Li Fan stood in the void, observing the Glass Island he had anchored for 9 years. At this moment, Glass Island was far from the bustling prosperity Li Fan had seen in his previous life.
The population was less than a third of what it would be in ten years, and naturally, there was none of the vibrant vitality of flourishing life. The edges of the island still faintly bore the marks of the wind calamity's ravages, and the faces of the mortals rarely showed smiles.
Glass Island had not yet recovered its vitality from the massive wind calamity of anchoring year 5.
"If the charging speed of [Return to Origin] could be further accelerated, perhaps there would be a chance to witness it firsthand," Li Fan mused silently. As a mortal, he had heard of the wind calamity's might, capable of shaving off two-thirds of Glass Island, and deeply felt the terrifying power of heaven and earth. However, later, Li Fan personally witnessed the scene of red flame boiling the sea and the transformation of the ocean into mountains over a decade. In comparison, the wind calamity seemed insignificant.
At this moment, Li Fan was waiting for He Zhenghao to return from Ten Thousand Immortals Island. According to He Zhenghao, cultivators with cultivation above the late Qi Refining stage would be autonomously attacked by the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation if they went without permission. Therefore, He Zhenghao went ahead to arrange the passage permit for Li Fan. However, he didn't keep Li Fan waiting for long. Soon, He Zhenghao returned.
"Fortunately, I did not fail my mission!" He handed Li Fan a jade spirit talisman engraved with the character "Ten Thousand." "Fellow Daoist, just leave a trace of your own aura on this passage spirit talisman." Li Fan took the spirit talisman and infused it with spiritual energy. A flash of light passed over the "Ten Thousand" character on the talisman, then disappeared to an unknown destination. Seeing this, He Zhenghao nodded: "That will do."
He then reminded, "Once you officially join our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, remember to return this passage spirit talisman. Do not lose it, or you will have to compensate with the equivalent value in contribution points." He Zhenghao seemed to recall something unpleasant, his face twitching: "Such a small spirit talisman actually costs a hundred contribution points, truly..."
Halfway through speaking, he noticed Li Fan watching him with interest and abruptly stopped. "Fellow Daoist, you jest!" He Zhenghao coughed lightly, his expression returning to normal. Leading Li Fan into the Island Protection Array, He Zhenghao activated the teleportation array. After a bout of dizziness, Li Fan finally arrived on Ten Thousand Immortals Island once more.
On the Transmission Law Square, the statue of an elder with a high crown and long beard stood silently, overlooking Ten Thousand Immortals Island. Cultivators hurriedly came and went through various teleportation arrays, heading to different parts of the Congyun Sea. At this moment, who among them could foresee that everything here would soon turn into void? Li Fan felt a sense of emotion.
He Zhenghao assumed he was merely awed by the grandeur of Ten Thousand Immortals Island and paid no mind. Just like in his previous life, he introduced various aspects to Li Fan. "This is the Transmission Law Square, built to commemorate the teachings of the Immortal Venerable..." Li Fan listened and nodded along.
Following the path, the two arrived at the location of the Profound Mirror. "Fellow Daoist, you were a rogue cultivator before, so you might not know. Members of our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals can recommend outside rogue cultivators to join. Based on the recommended member's realm and potential, they receive corresponding contribution point rewards."
Before entering the Profound Mirror, He Zhenghao seemed to remember something and turned to Li Fan: "So, fellow Daoist coming to me for help is very much to my liking." "I see. I was worried that it might be difficult for you, Daoist He. I was overthinking," Li Fan said with a look of realization, then solemnly added, "Regardless, I will not forget your help, fellow Daoist."
He Zhenghao smiled and nodded, satisfied with Li Fan's response. The two then entered the Profound Mirror. "This person is the late Qi Refining stage rogue cultivator I reported earlier, wishing to join our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals," He Zhenghao said, looking at Li Fan in the Profound Mirror space. Moments later, a voice echoed in the space.
"Introducing a late Qi Refining stage cultivator, recorded as top-grade Ding merit, equivalent to 300 contribution points. Current total contribution points: 1340 points." He Zhenghao was momentarily stunned, then a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He stared at Li Fan for a while, then asked, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, how old are you now?"
Li Fan thought for a moment before answering, "Twenty-nine, I suppose." He Zhenghao gasped, his face full of shock: "A twenty-nine-year-old late Qi Refining stage, and still a rogue cultivator..." Then he was overjoyed: "Fellow Daoist, your talent is truly rare in my life."
He immediately took out a mountain-shaped communication spirit talisman and handed it to Li Fan: "You are new here and will surely encounter many questions. Feel free to ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know." "If you encounter any trouble that you can't resolve, you can also seek my help. Although I am only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, I have a wide network and some influence in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
Li Fan nodded gratefully. After He Zhenghao gave a few more instructions and left with a face full of excitement, Li Fan finally returned to his normal expression. "This treatment is much better than in my previous life," Li Fan tossed He Zhenghao's communication spirit talisman. "In the Immortal Cultivation World, most cultivators are solitary. Someone like He Zhenghao is indeed rare. Moreover, it's just slightly better cultivation talent, yet he's overly enthusiastic."
Li Fan pondered for a while but couldn't figure it out. He vaguely felt it might be related to the cultivation method He Zhenghao practiced. Since he sensed no malice from He Zhenghao, he decided not to dwell on it. "Divine sense fluctuation recorded." "Independent space generated." "Cultivator Li Fan, welcome to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. As a benefit, you are gifted 100 contribution points. You can use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, magical treasures, etc."
The Profound Mirror began introducing relevant matters. Although very familiar, Li Fan listened carefully, comparing it with the situation in his previous life. Li Fan discovered that after advancing to the late Qi Refining stage, the contribution points needed to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode increased from 10 points a day to 30 points a day. "The higher the realm, the more resources required. This is only natural. It seems I need to acquire a large amount of contribution points first."
Slowly accumulating contribution points through tasks was too slow. Li Fan was not interested. In fact, he already had a plan for how to earn a large amount of contribution points in a short time. Spending 10 contribution points, he purchased a slightly larger storage ring and went out through the teleportation array. In a deserted place, he loaded the gold, silver, jewels, and the Fragmented Stele he had scavenged from the Taiyan Boat into it. Then he quickly returned to request an exchange.
"A batch of gold and silver: equivalent to 863 contribution points." "Heaven and earth treasure: Fragmented Stele. Quality: flawed. Equivalent to 1968 contribution points." Moments later, the Profound Mirror's prompt appeared.