yào zhī dào ， zài líng hú chāng jì yì zhōng ， zhè wèi liǔ sān kě shì jí jīng yú liàn dān zhī dào de dà jiā 。
要知道，在令狐昌记忆中，这位柳三可是极精于炼丹之道的大家。
To understand, in Li Fan's memory, Liu San was indeed a master of alchemy.
jí biàn shì zhè děng rén wù ， yě zú zú yòng le sān cì ， cái shì yìng gǔ jīn zhī yì dài lái de liàn dān gǎi biàn me ？
即便是这等人物，也足足用了三次，才适应古今之异带来的炼丹改变么？
Even such an expert would need three attempts to adapt to the changes brought by the difference between ancient and modern times?
lǐ fán jiāng zhè yī qiè kàn zài yǎn zhōng ， xīn lǐ ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
李凡将这一切看在眼中，心里若有所思。
Li Fan watched all this with interest. "I'll first bring this Elixir of Immortality to Daoist Zhou; see how much he can sell it for. You, Old Master Liu, continue your hard work and quickly turn all the raw materials in the storage ring into elixirs," Li Fan said to Liu San.
“ wǒ xiān jiāng zhè méi cháng shēng dān dài gěi zhōu dào yǒu ， kàn kàn néng mài duō shǎo 。 liǔ lǎo nín jiù jì xù xīn kǔ xià ， bǎ chǔ wù jiè zhōng de yuán cái liào jǐn kuài quán dōu liàn chéng dān yào 。” lǐ fán duì liǔ sān shuō dào 。
“我先将这枚长生丹带给周道友，看看能卖多少。柳老您就继续辛苦下，把储物戒中的原材料尽快全都炼成丹药。”李凡对柳三说道。
"Rest assured, Young Master!" Liu San naturally nodded in agreement. After a brief rest for his disciples, he resumed refining the elixirs.
“ shǎo zhǔ fàng xīn ！” liǔ sān zì rán shì diǎn tóu yīng xià ， zhǐ ràng dì zǐ men xiē xī le shǎo xǔ ， jiù yòu kāi shǐ le dān yào de liàn zhì 。
“少主放心！”柳三自然是点头应下，只让弟子们歇息了少许，就又开始了丹药的炼制。
Li Fan left the Xuanhuang Cauldron and tossed this freshly made Elixir of Immortality in his hand.
lǐ fán zé shì chū le xuán huáng dǐng ， jiāng zhè méi xīn xiān chū lú de cháng shēng dān zài shǒu zhōng pāo le pāo 。
李凡则是出了玄黄鼎，将这枚新鲜出炉的长生丹在手中抛了抛。
"It’s inconvenient to use my identity as 'Eli of the Celestial Fate Sect' to sell it..." Li Fan pondered for a moment before changing back to his original appearance and heading to Cunyun City.
“ dǎo shì bù fāng biàn yòng ‘ tiān jī zōng xiū shì lǐ fán ’ de shēn fèn chū shǒu ……” chén yín le piàn kè ， lǐ fán biàn huà chéng le zì shēn yuán běn yàng mào ， qián wǎng le cóng yún chéng 。
“倒是不方便用‘天机宗修士李凡’的身份出手……”沉吟了片刻，李凡变化成了自身原本样貌，前往了丛云城。
When he bought the Heavenly Spirit Flower previously, Li Fan had joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in its original form through Huang Ranqi's protection on Cuowu Island, creating a new alias for himself.
zhī qián gòu mǎi 【 tiān líng huā 】 de shí hòu ， lǐ fán jiù tōng guò chóng wú dǎo zhèn shǒu huáng rán qí ， yǐ zì jǐ yuán běn yàng mào jiā rù le wàn xiān méng ， wèi zì jǐ chuàng zào le yí gè quán xīn de mǎ jiǎ 。
之前购买【天灵花】的时候，李凡就通过崇吾岛镇守黄然奇，以自己原本样貌加入了万仙盟，为自己创造了一个全新的马甲。
Now, using the One-Handed Sky Covering Secret Technique, he arrived inside the Heaven Xuan Mirror and took out the Elixir of Immortality.
cǐ shí yùn zhuàn zhǐ shǒu zhē tiān mì shù ， lái dào tiān xuán jìng nèi ， jiāng cháng shēng dān qǔ chū 。
此时运转只手遮天秘术，来到天玄镜内，将长生丹取出。
First, he let the mirror appraise it free of charge.
xiān shì miǎn fèi ràng jìng zi jiàn dìng le yī fān 。
先是免费让镜子鉴定了一番。
"Longevity Elixir: Inferior grade, can extend life by 186 years."
“ cháng shēng dān ： xià pǐn ， kě yán shòu yì bǎi bā shí liù zài 。”
“长生丹：下品，可延寿一百八十六载。”
Li Fan's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
lǐ fán yǎn pí bù jīn tiào le tiào 。
李凡眼皮不禁跳了跳。
It seemed that even after Liu San had adapted to the new and old differences, this first batch of elixirs was somewhat disappointing in quality. At least it fell short of his promise of a middle-grade Elixir with a life extension of 300 years.
kàn lái liǔ sān jí biàn shú xī le xīn jiù zhī yì ， zhè dì yī méi liàn zhì chū de dān yào pǐn zhì yě shì yǒu diǎn cǎn bù rěn dǔ 。 zuì qǐ mǎ gēn tā chéng nuò de zhōng pǐn 、 yán shòu sān bǎi zài ， yǒu diǎn chā jù 。
看来柳三即便熟悉了新旧之异，这第一枚炼制出的丹药品质也是有点惨不忍睹。最起码跟他承诺的中品、延寿三百载，有点差距。
Li Fan checked the market prices for previous longevity treasures and listed the Elixir of Immortality at five thousand contribution points, marking a thirty percent increase from its usual price.
lǐ fán chá le xià shì chǎng zhōng zhī qián yán shòu bǎo wù de chéng jiāo jià gé ， shàng zhǎng le bǎi fēn zhī sān shí 、 yǐ wǔ wàn gòng xiàn dù de biāo jià ， jiāng qí guà zhe fàn mài 。
李凡查了下市场中之前延寿宝物的成交价格，上涨了百分之三十、以五万贡献度的标价，将其挂着贩卖。
Almost instantly, someone bought it.
jié guǒ jī hū shì zài shùn jiān ， zhè méi cháng shēng dān jiù bèi rén mǎi zǒu 。
结果几乎是在瞬间，这枚长生丹就被人买走。
At first, Li Fan was stunned. Then he realized that for those who needed longevity treasures, an Elixir of Immortality meant real life extension of one hundred years. It naturally commanded a higher value than other common longevity treasures.
lǐ fán xiān shì lèng le lèng ， suí hòu fǎn yìng guò lái 。
李凡先是愣了愣，随后反应过来。
Moreover...
yán shòu bǎo wù ， dōu shì fú yòng zhī hòu ， jiù jī hū méi le xiào guǒ de 。 ér zài cǐ zhī qián ， wàn xiān méng de shì chǎng shàng ， hái cóng lái méi yǒu chū xiàn guò cháng shēng dān 。 zhè yì wèi zhe ， duì yú nà xiē yǒu xū qiú de xiū shì lái jiǎng ， yī méi cháng shēng dān ， jī hū jiù shì shí dǎ shí de bǎi nián shòu yuán 。 zì rán yào bǐ qí tā cháng jiàn yán shòu bǎo wù yào guì zhòng shàng nà me yī xiē 。
延寿宝物，都是服用之后，就几乎没了效果的。而在此之前，万仙盟的市场上，还从来没有出现过长生丹。这意味着，对于那些有需求的修士来讲，一枚长生丹，几乎就是实打实的百年寿元。自然要比其他常见延寿宝物要贵重上那么一些。
As expected, the buyer soon sent a message asking,
ér qiě ……
而且……
"Daoist friend, do you have any more Longevity Elixirs?"
bù chū lǐ fán yì liào ， hěn kuài ， mǎi fāng jiù fā lái xún wèn xiāo xī 。
不出李凡意料，很快，买方就发来询问消息。
"I feel that this elixir seems different from others? It still has effects when taken repeatedly?"
“ zhè wèi dào yǒu ， cháng shēng dān hái yǒu me ？”
“这位道友，长生丹还有么？”
Li Fan feigned surprise. "Really? That’s surprising! Then I must have sold it at a loss!"
“ wǒ gǎn jué ， zhè dān yào sì hū gēn bié de qí tā yán shòu bǎo wù bù tài yī yàng ？ sì hū jiē zhe fú yòng ， hái yǒu xiào guǒ ？”
“我感觉，这丹药似乎跟别的其他延寿宝物不太一样？似乎接着服用，还有效果？”
The other party was not fooled and continued persistently, "Haha, Daoist friend, don’t joke around. The last elixir you gave us was clearly freshly made. How could you be unaware of its properties?"
lǐ fán zhuāng zuò yǒu xiē chà yì de huí fù dào ：“ shì ma ？ jū rán hái yǒu zhè zhǒng shì ！ nà wǒ qǐ bù shì mài kuī le ？”
李凡装作有些诧异的回复道：“是嘛？居然还有这种事！那我岂不是卖亏了？”
Li Fan continued to feign ignorance. "Haha, I must have misunderstood. I happened to find it at a roadside stall. I just thought this elixir was special and didn't expect it to actually extend life."
nà biān méi yǒu bèi lǐ fán de biǎo yǎn suǒ qī piàn ， jì xù bù yī bù náo dào ：“ hē hē ， dào yǒu jiù bié kāi wán xiào le 。 gāng gāng nà kē dān yào fēn míng shì cái liàn zhì chū lái bù jiǔ ， dào yǒu yòu zěn me kě néng bù qīng chǔ tā de tè xìng ？”
那边没有被李凡的表演所欺骗，继续不依不挠道：“呵呵，道友就别开玩笑了。刚刚那颗丹药分明是才炼制出来不久，道友又怎么可能不清楚它的特性？”
"Let me know if you need more. I’ll go back and check with the vendor."
lǐ fán zé shì jì xù zhuāng shǎ ：“ hē hē ， dào yǒu zhēn shì wù huì le 。 wǒ yě shì còu qiǎo ， zài lù biān tān shàng jiǎn lòu mǎi dào de 。 zhǐ jué de cǐ dān bù fán ， hái zhēn méi xiǎng dào ， jū rán hái shì gè néng yán shòu de bǎo bèi 。”
李凡则是继续装傻：“呵呵，道友真是误会了。我也是凑巧，在路边摊上捡漏买到的。只觉得此丹不凡，还真没想到，居然还是个能延寿的宝贝。”
...
“ zhè yàng ba ， rú guǒ dào yǒu zhēn de hái xū yào de huà ， wǒ zài huí qù kàn kàn 。 xī wàng tān zhǔ hái zài 。”
“这样吧，如果道友真的还需要的话，我再回去看看。希望摊主还在。”
The other party remained silent.
“……” duì miàn chén mò yǐ duì 。
“……”对面沉默以对。
After a moment, they said, "Alright, let me know if there are any more in stock."
piàn kè zhī hòu ， hái shì nài zhe xìng zi ， shuō le jù ：“ hǎo ， yǐ hòu rú guǒ hái yǒu cún huò ， kě yǐ lái zhǎo wǒ 。”
片刻之后，还是耐着性子，说了句：“好，以后如果还有存货，可以来找我。”
"Tianquan Prefecture, Zhao Tianlong!"
“ tiān quán zhōu ， zhào tiān lóng ！”
“天权州，赵天龙！”
Li Fan hung up without replying.
lǐ fán yě méi yǒu huí fù ， zhí jiē guà duàn le tōng xùn 。
李凡也没有回复，直接挂断了通讯。
"The value of the Elixir of Immortality is even higher than my initial estimate. Even if I rely solely on buying raw materials from the Heaven Xuan Mirror, I can make a fortune."
“ cháng shēng dān de jià zhí ， hái zài wǒ zhī qián de yù gū zhī shàng ， jiù suàn quán kào tiān xuán jìng zhōng gòu mǎi yuán liào ， yě néng zhuàn de péng mǎn bō mǎn 。”
“长生丹的价值，还在我之前的预估之上，就算全靠天玄镜中购买原料，也能赚的彭满钵满。”
"But to maximize profits, I need to control the rate of supply."
“ zhǐ shì xiǎng yào lì yì zuì dà huà ， zé xū kòng zhì chū huò de sù dù 。”
“只是想要利益最大化，则需控制出货的速度。”
"And, I could trade goods for resources as needed."
“ ér qiě ， kě yǐ yǐ wù yì wù 、 zhǐ dìng xū yào de zī yuán 。”
“而且，可以以物易物、指定需要的资源。”
Li Fan pondered for a moment and then thought, not just limited to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance or the Ancient Gathering, perhaps he could open up more sales channels.
lǐ fán sī cǔn piàn kè ， yòu zhuǎn niàn xiǎng dào ， bù jǐn jǐn shì wàn xiān méng 、 gǔ lǎo huì nà biān ， huò xǔ yě kě yǐ dǎ tōng fàn mài qú dào 。
李凡思忖片刻，又转念想到，不仅仅是万仙盟、古老会那边，或许也可以打通贩卖渠道。
After all, "true fruits" like this were always in high demand.
bì jìng “ zhēn shí yòu guǒ ” zhè yàng de hǎo dōng xī ， jué duì shì bú huì xián duō de 。
毕竟“真实诱果”这样的好东西，绝对是不会嫌多的。
If he could control one or two more Daoist cultivators, his situation would improve significantly.
rú guǒ néng zài duō kòng zhì yī liǎng gè hé dào xiū shì ， jiē xià lái de chǔ jìng ， yòu huì hǎo shàng bù shǎo 。
如果能再多控制一两个合道修士，接下来的处境，又会好上不少。
"I’ll wait until I have more."
“ děng chéng pǐn duō diǎn zài shuō 。”
“等成品多点再说。”
Li Fan pretended to leave Cunyun City and merely changed his identity back to a practitioner of the Celestial Fate Sect.
lǐ fán jiǎ yì lí kāi cóng yún chéng ， zhǐ bù guò shì biàn huàn le shēn fèn ， chóng xīn biàn huí “ tiān jī zōng xiū shì ”。
李凡假意离开丛云城，只不过是变换了身份，重新变回“天机宗修士”。
Returning to the Heaven Xuan Mirror, he contacted Xiemen Yu.
huí dào tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， lián xì qǐ le xī mén yǔ 。
回到天玄镜中，联系起了西门羽。
"Daoist Xiemen, how is your task progressing?"
“ xī mén dào yǒu ， rèn wù wán chéng de rú hé ？”
“西门道友，任务完成的如何？”
After a long time, the response came. "Well, I’ve completed most of it, but there are still some locations where I’m encountering difficulties."
guò le xǔ jiǔ ， nà biān cái yǒu xiāo xī chuán lái 。
过了许久，那边才有消息传来。
"Hmm? How so?" Li Fan asked with interest.
“ é ， yǐ jīng jiě xī wán chéng le dà bàn ， dàn shì hái yǒu jǐ chù dì diǎn ， yù dào le yī xiē má fán 。”
“额，已经解析完成了大半，但是还有几处地点，遇到了一些麻烦。”
Xiemen Yu first transmitted the areas he had already compared ancient and modern times. Then he said, "Green Bull Ridge, Elixir Valley, InvertedHeavenly River..."
“ ń ？ zěn me jiǎng ？” lǐ fán ráo yǒu xìng qù de wèn dào 。
“嗯？怎么讲？”李凡饶有兴趣的问道。
"Regardless of how many times I compare these places, they seem to have no trace in the current reality."
xī mén yǔ xiān shì jiāng yǐ jīng wán chéng gǔ jīn duì bǐ de nà xiē wèi zhì chuán le guò lái ， ér hòu fāng cái shuō dào ：“ qīng niú lǐng 、 cháng shēng gǔ 、 fān tiān hé ……”
西门羽先是将已经完成古今对比的那些位置传了过来，而后方才说道：“青牛岭、长生谷、翻天河……”
"In my previous research, this situation has also occurred before, but with a very low probability."
“ zhè xiē dì fāng ， wú lùn jīng guò wǒ zěn me bǐ duì ， dōu méi yǒu zài dāng jīn xiàn shí shì jiè zhōng ， zhǎo dào tā men cún zài de hén jì 。”
“这些地方，无论经过我怎么比对，都没有在当今现实世界中，找到它们存在的痕迹。”
"I must say, your luck is truly bad. Out of dozens of locations, so many are completely gone," Xiemen Yu complained.
“ qí shí zài wǒ zhī qián de yán jiū zhōng ， zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng yě céng chū xiàn guò 。 bù guò jī lǜ hěn xiǎo 。”
“其实在我之前的研究中，这种情况也曾出现过。不过几率很小。”
"I estimate that I won’t be able to complete it. I’ll return the excess contribution points to you." He sighed and said.
“ bù dé bù shuō ， dào yǒu de yùn qì zhēn shì bù hǎo 。 suí biàn tiāo xuǎn le jǐ shí chù dì fāng ， jiù yǒu zhè me duō wán quán xiāo shī de 。” xī mén yǔ tǔ cáo dào 。
“不得不说，道友的运气真是不好。随便挑选了几十处地方，就有这么多完全消失的。”西门羽吐槽道。
Upon hearing this, Li Fan’s eyes flickered slightly.
“ wǒ gū jì ， yīng gāi shì wán chéng bù liǎo le 。 duō yú de gòng xiàn dù ， wǒ tuì gěi nǐ biàn shì 。” tā tàn le kǒu qì ， shuō dào 。
“我估计，应该是完成不了了。多余的贡献度，我退给你便是。”他叹了口气，说道。
"Completely disappeared? Daoist Xiemen, do you know why?"
lǐ fán wén yán ， mù guāng wēi wēi yī shǎn 。
李凡闻言，目光微微一闪。
"There are many possibilities. One is a massive change in the world, where these places naturally vanished. Another is the existence of the White Mist Barrier; those ancient locations might be within it, hence they can’t be found."
“ wán quán xiāo shī ？ xī mén dào yǒu kě zhī shì hé yuán yīn ？” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“完全消失？西门道友可知是何原因？”李凡问道。
"The third..."
“ yǒu hěn duō zhǒng kě néng 。 qí yī shì tiān dì jù biàn ， cāng hǎi sāng tián ， zhè xiē dì diǎn zì rán quán dōu xiāo shī bú jiàn 。 qí èr shì bái wù bì zhàng de cún zài ， nà xiē dì diǎn yuǎn gǔ zhī shí de wèi zhì ， kě néng zhèng hǎo wèi yú rú jīn de bái wù bì zhàng zhī nèi 。 suǒ yǐ cái zhǎo bú dào 。”
“有很多种可能。其一是天地巨变，沧海桑田，这些地点自然全都消失不见。其二是白雾壁障的存在，那些地点远古之时的位置，可能正好位于如今的白雾壁障之内。所以才找不到。”
Xiemen Yu paused here.
“ dì sān me ……”
“第三么……”
"Daoist Xiemen, do you have some hidden concerns?" Li Fan was surprised.
xī mén yǔ shuō dào zhè lǐ ， què shì chén mò bù yǔ 。
西门羽说道这里，却是沉默不语。
"No, but my guess is quite shocking and lacks evidence. I won’t say anything to avoid embarrassment," Xiemen Yu hesitated.
“ zěn me ？ dào yǒu yǒu shén me nán yán zhī yǐn me ？” lǐ fán yǒu xiē chà yì 。
“怎么？道友有什么难言之隐么？”李凡有些诧异。
This piqued Li Fan’s interest even more: "No harm in saying it. Your extensive knowledge is rare among mortals. Let me learn something new."
“ zhè dào méi yǒu ， bù guò wǒ de cāi cè yǒu xiē jīng shì hài sú ， yòu méi yǒu gēn jù 。 jiù bù shuō chū lái yí xiào dà fāng le 。” xī mén yǔ yǒu xiē chí yí 。
“这倒没有，不过我的猜测有些惊世骇俗，又没有根据。就不说出来贻笑大方了。”西门羽有些迟疑。
Perhaps encouraged by so much affirmation from someone, Xiemen Yu became excited and said, "Daoist, you might not believe this, but after comparing the ancient and modern terrain for years, I found that a large part of the ancient regions in the Xuanhuang World is missing."
zhè xià lǐ fán fǎn dào shì gèng gǎn xìng qù le ：“ wú fáng ， dào yǒu zhī bó xué ， nǎi shì wǒ shì suǒ hǎn jiàn 。 shuō chū lái ， ràng wǒ cháng cháng jiàn shí yě hǎo 。”
这下李凡反倒是更感兴趣了：“无妨，道友之博学，乃是我世所罕见。说出来，让我长长见识也好。”
"It’s as if they were taken away."
huò xǔ shì xǔ jiǔ rén duì xī mén yǔ biǎo shì chū rú cǐ kěn dìng ， tā tīng dào lǐ fán de huà hòu ， yě biàn dé yǒu xiē xīng fèn 。
或许是许久人对西门羽表示出如此肯定，他听到李凡的话后，也变得有些兴奋。
"But..."
dāng jí shuō dào ：“ shuō chū lái dào yǒu kě néng yǒu xiē bù xìn ， jīng guò wǒ cháng nián gǔ jīn dì xíng de bǐ duì ， wǒ fā xiàn ， xuán huáng jiè dà dì shàng ， yǒu hěn dà yī bù fèn shàng gǔ dì qū ， quē shī le 。”
当即说道：“说出来道友可能有些不信，经过我常年古今地形的比对，我发现，玄黄界大地上，有很大一部分上古地区，缺失了。”
Xiemen Yu's tone turned doubtful.
“ jiù xiàng bèi rén shēng shēng qǔ zǒu le yī bù fèn 。”
“就像被人生生取走了一部分。”
"Some places seem to appear out of thin air. The ancient cultivation world doesn’t have such territories."
“ dàn shì ……”
“但是……”
"So, overall, compared to ancient times, the Xuanhuang World has not shrunk but actually expanded."
xī mén yǔ de yǔ qì yòu biàn dé yǒu xiē yí huò 。
西门羽的语气又变得有些疑惑。
"Truly strange and perplexing," Li Fan mused.
“ mǒu xiē dì fāng ， què yòu xiàng cóng xū kōng zhōng píng kōng mào chū lái de yì bān ， gǔ zhī xiū xiān jiè sì hū gēn běn bù cún zài zhè yàng de dì yù 。”
“某些地方，却又像从虚空中凭空冒出来的一般，古之修仙界似乎根本不存在这样的地域。”
"How reliable is your conclusion?"
“ suǒ yǐ ， zǒng de lái kàn ， xuán huáng jiè zhěng tǐ bǐ qǐ gǔ shí hòu ， bù jǐn méi yǒu suō xiǎo ， fǎn ér gèng jiā dà le yī quān 。”
“所以，总的来看，玄黄界整体比起古时候，不仅没有缩小，反而更加大了一圈。”
"Of course! In the Realm of Annihilation, there’s a panoramic view of the ancient Xuanhuang World. Ordinary cultivators can only glimpse one corner each time they enter. I visited many cultivators to reconstruct the original appearance of the ancient cultivation world. The comparison led me to this conclusion!" Xiemen Yu said firmly.
To understand, in Li Fan's memory, Liu San was indeed a master of alchemy.
Even such an expert would need three attempts to adapt to the changes brought by the difference between ancient and modern times?
Li Fan watched all this with interest. "I'll first bring this Elixir of Immortality to Daoist Zhou; see how much he can sell it for. You, Old Master Liu, continue your hard work and quickly turn all the raw materials in the storage ring into elixirs," Li Fan said to Liu San.
"Rest assured, Young Master!" Liu San naturally nodded in agreement. After a brief rest for his disciples, he resumed refining the elixirs.
Li Fan left the Xuanhuang Cauldron and tossed this freshly made Elixir of Immortality in his hand.
"It’s inconvenient to use my identity as 'Eli of the Celestial Fate Sect' to sell it..." Li Fan pondered for a moment before changing back to his original appearance and heading to Cunyun City.
When he bought the Heavenly Spirit Flower previously, Li Fan had joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in its original form through Huang Ranqi's protection on Cuowu Island, creating a new alias for himself.
Now, using the One-Handed Sky Covering Secret Technique, he arrived inside the Heaven Xuan Mirror and took out the Elixir of Immortality.
First, he let the mirror appraise it free of charge.
"Longevity Elixir: Inferior grade, can extend life by 186 years."
Li Fan's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
It seemed that even after Liu San had adapted to the new and old differences, this first batch of elixirs was somewhat disappointing in quality. At least it fell short of his promise of a middle-grade Elixir with a life extension of 300 years.
Li Fan checked the market prices for previous longevity treasures and listed the Elixir of Immortality at five thousand contribution points, marking a thirty percent increase from its usual price.
Almost instantly, someone bought it.
At first, Li Fan was stunned. Then he realized that for those who needed longevity treasures, an Elixir of Immortality meant real life extension of one hundred years. It naturally commanded a higher value than other common longevity treasures.
Moreover...
As expected, the buyer soon sent a message asking,
"Daoist friend, do you have any more Longevity Elixirs?"
"I feel that this elixir seems different from others? It still has effects when taken repeatedly?"
Li Fan feigned surprise. "Really? That’s surprising! Then I must have sold it at a loss!"
The other party was not fooled and continued persistently, "Haha, Daoist friend, don’t joke around. The last elixir you gave us was clearly freshly made. How could you be unaware of its properties?"
Li Fan continued to feign ignorance. "Haha, I must have misunderstood. I happened to find it at a roadside stall. I just thought this elixir was special and didn't expect it to actually extend life."
"Let me know if you need more. I’ll go back and check with the vendor."
...
The other party remained silent.
After a moment, they said, "Alright, let me know if there are any more in stock."
"Tianquan Prefecture, Zhao Tianlong!"
Li Fan hung up without replying.
"The value of the Elixir of Immortality is even higher than my initial estimate. Even if I rely solely on buying raw materials from the Heaven Xuan Mirror, I can make a fortune."
"But to maximize profits, I need to control the rate of supply."
"And, I could trade goods for resources as needed."
Li Fan pondered for a moment and then thought, not just limited to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance or the Ancient Gathering, perhaps he could open up more sales channels.
After all, "true fruits" like this were always in high demand.
If he could control one or two more Daoist cultivators, his situation would improve significantly.
"I’ll wait until I have more."
Li Fan pretended to leave Cunyun City and merely changed his identity back to a practitioner of the Celestial Fate Sect.
Returning to the Heaven Xuan Mirror, he contacted Xiemen Yu.
"Daoist Xiemen, how is your task progressing?"
After a long time, the response came. "Well, I’ve completed most of it, but there are still some locations where I’m encountering difficulties."
"Hmm? How so?" Li Fan asked with interest.
Xiemen Yu first transmitted the areas he had already compared ancient and modern times. Then he said, "Green Bull Ridge, Elixir Valley, InvertedHeavenly River..."
"Regardless of how many times I compare these places, they seem to have no trace in the current reality."
"In my previous research, this situation has also occurred before, but with a very low probability."
"I must say, your luck is truly bad. Out of dozens of locations, so many are completely gone," Xiemen Yu complained.
"I estimate that I won’t be able to complete it. I’ll return the excess contribution points to you." He sighed and said.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan’s eyes flickered slightly.
"Completely disappeared? Daoist Xiemen, do you know why?"
"There are many possibilities. One is a massive change in the world, where these places naturally vanished. Another is the existence of the White Mist Barrier; those ancient locations might be within it, hence they can’t be found."
"The third..."
Xiemen Yu paused here.
"Daoist Xiemen, do you have some hidden concerns?" Li Fan was surprised.
"No, but my guess is quite shocking and lacks evidence. I won’t say anything to avoid embarrassment," Xiemen Yu hesitated.
This piqued Li Fan’s interest even more: "No harm in saying it. Your extensive knowledge is rare among mortals. Let me learn something new."
Perhaps encouraged by so much affirmation from someone, Xiemen Yu became excited and said, "Daoist, you might not believe this, but after comparing the ancient and modern terrain for years, I found that a large part of the ancient regions in the Xuanhuang World is missing."
"It’s as if they were taken away."
"But..."
Xiemen Yu's tone turned doubtful.
"Some places seem to appear out of thin air. The ancient cultivation world doesn’t have such territories."
"So, overall, compared to ancient times, the Xuanhuang World has not shrunk but actually expanded."
"Truly strange and perplexing," Li Fan mused.
"How reliable is your conclusion?"
"Of course! In the Realm of Annihilation, there’s a panoramic view of the ancient Xuanhuang World. Ordinary cultivators can only glimpse one corner each time they enter. I visited many cultivators to reconstruct the original appearance of the ancient cultivation world. The comparison led me to this conclusion!" Xiemen Yu said firmly.