A Classic Opportunity

"It's just that I don't allow you to keep a dog, why are you bringing out a coffin!"

Early in the morning, Fuling came to the quiet room to call Li Fan for breakfast, which startled him.

"No, no, this is martial arts practice..."

Exhausted, Li Fan crawled out of the large, square, black coffin that Real Person Liang had given him.

Sigh, I originally wanted to cultivate myself while lying in the coffin, but as soon as the coffin lid was closed, even the flow of spiritual energy in heaven and earth was interrupted, and I actually fell asleep while lying down.

The night passed, and he didn't dream of anything like "returning to emptiness," nor did he gain any insight into the concept of "life, death, emptiness, and annihilation." His only thought was, "I wonder what kind of wood this coffin lid is made of? It's so hard! It actually made Li Fan, a Golden Core Stage cultivator, sore and almost gave him a stiff neck! Looks like I should use some sheets and a pillow..."

"Practicing martial arts? Who practices martial arts like this? You're clearly in a coffin in a mortuary to prevent zombies from turning into humans. You can't even breathe properly!" Fuling looked at her suspiciously. "Qingyue, have you been too idle lately? Even if you achieve the Golden Core stage, you should still cultivate properly. Don't be greedy for those crooked and evil techniques and neglect your daily studies!"

Li Fan didn't care. "Oh, that's fine. Anyway, I have the support of two cores. My true energy will be fully restored after a couple of steps. As for cultivation, I can increase it by simply worshipping for a month. I don't need to waste time meditating to cultivate."

A Golden Core cultivator, who practiced meditation and cultivation for at least four hours every day, quietly watched this kid show off, not wanting to say a word.

"Uh, what's for breakfast?" Li Fan felt immense pressure under Fuling's gaze and immediately changed the subject.

"... Didn't you say to eat rice?"

Fuling was also in a bad mood. She walked into the living room and pointed at the large pot of rice in the cauldron. Of course, it was all celestial rice.

Kun squatted angrily by the pot, glaring at Li Fan.

"..." Li Fan whispered to Fuling, "What I meant was that one Kun is enough to eat..."

Fuling looked at him in disbelief, "It's the only one drinking porridge while we're feasting on delicacies? You're really bullying it!"

"No, it's for its own good. Feeding Kun is about quantity, not quality. Actually, just water is enough; we don't even need rice... Sigh... Please don't look at me like that, okay? Okay, okay, I'll eat with it..."

Li Fan had no choice but to sit down next to the pot as well.

The Kun bounced and moved to the side.

'Kun says it doesn't want to talk to you.'

You weren't supposed to speak anyway!

Fuling served Kun a small bowl of tofu, saying, "Alright, alright, have it as a snack."

Kun glared at Li Fan.

So why are you glaring at me?! It's the system that says to raise it this way!

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent suddenly appeared from nowhere and stuck to the Kun's head again.

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent seemed to say, "It's alright, it's alright. I'll take it to get some good food."

Li Fan frowned, glancing at Fuling who seemed unable to see the Profound Heaven Sword Intent before her, and asked inwardly.

What have you two been up to lately? I haven't seen a thing of you.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates that the Kun can traverse gaps, break through the magic array barrier, and dive into the sword pool of Ink Bamboo Mountain. I'll borrow it to find Xiao Yao, and incidentally take it to eat the slag left over from the sword furnace. There's plenty; I don't need to change its diet normally.'

Li Fan sighed, "Alright, whatever you want. Eat whatever you want. But remember to drink water regularly, at least eight tons a day!"

So Kun was very Gao Xing, and tapped the table with his fins while looking at Fuling.

Fuling smiled wryly, then with a flick of her sleeve, she quickly replaced the dishes with a table full of delicacies, and even made a large bowl of tofu for Kun to jump into and roll around in.

Li Fan scratched his head, realizing he'd spoiled Kun's palate. He was already in debt; he couldn't afford to feed it any longer.

"By the way, Sister Fuling, do you know if there are any lucrative jobs at the sect? The rewards for those sect missions are really..."

Fuling understood. "Oh, so that's what you're worried about. Yes, that's true. According to common sense, after a boy reaches the age of sixteen and is officially an adult, he can no longer stay by his master's side. He has to go out and cultivate on his own. By the time he reaches the Golden Core Stage, he should already have his own courtyard and cave dwelling. It's just that your cultivation speed is too fast, and I didn't even notice it."

However, the rules and regulations of the sect are indeed too outdated. In recent years, the Immortal Palace has been issuing Divine Astral Coin indiscriminately, and that meager salary can't buy anything now. Back then, Miss and I discussed it and thought that you could first take on the job of Mu Long, which would make it easier for you to socialize with your peers. Once you achieve the Golden Core stage, we'll arrange for you to lead a team at Jiang's Firm Company, helping me out, and you can also earn a tenth of the offerings to make a living. As for other opportunities, that's up to you to forge your own path.

But recently a lot of things have happened, and the matter of Mu Long Tongzi has been forgotten. As for Jiang Ji, sigh, it will take four or five years to recover. I have also just achieved the Golden Core stage, so I have to spend most of my time on cultivation and don't have time to arrange business matters for the time being.

"Don't worry, I've made some connections with the Chamber of Commerce in Ink Bamboo Mountain over the years. I'll go ask around and see if there are any jobs available. Just focus on your cultivation, and things will be arranged in a few days."

With Fuling paving the way, Li Fan felt truly blessed. Connections are one of the most valuable resources in human society, often more important than money and knowledge. A lone beast can never withstand the combined might of a group of hunters. This principle doesn't change simply because an immortal possesses extraordinary individual abilities.

Because if you are not the only supreme being in the world, and you do not make friends, you may find yourself in a dangerous situation where you are outnumbered and outmatched.

So, after confirming that this fantasy world is actually a wild jungle plane where rules cannot restrain people's hearts, kindness only invites bullying, and only violence can effectively protect oneself.

Li Fan has also initially planned two development paths.

Either you cultivate yourself to the level of an invincible, peerless supreme Dao Ancestor, where you can instantly kill anyone, then you can roam the world freely.

Either you cultivate a network of shady friends, so that if you see someone you don't like, you can call a van full of people to surround and beat them up.

To reiterate, Li Fan wants it all; he needs to push forward on both fronts simultaneously, grasp both firmly, and make sure both are strong.

Of course, given that other people's cultivation progress was really too slow, and they often went into seclusion to cultivate, Li Fan couldn't keep visiting them and disturbing their progress. After all, normal people can't be like him, a fully automatic cultivation humanoid, cultivating and circulating their energy while eating, drinking, relieving themselves, and sleeping.

Before Fuling found him a new job, Li Fan had nothing else to do. So he simply went to the Outer Sect Dao Pagoda to take on a mission again.

It's still the same map as before, but it's confirmed that the Four Mountains Formation quest is done once a month. Also, two of them no longer need to be done.

Therefore, this time Li Fan only accepted one task: 'To patrol the four mountains of the Ten-thousand-mountains, eliminate trespassing demons, and report any unusual activity to the sect immediately.'

Simply patrolling the mountain could be done indefinitely, although it was really not worth the trip for only one hundred strings of cash, but Li Fan had other plans.

Because he had previously encountered a strange event in the northwest of Yangjia Mountain, near the Fei Mountain area, where he had a fox, a weasel, and two Scarlet Fruits. At that time, the Si Nan pointed to the west, indicating that there were still opportunities to be gained, and he thought that going back and taking a look might yield some rewards.

Moreover, there were some details that Li Fan suddenly realized when he was lying in the coffin last night, unable to cultivate, and his mind calmed down. The more he thought about it, the more Li Fan felt something was wrong.

In theory, each mountain has a mountain god patrolling its territory, with strict guards, but it's not so strange that monsters sometimes cross the line.

However, this is not just a matter of crossing a single boundary. The closest demon group to Ink Bamboo Mountain is the Yangjia Mountain Jade Toad Granny Group of Yaoguang Cave on Fashuang Mountain. It is separated from Mao Mountain by Ink Bamboo Mountain Dojo on Maoshan Mountain and the Nangong Family territory outside of Fei Mountain. So this involves crossing three mountain peaks!

Leaving aside whether the other party deliberately infiltrated, the two monsters were clearly surprised when they encountered Li Fan. They obviously hadn't expected that, in their pursuit of treasure, they would actually cross the border into the territory of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

The incident at the Maoshan South Valley Daoist temple was also recorded in the mountain patrol log given by Lou Guandao. It was mainly to guard against Granny Yuchan. Moreover, it was directly adjacent to the demons of Fashuang Mountain, and there were demons everywhere. It was understandable that they couldn't control the two minor demons who crossed the border to the north for the time being.

But what's going on with the Nangong Family? Those two demons' demonic aura was so obvious; if they really came from Fashuang Mountain, how come there wasn't a single reaction at the important mine guarded by so many celestial soldiers from the Nangong Family?

Therefore, Li Fan suspected that the defenses of Fei Mountain Mine might have serious security loopholes. It was as if they were completely unaware of the two playful monsters, allowing them to cross over and chase him all the way to Yangjia Mountain.

Considering the current situation of Ink Bamboo Mountain, it is indeed due to the differences between the North and South factions that the Li Country has taken up a lot of attention, making it difficult to control the movements of the southern monsters.

After much deliberation, Li Fan decided it would be safer to return and inspect the area again. Since he had nothing else to do anyway, he might as well test his sword skills again and see if there were any opportunities to seize.

This time, Li Fan prepared even more, using four hundred strings of cash to buy a lot of talismans, array flags, and pills. As usual, he flew through the air on his "Demon-Slaying" sword, heading directly west towards Yangjia Mountain. Along the way, he would stop occasionally, wave his hand, and use his Returning Origin True Qi to grab a handful of mountain soil, condensing it into a square flat plate in his hand. He would hold it in his palm, waiting to see the direction the Si Nan would turn, looking for an opportunity.

Of course, there are no opportunities at all. Although these four mountains are located in the Ten-thousand-mountains, they are just like a lawn at the doorstep for immortals who fly around. They have to pass through here to enter and leave the Southern Wilderness. Over the years, they have practically stripped the land bare. Even monsters don't come to live here. Where are there any opportunities left for you?

So the Si Nan would either point north to Ink Bamboo Mountain or south to those mountain peaks and temples. After flying for two days and two nights, when it reached the territory of Yangjia Mountain, the handle of the spoon suddenly trembled and pointed straight to the northwest.

An opportunity! My opportunity has come again!

Li Fan was overjoyed and flew over in a flash.

This time, however, he didn't rush in recklessly to kill everyone. He first descended to a lower altitude, using his Divine Sense to probe the area. Seeing what appeared to be demonic energy in the distance, he immediately cast an invisibility talisman and silently crept over to investigate. He wanted to figure out where these monsters came from and how they could infiltrate the heart of Ink Bamboo Mountain wave after wave.

So Li Fan put the flying sword back into its case and hid Unknown Face and quietly poked his head out of the bushes, looking at the pool in the forest.

Oh, another classic scene, with a 'beautiful woman' taking a bath.

Hey, how should I put it? These days, anyone still stripping naked and bathing in the wild is either a real monster or just plain stupid. Aren't you afraid of being ambushed by your enemies? Could you possibly dodge a flying sword beheading you? Or are all evil cultivators this unrestrained in their fantasies, indulging in outdoor sex?

Look at True Cultivator of the righteous path. When they go out, they simply take a lotus-scented watering can and spray themselves with air from their pores, and all the dust and bloodstains on their bodies can be cleaned up. They don't need to take off their clothes at all. Unless it's Real Person Wanshu who has a habit of sleeping naked at home, they still dress properly when they go out and have specially designed a changing spell. Otherwise, taking off and putting on clothes is too troublesome.

Anyway, Li Fan has been in this world for six months, and since he got that lotus seedpod, he hasn't had a proper bath. Of course, it's also possible that he's just too lazy... cough cough...

However, such a classic scene is a rare occurrence, so how could we not give it a careful critique to live up to the audience's expectations?

So Teacher Li Fan squinted and carefully scanned the area from all angles, first estimating a score.

Judging from the back view, I'd give it 50 points, no more than that, because this is a demon, not in a positive sense, literally. This demon clearly hasn't fully cultivated to the Nascent Soul Stage of a 'real person' yet. From the back, most of its body has taken on a human-like form, but it still retains a tail, scales, claws, and barbs on its spine. It's probably a lizard-like demon.

I'd give it a 50 out of 100 because this thing really understands people's hearts, at least men's. It's shaped into big and round shapes where they should be. The parts where the scales have fallen off are also pink and tender. If it were to fully take on a human form, I doubt it would be a problem to trick two vulgar men into eating some.

Then that thing turned to the side, revealing its profile, previously hidden by waist-length black hair. Hmm, that face—even a head of beautiful, thick Zhenzi reminiscent of Sadako couldn't hide it. Perhaps its prototype was a crocodile?

It looks like a female crocodile sticking its head into a human skin hood, stretching it out into a grotesque, upside-down shape. Anyway, use your imagination. By Mr. Li Fan's standards, seeing its back view gives you a 50-point score, but seeing its head turn around is a -150-point score.

Ugh, this disgusting thing, I really want to just slay it... or even kill it!

In the end, with just a thought of killing, the Black Sword flew out of its sheath with a gleaming sound, and with a Sword Light, it slew the ugly ghost, cut off its disgusting head, and sent its corpse falling into the pool, staining it with a large patch of blood.

Li Fan, "..."

Sorry, I originally intended to lie in wait and investigate, but this killer from behind was just too ruthless. The moment he turned his head, it dampened Li Fan's spirits a bit, so I couldn't help myself...

However, this "Ruyi Sword Scripture" is truly quite formidable. With a mere thought, the flying sword arrives directly before him. It seems he really needs to cultivate for a while before he can master it.

"Fine, might as well kill it then," Li Fan casually unleashed a sword aura, dissecting the monster to extract its core. He discovered that the creature still had many eggs inside, proving that it only imitated humans in appearance and behavior, but its internal biological system remained that of a demon. Moreover, with its head severed and deprived of the supply of demonic energy, the transformed humanoid body quickly began to crumble, swell, and tear apart, transforming into its true form as a gigantic crocodile.

It seems that these demons are cultivating the Nascent Soul Realm in a way similar to the Dao Body Transformation Method of the Mountain Lord's lineage. However, while the Mountain Lord's lineage is transforming in the direction of the Tai Su Dao Ancestor, these demons are learning to transform in the direction of humans.

Besides his demonic form, Li Fan also found his destiny.

Can you believe that the mother crocodile's silk dress, undergarments, and embroidered shoes were even scented with incense?

Li Fan looked at the sheer palace dresses and the revealing undergarments, and couldn't help but picture the crocodile-headed 'beauty'...

Vomit!!

That's disgusting! That grotesque monster dressed like that is pure mental pollution!

Li Fan accidentally made himself feel nauseous, and his brows furrowed in disgust. But then he suddenly realized what was happening and picked up his dress with his fingers to check it.

The clothes were intact. There were no signs of them being torn by tails, bone spurs, scales, or anything like that, and they were even still warm, indicating that they had just been shed.

In other words, this female crocodile can actually transform into a normal human body, and has probably already touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul Stage. It's just that her cultivation level is still a little lacking, and her transformation is probably not stable yet. Is that why she revealed her true form while bathing in this pool?

But this beast is really learning quite well; it even knows to take off its clothes beforehand, perhaps to avoid tearing them? It even has a sense of propriety and shame!

And upon closer inspection, these palace dresses and gowns were actually made of the finest silk! Of course, silk is so expensive; if you weren't careful and it got torn while out in public, it would be a real shame... What a joke!

Do you know what the uniform of the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain is? It's a short, coarse linen garment, just tattered clothes made of coarse hemp dyed a dark brown!

You, a female crocodile from a remote mountain village, actually know how to wear silk?

Where did you buy this from, deep in the mountains?