Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Finally Entered the Energy Refining Stage

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Finally Entered the Energy Refining Stage

Translator: 549690339

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

He had heard that Elder Li had cleansed himself of all illness and would soon be revered as an Immortal Teacher.

Seeing him now, he was both respectful and fearful.

“So it’s you.” Li Fan grinned readily at this familiar face, “It’s been a few years since we last met, how’ve you been?”

Zhang Haobo humbly responded, “Thanks to Elder Li’s blessings, the fleet has been running well these past few years. Especially with the valuable treasures you bring back on your maritime expeditions, a lot of youngsters dream to join our fleet.’

“With that, our status on the island has risen greatly, many people are envious of us.”

Midway through his speech, Zhang Haobo paused as if hesitant.

“Go on.” Li Fan beckoned him to continue.

“But… the brothers of the Cang Yuan ship have been discussing leaving the Liuli

Island. I’ve started considering it too.” Zhang admitted “Oh?” Li Fan was taken aback, “Where are you planning to go?”

“We haven’t figured that out yet.” Zhang Haobo answered nervously.

Li Fan, now intrigued, asked, “Given the fact you’re living well, why are you suddenly contemplating leaving?”

Zhang Haobo scratched his head, “I’m afraid you’ll laugh Elder Li… but something about this doesn’t feel right.”

“Unease? Explain further.” ordered Li Fan.

Zhang Haobo hesitated as if compiling his thoughts.

After a while, he glanced around, then whispered, “Well, Elder Li… our ship crew has been encountering strange incidents at sea.”

“Like what?”

“The fish are plentiful – with every haul, we get tons of them. This has happened nine out of ten trips and every haul has a variety of fish.”

“Isn’t that good?”

“Indeed, the news is good. But I’ve been fishing at the sea for over a decade and have never seen anything like this before.” Zhang Haobo confessed with a mixture of puzzlement and fear in his eyes.

“It’s as if all the fish are fleeing from something, all culminating at the same areas. ”

“Anything else?” asked Li Fan, after a moment’s placid contemplation.

“Growing up on Liuli Island, we’re familiar with the surrounding reefs. But recently, we found a number of new exposed reefs.” replied Zhang Haobo seriously.

“So you’re saying… the sea level is dropping?” Li Fan realized.

“There are sea level fluctuations every year, but this year’s change feels unusual. The ship brothers are wary.” added Zhang Haobo.

“We reported the situation to the Liuli Government a month ago, but they dismissed it as a normal sea level fluctuation.” Zhang Haobo further added.

“There’s another thing that’s worrying us. Over the past three years, there hasn’t been a single storm. Not just around Liuli Island, but throughout the entire Misthaven Ocean.”

“We’ve communicated with other ships from different islands; there’s no mistake. The storms have disappeared from Misthaven Ocean in the past three years.” Zhang Haobo reinforced, apprehensive of Li Fan’s disbelief.

Li Fan remained silent, his thoughts unknown.

“Storms have been a part of life here since I was born. Sometimes there were over a dozen in one year, and the least was two or three times. It has always been this way.”

“But now, it has been a full three years without a single storm. Some people on the island are celebrating, saying it’s the blessing of the Immortal Teachers. But my brothers and I see it differently.”

“This is too irregular…something big must be brewing.” Zhang Haobo said with conviction.

“Maybe the future weather is just going to be a bit hot,” Li Fan hypothesized after a moment, attempting to comfort Zhang,”The island has protection of the Island Protection Array and Master He stands guard. Even if something does happen, they’re ready.”

“Of course, Elder Li, your argument is reasonable. But I just can’t shake off this feeling of unease,” spoke Zhang Haobo, bitterness tracing the edge of his smile.

“That’s why… I’ve decided to leave… to leave the Misthaven Ocean.” Zhang concluded, his vision firming up.

Having seen this resolve, Li Fan offered his advice, “It’s never easy to venture far from home. Do think hard on this.”

Zhang Haobo nodded in acknowledgment.

Li Fan didn’t say more. After bidding farewell to Zhang Haobo, he strolled around the market for half a day before returning home.

After careful thought, it seemed Zhang Haobo wasn’t just unfoundedly anxious.

Various signs did indeed indicate that something unusual was bound to happen in Misthaven Ocean.

Perhaps a huge storm was secretly amassing strength in the shadows;

Or maybe a severe drought was looming unseen.

But none of this was consequential to Li Fan.

Zhang Haobo was, after all, a mere mortal who at the face of impending catastrophe, had no way of defending himself one way or the other, so feeling anxious was only natural.

Conversely, Li Fan was already on the brink of entering the realm of Immortal Cultivators. As long as he could break through to the Energy Refining Stage, he could go to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

With a congregation of Immortal Cultivators in that place, there’d be no need to worry about such disasters.

Even under the worst circumstances, if a catastrophe that even the cultivator couldn’t handle ended up hitting them, worrying would be futile, nonetheless.

Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do now was to peacefully master the Five Spirit Sensing Qi Method.

Yes, he could ask the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures to notify Yin Yuzhen to prepare in advance.

This episode passed quickly, and Li Fan continued to cultivate in seclusion.

Time went by, and another year passed.

Zhang Haobo ended up leaving Misthaven Ocean with some brothers from the Cang Yuan ship half a year ago. The situation caused quite a stir on the island, and people were starting to worry.

However, nothing peculiar happened during this half a year, so people began to take the incident lightly as if it were a joke.

Yin Yuzhen finally accumulated enough power, returned triumphantly to the Moonlit Island, and despite some setbacks, regained her position as the head of the Tianbao Building.

With the initial establishment on Moonlit Island, a lot of miscellaneous matters needed to be taken care of. Yin Yuzhen had to stay on Moonlit Island for the next few years to prevent any treachery. She sent someone to deliver the good news to Li Fan.

He Zhenghao did not send anyone to visit anymore. In his view, it had taken Li Fan nearly four years to bring qi into his body, which clearly showed that his potential was exhausted, and it was no longer worth his attention.

Xiao Heng, on the other hand, occasionally sent someone to deliver a letter inquiring about Li Fan’s situation.

It was said that Xu Heng’s cultivation progressed rapidly, and he was now in the mid-stage of Energy Refining.

As the world evolved, Li Fan watched like a passing observer, focusing solely on cultivation.

On this day, Li Fan felt a shift within.

The right amount of Five Elements fuel had accumulated, and the Root of Heaven and Earth was finally about to be formed!

An ethereal image emerged in Li Fan’s Dantian. Instantly, he felt a subtle yet profound connection between himself and the universe.

Like a waterwheel drawing water from the river to irrigate the parched farmland.

Tiny streams of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy flowed into Li Fan’s Dantian through the Root of Heaven and Earth, soon spreading to the rest of his body.

In his seventh year of embarking on the journey of Immortal Cultivation, Li Fan finally reached the Energy Refining Stage..