It was indeed the corpse of Jiao Xiuyuan.
After three months had passed, it gradually revealed something unusual.
Unlike normal flesh and blood, it looked more like withered wood, presenting a yellowish color.
Li Fan kicked it, and the sound was exactly like kicking on wood.
At this moment, a voice came from behind Li Fan.
"This is just a puppet, not the real body. It's Jiao Xiuyuan's usual method. Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be surprised," said the voice.
Li Fan turned around and saw that the speaker was also a Qi Condensation stage cultivator.
He immediately cupped his hands, "Thank you for the guidance. Is the fellow Daoist also a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?"
The person nodded, "Yes, I am Chen An. I've been a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for over thirty years."
"I'm Li Fan. From what the fellow Daoist said, it seems you are quite familiar with Jiao Xiuyuan?"
Chen An smiled, "Familiar is not the right word. But, you know some things after living here for so long."
"Take Jiao Xiuyuan, for example. He opened a grocery store called Thousand Mile Hall on the island, selling everything. It is said he has official connections with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and occasionally he can sell some good stuff."
"In addition, he often does some intelligence business. However, this guy never takes risks himself; he always uses puppets to pave the way."
Li Fan nodded after hearing this, "Greedy for money and afraid of death, I see."
Chen An laughed heartily, "Fellow Daoist summarized it perfectly! 'Greedy for money and afraid of death' describes Jiao Xiuyuan very accurately!"
After the laughter, Chen An suddenly said, "When we were transcribing the techniques in the book pavilion before, I saw others transcribing for a while and then taking a break when tired. They would transcribe again after recharging. Only you, fellow Daoist, didn't rest for three months. I truly admire that!"
"But I wonder, fellow Daoist, what's the profound meaning behind your actions? If we only consider the speed of transcription, after all, when you stopped due to physical and mental exhaustion later on, you were certainly slower than those who took frequent breaks."
"I don't know if you can enlighten me on this," Chen An asked respectfully.
Li Fan contemplated for a moment before speaking, "I dare not claim a profound meaning; it's just a gut feeling."
"Regarding what Qin Tang said about the first trial being about 'focus,' to be focused means having undivided attention. Not being disturbed by any external factors can be called true focus. Is physical and mental fatigue also an external factor? If you stop because of it, doesn't that mean you're no longer 'focused'?"
"It's just a humble opinion; you can take it as you wish," Li Fan humbly said.
Chen An seemed lost in thought upon hearing this.
Li Fan didn't say anything further and returned to the room to rest.
The next day, Qin Tang did not appear again.
No one dared to run around, and they just patiently waited inside the building.
On the third day, early in the morning, Qin Tang appeared in front of everyone while staggering and drinking wine.
"Good wine, good wine!"
After burping, he squinted at the group of cultivators.
"Today, we start the second trial!"
"This time, I will test your courage!"
"On the path of immortality, there are countless hardships and challenges. Do you have the courage to face them all?"
Qin Tang smiled faintly.
The crowd felt a momentary dizziness and suddenly found themselves by the seashore.
Their own cultivation realm was sealed, and they became no different from an ordinary person.
However, Qin Tang was nowhere to be seen.
Only his voice came from afar.
"I'll wait for you on the other side of the sea. Use your courage to cross this vast ocean!"
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other.
Some brave individuals walked to the edge of the sea and took a step forward.
The sea instantly froze into ice and safely held the person.
The person was overjoyed and continued to walk forward, quickly disappearing from the sight of the others.
The remaining people, seeing someone take the lead, hurriedly walked into the sea.
Li Fan noticed Baili Chen doing the same and followed into the sea.
However, Sikong Yi remained by the shore, not moving.
Li Fan didn't pay further attention and focused on traversing the sea.
The water under his feet solidified into ice, but there was no trace of the others in his field of vision.
On the vast sea, he was left alone in an instant.
Li Fan remained composed, steadily moving forward step by step.
The sun rose and set above him, and he lost track of how much time had passed.
The scenery Li Fan saw remained unchanged.