Finally Entering the Qi Refining Stage

Finally Entering the Qi Refining Stage

Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan, his eyes filled with both reverence and delight.

He had heard that Elder Li had cleansed the miasma from his body and would soon become an Immortal Master revered by all.

Seeing him now, he naturally felt both respect and fear.

"So it's you." Li Fan had a fairly good impression of the man and immediately smiled. "Come to think of it, it's been several years since we last met. How have you been lately?"

Zhang Haobo did not dare be negligent and answered honestly, "Thanks to Elder Li's blessings, the fleet's profits have been quite good these past few years. Especially since Elder Li brings back great quantities of treasure every time you put out to sea, many young people have been drawn to join the fleet."

"Our treatment and status on the island have risen with the tide as well. Countless people envy us."

Halfway through, Zhang Haobo paused, seeming to hesitate.

"Speak freely." Li Fan motioned for him to continue.

"However... the brothers aboard the Cangyuan have recently discussed leaving Liuli Island. I've vaguely had the same thought."

"Oh?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised. "Where do you intend to go?"

"To be honest with Elder Li, we haven't decided yet." Zhang Haobo said somewhat nervously.

Li Fan was intrigued. "If life has been going well, why did you suddenly think of leaving?"

Zhang Haobo scratched his head. "I'm afraid Elder Li will laugh at me, but... I've simply felt vaguely uneasy."

"Uneasy? Tell me in detail." Li Fan instructed.

Zhang Haobo fell silent for a moment, as though organizing his thoughts.

After a while, he glanced around and said in a low voice, "To be honest with Elder Li, when we brothers have gone to sea recently, we've encountered all kinds of strange things."

"Such as?"

"On our last few voyages, whenever we cast a net, we'd haul in thousands of pounds of fish, filling it to the brim. Nine out of ten nets were like that, and there were all kinds of fish in them."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It certainly is a good thing, but I've fished at sea for more than ten years, and I've never seen anything like this before." A trace of confusion and fear flashed through Zhang Haobo's eyes.

"It was as if every fish on the seabed was fleeing some disaster, all gathering together."

"What else?" Li Fan pondered for a moment before continuing to ask.

"We brothers have lived on Liuli Island since childhood and know the hidden reefs around the island extremely well. But recently, we discovered that more reefs around the island have been exposed." Zhang Haobo said gravely.

"You mean... the water level is falling?" Li Fan understood at once.

"There have always been changes in the water level each year, but this year's changes seem somewhat unusual. The brothers are all worried," Zhang Haobo said.

"A month ago, we already reported this matter to Liuli Prefecture, but they clearly did not take it seriously. They said it was merely a normal change in water level," Zhang Haobo added.

"There's one more matter that worries us even more. Over the past three years, not a single Wind Calamity has occurred. Not only in the waters around Liuli Island, but throughout the entire Congyun Sea."

"We've spoken with fleets from every island. There's absolutely no mistake. Wind Calamities have vanished from the Congyun Sea these past three years." Afraid Li Fan would not believe him, Zhang Haobo hurriedly added.

Not knowing what this signified, Li Fan remained silent.

"Since the day I was born, Wind Calamities have never ceased. In years with many, there would be more than ten; even in years with few, there would still be two or three. It has always been this way for decades."

"But now, not a single Wind Calamity has appeared for three whole years. Some people on the island are clapping their hands in celebration, saying it is the protection of the Immortal Masters. But my brothers and I do not see it that way."

"This is far too abnormal. Something major must be about to happen." Zhang Haobo said with certainty.

"Perhaps the weather will merely become somewhat hotter in the future." After thinking for a moment, Li Fan spoke to comfort him. "The island is protected by the Island Protection Array, and He Immortal Master is stationed here as well. Even if something happens, they should be able to handle it."

"What Elder Li says makes sense. Quite a few brothers aboard the ship think the same way. But I still feel vaguely uneasy, and no matter what, I can't set my mind at ease." Zhang Haobo smiled bitterly.

"So I've decided to leave, to depart from the Congyun Sea." Zhang Haobo's gaze gradually became resolute.

Seeing this, Li Fan could only say, "Leaving one's homeland is no easy matter. You should think it over again and again."

Zhang Haobo nodded.

Li Fan said no more. After bidding Zhang Haobo farewell, he wandered the Marketplace for another half day before returning home.

Thinking it over carefully, Zhang Haobo was not merely worrying that the sky would fall.

The various signs did indeed indicate that something unusual was likely to occur in the Congyun Sea.

Perhaps a massive Wind Calamity was secretly gathering strength;

or perhaps a severe drought was quietly taking shape.

But none of that was a big deal.

Zhang Haobo was, after all, merely an ordinary mortal. When a great disaster arrived, he would have no power to protect himself and could only submit to fate.

It was only natural for him to be worried and afraid.

Li Fan, however, already had one foot across the threshold of cultivation. As long as he could break through to the Qi Refining Stage, he would be able to travel to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

Cultivators gathered there in great numbers, so naturally there would be no need to worry about such disasters.

Taking ten thousand steps back, if a disaster truly appeared that even cultivators could not handle, then worrying would be useless.

Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was continue cultivating the Five Spirits Qi Induction Method in peace.

Right, he could notify Yin Yuzhen at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and have her prepare in advance.

This brief interlude soon passed, and Li Fan continued to cultivate with single-minded focus.

Time flowed on.

Another year passed.

Half a year ago, Zhang Haobo had ultimately chosen to leave the Congyun Sea with some of the brothers from the Cangyuan. The matter had caused quite a stir on the island, and people had begun to worry as well.

Yet over the past half year, the sea had remained calm and peaceful, without the slightest sign of any great disaster. Thus, people once more treated the matter as a joke.

Yin Yuzhen finally accumulated sufficient strength and returned to Yelan Island in high spirits. After a series of twists and turns, she still managed to reclaim her position as chief shopkeeper of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's headquarters.

Yelan Island had only just settled down, and there were still many trivial matters to handle. To prevent petty people from making a comeback, Yin Yuzhen would have to remain on Yelan Island for the next few years and could not return. She only sent someone to bring Li Fan the good news.

He Zheng Hao did not send anyone to visit again either. In He Zheng Hao's eyes, Li Fan had taken nearly four years merely to achieve Qi Induction. His potential was clearly exhausted, and he was no longer worth the effort of continued attention.

Xiao Heng, on the other hand, occasionally sent letters to inquire after Li Fan.

It was said that Xiao Heng had progressed at a startling pace and was now at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

Amid the chaos of worldly affairs, Li Fan watched coldly like a passing traveler.

He only cultivated patiently.

On this day, Li Fan's heart stirred.

Having accumulated enough Five Spirits fuel, the Heaven and Earth Root was finally about to take shape!

A Phantom Projection appeared within Li Fan's Dantian. In the next instant, Li Fan felt a faint yet incomparably intimate connection form between himself and heaven and earth.

Like a waterwheel drawing water from a river to irrigate parched fields.

Threads of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy slowly flowed through the Heaven and Earth Root into Li Fan's Dantian, swiftly spreading throughout his entire body.

In Li Fan's seventh year in the Cultivation World, he finally entered the Qi Refining Stage.