The port of Kuixing Island was as bustling as ever. Countless ships of various sizes sailed in and out incessantly, while streaks of light darted across the sky as cultivators flew to and fro. The mortals on the ground had long grown accustomed to such sights and paid them no mind.
But today, a streak of white light shot in from beyond the island, swift as lightning. It paused briefly above the port before darting deep into the island’s interior.
Anyone close enough would have clearly seen two figures shimmering within the white light: Han Li, who had completed the first cycle of the “Tri-Revolving Profound Art” and advanced to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and his puppet “Qu Hun,” whose cultivation had reached a similar level thanks to copious amounts of elixirs.
Over twenty years of compressing his true essence had not only made Han Li’s spiritual power far purer and more robust than that of his peers, but he was also overjoyed that Qu Hun had caught up to him in cultivation.
Had it not been for the need for a few special auxiliary items for Qu Hun to condense a Baleful Core, and Han Li’s own preparations to attempt Core Formation, he would not have left his cave dwelling on Mount Xiaohuan.
But for this outing, he had already decided: aside from purchasing items and collecting the spirit stones promised by the Gu family patriarch years ago, he would return directly to the mountain without detouring elsewhere. After all, this was a critical period in his cultivation, and he could not afford distractions.
With this in mind, the Divine Wind Boat carried Han Li and Qu Hun straight toward Kuixing City at the island’s center.
He still had plenty of spirit stones on him, so there was no rush to visit the Gu family first. It made more sense to complete his purchases before heading there.
A few hours later, Han Li caught sight of a massive city enclosed by towering walls. Though he had never been to Kuixing City before, its grandeur and the markings on his map left no doubt that this was the place.
Just as he was thinking this, Han Li felt the Divine Wind Boat beneath him suddenly grow heavy, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. He was momentarily startled but quickly realized he was under the effect of a restrictive spell.
This city truly lived up to its reputation as Kuixing Island’s largest—it had set up a wide-ranging flight restriction from such a great distance.
With his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, Han Li could easily ignore this restriction and continue flying, albeit at the cost of some extra spiritual power. But not wanting to draw attention, he stepped on the front of the Divine Wind Boat, and the vessel slowly descended.
Han Li and Qu Hun disembarked unhurriedly and stood on the ground. After shrinking the Divine Wind Boat and storing it in his pouch, Han Li glanced at the distant city, smiled faintly, and led Qu Hun toward it.
Kuixing City was at least three to four times larger than Dongshi City, which he had visited before!
Walking along one of Kuixing City’s streets, Han Li marveled at the road wide enough for several beast-drawn carriages to travel side by side.
After casually asking a mortal for directions to “Tiandu Street,” Han Li and Qu Hun headed north without hesitation.
“Is this so-called ‘Tiandu Street’?” Han Li stared in astonishment at the scene before him, his face full of surprise.
A vast, hazy white barrier enveloped the entire northern district of Kuixing City. This was far from a single street—it could easily contain over a hundred. It was nothing like the lonely, isolated street Han Li had imagined.
But what shocked him most was a massive pavilion floating in the middle of the district, about thirty zhang above the ground. The pavilion was emerald green and emitted a faint glow, resembling an enormous piece of jadeite—utterly eye-catching.
Han Li stared blankly at the sunlit, shimmering pavilion for a long time. Though he didn’t know how it stayed afloat, he found it incredibly novel.
Just then, Han Li’s expression shifted. He quickly retracted his spiritual energy, maintaining an outward aura at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Soon after, footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a smooth, melodious female voice: “Are you two visiting Tiandu Street for the first time? Every cultivator who sees the Yunmeng Pavilion for the first time is stunned for quite a while!”
The woman’s voice was as delightful as a nightingale’s, making Han Li turn to look. About ten steps behind him stood five cultivators—three men and two women.
The men were unremarkable, but the two women were strikingly beautiful and dressed boldly. Their simple attire exposed their snow-white arms and smooth calves, and they wore no shoes or socks, their jade feet bare.
Even more noticeable were the three exquisite, glowing golden rings each wore on their wrists and foreheads, adding a fiery charm to their appearance.
The three men, however, were rather plain-looking, with one even having a pockmarked face that made him somewhat unattractive.
All five were around the tenth layer of Qi Refinement and seemed intent on entering the barrier.
“Who might you be?” Han Li asked curiously after giving the two women an extra glance.
“I’m Yan Li, and this is my good friend Yuan Yao. We’re rogue cultivators from nearby islands. We heard that a batch of rare materials from other major islands arrived at Tiandu Street today, so we came with these three fellow Daoists we met along the way to take a look!” The speaker was a petite, sweet-faced woman with round cheeks. She looked curiously at Han Li and Qu Hun, smiling charmingly. Her voice matched the one that had spoken earlier.
The other young woman beside her was even more stunningly beautiful. Her skin was snow-white and flawless, and her tight-fitting clothes accentuated her graceful, alluring figure, enough to make any man secretly swallow—a true beauty capable of toppling cities.
However, she wasn’t looking at Han Li but staring fixedly at “Qu Hun,” her lovely face slightly surprised.
Seeing this, Han Li frowned inwardly.
Though he had concealed his true cultivation level with Qi Refinement techniques, Qu Hun’s late Foundation Establishment cultivation was completely unconcealed. Han Li had thought that having Qu Hun, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, accompany him would avoid trouble and deter malicious intentions. But now, it seemed Qu Hun’s imposing presence was indeed intimidating but also somewhat too conspicuous.
Thinking this, Han Li said calmly, “Please excuse our ignorance. I’m Han Li, and this is my Uncle-Master Qu Hun. We are indeed visiting Tiandu Street for the first time.”
“I knew it! If Senior Qu and Fellow Daoist Han weren’t first-timers at Yunmeng Pavilion, you wouldn’t have stopped to stare. Why don’t we go in together? My senior sister and I can introduce you to the shops in Tiandu. Though we’re not from Kuixing Island, we’ve been here many times and know the place inside out.” The petite Yan Li giggled.
“Yes! If Senior Qu doesn’t mind, we sisters can guide you through Tiandu Street, helping you find what you need quickly,” the breathtakingly beautiful Yuan Yao added, her eyes sparkling. Her charming smile made it hard for any man to refuse.
Hearing this, the three male cultivators who had come with the two women looked displeased. But after glancing at Qu Hun, the Foundation Establishment “senior,” they could only sulk in silence.
Han Li was taken aback!
It was the first time he had encountered such proactive attention from beautiful women. But judging by their gazes, their real interest seemed to be in Qu Hun, the powerful senior, while he was merely an afterthought.
Though unsure of their intentions, Han Li had no desire to entangle with these beauties.
Under Han Li’s direction, the silent “Qu Hun” spoke hoarsely, “No need. I prefer solitude. Nephew Han, let’s go.” With that, Qu Hun grabbed a slightly apologetic Han Li and strode into the barrier, showing no interest in conversing with the women.
Qu Hun’s blunt response made the two women’s expressions falter with disappointment, but the three male cultivators perked up, secretly pleased.
“Forget it, ladies. Senior Qu seems like an eccentric. Let’s just go in ourselves,” the pockmarked male cultivator said obsequiously to the women.
After exchanging a glance, the two beauties forced smiles and nodded, stepping lightly into the barrier.
By then, Han Li and Qu Hun had long disappeared into the maze of streets.
Seeing this, the two women sighed helplessly and randomly chose a shop to enter.
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