Han Li surveyed the guards. Though they showed no fluctuations of spiritual power, each was nimble and clearly trained in some rudimentary martial arts. However, what piqued his curiosity the most was the cylindrical object. These guards, devoid of spiritual power, could actually use it to identify cultivators—a truly marvelous device.
He couldn’t help but take a few more glances at the cylinder.
Wang Changqing, standing beside him, noticed this and explained with a smile, “That’s a Spirit Detection Plate. It allows us ordinary folk to recognize the identities of Immortal Masters.”
“Spirit Detection Plate?” Han Li was momentarily taken aback by the term but then recalled the palm-sized jade disk embedded at one end of the cylinder. He nodded slightly without saying a word.
Under Han Li’s cool observation, the beast-drawn carriage proceeded along a white stone-paved street toward the city center.
The streets were crowded with pedestrians coming and going without pause, growing increasingly bustling the further they went. Most people wore white garments, and those with differently colored clothing sported only pale hues like light yellow or faint green. Not a single person was dressed in bright, flashy colors.
Moreover, there was a clear hierarchy among these people. Often, one or two individuals clad in expensive attire walked ahead, followed by three or four in somewhat shabby clothing—obviously servants.
Eventually, the sheer number of people and carriages forced their vehicle to slow down to continue moving forward. After considerable effort, the carriage finally arrived at a massive plaza in the city center.
The plaza spanned several dozen acres and was packed with a sea of people. Wherever Han Li looked, he saw a mass of dark heads, and crowds continued to pour in from all directions.
Numerous shops lined the perimeter of the plaza, all teeming with people. Among them were temporary stalls, equally overcrowded. The center of the plaza was even more densely packed, with people engaged in animated conversations, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Han Li’s eyes widened slightly as he surveyed the scene. He estimated that, given the density of the crowd, the plaza must have been packed with at least tens of thousands of people at that moment.
With the carriage unable to advance further, Shopkeeper Gu took the lead and disembarked, guiding Han Li and the others on foot toward a palace-like structure at the edge of the plaza.
The palace stood about a hundred feet tall, significantly higher than the surrounding buildings. A row of guards stood before the massive entrance, holding gleaming spears and preventing anyone from approaching casually.
“Today is the quarterly market day of Kuixing Island, so Dongshi City is several times more crowded than usual. People from over a dozen eastern towns have come here to trade rare items that are usually hard to come by,” Shopkeeper Gu explained as he walked, glancing back at Han Li.
Han Li responded with a faint smile and followed him to the palace entrance.
Shopkeeper Gu stepped forward and exchanged a few words with the guards, who then waved them inside.
He promptly signaled Han Li and Wang Changqing to follow him into the palace.
Upon entering, the atmosphere grew noticeably cooler and quieter. In the corridor behind the door, several dozen individuals who appeared to be of some status were huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves. They all cast hostile glances as Shopkeeper Gu arrived.
Just then, a purple wooden door at the far end of the corridor opened, and a young man in white, appearing to be in his early twenties, stepped out. He had delicate features, fair skin, and a scholarly, somewhat frail demeanor.
“You must be Shopkeeper Gu. The others have already arrived; we were only waiting for the Gu family. However, only the participating challengers may enter further. Please wait here for the results,” the young man said politely to Shopkeeper Gu after giving Han Li a friendly glance.
With a single sweep of his spiritual sense, Han Li determined the young man’s cultivation level to be around the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refinement—similar to his own.
Shopkeeper Gu could only glance at Han Li with hopeful eyes before acquiescing and stepping aside.
Han Li followed the young man through the wooden door with an unchanged expression, and the door closed firmly behind them.
“My surname is Wen. You may call me Wen Qiang. But you seem unfamiliar—are you new to Kuixing Island?” the young man asked with a smile as they walked.
“I am Han Li. I arrived on Kuixing Island just last month,” Han Li replied. After some practice, he could now speak the local language without issue.
“Ah, I admire your courage! To venture out with your current level of cultivation takes real daring. I, on the other hand, have never left Kuixing Island since I was born here,” the young man said with a hint of envy.
Han Li responded with a light laugh but did not comment further.
They soon arrived at a circular hall where over thirty cultivators with varied expressions were either seated or standing.
“It seems everyone is here. We will now proceed with the draw. Matches will be decided in a single bout. Injuring your opponent is permitted, but killing is forbidden. Violators will be disqualified,” an elderly man with an immortal-like demeanor stated succinctly.
Among the hall full of Qi Refinement cultivators, he was the only one at the early Foundation Establishment stage, evidently overseeing the event.
The young man surnamed Wen quickly moved to stand respectfully behind the elder.
Ignoring him, the elder produced a green jade cylinder containing two dozen bamboo slips.
“Those who wish to challenge, come draw a slip. Those with matching numbers will compete. The victor earns the right to challenge the representative of the established merchant.”
At these words, most of the thirty cultivators fixed their eyes on the jade cylinder.
A layer of green light suddenly enveloped the cylinder, shielding the slips within. The spiritual senses of the others were repelled by the light, and some even staggered slightly from the recoil.
Those who had not attempted to probe the cylinder with their spiritual sense smirked with schadenfreude. These were the established merchants, naturally hoping the challengers would face as many difficulties as possible.
With Han Li’s powerful spiritual sense, breaking through the green light would have been trivial, but he had no intention of drawing unnecessary attention. After a moment of hesitation, the challengers stepped forward one by one to draw slips.
Han Li drew a slip and glanced at it sideways, noting a strange silver symbol. He frowned slightly, having forgotten that he couldn’t read the local script.
Maintaining a neutral expression, he pocketed the slip as if nothing were amiss.
“Number One!” the elder called coldly.
Two cultivators holding matching slips stepped forward.
“Proceed to the platform over there. It is protected by a formation immune to spell damage. Victory is achieved by retrieving your opponent’s slip and delivering it to me. I care not for your methods, but killing is forbidden,” the elder stated bluntly.
“Yes, Senior!” The two bowed to the elder and headed toward an open platform visible at the rear of the hall. A flash of white light later, they vanished.
Soon after, they reappeared on the platform looking weary. One triumphantly handed two slips to the elder, while the other left the hall dejectedly.
“Number Two!” the elder called icily.
As Qi Refinement cultivators’ combat methods were relatively straightforward, matches concluded quickly. Some pairs entered and emerged almost immediately, both victors and losers appearing unusually cheerful, which struck Han Li as somewhat odd.
“Number Seven!” the elder called.
One cultivator immediately stepped forward, but the other delayed.
“Number Seven!” the elder repeated, his expression darkening.
Only then did Han Li step out with a look of sudden realization, hastily apologizing, “Senior, my apologies! I misread my number earlier and thought I was Number Nine.”
The elder paid no heed to his explanation and impatiently waved his hand. Han Li took the hint and hurried toward the platform with his opponent.
After a flash of white light, Han Li and his opponent found themselves in a misty, white expanse. Aside from a central space several dozen feet wide, everything was shrouded in white fog.
“Your cultivation level is two whole layers beneath mine. I suggest you concede now to avoid serious injury if I accidentally overexert myself,” the middle-aged cultivator opposite him declared confidently.
Han Li observed this “expert” at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, noting that like himself, the man hadn’t even activated a protective barrier. A light chuckle escaped his lips.
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