The idea was beautiful, but before its formal implementation, there were many urgent issues to resolve.
For example, was there already a similar organization in the current Wanxian Alliance?
Would his actions infringe on others' interests, leading to him being casually killed by a powerful being?
After some investigation, Li Fan was relieved.
Currently, there was no large-scale, organized lending activity within the Wanxian Alliance.
One reason was the difficulty in obtaining contribution points. It was already challenging to maintain one's own cultivation, so where would there be extra contribution points to lend to others?
Another crucial reason was that lending was easy, but retrieving the borrowed contribution points was difficult.
The cultivation world was vast, and cultivators had countless means of hiding. They could easily disappear into some remote mountain, go into seclusion for ten or even fifty years, and refuse to repay.
What could be done?
Perhaps there were powerful cultivators capable of precise positioning, but they likely prioritized their own cultivation and disdained such divested and unprofitable matters.
However, Li Fan was willing to do what they weren't.
On the way back to Mingyue Lake, Li Fan had already started planning for the future in his mind.
Twenty-plus days later, Li Fan returned to Mingyue Lake.
In over forty days, the underwater cave mansion had been mostly built.
However, it was just some ornate buildings on the surface, with no defensive measures aside from the Wanxian Formation Flag.
For the sake of future appearances and safety, Li Fan spent a fortune, consuming twenty thousand contribution points to purchase a complete "Kan Ling Phantom Wave Grand Array" from the Tianxuan Mirror.
This array, unlike the Wanxian Formation Flag, couldn't be moved once deployed.
Suitable for water-based construction, the grand array had functions such as concealment, protection, and defense against enemies.
When fully activated, it was said to withstand attacks from mid-Yuan Ying stage cultivators.
Li Fan personally set it up.
After the "Kan Ling Phantom Wave Grand Array" successfully activated, a light blue protective barrier appeared above the underwater cave mansion.
Li Fan felt much more at ease.
With the completion of the cave mansion, a festive celebration naturally followed.
Gathering in front of the cave mansion, everyone looked at the building that had consumed much effort for nearly a month, excitement visible on their faces.
Li Fan looked around and felt like something was missing.
So, he purchased a jade plaque and two jade pillars from the Tianxuan Mirror.
After arranging them, he took out the Divine Sea Divine Sword from his dantian, and his brush danced across the jade.
On the left pillar, he wrote the four characters "Compassion and Mercy in Spreading the Law."
On the right pillar, he wrote the four characters "Saving the Suffering and Rescuing the Distressed."
Finally, on the middle jade plaque, he wrote the three characters "Mingyue Palace."
Li Fan retrieved the blue water sword and looked at his masterpiece, nodding in satisfaction.
Su Xiaomei and the others, seeing Li Fan's calligraphy, were moved and entranced.
Su Xiaomei had stars in her eyes, while Xiao Heng and Su Changyu were impressed by the grandeur of those words, unable to contain themselves.
"Compassion and Mercy in Spreading the Law, Saving the Suffering and Rescuing the Distressed..." As the one who had been in the cultivation world the longest among them, Zhao Erbao understood the weight of these eight characters even more.
Thus, he couldn't dare to harbor any schemes about Li Fan's cultivation level, feeling a bit cautious.
Leading everyone into Mingyue Palace, they began exploring the newly constructed cave mansion.
Mingyue Palace covered an area of five square miles.
The main buildings formed a semi-cross arrangement.
In the center was the Moonlit Hall, planned for discussions and receptions.
Residences for everyone were distributed on the left and right sides.
Behind the Moonlit Hall were a series of buildings used for placing the Tianxuan Mirror, storing ancient artifacts, Li Fan's secluded cultivation, and more.
Currently, Mingyue Palace was still an empty shell, lacking interior decorations, furniture, and the like.
However, achieving this much progress in forty days already satisfied Li Fan.
Apart from the 5,000 contribution points' role, the Tianbao Tower's Yin Yueting sisters and Sun Zhang, too, had contributed significantly.
Especially Sun Zhang, who had meticulously designed the layout of Mingyue Palace.
Instructing everyone to quickly finish decorating Mingyue Palace in the next period, Li Fan headed to his secluded cultivation spot.
Since Mingyue Palace's completion, his clone had been staying here.
Not idling away but breaking the seal on the small black box given to him by Zhang Zhiliang.
Perhaps because this clone had deprived some of He Zhenghao's talent in formations, it was able to decipher the seal much faster than Zhang Zhiliang had estimated.
Li Fan estimated that in a little over half a year, he would be able to remove the seal completely.
He was quite excited about what might be inside.
In the following period, Mingyue Palace's residents remained busy.
While making Mingyue Palace more and more fulfilling, they successfully transferred over tens of thousands of ancient artifacts.
At the same time, Li Fan was quietly working alone, spreading information in Source Dao City.
Gradually, many Qi Cultivators in the Wanxian Alliance learned about the eight-hundred-mile Mingyue Lake on the border of Source Dao State.
Inside Mingyue Lake was Mingyue Palace.
With a negligible cost, Qi Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage could borrow Foundation Building techniques and treasures in advance in Mingyue Palace, allowing them to advance in their cultivation.
Once they built their foundation, they could gradually repay the corresponding contribution points.
To note, the speed at which Foundation Building cultivators earned contribution points was much faster than that of Qi Cultivators.
Compared to the profits brought by the 36% interest that year, the benefits of early Foundation Building were almost negligible.
This matter sounded too good to be true, appearing as a blatant scam.
As a result, most Qi Cultivators dismissed it with a smile.
However, as the information spread wider, there were always one or two individuals who kept this matter in mind.
...
Three months later.
Mingyue Palace.
In the underground treasury behind the Moonlit Hall.
Tens of thousands of ancient artifacts were neatly arranged.
Li Fan was around these artifacts, setting up formations.
Due to the insufficient quantity of gathered Dao Source ancient artifacts, he couldn't recreate the complete Dao Source for now.
So, Li Fan thought of a formation called "Seeing the Micro to Know the Macro."
This formation's sole purpose was to amplify spiritual energy fluctuations and law rhythms to a certain extent.
Although there would be some distortion depending on the skill of the person setting it up, it was sufficient for Li Fan to comprehend the Overwhelming Sea Palm.
As Li Fan concentrated on setting up the formation, he faintly heard a voice coming from above Mingyue Lake.
"Younger generation Chu Xingyang seeks an audience with the seniors of Mingyue Palace!"
"Younger generation Chu Xingyang seeks an audience with the seniors of Mingyue Palace!"
Repeated several times, the
voice echoed continuously.
Li Fan smiled slightly.
After so long, the first customer had finally arrived at the door.
However, he didn't need to appear personally.
He had already made the arrangements and was quietly waiting for Chu Xingyang to arrive.
...
Above Mingyue Lake, after several shouts from Chu Xingyang, he couldn't help but feel extremely uneasy.
The sudden appearance of Mingyue Palace seemed mysterious, as if it had suddenly emerged out of nowhere.
The cultivators in Source Dao State knew very little about it.
For a power confident enough to lend out Foundation Building treasures and techniques without worrying about retrieval issues, it must be a formidable force.
Chu Xingyang was just a Qi Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, and coming to the doorstep of such a powerful force, he naturally felt extremely anxious.
Moreover, he still didn't know if Mingyue Palace really lent out cultivation techniques and treasures.
But Chu Xingyang had no other choice.
He had to try.
If he continued with the previous method of doing tasks and accumulating contribution points, it would take at least two or three years to successfully build his foundation.
Too long! There was no time!
Thinking of his childhood sweetheart entwined with another man's arms, Chu Xingyang's heart burned with endless anger.
Why? Just because the other person was a Foundation Building cultivator, while he was just a Qi Cultivator.
Three months later, the two would be married.
He must successfully build his foundation before that and snatch her back at the wedding!
Chu Xingyang thought with resentment.
As he immersed himself in the beautiful fantasy of a life shared with his childhood sweetheart, he suddenly noticed a figure silently appearing behind him.
Then, he found himself lifted off the ground without any resistance.
"Senior, spare me! Spare me, senior!"
Chu Xingyang hurriedly shouted.
"Stop yelling! You're already so old, yet you're so timid!"
The voice was crisp and full of childishness.
Chu Xingyang, upon closer inspection, realized that the one holding him was a girl dressed in fiery red clothes, only seven or eight years old!
What shocked Chu Xingyang even more was that this little girl was at the Foundation Building stage!
Foundation Building at seven or eight years old!
At such a young age, having reached Foundation Building, what kind of cultivation level did the others in Mingyue Palace have? What kind of extraordinary cultivator was the master of Mingyue Palace?
No wonder they dared to lend out Foundation Building treasures and techniques without fearing non-repayment!
Chu Xingyang felt dizzy, and a sense of deep fear surged in his heart.
But then, he became incredibly hopeful.
It seemed that the matter of borrowing cultivation techniques from Mingyue Palace was not a scam!
With mixed feelings, Chu Xingyang was carried into the lake by the little girl.
Passing through the blue protective barrier, they arrived at the entrance of Mingyue Palace.
Chu Xingyang was once again deeply shocked.
Compassion and Mercy in Spreading the Law!
Saving the Suffering and Rescuing the Distressed!
What kind of boldness and breadth of mind was required to write these eight characters at the entrance!
The more Chu Xingyang looked, the more he felt that these eight characters were incredibly profound, as if they contained the mysteries of the universe.
He felt even more awe for the mysterious master of Mingyue Palace.
Following the little girl...
No, following the senior Foundation Builder.
Chu Xingyang bypassed the central hall and arrived at a small attic on the right side.
In the attic, two seemingly identical girls were seated in front.
Graceful figures, skin whiter than snow.
Their beauty far surpassed that of his childhood sweetheart!
Chu Xingyang couldn't help but be stunned, staring blankly.
It wasn't until he received a slap from the little junior sister beside him that he finally came to his senses.
In a panic, he quickly knelt down and apologized.
"These two fairy-like cultivators are unfathomable in their cultivation. How did I let myself be mesmerized by their beauty?"
"If they dislike me, and in a fit of anger..."
Thinking of this, Chu Xingyang couldn't help but shudder.
Fortunately, the two fairy-like cultivators didn't blame him.
Instead, they asked for his name and the reason for coming to Mingyue Palace to borrow cultivation techniques.
Chu Xingyang honestly confessed everything.
After understanding the whole story, the two fairy-like cultivators disappeared, leaving only the little junior sister glaring at him.
Chu Xingyang, sweating on his forehead, didn't dare to act recklessly and could only wait patiently in place.
...
"Sister, look at this person. He borrowed cultivation techniques and treasures to snatch a bride. Isn't he the high-risk customer that Senior mentioned? Shouldn't we refuse his request and not lend him anything?"
"You're wrong, little sister. Think about it, he chose to cause trouble on someone else's wedding day."
"Even if he fails to snatch the bride, the worst that can happen is that he'll get a beating. It's unlikely he'll be killed."
"Moreover, this person is twenty-eight years old and already at the Qi Cultivation stage. He can be considered a high-quality customer, as Senior mentioned."
"He's also the first customer to come to Mingyue Palace..."
"Well, we can do business with him."
Yin Yueting concluded.
"I see. Sister, do you have a hunch about whether lending these items to him will bring good fortune or misfortune?"
The younger sister, Yin Yuzhen, asked.
Yin Yueting held a storage ring and closed her eyes, sensing.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and after a moment, Yin Yueting showed a pleased expression. "A little auspicious! Little sister, we can lend it to him!"
Yin Yuzhen also breathed a sigh of relief. Holding the storage ring, she walked out of the room concealed by formations and came to Chu Xingyang.
"The rare item is [Unyielding Resentment]. The cultivation technique is [Purple Radiance Starlight]."
"The total value is 9,500 contribution points. How do you plan to repay?"
Chu Xingyang looked at the storage ring in Yin Yuzhen's hand, his eyes shining.
The hope for the future rested entirely on this storage ring. Chu Xingyang gritted his teeth and said, "I choose to repay once a month, clearing the debt within three years."
Yin Yuzhen nodded, took out a contract, and said, "Sign this, and you can take away the storage ring."
Chu Xingyang, with an excited expression, scanned the contract and hastily wrote his name on it.
"Remember to transfer the contribution points to me at the same time each month. Otherwise, I'll personally come to your door to collect. Understand?"
"Don't even think about running away. Although the cultivation world is vast, if you owe Mingyue Palace a debt, there won't be a place for you!"
Su Xiaomei, on the side, stared at Chu Xingyang with a fierce gaze.
Trembling, Chu Xingyang nodded quickly, indicating that he understood.
After obtaining the storage ring, Chu Xingyang was almost in tears.
As he walked out of Mingyue Palace, he bowed deeply to the two jade pillars at the entrance.
Then, with a determined expression, he flew away.
"Hehe, wasn't my performance good?" Su
Xiaomei, seeing that the person was gone, rubbed her face and boasted.
"But, is what we're doing really reliable? This is 9,500 contribution points! Can we really get it back? What if this person suddenly dies halfway?"
Su Xiaomei was a bit worried and asked.
(End of this chapter)