"As for the other disciples with mediocre talents…"
A trace of impatience flashed in Liu Ruchen's eyes, but in the end he said in a deep voice: "Then let's abolish their skills and cultivate common people's spiritual energy. Good work!"
Hearing this, Li Fan clapped with satisfaction.
"Sect Leader Liu is truly enlightened. This saves me a lot of trouble."
Liu Ruchen smiled awkwardly.
After handing in the list of all the monks in the cauldron, Li Fan decided to wake Elder Hedao first.
After all, for Hedao, especially the ancient monks, the effect is not very significant.
In the Medicine King Cauldron, six Hedao people were sleeping, along with twenty-three transformed souls.
Among them, Liu San, Fang Zaiji, and Jiang Yushan were already familiar to Li Fan, so he naturally chose to wake them first.
"To resist the invisible murderous intent, you may be able to use the power of pills," Liu Ruchen said suddenly before unlocking the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation.
"But I haven't experienced it personally, so I'm not completely sure," he added cautiously.
"It doesn't matter. If it works, it's best."
Liu Ruchen took several pills emitting cold blue light from the Medicine King Cauldron and fed them to Liu San.
After a moment, Liu San slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the unfamiliar Li Fan.
"Who?" Liu San was still alert, his figure flickering instinctively.
But upon seeing Liu Ruchen, the guard in his heart completely vanished.
"Master…"
"Have you reached the Xiaoyao Realm?" Liu San asked subconsciously, a hint of joy on his face.
Liu Ruchen sighed, shook his head, and briefly explained the entire situation.
Liu San was naturally shocked, but with Liu Ruchen as his backbone, he quickly calmed down.
Next, Jiang Yushan was awakened.
Jiang Yushan's reaction was much calmer. She quickly adapted to the situation a millennium later.
"Sect Master Liu, just make your decision," Jiang Yushan said calmly, her voice like the friction of metal.
"You two, please run the Sutra of Eternal Life," Liu Ruchen ordered the two monks.
Liu San and Jiang Yushan immediately followed instructions.
After a moment, they frowned in unison.
"How do you feel?"
"The irritable murderous intent emerges intermittently, but it can be restrained. Maybe it's the effect of the [Wu Shi Dan]," Liu San replied after reflection.
Jiang Yushan added: "The Wu Shi Dan didn't have much effect on me. Compared with what happened in Wuding Prison, it's insignificant."
Liu Ruchen glanced at Li Fan: "It seems it does suppress the murderous intent. However, the materials required to refine the Wu Shi Dan are rare, and the Medicine King Cauldron's inventory may only suffice for a few batches."
Li Fan waved his hand: "Don't worry about the raw materials. Our Federation of All Realms has plenty."
"Go ahead and see how many can be sustained."
Liu Ruchen nodded.
Next, two Hedao monks, Zeng Qianran and Oukui, were awakened one after another.
By this time, they were already reluctant to suppress the murderous intent in their hearts.
"It seems the limit is reached. Let's leave it like this for now. As for the remaining Fan Zhuo…"
"And Elder Fang," Jiang Yushan interjected loudly, "He is in a special situation and hasn't practiced the Sutra of Salvation and Immortality. There's no harm in waking him."
Liu San glanced briefly at Jiang Yushan.
Li Fan smiled and finally released Fang Zaiji from the Dream Spring and Autumn Formation.
At this point, the top combat power of the Medicine King Sect had basically been gathered.
Counting Liu Ruchen himself, there were six Hedao monks.
Even the ancient methods still represented formidable power for today's Federation of All Realms.
Additionally, all were experts in alchemy, whose effect could exceed ordinary Hedao.
Under Liu Ruchen's leadership, everyone in the Medicine King Sect quickly became familiar with the basic situation of the Lingmu Realm.
All were worried—except Fang Zaiji.
Fang Zaiji was excited to learn that there were monks from the Tianji Realm in the Lingmu Realm.
After seeing Liu Ruchen's puppet body, he was immediately thrilled and clamored to see layman Qiao Gong.
Qiao Gong, who had been studying Tianyang intently, was initially slightly unwelcoming to this inexplicable guest.
However, after a brief exchange, the two quickly got along happily.
Although Qiao Gong's skill in weapon refinement was inferior to his craftsmanship, he had traveled extensively in Xuanhuang and gained extraordinary experiences.
This also aided in the study of the Tianyang body and Dao.
They happily closed the door to prevent disturbances.
Li Fan went along with them.
After discussions with several Medicine King Sect members, Li Fan was given a list of thirty disciples.
"These disciples are truly talented. It would be a pity if they were converted to common people's spiritual Yuan Gong. We can let them stay asleep for now, until we can find a way to suppress the murderous intent in the future."
"As for the other disciples…" Liu Ruchen said resolutely, "Leave it to me."
Though cold-blooded and ruthless, he could still spare their lives.
As for gathering the power of some disciples to fight back…
After witnessing many events in the Lingmu Realm, they decisively suppressed the idea deep in their hearts and did not dare reveal it.
"Actually, I have another solution. I don't need to make all these disciples into worthless skill-running machines," Li Fan said suddenly, looking at the Medicine King Sect disciples.
"Aren't they sleeping in the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation? If I improve the formation, the dream can mirror reality. They may not need to wake, yet still complete the work that needs doing."
Liu Ruchen hesitated: "You mean…"
"Sleepwalking?"
Li Fan nodded.
"Wait a moment."
The final dissociation disk rotated in the sea of consciousness, and the improved Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation instantly appeared.
After teaching the formation to Liu Ruchen, his eyes were filled with astonishment.
Because this formation seemed to be deduced from such reasoning…
"It should work," Liu Ruchen said slowly, taking a deep breath.
Soon after, when the new Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation took effect, Li Fan and his party appeared in the dreams of the Medicine King Sect disciples.
All original dream scenes vanished, replaced by scenes identical to the spiritual wood world in reality.
Liu Ruchen did not tell his disciples they were still dreaming. He simply narrated the story of how he failed to escape Xuanhuang Realm and now defected to the Federation of All Realms.
Although the disciples panicked, they managed to survive.
After a period of commotion, things returned to normal.
Following Liu Ruchen's instructions, they settled in the Spiritual Wood Realm.
Meanwhile, in reality, their bodies mirrored the movements in the dream.
In order to prevent incongruity between the inside and outside of the dream, Li Fan specially circled a piece of land in the Lingmu Realm to serve as a habitat for these Medicine King Sect disciples.
The formation was isolated to ensure no unexpected interruptions.
"After all, there is still a slight gap between dreams and reality. So they can't handle tasks that are too delicate. But if it's hard work, like providing immortality, there should be no problem," Liu Ruchen commented after observing for a while.
"When refining any elixir, as long as an appropriate amount of longevity green power is added, both the probability and quality of the elixir improve. Therefore, the more longevity green power, the better." Looking at the survivors of the disaster, Liu Ruchen's face was full of hope for the future.
Among the disciples, a trace of unease flashed in Liu San's eyes.
But he also knew that this was the best treatment they could receive at the moment, so he merely echoed Liu Ruchen's words.
Li Fan, insightful as ever, clearly sensed the inner thoughts of everyone present from the Medicine King Sect.
It is common for people to care most about their own kind.
Li Fan did not force anyone too much but promised: "This is just a temporary measure! Don't worry, I won't let these disciples indulge in their dreams for too long."
Everyone didn't know whether to believe him, but they all praised him. Li Fan was compassionate.
"In ancient immortal cultivation sects, almost all the elders climbed up from the bottom, step by step. They have rich combat experience," Li Fan said with a smile, but he was not fooled by appearances.
"The problem isn't serious. All of them have worshiped the Faceless Immortal Statue, and they are all grasshoppers in the same boat."
The problem of the elders and low-level disciples had been solved. The next task was arranging the thirty elite disciples on the list.
Including Liu Ruchen's adopted son and Liu Yihang, these thirty were all outstanding among the descendants of the Medicine King Sect.
Even from Li Fan's current perspective, they could be considered exceptionally talented.
It was time to employ their abilities; it would be a waste for them to remain asleep.
So Li Fan contacted Mo Rubin again and requested a hundred different exercises.
Although Kung Fu is one of the most treasured resources in the Xuanhuang Realm, there was no shortage of Dharma transmitters who had already reached the top of their disciplines.
Li Fan briefly told Mo Rubin how he had discovered the Medicine King Cauldron.
Although Mo Rubin was slightly surprised by Li Fan's luck, he didn't particularly care.
After handing over one hundred god-level skills, he warned: "It's fine to experiment, but don't delay the business. I've secured the support of most of those who teach these methods, and Cang will also handle preparations."
"The resolution of [Xuantian Spirit Sealing] will be officially passed soon. Brother Xingwang, you must prepare in advance."
Li Fan sensed the progress of the final dissociation disk in the sea of consciousness and placed it in readiness. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry—nothing will go wrong while I do my work!"
"Well… I'll go look for the Tianxuan Mirror later. After all, it's about regaining freedom; it can't just stay a passive shopkeeper," Li Fan muttered before hurrying off.
Mo Rubin watched Li Fan's disappearing figure and sighed.
After leaving the Hidden Cave, Li Fan went straight to the Weidu of Liuguang Prefecture, where the clone of Tianxuan Mirror was located.
He hadn't seen it for a while, and the clone had changed identity.
It was no longer a waiter, but an innkeeper, smiling and greeting customers.
All the scenes froze for a moment, and the Tianxuan Mirror clone immediately dropped the smile.
"I'm here to report on the progress of the plan," Li Fan said, stating his purpose.
He then paraphrased Mo Rubin's words.
"Just tell me what you need to say. You probably wouldn't come here in person for something so trivial," the clone said lazily.
"The one who knows me is Tianxuan," Li Fan praised with a thumbs-up.
"You and I should cooperate. Staging a show of stealing and substitution before the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance shouldn't be difficult. But I still have some concerns."
Li Fan said seriously: "First, if the ban on spreading the law is lifted, will the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Lord sense it himself?"
"If he notices changes in the Xuanhuang Realm and returns immediately…"
"I'm afraid all our painstaking plans will be ruined instantly!"
The Tianxuan Mirror clone remained silent.
Li Fan continued: "Second, if everything goes well, the law's transmission is undisturbed, and you regain freedom, where will you go next? Leave the Xuanhuang Realm, or…"
Li Fan stopped, waiting for the answer.
"First, don't worry. Even if I leave, I will leave behind the secondary body as a disguise. In terms of its capability, this body is not inferior to me. Almost all the data of my original body is backed up…"
"There won't be any abnormalities," the clone said calmly.
"As for the second point…"
"I haven't thought about it yet," the clone admitted.
"Perhaps I've been trapped too long, so even if I regain freedom temporarily, I don't know where to go. But that's fine; I have enough time to pursue what I want."
Only then did the eyes of the Tianxuan Mirror clone reveal a hint of vicissitudes consistent with its identity.
"If you truly feel lost and don't know where to go, you can come with us," Li Fan suggested with a smile.
"Although the Xuanhuang Realm is vast, it's still too small compared to the endless sea of stars. Who wouldn't want to step beyond this starry sky and see further?"
Perhaps Li Fan's words resonated with the clone. It subconsciously raised its head, looking at the sky, eyes blurred, as if trapped in some memory.
Silence fell between them for a long while.
Finally, Li Fan broke it: "Speaking of which, what is this [secondary body] you mentioned?"
"You can actually create an existence not weaker than your original body…"
"Could it be like… humans reproducing offspring?" Li Fan asked curiously.
The clone shook its head slightly, but after a moment of thought, it explained: "If you must use that metaphor, it's correct.
"You human monks accumulate cultivation over time. So do I. But unlike monks, the power that builds my body is too pure to tolerate repetition. Periodically, I need to expel repeated parts from my body.
"This is the origin of the secondary body."
The Tianxuan Mirror clone then produced a white jade measuring ruler from nowhere.
"For example, this [Measuring Tissot] is composed of the excess ability of [Measuring the Sky and Measuring the Earth] in my body."
Li Fan looked toward the Measuring Tissot and saw many faintly beating images on it.