tì lèi héng liú ， yuán gǔn gǔn de shēn qū jiān nán kòu dǎo zài dì shàng 。
涕泪横流，圆滚滚的身躯艰难叩倒在地上。
Tears streaming down his face, the round body struggled to fall to the ground.
tā kěn qiú xiān shī jiù tā yī mìng 。
他恳求仙师救他一命。
He begged for the Immortal Master to save him.
lǐ fán zhè shí fāng cái xiǎn chū shēn xíng 。
李凡这时方才显出身形。
Li Fan finally revealed himself then.
“ kàn lái wài rén chā shǒu ， guī zé jiù shī xiào le 。 zhǐ yǒu wán quán kào tā běn rén zì jǐ yíng dé bǐ shì cái yǒu xiào 。”
“看来外人插手，规则就失效了。只有完全靠他本人自己赢得比试才有效。”
"Looks like an outsider interfered. The rules only apply if he wins the competition by himself."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng rú cǐ xiǎng dào 。
李凡心中如此想道。
Without wasting any time on idle chatter, Li Fan's eyes locked onto his opponent as aintangible force descended upon them.
yě bù gēn zhè yuán qiú fèi huà ， shuāng mù níng shì duì fāng ， yī gǔ wú xíng lì liàng huò rán jiàng lín 。
也不跟这圆球废话，双目凝视对方，一股无形力量霍然降临。
While crushing every one of the over ten thousand sorrowful thoughts in the other’s mind into mere consciousness nutrients,
bǎ duì fāng nǎo hǎi zhōng nà shí duō wàn bù duàn āi háo de yì niàn jìn shù jiǎo dé fěn suì 、 huà zuò yì shí yǎng liào de tóng shí 。
把对方脑海中那十多万不断哀嚎的意念尽数绞得粉碎、化作意识养料的同时。
he also performed liposuction.
yòu wèi duì fāng zuò le yī cháng chōu zhī shǒu shù 。
又为对方做了一场抽脂手术。
After half an hour or so, the survivor, now back to normal and with an awareness nearly on par with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, slowly came to his senses.
xiǎo bàn tiān zhī hòu ， chóng xīn huī fù zhèng cháng tǐ xíng 、 yì shí yě qiáng dà dào jī hū néng gēn xún cháng yuán yīng qī xiāng tí bìng lùn de zhè wèi xìng cún zhě ， yōu yōu zhuǎn xǐng 。
小半天之后，重新恢复正常体型、意识也强大到几乎能跟寻常元婴期相提并论的这位幸存者，悠悠转醒。
"Jiang Nian'er, your people of Fan Yong Island have taken possession of the Heavenly Vouchsafe Land but do nothing to progress. You neglect the grace of heaven. Therefore, heaven has sent down punishment upon you."
“ jiāng niàn ér ， nǐ men fán yōng dǎo jū mín zhàn jù tiān juàn zhī dì 、 què zhěng rì bù sī jìn qǔ ， wǎng gù tiān ēn 。 gù ér shàng tiān jiàng xià tiān fá ， shǐ nǐ men yǒu cǐ jié nàn 。”
“江念儿，你们樊庸岛居民占据天眷之地、却整日不思进取，枉顾天恩。故而上天降下天罚，使你们有此劫难。”
"I pity you and see that you are truly pitiable, so I will save you," Li Fan's voice boomed like thunder as his divine sense directly entered the other’s mind.
“ wǒ niàn shàng tiān yǒu hào shēng zhī dé ， yòu jiàn nǐ zhe shí kě lián 、 suǒ yǐ chū shǒu xiàng jiù 。”
“我念上天有好生之德，又见你着实可怜、所以出手相救。”
He embedded his words into the other’s consciousness like a印记 (mark).
lǐ fán shēng ruò léi tíng ， shén shí gèng shì zhí jiē qīng rù duì fāng nǎo hǎi 。
李凡声若雷霆，神识更是直接倾入对方脑海。
"Thank the Immortal Master for your kindness... Thank the Immortal Master..."
jiāng zì jǐ suǒ shuō de huà rú lào yìn bān shēn shēn kè rù 。
将自己所说的话如烙印般深深刻入。
Jiang Nian'er wept uncontrollably and repeatedly bowed to the ground.
“ duō xiè xiān shī ēn dé ， duō xiè xiān shī ēn dé ……”
“多谢仙师恩德，多谢仙师恩德……”
"I vow to follow you, my Immortal Master, as a humble servant. I will repay this second chance..."
bù yī huì ， huī fù le zhèng cháng de jiāng niàn ér tòng kū liú tì ， bù duàn zài dì shàng kòu shǒu 。
不一会，恢复了正常的江念儿痛哭流涕，不断在地上叩首。
Even though it was the combined consciousness of over ten thousand ordinary people, Jiang Nian'er, easily brainwashed by Li Fan, spoke with genuine sincerity.
“ wéi yuàn cóng cǐ gēn zài xiān shī zuǒ yòu ， zuò niú zuò mǎ 。 yǐ bào zài zào zhī ēn ……”
“唯愿从此跟在仙师左右，做牛做马。以报再造之恩……”
Li Fan did not respond but said sternly, "This is your trial."
jí biàn shì shí duō wàn fán rén de yì shí jí hé ， yě qīng sōng bèi lǐ fán xǐ nǎo de jiāng niàn ér ， zhēn xīn chéng yì de shuō dào 。
即便是十多万凡人的意识集合，也轻松被李凡洗脑的江念儿，真心诚意的说道。
"If you want to be my disciple..."
lǐ fán méi yǒu yìng dá ， zhǐ shì yán sù dào ：“ cǐ wèi jié nàn ， yì shì tiān dà de jī yuán 。”
李凡没有应答，只是严肃道：“此为劫难，亦是天大的机缘。”
"You are not yet qualified. For now, follow me and serve as a Daoist boy. If I am satisfied with your performance..."
“ nǐ xiǎng dāng wǒ de tú dì ……”
“你想当我的徒弟……”
Li Fan said casually.
“ hái bù gòu zī gé 。 qiě xiān gēn suí zài wǒ shēn biān ， zuò gè dào tóng ba 。 kàn nǐ jīn hòu biǎo xiàn ， ruò shì ràng wǒ mǎn yì ……”
“还不够资格。且先跟随在我身边，做个道童吧。看你今后表现，若是让我满意……”
Jiang Nian'er bowed repeatedly without daring to look up.
lǐ fán dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
李凡淡淡地说道。
"Look! He is your test!"
jiāng niàn ér zài dù kòu xiè lǐ fán ， shǐ zhōng bù gǎn tái tóu 。
江念儿再度叩谢李凡，始终不敢抬头。
Li Fan pointed at the immobile Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“ tā ， jiù shì nǐ de yí gè kǎo yàn ！”
“他，就是你的一个考验！”
"The world’s cultivators are divided into Essence Cultivation and Foundation Establishment..."
lǐ fán zé shì zhǐ zhe yī páng dòng tán bù dé de zhù jī xiū shì shuō dào 。
李凡则是指着一旁动弹不得的筑基修士说道。
After a brief introduction to cultivation in the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan continued, "This person is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
“ shì jiān xiū shì ， fēn wéi liàn qì 、 zhù jī ……”
“世间修士，分为炼气、筑基……”
"You must defeat him with your own strength!"
jiǎn dān jiè shào le yī fān xuán huáng jiè xiū xíng xíng shì zhī hòu ， lǐ fán yòu jì xù shuō dào ：“ cǐ rén jiù shì yí gè zhù jī hòu qī xiū shì 。”
简单介绍了一番玄黄界修行形式之后，李凡又继续说道：“此人就是一个筑基后期修士。”
"I have limited patience. I will only give you fifteen days."
“ nǐ yào píng zì jǐ de lì liàng ， jiāng qí jī bài ！”
“你要凭自己的力量，将其击败！”
Jiang Nian'er’s body stiffened.
“ wǒ nài xīn yǒu xiàn ， zhǐ huì gěi nǐ shí wǔ tiān de shí jiān 。”
“我耐心有限，只会给你十五天的时间。”
Though he did not understand what late-stage Foundation Establishment meant in terms of power, he had seen those flying Immortal Masters before.
jiāng niàn ér de shēn qū dùn shí jiāng zhí 。
江念儿的身躯顿时僵直。
The ability to fly and manipulate the elements was beyond his meager human capabilities.
suī rán bù míng bái zhù jī hòu qī jiū jìng shì huì shì shén me yàng de shí lì ， dàn tā yǐ qián kě zēng kàn guò tiān shàng nà fēi lái fēi qù de xiān shī men 。
虽然不明白筑基后期究竟是会是什么样的实力，但他以前可曾看过天上那飞来飞去的仙师们。
What could he do in just fifteen days?
fēi tiān dùn dì 、 hū fēng huàn yǔ zhī wēi ， yòu qǐ shì tā zhè qū qū fán rén néng gòu shèng chū de ？
飞天遁地、呼风唤雨之威，又岂是他这区区凡人能够胜出的？
Seeing Jiang Nian'er's fear, Li Fan smiled. "Don’t worry, I won’t let you do meaningless suicide missions."
shí wǔ tiān shí jiān ， yòu néng zuò shén me ？
十五天时间，又能做什么？
He pointed at Jiang Nian'er’s forehead and transmitted a Golden Core Dao technique and a simple array technique to him.
lǐ fán kàn chū le jiāng niàn ér de huáng kǒng ， xiào le xiào ：“ fàng xīn ， wǒ bú huì ràng nǐ zuò sòng sǐ de wú yì yì zhī shì 。”
李凡看出了江念儿的惶恐，笑了笑：“放心，我不会让你做送死的无意义之事。”
"With what I taught you, you should be able to handle it."
cháo zhe jiāng niàn ér méi xīn qīng qīng yī zhǐ ， lǐ fán jiāng yī mén jīn dān gōng fǎ 、 yǐ jí yī tào jiǎn yì zhèn fǎ rù mén chuán le guò qù 。
朝着江念儿眉心轻轻一指，李凡将一门金丹功法、以及一套简易阵法入门传了过去。
"But if you can’t digest these contents in fifteen days..."
“ yǒu wǒ jiào nǐ de zhè xiē ， zú gòu nǐ yìng fù tā le 。”
“有我教你的这些，足够你应付他了。”
"Then the lucky one will become him," Li Fan said with a smile as he looked at the unknown Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“ dāng rán ， rú guǒ nǐ zài shí wǔ tiān nèi ， bù néng jiāng zhè xiē nèi róng xiāo huà duō shǎo de huà ……”
“当然，如果你在十五天内，不能将这些内容消化多少的话……”
Jiang Nian'er’s heart tightened. He quickly sat down and began to comprehend what Li Fan had taught him.
“ nà me xìng yùn ér ， jiù biàn chéng tā le 。” lǐ fán kàn xiàng nà wèi bù zhī míng de zhù jī xiū shì ， wēi xiào zhe shuō dào 。
“那么幸运儿，就变成他了。”李凡看向那位不知名的筑基修士，微笑着说道。
"Inhale the essence of heaven and earth, control its qi..."
jiāng niàn ér xīn zhōng yī jǐn ， lián máng dì xí ér zuò ， gǎn wù qǐ lǐ fán suǒ chuán shòu de nèi róng lái 。
江念儿心中一紧，连忙地席而坐，感悟起李凡所传授的内容来。
Starting from basic cultivation knowledge, Jiang Nian'er was introduced to an entirely new world of cultivation.
“ xī tiān dì zhī líng ， yǐ yù qí qì ……”
“吸天地之灵，以御其气……”
Though his divine sense strength was nearly on par with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, he still struggled to utilize it fully.
cóng zuì jī chǔ de xiū xíng zhī shí kàn qǐ ， yí gè zhǎn xīn de xiū xiān shì jiè ， zài jiāng niàn ér yǎn qián xú xú zhǎn kāi 。
从最基础的修行知识看起，一个崭新的修仙世界，在江念儿眼前徐徐展开。
He read word by word as if afraid of missing any detail.
suī rán shén shí qiáng dù yǐ jīng jī hū hé yuán yīng xiū shì yī yàng le ， dàn shì jiāng niàn ér xiǎn rán hái méi shì yìng rú hé lì yòng zhè zhǒng qiáng dà 。
虽然神识强度已经几乎和元婴修士一样了，但是江念儿显然还没适应如何利用这种强大。
It wasn’t until nightfall that he finally snapped out of it.
yī jiù gēn fán rén yī yàng ， yī zì yī jù de xú xú kàn zhe 、 sì hū shì shēng pà cuò guò shén me xì jié 。
依旧跟凡人一样，一字一句的徐徐看着、似乎是生怕错过什么细节。
Half a day had passed?
zhí dá yè mù jiàng lín ， tā cái měng dì jīng xǐng 。
直达夜幕降临，他才猛地惊醒。
Thinking about the fifteen-day deadline, an immenseintangible pressure overwhelmed Jiang Nian'er.
zhè dōu guò qù bàn tiān le ？
这都过去半天了？
"I must hurry. I have to hurry."
yī xiǎng dào shí wǔ tiān de sǐ wáng qī xiàn ， jù dà de wú xíng yā lì shùn jiān yǒng shàng jiāng niàn ér xīn tóu 。
一想到十五天的死亡期限，巨大的无形压力瞬间涌上江念儿心头。
Indeed, Jiang Nian'er, who was the ultimate winner among over ten thousand people, quickly mastered skimming through texts and multitasking.
“ bù xíng ， bù xíng 。 wǒ yào kuài diǎn ， zài kuài diǎn 。”
“不行，不行。我要快点，再快点。”
While studying the basics of cultivation techniques, he also began to ponder arrays.
gāi shuō ， jiāng niàn ér bù kuì shì shí duō wàn rén zuì hòu shèng chū de dà yíng jiā 。
该说，江念儿不愧是十多万人最后胜出的大赢家。
Three days later,
tā hěn kuài jiù bù dàn xué huì le yī mù shí háng ， hái xué huì le yī xīn èr yòng 。
他很快就不但学会了一目十行，还学会了一心二用。
Li Fan sensed a fluctuation in his aura from Jiang Nian'er.
zài yán xí xiū xiān gōng fǎ rù mén de tóng shí ， yě kāi shǐ zhuó mó qǐ le zhèn fǎ 。
在研习修仙功法入门的同时，也开始琢磨起了阵法。
"Three days for Essence Cultivation. You have average potential."
rú cǐ ， sān tiān zhī hòu 。
如此，三天之后。
The Xuanhuang Mist had almost disappeared due to the dark and eerie forces that had invaded him.
lǐ fán zài jiāng niàn ér shēn shàng gǎn shòu dào le yī gǔ líng qì bō dòng 。
李凡在江念儿身上感受到了一股灵气波动。
Although skipping the step of purging the mist, completing the introduction of qi into his body within three days was still a good start.
“ sān tiān liàn qì me ， kàn lái zī zhì píng píng 。”
“三天炼气么，看来资质平平。”
However, Li Fan had seen too many prodigies, so he naturally set high standards.
yīn wèi yōu àn guǐ yì lì liàng yǐ jīng qīn shí guò de yuán gù ， jiāng niàn ér shēn shàng de xiān fán zhàng jī hū yǐ jīng bù cún zài le 。
因为幽暗诡异力量已经侵蚀过的缘故，江念儿身上的仙凡瘴几乎已经不存在了。
Worrying about potential wasn’t what mattered to Li Fan. He merely continued observing Jiang Nian'er’s choices.
suī rán shěng qù le qū chú tǐ nèi zhàng qì zhè yī bù ， dàn sān tiān wán chéng yǐn qì rù tǐ ， zī zhì yě jué duì bù suàn chà 。
虽然省去了祛除体内瘴气这一步，但三天完成引气入体，资质也绝对不算差。
To Li Fan's satisfaction, after entering the Essence Cultivation stage and realizing that he couldn’t complete his cultivation within twelve days,
bù guò lǐ fán jiàn guò le tài duō de tiān cái ， suǒ yǐ yǎn jiè zì rán yě jiù gāo le 。
不过李凡见过了太多的天才，所以眼界自然也就高了。
Jiang Nian'er devoted all his remaining energy to studying the array technique given by Li Fan.
suǒ wèi zī zhì ， běn lái yě bú shì lǐ fán zài yì jiāng niàn ér de dì fāng 。 yě bìng bù yǐ wéi yì 。
所谓资质，本来也不是李凡在意江念儿的地方。也并不以为意。
The array technique taught by Li Fan was powerful enough to trap a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
ér shì jì xù guān chá qǐ tā de xuǎn zé lái 。
而是继续观察起他的选择来。
Moreover, it had been specially simplified for use by Essence Cultivation cultivators.
méi yǒu ràng lǐ fán shī wàng ， dàng chéng gōng tà rù liàn qì qī 、 shì zhe xiū xíng yī duàn shí jiān ， fā xiàn zì jǐ zài shèng xià de shí èr tiān shí jiān nèi ， jué duì wú fǎ wán chéng jìn shēng 。
没有让李凡失望，当成功踏入炼气期、试着修行一段时间，发现自己在剩下的十二天时间内，绝对无法完成晋升。
"Provided you don’t forget to accumulate the necessary spiritual energy," Li Fan gave a mysterious smile.
yú shì jiāng niàn ér jī hū bǎ jiē xià lái suǒ yòng de jīng lì ， quán dōu yòng lái yán jiū lǐ fán cì yǔ de nà rù mén zhèn fǎ shàng 。
于是江念儿几乎把接下来所用的精力，全都用来研究李凡赐予的那入门阵法上。
In truth, who won or lost didn’t matter to him. The winner would inherit the strange power and be under his control.
lǐ fán suǒ jiào de rù mén zhèn fǎ ， guāng yǐ wēi lì ér lùn ， yòng lái kùn sǐ zhù jī xiū shì 、 chuò chuò yǒu yú 。
李凡所教的入门阵法，光以威力而论，用来困死筑基修士、绰绰有余。
What Li Fan truly wanted was to observe the specific changes that occurred during identity absorption under the strange rules.
bìng qiě hái jīng guò le tā de tè bié jiǎn huà ， shì de liàn qì xiū shì jiù néng shǐ yòng 。
并且还经过了他的特别简化，是的炼气修士就能使用。
"Strange rules can also be seen as the laws of nature."
“ zhǐ yào nǐ bú shì tài chǔn ， wàng jì jī zǎn wéi chí zhèn fǎ suǒ xū líng lì de huà 。”
“只要你不是太蠢，忘记积攒维持阵法所需灵力的话。”
"They are principles born out of the world’s fusion, not recognized by the Xuanhuang World’s Heavenly Dao."
lǐ fán lù chū le yī sī mò míng de xiào róng 。
李凡露出了一丝莫名的笑容。
"Cultivators with such strangeness will face heavenly retribution."
qí shí èr zhě shuí shèng shuí fù ， duì tā ér yán gēn běn bú zhòng yào 。
其实二者谁胜谁负，对他而言根本不重要。
"But heavenly retribution..."
fǎn zhèng yíng jiā dū huì jì chéng guǐ yì de lì liàng ， bìng qiě táo bù chū tā de shǒu zhǎng xīn 、 wèi tā suǒ yòng 。
反正赢家都会继承诡异的力量，并且逃不出他的手掌心、为他所用。
Li Fan shook his head slightly. He was truly fearless!
lǐ fán zhēn zhèng xiǎng yào de ， shì guān chá guǐ yì guī zé zuò yòng xià 、 wán chéng shēn fèn tūn shì shí fā shēng de jù tǐ biàn huà 。
李凡真正想要的，是观察诡异规则作用下、完成身份吞噬时发生的具体变化。
The fifteen days quickly passed.
“ guǐ yì guī zé ， shí zé yě kě yǐ kàn zuò shì tiān dì zhī lǐ 。”
“诡异规则，实则也可以看作是天地之理。”
"Time is up. Let's begin."
“ bù guò shì shì jiè róng hé guò chéng zhōng 、 yīn guò dù ér dàn shēng ， bù bèi xuán huáng jiè tiān dào chéng rèn de tiān dì zhī lǐ 。”
“不过是世界融合过程中、因过渡而诞生，不被玄黄界天道承认的天地之理。”
One day, Li Fan suddenly spoke, breaking the island’s tranquility.
“ wǒ bèi xiū shì shēn huái guǐ yì ， bì zāo tiān qiǎn 。”
“我辈修士身怀诡异，必遭天谴。”
He also immediately imposed restrictions on the Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“ dàn tiān qiǎn zhè wán yì ……”
“但天谴这玩意……”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator remained conscious and listened to their conversation.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng wēi wēi yáo tóu ， tā hái zhēn méi pà guò ！
李凡心中微微摇头，他还真没怕过！
"A mere ten-day Essence Cultivation practitioner thinks he can defeat me?"
shí wǔ tiān shí jiān shāo zòng jí shì 。
十五天时间稍纵即逝。
"What a shame! I will wash this humiliation with your blood..."
“ qī xiàn yǐ dào ， kāi shǐ ba 。”
“期限已到，开始吧。”
His eyes turned red. As soon as he was freed, he summoned his Foundation Establishment treasure.
zhè yī rì ， lǐ fán hū de kāi kǒu ， dǎ pò le dǎo shàng de píng jìng 。
这一日，李凡忽的开口，打破了岛上的平静。
A straight wooden stick appeared in the sky, instantly locking onto Jiang Nian'er.
tóng shí yě shùn jiān jiē chù le duì nà wèi zhù jī xiū shì de xiàn zhì 。
同时也瞬间接触了对那位筑基修士的限制。
It was about to attack and crush him.
zhù jī xiū shì yì zhí bǎo chí zhe qīng xǐng ， bǎ lǐ fán èr rén de duì huà tīng zài ěr zhōng 。
筑基修士一直保持着清醒，把李凡二人的对话听在耳中。
However...
“ bù guò gāng xiū xíng shí jǐ tiān de xiǎo xiǎo liàn qì ， yě xiǎng shèng guò wǒ ？”
“不过刚修行十几天的小小炼气，也想胜过我？”
Suddenly, he found himself disoriented, and Jiang Nian'er’s figure vanished.
“ qí chǐ dà rǔ ， bì yòng nǐ de xiān xuè lái xǐ shuā ……”
“奇耻大辱，必用你的鲜血来洗刷……”
"What?" The Foundation Establishment cultivator was startled.
tā de shuāng yǎn biàn dé tōng hóng ， huò dé zì yóu de shùn jiān ， jiù zhào huàn chū le zì jǐ de zhù jī qí wù 。
他的双眼变得通红，获得自由的瞬间，就召唤出了自己的筑基奇物。
He looked around and realized that he had somehow ended up in a bamboo forest.
zhǐ jiàn yī gēn bǐ zhí de mù gùn fú xiàn zài tiān kōng zhōng ， chà nà suǒ dìng le jiāng niàn ér 。
只见一根笔直的木棍浮现在天空中，刹那锁定了江念儿。
The previous island encounter seemed like an illusion.
jiù yào fā dòng gōng jī ， jiāng qí niǎn suì 。
就要发动攻击，将其碾碎。
Outside the array, Jiang Nian'er barely maintained the【Bamboo Sea Dragon Trap Array】and sighed with relief.
rán ér ……
然而……
(End of Chapter)
Tears streaming down his face, the round body struggled to fall to the ground.
He begged for the Immortal Master to save him.
Li Fan finally revealed himself then.
"Looks like an outsider interfered. The rules only apply if he wins the competition by himself."
Without wasting any time on idle chatter, Li Fan's eyes locked onto his opponent as aintangible force descended upon them.
While crushing every one of the over ten thousand sorrowful thoughts in the other’s mind into mere consciousness nutrients,
he also performed liposuction.
After half an hour or so, the survivor, now back to normal and with an awareness nearly on par with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, slowly came to his senses.
"Jiang Nian'er, your people of Fan Yong Island have taken possession of the Heavenly Vouchsafe Land but do nothing to progress. You neglect the grace of heaven. Therefore, heaven has sent down punishment upon you."
"I pity you and see that you are truly pitiable, so I will save you," Li Fan's voice boomed like thunder as his divine sense directly entered the other’s mind.
He embedded his words into the other’s consciousness like a印记 (mark).
"Thank the Immortal Master for your kindness... Thank the Immortal Master..."
Jiang Nian'er wept uncontrollably and repeatedly bowed to the ground.
"I vow to follow you, my Immortal Master, as a humble servant. I will repay this second chance..."
Even though it was the combined consciousness of over ten thousand ordinary people, Jiang Nian'er, easily brainwashed by Li Fan, spoke with genuine sincerity.
Li Fan did not respond but said sternly, "This is your trial."
"If you want to be my disciple..."
"You are not yet qualified. For now, follow me and serve as a Daoist boy. If I am satisfied with your performance..."
Li Fan said casually.
Jiang Nian'er bowed repeatedly without daring to look up.
"Look! He is your test!"
Li Fan pointed at the immobile Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"The world’s cultivators are divided into Essence Cultivation and Foundation Establishment..."
After a brief introduction to cultivation in the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan continued, "This person is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"You must defeat him with your own strength!"
"I have limited patience. I will only give you fifteen days."
Jiang Nian'er’s body stiffened.
Though he did not understand what late-stage Foundation Establishment meant in terms of power, he had seen those flying Immortal Masters before.
The ability to fly and manipulate the elements was beyond his meager human capabilities.
What could he do in just fifteen days?
Seeing Jiang Nian'er's fear, Li Fan smiled. "Don’t worry, I won’t let you do meaningless suicide missions."
He pointed at Jiang Nian'er’s forehead and transmitted a Golden Core Dao technique and a simple array technique to him.
"With what I taught you, you should be able to handle it."
"But if you can’t digest these contents in fifteen days..."
"Then the lucky one will become him," Li Fan said with a smile as he looked at the unknown Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Jiang Nian'er’s heart tightened. He quickly sat down and began to comprehend what Li Fan had taught him.
"Inhale the essence of heaven and earth, control its qi..."
Starting from basic cultivation knowledge, Jiang Nian'er was introduced to an entirely new world of cultivation.
Though his divine sense strength was nearly on par with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, he still struggled to utilize it fully.
He read word by word as if afraid of missing any detail.
It wasn’t until nightfall that he finally snapped out of it.
Half a day had passed?
Thinking about the fifteen-day deadline, an immenseintangible pressure overwhelmed Jiang Nian'er.
"I must hurry. I have to hurry."
Indeed, Jiang Nian'er, who was the ultimate winner among over ten thousand people, quickly mastered skimming through texts and multitasking.
While studying the basics of cultivation techniques, he also began to ponder arrays.
Three days later,
Li Fan sensed a fluctuation in his aura from Jiang Nian'er.
"Three days for Essence Cultivation. You have average potential."
The Xuanhuang Mist had almost disappeared due to the dark and eerie forces that had invaded him.
Although skipping the step of purging the mist, completing the introduction of qi into his body within three days was still a good start.
However, Li Fan had seen too many prodigies, so he naturally set high standards.
Worrying about potential wasn’t what mattered to Li Fan. He merely continued observing Jiang Nian'er’s choices.
To Li Fan's satisfaction, after entering the Essence Cultivation stage and realizing that he couldn’t complete his cultivation within twelve days,
Jiang Nian'er devoted all his remaining energy to studying the array technique given by Li Fan.
The array technique taught by Li Fan was powerful enough to trap a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Moreover, it had been specially simplified for use by Essence Cultivation cultivators.
"Provided you don’t forget to accumulate the necessary spiritual energy," Li Fan gave a mysterious smile.
In truth, who won or lost didn’t matter to him. The winner would inherit the strange power and be under his control.
What Li Fan truly wanted was to observe the specific changes that occurred during identity absorption under the strange rules.
"Strange rules can also be seen as the laws of nature."
"They are principles born out of the world’s fusion, not recognized by the Xuanhuang World’s Heavenly Dao."
"Cultivators with such strangeness will face heavenly retribution."
"But heavenly retribution..."
Li Fan shook his head slightly. He was truly fearless!
The fifteen days quickly passed.
"Time is up. Let's begin."
One day, Li Fan suddenly spoke, breaking the island’s tranquility.
He also immediately imposed restrictions on the Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator remained conscious and listened to their conversation.
"A mere ten-day Essence Cultivation practitioner thinks he can defeat me?"
"What a shame! I will wash this humiliation with your blood..."
His eyes turned red. As soon as he was freed, he summoned his Foundation Establishment treasure.
A straight wooden stick appeared in the sky, instantly locking onto Jiang Nian'er.
It was about to attack and crush him.
However...
Suddenly, he found himself disoriented, and Jiang Nian'er’s figure vanished.
"What?" The Foundation Establishment cultivator was startled.
He looked around and realized that he had somehow ended up in a bamboo forest.
The previous island encounter seemed like an illusion.
Outside the array, Jiang Nian'er barely maintained the【Bamboo Sea Dragon Trap Array】and sighed with relief.
(End of Chapter)