Chapter 742: Tianxuan Births A Rebel Son
Chapter 742: Tianxuan Births A Rebel Son
“Oh?” Surprise flickered across Li Fan’s face. He hadn’t expected Fang Zaiji and his team to have made such rapid progress.
Guided by the All-Seeing Eye, Li Fan arrived at the testing grounds.
The Final Stone Disc, which had previously looked indistinguishable from an ordinary rock, now hovered above the heads of the three cultivators. The space around it had separated into different parallel zones. Each was governed by its own rules, forming motionless rings of varying colors. The sight was utterly wondrous.
A stream of black baleful qi, controlled by Jiang Yushan, cut into the rings surrounding the Final Stone Disc.
Li Fan didn’t interrupt. He stood to the side and watched.
It didn’t take him long to understand what she was doing. Jiang Yushan wasn’t slicing a piece from the disc the way one might cut a cake. Instead, she was shaving a flat plane from the disc’s surface, like peeling a single layer off a sheet of rice paper.
This clearly wasn’t her first time. Her movements were practiced and smooth.
Before long, a wafer-thin Final Stone Slice separated from the main body.
The instant it broke away, the slice, still the same size as the original disc, began to shrink rapidly.
The rings of space clinging to its surface, along with the slice’s own volume, diminished at an alarming rate.
“Quick! Feed it, now!” Fang Zaiji shouted.
He tossed several stones toward Jiang Yushan as he spoke.
Li Fan focused his gaze. Those were the Sword Embryo Primal Stones he had casually given Fang Zaiji earlier!
The moment the primal stones came near the Final Stone Slice, they dissolved like snowflakes falling into water.
The shrinking slowed, and the slice’s size gradually stabilized.
After six primal stones had been consumed, the ring-shaped spaces around the slice finally contracted inward, collapsing back into the slice itself.
A miniature version of the Final Stone Disc formed before Li Fan’s eyes.
“Damn, that was no easier than delivering a child. Wouldn’t you say so, Yushan?” Fang Zaiji let out a long, relieved breath. He picked up the disc slice with a satisfied grin.
“Can’t you watch your mouth? What kind of comparison is that!” Liu San snapped, his brows shooting up.
Li Fan spoke then. “Mister Fang, you said you’ve discovered the specific usage of the Final Stone Disc?”
Fang Zaiji waved the disc in his hand, a hint of pride in the gesture. “That’s right. It’s all thanks to those strange stones you gave me earlier, Sect Leader...”
He then began to explain.
It turned out that for a long time, Fang Zaiji had made no headway in his research. Finally, he decided to follow Li Fan’s earlier advice and began cutting the Final Stone Disc into slices.
But they discovered that any slice cut from the disc vanished into thin air almost instantly. They tried every method they could think of, but nothing could prevent it. Frustrated, Fang Zaiji dumped everything he could find in his storage ring at the problem, hoping for a miracle.
As luck would have it, his wild gamble paid off. He had stumbled upon a way to stabilize the slice.
The solution was to feed it objects imbued with insights into the principles of heaven and earth. It wasn’t limited to Sword Embryo Primal Stones. Any treasure with coalesced Dao comprehension would do.
Fang Zaiji had thrown in primal stones only because he had more of those to spare than anything else. Treasures containing insights into heaven and earth’s principles were far too rare to use freely.
"This thing," Fang Zaiji said with wonder in his voice, running a hand across the disc slice, "is like a cultivator. When it's first born, it knows nothing, so it shows no anomalies. But feed it insights of heaven and earth's principles, let it grow, and it will reveal its true talent.
"Sect Leader, it's exactly as you said." He continued. "This object's only function is to block the perception of the Tianxuan Mirror to a certain extent."
As he spoke, a disciple of the Medicine King Sect entered, carrying a Mini Tianxuan Mirror. His expression was reserved.
"Greetings, Sect Leader." He bowed first to Li Fan, then to the elders, Liu San among them.
Li Fan recognized him. This was Meng Wushi, one of the first batch of Medicine King Sect cultivators to awaken. He had already attained the status of a Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivator, and after converting to the new methodology, had broken through to the Golden Core realm.
"Begin the demonstration for the Sect Leader," Fang Zaiji said.
Meng Wushi nodded. He laid out a pile of top-grade spirit stones around the Final Disc Slice, then activated the conversion function of the Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
A beam of dim light shot from the mirror's surface and fell upon the spirit stones.
"Proceed with conversion?" the Tianxuan Mirror prompted.
Meng Wushi confirmed. The spirit stones vanished.
He then placed the Final Disc Slice within the beam's light.
This time, the Tianxuan Mirror showed no reaction, as if it couldn't perceive the disc slice at all!
"Born of the Tianxuan Mirror, yet upon maturity, its only function is to oppose it." Fang Zaiji shook his head, though his eyes gleamed with appreciation. "A true rebellious son.”
"We've only tested it against the Mini Tianxuan Mirror so far," the ever cautious Liu San added. "Whether it will hold against the provincial branch mirrors, or the main body of the Tianxuan Mirror itself, remains to be seen."
Li Fan drew the disc into his palm and examined it. It reminded him strongly of the Calamity Stone created by the Heaven-Toppling Society in his previous life.
"How many slices can be cut from the Final Stone Disc?"
It was a critical question. If the yield was small, the discs could only go to key individuals. But if production could be sustained indefinitely, everything changed.
Fang Zaiji answered, "From what we've seen, the Final Stone Disc doesn't appear to have shrunk from our cuttings. But we've only cut a small number so far. We'll have to wait and see."
Li Fan nodded. He handed over the remaining hundred or so Sword Embryo Primal Stones and turned to Liu San. "We can acquire treasures containing insights into the principles of heaven and earth through Jiao Xiuyuan. With the contribution points we've accumulated over the years, we should be able to sustain production for some time. The more of these we have, the better. They'll prove invaluable going forward."
As if in answer to his words, a line of golden text appeared on the Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
"Due to special circumstances, the Tianxuan Mirror's functions are currently unavailable. Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience caused."
Liu San and the others fell still.
They knew the Tianxuan Mirror was a divine Immortal treasure. Yet, it had suddenly paused operations.
As one, they turned to look at Li Fan.
The final transformation of the Tianxuan Mirror. A sharp light passed through his eyes. So it has finally come.
Deep within him, a sense of danger stirred.