“Junior pays respects to Senior!” Seeing Qianjizi appearing as if he had been waiting here all along, Han Li was momentarily stunned but quickly greeted with deference.
“Haha, Fellow Daoist Han, no need for such courtesy. Hmm? Fellow Daoist has already reached the ninth rank!” Qianjizi initially waved his hands with a smile, but after a brief sweep with his divine sense, his expression shifted slightly as he asked.
“This junior merely stumbled upon a minor opportunity in the Guanghan Realm, allowing me to advance by luck,” Han Li sighed inwardly but replied without any visible change in expression.
Although he had advanced directly to the peak of the late-stage Void Refinement, he had concealed it with a secret technique, so Liu Shui’er and others of the same rank naturally couldn’t detect the change in his cultivation.
After leaving the realm, while Moon Fairy and others had advanced to the Body Integration stage, they had only just broken through, so their divine sense wasn’t necessarily stronger than Han Li’s, making it impossible for them to notice anything either.
As for the young man surnamed Weng, although he could see Han Li’s advancement at a glance, given his Mahayana-level cultivation, such a matter was hardly worth mentioning, so he didn’t bring it up at all.
Now, meeting Qianjizi, who was at the late-stage Body Integration level, his cultivation had been exposed.
“Advancing two ranks at once can hardly be called a minor opportunity. Hehe, but I came here specifically for Fellow Daoist Han. Come with me—there are two others who wish to meet you,” Qianjizi said, his momentary surprise fading as he resumed his smile.
“Two others?” Han Li was naturally somewhat puzzled.
“Indeed. No need to worry—these two are people you already know,” Qianjizi said meaningfully.
Han Li’s thoughts raced, but he maintained his composure and agreed readily. “Since Senior commands it, this junior naturally obeys.”
“Good, then follow me.” Qianjizi nodded in satisfaction before turning and entering the pavilion.
Han Li hesitated briefly but followed.
He wasn’t afraid of any ill intentions—after all, in such a heavily guarded place and under the watchful eyes of many, as a clan elder, Qianjizi would never do anything to tarnish his reputation within the Star Cloud Pavilion.
With this elder of the Wangu Clan leading the way, the silver-armored guards on either side naturally didn’t interfere.
Inside, the pavilion turned out to be far more than it seemed.
The first-floor hall was empty except for several small teleportation arrays.
Qianjizi led Han Li directly into one of the arrays. With a flash of light, Han Li narrowed his eyes and suddenly found himself in another grand hall.
This hall wasn’t particularly large, only about twenty zhang across, with the teleportation array at its center.
Around the hall were tables and chairs, and embedded in the ceiling was a massive crystal the size of a human head, emitting a white light that illuminated the entire space as bright as day.
But none of this was what mattered. Han Li’s gaze swept over and landed on the four people in the hall.
Two men and two women—two seated, two standing respectfully. All four were familiar faces: Cai Liuying, Liu Shui’er, Duan Tianren, and Shi Kun—two pairs of master and disciple.
Seeing them, Han Li felt a flicker of suspicion but maintained his composure, bowing to the two Saint-stage cultivators. “So it’s Senior Duan and Senior Cai. Junior pays his respects.”
“Haha, Fellow Daoist Han, no need for formalities. This time, Fellow Daoist Cai and I obtained what we sought largely thanks to your assistance,” Duan Tianren laughed, though a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes as he scrutinized Han Li.
Clearly, this elder of the Shijian Clan had also noticed Han Li’s astonishing advancement.
Cai Liuying, though silent, also showed a flicker of surprise in her gaze.
“This junior merely acted according to our agreement. I dare not claim any credit,” Han Li replied modestly with a smile.
Yet inwardly, he found it odd that Qianjizi showed no reaction to Duan Tianren’s words, as if he already knew about their arrangement.
“Fellow Daoist Han is too humble. According to my disciple, your abilities far exceeded our expectations. Without your efforts in the Guanghan Realm, obtaining those items wouldn’t have been so smooth. With your current advancement, your power likely rivals that of an early-stage Saint, making you our peer,” Cai Liuying said with a charming smile.
Hearing this, Han Li was momentarily taken aback, his gaze shifting between Qianjizi and Duan Tianren. Both remained calm, showing no objection to her words.
His thoughts racing, Han Li smiled and didn’t refute her. Instead, he asked, “The three Seniors summoned me for a reason, I presume. Has something arisen regarding the cross-continental teleportation array?”
“Since we elders of several clans agreed to this matter, we naturally won’t go back on our word. Moreover, Senior Weng personally intervened—no one would dare obstruct it,” Qianjizi replied, stroking his beard.
“Then what do the Seniors intend…?” Han Li had an inkling but remained composed.
“Don’t misunderstand. According to my disciple, Fellow Daoist seems to have breached the restrictions of the herb garden in the ruins and harvested all the spiritual medicines there. Given that these are immortal-world herbs, they must be rare or extinct in the Spirit Realm, likely of great use to Saint-stage cultivators and above. While your abilities are formidable, you haven’t truly advanced to the Saint stage, so these herbs aren’t of immediate use to you. Thus, the three of us wish to propose a mutually beneficial trade,” Cai Liuying said with a smile.
“Mutually beneficial? How does Senior propose we trade?” Han Li asked calmly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
His composure slightly surprised Qianjizi and the others, but they showed no outward reaction. After exchanging glances, Duan Tianren cut to the chase.
“Given our status, we naturally wouldn’t shortchange you. The three of us possess some elixirs to break through Saint-stage bottlenecks, as well as materials and treasures useful to you. We propose exchanging them for your herbs. No matter how rare those immortal-world herbs are, compared to advancing to the Saint stage, their value is clear, isn’t it?” Qianjizi said bluntly.
“Elixirs to break through Saint-stage bottlenecks?” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, showing interest.
“Indeed. When we three advanced to the Saint stage, we naturally prepared such elixirs in abundance. Though most were consumed, the remaining stock among us is still considerable. With these, your chances of breaking through would increase by at least twenty to thirty percent,” Duan Tianren declared proudly.
“Of course, the quantity of elixirs and treasures we offer depends on the number and types of immortal-world herbs you obtained,” Cai Liuying added.
Nearby, Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun, though aware of their masters’ intentions, couldn’t help but look at Han Li with envy.
Though they had received significant rewards from Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying upon returning from the Guanghan Realm, they paled in comparison to what was being offered now.
Han Li’s expression flickered uncertainly, his eyes darting as if weighing his options.
Qianjizi and the others remained silent, allowing him time to consider.
After a long pause, Han Li exhaled deeply and made his decision.
“This junior did obtain some herbs from the herb garden in the ruins—quite a number, in fact. However, most are of unknown origin. If they can be exchanged for the Seniors’ elixirs, it would be a fortunate outcome. I only wonder if the Seniors will truly find them valuable.”
“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han. The three of us have some experience and should recognize most of them. Even for those we can’t identify, we’ll offer a fair price,” Qianjizi said, visibly pleased.
Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying also expressed their assurances.
“Since the Seniors have spoken, this junior will present the herbs for your appraisal.” Han Li nodded, flicking his wrist. His storage bracelet hummed loudly as a stream of azure light shot into the air.
As the light faded, hundreds of jade boxes of various types materialized in the air, each glowing faintly.
Duan Tianren’s eyes lit up as he reached out, pulling the nearest box into his hand. With a tap, the box opened, revealing a coral-like crimson herb about a foot long, shimmering brilliantly.
“Flame Coral Grass! And of such size!” Duan Tianren exclaimed, his face full of astonishment.
Han Li’s pupils contracted slightly but quickly returned to normal.
This was one of the herbs he had collected but couldn’t identify. If he recalled correctly, he had gathered five or six of them—though now, he presented only one.
Cai Liuying and Qianjizi exchanged glances, their eyes burning with desire, and began inspecting the boxes one by one.
True to their status as Saint-stage cultivators with millennia of experience, they identified over half of the herbs Han Li had been unable to name.
Each recognized herb was of significant value, filling the three with visible delight.
Though there were over a hundred boxes, the trio finished their appraisal within the time it took to eat a meal.
“These herbs are indeed rare in the Spirit Realm. However, given the size of that herb garden, this can’t be all. Fellow Daoist Han, feel free to present the rest,” Qianjizi said with a smile after appraising the last box, reluctant to part with it.
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