Chapter 627: When The River Warms, The Duck Knows First

The Myriad Immortals Alliance's Wu moved with extraordinary skill, his attack vast and overwhelming in its momentum.

The Five Elders Council's representative was no easy opponent, however. It was not the green-robed youth from before, but a gaunt, middle-aged cultivator with a stern face and an aura saturated with killing intent.

Silver streaks rained down around him in a continuous barrage, yet each was effortlessly neutralized by currents of pale, ashen energy swirling about his frame.

"Ice." The word left the gaunt cultivator's lips in a cold, detached voice.

Before the sound had fully faded, Li Fan watched the space surrounding the man seem to freeze solid.

A biting, bone-deep cold radiated outward from the cultivator himself, spreading in all directions. 

It was as though time itself could be locked in place. Each silver streak that drew near him solidified instantly, hanging motionless in the air. As the frost expanded, more and more were immobilized.

Only then did Li Fan see clearly what the silver serpents writhing across the sky truly were: a multitude of weapons—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, battle-axes, hooks, and tridents.

Seeing his technique countered, Wu showed no sign of annoyance. He let out a laugh, clapped his hands in apparent delight, then raised a single finger and pointed it lightly toward the gaunt cultivator. His smile vanished in the same instant, replaced by a murderous solemnity.

An invisible bolt of lightning lanced through the frozen domain, cracks spreading relentlessly toward the gaunt cultivator. 

Just as it was about to reach him, the pale ashen energy swirled up once more and intercepted it. 

Black welled up within the grey, then slowly dissipated, leaving only that pallid glow.

Wu leveled his finger again and again, sending forth wave after wave of lethal attacks.

The gaunt cultivator's expression never changed. He said simply, "Wind."

As if stirred from a still surface, the invisible lightning bolts that had already pierced the frozen domain were swept away in a gale and reversed, turning back to strike Wu himself.

Wu raised an eyebrow and called up the silver light to shield himself. A cacophony of cracks and booms erupted around him and did not stop.

Now this is more like it.

Even watching through a haze of confusion, Li Fan could feel the brilliance of each exchange. Unwilling to miss a single detail, he sharpened his focus and concentrated on perceiving and committing to memory every fluctuation of aura rising from the arena.

Immortal Eminence Hong Xi, at his side, was doing the same. Only, his gaze drifted to Li Fan from time to time, a speculative look in his eyes.

While Li Fan remained fully absorbed in the duel between two of the Xuanhuang World's true prodigies, the world outside had moved on. 

Discussion of the Amity Conference had gradually died down. Life returned to its usual rhythms, and more and more cultivators chose to enter seclusion to deepen their insights.

It was during this period that "Zhou Qing'ang," who oversaw the day-to-day governance of the Congyun Sea with meticulous care, received an interesting report.

It came from Zhao Changli, the guardian of Liuli Island.

The man was He Zhenghao's successor. Li Fan had met him once before, during the gathering of Congyun Sea cultivators on Liuli Island where he had personally explained the fundraising plan. 

Zhao Changli was cautious, thorough, and diligent in his duties. His cultivation aptitude, however, was poor. Born a mortal with limited resources, he had only barely reached Foundation Establishment.

The report read:

In recent times, the production of Liuli Island's specialty, the Liuli Pill, has fallen dramatically. After careful investigation, I have found that the Liuli Fish surrounding the island have nearly vanished without apparent cause.

After corresponding with the guardians of other islands, I believe this is not a problem unique to Liuli Island.

Something strange may be occurring within the Congyun Sea. My strength is meager and I cannot fully ascertain the truth. I submit this report in hopes of your wise judgment.

Li Fan looked at the familiar report and felt a faint smile rise within him.

This man is good, a true talent. His cultivation aptitude may be lacking, but the ability to perceive the weight of small signs, to sense an impending disaster before it arrives, is a rare quality in this world.

He cast a nearly imperceptible glance toward the sky.

So it's finally coming.

He held his gaze there a long moment before looking away.

He did not send Zhao Changli a reply. He simply set the report aside and moved on to other matters.

A contest between true prodigies was clearly not something that ended quickly.

Time passed. Nearly twenty-odd days later, the private duel between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council came to a close. 

Atop the mountain peak, above the sea of clouds, all imagery dissolved without a trace. Auras receded, and the great seal was once again concealed beneath layers of white clouds.

Li Fan let out a slow breath.

The observation had been enormously fruitful. But the sheer volume of what he had absorbed in one sitting was too much to digest at once. He would need time to sit quietly and work through it all.

"How did you find it?" Immortal Eminence Hong Xi asked, his tone still carrying a trace of languor.

"I am dull-witted," Li Fan replied carefully. "I could only follow it with a rough semblance of understanding."

Hong Xi smiled but did not contradict him.

"Understanding even a little is enough. When you return, write me a reflection on the battle. It should cover, among other things, a comparison of the core strengths of our Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, along with your thoughts on potential future developments, avenues for breakthrough, and so forth. The more detailed, the better," he added.

"Ah?" Li Fan could not help his surprise.

Hong Xi spoke as though it were entirely self-evident. "Did you think this long-distance True Scene Reappearance was yours to watch for nothing? Every moment it runs costs an enormous number of contribution points. How many cultivators hunger for an opportunity like this and cannot obtain it? Is writing a reflection too great a price?

"Furthermore, this is a task handed down from above. It will count toward the Congyun Sea's administrative performance as well. Do not neglect it."

Li Fan had nothing to say to that.

He cupped his hands in a salute to indicate he understood.

"Off you go, then. See that you send it to me promptly." Hong Xi waved a hand, and the vision of the mountain peak and sea of clouds vanished abruptly. They were back in the Administration Hall.

Li Fan took his leave and returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

While the experience was still fresh, he activated the epiphanic state boost and swallowed a Dao Comprehension Pill, then immersed himself in the scenes of the battle between the prodigies.

He did not know how much time had passed when he surfaced from his epiphany. A sharp light flashed in his eyes, then was drawn swiftly back inward.

When contending with true prodigies, my divine abilities and arcane arts won't land as effortlessly as they do against ordinary cultivators. 

The Congyun Sword and Sky-Overturning Palm are powerful, but striking someone as preternaturally fast as Wu, or as impenetrable as that gaunt cultivator who seemed to freeze everything around him, would be exceedingly difficult. 

Only by comprehending more divine abilities and fusing them into a seamless whole, moving between them at will, can I hold an absolute advantage.

In the end, it still comes down to a lack of real combat. Too little experience.

Li Fan considered the matter, then opened the long-unused Seated Dao Discourse section within the Tianxuan Mirror. 

Using the Congyun Sword and Sky-Overturning Palm as his templates, he created a Virtual Discourse Practitioner.