méi yǒu gēn xiāo héng jiě shì tài duō ， ràng tā jǐn guǎn fàng xīn zhī hòu ， lǐ fán mǎ bù tíng tí dì lái dào le tiān bǎo lóu 。
没有跟萧恒解释太多，让他尽管放心之后，李凡马不停蹄地来到了天宝楼。
Li Fan didn't explain much to Xiao Heng and simply told him to be at ease. He then rushed straight to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
yīn yǔ zhēn duì yú lǐ fán de tū rán dào lái yǒu xiē yì wài 。
殷雨珍对于李凡的突然到来有些意外。
Yin Yuzhen was surprised by Li Fan's sudden arrival. After hearing his reason for coming, she explained the situation with a look of annoyance on her face.
ér tīng wán lǐ fán guò lái yuán yóu hòu ， yīn yǔ zhēn zé shì yī liǎn yùn nù de jiě shì qǐ liǎo shì qíng de lái lóng qù mài 。
而听完李凡过来缘由后，殷雨珍则是一脸愠怒的解释起了事情的来龙去脉。
It turned out that after months of inquiries, the various forces on Lustrous Isle finally realized that Star Sea Flowing Sand was actually fallen meteor iron from the sky.
yuán lái ， jīng guò zhè jǐ gè yuè de dǎ tīng ， liú lí dǎo de yī zhòng shì lì zhōng yú nòng qīng chǔ le xīng hǎi liú shā jiù shì tiān shàng yǔn tiě de shì qíng 。
原来，经过这几个月的打听，琉璃岛的一众势力终于弄清楚了星海流沙就是天上陨铁的事情。
But when they tried to gather the meteor iron, they found that all the Star Sea Flowing Sand within the Lustrous Island's waters had already been thoroughly cleaned by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. The chaos in the market on Lustrous Isle earlier was due to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion secretly manipulating things behind the scenes.
kě děng tā men xiǎng yào sōu jí yǔn tiě de shí hòu cái fā xiàn ， liú lí dǎo hǎi yù fàn wéi nèi de xīng hǎi liú shā ， yǐ jīng quán bù tiān bǎo lóu sōu guā gān jìng le 。
可等他们想要搜集陨铁的时候才发现，琉璃岛海域范围内的星海流沙，已经全部天宝楼搜刮干净了。
"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is treating us like monkeys!" They complained to the head of Lustrous Isle, demanding an explanation for their actions.
ér zhī qián liú lí dǎo shì chǎng shàng de hùn luàn jǐng xiàng ， jiù shì tiān bǎo lóu zài àn zhōng gǎo guǐ 。
而之前琉璃岛市场上的混乱景象，就是天宝楼在暗中搞鬼。
Of course, Yin Yuzhen defended herself with righteous words, claiming that her actions were legitimate business competition. The head of Lustrous Isle agreed that while her methods might have been a bit excessive, the contest for thequota was based on merit, and as long as she managed to collect all the necessary materials for the Immortal Master, it wasn't entirely wrong.
“ tiān bǎo lóu zhè shì bǎ dà jiā dāng hóu shuǎ ！” xiū nù zhī xià ， tā men nào dào le liú lí dǎo zhǔ nà lǐ ， xiǎng yào tǎo gè shuō fǎ 。
“天宝楼这是把大家当猴耍！”羞怒之下，他们闹到了琉璃岛主那里，想要讨个说法。
Thus, the head did not punish the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion but instead scolded those who had caused trouble.
yīn yǔ zhēn zì rán shì yì zhèng yán cí de wèi zì jǐ biàn jiě ， shuō zì jǐ de xíng wéi shì zhèng dāng de shēng yì jìng zhēng 。
殷雨珍自然是义正言辞的为自己辩解，说自己的行为是正当的生意竞争。
How could these people be content with that?
ér liú lí dǎo zhǔ yě rèn wéi yīn yǔ zhēn de zuò fǎ suī rán guò jī le diǎn ， dàn jìng tǐ líng chí míng é zhī zhēng běn jiù shì gè píng běn shì ， zhǐ yào zuì hòu néng jiāng xiān shī suǒ xū wù zī shōu jí qí ， jiù suàn shǒu duàn shāo wēi yǒu diǎn chū gé ， yě bìng wú bù kě 。
而琉璃岛主也认为殷雨珍的做法虽然过激了点，但净体灵池名额之争本就是各凭本事，只要最后能将仙师所需物资收集齐，就算手段稍微有点出格，也并无不可。
Soon, rumors began circulating around Lustrous Isle about the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion secretly engaging in human smuggling. The rumors grew more and more alarming, suggesting that the Immortal Master would soon condemn and exterminate the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
suǒ yǐ dǎo zhǔ méi yǒu zé fá tiān bǎo lóu ， fǎn ér shì bǎ nà xiē nào shì de rén xùn chì le yī dùn 。
所以岛主没有责罚天宝楼，反而是把那些闹事的人训斥了一顿。
"So how serious is this matter? Will the Immortal Master really blame us?" Li Fan asked after understanding the situation.
zhè xiē rén rú hé gān xīn ？
这些人如何甘心？
"This is what makes it difficult," Yin Yuzhen frowned. "The saying goes, 'When punishment cannot be predicted, its severity is unpredictable.' There has never been a clear prohibition against helping humans smuggle across. But this matter still carries some taboos and can't be seen in the light."
yú shì jǐ rì hòu dǎo shàng jiù kāi shǐ yǒu tiān bǎo lóu àn zhōng zuò fán rén tōu dù shēng yì de xiǎo dào xiāo xī kāi shǐ liú chuán 。
于是几日后岛上就开始有天宝楼暗中做凡人偷渡生意的小道消息开始流传。
"Moreover, about ten years ago, an Immortal Master happened to witness a human smuggling incident and killed everyone present out of anger."
bìng qiě yuè chuán yuè xuán hū ， sì hū míng tiān tiān bǎo lóu jiù yào bèi xiān shī wèn zuì ， zhū shā dài jìn le 。
并且越传越悬乎，似乎明天天宝楼就要被仙师问罪，诛杀殆尽了。
"Since then, everyone tacitly agreed to carry on with these secret human smuggling operations."
“ nà me cǐ shì jiū jìng yán bù yán zhòng ？ xiān shī zhēn de huì guài zuì xià lái me ？” liǎo jiě liǎo shì qíng de jīng guò ， lǐ fán yòu rěn bú zhù wèn dào 。
“那么此事究竟严不严重？仙师真的会怪罪下来么？”了解了事情的经过，李凡又忍不住问道。
Li Fan also frowned. "So this matter could have big or small consequences, depending entirely on the Immortal Master's mood?"
“ zhè yě shì zhè jiàn shì shāng nǎo jīn de dì fāng le 。” yīn yǔ zhēn de méi tóu zhòu qǐ ，“ suǒ wèi xíng bù kě zhī ， zé wēi bù kě cè 。 bāng zhù fán rén tōu dù yī shì ， cóng lái méi yǒu míng wén guī dìng jìn zhì guò 。 dàn cǐ shì zhōng jiū yǒu xiē jì huì ， jiàn bù dé guāng 。”
“这也是这件事伤脑筋的地方了。”殷雨珍的眉头皱起，“所谓刑不可知，则威不可测。帮助凡人偷渡一事，从来没有明文规定禁制过。但此事终究有些忌讳，见不得光。”
"That's right. If the Immortal Master isn't too strict, it won't be a problem. But if he is in a bad mood... " Yin Yuzhen didn't finish her sentence as she turned pale.
“ zài jiā shàng shí jǐ nián qián ， mǒu gè xiān shī zhèng hǎo zhuàng jiàn tōu dù yī shì ， nǎo nù zhī xià jiāng zài chǎng de fán rén quán dōu shā de jīng guāng 。”
“再加上十几年前，某个仙师正好撞见偷渡一事，恼怒之下将在场的凡人全都杀的精光。”
Li Fan fell silent. He remembered the scene when he first met Cao Hong and Dao Xuanzi. To them, ordinary people were like ants—easy to kill at will.
“ zì cǐ dà jiā dōu xīn zhào bù xuān de sī xià qiāo qiāo dì zuò zhè tōu dù shēng yì 。”
“自此大家都心照不宣的私下悄悄地做这偷渡生意。”
"Those who risk their lives for this smuggling business must be making a huge profit," Li Fan sighed.
lǐ fán tīng wán ， yě shì méi tóu wēi zhòu ：“ zhè me shuō ， cǐ shì kě dà kě xiǎo 。 chǔ lǐ qǐ lái quán kàn xiān shī xīn qíng ？”
李凡听完，也是眉头微皱：“这么说，此事可大可小。处理起来全看仙师心情？”
Of course, Yin Yuzhen agreed. "A single smuggling operation often requires the resources of an entire small world over nearly ten years to satisfy. The profits are unimaginable."
“ méi cuò 。 ruò shì xiān shī bù duō jì jiào ， nà yě méi shén me 。 ruò shì xiān shī xīn qíng bù hǎo ， nà me ……” yīn yǔ zhēn huà méi shuō wán ， zhǐ shì liǎn sè yǒu xiē fā bái 。
“没错。若是仙师不多计较，那也没什么。若是仙师心情不好，那么……”殷雨珍话没说完，只是脸色有些发白。
Because of that, some Immortals couldn't resist and secretly joined in for their share of the spoils. They used Immortal Techniques to conceal themselves when interacting with others, making it hard to see their faces. In the end, they would take away most of the profit.
lǐ fán xiàn rù le chén mò 。
李凡陷入了沉默。
"Thus, we have to handle this matter ourselves," Yin Yuzhen said helplessly.
tā xiǎng qǐ le chū jiàn kòu hóng yǔ dào xuán zi shí de chǎng jǐng 。
他想起了初见寇洪与道玄子时的场景。
Li Fan recalled the Immortal who had greeted him upon his arrival in the world of cultivators and nodded.
fán rén zài tā men zhè xiē xiū xiān zhě yǎn zhōng ， zhēn shì rú lóu yǐ bān ， kě yǐ suí yì dǎ shā 。
凡人在他们这些修仙者眼中，真是如蝼蚁般，可以随意打杀。
"So, what kind of temperament does the Immortal on Lustrous Isle have? What is his attitude towards this matter?" Li Fan asked further.
“ nìng yuàn mào zhe bèi shā tóu de fēng xiǎn ， yě yào zuò zhè tōu dù shēng yì ， xiǎng lái zhè qí zhōng de lì rùn yě shì jí gāo de le 。” lǐ fán tàn dào 。
“宁愿冒着被杀头的风险，也要做这偷渡生意，想来这其中的利润也是极高的了。”李凡叹道。
The head of Lustrous Isle usually kept a low profile, and Yin Yuzhen hadn't seen him often. So she couldn't accurately gauge his stance. However, based on how he handled mundane matters in the past, he wasn't known for being lenient.
“ nà shì zì rán 。 yī cì tōu dù de dài jià ， wǎng wǎng xū yào yí gè xiǎo shì jiè sōu guā jìn shí nián cái néng mǎn zú 。 kě xiǎng ér zhī huò lì yǒu duō shǎo 。” yīn yǔ zhēn diǎn tóu 。“ zhèng yīn wèi rú cǐ ， suǒ yǐ cái huì yǒu de xiān shī yě rěn bú zhù ， àn zhōng jiā rù ， fēn yī bēi gēng 。”
“那是自然。一次偷渡的代价，往往需要一个小世界搜刮近十年才能满足。可想而知获利有多少。”殷雨珍点头。“正因为如此，所以才会有的仙师也忍不住，暗中加入，分一杯羹。”
After considering this, Li Fan sighed.
“ zhè xiē xiān shī kě jué bú huì chéng rèn tā men cān yù zhè xiē shì ， yǔ wǒ men jiē chù de shí hòu ， tā men dōu shì yòng xiān fǎ zuò le zhē bì ， kàn bù qīng róng mào 。 ér qiě zuì hòu hái yào ná zǒu dà bàn de lì rùn 。” shuō dào zhè lǐ ， yīn yǔ zhēn yě yǒu xiē wú nài 。“ suǒ yǐ zhè shì hái dé wǒ men tiān bǎo lóu zì jǐ chǔ lǐ 。”
“这些仙师可绝不会承认他们参与这些事，与我们接触的时候，他们都是用仙法做了遮蔽，看不清容貌。而且最后还要拿走大半的利润。”说道这里，殷雨珍也有些无奈。“所以这事还得我们天宝楼自己处理。”
He knew that even with all his schemes, it was futile against such a vast power gap.
lǐ fán xiǎng qǐ le gāng rù xiū xiān jiè shí yù dào de jiē yǐn lí jiè zhòng rén de nà míng xiān shī ， diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
李凡想起了刚入修仙界时遇到的接引离界众人的那名仙师，点了点头。
There was nothing he could do about these unpredictable factors.
“ nà me ， zhù zhā zài liú lí dǎo de nà wèi xiān shī ， shì hé xìng qíng ？ duì yú cǐ shì yòu shì shén me tài dù ？” lǐ fán suí hòu yòu wèn dào 。
“那么，驻扎在琉璃岛的那位仙师，是何性情？对于此事又是什么态度？”李凡随后又问道。
Thinking of the large quantities of Immortal-Demon Mist stored in one of the cabins on the Taiyin Boat, Li Fan said, "If we had thousands of loyalists in Great Xuan, perhaps we might have some chance. But..."
“ liú lí dǎo hé xiān shī píng rì lǐ shēn jū jiǎn chū ， wǒ yě méi jiàn guò jǐ cì 。 suǒ yǐ shí zài nán bù zhǔn tā de tài dù 。 bù guò cóng tā yǐ wǎng chǔ lǐ fán sú zhī shì de shǒu duàn lái kàn ， tā yě bú shì shén me xīn cí shǒu ruǎn zhī bèi 。” yīn yǔ zhēn chén shēng dào 。
“琉璃岛何仙师平日里深居简出，我也没见过几次。所以实在难不准他的态度。不过从他以往处理凡俗之事的手段来看，他也不是什么心慈手软之辈。”殷雨珍沉声道。
He quickly suppressed this dangerous thought.
zài nǎo zhōng fēn xī le yī quān ， lǐ fán zuì zhōng hái shì tàn le kǒu qì 。
在脑中分析了一圈，李凡最终还是叹了口气。
"Let's set a time and meet. This matter shouldn't be made too public," Li Fan said.
lǐ fán zhī dào ， tā zòng shì jì móu bǎi chū ， kě shì zài jué duì de lì liàng chā jù miàn qián ， yī qiè dōu shì wǎng rán 。
李凡知道，他纵是计谋百出，可是在绝对的力量差距面前，一切都是枉然。
"Yes, that's what I think too," Yin Yuzhen agreed.
duì yú zhè zhǒng dìng shí zhà dàn shì de bù wěn dìng yīn sù ， lǐ fán yě méi shén me bàn fǎ 。
对于这种定时炸弹似的不稳定因素，李凡也没什么办法。
"They just want us to hand over the Star Sea Flowing Sand. Since we have enough of it already, let's offer some of it and see them fight among themselves." Li Fan sneered. "There are no unbreakable alliances in this world."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī dòng ， xiǎng qǐ le tài yǎn zhōu mǒu gè chuán cāng nèi bǎo cún zhe dà liàng xiān fán zhàng 。
李凡心中一动，想起了太衍舟某个船舱内保存着大量仙凡瘴。
...
“ ruò shì zài dà xuán ， yǒu zhe chéng qiān shàng wàn de sǐ shì ， huò xǔ hái néng yǒu yī bó zhī lì 。 kě xī ……”
“若是在大玄，有着成千上万的死士，或许还能有一搏之力。可惜……”
Three days later, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion arranged a meeting with various forces on Lustrous Isle. They proposed the following terms:
dàn hěn kuài ， tā jiù jiāng zhè ge wēi xiǎn de xiǎng fǎ yā xià le 。
但很快，他就将这个危险的想法压下了。
The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would hand over part of the Star Sea Flowing Sand but needed equal value in exchange.
“ yuē gè shí jiān ， jiàn yī jiàn ba 。 cǐ shì zhōng jiū bù yí nào de tài dà 。” lǐ fán kāi kǒu dào 。
“约个时间，见一见吧。此事终究不宜闹的太大。”李凡开口道。
How each party would divide the Star Sea Flowing Sand was up to them.
“ ń ， wǒ yě shì zhè me xiǎng de 。” yīn yǔ zhēn dào 。
“嗯，我也是这么想的。”殷雨珍道。
Finally, they had to ensure that one slot for a net body spirit pool went to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
“ tā men wú fēi shì xiǎng wǒ men jiāo chū diǎn xīng hǎi liú shā bà le ， fǎn zhèng wǒ men zhàn le xiān jī ， sōu jí de gòu duō 。 suǒ xìng jiù pāo chū qí zhōng yī bù fèn ， ràng tā men gǒu yǎo gǒu ， hù xiāng zhēng qiǎng 。 tā men bì dìng hěn kuài jiù huì zì jǐ dòu qǐ lái 。” lǐ fán lěng hēng yī shēng 。“ zhè shì shàng kě méi yǒu shén me láo bù kě pò de lián méng 。”
“他们无非是想我们交出点星海流沙罢了，反正我们占了先机，搜集的够多。索性就抛出其中一部分，让他们狗咬狗，互相争抢。他们必定很快就会自己斗起来。”李凡冷哼一声。“这世上可没有什么牢不可破的联盟。”
These conditions weren't too harsh. After some discussion, both sides quickly reached an agreement.
……
……
Since there were no deep-seated grudges and only a contest over thequota, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion successfully extricated itself from the chaos by paying several pieces of meteor iron.
sān rì hòu ， tiān bǎo lóu yuē jiàn liú lí dǎo shàng de yī zhòng shì lì ， tí chū xià liè yāo qiú ：
三日后，天宝楼约见琉璃岛上的一众势力，提出下列要求：
Almost immediately after that, rumors about human smuggling vanished completely.
tiān bǎo lóu tóng yì jiāo chū yī bù fèn xīng hǎi liú shā ， dàn yào xū yào duì fāng ná chū tóng děng jià zhí de wù zī yòng lái jiāo huàn 。
天宝楼同意交出一部分星海流沙，但要需要对方拿出同等价值的物资用来交换。
Meanwhile, other forces began competing for the few pieces of meteor iron, leaving the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion alone.
tóng shí ， zhè xīng hǎi liú shā gè jiā jù tǐ zěn me fēn ， zé yóu gè jiā zì jǐ jué dìng 。
同时，这星海流沙各家具体怎么分，则由各家自己决定。
Time passed quickly. The day to open the net body spirit pool was approaching.
zuì hòu ， bì xū què bǎo tiān bǎo lóu de yí gè jìng tǐ líng chí de míng é 。
最后，必须确保天宝楼的一个净体灵池的名额。
After counting the materials each party had submitted, the finalquota were determined.
zhè tiáo jiàn bù zěn me kē kè ， yú shì zài shāng yì le yī zhèn hòu ， shuāng fāng hěn kuài jiù dá chéng le hé jiě 。
这条件不怎么苛刻，于是在商议了一阵后，双方很快就达成了和解。
There would be a total of thirteen slots, one of which belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
bì jìng shuāng fāng méi yǒu shén me shēn chóu dà hèn ， zhǐ shì wèi le zhēng duó jìng tǐ líng chí de míng é ér yǐ 。
毕竟双方没有什么深仇大恨，只是为了争夺净体灵池的名额而已。
With everything settled, Li Fan felt relieved.
yú shì ， tiān bǎo lóu zài fù chū le jǐ shí kuài yǔn tiě de dài jià hòu ， chéng gōng cóng zhè fēn luàn de xuán wō zhōng tuō shēn chū lái 。
于是，天宝楼在付出了几十块陨铁的代价后，成功从这纷乱的漩涡中脱身出来。
All he needed to do now was wait for the spirit pool to open and rid himself of the Immortal-Demon Mist. He could finally start his journey as a cultivator!
jī hū shì zài dàng tiān ， dǎo shàng yǒu guān tōu dù de liú yán jiù xiāo shī de wú yǐng wú zōng 。
几乎是在当天，岛上有关偷渡的流言就消失的无影无踪。
He had waited too long for this day.
ér qí tā gè jiā shì lì wèi le nà jǐ shí kuài yǔn tiě yě kāi shǐ le míng zhēng àn dòu ， zài wú xiá gù jì tiān bǎo lóu le 。
而其他各家势力为了那几十块陨铁也开始了明争暗斗，再无暇顾忌天宝楼了。
Even with his usual composure, Li Fan became somewhat excited.
shí guāng rěn rǎn ， jìng tǐ líng chí kāi qǐ de rì zi hěn kuài jiù yào dào le 。
时光荏苒，净体灵池开启的日子很快就要到了。
Name: Li Fan
Stage: Mortal
Physical Age: 42/99
Psychological Age: 505/1299↑
Virtual Void Energy Accumulation: 121%
Anchor Energy Accumulation: 51%
Current Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: The Thousand Mechanisms Jade Circle Seal, Taiyin Boat, Stopped Step Inscription (Damaged)
zài jié shù le duì gè jiā shàng jiāo wù zī de qīng diǎn zhī hòu ， cǐ cì jìng tǐ líng chí de míng é zhōng yú què dìng xià lái 。
在结束了对各家上交物资的清点之后，此次净体灵池的名额终于确定下来。
Li Fan looked at his "Really True" panel. After two years of transformation, his physical age had reached the limit of 99 and showed no signs of further growth.
cǐ cì rù chí míng é yī gòng shí sān gè ， tiān bǎo lóu yǒu qí yī 。
此次入池名额一共十三个，天宝楼有其一。
However, due to his nightly practice of the Xuan Huang Qingxin Spell, his psychological age continued to slowly increase.
dà shì zhōng dìng ， lǐ fán yě bù jīn sōng le kǒu qì 。
大事终定，李凡也不禁松了口气。
What changes would occur after the spirit pool's cleansing?
zhǐ děng líng chí kāi qǐ ， lǐ fán jiù néng qū chú yī shēn zhàng qì ， zhèng shì tà shàng xiū xiān lù ！
只等灵池开启，李凡就能祛除一身瘴气，正式踏上修仙路！
Li Fan was looking forward to it.
zhè yī tiān ， tā yǐ jīng děng le tài jiǔ 。
这一天，他已经等了太久。
The day finally arrived for the opening of the net body spirit pool. That morning, Li Fan took the Departing Dust Pill given by Yin Yuzhen and entered the central array on Lustrous Isle under someone's guidance.
Li Fan didn't explain much to Xiao Heng and simply told him to be at ease. He then rushed straight to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
Yin Yuzhen was surprised by Li Fan's sudden arrival. After hearing his reason for coming, she explained the situation with a look of annoyance on her face.
It turned out that after months of inquiries, the various forces on Lustrous Isle finally realized that Star Sea Flowing Sand was actually fallen meteor iron from the sky.
But when they tried to gather the meteor iron, they found that all the Star Sea Flowing Sand within the Lustrous Island's waters had already been thoroughly cleaned by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. The chaos in the market on Lustrous Isle earlier was due to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion secretly manipulating things behind the scenes.
"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is treating us like monkeys!" They complained to the head of Lustrous Isle, demanding an explanation for their actions.
Of course, Yin Yuzhen defended herself with righteous words, claiming that her actions were legitimate business competition. The head of Lustrous Isle agreed that while her methods might have been a bit excessive, the contest for thequota was based on merit, and as long as she managed to collect all the necessary materials for the Immortal Master, it wasn't entirely wrong.
Thus, the head did not punish the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion but instead scolded those who had caused trouble.
How could these people be content with that?
Soon, rumors began circulating around Lustrous Isle about the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion secretly engaging in human smuggling. The rumors grew more and more alarming, suggesting that the Immortal Master would soon condemn and exterminate the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
"So how serious is this matter? Will the Immortal Master really blame us?" Li Fan asked after understanding the situation.
"This is what makes it difficult," Yin Yuzhen frowned. "The saying goes, 'When punishment cannot be predicted, its severity is unpredictable.' There has never been a clear prohibition against helping humans smuggle across. But this matter still carries some taboos and can't be seen in the light."
"Moreover, about ten years ago, an Immortal Master happened to witness a human smuggling incident and killed everyone present out of anger."
"Since then, everyone tacitly agreed to carry on with these secret human smuggling operations."
Li Fan also frowned. "So this matter could have big or small consequences, depending entirely on the Immortal Master's mood?"
"That's right. If the Immortal Master isn't too strict, it won't be a problem. But if he is in a bad mood... " Yin Yuzhen didn't finish her sentence as she turned pale.
Li Fan fell silent. He remembered the scene when he first met Cao Hong and Dao Xuanzi. To them, ordinary people were like ants—easy to kill at will.
"Those who risk their lives for this smuggling business must be making a huge profit," Li Fan sighed.
Of course, Yin Yuzhen agreed. "A single smuggling operation often requires the resources of an entire small world over nearly ten years to satisfy. The profits are unimaginable."
Because of that, some Immortals couldn't resist and secretly joined in for their share of the spoils. They used Immortal Techniques to conceal themselves when interacting with others, making it hard to see their faces. In the end, they would take away most of the profit.
"Thus, we have to handle this matter ourselves," Yin Yuzhen said helplessly.
Li Fan recalled the Immortal who had greeted him upon his arrival in the world of cultivators and nodded.
"So, what kind of temperament does the Immortal on Lustrous Isle have? What is his attitude towards this matter?" Li Fan asked further.
The head of Lustrous Isle usually kept a low profile, and Yin Yuzhen hadn't seen him often. So she couldn't accurately gauge his stance. However, based on how he handled mundane matters in the past, he wasn't known for being lenient.
After considering this, Li Fan sighed.
He knew that even with all his schemes, it was futile against such a vast power gap.
There was nothing he could do about these unpredictable factors.
Thinking of the large quantities of Immortal-Demon Mist stored in one of the cabins on the Taiyin Boat, Li Fan said, "If we had thousands of loyalists in Great Xuan, perhaps we might have some chance. But..."
He quickly suppressed this dangerous thought.
"Let's set a time and meet. This matter shouldn't be made too public," Li Fan said.
"Yes, that's what I think too," Yin Yuzhen agreed.
"They just want us to hand over the Star Sea Flowing Sand. Since we have enough of it already, let's offer some of it and see them fight among themselves." Li Fan sneered. "There are no unbreakable alliances in this world."
...
Three days later, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion arranged a meeting with various forces on Lustrous Isle. They proposed the following terms:
The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would hand over part of the Star Sea Flowing Sand but needed equal value in exchange.
How each party would divide the Star Sea Flowing Sand was up to them.
Finally, they had to ensure that one slot for a net body spirit pool went to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
These conditions weren't too harsh. After some discussion, both sides quickly reached an agreement.
Since there were no deep-seated grudges and only a contest over thequota, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion successfully extricated itself from the chaos by paying several pieces of meteor iron.
Almost immediately after that, rumors about human smuggling vanished completely.
Meanwhile, other forces began competing for the few pieces of meteor iron, leaving the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion alone.
Time passed quickly. The day to open the net body spirit pool was approaching.
After counting the materials each party had submitted, the finalquota were determined.
There would be a total of thirteen slots, one of which belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
With everything settled, Li Fan felt relieved.
All he needed to do now was wait for the spirit pool to open and rid himself of the Immortal-Demon Mist. He could finally start his journey as a cultivator!
He had waited too long for this day.
Even with his usual composure, Li Fan became somewhat excited.
Name: Li Fan
Stage: Mortal
Physical Age: 42/99
Psychological Age: 505/1299↑
Virtual Void Energy Accumulation: 121%
Anchor Energy Accumulation: 51%
Current Anchor Points: 1
Bound Items: The Thousand Mechanisms Jade Circle Seal, Taiyin Boat, Stopped Step Inscription (Damaged)
Li Fan looked at his "Really True" panel. After two years of transformation, his physical age had reached the limit of 99 and showed no signs of further growth.
However, due to his nightly practice of the Xuan Huang Qingxin Spell, his psychological age continued to slowly increase.
What changes would occur after the spirit pool's cleansing?
Li Fan was looking forward to it.
The day finally arrived for the opening of the net body spirit pool. That morning, Li Fan took the Departing Dust Pill given by Yin Yuzhen and entered the central array on Lustrous Isle under someone's guidance.