A Rare Commodity Worth Hoarding

A Rare Commodity Worth Hoarding

He Zheng Hao did not understand why Li Fan had reacted this way.

Fortunately, He Zheng Hao did not dwell on it. Smiling at Li Fan, he said, "No need to be nervous. I merely wanted to ask whether you might be interested in becoming an island Garrison Commander."

"Of course, not on Liuli Island, but on Tai'an Island west of Liuli Island."

"The Garrison Commander of Tai'an Island is a friend of mine. He has recently encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation and wishes to go out in search of a fortunate opportunity."

"But duty binds him, and he cannot leave without authorization. So he asked me whether I knew anyone suitable to recommend."

"And, by sheer coincidence, I ran into you."

He Zheng Hao explained.

"To garrison an island, one would at least need Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, wouldn't they? I have only just entered Early Qi Refining. Can I really serve as its Garrison Commander?" Li Fan asked in surprise.

Among the islands of the Congyun Sea, any island with local products of a certain value would have cultivators stationed there.

Garrisoning an island could last as little as ten years or as long as a hundred.

Since one had to remain on the island and could not leave lightly, the restrictions were considerable, and thus the compensation was generous.

Depending on the island's size and scale, one could earn anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand Merit Points each year.

Thus, the position of island Garrison Commander was truly a prized morsel. Without sufficient connections, one simply could not obtain it.

This was even more true for the Garrison Commander positions on wealthy islands. They were often reserved long before the previous holder left office.

"Naturally, it is not an official Garrison Commander post. Rather, my friend will issue a commission specifically to you, and you will temporarily act in his place. Besides, Tai'an Island is no great island. With the Island Protection Array in place, a Qi Refining Cultivator is more than capable of watching over it for a time. There is no need for you to worry, young friend."

"And as the one making the introduction, I will naturally receive a portion of the compensation as well." He Zheng Hao warmly explained to Li Fan.

"During my time as acting Garrison Commander, how long can I leave at most?" Li Fan asked again.

"The Island Protection Array generally operates once every five days. If you need to go out, it is best to return within five days. You should not leave more than three times in a year."

Thinking Li Fan was worried about delaying his cultivation, He Zheng Hao added, "After receiving your annual Merit Points, you can use the Heavenly Xuan Mirror to exchange for five days of assisted cultivation time. Those five days can often rival more than half a year of ordinary hard cultivation."

Knowing this was a good opportunity, Li Fan immediately agreed.

"Still, I must wait until I return to Ten Thousand Immortals Island and turn in my task first."

"Of course. Go ahead first, young friend. Once Tai'an Island has made its preparations in a few days, I will come find you there."

Li Fan then bade He Zheng Hao farewell and returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

There was no need to visit the Medicine Hall. He only needed to hand over the Liuli Pearls through the Heavenly Xuan Mirror.

A short while later, the Medicine Hall confirmed receipt of twenty-three Liuli Pearls.

Since the quality of this batch of Liuli Pearls varied, Li Fan ultimately received 21 Merit Points as compensation.

Current total Merit Points: 26.

"Too little. It is only enough for two days of cultivation." Li Fan shook his head.

Taking out the gold, silver, and Halting Remnant Stele from his Storage Ring, Li Fan requested to exchange them for Merit Points.

A moment later, the Heavenly Xuan Mirror delivered its result.

A batch of gold and silver: convertible into 235 Merit Points.

Heavenly Earth Marvel: Halting Remnant Stele. Quality: flawed. Convertible into 1968 Merit Points.

Li Fan opened the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's exchange menu and searched for Heavenly Earth Marvels.

He found that even an intact Heavenly Earth Marvel required at least 4,000 points. The Heavenly Xuan Mirror's buyback price had been cut cleanly in half.

What a rip-off! It might have been flawed, but surely that did not warrant slashing the price in half!

Li Fan's face twitched, but after some thought, he still chose to exchange it.

The Heavenly Xuan Mirror did not offer anonymous trading. To trade with other cultivators, one had to reveal one's true identity.

As a cultivator who had only just entered the Qi Refining Stage, if he rashly produced a Foundation Establishment Oddity, it would surely draw plenty of attention.

It might very well bring him unnecessary trouble.

But if he traded directly with the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, there was far less to worry about.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was so vast that there were countless cultivators who had encountered fortunate opportunities.

A Qi Refining Cultivator possessing a Foundation Establishment Oddity might be exceedingly rare in the Congyun Sea, but across the entire Cultivation World, it was nothing remarkable.

"Confirm exchange."

The gold, silver, and Halting Remnant Stele slowly vanished, while Li Fan's Merit Points rose to 2,229.

Having become rich overnight, Li Fan did not immediately choose to spend extravagantly. Instead, he first asked the Heavenly Xuan Mirror about his concern.

"Will any calamity occur in the Congyun Sea region in the near future?"

Li Fan recounted to the Heavenly Xuan Mirror every strange occurrence Zhang Haobo had told him about.

The Heavenly Xuan Mirror immediately fell silent.

Only after a long while did it reply.

"Cultivator, please do not worry. These are all normal disturbances of heaven and earth. Calculations indicate that no major calamity will descend within the next ten years."

Since the Heavenly Xuan Mirror said so, Li Fan set his mind at ease.

Afterward, he thought for a moment and searched for information on the Liuli Pill.

The Liuli Pill was an auxiliary medicinal pill, suitable for use from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After taking it, one's heart became like colored glaze—clear, pure, and transparent.

It could produce an effect similar to "Spirit Awakening," increasing one's comprehension of cultivation techniques and cultivation speed.

Moreover, its effects could stack with the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's assisted cultivation.

Because the overwhelming majority of cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance spent all year running about outside, accumulating Merit Points, cultivation time was precious.

Thus, Liuli Pills, which could improve cultivation efficiency, became all the more valuable.

Liuli Pills were highly sought after among Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Cultivators, with the price of each pill fluctuating between five and six Merit Points.

Li Fan checked. The current price was six points per pill.

"Liuli Fish have nearly gone extinct for unknown reasons. The price of Liuli Pills will certainly rise with the tide." Li Fan pondered this, then spent 2,100 Merit Points to buy 350 Liuli Pills from the Heavenly Xuan Mirror in one go.

Only afterward did he inform the Heavenly Xuan Mirror that the Liuli Fish schools around Liuli Island had nearly vanished.

The Heavenly Xuan Mirror fell silent for a while, emitting only faint ripples.

After some time, Li Fan received 1 Merit Point as compensation.

This meant the Heavenly Xuan Mirror had already verified the truth of the information.

That was right—providing information to the Heavenly Xuan Mirror could also earn Merit Points.

The greater the value of the information, the greater the reward.

Under normal circumstances, the information Li Fan had provided should have been worth far more than 1 Merit Point.

Perhaps the Heavenly Xuan Mirror found Li Fan's hoarding and price-gouging behavior somewhat detestable, so it gave him only 1 Merit Point as payment.

Li Fan did not mind.

With this move, he had already achieved his objectives.

First, he had proven that the Heavenly Xuan Mirror did not know what had happened after he left Ten Thousand Immortals Island. In other words, as long as he left Ten Thousand Immortals Island, he would not have to worry about the Heavenly Xuan Mirror spying on him.

Second, he had proven that the Heavenly Xuan Mirror truly possessed a will of its own. This could be seen from the way it gave him only 1 Merit Point just to disgust him.

Third, naturally, he would seize this excellent opportunity to make a good profit.

The market reacted with remarkable speed.

In a short period of time, the price of Liuli Pills suddenly surged, skyrocketing from six points each to nine points each.