In the Tianxuan Mirror.
Li Fan sat in a daze, his expression vacant.
Even though he had long known that the items and knowledge obtained in the Fallen Immortal Realm could only be brought back if one resolved their desires, it was still hard to accept.
This time, when he returned to the real world and couldn’t recall a single word of the “Creation Furnace Technique” taught by Mr. Bai, Li Fan found it difficult to maintain his composure.
Having experienced the wonders of such supreme Daoist methods firsthand, Li Fan found his own crude techniques even more unacceptable.
The gap was too vast, like the difference between the stars in the sky and the plants on the ground.
The stark contrast left Li Fan feeling a bit unbalanced.
Especially since the treasure he once possessed vanished like smoke in an instant, never to be seen again.
Even someone as mentally resilient as Li Fan couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss.
“If I can try endlessly, surely one day I can bring this true skill back.”
After a long while, Li Fan took a deep breath and slowly suppressed the negative emotions in his heart.
Based on his experience in “Retrieve the Ningyuan’s Longevity Fruit,” to bring an item out, one must fulfill the lingering wish of the item’s owner.
What could Mr. Bai’s lingering wish be?
For now, Mr. Bai was still too mysterious for Li Fan. He could only keep trying slowly in the future.
After a brief moment of sensing, Li Fan realized that the next time he could enter the Fallen Immortal Realm would be in half a year.
Unfortunately, this time limit was a bit longer than usual, so Li Fan sighed and kept it in mind.
At this time, Li Fan checked his communication talisman and discovered a message from Chen Ying.
Chen Ying mentioned that he had already headed to the destination and was fully prepared.
If he managed to survive this ordeal, he promised to repay Li Fan generously.
Li Fan chuckled and thought that if this were true, he could use it as a typical case to widely promote.
“But the major battle in Tianling Prefecture is not set to occur until 16 years later. The focus before that should be on the Lingwu Grass incident.”
“If it weren’t for the clear declaration from the Tianxuan Mirror, the Five Elders Association wouldn’t make a big fuss over an unknown cave.”
“And without Jiao Xiuyuan’s instigation, the Lingwu Grass incident wouldn’t have spread as far as it did in the previous life.”
After careful consideration, Li Fan decided to visit Jiao Xiuyuan first.
Without concealing his identity, Li Fan, in the appearance of a disciple of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, arrived outside Qianli Hall.
Inside, it was as quiet as ever.
Jiao Xiuyuan was lazily lying on a long bench, eyes half-closed, seemingly dozing off.
Hearing footsteps, he suddenly stood up and changed his expression.
“Oh, a guest is here!”
Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan, first stunned, then greeted him warmly without showing any emotion.
Li Fan didn’t mention what he was there to buy, but instead, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Jiao Xiuyuan.
The two stared at each other in silence for a while.
After a moment, Li Fan was the first to cup his hands in greeting: “Your puppet technique, transforming into thousands forms, is indeed extraordinary!”
“Even in ancient times, it would have been considered a rare divine ability!”
Surprised to have his secret technique revealed by someone he just met, Jiao Xiuyuan was taken aback.
But he covered it up well and immediately responded, “Peering into the mysteries of heaven and probing karma. The ancient Hevanely Mechanism Sect truly lives up to its name!”
“Impressive! Truly impressive!”
“I’ve long heard of you! I’ve long heard of you!”
The two exchanged a glance and laughed heartily.
After some mutual complimentsitumd and formal introductions, Jiao Xiuyuan tentatively asked, “You didn’t just come here to tease me, did you?”
“Why would I be so idle?” Li Fan waved his hand. “I’m here for the sake of ‘wealth.'”
Jiao Xiuyuan’s interest was piqued: “Oh? What are you looking for? Formation talismans, magical artifacts, pills—we have it all, and in large quantities…” he said casually.
“Do I look like I’m lacking in those?” Li Fan asked with a smile.
“Then what do you want?” Jiao Xiuyuan’s face became serious.
“I didn’t come to buy but to sell!” Li Fan shook his head and said seriously. “As for whether the deal can be made, it depends on whether you recognize its value.”
“Sell? Not everything can be accepted here…” Jiao Xiuyuan began, but stopped when he saw what was in Li Fan’s hand.
An eyeball, looking as if it were alive, glared at him fiercely.
It exuded killing intent, making him instinctively want to defend himself.
Fortunately, he noticed that the eyeball had no offensive power and managed to hold back.
“What is this?” Jiao Xiuyuan squinted his eyes and couldn’t help but ask.
Li Fan, with a hint of nostalgia in his voice, said, “This is a relic of my late senior brother. He has passed, and this item is now useless to me. It only brings sadness when I see it. So, I want to pass it on to someone else who is fated. Unfortunately, the Tianxuan Mirror didn’t recognize its value and offered a low price. It’s an insult to my senior brother.”
“So I deduced the heavenly secrets and searched for someone qualified to take it. That’s how I ended up here with you,” Li Fan explained slowly.
Li Fan wasn’t lying.
In the Tianji Sect ruins in Baishi Cave Heaven, besides techniques and scriptures, Li Fan had two other gains.
One of them was the eyeball in his hand.
The Tianxuan Mirror identified it as the “Illusion-Breaking Stone Eye,” a kind of unique existence that gathers the rules of heaven and earth.
It is said that if a cultivator absorbs and refines it, they will gain the ability to see through illusions and foresee the future.
In theory, such a treasure should be incredibly valuable.
But unfortunately, this “Illusion-Breaking Stone Eye” had already been refined once by a cultivator.
The pure laws of heaven and earth had been tainted by the cultivator’s aura and karma.
Moreover, thousands of years had passed, the world had undergone great changes, and the laws of heaven had significantly altered from ancient times.
Due to these two factors, the Illusion-Breaking Stone Eye’s divination ability was greatly diminished.
If it worked once out of ten times, one could count themselves lucky.
Therefore, the Tianxuan Mirror offered a recovery price of only 60,000 contribution points.
Although this item was of little use to Li Fan, who could already foresee the future, he wasn’t lacking those 60,000 points, so he kept it with him.
Now, it was the perfect time to use it to establish a connection with Jiao Xiuyuan.
“So, Friend Jiao, do you recognize this item?” Li Fan deliberately asked.
Jiao Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then sneered, “How could I not know? It’s just the Eye of Truth.”
He pondered for a moment and said, “To be honest, the low price given by the Tianxuan Mirror has its reasons.”
“Although this item is rare, if you want to sell it at a good price, you’ll need to find the right buyer.”
Li Fan responded, “I understand that, of course. That’s why I came to you.”
Li Fan casually tossed the Illusion-Breaking Stone Eye to Jiao Xiuyuan and said, “I trust you can find it a suitable new owner.”
“Please do me this favor. Half of the proceeds will go to you. How about it?”
Jiao Xiuyuan’s eyes lit up: “I’ll take this deal!”
