Chapter 52

"All the mortals on the island have disappeared. The cities where they once gathered are now covered with lush, towering trees, resembling a primeval forest."

"The branches of these trees are laden with fruits that bear human faces."

"As a gentle breeze blows, the faces on the fruits display a chilling smile."

As He Zhenghao narrated, Li Fan seemed to see countless faces smiling at him.

Recalling that he had just eaten one of these fruits, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

He Zhenghao continued.

"After the shock, the Golden Core Guardian regained his composure and went down to the city to investigate."

"Not a single mortal on the entire island survived; they all turned into laughing face fruits. However, the Golden Core Guardian couldn't figure out why this bizarre event occurred, so he reported it."

"The Myriad Immortal Alliance sent specialists to investigate, but no one knows what they concluded. Later, all the trees in the city were cut down, and the city returned to its original state. The laughing face fruits, as if nothing had happened, continued to live in the city as before."

"Generation after generation, they have thrived until now. The Myriad Immortal Alliance has also built a great array here, assigned a guardian, and harvests the fruits."

After listening, Li Fan couldn't help but say, "So, the Taian fruits are actually humans?"

He Zhenghao shook his head. "How can they be humans? They have no consciousness and act purely on instinct. If we must say, they are at most remnants of human will."

Li Fan pondered for a moment but didn't argue.

The matter was too mysterious, and he didn't know how to categorize these Taian fruits.

However, once their life-extending effects were discovered by cultivators, none of this mattered.

Not to mention these Taian fruits, even if they were real mortals, if eating them could extend one's lifespan, they would still be consumed.

Li Fan fell into deep thought.

He Zhenghao also seemed to be lost in thought and fell silent.

After a long while, they both came back to their senses.

Next, He Zhenghao explained to Li Fan some important matters to keep in mind while guarding the island.

Li Fan listened carefully and remembered everything.

"The great array covers the entire island, and each time it operates, it draws a tiny bit of essence from the mortals within."

"The amount drawn is minimal and has no significant impact on the mortals. However, when these essences accumulate, they become substantial."

"These essences, after transformation, can increase the concentration of spiritual energy within the array."

"Therefore, cultivating within this island-protecting great array is not as efficient as using the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, but it is still much faster than in the ordinary world."

Finally, He Zhenghao proudly shared a secret known only to those who had guarded the island.

After another round of instructions and telling Li Fan to contact him if he had any questions, He Zhenghao left leisurely.

Holding the guardian token, with the great array's enhancement, Li Fan's divine sense immediately covered the entire island.

The ordinary mortals on the island and the Taian fruits in the central core array were all living their busy lives.

After observing for a long time, Li Fan sighed.

"Stripping the marrow from the bones of the world to serve cultivation."

If he could, Li Fan would naturally want to do something. Unfortunately, he was still just a lowly Qi Condensation cultivator.

For now, the only thing he could do was to focus on cultivation.

Li Fan suppressed his various thoughts.

From then on, Li Fan settled down on Taian Island.

It had to be said that the position of island guardian was relatively easy.

The mortals on the island dared not disturb their immortal master without reason.

All Li Fan needed to do was to check the island-protecting great array periodically to ensure it was functioning normally and to harvest and store the mature Taian fruits.

The rest of the time, Li Fan could use freely.

Li Fan devoted himself entirely to arduous cultivation.

"100 Techniques for Using Spiritual Energy," "Introduction to Spells," "Secrets of Victory in Battle—Strike First," "Living Is Victory," "Speed Is Unbreakable"...

Starting with these basic cultivation knowledge, Li Fan gradually mastered some simple spells.

Such as the Breath Concealment Technique, the Feigned Death Technique, the Wind Control Technique, the Great Strength Technique, and so on.

During his studies, Li Fan couldn't help but marvel at the Myriad Immortal Alliance's strict protection of knowledge.

The knowledge purchased from the Heavenly Profound Mirror could be used for personal study.

But teaching it to others after learning was not allowed.

Unless one's strength surpassed that of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, one could break the restrictions embedded within.

Li Fan didn't know the exact level of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, a spiritual treasure.

But from a logical standpoint, it should be at least on par with a Soul Transformation cultivator.

The power of a Soul Transformation cultivator was far beyond what Li Fan could fathom.

So, despite his dissatisfaction, he could only temporarily accept the reality.

After finishing these books, Li Fan began to read about alchemy, artifact refinement, and array formations.

Compared to the previous spell sections, these contents were far more complex.

With so many threads, Li Fan didn't know where to start.

Just reading the basics of alchemy in "Introduction to Alchemy"—such as the age and effects of various herbs—took him over ten days.

Not to mention the subsequent sections on choosing and controlling the alchemical fire, refining the alchemy furnace, and practical alchemy, which Li Fan estimated would take at least a year or two to complete.

Knowing that these skills often required a master to guide one, Li Fan, after much deliberation, decided to temporarily give up.

So, he put aside his doubts and began cultivating the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Scripture."

This ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivation technique was extremely abstruse and vastly different from the "Small Derivation Water Technique" that Li Fan had previously cultivated, as if they belonged to entirely different systems.

Even with the aid of the Crystal Pearl to enhance his comprehension, Li Fan spent nearly half a year just to barely grasp the basics.

The hardships he endured made Li Fan consider cultivating the "Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Scripture" in the super auxiliary cultivation mode of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

But ultimately, he suppressed this thought.

In the end, Li Fan still couldn't fully trust the Myriad Immortal Alliance.

From their actions, it was clear that the Myriad Immortal Alliance was not a benevolent organization.

If he aroused the interest of the Heavenly Profound Realm, exposing the Yuan Ying cultivation technique wouldn't be a big issue, but revealing the existence of "True Return" would be catastrophic.

So, Li Fan chose to cultivate slowly on his own.

Thus, a year passed.

Li Fan returned to Myriad Immortal Island, received his reward of 800 contribution points for his temporary guardian duties, and then exchanged for the later Qi Condensation section of the "Small Derivation Water Technique."

After cultivating for five days in the auxiliary cultivation mode of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he reluctantly returned to Taian Island.

Five days of rapid cultivation made Li Fan feel that he was already close to the later Qi Condensation stage.