Chapter 34

Li Fan secretly investigated and confirmed that Yin Yuzhen had not lied about the Lichen Pill.

Three days later, he met Yin Yuzhen again and agreed to her request.

Both parties agreed that before the Spirit Pool was opened, Li Fan would collect a certain amount of treasures for Tianbao Tower at regular intervals.

When the Spirit Pool was opened, Yin Yuzhen would hand over the Lichen Pill to Li Fan.

Of course, to show her sincerity, Yin Yuzhen also took out the deed to Tingyou Tower.

Since both parties had an agreement, Li Fan did not hesitate and put the deed in his pocket.

Thus, Li Fan moved again.

Tingyou Tower was located in the central area of Liuli Island, surrounded by bustling activity.

However, through its unique architectural structure and the embellishment of plants, it completely isolated the noisy environment.

Despite being in a bustling market, it felt as if one was living deep in the mountains.

This concept of finding tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle is why it was named Tingyou.

Tingyou Tower was several times larger than Li Fan's previous courtyard, and its internal rock formations, lakes, flowers, and trees all required maintenance.

Again refusing the maids sent by Tianbao Tower, Li Fan hired a few workers on the island himself, asking them to clean every three days.

Yin Yuzhen was also helpless about Li Fan's caution.

Fortunately, Li Fan did not shirk his responsibilities in their agreement.

During the year he lived in Tingyou Tower, Li Fan first completed three official sea expeditions for Liuli Island, each time bringing back several chests of treasure, which not only shocked the entire island but also successfully won Tianbao Tower a fleet quota.

After that, Li Fan would accompany Tianbao Tower's fleet on every sea expedition.

Over the year, Tianbao Tower made a fortune, almost equal to the total earnings of the previous five years.

He also established his authority in the hearts of the people at Tianbao Tower, who all respected and feared him.

In the eyes of the people at Tianbao Tower, this Elder Li not only had incredible abilities, leading everyone to find treasure on every sea expedition, but was also meticulous and decisive.

During one of Tianbao Tower's sea expeditions, a few crew members, envious of the treasures they had salvaged, had evil intentions and planned to kill and rob.

They did not expect Elder Li to have already noticed the abnormality and took the initiative to act, beheading them all before they could make a move.

The bodies were thrown into the sea, and their heads were strung together to intimidate others.

Privately, everyone said that those few crew members might have just been talking nonsense after drinking, and might not have had the courage to actually kill and rob.

But with even the slightest possibility, Elder Li did not hesitate to kill them all.

Moreover, the officials of Liuli Island and the shopkeepers did not blame him but instead praised his actions, saying he had reasonably and effectively protected Liuli Island's assets.

Even the island's residents, upon hearing about it, cursed the bandits for getting what they deserved and praised Elder Li for his actions.

After that, no one in Tianbao Tower's fleet dared to have any ulterior motives.

Everyone treated Li Fan with great caution, fearing that he might find an excuse to execute them.

...

Li Fan did not care about others' opinions of him.

To quickly gain full control of the fleet, some examples of punishment were necessary.

He did not have the energy to waste on such trivial matters.

Over the past year, he still devoted his spare time to diligently practicing the "Xuanhuang Qingxin Spell."

Not only because it could remove miasma, but because Li Fan had discovered something that delighted him.

The charging progress of "Return to Truth" had accelerated!

Before this, the charging progress of "Return to Truth" could only naturally increase over time.

It would reach 100% every twenty years, and after slowly reaching the 200% limit, it would no longer increase.

In the previous nine cycles, Li Fan had tried various methods to speed up the charging progress, but none of them succeeded.

Li Fan had been in the cultivation world for more than a year since leaving Daxuan.

According to the previous pattern, the charging progress should have been between 6% and 7%.

However, to his surprise, the charging progress had reached 15%.

The charging speed had nearly doubled!

Apart from the Qingxin Spell, Li Fan had not come into contact with anything else that could help.

The only explanation was that practicing the "Xuanhuang Qingxin Spell" could accelerate the charging progress of "Return to Truth."

Although he did not yet know the principle behind it, this did not stop Li Fan from practicing even more diligently.

With the "Return to Truth" panel showing every bit of progress, he would not lose motivation due to the long, repetitive practice.

In addition to the charging progress, Li Fan's maximum age limit had also increased significantly.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Biological Age: 42/95↑

Psychological Age: 505/1210↑

Huaixu Charging Progress: 115%

Dingchao Charging Progress: 51%

Current Anchor Points: 1

Bound Items: "Qianji Yuhuan Jin Zhang," Taiyan Boat, Zhibu Residual Stele (Damaged)

...

Time quietly passed as Li Fan immersed himself in his practice.

Soon, there was only one year left before the Spirit Pool was opened.

The list of required materials for the Spirit Pool was also announced on Liuli Island.

Li Fan was currently studying this list with the people of Tianbao Tower.

"Everything else on the list is fine, but what is this 'Star Sea Sand'?" Li Fan asked, frowning after reading it.

After working for Tianbao Tower for a year, Li Fan was not without gains.

At least he had a general understanding of the common minerals and rare materials circulating in the Congyun Sea.

Not only was Sun Zhang puzzled, but even Yin Yuzhen was silent.

"This time, all the required materials are common, except for this 'Star Sea Sand,' which I have never heard of. It seems that the key to securing the quota lies in this 'Star Sea Sand,'" Sun Zhang said.

"I have been in business for over a decade and have never heard of this thing," Yin Yuzhen said, tapping her fingers on the table. "It seems we need to inquire from the people of the Wanhua Merchant Guild."

"These people are like hungry ghosts, very greedy. We will probably have to spend a lot of money," Sun Zhang sighed.

"I am determined to secure the Spirit Pool quota," Li Fan said firmly.

The Wanhua Merchant Guild was not a local guild of the Congyun Sea but came from a continent far away, thousands of miles away.

The guild was said to have the support of Immortal Masters, allowing it to easily cross the vast sea to do business in the remote Congyun Sea.

Since Yin Yuzhen established a connection with the Wanhua Merchant Guild over a decade ago, both parties had been trading for years.

It was through the Wanhua Merchant Guild that Tianbao Tower could quickly digest and convert the large amount of treasure Li Fan salvaged into profits.

"We have one year to prepare. The Wanhua Merchant Guild's envoy should pass through the Congyun Sea in three months. I can contact him then," Yin Yuzhen said.

"We can't rely entirely on the Wanhua Merchant Guild. In the past year, Liuli Island has taken in many refugees from other islands. These refugees come from all over the Congyun Sea, and there might be someone who knows about the 'Star Sea Sand.' We can inquire from them. We also need to monitor other forces on the island who are looking for the 'Star Sea Sand.' Once they make any discoveries, we can act accordingly," Li Fan decided.