Chapter 97

"Who would have thought that such a cultivation technique exists, allowing one to sit and enjoy the fruits of the mountain."

"Unfortunately, he only mentioned it in passing and did not leave the technique behind."

"I wonder if Daoist He's remains can still be found..."

The *Sitting Mountain Technique* is truly perfect for Li Fan, allowing him to fully leverage the advantages of the *Revealing Truth* technique.

It was forgivable not knowing about the *Sitting Mountain Technique* before, but now that he understands its profound nature...

He is determined to cultivate this technique, and no one can stop him!

He Zhenghao is already dead and seems not to have passed on the technique.

But that's not a problem. Li Fan has the *Heaven Stealing and Sun Replacing Technique*, which allows him to use the method of refining a clone to strip He Zhenghao's memories.

Perhaps he can recreate the *Sitting Mountain Technique*.

If he is really unlucky and fails, Li Fan can continue planning in his next life.

Thinking of this, Li Fan became interested in the ancient cave where He Zhenghao met his end.

He Zhenghao and four other Foundation Establishment cultivators all perished, with only one Core Formation cultivator, Zheng Xiaoyun, surviving by a stroke of luck.

This shocking news caused quite a stir on Ten Thousand Immortal Island.

Rumors flew for a while.

After some investigation, Li Fan slowly learned the details of what happened.

The cave was located inside a submarine volcano.

Previously, due to the volcano's dormancy, the cave had not been discovered. It was only recently, when the volcano suddenly erupted, that passing cultivators noticed the hidden cave.

Thus, He Zhenghao and his companions set out to explore it.

One Core Formation and five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This lineup was not weak.

After all, according to the information they had, this was just the cave of an ancient Core Formation cultivator named Tianyang Zhenren.

Logically, exploring the cave of a Core Formation cultivator, He Zhenghao and his group should have been able to return with a full load, or at least retreat safely if they encountered danger.

However, after delving deep into the cave and triggering a restriction, they discovered that Tianyang Zhenren, while a Core Formation cultivator, practiced ancient mechanical arts that had long been lost.

Dozens of firestone mechanical puppets were instantly activated, surrounding the group.

Only the Core Formation cultivator, Zheng Xiaoyun, managed to escape with severe injuries.

The other five Foundation Establishment cultivators all died at the hands of the mechanical puppets.

Since three of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators who died were from the Congyun Sea, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance sent a Nascent Soul expert to investigate Zheng Xiaoyun, to see if there was any possibility of intentional murder.

The conclusion was that it was indeed an accident.

The deaths of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators did not discourage others from exploring the cave; instead, it heightened their enthusiasm.

Apart from the invaluable mechanical puppets in the cave, the inheritance of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators alone was enough to make many people envious.

It was said that a second exploration team was already being assembled.

This time, the leader was a Nascent Soul expert, Gouxuan Zhenjun.

He was fascinated by various secret techniques and was eager to see the re-emergence of the lost mechanical arts.

Thus, he decided to go and investigate personally.

"I wonder if this exploration will be successful? But since Nascent Soul and Core Formation experts are going, I won't join in the fun."

"There are so many treasures; they won't fight over Daoist He's remains, right?"

"Maybe I can post a bounty task?"

"1000 contribution points? That might be too much. 500 should be enough..."

Li Fan wasn't worried about the *Sitting Mountain Technique* being leaked.

In this world, cultivators do not carry cultivation technique jade slips with them.

After learning a technique, they usually destroy the jade slip and re-engrave it when needed.

The need usually arises when trading techniques.

Cultivation techniques are the most valuable resources in the cultivation world.

Techniques like the *Sitting Mountain Technique*, which are found accidentally in ancient caves, can be sold to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance or other organizations for a good price if one does not cultivate them.

Techniques like the *Small Derivation Water Technique*, which are exchanged from the Tianxuan Realm, can also be resold after changing cultivation paths, to recoup some losses.

After selling a technique, the memory of it is erased from the mind.

"There are roughly two types of cultivation techniques."

"One type is newly derived after the great calamity, with corresponding backups. Even if the cultivator practicing it dies unexpectedly, the technique will not be lost. It will be recovered and resold, like the two techniques in Qian Hong's tomb."

"The other type existed before the great calamity and is not widely known due to various reasons, known only to the cultivator practicing it. If the cultivator dies without leaving a backup, the technique is usually lost forever. The *Sitting Mountain Technique* and *Stabilizing Sea Divine Sword* fall into this category."

"Using the *Heaven Stealing and Sun Replacing Technique*, I can have a certain probability of recreating lost techniques from a cultivator's remains..."

"Or, is this the correct way to use the *Heaven Stealing and Sun Replacing Technique*?"

"Am I going to have to pick up my old skills again?"

Li Fan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

After a while, Li Fan shook his head.

"Let's first get Daoist He's remains. Before that, I need to complete some tasks to earn contribution points."

Refining a clone can only be done by the main body.

Since he had decided that the Lin Fan clone would have no connection to the main body, it was better for the main body to post the task.

500 contribution points might take other cultivators half a year to accumulate.

But for Li Fan, who knew many secrets of the Congyun Sea, it was just one task.

It had been three years since he last submitted the blue-blooded coral task, so completing one or two more tasks wouldn't attract too much attention.

Thus, Li Fan began browsing the task list.

Soon, he chose a bounty task worth 2000 contribution points.

He accepted the task and replied.

"In the southwestern part of the Congyun Sea, in the caves below Gonghai Island, you can find the sea beasts you are looking for."

"They are equivalent to late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators but travel in groups, making them difficult to deal with."

"Note that the cave has two levels. You need to explore carefully to find the entrance to the second level."

"The sea beasts are in the second level."

...

He still only provided information.

After half a day, the other party confirmed the information's authenticity.

They were quite generous, giving Li Fan 1000 contribution points.

With the contribution points in hand, Li Fan immediately posted a 500-point bounty task in the Tianxuan Mirror.

In the task, he said he had been close friends with He Zhenghao for nearly forty years.

Unable to bear seeing him exposed to the elements, he posted the bounty to have his remains brought back for proper burial.

He thought it would take some time for someone to accept the task.

Unexpectedly, it was accepted soon after.

The person was a member of the current exploration team, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The other party also sent a message, asking if Li Fan wanted to join them.

"With a Nascent Soul expert leading, we will definitely return safely."

The other party was very confident.