Li Fan briefly explained the matter of rebuilding the Immortal City of Congyun Sea to him and invited him for a meeting. His tone was friendly, without any hint of the authority of an island lord. This made Gao Yuan feel a bit flattered.

Having spent most of his life working hard on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, Gao Yuan knew that these so-called "acting" or "deputy" roles were often harder to deal with than those officially appointed. Although he didn’t know why this well-known cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect had chosen him, Gao Yuan knew he was currently his top direct superior and dared not neglect him.

Quickly tidying up, Gao Yuan hurried to the agreed meeting location. As for defecting... that was nothing but idle complaints. Defecting was impossible. Not to mention the immense risk involved, Gao Yuan was, after all, a part of the system within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. If he were to defect to the Five Elders Association, would his life really be better without any special skills? Most likely, after all the valuable information in his head had been extracted, he would be discarded, ignored, and forgotten.

He wasn’t that foolish.

Suppressing his scattered thoughts, Gao Yuan pondered the reason this newly appointed acting island lord wanted to meet him as he made his way to the location. After a while, he finally arrived.

Tai'an Island.

The island's protective formation opened, revealing a passage, and Gao Yuan flew inside.

As he entered, he saw the acting island lord, Li Fan, sitting in front. Next to him, the guard of Tai'an Island, Zhou Qingang, stood nervously, sweating profusely, looking visibly tense.

The two seemed to have been discussing some sensitive topic but stopped when they saw Gao Yuan arrive. Seeing this, Gao Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of apprehension.

The guard of Tai'an Island had a position one rank higher than Gao Yuan. Yet even he was so flustered in front of Li Fan. It seemed that this ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator was not going to be easy to deal with.

Gao Yuan, who had seen many people in his life, immediately became more cautious. He stepped forward, bowed, and greeted Li Fan.

"Greetings, Island Lord!"

"You're here," Li Fan said, smiling kindly at Gao Yuan.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Li Fan asked.

Gao Yuan was puzzled but respectfully replied, "I do not know, my lord."

"I heard you were stationed at the gates of the Administrative Hall before?" Li Fan asked after a brief silence, just as Gao Yuan was starting to feel uneasy.

"Yes, my lord," Gao Yuan answered respectfully, though he knew it was a rhetorical question.

"How long have you been in service?"

"Ninety-eight years and counting."

"A hundred years pass by in the blink of an eye. You've worked hard."

"After a century in the same post without any transfers, have you ever felt any resentment?" Li Fan asked.

"I dare not," Gao Yuan said, feeling a twinge of anxiety as he quickly shook his head, expressing his loyalty.

"Good," Li Fan nodded in approval, then got to the point.

"Every cultivator in the system must undergo the test at the White Jade Heart-Questioning Platform in the Administrative Hall when they join. Routine tasks also often require going to the Administrative Hall. So, you must have some understanding of the cultivators within the Congyun Sea system, right?" Li Fan asked.

"I wouldn't dare boast, my lord. But I am familiar with the basic information," Gao Yuan replied, carefully observing Li Fan before adding, "At the very least, I won't mistake anyone's identity. Also, I know who has a good temper, who has a powerful background, and who shouldn't be offended. These things I make sure to understand."

"In our lowly positions, if we don't watch our step and offend the wrong people, the consequences won’t be pleasant."

"Good. I want you to help me identify which of these cultivators are useful!" Li Fan ignored Gao Yuan's complaints and with a wave of his hand, a mass of cultivators' portraits, like a cluster of stars, appeared densely in front of Gao Yuan.

"Useful people?" Gao Yuan was momentarily stunned.

But remembering that Li Fan had mentioned the grand task of rebuilding the Immortal City, his heart began to race.

"You know, I've only just awakened recently, and I'm not familiar with the personnel in Congyun Sea," Li Fan said quietly from the front. "Being suddenly entrusted with such a great responsibility makes me nervous. I'm afraid of messing things up.

"As the saying goes, to accomplish great things, you must first sharpen your tools. To successfully complete this task, I need a strong team.

"Since you're somewhat familiar with them, why not give me some advice?

"Once the Immortal City is founded, your contributions will not be forgotten!"

Hearing this, Gao Yuan felt his throat go dry. Looking at the cultivators he once had to carefully serve, now standing before him, he realized he could decide their fates with a single word.

Once, he could only look up to them. But now, he could easily determine their futures. Just one word from him, and they could join the new island lord’s team for achieving greatness.

...

"So this is the taste of power?" His heart began to race uncontrollably, his face flushed, and he was filled with a sense of exhilaration. However, he did not let this fleeting sense of false glory cloud his judgment.

He knew full well that the little "power" he held was all granted by the island lord in front of him. Until the Immortal City was built, all of this was just a castle in the air—beautiful, but fragile and prone to collapse at any moment.

But if the Immortal City was successfully built, then this power would become real. The feeling of being able to control destiny at will was so intoxicating that Gao Yuan found it hard to resist after tasting it for the first time.

He silently swore to himself that he would do everything he could to seize this rare opportunity and transform his career.

He then proceeded to review the list of cultivators one by one, introducing each of them in detail to Li Fan.

Time passed slowly.

Li Fan listened patiently to Gao Yuan's detailed introductions, feeling more and more surprised as time went on. This seemingly ordinary gatekeeper, whom he had only encountered by chance during his entry into the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, was far more capable than he had expected.

Not only did he know every cultivator’s basic details, but he was also aware of their temperaments and the complex relationships they might have behind the scenes.

"Turns out I’ve found a real treasure," Li Fan thought.

As Gao Yuan's introduction deepened, Li Fan grew increasingly satisfied with him.

"Even small figures have their uses. This could be the key to breaking the stalemate," he thought.

One by one, the suitable cultivators were selected and remembered by Li Fan.

...

Half a month later.

All surviving cultivators within the Congyun Sea system received a message from the acting island lord.

Seven days later, a ceremony for the rebuilding of Congyun Sea Immortal City would be held at the original site of Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

Everyone was required to attend on time.