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Li Fan discreetly investigated and confirmed that Yin Yuzhen had not lied about the Dust-Departing Pill.
Three days later, he met Yin Yuzhen again and agreed to her request.
They agreed that before the Purifying Spirit Pool opened, Li Fan would help Tianbao Tower collect a certain number of treasures at regular intervals.
When the spirit pool opened, Yin Yuzhen would hand over the Dust-Departing Pill to Li Fan.
Of course, to show her sincerity, Yin Yuzhen also brought out the deed to the Listening to the Seclusion Tower.
Since they had an agreement, Li Fan did not hesitate and took it into his possession.
Thus, Li Fan moved again.
The Listening to the Seclusion Tower was located in the central area of Jade Island, surrounded by bustling activity.
However, through its unique architectural design and the arrangement of plants, it completely isolated the noisy environment.
Though situated in a bustling market, it felt as if it were deep in the mountains.
This concept of finding tranquility amidst noise was the reason it was named Listening to the Seclusion.
The Listening to the Seclusion Tower was several times larger than Li Fan's previous courtyard, and its internal rock formations, lakes, flowers, and trees required maintenance.
Once again, Li Fan declined the maids offered by Tianbao Tower and hired several workers on the island to clean every three days.
Yin Yuzhen was also helpless about Li Fan's caution.
Fortunately, Li Fan did not shirk his responsibilities under their agreement.
During the year he lived in the Listening to the Seclusion Tower, Li Fan completed three official sea expeditions for Jade Island, each time bringing back several chests of treasure, which not only shook the entire island but also successfully won Tianbao Tower a ship fleet quota.
After that, whenever Tianbao Tower's fleet set sail, Li Fan would accompany them.
Over the year, Tianbao Tower's profits soared, almost equaling the total earnings of the previous five years.
He also established his prestige among the people of Tianbao Tower, earning their respect and fear.
In the eyes of Tianbao Tower's people, Elder Li not only possessed great abilities, leading everyone to find treasure on every expedition, but also had a keen mind and decisive actions.
During one of Tianbao Tower's sea expeditions, a few crew members, envious of the treasures they had salvaged, hatched a wicked plan to kill and rob.
They did not expect Elder Li to have already detected their abnormal behavior and took the initiative to strike first, beheading them all.
Their bodies were thrown into the sea, and their heads were strung together to intimidate others.
Privately, everyone said that perhaps those crew members had only spoken rashly after drinking and might not have had the nerve to actually commit murder and robbery.
But even with the slightest possibility, Elder Li showed no mercy and killed them all.
Moreover, the officials of Jade Island not only did not blame him but also praised his actions, stating that he had reasonably and effectively protected Jade Island's assets.
Even the island's residents, upon hearing this, cursed the pirates for their well-deserved fate and praised Elder Li for his actions.
After that, no one in Tianbao Tower's fleet dared to have ulterior motives.
Everyone was cautious around Li Fan, fearing that he might find an excuse to execute them.
...
Li Fan did not care about what others thought of him.
To quickly gain full control of the fleet, some measures to set an example were necessary.
He did not have the energy to waste on such trivial matters.
Over the past year, he still devoted his free time to diligently practicing the *Xuanhuang Purifying Heart Spell*.
Not only because it could dispel miasma, but because he had discovered something that delighted him.
The charging progress of *True Illusion* had accelerated!
Previously, the charging progress of *True Illusion* could only increase naturally with the passage of time.
It would reach 100% every twenty years and slowly rise to its maximum of 200% before stopping.
In his previous nine lives, Li Fan had tried various methods to speed up the charging progress, but none of them succeeded.
Li Fan had been in the cultivation world for over a year since leaving Daxuan.
According to the previous pattern, the charging progress should have been between 6% and 7%.
However, to his surprise, the charging progress had reached 15%.
The charging speed had nearly doubled!
Apart from the *Xuanhuang Purifying Heart Spell*, Li Fan had not encountered anything else that could help.
The only explanation was that practicing the *Xuanhuang Purifying Heart Spell* could accelerate the charging progress of *True Illusion*.
Although he did not yet know the principle behind it, this did not hinder Li Fan from practicing even more diligently.
With the *True Illusion* panel displaying every bit of progress, he would not lose motivation due to the long and repetitive practice.
In addition to the charging progress, Li Fan's maximum age limit had also increased significantly.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 42/95↑
Psychological Age: 505/1210↑
Void Transformation Charging Progress: 115%
Anchor Charging Progress: 51%
Current Number of Anchors: 1
Bound Items: *Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter*, Great Derivation Boat, Halt Broken Stele (Damaged)
...
Time quietly passed as Li Fan immersed himself in his practice.
Soon, only one year remained before the opening of the Purifying Spirit Pool.
Jade Island also published the list of required materials.
Li Fan was currently studying this list with the people of Tianbao Tower.
"Everything else on the list is manageable, but what is this Star Sea Sand?" Li Fan asked, frowning after reading through it.
After working for Tianbao Tower for a year, Li Fan was not without gains.
At least he had a general understanding of the common minerals and rare materials circulating in the Congyun Sea.
Not only was Sun Zhang puzzled, but even Yin Yuzhen, the manager of Tianbao Tower, fell silent.
"All the required materials are common, except for this Star Sea Sand, which I have never heard of. It seems the key to securing a quota lies in this Star Sea Sand," Sun Zhang said.
"I have been in business for over a decade and have never heard of this thing," Yin Yuzhen tapped her fingers on the table. "We should inquire with the people from the Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce."
"These people are like starving ghosts, very greedy. We will probably have to pay a hefty price," Sun Zhang sighed.
"I am determined to secure a quota for the spirit pool," Li Fan said firmly.
The Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce was not a local chamber from the Congyun Sea but came from a continent far away, thousands of miles away.
The chamber was said to have the support of an Immortal Master, allowing it to easily cross the vast ocean to do business in the remote Congyun Sea.
Since connecting with the Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce over a decade ago, Yin Yuzhen and the chamber had maintained trade relations.
It was precisely through the Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce that Tianbao Tower could quickly convert the vast treasures salvaged by Li Fan into profits.
"We still have a year to prepare. The representative from the Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce should pass through the Congyun Sea in three months, and I can contact him then," Yin Yuzhen said.
"We cannot rely solely on the Ten Thousand Flowers Chamber of Commerce. In the past year, Jade Island has resettled many refugees from other islands. These refugees come from various parts of the Congyun Sea, and there might be someone who knows about the Star Sea Sand. We can inquire from them. We should also monitor other forces on the island who are also looking for the Star Sea Sand. Once they make any discoveries, we can act accordingly," Li Fan decided.
(End of Chapter)