Chapter 44: Advancing to the Qi Condensation Stage
Zhang Haobo looked at Li Fan with a mix of reverence and joy.
He had heard that Elder Li had already purged himself of the miasma and would soon become an immortal, revered in the eyes of many.
At this moment, he was both respectful and fearful.
"So it's you." Li Fan had a relatively good impression of this person and smiled, "It's been several years since we last met. How have you been lately?"
Zhang Haobo did not dare to be disrespectful and honestly replied, "Thanks to Elder Li's blessings, the fleet has been doing quite well in recent years. Especially when Elder Li goes to sea, you always bring back a lot of treasures, which has attracted many young people to join the fleet."
"Our treatment and status on the island have also risen. Many people envy us."
Speaking halfway, Zhang Haobo paused, hesitated, and then continued.
"But... the brothers on the Cangyuan have recently been discussing leaving Liuli Island. I also have this idea."
"Oh?" Li Fan was a little surprised. "Where do you want to go?"
"To be honest with Elder Li, we haven't decided yet," Zhang Haobo said somewhat anxiously.
Li Fan became interested, "Since things are going well, why suddenly have the thought of leaving?"
Zhang Haobo scratched his head, "Speaking of it, it's just... a vague sense of unease."
"Unease? Tell me more about it." Li Fan ordered.
Zhang Haobo was silent for a moment as if organizing his thoughts.
After a while, he looked around, then whispered, "To be honest, we brothers have encountered strange things on the sea recently."
"Like what?"
"In recent voyages, almost every time we cast our nets, we would catch thousands of pounds of fish, full to the brim. Nine out of ten times are like this, and there are all kinds of fish."
"Isn't this a good thing?"
"Indeed it's a good thing, but I've been fishing in the sea for more than ten years, and I've never seen anything like this before," Zhang Haobo's eyes flickered with a hint of doubt and fear.
"It's like all the fish in the entire seabed are fleeing, gathering together."
"Is there more?" Li Fan pondered for a moment and asked.
"We brothers have lived around Liuli Island since we were young and are very familiar with the reefs around the island. But recently, we found that there are more exposed rocks around the island," Zhang Haobo said solemnly.
"You mean... the sea level is dropping?" Li Fan instantly understood.
"In previous years, there have been changes in sea levels, but this year's changes seem a bit unusual. We are a little worried," Zhang Haobo said.
"We reported this to the Liuli Mansion a month ago, but they didn't seem to pay much attention, saying it's just routine changes in sea levels," Zhang Haobo added.
"Another thing that worries us even more. In the past three years, there hasn't been a single storm. Not only around Liuli Island, but the entire Cong Yun Sea has been like this."
"We've communicated with the fleets of various islands, and it's absolutely true. There have been no storms in the Cong Yun Sea for these three years," Zhang Haobo said, afraid that Li Fan wouldn't believe him, and hurriedly continued.
"I don't know what this means, but we remain silent."
"This is too abnormal, something big is definitely about to happen," Zhang Haobo said confidently.
"Perhaps it's just that the weather will be a bit hotter in the future," Li Fan thought for a moment and comforted, "The island has the protection of the island protection formation and the presence of Immortal Master He. Even if there is any trouble, I believe they can handle it."
"Senior Li's words make sense. Many of the brothers on the ship think the same way. But I still have a lingering sense of unease, and I can't let go," Zhang Haobo said with a bitter smile.
"So I've decided to leave, to depart from the Cong Yun Sea." Zhang Haobo's gaze gradually became firm.
Li Fan, seeing this, could only say, "Leaving one's hometown is no easy task; you should think carefully."
Zhang Haobo nodded.
Li Fan fell silent, and after bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he strolled in the market for half a day before returning home.
After careful consideration, Zhang Haobo's concerns were not baseless.
Various signs indeed indicated that something unusual might happen in the Cong Yun Sea.
Perhaps a massive storm was silently gathering its strength.
Or maybe a severe drought was subtly taking shape.
However, none of this was a big deal.
After all, Zhang Haobo was just an ordinary person. When a major disaster struck, with no means to protect themselves, they could only leave it to fate.
It was normal to worry and feel fear.
Li Fan had already stepped into the threshold of cultivation. As long as he could break through to the Qi Condensation stage, he could go to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
There, cultivators gathered, and there was no need to worry about these disasters.
In the worst-case scenario, if a disaster occurred that even cultivators couldn't handle, worrying would be useless.
So, what Li Fan needed to do now was to focus on cultivating the Five Spirit Qi Sensing technique.
Furthermore, with regards to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, he could notify Yin Yuzhen and ask her to prepare in advance.
...
This short episode soon passed, and Li Fan continued to immerse himself in cultivation.
Time passed.
Another year went by.
Half a year ago, Zhang Haobo ultimately chose to leave the Cong Yun Sea with some of the brothers from the Cangyuan. This matter caused a stir on the island, and people began to worry.
However, it had been calm for the past half year, with no signs of any major disaster. So, people began to treat this matter as a joke.
Yin Yuzhen had finally accumulated enough power and returned to Night Island in high spirits. After some twists and turns, she managed to regain the position of the chief executive officer of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
With Night Island stabilized, there were many miscellaneous matters to deal with. To prevent any mischief, Yin Yuzhen could not return for a while. She would send someone to report good news to Li Fan.
He Zhenghao didn't send anyone to visit again. In his view, it took Li Fan nearly four years to draw Qi into his body, and his potential had clearly been exhausted. It wasn't worth his effort to pay much attention.
Xiao Heng would occasionally send letters to inquire about Li Fan's situation. It was said that Xiao Heng progressed rapidly and had now reached the middle Qi Condensation stage.
...
Amidst the bustling world, Li Fan watched as a bystander.
He patiently continued to cultivate.
One day, Li Fan had a realization.
Having accumulated enough Five Elements fuel, the Roots of Heaven and Earth were finally going to take shape!
A phantom appeared in Li Fan's dantian. In an instant, Li Fan felt a subtle yet incredibly close connection between himself and the heavens and earth.
It was like a waterwheel drawing water from the river, irrigating the parched farmland.
Tiny streams of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy flowed into Li Fan's dantian through the Roots of Heaven and Earth, quickly spreading throughout his body.
In the seventh year after he entered the cultivation world, Li Fan finally entered the Qi Condensation stage.
*****
TL Note:
By request, I've opened a Patreon here; for $5, you can read 15 chapters ahead.
As I've opened a Patreon, I'll also be holding myself to a schedule of 7 chapters a week. I have already been trying to follow this, and it's actually been rather easy since I've quite enjoyed this reread, which has been why I've been posting chapters at a pretty quick rate - however, I'll strictly ensure I don't fall below this rate from now on (and I'll still probably post faster anyways). I think it'll actually get easier, since I'm looking forward to the chapters ahead - these first few arcs have all just been somewhat slow setup, and the novel really gets going when Li Fan begins to use the information he's learned and starts to become the scheming mastermind manipulating everything behind the scenes we're all waiting for him to be. Hope you guys will follow me until then, and thanks very much for all the support so far!