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Around two and a half years ago, the most efficient array masters had already completed the construction of their respective Soul Locking Arrays.
Some chose to rest.
While others, for the sake of gaining points in the grand competition, went to support areas where the array formation remained incomplete.
However, for secretive places like the Five Elements Great Immortal Realm, these young array masters still didn’t have the qualifications to enter.
Li Fan, too, relied on Chief Lu’s relationship and the sudden change in the void of Tian Lingzhou to have the fortune to come here.
Who would have thought that after two years, the place Li Fan painstakingly managed to reach would become accessible with just a simple application.
“Isn’t this Fellow Daoist Li Fan? It’s an honor to meet you!”
A young array master named Xiang Liu warmly greeted Li Fan.
“Although everyone knows your deeds, there are still many Fellow Daoists who are no less dedicated than you if we talk about working hard.”
“At that time, people speculated that you must have been responsible for constructing formations in some extremely important subworld.”
“And it turns out, it’s true!”
Xiang Liu looked at Li Fan with deep emotion, but there was no trace of jealousy in his eyes.
On the other hand, Gu Youguang, another array master, couldn’t hide his envy: “Fellow Daoist must have a profound background to have the opportunity to come to such a critical place.”
“The points obtained within the Five Elements Great Immortal Realm are more than triple those outside!”
Li Fan coughed lightly, pretending to be extremely weak: “Hehe, Fellow Daoist misunderstood. My presence here is also just a coincidence, benefiting from Senior Huangfu Song’s grace.”
“Moreover, my end is near, and I will return to heaven soon. What use do I have for so-called points and rankings?”
“Regardless of where I am, the difference is negligible to me.”
“As long as I am engaged in constructing the Soul Locking Array.”
Hearing this, Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang both put away their playful expressions, becoming extremely serious.
“Fellow Daoist’s actions are truly admirable.”
“This is also why, although you are ranked second outside, there aren’t many people who are dissatisfied.”
Li Fan also didn’t expect that the point multiplier within the Five Elements Great Immortal Realm would be so high.
Plus, with my non-stop hard work over the past two years, I unexpectedly managed to rank second in the grand competition.
“Who’s in first place?” Li Fan couldn’t help but ask with some curiosity.
“Who else could it be? Isn’t it that Guo Ye Zhong?” Gu Youguang seemed somewhat disdainful, speaking with great contempt.
“Brother Gu, be cautious…” Xiang Liu glanced at Gu Youguang, then explained, “The one who’s currently firmly holding the first place is the one who originally ranked last, Fellow Daoist Guo Ye Zhong.”
“Guo Ye Zhong…” Li Fan’s gaze flickered slightly, deliberately asking, “Why can he rise from last place to first? And judging by Brother Gu’s tone…”
Before Xiang Liu could explain, Gu Youguang interjected, “What else does he have? Isn’t it just luck? It is said that after the battle in Tian Lingzhou, he was the first to propose the idea of the Soul Locking Array. So, for each Soul Locking Array constructed, he gets a significant contribution. That’s how he can obtain a considerable reward in points.”
“And with more and more formations being built now, naturally, no one can surpass him.”
Gu Youguang said somewhat resentfully, “Actually, there’s nothing to it. After all, he did make contributions to the formation’s birth. What truly angers everyone is that he relies on the advantages he has gained, winning effortlessly, and even refuses to exert any more effort. He sees the efforts of his fellow cultivators as trivial, trampling on the meaning of our hard work…”
Seeing Gu Youguang becoming more and more excessive, Xiang Liu quickly interrupted him, “Actually, Fellow Daoist Guo is still quite admirable, a natural talent. It is said that he not only proposed the idea of the Soul Locking Array but also personally designed and created its prototype.”
“Moreover, It is said that he had zero points before, only delayed by some urgent matters. It’s not intentional…”
Gu Youguang snorted, “What ‘it is said’? Who believes that! I’ve also heard that it’s all because he has a good father!”
“When fellow cultivators came to reason with him, not only did he not feel guilty, he even rationalized and boldly asked, ‘What, are you unconvinced?’
“Truly shameless. Thinking back to the time when I studied with such a person, it makes me feel disgusted!”
Xiang Liu looked full of resentment towards Gu Youguang, unable to help but smile bitterly and shake his head, no longer trying to persuade him.
“Guo Ye Zhong…” Li Fan recalled the encounter with this person in the Universal Academy. “I really misjudged him…”
During the rest of the conversation, Guo Ye Zhong was not mentioned again.
Just reminiscing about the past years of studying together, Li Fan asked them about their experiences in the outside world.
After some casual chatting, they saw that it was almost time.
The two of them then joined in the construction of the array formations within the Water Immortal Realm.
Xiang Liu and Gu Youguang’s array skills were not inferior to Li Fan’s.
With their assistance, the progress was greatly accelerated.
Moreover, along with their support, there were also many cultivators from the Garrison Hall.
They all carried a kind of glass bottle-shaped magic treasure that could release the “Dual-Element Glass Light” from the bottle.
This mysterious light had a purifying function that worked wonders against the fusion monsters within the Five Elements Great Immortal Realm.
With no external threats, the overall construction progress of the Tian Xuan Soul Locking Array increased day by day.
However, four months later, the progress reached 99%.
At the same time, the process of the Five Elements merging into one was about to reach its final stage.
In the sky, the giant upside-down tree had countless branches deeply inserted into the azure waters.
Strangely enough, when the Wood and Water elements initially made slight contact, there would be continuous strange monster occurrences.
Now that the true fusion of the Wood and Water attributes was occurring, those bizarre creatures never appeared.
But as Li Fan looked at the green branches tainted by the blue water, the incomplete figures reappeared before his eyes.
“Fellow Daoist Li Fan, it’s time to withdraw.”
Xiang Liu looked at Li Fan, who seemed lost in thought, and reminded him.
Li Fan nodded slightly, unfurled the Sky Escape Shuttle, and headed towards the enormous Dust Crossing Boatboat reappearing in the sky.
Their work was no longer needed.
As countless cultivators returned to the Dust Crossing Boatboat, dark figures flew against the crowd, heading towards various array nodes that had been previously constructed.
They would use the “Eternal Punishment Essence Gold” to protect the crucial structures of the Soul Locking Array.
When everything was ready, and the Tian Xuan Mirror was in place, the Soul Locking Array covering the Five Elements Great Immortal Realm would be considered completely constructed.
“I hope there won’t be any more flaws.” Li Fan thought to himself as he returned to the Dust Crossing Boatboat.
“Master, what do you think this subworld will become after the Five Elements merge into one?” A curious voice of a young child sounded in his ear.