The automatic protection of [Truth] was like a heavy anchor, firmly anchoring Li Fan above the ocean of his thoughts.
This prevented him from being swayed by the extremely realistic illusions, preventing them from affecting his physical body through his thoughts.
However, Li Fan did not relax his vigilance.
He stared fixedly at the recharge progress of [Truth].
Once the progress dropped, Li Fan planned to activate [Truth] immediately and return to his anchor point.
In this way, Li Fan, who was mentally prepared, quietly awaited the changes that the Intent Horse would bring next.
The speed at which the wounds appeared became faster and faster.
But Li Fan remained steadfast.
Regardless of how many wounds appeared on his body, even as he grew weaker due to severe injuries, he simply watched the charging progress in front of him without any reaction.
After a long time, seemingly because these injuries couldn’t intimidate Li Fan, a new change occurred.
A flame ignited from the Intent Horse’s corpse.
At the same time, Li Fan felt an unbearable heat descending upon him.
“Ah…”
He couldn’t help but let out a low groan.
He even saw his body slowly turning to ashes in the flames.
“It’s fake, all fake…”
The charging progress of [Truth] remained unmoved.
This indicated that there was no mortal danger.
Everything was just an extremely realistic illusion.
Li Fan firmly believed in his heart.
The blazing flames continued to flicker.
Li Fan struggled in unbearable pain and torment.
After an unknown period, the long agony gradually subsided.
After the Intent Horse’s corpse on the ground was completely burned to ashes, the illusions entwining Li Fan finally disappeared.
As he reassessed himself in the mirror, he had returned to his original human appearance.
Furthermore, Li Fan felt that he seemed to have become stronger.
Not in terms of physical body or cultivation level, but in terms of soul.
Li Fan carefully pondered his own changes.
“If spiritual consciousness is compared to a person’s muscles, then spiritual consciousness can be continuously strengthened through training. and cultivation techniques”
“However, the soul is like a person’s skeleton and is predetermined from birth. Only special methods, such as breakthroughs in cultivation realms and the effects of certain Heavenly Treasures, can strengthen it.”
“Ordinary methods simply cannot affect it.”
“And now, I feel like my ‘skeleton’ has visibly grown larger.”
Li Fan hadn’t felt this sense of becoming stronger in a long time.
Even the feeling brought about by advancing one small realm in cultivation couldn’t compare.
If there was a comparison to be made, it would only be comparable to the feeling of successfully entering the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment stage, a major realm advancement.
After some experimentation, Li Fan found that although his cultivation level hadn’t improved, the intensity of his spiritual consciousness had been affected, experiencing a significant increase.
Furthermore, his thought processing speed seemed to have become smoother.
“The Intent Horse is indeed a good treasure!”
“Although the way it achieves its effects is a bit strange, the results are really good.”
The fear in his heart had disappeared, replaced by an inevitable greed.
“Heart Monkey, Intent Horse.”
“If the Heart Monkey is transformed from a cultivator, then it seems that this Intent Horse should also be formed by a cultivator.”
Recalling the completely identical Intent Horse corpse from earlier, a guess surged in Li Fan’s mind.
“I have [Truth] to help me cheat, so I was able to pass through the effects of the Intent Horse so easily.”
“But if one’s will is not so firm, and they truly die…”
“I’m afraid the previous Intent Horse met its end this way.”
“So, Zhang Zhiliang’s intention is also very clear.”
“It’s both a reward and a test.”
“If one can’t even pass the test of the Intent Horse, it means they’re not qualified to represent the Cong Yun Sea in Tianyu Province, nor inherit his, unique skills. If you die, then so be it.”
“Tsk tsk, after advancing to the Soul Transformation stage, Zhang Zhiliang’s mindset is really quite different from before.”
“Back then, even when I was just at the Qi Condensation stage, I received his special care and was granted the Infinite Formation.”
“Now…”
Thinking of this, Li Fan couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.
He then sent a report message to Zhang Zhiliang.
Zhang Zhiliang was a bit surprised that Li Fan was able to digest the Intent Horse so quickly.
“Hmm? It seems your willpower is even stronger than I imagined.”
“Very well! Among the three, you are the first to achieve it.”
“Here’s your reward!”
With that, Zhang Zhiliang sent an object through the Tianxuan Mirror.
This object was a white glowing cube: the formation crown that Li Fan had coveted for a long time.
Upon receiving it, Li Fan couldn’t help but feel pleasantly surprised.
He exclaimed repeatedly, “Many thanks for your kindness, Master.”
“This formation crown is for you. Inside, there are a total of over a hundred different formations superimposed. In your spare time, you can disassemble and study it.”
“If you can construct a thirty-layer formation crown on your own, you can be considered a Formation Master.”
Zhang Zhiliang instructed.
“The enhancement effect of the Intent Horse on the soul is not just temporary. For a long time, it will have a certain nourishing effect on the soul.”
“During this time, it’s best for you to cultivate diligently and avoid conflicts with others.”
“Maximize its effect.”
“Hehe, perhaps you’ve also realized that the Intent Horse was once a cultivator in its lifetime.”
“And the one I gave you was a Golden Core cultivator in life.”
“If you can fully absorb its effects, doubling the strength of your soul shouldn’t be a problem.”
Li Fan hadn’t expected this additional benefit and quickly expressed his gratitude to Zhang Zhiliang again.
Zhang Zhiliang, however, hung up the communication without any further response.
“A Golden Core cultivator…”
“One can’t escape the fate of becoming someone else’s nourishment even after dying.” Li Fan shook his head inwardly.
Li Fan suddenly remembered the human-faced Taian Fruits he had seen on Taian Island.
“At that time, the human-faced fruits seemed to only affect mortals on the island. If a cultivator were turned into a human-faced fruit, would a fruit with a stronger effect appear?”
“Whether it’s Taian Fruits, Heart Monkeys, or Intent Horses…”
“I wonder if there’s any connection between them.”
Li Fan felt that there seemed to be some kind of secret hidden in all of this, giving him a strange feeling.
It felt out of place, yet somewhat familiar.
After pondering for a while, the blue crystal in his mind continuously flickered, and scenes of past experiences appeared before his eyes.
Li Fan finally realized where this sense of familiarity came from.
“Sect ruins, anomalies?”
Li Fan pondered for a moment, somewhat uncertain.
However, this contradicted the current rules of cultivation, was completely unreasonable, and seemed to have its own system of laws, yet was all connected.
“It is said that anomalies only exist within ancient sect ruins.”
“If the two are really related, what does that imply?”
Li Fan was suddenly reminded of the time after the ox had pulled the Master to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
He was summoned to the Heavenly Secrets Hall for investigation.
In front of the huge map of the Cong Yun Sea, the frail cultivator had said.
“One more case?”
Li Fan vaguely guessed something.