“From within the Tianxuan Mirror space, the Deng Mingxi I saw appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. That should be her actual age.”
“She’s still young, so her clan must have protected her well. As a result, even though she has the ability to read minds, she probably hasn’t developed much scheming yet,” Li Fan silently pondered.
“She’s clearly only at the Golden Core stage, yet she can perceive my thoughts…”
“It’s probably not due to her cultivation technique. It might be related to a special artifact she obtained during her Foundation Establishment. The ability to read minds is already extremely rare in the Xuanhuang Realm. But to ignore differences in cultivation levels and still achieve it—this might already be on the level of a half-step Heavenly Wonder.”
A strange light flickered in Li Fan’s eyes.
Throughout countless cycles of reincarnation, aside from the Heavenly Wonders like the [Derivation Law Jade] and [Sword], Li Fan had encountered many cultivators who possessed half-step Heavenly Wonder.
There was He Zhenghao’s daughter, He Xinxin, with her [Dao Pattern Compass], the ethereal Fairy Kongyou with her [Yin-Yang Jade], and Sun Qi with his [Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi].
Yet none of them had ever captivated Li Fan as much as Deng Mingxi’s mind-reading artifact.
The human heart is unpredictable. In the Xuanhuang Realm, where different cultivation paths cannot be practiced together, this truth is even more apparent. No one can guarantee that the sworn brother standing beside them does not secretly harbor murderous intent.
Not to mention, such an ability could serve as a type of power assessment tool.
If one suddenly realized their mind-reading ability had stopped working, that would be a clear sign that they were dealing with someone they could not afford to provoke.
“Perhaps, I can even deduce a method to prevent my own thoughts from being read.”
With his decisive nature, Li Fan immediately returned to the Tianquan City’s Tianxuan Mirror to investigate information about Deng Mingxi.
To his surprise, he found nothing of value.
It was as if Deng Mingxi had appeared out of thin air.
Changing his approach, Li Fan searched for Deng Mingxi’s so-called “Brother Qingyu,” whom she had mentioned before.
At the same time, he also included traits like arrogance, vengefulness, and pettiness—words that Wang Wan had used to describe him.
The results matched almost instantly.
However, Deng Qingyu’s backing was not the Deng family.
It was the Tianquan Wang family.
“So he’s an adopted son. But the Wang family treats him as one of their own, even better than their direct descendants.”
“Perhaps it’s because of his sister,” Li Fan nodded to himself.
The Tianquan Wang family, while not considered one of the supreme noble families within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, was still not a force that ordinary people could afford to offend. Many of their cultivators held positions in the mysterious Guardian Hall.
It was said that the Wang family’s patriarch was even entrusted with guarding the [Derivation Law Jade]…
At the moment Li Fan read this information, he had already made up his mind.
He was determined to forge a friendship with the Wang family that would last several lifetimes.
However, as he continued his research, Li Fan’s brows furrowed slightly.
It turned out that Deng Qingyu was not the only one with a bad reputation.
The entire Wang family’s younger generation—even its elders—had an equally terrible name.
Not a single cultivator in the entire Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was willing to speak on their behalf. Mentioning the Tianquan Wang family only made people want to spit in disgust.
“They are complete outcasts, not a [solitary family]—this isn’t just a matter of individual character flaws. It’s intentional.”
“Are they trying to avoid suspicion?”
Having spent time navigating political circles, Li Fan was no stranger to such tactics.
“[Derivative Law Jade]…”
Li Fan pondered for a moment and stopped his search there, deciding not to dig any deeper into the matter.
The Tianxuan Mirror of this world had already completed its ascension. If he paid too much attention to these sensitive matters, he might end up being marked by it.
Having long been wary of the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan naturally did not wish to cultivate within it.
At present, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance were scouring the mountains and seas, searching for entrances to small worlds. Even digging deep underground to create hidden chambers was no longer a safe option.
“The hidden threat of Liu San has yet to be eliminated…”
For a moment, despite the vastness of the world, Li Fan found it difficult to locate a safe place for secluded cultivation.
“This is just like the Mysterious Net of my previous life—the consequence of the Tianxuan Mirror growing too powerful.”
After weighing his options, Li Fan ultimately chose to rent a secluded courtyard within Dao Discussion Tower in Tianquan City.
At the same time, he set up layers upon layers of protective formations as additional security measures.
Only then did he feel slightly at ease.
“Although I have not acted recklessly, and all my actions and plans still seem within my control, this world has begun to feel increasingly restrictive.”
“This is the oppression of the grand momentum. My cultivation is too weak, forcing me to move along with the tide. If I go against it, even the slightest misstep could result in my complete annihilation.”
“Perhaps it’s time to consider [Truth].”
“However, before that, there are still a few things I must do first.”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
After a moment, he shook his head slightly.
Due to the Dao Deviation Stone absorbing too much data within his Sea of Consciousness, he actually felt a slight sluggishness in his thoughts.
“Step by step. First, I need to fully master the [Limitless Fullness and Emptiness].”
Li Fan closed his eyes.
In his mind, the blue crystal, as if bloated from overeating, struggled to emit a faint glow, slowly analyzing and processing the vast divine ability data it had absorbed.
…
Tianliang City.
Xu Bai suddenly received a message from Liu San.
“Young Master, good news. Among the new disciples recently recruited by Elder Fang, someone has successfully reached Foundation Establishment!”
“What?” Xu Bai was momentarily stunned.
When it came to knowledge about [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself], now that Master Yin was dead, there was hardly a cultivator left in the world who understood it better than he did.
To establish one’s foundation through oneself—how difficult that was!
How could someone possibly succeed in such a short amount of time?
Was Liu San…
A flurry of thoughts flashed through Xu Bai’s mind, and he abruptly fell silent.
After a while, Liu San’s next words came slowly.
“However, it was not [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself]. Instead, one of the disciples, a young man named Jie Lin, found the method too difficult. Without a teacher’s guidance, he unexpectedly devised his own way—establishing his foundation using external objects from between heaven and earth.”
“At first, I didn’t pay much attention. But in the blink of an eye, he successfully reached Foundation Establishment using a Ten-Thousand-Year Hidden Dragon Herb from the Longevity Valley.”
“Haha, in that case, this Jie Lin is indeed a remarkable talent. Since he has already succeeded in Foundation Establishment, there is no need to force him further. Just separate him from the others and ensure the true method of Foundation Establishment does not spread among the disciples.” Xu Bai’s expression softened as he instructed.
Liu San’s laughter came from the other side:
“Haha, I have already done so. In ancient times, someone with talent as extraordinary as his would have been immediately recruited by the Ten Great Immortal Sects. There’s no way we, the Medicine King Sect, would have had a chance. Truly, times have changed.”
Xu Bai gave another order:
“Use Jie Lin’s success as inspiration to motivate the others. Perhaps it will awaken more hidden geniuses.”
“As expected of the Young Master—you’ve thought of everything.”