His entire body was encased in a turtle-shell-like barrier. No matter what method Zhang Qianmo employed, he couldn't breach it. Even the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning striking the shell only left a black scorch mark. And with a dry chuckle from the cultivator, the mark instantly healed, leaving no trace.
When Li Fan saw this cultivator's name, he felt even more speechless.
"E Xinren..."[1]
He immediately blocked this cultivator, permanently rejecting all future battle requests from him.
After blacklisting him, Li Fan felt refreshed, only to suddenly receive a message alert.
Opening it, he found it was from Array Master Zhang Zhiliang. It turned out their group had mostly completed their research on the Myriad Li Mountain River Array, and had returned to the Strategy Array Hall.
Since taking up his post, Li Fan had only met him once on that island.
Zhang Zhiliang was summoning Li Fan to the Strategy Array Hall to reassess his array proficiency and assign follow-up duties based on the results.
Without delay, Li Fan changed into his black and yellow Daoist robes and headed to the Strategy Array Hall.
Zhang Zhiliang was already waiting.
Besides Zhang Zhiliang, there was another unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator. Like Li Fan, he seemed to be an array maintenance technician.
After exchanging greetings with both, Li Fan stood quietly to the side.
Zhang Zhiliang gestured for Li Fan to wait a moment.
Soon, three more Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived one after another.
Once all five were present, Zhang Zhiliang tossed each a Knowledge Appraisal Sphere and said, "First, let's test your current array proficiency. I want to see if any of you have been slacking off."
Li Fan took the black sphere, deftly extended a strand of divine sense into it, and began answering the questions. They were all familiar topics, and Li Fan completed the test swiftly. When he was done, the other four were still immersed in their spheres.
Zhang Zhiliang retrieved the sphere from him. A moment later, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "Not bad."
After the others finished, he frowned at one of them and said sternly, "Sun Ling, among the five of you, you ranked third. Yet I must dismiss you. Do you know why?"
The cultivator named Sun Ling turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth as if to defend himself, but in the end, no words came out.
He simply replied bitterly, “I understand, Senior. I have neglected my array studies recently. My skill level remains the same as it was three years ago..."
Zhang Zhiliang waved a hand. "Good that you know. You may go."
Sun Ling cupped his hands, bowed, and left in dejection.
The remaining four exchanged solemn glances at the sight.
"Alright, no need to be tense. You've all performed adequately." Zhang Zhiliang smiled and said, "Due to special circumstances, it's been quite some time since I last instructed you.
"Coincidentally, the island protection array at Haitong Island was recently attacked and severely damaged, requiring repairs. You shall accompany me to restore it.
"This will serve as an opportunity for me to explain the key considerations when constructing and maintaining large-scale arrays."
The other three nodded in agreement.
Li Fan felt a stir within and asked, "Master Zhang, if I recall correctly, Haitong Island is located at the northern border of the Congyun Sea, near Yongliang Province.
"This sudden attack... Could it be the work of the Five Elders Council?"
Zhang Zhiliang nodded. "It was indeed destroyed by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Five Elders Council.
"However, the fault of this matter lies with our Myriad Immortals Alliance, so we have no choice but to accept responsibility."
Li Fan expressed surprise, "We are at fault? How so?"
Zhang Zhiliang replied with some resignation, "It's all because of that Jiang Zhengji from the Martial Hall. He claimed to be pursuing some swindler and chased him all the way to Yongliang Province.
"Not only did he fail to find his target, but he was discovered by cultivators of the Five Elders Council.
"However, Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang proved quite capable. The two joined forces and actually managed to escape from an encirclement by one Nascent Soul cultivator and five or six Golden Core cultivators."
1. 鄂鑫任 (È Xīn Rèn) sounds almost identical to 恶心人 (Ě Xīn Rén) which translates to: "To be a disgusting person."
Basically, the meaning of the pun is that E Xinren’s defense allows him to take zero damage and he can even regenerate, making him an incredibly frustrating and "disgusting" opponent to fight against. ☜