Chapter 622: The Myriad Immortals Alliance's Calendar

Within the Tianxuan Mirror, projections manifested in sequence.

From Anchor Year 11, when Congyun Immortal City's inauguration ceremony had taken place, through to the end of Anchor Year 14, four full years of settlement data appeared before Li Fan in an instant.

"Year 2021 of the New Immortal Calendar. Comprehensive Settlement Ranking: 231st. Reward: 3 Grade B merits, 11,000 contribution points.

"Year 2022 of the New Immortal Calendar. Comprehensive Settlement Ranking: 226th. Reward: 3 Grade B merits, 15,000 contribution points. Additionally, during the Tianling Province War, the Congyun Sea region actively responded to the Alliance's cultivator conscription policy and demonstrated excellent performance. Additional Reward: 1 Grade B+ merit…"

Thirteen merit tasks were claimed in a single breath. Li Fan's merit rank climbed without pause, coming to rest only at Yan 22.

In his previous life, Li Fan had barely managed to raise his merit rank to Yan 31 near the end of his lifespan, and only by performing the extraordinary feat of constructing the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array with no regard for his own life.

Now, he had practically been an absentee manager, yet his rank had risen smoothly and unimpeded all the way to Yan 22.

Of course, this was also due in part to the Grade A+ merit the Alliance had bestowed upon him during Congyun City's inauguration ceremony.

With his merit rank elevated, many techniques and treasures previously locked within the Tianxuan Mirror were now accessible. Li Fan had reached an even higher level in his previous life, so he scanned the list with a practiced eye. He noticed immediately that it now included artifacts exclusive to provincial-level administrative managers. These were items that hadn't appeared before.

Among them was the Multitude Mirror, capable of monitoring the total number of cultivators and their realm distribution within a province. There was also the Hundred States Bell, which could display the general development of other provinces within the year and project one's own province's predicted ranking in the annual comprehensive settlement.

All of them, in the end, were tools designed to make internal competition more convenient. For Li Fan, they held no practical use.

What drew his attention instead was the date recorded in the settlement notification.

New Immortal Calendar.

As the name suggested, the New Immortal Calendar was a dating system established with the year the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher rebuilt the Myriad Immortals Alliance as its first year.

Yet whenever Li Fan had previously consulted ancient texts, all references to specific times had been deliberately obscured, whether intentionally or not. 

There were only vague expressions: ancient times, remote antiquity, primeval eras, or phrases like "several thousand years ago" or "several hundred years ago."

This was the first time Li Fan had encountered a time record precise to a specific year.

As for Sima Changkong's Bloodline Chronicles, it used its own year of origin as year one, the same as Li Fan's own Anchor Year system. Neither was applicable to the overall situation of the cultivation world.

It seems the Myriad Immortals Alliance maintains a detailed record-keeping system of its own. They simply keep it secret. 

Li Fan found nothing strange about this. The Museum of Divine Treasures preserved precious relics from throughout the history of the Xuanhuang World. It was only natural that the true history itself would be recorded alongside them.

The old tales of antiquity, though, are not fit for public discussion. Keep the masses ignorant and content, and they cause less trouble. He sneered inwardly.

I recall that once my permission level reaches Yan 30, I’ll receive a free opportunity to visit the Museum of Divine Treasures. The image of that skull at the center of the museum surfaced in his mind, and with it, the memory of Return to Truth's hunger stirred again.

He suppressed it in the next instant, pushing the restless urge back down by force.

The Museum of Divine Treasures was heavily guarded, with the eternal life beast Sovereign Tapir Tertius stationed there in person. Acting rashly would be no different from walking into a trap.

At the very least, it was not something the current Li Fan could afford to covet. The only path forward was to steadily build his power through simulation cycles, uncover more secrets, and identify a suitable opportunity. Only then might there be any real hope.

He closed the merit records and sent a message to Immortal Eminence Hong Xi, informing him that all accumulated merit from the past several years had been claimed and offering his thanks for Hong Xi's guidance.

Hong Xi laughed heartily and said little, only urging Li Fan to keep up the good work. He also told Li Fan not to bother with the thoughts of those below; he would help take care of it.

Sure enough, three days later, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi, freshly returned, summoned all system-affiliated cultivators of the Congyun Sea for a formal address.

Every one of them had assumed that the once-prominent Li Fan would be stripped of his authority and cast back down to the mortal realm. 

Instead, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi announced publicly that Li Fan would continue to manage administrative affairs on his behalf.

He Zhenghao and the others, who had been bracing for the worst, lit up with barely concealed relief and delight.

The remaining cultivators stared in disbelief.

They stole glances at Li Fan's calm, untroubled face and felt both shock and unease. Their minds immediately began racing, weighing what kind of backing and influence Li Fan must possess.

To compel Immortal Eminence Hong Xi, who had ruled the Congyun Sea for a century, to yield administrative authority—just how much power was Li Fan concealing?

Li Fan paid no attention to the shifting expressions around him. He bowed respectfully to Immortal Eminence Hong Xi and offered his thanks once more.

Immortal Eminence Hong Xi gave a lazy wave of his hand, stepped forward, and vanished.

Li Fan understood perfectly well that Hong Xi simply had no interest in the trivial affairs of the Congyun Sea and was happy to remain a hands-off figurehead.

But the others had no way of knowing that.

To their eyes, Hong Xi's departing figure looked rather defeated.

The conclusion was obvious: in the struggle for power, Immortal Eminence Hong Xi had lost to Li Fan.

A wave of shock moved through the assembled cultivators. They lowered their brows and averted their eyes, unwilling to look directly at the Secretary-Envoy standing before them.

Li Fan saw exactly what they were thinking. He had no interest in setting the record straight. Instead, he took a page from Hong Xi's book.

"In all matters concerning the Myriad Immortals Alliance, stability comes first. Everything in the Congyun Sea will proceed as before. Zhou Qing'ang, He Zhenghao, Gao Yuan, and the others will assist me in managing various affairs."

Zhou, He, and the rest responded with eager acknowledgement.

"You may go." Li Fan waved a hand. Then he, too, stepped forward and vanished.

The Administration Hall erupted the moment he was gone.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, congratulations!"

"Fellow Daoist He, this truly calls for celebration…"

Li Fan listened for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

He was just about to return to Embodiment Island when another message arrived.

"The second Amity Conference between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council will be held in Tianling Province ten days from now. On this former battlefield, both sides will set aside their enmity and forge new ties."

Li Fan’s first thought was of the scarred and devastated scene of Tianling Province he had once witnessed.

Holding a friendly exchange in a place like that? Is that really appropriate?

A friendly exchange on the surface, but still tense beneath?

He searched carefully for related information and soon found several peculiar details. 

Beyond the mutual exhibition of the World-Quelling Divine Artifacts that truly embodied “Amity,” the event would also feature competitive events: martial duels, debates on cultivation principles, and trials of offensive and defensive arrays. 

The representatives from both sides would be the foremost young talents of their respective organizations. And every contest would be broadcast publicly, in real time.