tīng wán qīng de jiè shào ， lǐ fán yòu zǐ xì guān chá le yī fān zhè shā lòu de wán zhěng yùn zuò guò chéng 。
听完青的介绍，李凡又仔细观察了一番这沙漏的完整运作过程。
After listening to Qing's introduction, Li Fan carefully observed the complete operation process of this hourglass.
xīn zhōng bù miǎn yǒu xiē jīng xǐ 。
心中不免有些惊喜。
He couldn't help feeling a bit thrilled.
zài wáng guó miè zhǒng de yā lì xià ， dì guó zhè qún rén dí què bào fā chū le nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng de qián lì 。
在亡国灭种的压力下，帝国这群人的确爆发出了难以想象的潜力。
Under the pressure of losing their country and race, these people from the Empire truly unleashed potential beyond imagination.
lǐ fán dōu méi yǒu xiǎng dào ， tā men jū rán néng chuàng zào rú cǐ kān chēng wán měi de zhuāng zhì 。
李凡都没有想到，他们居然能创造如此堪称完美的装置。
Li Fan hadn't expected that they could create such an almost perfect device.
jí biàn yǐ lǐ fán rú jīn tiāo tī de yǎn guāng ， yě hěn nán zhǎo chū zhè zhuāng zhì de bì duān le 。
即便以李凡如今挑剔的眼光，也很难找出这装置的弊端了。
Even with his current discerning eyes, it was hard to find any flaws in this device.
“ zhè zhǒng yì shòu ， yǐ jí shā lòu zhuāng zhì ， rú jīn hái dōu méi yǒu míng zì 。”
“这种异兽，以及沙漏装置，如今还都没有名字。”
"Such exotic beasts and the hourglass device still don’t have names."
“ qǐng qián bèi bù lìn cì míng 。”
“请前辈不吝赐名。”
"Please, allow me to name them," Qing said after a glance at the Empress.
qīng shuō wán hòu ， yǎn shén shì yì xià 。 dì nǚ gōng shēn xíng le yī lǐ ， ér hòu qīng shēng shuō dào 。
青说完后，眼神示意下。帝女躬身行了一礼，而后轻声说道。
Li Fan chuckled. Even knowing their subtle intentions, he felt quite pleased right now.
“ hē hē ……” lǐ fán xiào le xiào 。
“呵呵……”李凡笑了笑。
After some contemplation, Li Fan had an answer.
jí biàn zhī dào le duì fāng de xiǎo xīn sī ， lǐ fán cǐ kè yě shì jí wéi shòu yòng de 。
即便知道了对方的小心思，李凡此刻也是极为受用的。
"Regarding the creation of this world, it was divided into two parts: Yin and Yang."
chén yín piàn kè ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng yǒu le dá àn 。
沉吟片刻，李凡心中有了答案。
"The interplay between Yin and Yang gives birth to all things."
“ suǒ wèi tiān dì chū kāi ， èr fēn yīn yáng 。”
“所谓天地初开，二分阴阳。”
"And as for the saying, 'Dao gives rise to One; One gives rise to Two; Two gives rise to Three; and from Three arise myriad things.'"
“ yīn yáng xiāng hé ， yǎn huà wàn wù 。”
“阴阳相合，衍化万物。”
"This exotic beast can be named [Dao Yi Insect]."
“ yòu suǒ wèi ， dào shēng yī 、 yī shēng èr 、 èr shēng sān ， sān shēng wàn wù ……”
“又所谓，道生一、一生二、二生三，三生万物……”
"Regarding this device..."
“ cǐ yì shòu ， kě míng 【 dào yī chóng 】。”
“此异兽，可名【道一虫】。”
Li Fan paused slightly before speaking loudly: "It can be named [Heavenly Earth Furnace]!"
“ cǐ zhuāng zhì ……”
“此装置……”
The three Empresses exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī dùn ， ér hòu lǎng shēng dào ：“ kě míng 【 tiān dì hōng lú 】！”
李凡微微一顿，而后朗声道：“可名【天地烘炉】！”
"Thank you, Senior!" they said in unison.
dì guó sān nǚ hù xiāng duì shì ， yǎn zhōng jìn shì jīng xǐ 。
帝国三女互相对视，眼中尽是惊喜。
Li Fan then learned more details about the Heavenly Earth Furnace.
“ xiè qián bèi cì míng ！” tā men qí shēng shuō dào 。
“谢前辈赐名！”她们齐声说道。
Forging the furnace itself wasn't difficult. With sufficient resources, producing thousands of furnaces daily was no issue.
lǐ fán jiē xià lái ， yòu liǎo jiě le gèng duō yǒu guān 【 tiān dì hōng lú 】 de xì jié 。
李凡接下来，又了解了更多有关【天地烘炉】的细节。
One just needed to transfer some Dao Yi Insects into a new empty furnace, infuse it with nutrients and wait for ten days. The Heavenly Earth Furnace would continuously produce spirit energy.
hōng lú běn shēn de duàn zào bìng bú shì shén me nán shì 。
烘炉本身的锻造并不是什么难事。
"The only possible隐患 is that the Dao Yi Insects might undergo mutations during their self-replication."
zī yuán zú gòu ， rì chǎn shàng wàn dǐng dōu bù zài huà xià 。
资源足够，日产上万鼎都不在话下。
"Although the mutation rate is extremely low and its direction uncertain, such mutations will inevitably cause malfunctions in the Heavenly Earth Furnace."
zhǐ xū jiāng yī bù fèn 【 dào yī chóng 】 jiē yǐn dào xīn de kòng bái hōng lú zhōng ， guàn zhù yǎng fèn 、 děng dài shí tiān 。
只需将一部分【道一虫】接引到新的空白烘炉中，灌注养分、等待十天。
"And since the Dao Yi Insects have been artificially bred to an extremely simple structure, they are not competitive compared to any of their mutant forms. Hence, they would always be replaced by new mutants."
tiān dì hōng lú jiù kě yǐ yuán yuán bù duàn de chǎn shēng líng qì le 。
天地烘炉就可以源源不断的产生灵气了。
"To ensure that the Dao Yi Insects maintain optimal spirit energy production at all times, any mutated individuals found in the furnace must be completely eliminated."
“ wéi yī kě néng de yǐn huàn ， jiù shì dào yī chóng zài zì wǒ zēng zhí guò chéng zhōng ， huì fā shēng yì biàn 。”
“唯一可能的隐患，就是道一虫在自我增殖过程中，会发生异变。”
"Moreover, it is recommended to make backups of the original Dao Yi Insects for future use to prevent large-scale mutations and extinction events."
“ yì biàn de gài lǜ jí xiǎo ， fāng xiàng yě bù què dìng 。 dàn wú lùn rú hé ， dū huì yǐn qǐ tiān dì hōng lú de gù zhàng 。”
“异变的概率极小，方向也不确定。但无论如何，都会引起天地烘炉的故障。”
...
“ ér qiě ， yóu yú dào yī chóng rú jīn yǐ jīng bèi dìng xiàng péi yù dào le jié gòu jí dù jiǎn dān de dì bù ， xiāng bǐ tā de rèn hé yì zhǒng cún zài dōu bù jù bèi jìng zhēng lì 。 suǒ yǐ tā men zǒng huì bèi nà xiē xīn shēng de yì biàn tǐ qǔ dài 。”
“而且，由于道一虫如今已经被定向培育到了结构极度简单的地步，相比它的任何异种存在都不具备竞争力。所以它们总会被那些新生的异变体取代。”
It's true that there isn't a perfect thing in this world.
“ wèi le bǎo zhèng dào yī chóng shǐ zhōng bǎo chí zài zuì jiā líng qì chǎn chū zhuàng tài ， zhǐ yào yī fā xiàn hōng lú zhōng yǒu yì biàn gè tǐ 、 jiù yào shī xíng chè dǐ miè shā 。”
“为了保证道一虫始终保持在最佳灵气产出状态，只要一发现烘炉中有异变个体、就要施行彻底灭杀。”
Even after hundreds of generations of improvement, this flaw couldn't be eradicated.
“ tóng shí jiàn yì ， duì dào yī chóng yuán shǐ tǐ duō zuò bèi fèn péi yǎng 。 yǐ miǎn fā shēng dà guī mó de biàn yì 、 miè jué shì jiàn 。”
“同时建议，对道一虫原始体多做备份培养。以免发生大规模的变异、灭绝事件。”
But compared to its benefits, these flaws were almost negligible. It was merely a matter of replacing the Heavenly Earth Furnace periodically.
……
……
"Actually, it could even be considered an advantage."
bù dé bù shuō ， shì shàng hái méi yǒu shí quán shí měi zhī wù 。
不得不说，世上还没有十全十美之物。
"If we seal the furnace with secret techniques so that outsiders can’t open it, and every certain period, the furnace would become ineffective. To use it again, one needs to find a new furnace..."
jí biàn jīng guò shàng bǎi dài de gǎi liáng ， dào yī chóng de zhè zhǒng quē diǎn yě shǐ zhōng wú fǎ bèi xiāo chú 。
即便经过上百代的改良，道一虫的这种缺点也始终无法被消除。
"This is a perfect way of control, isn't it?"
dàn huà yòu shuō huí lái ， gēn tā men néng dài lái de hǎo chù xiāng bǐ ， zhè xiē quē diǎn jī hū kě yǐ hū lüè bù jì le 。
但话又说回来，跟它们能带来的好处相比，这些缺点几乎可以忽略不计了。
"Even if this technology is spread across countless small worlds, it significantly reduces the risk of uncontrolled growth."
yě zhǐ bù guò shì měi guò yī duàn shí jiān jiù yào jiāng tiān dì hōng lú jìn xíng gēng huàn ér yǐ 。
也只不过是每过一段时间就要将天地烘炉进行更换而已。
In an instant, Li Fan derived various possible outcomes and felt increasingly pleased.
“ shèn zhì ， dōu bù néng suàn shì quē diǎn 。”
“甚至，都不能算是缺点。”
But he didn’t show any emotion on his face.
“ jiāng hōng lú yǐ mì fǎ mì fēng ， wài rén wú fǎ kāi qǐ 。 měi guò yī duàn shí jiān ， hōng lú jiù huì shī xiào 。 xiǎng yào zài cì shǐ yòng ， jiù yào qù xún xīn de hōng lú ……”
“将烘炉以秘法密封，外人无法开启。每过一段时间，烘炉就会失效。想要再次使用，就要去寻新的烘炉……”
After putting away several Heavenly Earth Furnaces, Li Fan looked at the three Empresses.
“ zhè bù jiù shì wán měi de qián zhì shǒu duàn me ？”
“这不就是完美的钳制手段么？”
A momentary silence followed.
“ jí biàn tuī guǎng dào zhū tiān xiǎo shì jiè ， yě néng dà dà jiǎn xiǎo shī kòng de fēng xiǎn 。”
“即便推广到诸天小世界，也能大大减小失控的风险。”
"Very good!"
shùn xī zhī jiān ， lǐ fán tuī yǎn chū le gè zhǒng kě néng de jié guǒ ， xīn zhōng xīn xǐ zhī qíng yù shèng 。
瞬息之间，李凡推衍出了各种可能的结果，心中欣喜之情愈盛。
"I am very satisfied with your performance this time!"
dàn miàn shàng què méi yǒu biǎo xiàn fēn háo 。
但面上却没有表现分毫。
"Our Inter-World Federation always rewards and punishes fairly. You have made significant contributions; how can we not reward you?"
jiāng shù zūn tiān dì hōng lú shōu qǐ ， lǐ fán kàn xiàng dì guó sān nǚ 。
将数尊天地烘炉收起，李凡看向帝国三女。
"From today on, your Empire officially becomes a member of our Inter-World Federation."
lìng rén zhì xī de chén mò guò hòu 。
令人窒息的沉默过后。
As he spoke, an image of a faceless stone statue appeared before the three women.
“ hěn hǎo ！”
“很好！”
After they completed their oath in front of the statue, Li Fan taught them the technique [Divine Presence].
“ wǒ hěn mǎn yì nǐ men zhè cì de biǎo xiàn ！”
“我很满意你们这次的表现！”
"With the protection of a deity, you can handle various crises that might arise within your Empire."
“ wǒ men wàn jiè lián hé huì ， xiàng lái shǎng fá fēn míng 。 nǐ men zhè cì lì xià dà gōng ， yòu qǐ néng bù shǎng ？”
“我们万界联合会，向来赏罚分明。你们这次立下大功，又岂能不赏？”
The three Empresses, with their exceptional talents, summoned their respective deities almost instantly under Li Fan's witness.
“ cóng jīn rì qǐ ， nǐ men dì guó ， jiù zhèng shì chéng wéi wàn jiè lián hé huì de yī yuán le 。”
“从今日起，你们帝国，就正式成为万界联合会的一员了。”
Feeling the power of the deities, they couldn't help but feel thrilled.
shuō zhe ， yī zūn wú miàn shí xiàng de xū yǐng fú xiàn zài sān nǚ miàn qián 。
说着，一尊无面石像的虚影浮现在三女面前。
"This is just basic rewards. After I report this to headquarters, there will be more rewards for you."
yǐn dào tā men wán chéng le shí xiàng qián de xuān shì ， lǐ fán yòu chuán shòu le 【 shén lín shēn 】 zhī fǎ 。
引到她们完成了石像前的宣誓，李凡又传授了【神临身】之法。
"Including but not limited to, enhancing your cultivation and providing resources for your Empire, among other things."
“ yǒu mó shén bì yòu ， zú yǐ yìng duì nǐ men dì guó zhōng píng rì lǐ huì chū xiàn de zhǒng zhǒng wēi jī 。”
“有魔神庇佑，足以应对你们帝国中平日里会出现的种种危机。”
"And if possible, you might even have the chance to visit our headquarters."
sān nǚ tiān fù dōu shì jué jiā ， zài lǐ fán de jiàn zhèng xià ， bù guò piàn kè zhī hòu ， jiù fēn fēn gè zì zhào huàn le shǔ yú zì jǐ de nà zūn shén mó 。
三女天赋都是绝佳，在李凡的见证下，不过片刻之后，就纷纷各自召唤了属于自己的那尊神魔。
Li Fan casually painted a picture of future benefits.
gǎn shòu zhe shén mó qiáng dà de qì xī ， sān rén xīn zhōng bù miǎn yǒu xiē jīng xǐ 。
感受着神魔强大的气息，三人心中不免有些惊喜。
"As for this small world that created the Heavenly Earth Furnace, we allow it to implement it first. And when there are Heavenly Earth Furnaces in other small worlds, you will also receive corresponding reward shares."
“ zhè hái zhǐ shì zuì jī běn de shǎng cì 。 děng wǒ huí qù ， huì bào zhè cì de shōu huò zhī hòu ， lián hé huì hái huì yǒu zhū duō jiǎng lì xià fā 。”
“这还只是最基本的赏赐。等我回去，汇报这次的收获之后，联合会还会有诸多奖励下发。”
"The rewards will be settled every ten years and delivered here."
“ bāo kuò dàn bù xiàn yú ， duì nǐ men xiū wèi de tí shēng 。 yǐ jí duì dì guó de wù zī zhī yuán ， děng děng 。”
“包括但不限于，对你们修为的提升。以及对帝国的物资支援，等等。”
"Although the proportion won't be large, it is definitely enough to develop and upgrade your world."
“ ruò shì yǒu kě néng ， nǐ men hái huì yǒu xìng qián wǎng lián hé huì zǒng bù 。”
“若是有可能，你们还会有幸前往联合会总部。”
This was an unexpected gain, and the three Empresses were overjoyed.
lǐ fán dàn dàn de huà zhe dà bǐng 。
李凡淡淡的画着大饼。
"Remember, our Inter-World Federation never shortchanges its own people."
“ duì le ， zuò wéi yán fā chū tiān dì hōng lú de xiǎo shì jiè ， lián hé huì yǔn xǔ nǐ men shǒu xiān zài zì jǐ de xiǎo shì jiè zhōng shí xiàn pǔ jí 。 bìng qiě ， dāng qí tā xiǎo shì jiè zhōng yǒu tiān dì hōng lú ān fàng de shí hòu ， nǐ men yě huì dé dào xiāng yìng de jiǎng lì fēn chéng 。”
“对了，作为研发出天地烘炉的小世界，联合会允许你们首先在自己的小世界中实现普及。并且，当其他小世界中有天地烘炉安放的时候，你们也会得到相应的奖励分成。”
"All who contribute to us will receive hundreds of times their effort in return."
“ xiāng yìng de jiǎng lì wù zī ， jiāng huì měi shí nián yī cì jìn xíng jié suàn 。 tǒng yī sòng dào nǐ men zhè lǐ lái 。”
“相应的奖励物资，将会每十年一次进行结算。统一送到你们这里来。”
To prove his point, Li Fan handed a storage ring to the three Empresses.
“ suī rán bǐ lì bú huì tài dà ， dàn yě jué duì zú gòu bǎ nǐ men cǐ chù xiǎo shì jiè dǎ zào 、 shēng gé le 。”
“虽然比例不会太大，但也绝对足够把你们此处小世界打造、升格了。”
When Qing saw the resources contained within the storage ring, her pupils constricted. She quickly bowed and thanked Li Fan.
zhè wán quán shì yì xiǎng bù dào de shōu huò ， dì guó sān rén gèng shì xǐ xíng yú sè 。
这完全是意想不到的收获，帝国三人更是喜形于色。
Li Fan waved it off nonchalantly.
“ jì zhù ， wǒ men lián hé huì cóng lái bú huì kuī dài zì jǐ rén 。”
“记住，我们联合会从来不会亏待自己人。”
"Your performance this time was even better than I expected."
“ fán shì wèi lián hé huì zuò chū gòng xiàn de ， dū huì dé dào qiān bǎi bèi de huí bào 。”
“凡是为联合会做出贡献的，都会得到千百倍的回报。”
"I have more tasks for you next."
shì shì wèi le zhèng míng zhè fān huà ， lǐ fán yòu jiāo gěi le dì guó sān nǚ yī méi chǔ wù jiè 。
似是为了证明这番话，李凡又交给了帝国三女一枚储物戒。
From the storage ring, Li Fan took out a surveillance arrow with its surface array erased, leaving only the core in a dormant state of life.
dāng qīng kàn qīng chǔ chǔ wù jiè zhōng suǒ yùn hán de wù zī shí ， bù yóu tóng kǒng yī suō 。
当青看清楚储物戒中所蕴含的物资时，不由瞳孔一缩。
"See if you can research and achieve large-scale breeding of this creature."
lián máng gōng shēn duì lǐ fán biǎo shì gǎn xiè 。
连忙躬身对李凡表示感谢。
"If you succeed, we will greatly reward you!"
lǐ fán bǎi le bǎi shǒu ， bù yǐ wéi yì 。
李凡摆了摆手，不以为意。
Li Fan said sternly. His expression and tone showed his high regard for it.
“ nǐ men zhè cì de biǎo xiàn ， bǐ wǒ yù xiǎng zhōng de hái yào hǎo 。”
“你们这次的表现，比我预想中的还要好。”
Qing solemnly took the surveillance arrow and examined it with surprise.
“ jiē xià lái ， wǒ hái yǒu rèn wù yào jiāo gěi nǐ men 。”
“接下来，我还有任务要交给你们。”
But she quickly affirmed: "I won't let you down!"
lǐ fán cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng ， jiāng nà gēn biǎo miàn zhèn fǎ bèi mǒ qù 、 zhǐ shèng xià hé xīn xiū mián huó wù de xún tiān jiàn qǔ le chū lái 。
李凡从储物戒中，将那根表面阵法被抹去、只剩下核心休眠活物的巡天箭取了出来。
After handling some related matters, Li Fan left the Empire's small world with an engraved jade talisman indicating constant communication.
“ kàn kàn néng bù néng yán jiū chū cǐ shòu de tè xìng ， bìng shí xiàn tā de dà guī mó fán yù 。”
“看看能不能研究出此兽的特性，并实现它的大规模繁育。”
He quietly departed.
“ rú guǒ néng zuò dào zhè diǎn ， lián hé huì dà dà yǒu shǎng ！”
“如果能做到这点，联合会大大有赏！”
In the imperial palace,
lǐ fán chén shēng dào 。
李凡沉声道。
Red frowned at Xiao Qing. "Qing, this thing seems somewhat familiar?"
shén qíng yǔ yǔ qì zhōng ， dōu xiǎn lù chū duì cǐ wù de zhòng shì 。
神情与语气中，都显露出对此物的重视。
Qing shook her head. "It does resemble something from our sect back then, but we can't be sure yet; more research is needed."
qīng zhèng zhòng de jiē guò xún tiān jiàn ， guān chá le yī fān ， miàn lù yà sè 。
青郑重的接过巡天箭，观察了一番，面露讶色。
After a moment of silence, Red asked: "What about the Inter-World Federation... what do you think?"
bù guò hái shì hěn kuài biǎo tài ：“ dìng bù fù qián bèi zhī tuō ！”
不过还是很快表态：“定不负前辈之托！”
"We are fish in a pot for them, so what can we do? We can only take it one step at a time."
suí hòu jiāo dài le yī fān xiāng guān shì yí ， lǐ fán yòu liú xià yī méi yù fú ， biǎo shì suí shí tōng xùn hòu 。
随后交代了一番相关事宜，李凡又留下一枚玉符，表示随时通讯后。
"And from their current actions, they don't seem to be great villains."
qiǎo rán lí kāi le dì guó xiǎo shì jiè 。
悄然离开了帝国小世界。
The imperial palace fell silent again.
dì gōng zhī zhōng 。
帝宫之中。
As if recalling something, Qing suddenly said: "Right, the deity you gave us..."
hóng méi tóu wēi zhòu de kàn xiàng xiǎo qīng ：“ qīng ， zhè dōng xī ， sì hū yǒu diǎn yǎn shú ？”
红眉头微皱的看向小青：“青，这东西，似乎有点眼熟？”
"Do not use it unless absolutely necessary."
qīng yáo le yáo tóu ：“ dí què gēn dāng nián zōng mén nèi de nà dōng xī yǒu diǎn xiàng 。 bù guò mù qián hái bù néng què dìng 。 xū yào zài yán jiū yī fān 。”
青摇了摇头：“的确跟当年宗门内的那东西有点像。不过目前还不能确定。需要再研究一番。”
"I have a strange feeling about this."
chén mò le piàn kè hòu ， hóng yòu wèn dào ：“ nà wàn jiè lián hé huì …… nǐ zěn me kàn ？”
沉默了片刻后，红又问道：“那万界联合会……你怎么看？”
Red and the Empress nodded silently.
“ rén wéi dāo zǔ wǒ wèi yú ròu ， néng zěn me bàn ？ zhǐ néng zǒu yī bù 、 kàn yī bù le 。”
“人为刀俎我为鱼肉，能怎么办？只能走一步、看一步了。”
...
“ ér qiě cóng mù qián tā men de biǎo xiàn lái kàn ， duì fāng yě bìng fēi shì dà xiōng dà è zhī bèi 。”
“而且从目前他们的表现来看，对方也并非是大凶大恶之辈。”
Back in the Yellow World, Li Fan sensed their conversation through the deity's mental avatar. He coldly smiled.
After listening to Qing's introduction, Li Fan carefully observed the complete operation process of this hourglass.
He couldn't help feeling a bit thrilled.
Under the pressure of losing their country and race, these people from the Empire truly unleashed potential beyond imagination.
Li Fan hadn't expected that they could create such an almost perfect device.
Even with his current discerning eyes, it was hard to find any flaws in this device.
"Such exotic beasts and the hourglass device still don’t have names."
"Please, allow me to name them," Qing said after a glance at the Empress.
Li Fan chuckled. Even knowing their subtle intentions, he felt quite pleased right now.
After some contemplation, Li Fan had an answer.
"Regarding the creation of this world, it was divided into two parts: Yin and Yang."
"The interplay between Yin and Yang gives birth to all things."
"And as for the saying, 'Dao gives rise to One; One gives rise to Two; Two gives rise to Three; and from Three arise myriad things.'"
"This exotic beast can be named [Dao Yi Insect]."
"Regarding this device..."
Li Fan paused slightly before speaking loudly: "It can be named [Heavenly Earth Furnace]!"
The three Empresses exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement.
"Thank you, Senior!" they said in unison.
Li Fan then learned more details about the Heavenly Earth Furnace.
Forging the furnace itself wasn't difficult. With sufficient resources, producing thousands of furnaces daily was no issue.
One just needed to transfer some Dao Yi Insects into a new empty furnace, infuse it with nutrients and wait for ten days. The Heavenly Earth Furnace would continuously produce spirit energy.
"The only possible隐患 is that the Dao Yi Insects might undergo mutations during their self-replication."
"Although the mutation rate is extremely low and its direction uncertain, such mutations will inevitably cause malfunctions in the Heavenly Earth Furnace."
"And since the Dao Yi Insects have been artificially bred to an extremely simple structure, they are not competitive compared to any of their mutant forms. Hence, they would always be replaced by new mutants."
"To ensure that the Dao Yi Insects maintain optimal spirit energy production at all times, any mutated individuals found in the furnace must be completely eliminated."
"Moreover, it is recommended to make backups of the original Dao Yi Insects for future use to prevent large-scale mutations and extinction events."
...
It's true that there isn't a perfect thing in this world.
Even after hundreds of generations of improvement, this flaw couldn't be eradicated.
But compared to its benefits, these flaws were almost negligible. It was merely a matter of replacing the Heavenly Earth Furnace periodically.
"Actually, it could even be considered an advantage."
"If we seal the furnace with secret techniques so that outsiders can’t open it, and every certain period, the furnace would become ineffective. To use it again, one needs to find a new furnace..."
"This is a perfect way of control, isn't it?"
"Even if this technology is spread across countless small worlds, it significantly reduces the risk of uncontrolled growth."
In an instant, Li Fan derived various possible outcomes and felt increasingly pleased.
But he didn’t show any emotion on his face.
After putting away several Heavenly Earth Furnaces, Li Fan looked at the three Empresses.
A momentary silence followed.
"Very good!"
"I am very satisfied with your performance this time!"
"Our Inter-World Federation always rewards and punishes fairly. You have made significant contributions; how can we not reward you?"
"From today on, your Empire officially becomes a member of our Inter-World Federation."
As he spoke, an image of a faceless stone statue appeared before the three women.
After they completed their oath in front of the statue, Li Fan taught them the technique [Divine Presence].
"With the protection of a deity, you can handle various crises that might arise within your Empire."
The three Empresses, with their exceptional talents, summoned their respective deities almost instantly under Li Fan's witness.
Feeling the power of the deities, they couldn't help but feel thrilled.
"This is just basic rewards. After I report this to headquarters, there will be more rewards for you."
"Including but not limited to, enhancing your cultivation and providing resources for your Empire, among other things."
"And if possible, you might even have the chance to visit our headquarters."
Li Fan casually painted a picture of future benefits.
"As for this small world that created the Heavenly Earth Furnace, we allow it to implement it first. And when there are Heavenly Earth Furnaces in other small worlds, you will also receive corresponding reward shares."
"The rewards will be settled every ten years and delivered here."
"Although the proportion won't be large, it is definitely enough to develop and upgrade your world."
This was an unexpected gain, and the three Empresses were overjoyed.
"Remember, our Inter-World Federation never shortchanges its own people."
"All who contribute to us will receive hundreds of times their effort in return."
To prove his point, Li Fan handed a storage ring to the three Empresses.
When Qing saw the resources contained within the storage ring, her pupils constricted. She quickly bowed and thanked Li Fan.
Li Fan waved it off nonchalantly.
"Your performance this time was even better than I expected."
"I have more tasks for you next."
From the storage ring, Li Fan took out a surveillance arrow with its surface array erased, leaving only the core in a dormant state of life.
"See if you can research and achieve large-scale breeding of this creature."
"If you succeed, we will greatly reward you!"
Li Fan said sternly. His expression and tone showed his high regard for it.
Qing solemnly took the surveillance arrow and examined it with surprise.
But she quickly affirmed: "I won't let you down!"
After handling some related matters, Li Fan left the Empire's small world with an engraved jade talisman indicating constant communication.
He quietly departed.
In the imperial palace,
Red frowned at Xiao Qing. "Qing, this thing seems somewhat familiar?"
Qing shook her head. "It does resemble something from our sect back then, but we can't be sure yet; more research is needed."
After a moment of silence, Red asked: "What about the Inter-World Federation... what do you think?"
"We are fish in a pot for them, so what can we do? We can only take it one step at a time."
"And from their current actions, they don't seem to be great villains."
The imperial palace fell silent again.
As if recalling something, Qing suddenly said: "Right, the deity you gave us..."
"Do not use it unless absolutely necessary."
"I have a strange feeling about this."
Red and the Empress nodded silently.
...
Back in the Yellow World, Li Fan sensed their conversation through the deity's mental avatar. He coldly smiled.