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Time seemed to have stopped flowing.
The cultivators present were battling their inner conflict.
After a long while, He Zhenghao was the first to make a decision.
He said in a deep voice, "I’m willing to give it a try!"
"After all, I’m just a minor Island Guard. There’s nothing to regret if I give it up!"
In He Zhenghao’s eyes, a long-lost unique gleam emerged, "Now with the aid of the mutual assistance society, I’ve obtained the Nascent Soul Cultivation Technique in advance."
"The Golden Core Realm is within my grasp, and the Nascent Soul is also within my reach."
"If I could enter the Central Immortal Alliance state region while in the Golden Core Realm..."
"Then my future prospects would be very different from staying in the Misthaven Ocean!"
It seemed he was convincing himself, but also persuading everyone present to join him.
He Zhenghao spoke with conviction and his words were full of persuasive power.
With a leader making the choice, three more cultivators followed and made the same decision.
But that was it.
The vast majority were not brave enough to give up their current comfortable positions and challenge their courage and faith again.
After all, even with the leaked actual test questions...
The content in the Jade Scroll provided by Ji Shaoli was simply too much.
Whether they could memorize it all was another matter.
Rote memorization is very different from truly mastering the material.
With the major examination approaching, there was too little time left.
Simply not enough for them to fully prepare.
To put it bluntly, the chances of success were not high.
Nevertheless, out of the eleven, four were willing to take the risk.
This ratio was already somewhat beyond Ji Shaoli’s expectations.
He laughed as he looked at He Zhenghao and the others, applauding and praising, "Rest assured, you will never regret your decision today."
"Before the major exam comes, you can prepare on the island. I will provide you with some necessary help."
The four of them could not help but feel elated.
And the others, seeing Ji Shaoli so confident, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret.
Ji Shaoli then comforted everyone in return.
"After all, the Misthaven Ocean also needs you to take care. Deciding to stay and develop here is also right."
Only then did everyone feel at ease.
...
In Sky-spirit State.
Li Fan and his group of three had already returned to the vicinity of the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven Entrance.
The earth movements in Banner Ridge State had attracted the attention of the Immortal Alliance.
On their way, they had startled no one.
The process of moving the entrance to the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven was also conducted without a sound.
After all, an Integration Cultivator was already at the pinnacle of cultivation among those who normally roamed about.
With Lin Ling and Tianyang working together, along with Li Fan, who was proficient in Array Techniques.
Hiding from the notice of the cultivators within Sky-spirit State was all too easy.
"We’re only moving the entrance to the channel, relocating it inside the Spirit Tree Realm. We’re not really changing the position of Cave Heaven itself."
"Strictly speaking, it’s still a bit risky."
"If someone discovers it, the Spirit Tree Realm could instead be exposed."
"However, once I truly absorb the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven, such a risk will naturally disappear."
The spatial data records for Sky-spirit State have been completed.
Next, only one person needs to return to the Spirit Tree Realm.
In the Spirit Tree Realm, completing the connection of the channel is all that’s needed.
Sending Lin Ling to do this won’t take too long.
But still...
Li Fan glanced inadvertently at Lin Ling.
Ever since they set foot in Sky-spirit State, she had seemed somewhat restless and distracted.
"Lin Ling, what’s happened? I feel like your mind is in chaos," Li Fan communicated through a transmission.
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"Master..."
Lin Ling’s tone was somewhat panicked, and after hesitating for a moment, she reported matter-of-factly, "There seems to be an ominous presence here."
"It bears some resemblance to the Mother Tree we were told by the Leyline Ancient Tree senior to avoid as much as possible..."
"Somewhat similar."
Upon hearing this, Li Fan’s pupils suddenly contracted.
"Ruo Mu?"
In an instant, that name flashed through his spirit consciousness.
Back in the 115th lifetime, it was precisely in this Sky-spirit State that he had fortuitously encountered an incarnate of Ruo Mu.
The Wood Taoist.
Now that Lin Ling once again sensed the presence of Ruo Mu here, it was within the realm of reason.
However, what startled Li Fan was the thought:
If Lin Ling could sense Ruo Mu,
Then could Ruo Mu perceive Lin Ling’s existence?
A chilling sense of dread suddenly rose from within his heart.
Li Fan immediately ordered Tianyang to accompany Lin Ling and quickly leave Sky-spirit State.
Once Lin Ling was safely sent back, he would return.
Tianyang complied at once.
And as the two left, the fear in Li Fan’s heart gradually subsided.
"The sense of crisis that just emerged was not an illusion."
"It seems Lin Ling truly fell within Ruo Mu’s sight."
"However, it’s uncertain whether it was Lin Ling’s good luck or some other reason that It chose not to take action."
Only when Tianyang reported back that they had safely returned to the Spirit Tree Realm,
Did Li Fan finally breathe a sigh of relief.
In his eyes, the threat posed by Ruo Mu was even greater than that of the Celestial Doctor.
After all, Ruo Mu and Mr. Bai
Were the only two entities he had encountered so far that could prevent him from even employing the Even True technique.
"Previously surviving was a stroke of luck."
"If there is a next time, the outcome might not be so favorable."
"It’s best to avoid an old monster like It as much as possible," Li Fan mused to himself while waiting for Tianyang’s return.
Without the help of Lin Ling’s power of ley lines, Tianyang’s solo escape was much slower.
Moreover, to prevent being discovered by cultivators along the way, the speed of flight was further reduced.
As Li Fan patiently waited, a flash of insight struck his spirit consciousness.
"Ruo Mu loathes cultivators."
"From time to time, It lures and captures cultivators to use as tools for producing Gold Cores."
"However, Its incarnate, the Wood Taoist, would not often appear in the world. At least in the 115th lifetime, Ximen Yu, having received my guidance, went to look for It but did not find Its trace."
"Ruo Mu appeared before because the Celestial Spirit State War broke out, with countless cultivators perishing."
"Could Its appearance this time also be related to an exceedingly high death toll among cultivators?"
Li Fan’s gaze flickered.
With Ruo Mu’s cultivation base, if It truly wanted to trick cultivators, It would not need to personally incarnate and engage in conversation, wasting Its words.
In Li Fan’s view, Ruo Mu was actually enjoying the process.
Watching cultivators gradually lose themselves in Its words,
And finally willingly hanging from branches, generation after generation, serving as tools for nurturing Gold Cores.
Ruo Mu’s heart, filled with hatred, would certainly find immense pleasure in this.
"Perhaps it’s like how we humans celebrate with a little drink when we encounter joyous events," Li Fan speculated inwardly.
"The reemergence of Ruo Mu now might indeed mean that a large number of cultivators are about to die."
"Even if it hasn’t actually happened yet, It has sensed some premonitions."
While Li Fan was lost in his chaotic thoughts,
Tianyang finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
After some effort, the entrance to the Five Elements Great Cave Sky was altered.
Only when the residual space fluctuations in the area had dissipated did Li Fan leave.
Before departing, he did not forget to once again employ a secret technique to seal off the anomaly here.
