Chapter 1179: Return to the Sect

"What does Master mean by that?" Tian Qin'er asked, a little panicked.

"You stayed in those bamboo buildings for a day. What did you feel?" Han Li didn't answer directly, but asked faintly.

"I don't know, but it felt very strange to me, something I can't quite articulate," Tian Qin'er murmured.

"That was where an old friend of mine used to live," Han Li said slowly. "She also possessed the Dragon's Roar Physique and was a natural formation master, but she passed away at a young age."

"Ah, Master, didn't you try to save her back then?" Tian Qin'er asked, startled.

"At that time, I hadn't even completed the Core Formation stage, so how could I have saved her? Besides, she had already lost the will to live due to another matter. The formation book I showed you that day was a classic text she left behind. I met Fellow Daoist Xin through another fellow daoist named Qi Yunxiao. Back then, I had just finished Foundation Establishment and attended an underground auction at a market." Han Li patiently recounted the events from that time, from his chance encounter with Qi Yunxiao to meeting Xin Ruoyin later, and the reasons for their subsequent demise, without holding anything back.

He stopped speaking only when he described meeting Xin Ruoyin's maid's descendant after he had left.

The girl, however, had already been listening in stunned silence. After a long moment, she let out a slow breath and said with a complex look in her eyes, "So that's it. Master, do you believe I am the reincarnation of this person?"

"Initially, I only had about thirty percent suspicion, but after seeing your reaction in the bamboo buildings, I'm at least fifty percent certain. And that's enough. It seems this talk of reincarnation is quite likely true," Han Li chuckled.

"Then, Master, your intention in taking me in..." Tian Qin'er asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Don't worry, I genuinely intend to take you as my disciple. Fellow Daoist Xin and I had a considerable acquaintance, and I greatly admired her talent in formation arrays. I'm taking you in, partly out of consideration for you possibly being her reincarnation, and partly because I want to cultivate your path in formation arrays, to make you a true formation master. You might be of great use to me in the future. Of course, if you change your mind now and no longer wish to become my disciple, I can send you back to the Scattered Star Seas." Han Li watched the girl's face and said slowly.

"I don't know if I truly am the reincarnation of Master's old friend, but even if it's true, I can't recall anything from a past life. Now that Master, a Grand Cultivator, is willing to accept me, a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, as a disciple, how could Qin'er be so foolish as to abandon this opportunity?" Tian Qin'er shook her head quickly, a hint of alarm in her expression, as if genuinely afraid Han Li would no longer accept her as a disciple. After all, she hadn't formally undergone a master-disciple ceremony with him yet; she was still just a registered disciple.

"Very good. If you become my disciple, I can't promise you everything, but I'm quite confident I can ensure you safely cultivate to the Core Formation stage," Han Li said with a slight smile.

"Qin'er is willing to become Master's disciple, without a second thought," the girl said without hesitation.

"Good. Once we return to the Falling Cloud Sect, I will formally take you in. I've never actually formally taken a disciple before. I only had one registered disciple, whom you'll see in the sect later," Han Li said with a light chuckle.

Hearing this, the girl's heart lightened, and a sweet smile, the first since they departed, appeared on her face.

Immediately after, Han Li circulated his magic power, and his escaping light suddenly accelerated significantly, vanishing without a trace into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Several months later, Han Li and the girl entered the borders of Xi State without incident.

A few days after that, a dazzling green rainbow appeared near the Cloud Dream Mountain Range. While still a hundred miles away from the mountains, an earth-shattering long roar suddenly erupted from the green rainbow.

The roar soared straight into the heavens, resembling both a dragon's cry and a phoenix's song. The white clouds in the nearby sky trembled violently, scattering and rolling in disarray.

The green rainbow's flight speed, however, was incredibly fast, covering dozens of miles in just a few flashes. The powerful spiritual energy contained within the roar naturally startled all three major sects within the entire Cloud Dream Mountain Range. From the Nascent Soul stage elders to the ordinary Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment disciples, everyone who heard the roar from afar was deeply shocked.

Those Nascent Soul old monsters, unable to sit still, personally left their sects to investigate which high-ranking cultivator had arrived and was acting so brazenly in the Cloud Dream Mountain Range. Consequently, when Han Li had just entered about ten miles into the mountain range, five streaks of light shot towards him, appearing to be the Nascent Soul cultivators from the three major sects.

Han Li's heart stirred. His uncontrollable emotions, stemming from the imminent reunion with Nangong Wan, finally calmed down. As his escaping light dissipated and the roar ceased, he silently revealed himself with Tian Qin'er, intently gazing at the five approaching streaks of light. A moment later, a rare smile appeared on his face.

When the five streaks of light reached about thirty to forty feet in front of him, they dispersed, revealing five cultivators. Han Li recognized most of them.

"Junior Brother Han, is that you?" A blue-robed middle-aged man on the opposite side clearly saw Han Li's face from afar. Upon stopping, he immediately called out to Han Li with surprise and joy. He was Lu Luo of the Falling Cloud Sect, the Elder Lu who had invited Han Li to join the sect years ago.

"Senior Brother Lu, it's been a while!" Han Li smiled broadly and cupped his fist towards Lu Luo.

"So, it's Fellow Daoist Han who has returned! I was wondering who possessed such astonishing abilities. Oh, Brother Han, you've already advanced to the late stage!" The first to speak was a red-robed, red-lipped, white-toothed cultivator resembling a barbarian, none other than the Fire Dragon Boy from the Ancient Sword Sect. At this moment, however, his face was suddenly filled with a ghostly expression.

"Brother Lan, haven't you also advanced to the mid-stage realm?" Han Li glanced at the boy and said with a smile.

"Brother Han, you truly jest. How can my advancement to the mid-stage be compared to your becoming a Grand Cultivator?" The Fire Dragon Boy swallowed hard before giving a dry reply.

The other few, suddenly startled, swept Han Li with their divine sense. Naturally, they were all equally dumbfounded. Lu Luo, in particular, asked with a trembling voice, "Is this true, Junior Brother? You're already a Grand Cultivator of the late stage?"

"Junior Brother gained a lot from this journey, and was fortunate enough to break through to the late stage," Han Li replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

Lu Luo was naturally overjoyed to hear this, momentarily at a loss for words, his face beaming with smiles.

"Congratulations, Brother Han! I can't believe that after merely a century, Fellow Daoist Han has taken such a significant step forward on the path of cultivation. It seems our Cloud Dream Mountain lineage will be strong enough to awe the entire Southern Realm from now on," said the Elder Feng whom Han Li had met once at the Hundred Refinement Pavilion. After his initial shock, he spoke with immense enthusiasm. Han Li nodded with a smile, not saying anything further.

Although both early-stage and late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were indeed Nascent Soul cultivators and addressed each other as peers, everyone clearly understood the vast difference between them. Naturally, the others instinctively lowered their heads by half a measure in front of Han Li. As for the other two, they were unfamiliar men, newly advanced elders from the Ancient Sword Sect and the Hundred Refinement Pavilion, respectively. These two were naturally even more reserved in Han Li's presence. After exchanging greetings, they wisely said little more.

"Brother Lan, Fellow Daoist Feng, you two should head back first. I've been away from the sect for so many years. I'll probably return to the sect for a few days to gather myself, and then I'll visit a few fellow daoists at the Ancient Sword Sect and Hundred Refinement Pavilion. How does that sound?" Han Li said, his gaze flashing.

Upon hearing this, both the Fire Dragon Boy and Elder Feng immediately insisted that it wasn't necessary. Instead, they declared they would personally return with the other elders to the Falling Cloud Sect to pay their respects to Han Li. After obtaining Han Li's consent, they arranged a meeting for three days later, then bade farewell and departed. In the blink of an eye, only Lu Luo remained.

"Senior Brother Lu, the other two sects have new Nascent Soul cultivators appearing. Has our sect not had any new Nascent Soul elders yet? To trouble Senior Brother to personally come out and greet me," Han Li asked Lu Luo, frowning, only after the four others had completely vanished from sight in their escaping lights.

"I'm ashamed to say, for the past century, while our sect has indeed accepted many talented disciples thanks to Junior Brother's prestige, their cultivation levels are still low. There are truly very few with recent hopes of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. However, once those talented disciples mature, the situation will certainly improve greatly. Hmm, and who is this young lady?" Lu Luo first showed an embarrassed expression, but then his gaze swept over Tian Qin'er behind Han Li, and he asked with some confusion.

"This is a disciple I took in during my travels; we haven't formally held the master-disciple ceremony yet!" Han Li said with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Uncle!" Tian Qin'er was quite clever; she immediately stepped forward and bowed politely. Although her cultivation was only at the Qi Condensation stage, having been personally accepted by Han Li, she was naturally vastly different from ordinary disciples who were ranked by cultivation level.

"Haha, rise quickly. I can't believe Junior Brother has finally formally taken a disciple. As your Senior Uncle, I don't have much, but I'll give you a protective magic tool from back in the day!" Lu Luo laughed heartily, reached into his storage pouch at his waist, and instantly a sparkling red crystal ball appeared in his hand, which he then handed directly to Tian Qin'er.

The girl was momentarily stunned, but then she happily bowed again before cheerfully accepting the magic tool. Seeing this, Han Li simply smiled. Immediately after, the two of them, along with Tian Qin'er, flew directly towards the Falling Cloud Sect.

On the way, Lu Luo began to give Han Li a general overview of the Falling Cloud Sect's situation over the past century. The key points, of course, were the passing of Senior Brother Cheng, the silver-haired elder, and the fact that Nangong Wan had not yet been freed from her predicament!

Han Li had somewhat anticipated the silver-haired elder's passing, but hearing it directly from Lu Luo still made him feel a tinge of sadness. After all, Han Li had gotten along very well with Senior Brother Cheng back then.

However, when he heard that Nangong Wan was still inside the ice wall, Han Li's heart sank, and a natural look of tension appeared on his face.

However, Lu Luo smiled and explained: "Junior Brother, you needn't worry. Although Junior Sister-in-law has not yet broken the seal, she has already woken up and is not in any serious danger. She is simply cultivating some technique within the wall, and emerging now would cause her to lose all her progress."