“ ó ？” méi xiǎng dào fāng zài jì tā men jìn dù rú cǐ zhī kuài ， lǐ fán miàn lù yà sè 。
“哦？”没想到方再济他们进度如此之快，李凡面露讶色。
"Ah?" Li Fan was surprised to find that Fang Zaiji and his team had made such rapid progress.
zài quán shì zhī yǎn de dài lǐng xià ， lǐ fán lái dào le shì yàn chǎng dì 。
在全视之眼的带领下，李凡来到了试验场地。
With the guidance of the All-Seeing Eye, Li Fan arrived at the test site.
zhǐ jiàn yuán běn hé xún cháng shí tou wú yì de 【 zhōng mò shí pán 】， cǐ kè zhèng xuán yú fāng zài jì sān rén tóu dǐng 。 zài tā zhōu wéi ， kōng jiān fǎng fú àn zhào bù tóng de guī zé bèi fēn lí kāi lái ， xíng chéng jìng zhǐ de yī quān yòu yī quān bù tóng yán sè de huán 。 kàn shàng qù shèn shì qí miào 。
只见原本和寻常石头无异的【终末石盘】，此刻正悬于方再济三人头顶。在它周围，空间仿佛按照不同的规则被分离开来，形成静止的一圈又一圈不同颜色的环。看上去甚是奇妙。
The Endless Stone Plate, which had appeared no different from ordinary stones before, now hung above the heads of Fang Zaiji and his companions. Around it, space seemed to be divided according to different rules, forming a series of concentric rings in various colors that stood still. It was quite fascinating.
yī dào hēi sè shā qì ， zài jiāng yù shān de cāo zòng xià ， zhèng zài duì zhōng mò shí pán zhōu wéi yuán huán jìn xíng qiē gē 。
一道黑色煞气，在姜玉珊的操纵下，正在对终末石盘周围圆环进行切割。
A black煞气 (Evil Qi) under Qian Yu Shan's control was cutting through one of these rings surrounding the Endless Stone Plate.
lǐ fán bìng wèi dǎ rǎo ， ér shì zài yī páng zhù zú guān chá 。
李凡并未打扰，而是在一旁驻足观察。
Li Fan did not interfere and instead stood aside to observe.
mò guò duō jiǔ ， tā kàn chū le xiē mén dào 。 jiāng yù shān qiē gē de fāng shì ， bú shì cóng shí pán shàng qiè chū yī bù fèn ， gèng xiàng shì “ jiē kāi xuān zhǐ de yī céng ” bān ， cóng shí pán shàng gē chū yí gè píng miàn lái 。
没过多久，他看出了些门道。姜玉珊切割的方式，不是从石盘上切出一部分，更像是“揭开宣纸的一层”般，从石盘上割出一个平面来。
After some time, he noticed a pattern. Qian Yu Shan’s method wasn't about slicing off parts from the stone plate; it was more like peeling back a layer of paper, creating a flat surface on the stone plate.
sì hū bú shì dì yī cì rú cǐ cāo zuò le ， jiāng yù shān de dòng zuò kàn shàng qù shí fēn shú liàn 。
似乎不是第一次如此操作了，姜玉珊的动作看上去十分熟练。
It seemed this wasn’t the first time they had done this, as Qian Yu Shan's actions appeared very skilled.
bù guò duō shí ， yī piàn báo báo de “ zhōng mò shí piàn ”， jiù cóng běn tǐ shàng fēn lí kāi lái 。
不过多时，一片薄薄的“终末石片”，就从本体上分离开来。
Not long after, a thin "Endless Stone Plate" separated from its original body.
lí kāi běn tǐ de chà nà ， yuán běn hé yuán pán yì bān dà xiǎo de shí piàn ， jiù xiàn rù le kuài sù “ suō shuǐ ” de zhuàng tài 。
离开本体的刹那，原本和圆盘一般大小的石片，就陷入了快速“缩水”的状态。
The moment it detached, the once circular stone plate began to rapidly shrink in size. The rings around it and its own volume were continuously decreasing.
zhōu wéi fù zhuó de yuán huán yǐ jí zì shēn de tǐ jī ， dōu zài bù duàn jiǎn xiǎo 。
周围附着的圆环以及自身的体积，都在不断减小。
"Quick! Feed it!" Fang Zaiji shouted urgently.
“ kuài ！ kuài wèi gěi tā ！” fāng zài jì lián máng hǎn dào 。
“快！快喂给它！”方再济连忙喊道。
As he spoke, he threw several stones towards Qian Yu Shan.
yī biān shuō zhe ， yī biān cháo zhe jiāng yù shān rēng guò qù le jǐ kē shí tou 。
一边说着，一边朝着姜玉珊扔过去了几颗石头。
Li Fan took a closer look and realized these were the元石 (Foundation Stones) that he had casually handed to Fang Zaiji earlier!
lǐ fán dìng jīng yī kàn ， zhèng shì zhī qián tā suí shǒu jiāo gěi fāng zài jì de 【 jiàn tāi yuán shí 】！
李凡定睛一看，正是之前他随手交给方再济的【剑胎元石】！
The Foundation Stone melted away as soon as it approached the Endless Stone Plate, like ice melting in water.
yuán shí zài kào jìn zhōng mò shí piàn zhī hòu ， jiù xiàng bīng xuě luò rù shuǐ zhōng bān ， zhú jiàn xiāo róng 。
元石在靠近终末石片之后，就像冰雪落入水中般，逐渐消融。
However, the stone plate slowed down its shrinking process and gradually stabilized.
ér shí piàn què shì jiàng dī le zì shēn suō jiǎn de sù dù ， màn màn biàn dé wěn dìng xià lái 。
而石片却是降低了自身缩减的速度，慢慢变得稳定下来。
After feeding six Foundation Stones, the ring-shaped space around the stone plate contracted inward and returned to the stone plate itself.
dāng yī gòng tóu wèi le liù kē yuán shí zhī hòu ， shí piàn zhōu shēn de huán xíng kōng jiān yě xiàng nèi shōu shù 、 huí dào shí piàn dāng zhōng 。
当一共投喂了六颗元石之后，石片周身的环形空间也向内收束、回到石片当中。
Thus, a miniature version of the Endless Stone Plate was formed before Li Fan's eyes.
jiù zhè yàng ， yī méi wēi suō bǎn de 【 zhōng mò shí pán 】， jiù zài lǐ fán miàn qián xíng chéng le 。
就这样，一枚微缩版的【终末石盘】，就在李凡面前形成了。
"Truly not easy; it’s even harder than giving birth. You agree, Yu Shan?" Fang Zaiji sighed deeply, holding the round disc with satisfaction.
“ zhēn tā niáng de bù róng yì ， bǐ gěi hái zi jiē shēng dōu yào nán le 。 nǐ shuō shì ba ， yù shān 。” fāng zài jì zhǎng xū yì kǒu qì ， měi zī zī dì bǎ yuán pán ná zài shǒu zhōng ， suí kǒu shuō dào 。
“真他娘的不容易，比给孩子接生都要难了。你说是吧，玉珊。”方再济长吁一口气，美滋滋地把圆盘拿在手中，随口说道。
"You really have no filter! Can you compare it to childbirth like that!" Liu San frowned and cursed.
“ zhēn shì kǒu wú zhē lán ， néng zhè me duì bǐ ma ！” liǔ sān shù méi nù mà 。
“真是口无遮拦，能这么对比嘛！”柳三竖眉怒骂。
Just then, Li Fan spoke up: "Mr. Fang, did you find out how to use the Endless Stone Plate?"
jiù zài zhè shí ， lǐ fán shuō huà le ：“ fāng xiān shēng ， nǐ shuō fā xiàn zhōng mò shí pán de jù tǐ yòng fǎ le ？”
就在这时，李凡说话了：“方先生，你说发现终末石盘的具体用法了？”
Fang Zaiji proudly waved the round disc in his hand. "Yes. Thanks to those strange stones you gave me earlier..."
fāng zài jì yǒu xiē dé yì huī le huī shǒu zhōng de yuán pán ， dào ：“ bù cuò 。 duō kuī le zōng zhǔ nǐ zhī qián gěi wǒ de nà xiē gǔ guài de shí tou ……”
方再济有些得意挥了挥手中的圆盘，道：“不错。多亏了宗主你之前给我的那些古怪的石头……”
He proceeded to explain to Li Fan.
dāng xià wèi lǐ fán jiě shì qǐ lái 。
当下为李凡解释起来。
In fact, after a long time of failing to figure it out, Fang Zaiji decided to follow Li Fan's advice and cut the Endless Stone Plate.
yuán lái ， zhī qián hěn zhǎng yī duàn shí jiān dōu méi yǒu yán jiū chū gè suǒ yǐ rán de fāng zài jì ， zuì zhōng jué dìng tīng cóng lǐ fán de zhǐ diǎn ， duì zhōng mò shí pán jìn xíng qiē gē chǔ lǐ 。
原来，之前很长一段时间都没有研究出个所以然的方再济，最终决定听从李凡的指点，对终末石盘进行切割处理。
They found that any part sliced off would vanish almost instantly into thin air. Despite trying various methods, they couldn't stop this from happening. Frustrated, Fang Zaiji tried throwing everything he could find in his storage ring at it.
dàn tā men què fā xiàn ， cóng shí pán zhōng qiē gē xià lái de bù fèn ， jī hū shì zài chà nà zhī jiān ， jiù huì zì dòng xiāo sàn yú kōng qì zhōng 。 cháng shì le gè zhǒng fāng fǎ ， shǐ zhōng dōu wú fǎ zǔ zhǐ 。 nǎo xiū chéng nù de fāng zài jì jué dìng sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ yī ， bǎ chǔ wù jiè zhōng fán shì néng yòng de shàng de dōng xī ， quán dōu zhì chū 。
但他们却发现，从石盘中切割下来的部分，几乎是在刹那之间，就会自动消散于空气中。尝试了各种方法，始终都无法阻止。恼羞成怒的方再济决定死马当活马医，把储物戒中凡是能用的上的东西，全都掷出。
To their surprise, this method actually worked, allowing the round disc to remain stable.
jié guǒ wāi dǎ zhèng zháo ， hái zhēn ràng tā zhǎo dào le néng gòu shǐ de yuán pán bǎo chí wěn dìng de fāng fǎ 。
结果歪打正着，还真让他找到了能够使得圆盘保持稳定的方法。
The key was using items that contained a sense of "the Way of Heaven and Earth."
nà jiù shì yòng bāo hán “ tiān dì zhī lǐ gǎn wù ” de dōng xī jìn xíng tóu wèi 。
那就是用包含“天地之理感悟”的东西进行投喂。
Not just Foundation Stones, but any treasure that凝聚悟道感悟 (gathers enlightenment) would work.
bù jǐn jǐn shì jiàn tāi yuán shí ， rèn hé níng jù wù dào gǎn wù de bǎo wù dōu yǒu xiào guǒ 。
不仅仅是剑胎元石，任何凝聚悟道感悟的宝物都有效果。
Fang Zaiji had thrown all Foundation Stones because they were in abundance; after all, such treasures containing the sense of the Way of Heaven and Earth are extremely rare.
ér fāng zài jì gāng gāng tóu zhì de quán dōu shì yuán shí ， chún cuì shì yīn wèi tā men shèng yú de shù liàng bǐ jiào duō ér yǐ 。 bì jìng bāo hán tiān dì zhī lǐ gǎn wù de mì bǎo ， quán dōu shì shí fēn xī yǒu de 。
而方再济刚刚投掷的全都是元石，纯粹是因为它们剩余的数量比较多而已。毕竟包含天地之理感悟的秘宝，全都是十分稀有的。
"This thing is like a cultivator. When it's born, it knows nothing. So it shows no unusual behavior. But once you feed it with the sense of the Way of Heaven and Earth, making it 'grow,' its true potential will be revealed!" Fang Zaiji stroked the disc in his hand, speaking with some emotion.
“ zhè wán yì ， jiù gēn xiū shì yī yàng 。 gāng chū shēng de shí hòu ， shén me dōu bù dǒng 。 suǒ yǐ yě jiù méi yǒu biǎo xiàn chū shén me yì cháng 。 dàn zhǐ yào yòng tiān dì zhī lǐ gǎn wù jìn xíng wèi yǎng ， ràng tā ‘ zhǎng dà ’。 nà me tā zhēn zhèng de cái néng fāng huì xiǎn xiàn ！” fāng zài jì fǔ mō zhuó shǒu zhōng de yuán pán ， yǒu xiē gǎn kǎi dì shuō dào 。
“这玩意，就跟修士一样。刚出生的时候，什么都不懂。所以也就没有表现出什么异常。但只要用天地之理感悟进行喂养，让它‘长大’。那么它真正的才能方会显现！”方再济抚摸着手中的圆盘，有些感慨地说道。
"Exactly as Master said, this thing has no other use; its sole ability is to shield against the perception of the Heavenly Mirror to a certain extent!"
“ jiù xiàng zōng zhǔ nǐ shuō de nà yàng ， zhè dōng xī bié de yòng chǔ méi yǒu ， wéi yī de běn lǐng ， jiù shì néng gòu zài mǒu zhǒng chéng dù shàng ， píng bì tiān xuán jìng de gǎn zhī ！”
“就像宗主你说的那样，这东西别的用处没有，唯一的本领，就是能够在某种程度上，屏蔽天玄镜的感知！”
Just then, a disciple from the Medicine King Sect walked in. He held a small Heavenly Mirror and looked rather nervous.
zhèng shuō zhe ， yī wèi yào wáng zōng dì zǐ zǒu le jìn lái 。
正说着，一位药王宗弟子走了进来。
"Greetings, Master!" he first bowed to Li Fan before greeting the elders one by one.
shǒu chí yī méi tiān xuán xiǎo jìng ， miàn sè jū jǐn 。
手持一枚天玄小镜，面色拘谨。
Li Fan recognized this person; his name was Meng Wushì, one of the first to awaken among the disciples of the Medicine King Sect. He had already obtained the status of a cultivator in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and had advanced to Golden Core cultivation after switching to new techniques.
“ jiàn guò zōng zhǔ ！” tā shǒu xiān shì xiàng lǐ fán xíng lǐ ， ér hòu yī cì xiàng liǔ sān děng zhǎng lǎo wèn hǎo 。
“见过宗主！”他首先是向李凡行礼，而后依次向柳三等长老问好。
"Let you demonstrate for Master!" Fang Zaiji instructed.
zhè rén lǐ fán rèn shí ， cǐ rén míng jiào mèng wú shì ， nǎi shì zuì xiān sū xǐng de yī pī yào wáng zōng xiū shì zhī yī 。 zǎo yǐ jīng qǔ dé wàn xiān méng xiū shì shēn fèn ， zhuǎn xiū xīn fǎ zhī hòu ， gèng shì yǐ jīng tū pò dào le jīn dān xiū wèi 。
这人李凡认识，此人名叫孟无世，乃是最先苏醒的一批药王宗修士之一。早已经取得万仙盟修士身份，转修新法之后，更是已经突破到了金丹修为。
Meng Wushì nodded, first taking out a pile of top-grade spirit stones and placing them around the Endless Stone Plate.
】
】
He then activated the exchange function of the Heavenly Mirror.
“ nǐ wèi zōng zhǔ yǎn shì yī xià ba ！” fāng zài jì fēn fù dào 。
“你为宗主演示一下吧！”方再济吩咐道。
A beam of dim light shot from the mirror's surface, illuminating the spirit stones.
mèng wú shì diǎn diǎn tóu ， xiān shì qǔ chū yī duī jí pǐn líng shí ， bǎi fàng zài zhōng mò yuán pán zhōu wéi 。
孟无世点点头，先是取出一堆极品灵石，摆放在终末圆盘周围。
"Exchange?" The prompt appeared on the mirror.
ér hòu qǐ yòng le tiān xuán xiǎo jìng de duì huàn gōng néng 。
而后启用了天玄小镜的兑换功能。
Meng Wushì confirmed, and the spirit stones vanished instantly.
yī shù yōu guāng zì jìng miàn zhōng shè chū ， xiān shì zhào zài le líng shí zhī shàng 。
一束幽光自镜面中射出，先是照在了灵石之上。
Next, Meng Wushì placed the Endless Stone Plate in the range of the dim light.
“ shì fǒu duì huàn ？” tiān xuán jìng de tí shì xiǎn xiàn chū lái 。
“是否兑换？”天玄镜的提示显现出来。
However, this time...
mèng wú shì què dìng zhī hòu ， líng shí dāng chǎng xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
孟无世确定之后，灵石当场消失不见。
The Heavenly Mirror showed no reaction at all.
ér hòu mèng wú shì yòu jiāng zhōng mò yuán pán fàng zài le yōu guāng de zhào shè fàn wéi zhī nèi 。
而后孟无世又将终末圆盘放在了幽光的照射范围之内。
It was as if it couldn't see the Endless Stone Plate's existence!
rán ér zhè cì ……
然而这次……
"Clearly born from the Heavenly Mirror, its only function after growing is to counteract the Heavenly Mirror itself. Truly a rebellious child!" Fang Zaiji said with an appreciative look in his eyes.
tiān xuán jìng què méi yǒu rèn hé fǎn yìng 。
天玄镜却没有任何反应。
"We have only tested this with the Heavenly Mirror so far. We don't know if it will still maintain its shielding effect when encountering the regional Heavenly Mirrors or the main mirror," Liu San, more cautious, added.
jiù xiàng shì gēn běn kàn bú dào yuán pán de cún zài yī yàng ！
就像是根本看不到圆盘的存在一样！
Li Fan took the Endless Stone Plate and examined it closely for a moment. He found that it was indeed very similar to the厄石 (Fate Stones) created by the previous world's Overwhelming Alliance.
“ míng míng shì tiān xuán jìng suǒ shēng ， zhǎng chéng zhī hòu de wéi yī zuò yòng ， què shì fǎn guò lái zhēn duì tiān xuán jìng de 。 zhēn shì nì zi a ！” fāng zài jì zuǐ lǐ zhè me shuō zhe ， yǎn zhōng què shì liú lù chū shí fēn xīn shǎng de shén sè 。
“明明是天玄镜所生，长成之后的唯一作用，却是反过来针对天玄镜的。真是逆子啊！”方再济嘴里这么说着，眼中却是流露出十分欣赏的神色。
"How many round plates can we cut from this Endless Stone Plate?" This was a crucial question. If only a few could be produced, they would have to give them to key individuals; if an endless supply...
“ mù qián wǒ men zhǐ yòng tiān xuán xiǎo jìng jìn xíng guò shì yàn 。 bù zhī dào yù dào gè zhōu de tiān xuán fēn jìng 、 yǐ jí tiān xuán jìng běn tǐ hòu ， tā shì fǒu réng rán néng bǎo zhèng píng bì zuò yòng 。” liǔ sān zé shì bǐ jiào wěn zhòng ， xiáng xì bǔ chōng dào 。
“目前我们只用天玄小镜进行过试验。不知道遇到各州的天玄分镜、以及天玄镜本体后，它是否仍然能保证屏蔽作用。”柳三则是比较稳重，详细补充道。
In response to Li Fan’s query, Fang Zaiji gave a cautious answer: "Based on the current situation, it seems the Endless Stone Plate has not decreased in number due to our cutting. But this might also be because we removed too few plates. We need to see how it develops."
lǐ fán jiāng yuán pán shè yú zhǎng zhōng ， zǐ xì guān chá le piàn kè 。 fā xiàn què shí shí fēn jiē jìn shàng yī shì 【 fù tiān méng 】 suǒ chuàng zào chū de 【 è shí 】 le 。
李凡将圆盘摄于掌中，仔细观察了片刻。发现确实十分接近上一世【覆天盟】所创造出的【厄石】了。
Li Fan nodded and handed over more than one hundred Foundation Stones. He instructed Liu San: "We should acquire treasures that凝聚悟道感悟 (gathers enlightenment) through Jiao Xiuyuan. With the contribution points we've accumulated, we should be able to maintain a steady supply of round plates for some time. The more, the better. This will have great use in the future..."
“ zhè ge zhōng mò shí pán ， néng gòu qiē gē chū duō shǎo yuán pán ？” zhè shì gè hěn guān jiàn de wèn tí ， rú guǒ néng gòu shēng chéng de shù liàng bù duō ， nà me yě zhǐ néng gěi guān jiàn rén wù pèi dài 。 rú guǒ néng gòu yuán yuán bù duàn chǎn chū ……
“这个终末石盘，能够切割出多少圆盘？”这是个很关键的问题，如果能够生成的数量不多，那么也只能给关键人物佩戴。如果能够源源不断产出……
As if validating Li Fan's words, a line of golden text suddenly appeared on the Heavenly Mirror before them.
miàn duì lǐ fán de yí wèn ， fāng zài jì de huí dá què shì shí fēn yán jǐn ：“ cóng mù qián de qíng kuàng lái kàn ， zhōng mò shí pán sì hū bìng méi yǒu yīn wèi wǒ men de qiē gē ér jiǎn shǎo 。 dàn zhè yě kě néng shì wǒ men qiē chú de yuán pán shù liàng tài shǎo de yuán yīn 。 jù tǐ de ， hái yào zài kàn 。”
面对李凡的疑问，方再济的回答却是十分严谨：“从目前的情况来看，终末石盘似乎并没有因为我们的切割而减少。但这也可能是我们切除的圆盘数量太少的原因。具体的，还要再看。”
"Due to special circumstances, the function of the Heavenly Mirror is currently temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience."
lǐ fán diǎn diǎn tóu ， jiāng shèng yú de yì bǎi duō méi jiàn tāi yuán shí tōng tōng jiāo gěi le tā 。 bìng zhǔ fù liǔ sān dào ：“ kě yǐ tōng guò jiāo xiū yuǎn ， shōu gòu níng jù tiān dì zhī lǐ gǎn wù de bǎo wù 。 yǐ wǒ men zhè xiē nián jī zǎn xià lái de gòng xiàn dù ， yīng gāi néng wéi chí yī duàn shí jiān de yuán pán chǎn chū le 。 zhè dōng xī ， duō duō yì shàn 。 jiāng lái duì wǒ men yǒu dà yòng ……”
李凡点点头，将剩余的一百多枚剑胎元石通通交给了他。并嘱咐柳三道：“可以通过焦修远，收购凝聚天地之理感悟的宝物。以我们这些年积攒下来的贡献度，应该能维持一段时间的圆盘产出了。这东西，多多益善。将来对我们有大用……”
Liu San and others were momentarily stunned.
fǎng fú yìn zhèng zhe lǐ fán de huà ， jǐ rén miàn qián de tiān xuán xiǎo jìng shàng ， hū de fú xiàn chū yī xíng jīn sè zì fú 。
仿佛印证着李凡的话，几人面前的天玄小镜上，忽的浮现出一行金色字符。
They knew that the Heavenly Mirror was an Immortal Treasure, yet it had somehow become unusable...
“ yīn tè shū yuán yīn ， tiān xuán jìng gōng néng mù qián zàn shí wú fǎ shǐ yòng ， qǐng shāo hòu zài shì 。 rú ruò zào chéng bù biàn ， jìng qǐng liàng jiě 。”
“因特殊原因，天玄镜功能目前暂时无法使用，请稍后再试。如若造成不便，敬请谅解。”
Their eyes all turned to Li Fan.
liǔ sān děng rén ， jù shì wēi wēi lèng zhù 。
柳三等人，俱是微微愣住。
"Is the final transformation of the Heavenly Mirror finally coming?"
tā men kě shì zhī dào tiān xuán jìng nǎi shì xiān jiā zhì bǎo de 。 ér xiàn zài jū rán chū xiàn liǎo wú fǎ shǐ yòng de qíng kuàng ……
他们可是知道天玄镜乃是仙家至宝的。而现在居然出现了无法使用的情况……
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he suddenly felt a sense of impending danger.
"Ah?" Li Fan was surprised to find that Fang Zaiji and his team had made such rapid progress.
With the guidance of the All-Seeing Eye, Li Fan arrived at the test site.
The Endless Stone Plate, which had appeared no different from ordinary stones before, now hung above the heads of Fang Zaiji and his companions. Around it, space seemed to be divided according to different rules, forming a series of concentric rings in various colors that stood still. It was quite fascinating.
A black煞气 (Evil Qi) under Qian Yu Shan's control was cutting through one of these rings surrounding the Endless Stone Plate.
Li Fan did not interfere and instead stood aside to observe.
After some time, he noticed a pattern. Qian Yu Shan’s method wasn't about slicing off parts from the stone plate; it was more like peeling back a layer of paper, creating a flat surface on the stone plate.
It seemed this wasn’t the first time they had done this, as Qian Yu Shan's actions appeared very skilled.
Not long after, a thin "Endless Stone Plate" separated from its original body.
The moment it detached, the once circular stone plate began to rapidly shrink in size. The rings around it and its own volume were continuously decreasing.
"Quick! Feed it!" Fang Zaiji shouted urgently.
As he spoke, he threw several stones towards Qian Yu Shan.
Li Fan took a closer look and realized these were the元石 (Foundation Stones) that he had casually handed to Fang Zaiji earlier!
The Foundation Stone melted away as soon as it approached the Endless Stone Plate, like ice melting in water.
However, the stone plate slowed down its shrinking process and gradually stabilized.
After feeding six Foundation Stones, the ring-shaped space around the stone plate contracted inward and returned to the stone plate itself.
Thus, a miniature version of the Endless Stone Plate was formed before Li Fan's eyes.
"Truly not easy; it’s even harder than giving birth. You agree, Yu Shan?" Fang Zaiji sighed deeply, holding the round disc with satisfaction.
"You really have no filter! Can you compare it to childbirth like that!" Liu San frowned and cursed.
Just then, Li Fan spoke up: "Mr. Fang, did you find out how to use the Endless Stone Plate?"
Fang Zaiji proudly waved the round disc in his hand. "Yes. Thanks to those strange stones you gave me earlier..."
He proceeded to explain to Li Fan.
In fact, after a long time of failing to figure it out, Fang Zaiji decided to follow Li Fan's advice and cut the Endless Stone Plate.
They found that any part sliced off would vanish almost instantly into thin air. Despite trying various methods, they couldn't stop this from happening. Frustrated, Fang Zaiji tried throwing everything he could find in his storage ring at it.
To their surprise, this method actually worked, allowing the round disc to remain stable.
The key was using items that contained a sense of "the Way of Heaven and Earth."
Not just Foundation Stones, but any treasure that凝聚悟道感悟 (gathers enlightenment) would work.
Fang Zaiji had thrown all Foundation Stones because they were in abundance; after all, such treasures containing the sense of the Way of Heaven and Earth are extremely rare.
"This thing is like a cultivator. When it's born, it knows nothing. So it shows no unusual behavior. But once you feed it with the sense of the Way of Heaven and Earth, making it 'grow,' its true potential will be revealed!" Fang Zaiji stroked the disc in his hand, speaking with some emotion.
"Exactly as Master said, this thing has no other use; its sole ability is to shield against the perception of the Heavenly Mirror to a certain extent!"
Just then, a disciple from the Medicine King Sect walked in. He held a small Heavenly Mirror and looked rather nervous.
"Greetings, Master!" he first bowed to Li Fan before greeting the elders one by one.
Li Fan recognized this person; his name was Meng Wushì, one of the first to awaken among the disciples of the Medicine King Sect. He had already obtained the status of a cultivator in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and had advanced to Golden Core cultivation after switching to new techniques.
"Let you demonstrate for Master!" Fang Zaiji instructed.
Meng Wushì nodded, first taking out a pile of top-grade spirit stones and placing them around the Endless Stone Plate.
He then activated the exchange function of the Heavenly Mirror.
A beam of dim light shot from the mirror's surface, illuminating the spirit stones.
"Exchange?" The prompt appeared on the mirror.
Meng Wushì confirmed, and the spirit stones vanished instantly.
Next, Meng Wushì placed the Endless Stone Plate in the range of the dim light.
However, this time...
The Heavenly Mirror showed no reaction at all.
It was as if it couldn't see the Endless Stone Plate's existence!
"Clearly born from the Heavenly Mirror, its only function after growing is to counteract the Heavenly Mirror itself. Truly a rebellious child!" Fang Zaiji said with an appreciative look in his eyes.
"We have only tested this with the Heavenly Mirror so far. We don't know if it will still maintain its shielding effect when encountering the regional Heavenly Mirrors or the main mirror," Liu San, more cautious, added.
Li Fan took the Endless Stone Plate and examined it closely for a moment. He found that it was indeed very similar to the厄石 (Fate Stones) created by the previous world's Overwhelming Alliance.
"How many round plates can we cut from this Endless Stone Plate?" This was a crucial question. If only a few could be produced, they would have to give them to key individuals; if an endless supply...
In response to Li Fan’s query, Fang Zaiji gave a cautious answer: "Based on the current situation, it seems the Endless Stone Plate has not decreased in number due to our cutting. But this might also be because we removed too few plates. We need to see how it develops."
Li Fan nodded and handed over more than one hundred Foundation Stones. He instructed Liu San: "We should acquire treasures that凝聚悟道感悟 (gathers enlightenment) through Jiao Xiuyuan. With the contribution points we've accumulated, we should be able to maintain a steady supply of round plates for some time. The more, the better. This will have great use in the future..."
As if validating Li Fan's words, a line of golden text suddenly appeared on the Heavenly Mirror before them.
"Due to special circumstances, the function of the Heavenly Mirror is currently temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Liu San and others were momentarily stunned.
They knew that the Heavenly Mirror was an Immortal Treasure, yet it had somehow become unusable...
Their eyes all turned to Li Fan.
"Is the final transformation of the Heavenly Mirror finally coming?"
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he suddenly felt a sense of impending danger.