Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 238 Hainan Rendez-Vous

Du Fan scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and eyes, and finding no one else nearby, he removed the invisibility ring, paused to ponder for a moment, and then suddenly his eyes flashed, and he moved his legs, heading straight for the cultivation market not far away.

……

This time, Du Fan only took half an hour to walk out of the market again.

"Most of the materials and tools used to set up the Lesser Five Elements Demon Extermination Array are not ordinary items. Some of them are even unheard of by Song Yuanzi. It seems that the difficulty of this matter is greater than I originally expected." Du Fan sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about the Lesser Five Elements Demon Extermination Array.

"There's also another incomplete part of the Concealing Spirit Technique, but Song Yuanzi doesn't have a single clue about it. I'm afraid we can't count on him for these two things in the short term. If there's an opportunity, we'll have to think of another way. But the most urgent task is still refining the Elixir-Melting Water!"

Du Fan's eyes flashed, and he instantly understood the main points. Without further hesitation, he took out the invisibility ring, put it on, and suddenly increased his speed, heading back towards Langlin Valley.

……

Three days later, Du Fan rushed back to Langlin Valley. He did not return to his residence immediately, but went straight to Zhao Chong's place.

At this moment, Du Fan, Zhao Chong, and Yuan Li were all in Zhao Chong's wooden house. However, they all had their brows furrowed and showed signs of anxiety, making the atmosphere in the room somewhat oppressive.

"Brothers, I've only come here to give you a heads-up. Rest assured, if Master Ma holds this matter against me, I will take full responsibility!" Du Fan suddenly sighed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said solemnly.

"Brother Du, although we have only known each other for a short time, I consider myself your friend. So please don't say such formal things in the future."

As for what happened to Brother Du at the southern port a few days ago, based on my analysis, Master Ma will most likely not pursue it further.

Moreover, we will be setting sail again tomorrow for a mission. Given Master Ma's current condition, he may not appear tomorrow. As long as we accept the mission from Master Xue and set off immediately, we can avoid Master Ma for a whole month.

"By the time we return from our mission, even if Master Ma hasn't forgotten this matter, it will probably have faded from his memory." Zhao Chong waved his hand, sighed, and then began to provide Du Fan with an objective analysis.

"That's right, I agree with Brother Zhao's deduction. Brother Du, this matter may not be as serious as we thought. I think we should call it a day, go back and pack up, so as to prepare for our voyage tomorrow." Yuan Li's brows relaxed, and he suddenly smiled and interjected.

"Alright, I've just returned and do need to go back and make some preparations, so I'll take my leave now." Du Fan smiled slightly, cupped his hands in greeting to the two of them, and then left Zhao Chong's residence, heading straight for his own wooden house.

After Du Fan left, Zhao Chong and Yuan Li discussed the matter again for a while. They both felt that there was no major problem, so they stopped talking. Not long after, Yuan Li also took his leave.

……

"We're setting sail again so soon. But that's fine too. At least we can avoid Master Ma for a while, and we can also take this opportunity to store up more demon cores. Based on my previous assessment, consuming demon cores should shorten the stabilization period!"

A glint flashed in Du Fan's eyes. If the value of a demon core was only reflected in improving cultivation, he wouldn't consider it too much. After all, pills and essential oils could do the same thing, and in some ways, their effects were far superior to those of demon cores.

He had considered the possibility that demon cores might have the magical effect of shortening the stabilization period, and had even conducted some simple experiments. He was about 70-80% certain about this.

If it were any other cultivator, they might not value this point as much, or even ignore it. But for Du Fan, if he could shorten the stabilization period, this would be of extraordinary significance.

Because of the presence of elixirs and essential oils, Du Fan's cultivation obstacles never occurred in terms of increasing his magical power, but rather in the transition between the stabilization period and the bottlenecks when breaking through cultivation levels.

Cultivation bottlenecks are a given; every cultivator faces them, even those with extraordinary spiritual roots and exceptional talent.

However, the stabilization period is different. The transition time of the stabilization period will vary greatly between cultivators with different spiritual root aptitudes. For example, for Du Fan, who has a useless spiritual root aptitude, the duration of the stabilization period will increase exponentially as his cultivation level continues to improve.

If he cannot resolve the issue of stabilizing his cultivation after breaking through a realm, even with the aid of pills and essential oils, Du Fan's cultivation path will be extremely difficult, perhaps even impossible, several years from now...

For all cultivators, demon cores have another benefit.

Under normal circumstances, the effect of taking the same elixir is directly related to the cultivator's cultivation level.

For example, the Qi Refining Pill is undoubtedly best taken by cultivators at the first level of the Qi Refining stage. The effect is second best for cultivators at the second level of the Qi Refining stage. The medicinal properties of the pill will be much weaker for cultivators at the third level of the Qi Refining stage. Once the cultivation reaches the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage, the Qi Refining Pill will have almost no effect.

At this time, if a demon core of the corresponding grade were to appear, it would solve a major problem for cultivators. For many cultivators, the greatest value of a demon core lies here. However, in Du Fan's opinion, this point is not so crucial.

"If I had another three months, I was confident that I could break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage and find time to refine the Elixir Transformation Water. I also have a large number of demon cores on me, and I can quickly get through the stabilization period of the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage."

In this way, my cultivation level will rapidly increase in a few months. Unfortunately, time is really too tight right now. Not only do I not have much time to cultivate, but I also have to be extremely careful with experiments and medicine preparation. A slight mistake could cost me my life. Alas…”

Du Fan sighed, a hint of reminiscence for the Qixia Sect appearing in his eyes.

He had considered running away and had even analyzed the situation in depth, but ultimately he gave up on the idea. If Crescent Island were a continent, he would not hesitate to escape and hide in a secluded place to cultivate diligently.

However, no matter how large Crescent Island is, it is still an island, a dead land surrounded by the sea. As time goes by, he cannot guarantee that he will not be found by the law enforcement officers on the island, nor can he hide in a deep mountain forest forever.

Even if he escapes to other islands like Ganlin Island, and Crescent Island gives up hunting him down, he will still be an unregistered resident. In the long run, his situation will remain the same, essentially starting over. He can't just keep running away indefinitely.

Even if he were to steel himself and make an endless plan to run away, it probably still wouldn't work.

There are indeed four small islands in the waters near Crescent Island, but that's all. If you want to reach the fifth island, the distance is extremely far.

With the mid-grade wooden boat that Du Fan was on, the success rate of crossing the ocean, breaking through the encirclement of wave after wave of high-level demonic beasts, and successfully reaching the fifth island was almost zero.

……

Early the next morning, Du Fan, along with Zhao Chong and Yuan Li, went to the place in Langlin Valley to accept the mission, feeling uneasy.

To their relief, the Foundation Establishment Hall Master who issued the mission this time was still Hall Master Xue, who was in charge of Langling Valley's daily affairs, while Hall Master Ma had not yet returned.

What made Du Fan and his companions even happier was that they were told that this might be their last mission on the island in the near future, because Crescent Island would be holding a small competition for Qi Refining stage cultivators in about half a year.

After the preliminary competition, those who perform well will receive substantial resource rewards. Moreover, the top ten will not only receive exceptionally generous rewards, but will also qualify to participate in the grand competition of the Seventy-Two Islands Alliance.

If one is fortunate enough to secure a place in the competition, regardless of their previous status, they will be transformed into a key figure to be cultivated by the Earthly Fiend Islands, and their status and treatment will be completely different from before.

What Du Fan found utterly ridiculous was that this grand competition, spanning seventy-two interconnected islands, actually had a rather imposing name here: "The Sea and Sky Rendezvous!"...

The island competitions of the Disha Islands are held every few years, but the Hai Tian Rendezvous is held irregularly. According to Zhao Chong, before Du Fan came here, the Disha Islands had not held a Hai Tian Rendezvous for more than 30 years.

The Hainan Rendez-Vous is not only of great interest to Qi Refining stage cultivators, but also to the high-ranking officials of the Seventy-Two Islands, and even the island lords themselves.

Because after this grand competition, the territories and resources of each island will be re-divided according to the overall performance of the cultivators from each island, the Hainan Grand Feast will play a decisive role in the future rise and fall of an island.

Crescent Island is no exception. Therefore, a month later, Crescent Island will completely stop the daily tasks of the cultivators on the island, giving all the Qi Refining stage cultivators on the island enough time to cultivate, hoping that they can improve their cultivation level before the competition.

……

A month later, Du Fan and his two companions returned from their voyage, their faces beaming with joy. The mission had gone exceptionally smoothly, and they had returned with a full haul.

Whether it was due to their good luck or their growing experience, the three of them had already hunted down an astonishing number of over one hundred and fifty demon cores.

Du Fan alone received nearly eighty demon cores, including more than ten medium-yellow demon cores and even two dark yellow demon cores mixed in!