It must be noted that in Linghu Chang’s memory, this Liu San was a highly skilled master of pill alchemy.
Even for such an expert, it took him three attempts to adapt to the changes in pill refinement brought about by the differences between ancient and modern times?
Li Fan observed everything quietly, deep in thought.
“I’ll first take this Longevity Pill to Daoist Zhou to see how much it can sell for. Old Liu, please continue working hard and refine all the raw materials in the storage ring into pills as quickly as possible,” Li Fan instructed Liu San.
“Rest assured, young master!” Liu San nodded in agreement. After allowing his disciples to rest briefly, he resumed the pill refinement process.
Li Fan then left the Xuanhuang Cauldron, tossing the freshly refined Longevity Pill in his hand as he walked.
“It’s inconvenient to act under the identity of ‘Heavenly Mechanism Sect Cultivator Li Fan’…” After some contemplation, Li Fan transformed into his original appearance and headed toward Congyun City.
When purchasing the Heavenly Spirit Flower earlier, Li Fan had used his original appearance to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance through Huang Ranqi, the guardian of Chongwu Island, creating a brand-new alias for himself.
Now, he activated the Sky-Shrouding Hand secret technique, entered the Tianxuan Mirror, and took out the Longevity Pill.
“Longevity Pill: Low-grade, can extend life by 186 years.”
Li Fan’s eyelid twitched slightly.
It seemed that even though Liu San had adapted to the differences between ancient and modern techniques, the quality of this first refined pill left much to be desired. At the very least, it fell short of his promised medium-grade pill that could extend life by 300 years.
After checking the recent market prices for life-extending treasures, Li Fan listed the Longevity Pill for 50,000 contribution points—a 30% markup.
The result? It was sold almost instantly.
Li Fan was momentarily stunned but quickly understood why.
Life-extending treasures lose their effectiveness after consumption. Before this, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had never seen a Longevity Pill on the market. For cultivators in need, this pill represented a genuine extension of their lifespan by nearly two centuries, making it far more valuable than common life-extending treasures.
Moreover…
As Li Fan expected, the buyer soon sent a message.
“Fellow Daoist, do you have more Longevity Pills?”
“I feel that this pill is somewhat different from other life-extending treasures. It seems to retain its effectiveness even with repeated consumption?” 𝐑áNŎ𝖇Ë𝒮
Feigning surprise, Li Fan replied, “Is that so? How incredible! Then I must have underpriced it!”
The buyer, undeterred by Li Fan’s act, pressed on: “Haha, Fellow Daoist, let’s not joke. That pill was clearly newly refined. How could you not know its properties?”
Still playing innocent, Li Fan responded, “Haha, you misunderstand! I happened to stumble upon it at a roadside stall. I thought the pill looked extraordinary but didn’t realize it was such a treasure.”
“Tell you what, if you really need more, I’ll go back and check if the stall owner is still there.”
“…” The other side fell silent.
After a moment, they responded with restrained patience: “Alright. If there’s more stock in the future, please contact me.”
“Tianquan Prefecture, Zhao Tianlong!”
Li Fan ended the conversation without replying further.
“The value of the Longevity Pill exceeds my initial estimates. Even relying solely on purchasing raw materials through the Tianxuan Mirror, I can make a substantial profit.”
“However, to maximize profit, I must control the supply rate.”
“Additionally, I could engage in bartering for specific resources.”
After some thought, Li Fan also considered expanding his sales channels—not just within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance but also to the Five Elders Association and other factions.
After all, good things like “Fruit of True Temptation” are absolutely never too much to have.
If he could control one or two more Dao Integration cultivators, the upcoming situation would greatly improve.
“Let’s wait until there are more completed products before we act.”
Li Fan pretended to leave Congyun City but only changed his identity, reverting to his guise as a “Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator.”
Upon returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, he contacted Ximen Yu.
“Fellow Daoist Ximen, how is the task progressing?”
After a long while, a message finally came through.
“Uh, more than half of it has been analyzed, but there are still a few locations where I’ve encountered some difficulties.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Li Fan asked with interest.
Ximen Yu first sent over the locations he had already completed comparing between ancient and modern maps, then explained:
“Qingniu Ridge, Longevity Valley, Overturning River…”
“No matter how I compare, I cannot find any traces of these places in the current real world.”
“Actually, this has happened in my previous research as well, though the chances were very slim.”
“I must say, Fellow Daoist, your luck isn’t great. Out of the dozens of places randomly chosen, so many of them have completely vanished,” Ximen Yu teased.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to complete this task. I’ll refund the extra contribution points,” he sighed.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan’s gaze flickered slightly.
“Completely vanished? Fellow Daoist Ximen, do you know the reason?” Li Fan asked.
“There could be many reasons. First, a great upheaval in heaven and earth—rivers shift, seas turn into mulberry fields, and such places naturally disappear.
“Second, it could be the existence of the White Mist Barrier. The locations of these places in ancient times might coincide with where the White Mist Barrier is now, making them inaccessible.”
“The third possibility…”
Ximen Yu stopped speaking here, falling silent.
“What’s wrong? Does Fellow Daoist have something difficult to explain?” Li Fan asked, puzzled.
“Not exactly, but my conjecture is rather bold and without evidence, so I didn’t want to speak and make a fool of myself,” Ximen Yu hesitated.
Now Li Fan was even more intrigued. “No problem. Your vast knowledge is rare in this world. Sharing it would broaden my horizons.”
Perhaps it had been a long time since someone acknowledged Ximen Yu so earnestly. Hearing Li Fan’s words, he became excited.
He immediately explained, “You may not believe it, but based on my years of comparing ancient and modern terrains, I’ve discovered that a significant portion of the ancient regions of the Xuanhuang Realm is missing.”
“It’s as if someone forcibly took away part of the land.”
“However…”
Ximen Yu’s tone became puzzled again.
“Some places, on the other hand, seem to have appeared out of nowhere, as if conjured from the void. These regions didn’t seem to exist in the ancient cultivation world.”
“So, overall, compared to ancient times, the Xuanhuang Realm hasn’t shrunk. Instead, it has expanded.”
“Truly bizarre, an enigma that defies explanation.”
…
Hearing this, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
“Are Fellow Daoist’s conclusions reliable?”
“Absolutely reliable! The Fallen Immortal Realm contains a panoramic view of the ancient Xuanhuang Realm. However, ordinary cultivators can only glimpse a small portion during each entry. By visiting many cultivators and piecing together fragments, I’ve essentially restored the ancient cultivation world’s landscape. This conclusion is irrefutable!” Ximen Yu declared firmly.