somewhat unsavory, thus only giving him 1 point as a reward. Li Fan didn't mind. His objectives were already achieved with this operation.
First, it proved that the Profound Mirror did not know what happened after he left Ten Thousand Immortals Island, meaning he needn't worry about the Profound Mirror's surveillance once he left the island.
Second, it confirmed that the Profound Mirror indeed has its own will. This was evident from its action of giving only 1 contribution point to irk Li Fan.
Third, it was naturally to seize this opportunity to make a good profit.
The market reacted swiftly. The price of the Glass Pill suddenly surged in a short time, skyrocketing from 6 points per pill to 9 points per pill.
(End of Chapter)