“ zhè me guāng míng zhèng dà de zhí wèi mǎi mài ？ nán dào méi rén guǎn ma ？” lǐ fán zhuāng zuò zhèn jīng de huí fù dào 。
“这么光明正大的职位买卖？难道没人管嘛？”李凡装作震惊的回复道。
"Such a blatant job sale? Is no one overseeing this?" Li Fan replied, feigning shock.
“ guǎn ？ shuí guǎn ？ huà shén xiān jūn ma ？” hé zhèng hào què fǎn wèn dào 。“ wàn xiān dǎo shàng de nà liǎng wèi ， gàn qǐ zhè shì lái kě shì bǐ xià miàn de rén guāng míng zhèng dà duō le 。”
“管？谁管？化神仙君嘛？”何正浩却反问道。“万仙岛上的那两位，干起这事来可是比下面的人光明正大多了。”
"Oversee? Who would oversee it? The Immortal of Transformation and Deity, perhaps?" Hao Zhenghao retorted. "The two on Ten Thousand Immortals Island do such things much more openly than anyone else."
“ hāi hāi ……” hé zhèng hào dùn le dùn ， yòu gěi lǐ fán jiě shì qǐ lái 。
“咳咳……”何正浩顿了顿，又给李凡解释起来。
"Cough... Cough..." Hao Zhenghao paused, then explained further to Li Fan.
“ wàn xiān méng zài měi gè zhōu ， dōu shì gāo dù zì zhì de 。 zhǐ yào bù pò huài méng nèi de guī jǔ ， bù jīng dòng hù fǎ táng nà qún rén 。 zǒng bù cái lǎn de guǎn dǐ xià gè gè fēn bù de shì 。”
“万仙盟在每个州，都是高度自治的。只要不破坏盟内的规矩，不惊动护法堂那群人。总部才懒得管底下各个分部的事。”
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance operates with high autonomy in each state. As long as you don't break the internal rules and don't rouse the attention of the Law Enforcers Hall, the headquarters doesn't bother much about what goes on at the various branches."
“ fǎn zhèng méng nèi zī yuán de jiāo yì 、 fēn pèi ， dōu dé tōng guò tiān xuán jìng 。 yī qiè dōu zài zhǎng wò zhī zhōng ， chū bù liǎo dà luàn zi 。”
“反正盟内资源的交易、分配，都得通过天玄镜。一切都在掌握之中，出不了大乱子。”
"In any case, all resource transactions within the alliance must go through the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. Everything is under control; major chaos won't happen."
“ zhè yàng shuō lái ， nà hù fǎ táng zuì yǒu dì wèi le ？ dào yǒu kě zhī ， zěn yàng cái néng jiā rù qí zhōng ne ？ nǎ pà duō huā diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， wǒ yě shì yuàn yì de 。” xiǎng qǐ dì shí yī shì de shí hòu ， nà ge zhuī shā zì jǐ de zhù jī xiū shì wàn hù fǎ ， lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“这样说来，那护法堂最有地位了？道友可知，怎样才能加入其中呢？哪怕多花点贡献度，我也是愿意的。”想起第十一世的时候，那个追杀自己的筑基修士万护法，李凡问道。
"From this perspective, isn't the Law Enforcers Hall the most influential? Fellow Daoist, do you know how to join it? Even if I have to spend more contribution points, I'm willing," Li Fan asked, recalling the tenth-generation Guardian Immortal Wan who had pursued him.
“ měi gè zhōu de hù fǎ táng rén yuán ， dōu shì yóu zǒng bù zhí jiē pài qiǎn rèn mìng de 。 dào yǒu xiǎng yào jiā rù hù fǎ táng ， zhe shí yǒu xiē kùn nán 。” hé zhèng hào wěi wǎn de huí dá dào 。
“每个州的护法堂人员，都是由总部直接派遣任命的。道友想要加入护法堂，着实有些困难。”何正浩委婉的回答道。
"The Law Enforcers Hall personnel in each state are directly dispatched and appointed by headquarters. It's rather difficult for a fellow Daoist like you to join," Hao Zhenghao replied diplomatically.
“ xiǎng yào chéng wéi hù fǎ de xiū shì kě tài duō le ， jìng zhēng jī liè ， pái duì dōu pái bù guò lái 。” hé zhèng hào gǎn kǎi dào 。“ wéi yī kào pǔ de fāng fǎ jiù shì nà shí nián yī cì de kǎo hé le 。 xiǎng dāng chū wǒ yě shì céng jīng yǒu zhì yú dāng yī míng hù fǎ de ， kě shì yāo qiú tài guò yán gé ， méi néng rù xuǎn 。 zuì hòu zhǐ néng tuì ér qiú qí cì ， xuǎn zé liǎo dàng yī míng dǎo yǔ zhèn shǒu 。”
“想要成为护法的修士可太多了，竞争激烈，排队都排不过来。”何正浩感慨道。“唯一靠谱的方法就是那十年一次的考核了。想当初我也是曾经有志于当一名护法的，可是要求太过严格，没能入选。最后只能退而求其次，选择了当一名岛屿镇守。”
"There are too many aspiring Guardians; competition is fierce, and there aren't enough spots even for the queue." Hao Zhenghao sighed. "The only reliable method is the once-a-decade assessment. Back then, I had aspired to be a Guardian, but the requirements were too strict, so I didn't make it. In the end, I settled for being an island guardian."
“ fǒu zé de huà ， wǒ rú jīn yě bú huì wèi gōng fǎ fā chóu le 。 yào zhī dào ， hù fǎ táng hù fǎ ， kě shì néng miǎn fèi tiāo xuǎn 、 xiū xíng gōng fǎ de 。” hé zhèng hào xiàn mù wàn fēn de shuō dào 。
“否则的话，我如今也不会为功法发愁了。要知道，护法堂护法，可是能免费挑选、修行功法的。”何正浩羡慕万分的说道。
"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been worrying about acquiring new techniques now. After all, Guardians can freely choose and practice their techniques," Hao Zhenghao said enviously.
“ jū rán hái yǒu zhè děng hǎo shì ？” lǐ fán yǒu xiē jīng yà 。
“居然还有这等好事？”李凡有些惊讶。
"A free technique? An assessment every ten years?" Li Fan was surprised.
“ nà shì zì rán 。 hù fǎ měi tiān dōu xū yào miàn duì gè zhǒng qióng xiōng jí è de dào fǎ zhě ， yǔn luò de fēng xiǎn kě bù suàn xiǎo 。 fú lì hǎo diǎn yě shì zhèng cháng 。” hé zhèng hào lǐ suǒ dāng rán de shuō dào 。
“那是自然。护法每天都需要面对各种穷凶极恶的盗法者，陨落的风险可不算小。福利好点也是正常。”何正浩理所当然的说道。
"That's natural. Law Enforcers face various ruthless plagiarists daily; the risk of falling is not small. Better benefits are normal." Hao Zhenghao stated matter-of-factly.
“ qí shí zhèn fǎ xiū shàn yuán yě bù cuò la ， dào yǒu yě méi bì yào fēi dīng zhe hù fǎ yī zhí bù fàng 。 měi nián dōu yǒu gù dìng de bào chóu lǐng qǔ ， hái néng gēn zài zhèn fǎ dà shī hòu miàn miǎn fèi xué xí zhèn dào zhī shí 。 xū yào zuò de ， yě jiù shì bāng máng xiū shàn cóng yún hǎi gè gè dǎo yǔ de hù dǎo dà zhèn bà le 。”
“其实阵法修缮员也不错啦，道友也没必要非盯着护法一职不放。每年都有固定的报酬领取，还能跟在阵法大师后面免费学习阵道知识。需要做的，也就是帮忙修缮丛云海各个岛屿的护岛大阵罢了。”
"Actually, being a Formation Repairer isn't bad either. You don’t have to focus solely on becoming a Guardian. There’s fixed compensation every year, and you can follow an Array Master to learn array techniques for free. All you need is to help repair the protective arrays of the islands in Cunyun Sea."
“ dào yǒu yào bù yào kǎo lǜ yī xià ？ zhǐ xū yào yī wàn diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， wǒ jiù kě yǐ bāng nǐ qù yóu shuì yùn zuò yī xià 。”
“道友要不要考虑一下？只需要一万点贡献度，我就可以帮你去游说运作一下。”
"Do you think I should consider it? It would only cost ten thousand contribution points, and I could persuade them on your behalf," Hao Zhenghao asked enticingly.
hé zhèng hào yòng chōng mǎn yòu huò de yǔ qì wèn dào 。
何正浩用充满诱惑的语气问道。
"Are you familiar with Master Zhang Ziliang?" Li Fan asked. "I heard he is kind to people and an expert in array techniques, considered the best in Cunyun Sea. As a Formation Repairer, following him would likely be better."
lǐ fán què yòu wèn dào ：“ bù zhī dào yǒu gēn zhāng zhì liáng dà shī shú bù shú xī ？ wǒ tīng shuō cǐ rén dài rén kuān hòu ， zhèn dào shuǐ píng gāo jué ， kān chēng cóng yún hǎi dì yī 。 ruò shì dāng zhèn fǎ xiū shàn yuán de huà ， xiǎng bì gēn zài tā de hòu miàn ， huì gèng hǎo yì diǎn 。”
李凡却又问道：“不知道友跟张志良大师熟不熟悉？我听说此人待人宽厚，阵道水平高绝，堪称丛云海第一。若是当阵法修缮员的话，想必跟在他的后面，会更好一点。”
Hao Zhenghao was surprised. "Kind? Where did you hear that from? His temperament can be rather peculiar."
hé zhèng hào yǒu xiē chà yì ：“ dài rén kuān hòu ？ dào yǒu nǐ shì cóng nǎ lǐ tīng shuō de ？ zhè rén de pí qì kě yǒu xiē gǔ guài 。”
何正浩有些诧异：“待人宽厚？道友你是从哪里听说的？这人的脾气可有些古怪。”
"Nevertheless, his array techniques are indeed formidable. Following him might yield greater rewards."
“ bù guò ， tā de zhèn dào shuǐ píng yě dí què lì hài 。 gēn zài tā hòu miàn ， shōu huò què shí kě néng huì dà yī diǎn 。”
“不过，他的阵道水平也的确厉害。跟在他后面，收获确实可能会大一点。”
"I cannot guarantee anything, but I will try my best," Hao Zhenghao said honestly.
“ cǐ shì wǒ bù gǎn dǎ bāo piào ， zhǐ néng jǐn liàng shì yī shì le 。” hé zhèng hào lǎo shí dì shuō dào 。
“此事我不敢打包票，只能尽量试一试了。”何正浩老实地说道。
"Fellow Daoist, go ahead and do whatever it takes. Whether it succeeds or fails, I’ll remember your kindness." Li Fan boasted. "There’s no need to worry about contribution points. After borrowing some from the Clear Wind Hall and adding Spirit Mist Grass, I still have some left over. It should be enough for this."
“ dào yǒu jǐn guǎn fàng shǒu qù bàn ， wú lùn chéng hái shì bù chéng ， ēn qíng wǒ dōu jì zài xīn zhōng 。” lǐ fán kuā kǒu dào 。“ yě bù yòng dān xīn gòng xiàn dù de wèn tí 。 wǒ zài qīng fēng táng jiè le gòng xiàn dù ， jiā cāng le líng wù cǎo hòu ， hái yǒu yī xiē shèng yú 。 duì fù cǐ shì ， yīng dāng shì gòu yòng le 。”
“道友尽管放手去办，无论成还是不成，恩情我都记在心中。”李凡夸口道。“也不用担心贡献度的问题。我在清风堂借了贡献度，加仓了灵雾草后，还有一些剩余。对付此事，应当是够用了。”
Hearing that, Hao Zhenghao said, "Since you say so, I’ll do my best. Fellow Daoist, wait for my good news!"
hé zhèng hào wén yán dào ：“ jì rán dào yǒu dōu rú cǐ shuō le ， nà wǒ bì dìng quán lì ér wèi 。 dào yǒu qiě děng wǒ de hǎo xiāo xī ！”
何正浩闻言道：“既然道友都如此说了，那我必定全力而为。道友且等我的好消息！”
After thanking him again, Li Fan ended the communication with a sigh of how well Hao was like a good comrade.
yòu shì gǎn xiè le yī fān hòu ， lǐ fán zài “ hé dào yǒu zhēn shì hǎo tóng zhì ” de gǎn kǎi zhōng ， jié shù le tōng xùn 。
又是感谢了一番后，李凡在“何道友真是好同志”的感慨中，结束了通讯。
"Free techniques and an assessment every ten years..." Li Fan thought as he searched through information in the Ten Thousand Immortals Realm.
“ miǎn fèi gōng fǎ ， shí nián kǎo hé ……” lǐ fán xiǎng le xiǎng ， zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng sōu suǒ qǐ le xiāng guān xìn xī 。
“免费功法，十年考核……”李凡想了想，在天玄境中搜索起了相关信息。
---
wàn xiān méng rù zhí kǎo hé ， měi shí nián yī cì 。
万仙盟入职考核，每十年一次。
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance held job entry assessments once every decade. The last one was roughly half a year ago. Depending on the intended position, the content varied.
shàng yī cì kǎo hé ， chà bu duō shì zài dà bàn nián zhī qián 。
上一次考核，差不多是在大半年之前。
The assessment took place within the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror and eliminated any possibility of favoritism or cheating. Results were immediately revealed after the assessment, with no need to wait long.
gēn jù yì xiàng zhí wèi de bù tóng ， kǎo hé de nèi róng yě yǒu suǒ bù tóng 。
根据意向职位的不同，考核的内容也有所不同。
Participants would lose their memory of the assessment once they left the mirror, preventing anyone from profiting from it.
kǎo hé jiù zài zhè tiān xuán jìng zhōng jìn xíng ， yě duàn jué le xùn sī wǔ bì de kě néng 。
考核就在这天玄镜中进行，也断绝了徇私舞弊的可能。
"Really thorough!" Li Fan marveled. "I should go see how things are when the next assessment opens."
jié guǒ zài kǎo hé jié shù hòu mǎ shàng chū lú ， bù yòng děng tài jiǔ de shí jiān 。
结果在考核结束后马上出炉，不用等太久的时间。
After searching for other Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators' impressions of the assessments, most agreed that it was difficult and full of irregularities.
ér cān yù kǎo hé de rén zài lí kāi tiān xuán jìng hòu ， jiāng huì shī qù yǒu guān yú kǎo hé nèi róng de jì yì 。
而参与考核的人在离开天玄镜后，将会失去有关于考核内容的记忆。
"You have a new video message; please check it immediately," the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror suddenly prompted as Li Fan was engrossed in his search.
dù jué le yǒu rén huò yīn cǐ móu lì de kě néng 。
杜绝了有人或因此牟利的可能。
"Ah?"
……
……
Li Fan was curious. He opened the image to find a man in a green robe standing before him.
“ hái zhēn shì yán jǐn a ！” lǐ fán zé zé chēng qí dào 。“ xià cì kǎo hé kāi qǐ de shí hòu ， kě yǐ qù jiàn jiàn shì miàn 。”
“还真是严谨啊！”李凡啧啧称奇道。“下次考核开启的时候，可以去见见世面。”
"I am Chen Ying from the Medicine Hall. I wonder where you found those two blue-blood coral plants last time?"
yòu sōu suǒ le yī fān wàn xiān méng zhòng xiū shì duì yú kǎo hé de yìn xiàng ， fā xiàn “ nán ”“ lí pǔ ”“ yǒu hēi mù ” chéng le jué dà duō shù xiū shì de gòng shí 。
又搜索了一番万仙盟众修士对于考核的印象，发现“难”“离谱”“有黑幕”成了绝大多数修士的共识。
"After this successful alchemy, I discovered that the Ice Intent Absolute Emotion Pill's potency is much stronger than previous batches."
“ nǐ yǒu xīn de yǐng xiàng chuán xùn ， qǐng jí shí chá shōu 。”
“你有新的影像传讯，请及时查收。”
"Other aspects remained unchanged. The only unexpected factor was these two blue-blood corals."
lǐ fán zhèng kàn dé jīn jīn yǒu wèi de shí hòu ， tiān xuán jìng de tí shì què shì tū rán xiǎng qǐ 。
李凡正看得津津有味的时候，天玄镜的提示却是突然响起。
"I reprocessed them with other blue-blood corals and found no enhancement in efficacy."
“ yí ？”
“咦？”
"The quality of the two blue-blood corals you provided is significantly higher than usual."
lǐ fán yǒu xiē qí guài ， dǎ kāi yǐng xiàng ， yī wèi shēn chuān qīng páo de nán zi huò rán chū xiàn 。
李凡有些奇怪，打开影像，一位身穿青袍的男子霍然出现。
I want to visit their growth site to see if I can discover anything more," he said.
“ zhè wèi … xiǎo yǒu 。 wǒ shì yào táng chén yīng 。”
“这位…小友。我是药堂陈英。”
"Regardless of the outcome, if you truthfully inform me, I will surely reward you heavily."
“ bù zhī nǐ shàng cì tí gōng de nà liǎng zhū lán xuè shān hú ， shì cóng hé chù fā xiàn de ？”
“不知你上次提供的那两株蓝血珊瑚，是从何处发现的？”
---
“ wǒ zhè cì liàn dān chéng gōng zhī hòu ， fā xiàn chū lú de bīng yì jué qíng dān ， jìng rán bǐ zhī qián liàn zhì de yào xiào yào qiáng shàng bù shǎo 。”
“我这次炼丹成功之后，发现出炉的冰意绝情丹，竟然比之前炼制的药效要强上不少。”
The video message ended without a reply. Li Fan fell into deep thought.
“ bié de fāng miàn dōu méi shén me biàn dòng 。 sī lái xiǎng qù ， wéi yī de yì wài yīn sù ， jiù shì chū zài zhè liǎng zhū lán xuè shān hú shēn shàng 。”
“别的方面都没什么变动。思来想去，唯一的意外因素，就是出在这两株蓝血珊瑚身上。”
Recalling his previous collection of blue-blood corals, he didn't notice any particularities at those locations.
“ yú shì wǒ yòng bié de lán xuè shān hú chóng xīn liàn zhì le yī fān ， fā xiàn guǒ rán yào xiào zēng qiáng de xiào guǒ yòu xiāo shī le 。”
“于是我用别的蓝血珊瑚重新炼制了一番，发现果然药效增强的效果又消失了。”
"Could it have been due to carelessness?" Li Fan pondered and decided to visit again for verification.
“ nǐ tí gōng de zhè liǎng zhū lán xuè shān hú ， jiào zhī cháng guī de pǐn zhǒng ， pǐn zhì yào gāo shàng bù shǎo 。”
“你提供的这两株蓝血珊瑚，较之常规的品种，品质要高上不少。”
To avoid being followed by Medicine Hall's Chen Ying, Li Fan bought a "Trace Elimination Talisman" in the Ten Thousand Immortals Realm. It was an upgraded version of the "Shape Concealment Talisman," capable of shielding even Yuan婴 cultivators' probing.
“ wǒ xiǎng yào qù qí shēng zhǎng dì yī kàn jiū jìng ， huò xǔ hái néng fā xiàn shén me 。”
“我想要去其生长地一看究竟，或许还能发现什么。”
After activating the Trace Elimination Talisman, Li Fan returned to the underwater ruins where he had found the blue-blood corals near Fog Crow Island.
“ bù guǎn jié guǒ rú hé ， ruò shì xiǎo yǒu rú shí xiàng gào ， wǒ dōu bì yǒu zhòng xiè 。”
“不管结果如何，若是小友如实相告，我都必有重谢。”
With the coral taken away, the place no longer held its vibrant life. Only a few fish occasionally swam through the gaps in the fallen debris.
……
……
"There's nothing special here," Li Fan checked but still couldn't find any differences.
yǐng xiàng xiāo shī ， méi yǒu lì jí huí fù ， lǐ fán què shì xiàn rù le chén sī zhī zhōng 。
影像消失，没有立即回复，李凡却是陷入了沉思之中。
Even when he locked onto one of the fish using the Formless Killing Mechanism and observed it under the world view, the result remained unchanged.
huí xiǎng qǐ zhī qián cǎi zhāi lán xuè shān hú de guò chéng ， lǐ fán dāng shí méi yǒu chá jué dào nà liǎng chù dì diǎn yǒu shén me tè shū de 。
回想起之前采摘蓝血珊瑚的过程，李凡当时没有察觉到那两处地点有什么特殊的。
Li Fan then went to the deep valley where he had found the second blue-blood coral. The same outcome persisted.
“ nán bù chéng ， shì yì shí shū hū le ？” lǐ fán xiǎng le xiǎng ， jué dìng hái shì zài pǎo yī tàng ， kàn gè jiū jìng 。
“难不成，是一时疏忽了？”李凡想了想，决定还是再跑一趟，看个究竟。
"A Yuan婴 cultivator and a Medicine Hall elder; they shouldn't be fooling me."
wèi le fáng zhǐ bèi zhè wèi yào táng chén yīng gēn zōng wěi suí ， lǐ fán hái tè dì zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， mǎi le yī méi “ miè zōng fú ”。
为了防止被这位药堂陈英跟踪尾随，李凡还特地在天玄境中，买了一枚“灭踪符”。
"Perhaps my cultivation is insufficient to notice anything?"
nǎi shì “ cáng xíng fú ” de shēng jí bǎn běn ， zuì gāo néng píng bì yuán yīng jìng xiū shì de kuī tàn 。
乃是“藏形符”的升级版本，最高能屏蔽元婴境修士的窥探。
Given the current situation, this was the only explanation. Li Fan returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror and contacted Chen Ying.
"Such a blatant job sale? Is no one overseeing this?" Li Fan replied, feigning shock.
"Oversee? Who would oversee it? The Immortal of Transformation and Deity, perhaps?" Hao Zhenghao retorted. "The two on Ten Thousand Immortals Island do such things much more openly than anyone else."
"Cough... Cough..." Hao Zhenghao paused, then explained further to Li Fan.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance operates with high autonomy in each state. As long as you don't break the internal rules and don't rouse the attention of the Law Enforcers Hall, the headquarters doesn't bother much about what goes on at the various branches."
"In any case, all resource transactions within the alliance must go through the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror. Everything is under control; major chaos won't happen."
"From this perspective, isn't the Law Enforcers Hall the most influential? Fellow Daoist, do you know how to join it? Even if I have to spend more contribution points, I'm willing," Li Fan asked, recalling the tenth-generation Guardian Immortal Wan who had pursued him.
"The Law Enforcers Hall personnel in each state are directly dispatched and appointed by headquarters. It's rather difficult for a fellow Daoist like you to join," Hao Zhenghao replied diplomatically.
"There are too many aspiring Guardians; competition is fierce, and there aren't enough spots even for the queue." Hao Zhenghao sighed. "The only reliable method is the once-a-decade assessment. Back then, I had aspired to be a Guardian, but the requirements were too strict, so I didn't make it. In the end, I settled for being an island guardian."
"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been worrying about acquiring new techniques now. After all, Guardians can freely choose and practice their techniques," Hao Zhenghao said enviously.
"A free technique? An assessment every ten years?" Li Fan was surprised.
"That's natural. Law Enforcers face various ruthless plagiarists daily; the risk of falling is not small. Better benefits are normal." Hao Zhenghao stated matter-of-factly.
"Actually, being a Formation Repairer isn't bad either. You don’t have to focus solely on becoming a Guardian. There’s fixed compensation every year, and you can follow an Array Master to learn array techniques for free. All you need is to help repair the protective arrays of the islands in Cunyun Sea."
"Do you think I should consider it? It would only cost ten thousand contribution points, and I could persuade them on your behalf," Hao Zhenghao asked enticingly.
"Are you familiar with Master Zhang Ziliang?" Li Fan asked. "I heard he is kind to people and an expert in array techniques, considered the best in Cunyun Sea. As a Formation Repairer, following him would likely be better."
Hao Zhenghao was surprised. "Kind? Where did you hear that from? His temperament can be rather peculiar."
"Nevertheless, his array techniques are indeed formidable. Following him might yield greater rewards."
"I cannot guarantee anything, but I will try my best," Hao Zhenghao said honestly.
"Fellow Daoist, go ahead and do whatever it takes. Whether it succeeds or fails, I’ll remember your kindness." Li Fan boasted. "There’s no need to worry about contribution points. After borrowing some from the Clear Wind Hall and adding Spirit Mist Grass, I still have some left over. It should be enough for this."
Hearing that, Hao Zhenghao said, "Since you say so, I’ll do my best. Fellow Daoist, wait for my good news!"
After thanking him again, Li Fan ended the communication with a sigh of how well Hao was like a good comrade.
"Free techniques and an assessment every ten years..." Li Fan thought as he searched through information in the Ten Thousand Immortals Realm.
---
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance held job entry assessments once every decade. The last one was roughly half a year ago. Depending on the intended position, the content varied.
The assessment took place within the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror and eliminated any possibility of favoritism or cheating. Results were immediately revealed after the assessment, with no need to wait long.
Participants would lose their memory of the assessment once they left the mirror, preventing anyone from profiting from it.
"Really thorough!" Li Fan marveled. "I should go see how things are when the next assessment opens."
After searching for other Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators' impressions of the assessments, most agreed that it was difficult and full of irregularities.
"You have a new video message; please check it immediately," the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror suddenly prompted as Li Fan was engrossed in his search.
"Ah?"
Li Fan was curious. He opened the image to find a man in a green robe standing before him.
"I am Chen Ying from the Medicine Hall. I wonder where you found those two blue-blood coral plants last time?"
"After this successful alchemy, I discovered that the Ice Intent Absolute Emotion Pill's potency is much stronger than previous batches."
"Other aspects remained unchanged. The only unexpected factor was these two blue-blood corals."
"I reprocessed them with other blue-blood corals and found no enhancement in efficacy."
"The quality of the two blue-blood corals you provided is significantly higher than usual."
I want to visit their growth site to see if I can discover anything more," he said.
"Regardless of the outcome, if you truthfully inform me, I will surely reward you heavily."
---
The video message ended without a reply. Li Fan fell into deep thought.
Recalling his previous collection of blue-blood corals, he didn't notice any particularities at those locations.
"Could it have been due to carelessness?" Li Fan pondered and decided to visit again for verification.
To avoid being followed by Medicine Hall's Chen Ying, Li Fan bought a "Trace Elimination Talisman" in the Ten Thousand Immortals Realm. It was an upgraded version of the "Shape Concealment Talisman," capable of shielding even Yuan婴 cultivators' probing.
After activating the Trace Elimination Talisman, Li Fan returned to the underwater ruins where he had found the blue-blood corals near Fog Crow Island.
With the coral taken away, the place no longer held its vibrant life. Only a few fish occasionally swam through the gaps in the fallen debris.
"There's nothing special here," Li Fan checked but still couldn't find any differences.
Even when he locked onto one of the fish using the Formless Killing Mechanism and observed it under the world view, the result remained unchanged.
Li Fan then went to the deep valley where he had found the second blue-blood coral. The same outcome persisted.
"A Yuan婴 cultivator and a Medicine Hall elder; they shouldn't be fooling me."
"Perhaps my cultivation is insufficient to notice anything?"
Given the current situation, this was the only explanation. Li Fan returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror and contacted Chen Ying.