Chapter 678: The Xuan Family Appoints A Guest Elder

"I was simply taking advantage of the situation. Brother Shuo, your Foundation Establishment Curio, Sword, isn't suited for the first strike. Defense and counterattack are your forte. However, this Draw Thread divine ability mimics the changes of birth, aging, sickness, and death—the changing states of a person. It's less an attack and more an imposition of a state. That's why it didn't trigger Sword's counter."

Li Fan had won the bout, but his face showed no pride. Instead, he took the initiative to explain this to Shuo Feng.

Back when he was nurturing the Heaven-Earth Root of the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, Li Fan had experienced becoming a body woven from thin threads, constantly pulled apart.

At the time, he'd grasped only a faint understanding of this concept. He was still far from being able to manifest such a divine ability in the real world.

That changed recently, when he took control of the Beastkin World's heavenly providence and nearly became an existence akin to the Heavenly Dao of a minor world during his breakthrough to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm.

The life or death of all things in that world had rested on a single thought of his.

From that, he'd gained a new, unique understanding of how all things formed and how they collapsed.

Draw Thread was born from that understanding.

Just as he'd told Shuo Feng, strictly speaking, Draw Thread wasn't an offensive divine ability. It attached a state of accelerated disintegration to the target, a change that originated within the target itself.

Just as mortals experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death, all things in the world eventually moved toward their end, dissipating into heaven and earth. Draw Thread simply accelerated that process.

In the battle with Shuo Feng, Li Fan had used Draw Thread at full power. Its might was terrifying, but it had a fatal weakness: the process demanded continuous casting. Any interruption or disruption from external forces would greatly diminish its effect.

That made it most effective against people like Shuo Feng, who specialized in defense and counterattacks.

The best way to use Draw Thread, then, wasn't the swift, explosive method he'd used against Shuo Feng. It worked best from the shadows, like a silent rain, slowly and continuously drawing out the target's threads without their awareness.

Stretched across a longer timescale, the target wouldn't show obvious wounds like Shuo Feng's.

Instead, they would feel an inexplicable weakness, a discomfort settling through their whole body. They would never find the cause. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as their essence, qi, and spirit continuously declined, until they died in agony.

This was what people meant by "life departs like drawing thread."

It was a peerless method for covert harm, surpassing even Formless Killing Mechanism. Li Fan always kept a trick in reserve, so in his fight with Shuo Feng, he'd hidden Draw Thread's true, lethal form.

"Brother Li, you once praised me as a heaven-gifted prodigy, but I see your comprehension surpasses mine by several degrees. This Draw Thread technique is ineffably exquisite!" Defeated by Li Fan, Shuo Feng showed no anger. If anything, his manner grew warmer.

The fleeting, icy killing intent from before might never have existed at all.

"You flatter me, Brother Shuo. It's just something I stumbled upon while wandering the realms," Li Fan said with a faint smile.

"Brother Li, no need for modesty! Many within the Myriad Immortals Alliance call themselves prodigies, but those who can comprehend a divine ability on their own are few and far between!" Shuo Feng patted himself, and in a flash of white light, his clothes changed.

He led Li Fan to a small pavilion at the mountain's peak and invited him to sit.

The yellow-dressed female cultivator stepped away, then returned to brew a cup of spirit tea for each of them.

The fragrance of the tea spread through the air, sharpening the mind.

Shuo Feng said, "Brother Li, I haven't yet found a way to counter this divine ability of yours. When inspiration strikes, I'll seek your guidance again!"

Li Fan nodded slightly. "Then I'll be waiting."

Shuo Feng let out a booming laugh. "How refreshing! Brother Li, your temperament truly suits my taste. Far better than those groveling sycophants with no real skill."

Li Fan didn't take the bait. Instead, he shifted the topic. "Speaking of sycophants, there's actually another matter I must trouble you with, Brother Shuo."

"Oh? What matter? Speak freely."

Li Fan told him he wished to raise his merit rank.

"Having insufficient permissions is truly infuriating. I’m restricted at every turn, completely stifled!" Li Fan sighed.

Shuo Feng listened, then waved a hand dismissively. "Hmph, nothing more than a threshold the Alliance set up to consolidate its own rule. Those who truly hold power don't need to climb step by step, raising their permission rank by rank...

"But if that's what you need, Brother Li, it's easy enough to arrange. Zhijin?"

The yellow-dressed female cultivator answered his call.

"Are there any guest elder positions open recently?" Shuo Feng asked.

"There are still three vacancies this year. However..." Zhijin glanced at Li Fan, hesitating.

"He doesn't meet the cultivation requirements, does he?" Shuo Feng gave a sardonic laugh. "No matter. We'll make an exception. Say I appointed him. Go and inform them."

Zhijin nodded slightly. Her form blurred, and she vanished from the spot.

Only then did Shuo Feng explain, "Serving as a guest elder of my house grants you Yan 30 basic permissions. There will also be a fixed merit disbursement each year."

Li Fan showed no joy at this. Instead, he furrowed his brow. "I'm grateful, Brother Shuo. But I'm used to a life of leisure. If..."

Shuo Feng waved his hand. "It's fine. You need not do anything. Just hold a nominal post. You and I are kindred spirits. Are we the sort to be bound by such things?

"But then again..."

Shuo Feng looked at Li Fan, a glint of battle lust flashing in his eyes. "If one day my hands get itchy and I need someone to spar with, I hope you won't refuse!"

Li Fan's shoulders relaxed. He cupped his hands. "Then I thank you in advance, Brother Shuo!"

True to his reputation as an elite second-generation immortal of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, Shuo Feng moved with incredible efficiency.

When Zhijin returned, the spirit tea on the table wasn't even finished.

She handed Li Fan a jade token shaped like a snowflake, signifying that his appointment as a guest elder had been officially registered.

"Brother Li, see the effect for yourself." Shuo Feng tapped the table lightly with a finger, and a Mini Tianxuan Mirror appeared before Li Fan.

Li Fan checked his information through the Tianxuan Mirror and found he'd gained a new title: "Guest Elder of the Xuan Family."

His permission level had been raised directly to Yan 30, just as Shuo Feng had said.

A note accompanied it, explaining that this permission level was bound to the position of "Guest Elder." Once he lost that title, the permission level would vanish with it.

As for personal merit earned, it would begin accumulating from Yan 1.

The two systems didn't affect each other.

This much fell within Li Fan's expectations. What drew his attention more were the words "Guest Elder of the Xuan Family."

"Xuan Family?" Li Fan looked at Shuo Feng, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Shuo Feng didn't try to hide it. "My mother's surname is Xuan. As for my own name..."

He shrugged, wearing an expression that said he didn't really understand it either.

Li Fan nodded and let the question go.

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