【 hái zhēn 】 dào dǐ shì shén me ？
【还真】到底是什么？
What exactly is [Truly Real]?
lǐ fán zì cóng jué xǐng le 【 hái zhēn 】 zhī hòu ， zhè ge yí wèn jiù yì zhí shēn cáng yú tā de xīn dǐ 。
李凡自从觉醒了【还真】之后，这个疑问就一直深藏于他的心底。
Ever since Li Fan awakened the ability of [Truly Real], this question has lingered in his heart.
shì suí zhe chuān yuè ， zì shēn jué xǐng de yì néng ？
是随着穿越，自身觉醒的异能？
Was it an innate power he gained through a spatial transfer, or was it some hidden treasure within his body?
hái shì yī jiàn cáng yú zì jǐ shēn tǐ nèi bù de yì bǎo ？
还是一件藏于自己身体内部的异宝？
At certain moments, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
mǒu xiē gè shùn jiān ， lǐ fán yě huì bù yóu de xià yì shí xīn shēng kǒng jù 。
某些个瞬间，李凡也会不由得下意识心生恐惧。
What if one day he suddenly lost the ability to [Truly Real]?
rú guǒ yǒu yī tiān ， zì jǐ tū rán shī qù le 【 hái zhēn 】 zěn me bàn ？
如果有一天，自己突然失去了【还真】怎么办？
And what would happen if [Truly Real] malfunctioned at a critical moment when he needed to transform reality into illusion?
yòu huò zhě ， zài mǒu gè xū yào huà shí wèi xū de shùn jiān ，【 hái zhēn 】 tū rán shī líng le ， yòu zěn me bàn ？
又或者，在某个需要化实为虚的瞬间，【还真】突然失灵了，又怎么办？
When first reading "The Theory of Curiosities," Li Fan had also doubted whether [Truly Real] was another type of heavenly wonder.
zài chū dú 《 qí wù lùn 》 shí ， lǐ fán yě céng huái yí guò ，【 hái zhēn 】 shì fǒu yě shì yī zhǒng tiān dì qí wù ？
在初读《奇物论》时，李凡也曾怀疑过，【还真】是否也是一种天地奇物？
Could he use it to establish his foundation?
zì jǐ shì fǒu kě yǐ píng jiè tā zhù jī ？
自己是否可以凭借它筑基？
After hearing Elder Yin's words, Li Fan vaguely believed that perhaps he could indeed use [Truly Real] to build a foundation.
rú jīn tīng wén yīn shàng rén yī xí huà hòu ， lǐ fán yǐn yǐn què xìn ， huò xǔ zhēn de kě yǐ yòng 【 hái zhēn 】 zhù jiù dào jī 。
如今听闻殷上人一席话后，李凡隐隐确信，或许真的可以用【还真】筑就道基。
But...
bú shì xiàn zài 。
不是现在。
[Truly Real] was his last trump card. He wouldn't dare risk using it without being certain of its outcome.
【 hái zhēn 】 zuò wéi tā zuì hòu de dǐ pái ， méi yǒu yí dìng de bǎ wò zhī qián ， tā shì bù kě néng mào rán qù cháng shì de 。
【还真】作为他最后的底牌，没有一定的把握之前，他是不可能贸然去尝试的。
If building a foundation with [Truly Real] were compared to solving a complex problem, Li Fan didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in discussions yet.
rú guǒ bǎ yòng 【 hái zhēn 】 zhù jī bǐ zuò yí gè xū yào gōng kè de kè tí ， nà me lǐ fán xiàn zài lián cān yù tǎo lùn de zī gé dōu méi yǒu 。
如果把用【还真】筑基比作一个需要攻克的课题，那么李凡现在连参与讨论的资格都没有。
After all, he still hadn’t fully understood what foundation establishment entailed.
bì jìng lián zhù jī jù tǐ shì zěn me yī huí shì tā hái méi néng gǎo qīng chǔ 。
毕竟连筑基具体是怎么一回事他还没能搞清楚。
Fortunately, in this era, most questions could be answered by paying for them.
hǎo zài zhè ge nián dài ， dà bù fèn wèn tí ， fù fèi jiù néng dé dào dá àn 。
好在这个年代，大部分问题，付费就能得到答案。
Li Fan's avatar searched for information related to foundation establishment.
lín fán fēn shēn ， sōu suǒ qǐ le zhù jī xiāng guān de zhī shí 。
林凡分身，搜索起了筑基相关的知识。
"Introduction to Foundation Establishment," "Heaven, Earth, and Man," "A Hundred Men’s Foundation Establishment Records..."
《 zhù jī xù lùn 》、《 tiān 、 dì 、 rén 》、《 bǎi rén zhù jī shí lù 》……
《筑基绪论》、《天、地、人》、《百人筑基实录》……
One by one, relevant books were exchanged and read.
yī běn běn xiàng guān zhù zuò bèi duì huàn 、 yuè dú 。
一本本相关著作被兑换、阅读。
Gradually, Li Fan gained a basic understanding of foundation establishment.
lǐ fán yě jiàn jiàn duì zhù jī yǒu le dà gài de rèn zhī 。
李凡也渐渐对筑基有了大概的认知。
By consuming heaven-defying substances in his dantian, the roots of heaven and earth would take root there. Using these substances as soil and nurturing grounds, he absorbed their inherent laws until they grew into what was known as "foundation."
yǐ 【 shì wù fǎ 】 tūn fú tiān dì qí wù yú dān tián 。
以【噬物法】吞服天地奇物于丹田。
Heaven-defying substances were categorized into three types: heavenly, earthly, and human.
tiān dì zhī gēn zhā gēn qí shàng 。
天地之根扎根其上。
Among them, using a human substance to establish a foundation was the easiest because most of these substances originated from deceased cultivators. They contained insights on the laws accumulated by those cultivators during their lifetimes.
yǐ qí wù wèi tǔ rǎng 、 wēn chuáng ， xī shōu qí yùn hán de fǎ zé ， zuì zhōng zhǎng chū míng wèi “ dào jī ” de guǒ shí 。
以奇物为土壤、温床，吸收其蕴含的法则，最终长出名为“道基”的果实。
During the process, it was akin to having a teacher constantly guiding him.
tiān dì qí wù fēn wéi tiān zhī qí 、 dì zhī qí 、 rén zhī qí sān dà lèi 。
天地奇物分为天之奇、地之奇、人之奇三大类。
Earthly and heavenly substances were closer to pure Daoist principles but lacked the reference points provided by other cultivators' experiences. He would have to spend more time and effort comprehending the myriad rules contained within these substances and integrating them into his own foundation.
zhè qí zhōng ， yǐ rén zhī qí wù zhù jī zuì wèi róng yì 。
这其中，以人之奇物筑基最为容易。
However, using a heaven-defying substance to establish a foundation had one benefit: it was guaranteed not to fail.
yīn wèi rén zhī qí wù ， dà dǐ dōu shì yǔn luò xiū shì suǒ huà ， qí zhōng yùn hán zhe xiū shì shēng qián duì yú fǎ zé de lǐng wù 。
因为人之奇物，大抵都是陨落修士所化，其中蕴含着修士生前对于法则的领悟。
Just like when condensing heavenly roots during Qi Refinement, he could forcibly draw out spiritual energy.
zài zhù jī guò chéng zhōng ， xiāng dāng yú shí kè yǒu yī wèi lǎo shī ， ěr tí miàn mìng ， xī xīn jiào dǎo 。
在筑基过程中，相当于时刻有一位老师，耳提面命，悉心教导。
This method of foundation establishment emphasized stability.
ér dì zhī qí wù yǔ tiān zhī qí wù ， gèng jiā jiē jìn cún cuì de dà dào fǎ zé 。
而地之奇物与天之奇物，更加接近存粹的大道法则。
...
bìng qiě méi yǒu le qí yú xiū shì de xīn dé zuò wéi cān kǎo ， xū yào zì shēn huā fèi gèng zhǎng de shí jiān yǔ jīng lì qù gǎn wù qí wù zhōng jù hé de zhǒng zhǒng guī zé ， huà zuò zì shēn dào jī 。
并且没有了其余修士的心得作为参考，需要自身花费更长的时间与精力去感悟奇物中聚合的种种规则，化作自身道基。
"If foundation establishment before the ancient calamities was akin to an open-book exam, then today's foundation establishment is more like a closed-book exam. The answers are right in front of you; how quickly and accurately you can copy them depends on your own abilities," Li Fan mused.
dàn jiǎ tiān dì zhī qí 、 yǐ zhù dào jī de hǎo chù ， jiù zài yú bú huì shī bài 。
但假天地之奇、以筑道基的好处，就在于不会失败。
"The rarer the substance, the higher the difficulty of the exam. When it reaches a certain level of difficulty, even understanding the questions becomes impossible."
jiù gēn tū pò liàn qì shí ， níng jù tiān dì zhī gēn ， qiáng xíng chōu qǔ líng qì suǒ yòng yī yàng 。
就跟突破炼气时，凝聚天地之根，强行抽取灵气所用一样。
"From this perspective, even if I wanted to use [Truly Real] in the short term, there's no way I could do it."
rú cǐ zhù jī zhī fǎ ， tū chū yí gè “ wěn ” zì 。
如此筑基之法，突出一个“稳”字。
"But if I gradually enhance my understanding of the Daoist laws through repeated foundation establishment attempts, there might still be a chance."
……
……
"As for using myself as the foundation..."
“ rú guǒ shuō shàng gǔ dà jié zhī qián ， zhù jī shì yī cháng bì juàn kǎo shì de huà 。 nà me rú jīn de zhù jī ， jiù shì yī cháng kāi juàn kǎo shì 。 dá àn jiù zài miàn qián ， néng chāo de duō kuài 、 chāo de duō zhǔn ， jiù quán yīn rén ér yì le 。” lǐ fán àn zì sī cǔn 。
“如果说上古大劫之前，筑基是一场闭卷考试的话。那么如今的筑基，就是一场开卷考试。答案就在面前，能抄的多快、抄的多准，就全因人而异了。”李凡暗自思忖。
"In ten years? Perhaps, let Elder Yin try it first."
“ qí wù yuè shì xī yǒu ， jiù xiāng dāng yú kǎo shì de nán dù yuè gāo 。 dāng nán dù gāo dào yí dìng chéng dù ， lián kǎo tí dōu kàn bù dǒng shuō de shì shén me ， gèng bié tí zuò dá le 。”
“奇物越是稀有，就相当于考试的难度越高。当难度高到一定程度，连考题都看不懂说的是什么，更别提作答了。”
Li Fan made plans for his next cultivation.
“ rú cǐ kàn lái ， jiù suàn wǒ duǎn shí jiān nèi xiǎng yòng 【 hái zhēn 】 qù zhù jī ， yě gēn běn wú fǎ zuò dào 。”
“如此看来，就算我短时间内想用【还真】去筑基，也根本无法做到。”
His avatar continued to explore secrets within the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror while exchanging and reading some foundation-establishing techniques to prepare for future integration with his own methods.
“ dàn ruò shì zài bù duàn zhù jī guò chéng zhōng ， yí bù bù tí shēng duì dà dào fǎ zé de lǐ jiě ， rán hòu zài qù fǎn fù cháng shì 。 yě wèi bì méi yǒu jī huì 。”
“但若是在不断筑基过程中，一步步提升对大道法则的理解，然后再去反复尝试。也未必没有机会。”
Meanwhile, Li Fan intended to wait until the Pearl of the Vast Sea appeared before using it to establish a foundation. In his previous life, he had transformed into the vast sea and gained insights through its consciousness. The connection between him and this pearl was already very strong; using it for foundation establishment would surely be more effective.
“ zhì yú nà 【 yǐ wǒ zhù jī 】……”
“至于那【以我筑基】……”
With half of the 13 years already passed, there were still about seven or eight years until the Red Flame Devastated Sea and the Pearl of the Vast Sea appeared. He could wait.
“ shí nián qián me 。 huò xǔ ， kě yǐ ràng nà yīn shàng rén zì jǐ xiān shì yī shì 。”
“十年前么。或许，可以让那殷上人自己先试一试。”
Moreover, during this period, he had other ways to gain insights into foundation establishment.
lǐ fán duì jiē xià lái de xiū xíng zuò hǎo le guī huà 。
李凡对接下来的修行做好了规划。
He activated the Formless Killing Mechanism and the Heaven's Eye, Earth's Ear technique.
mù qián fēn shēn shàng zài ， tiān yáng dòng fǔ zhōng suǒ huò de xiū shì yí hái hái wú fǎ shǐ yòng 。
目前分身尚在，天阳洞府中所获的修士遗骸还无法使用。
The scene in his mind gradually became clearer.
fēn shēn lín fán jì xù yú tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， biàn lǎn mì xīn 。 tóng shí duì huàn liú lǎn bù fèn zhù jī gōng fǎ ， wèi zhī hòu tuī yǎn róng hé zì jǐ jǐ mén gōng fǎ zuò jī lěi 。
分身林凡继续于天玄镜中，遍览秘辛。同时兑换浏览部分筑基功法，为之后推衍融合自己几门功法做积累。
In a violent storm, Zhang Haobo floated like a kite without any control, buffeted by the wind. The towering waves and large raindrops hit him relentlessly, but he paid no heed to them.
ér běn zūn ， lǐ fán hái shì dǎ suàn ， yào děng cāng hǎi zhū chū shì ， zài yòng cāng hǎi zhū jìn xíng zhù jī 。
而本尊，李凡还是打算，要等沧海珠出世，再用沧海珠进行筑基。
Li Fan observed Zhang Haobo.
tā shàng yī shì ， shēn huà cāng hǎi ， jiè yóu cāng hǎi yì shí gǎn wù tiān dì 。
他上一世，身化沧海，借由沧海意识感悟天地。
"Three months have passed since I last saw him; now he's at late Qi Refinement..."
yǔ zhè cāng hǎi zhū yǐ jīng shì wú bǐ qì hé 。
与这沧海珠已经是无比契合。
"His eyes are tightly closed, his breathing has stopped, even the spiritual energy in his body is silent."
yòng qí zhù jī ， dìng rán shì bàn ér gōng bèi 。
用其筑基，定然事半而功倍。
"What is he contemplating?"
rú jīn ， máo dìng 13 nián yǐ jīng guò qù dà bàn 。 lí chì yán fén hǎi 、 cāng hǎi zhū chū shì ， yīng gāi zhǐ shèng xià 7、8 nián zuǒ yòu de shí jiān 。
如今，锚定13年已经过去大半。离赤炎焚海、沧海珠出世，应该只剩下7、8年左右的时间。
Li Fan also observed the raging storm.
wán quán kě yǐ děng 。
完全可以等。
Perhaps it was just a feeling, but a flash of green light seemed to have appeared in the dark sky.
kuàng qiě ， zhè duàn shí jiān nèi ， tā yě bú shì méi yǒu bàn fǎ ， gǎn wù zhù jī zhī dào 。
况且，这段时间内，他也不是没有办法，感悟筑基之道。
"That...?"
wú xiāng shā jī ， tiān shì dì tīng zhī shù ， fā dòng 。
无相杀机，天视地听之术，发动。
When Li Fan looked again, he couldn't see anything. The fleeting glimpse might have been an illusion.
nǎo hǎi zhōng de huà miàn zhú jiàn qīng xī 。
脑海中的画面逐渐清晰。
"Green..."
kuáng fēng zhòu yǔ zhōng ， zhāng hào bō rú tóng duàn xiàn de fēng zhēng yì bān ， suí fēng fēi wǔ 。
狂风骤雨中，张浩波如同断线的风筝一般，随风飞舞。
Through Heaven's Eye, Earth's Ear, Li Fan didn’t think he would make such a mistake.
gāo juǎn de hǎi làng ， dòu dà de yǔ dī ， tā wán quán dōu bù guǎn bù gù ， rèn hé tā men jī dǎ zài zì jǐ shēn shàng 。
高卷的海浪，豆大的雨滴，他完全都不管不顾，任何它们击打在自己身上。
He suddenly recalled the frequent wind disasters in Congyunhai over the years.
lǐ fán guān chá zhe zhāng hào bō 。
李凡观察着张浩波。
He had previously checked information about these disasters through the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror, but they seemed to have no significant impact on cultivators and were not recorded.
“ jù lí shàng cì kàn tā ， yǐ jīng guò qù jiāng jìn sān gè yuè shí jiān ， rú jīn yǐ jīng shì liàn qì hòu qī xiū wèi le ……”
“距离上次看他，已经过去将近三个月时间，如今已经是炼气后期修为了……”
Now that he knew, this was likely influenced by the Longevity Heaven Sovereign.
“ shuāng yǎn jǐn bì ， hū xī quán wú ， shèn zhì quán shēn líng qì dōu jì jìng xià lái 。”
“双眼紧闭，呼吸全无，甚至全身灵气都寂静下来。”
Li Fan remembered a massive storm that occurred just before he arrived in Congyunhai in his previous life. Over a hundred islands were destroyed.
“ zhè shì zài gǎn wù shén me ？”
“这是在感悟什么？”
In subsequent years, the scale and frequency of these storms decreased until the Red Flame Devastated Sea appeared.
lǐ fán yě guān chá zhe sì nüè de fēng yǔ 。
李凡也观察着肆虐的风雨。
"Perhaps there's something hidden here, but it’s not time to investigate yet..." Li Fan noted this to himself.
bù zhī dào shì bú shì cuò jué ， hūn àn yīn chén de tiān kōng zhōng ， yī dào qīng guāng yī shǎn ér shì 。
不知道是不是错觉，昏暗阴沉的天空中，一道青光一闪而逝。
His attention returned to Zhang Haobo.
“ nà shì ……”
“那是……”
He was still in a state of enlightenment.
lǐ fán zài qù kàn shí ， què zěn me yě kàn bú dào le 。
李凡再去看时，却怎么也看不到了。
Li Fan couldn’t discern anything. The storm seemed endless and showed no signs of stopping.
gāng cái nà jīng hóng yī piē ， sì hū zhǐ shì tā de cuò jué yì bān 。
刚才那惊鸿一瞥，似乎只是他的错觉一般。
So he retained some mental focus to monitor Zhang Haobo's movements, while most of his attention remained on the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror.
“ qīng ……”
“青……”
"Putting all my eggs in one basket is clearly not wise; I need a broader approach. I haven't tested how many people the Formless Killing Mechanism can lock onto."
tiān shì dì tīng zhī xià ， lǐ fán kě bù rèn wéi zì jǐ huì kàn cuò 。
天视地听之下，李凡可不认为自己会看错。
"Hmm, I could find some cultivators who are about to establish their foundations and conduct some tests."
tā dǒu rán xiǎng qǐ le ， cóng yún hǎi shù nián jiān bù duàn sì nüè de fēng zāi 。
他陡然想起了，丛云海数年间不断肆虐的风灾。
When it came to gathering information, Li Fan thought of Jiao Xiuyuan.
zhī qián yě céng yú tiān xuán jìng zhōng chá xún guò guān yú fēng zāi de xìn xī ， dàn shì zhè fēng zāi sì hū duì yú xiū shì lái shuō gēn běn méi yǒu duō dà yǐng xiǎng shì de ， gēn běn méi yǒu jì lù 。
之前也曾于天玄镜中查询过关于风灾的信息，但是这风灾似乎对于修士来说根本没有多大影响似的，根本没有记录。
Although this person was greedy and afraid of death, his intelligence was reliable. He was also a long-time customer.
xiàn zài zhī dào le ， zhè yīng gāi yě shì shòu dào le cháng shēng tiān zūn de yǐng xiǎng 。
现在知道了，这应该也是受到了长生天尊的影响。
So he hid his form and went straight to the Thousand Mile Hall.
lǐ fán xiǎng qǐ ， shàng yī shì tā lái dào cóng yún hǎi qián bù jiǔ ， céng fā shēng guò yī cháng jù dà de fēng zāi 。
李凡想起，上一世他来到丛云海前不久，曾发生过一场巨大的风灾。
Before entering, Jiao Xiuyuan's voice echoed from afar.
shàng bǎi gè dǎo yǔ bèi huǐ 。
上百个岛屿被毁。
"I've got everything ready; when are you coming to pick it up! I’ve already urged you several times!"
suí hòu jǐ nián lǐ ， fēng zāi de guī mó yǔ chū xiàn de pín lǜ yuè lái yuè xiǎo ， zhí zhì chì yán jiàng lín 。
随后几年里，风灾的规模与出现的频率越来越小，直至赤炎降临。
"Don’t tell me any excuses about not being able to come. You just don't want it anymore!"
“ zhè qí zhōng ， huò xǔ yǒu xiē yǐn mì 。 zhǐ shì hái bú shì chá tàn de shí hòu ……” lǐ fán jiāng qí jì zài xīn lǐ 。
“这其中，或许有些隐秘。只是还不是查探的时候……”李凡将其记在心里。
"Hey? Hey!"
zhù yì lì zài cì jí zhōng zài zhāng hào bō shēn shàng 。
注意力再次集中在张浩波身上。
"F*ck!"
réng rán shēn chù dùn wù zhī zhōng 。
仍然身处顿悟之中。
Li Fan entered the room and saw Jiao Xiuyuan looking furious.
lǐ fán kàn bù chū gè suǒ yǐ rán lái ， zhè màn tiān de fēng yǔ sì hū yě méi yǒu jìn tóu yì bān ， bù zhī hé shí huì tíng zhǐ 。
李凡看不出个所以然来，这漫天的风雨似乎也没有尽头一般，不知何时会停止。
He slammed a small tripod pot onto the table with force.
What exactly is [Truly Real]?
Ever since Li Fan awakened the ability of [Truly Real], this question has lingered in his heart.
Was it an innate power he gained through a spatial transfer, or was it some hidden treasure within his body?
At certain moments, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
What if one day he suddenly lost the ability to [Truly Real]?
And what would happen if [Truly Real] malfunctioned at a critical moment when he needed to transform reality into illusion?
When first reading "The Theory of Curiosities," Li Fan had also doubted whether [Truly Real] was another type of heavenly wonder.
Could he use it to establish his foundation?
After hearing Elder Yin's words, Li Fan vaguely believed that perhaps he could indeed use [Truly Real] to build a foundation.
But...
Not now.
[Truly Real] was his last trump card. He wouldn't dare risk using it without being certain of its outcome.
If building a foundation with [Truly Real] were compared to solving a complex problem, Li Fan didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in discussions yet.
After all, he still hadn’t fully understood what foundation establishment entailed.
Fortunately, in this era, most questions could be answered by paying for them.
Li Fan's avatar searched for information related to foundation establishment.
"Introduction to Foundation Establishment," "Heaven, Earth, and Man," "A Hundred Men’s Foundation Establishment Records..."
One by one, relevant books were exchanged and read.
Gradually, Li Fan gained a basic understanding of foundation establishment.
By consuming heaven-defying substances in his dantian, the roots of heaven and earth would take root there. Using these substances as soil and nurturing grounds, he absorbed their inherent laws until they grew into what was known as "foundation."
Heaven-defying substances were categorized into three types: heavenly, earthly, and human.
Among them, using a human substance to establish a foundation was the easiest because most of these substances originated from deceased cultivators. They contained insights on the laws accumulated by those cultivators during their lifetimes.
During the process, it was akin to having a teacher constantly guiding him.
Earthly and heavenly substances were closer to pure Daoist principles but lacked the reference points provided by other cultivators' experiences. He would have to spend more time and effort comprehending the myriad rules contained within these substances and integrating them into his own foundation.
However, using a heaven-defying substance to establish a foundation had one benefit: it was guaranteed not to fail.
Just like when condensing heavenly roots during Qi Refinement, he could forcibly draw out spiritual energy.
This method of foundation establishment emphasized stability.
...
"If foundation establishment before the ancient calamities was akin to an open-book exam, then today's foundation establishment is more like a closed-book exam. The answers are right in front of you; how quickly and accurately you can copy them depends on your own abilities," Li Fan mused.
"The rarer the substance, the higher the difficulty of the exam. When it reaches a certain level of difficulty, even understanding the questions becomes impossible."
"From this perspective, even if I wanted to use [Truly Real] in the short term, there's no way I could do it."
"But if I gradually enhance my understanding of the Daoist laws through repeated foundation establishment attempts, there might still be a chance."
"As for using myself as the foundation..."
"In ten years? Perhaps, let Elder Yin try it first."
Li Fan made plans for his next cultivation.
His avatar continued to explore secrets within the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror while exchanging and reading some foundation-establishing techniques to prepare for future integration with his own methods.
Meanwhile, Li Fan intended to wait until the Pearl of the Vast Sea appeared before using it to establish a foundation. In his previous life, he had transformed into the vast sea and gained insights through its consciousness. The connection between him and this pearl was already very strong; using it for foundation establishment would surely be more effective.
With half of the 13 years already passed, there were still about seven or eight years until the Red Flame Devastated Sea and the Pearl of the Vast Sea appeared. He could wait.
Moreover, during this period, he had other ways to gain insights into foundation establishment.
He activated the Formless Killing Mechanism and the Heaven's Eye, Earth's Ear technique.
The scene in his mind gradually became clearer.
In a violent storm, Zhang Haobo floated like a kite without any control, buffeted by the wind. The towering waves and large raindrops hit him relentlessly, but he paid no heed to them.
Li Fan observed Zhang Haobo.
"Three months have passed since I last saw him; now he's at late Qi Refinement..."
"His eyes are tightly closed, his breathing has stopped, even the spiritual energy in his body is silent."
"What is he contemplating?"
Li Fan also observed the raging storm.
Perhaps it was just a feeling, but a flash of green light seemed to have appeared in the dark sky.
"That...?"
When Li Fan looked again, he couldn't see anything. The fleeting glimpse might have been an illusion.
"Green..."
Through Heaven's Eye, Earth's Ear, Li Fan didn’t think he would make such a mistake.
He suddenly recalled the frequent wind disasters in Congyunhai over the years.
He had previously checked information about these disasters through the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror, but they seemed to have no significant impact on cultivators and were not recorded.
Now that he knew, this was likely influenced by the Longevity Heaven Sovereign.
Li Fan remembered a massive storm that occurred just before he arrived in Congyunhai in his previous life. Over a hundred islands were destroyed.
In subsequent years, the scale and frequency of these storms decreased until the Red Flame Devastated Sea appeared.
"Perhaps there's something hidden here, but it’s not time to investigate yet..." Li Fan noted this to himself.
His attention returned to Zhang Haobo.
He was still in a state of enlightenment.
Li Fan couldn’t discern anything. The storm seemed endless and showed no signs of stopping.
So he retained some mental focus to monitor Zhang Haobo's movements, while most of his attention remained on the Ten Thousand Immortal Mirror.
"Putting all my eggs in one basket is clearly not wise; I need a broader approach. I haven't tested how many people the Formless Killing Mechanism can lock onto."
"Hmm, I could find some cultivators who are about to establish their foundations and conduct some tests."
When it came to gathering information, Li Fan thought of Jiao Xiuyuan.
Although this person was greedy and afraid of death, his intelligence was reliable. He was also a long-time customer.
So he hid his form and went straight to the Thousand Mile Hall.
Before entering, Jiao Xiuyuan's voice echoed from afar.
"I've got everything ready; when are you coming to pick it up! I’ve already urged you several times!"
"Don’t tell me any excuses about not being able to come. You just don't want it anymore!"
"Hey? Hey!"
"F*ck!"
Li Fan entered the room and saw Jiao Xiuyuan looking furious.
He slammed a small tripod pot onto the table with force.