Chapter 139: Ascending Order

When the burly man and the stall owner saw the "Flying Talisman," their expressions changed. They looked at Han Li with newfound respect, realizing that someone possessing such a high-tier talisman was unlikely to be ordinary.

"Alright, I'll trade!" the burly man readily agreed. Such a clearly advantageous deal was too good to pass up.

Han Li, however, remained unhurried. "Before we proceed," he said, "I'd like to test your claim that this fragment doesn't prevent objects beneath it from absorbing spiritual energy from the outside. If it's true, I'll exchange immediately. If not, I can't afford to make this loss."

The burly man was initially stunned by Han Li's words, but after understanding their meaning, he began to smile.

"My description of this item's function is entirely accurate," the burly man stated confidently. "Please, feel free to test it!"

Han Li didn't hesitate. He took a cup-like object from his person and placed it on the ground. Then, he picked up the "cloth" and covered the cup. Once the cup vanished from sight, Han Li extended a finger, forming a pea-sized ball of white spiritual energy at its tip, and gently touched it downwards. The light orb gradually disappeared, as if being consumed.

Seeing this, Han Li's face lit up with joy. He lightly grasped the "cloth" and lifted it, revealing the wine cup. Inside the cup, the previously vanished light orb now floated.

"Excellent! What you said is indeed true. I'll take this magical artifact fragment, and the Flying Talisman is yours!" Han Li tucked the "cloth" into his sleeve, gave the burly man a cupped-fist salute, and stated.

"Good! You're straightforward," the burly man exclaimed, delighted. He bent down, retrieved the Flying Talisman, and eagerly examined it several times to confirm it wasn't a fake before smiling.

Han Li smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to squeeze out of the crowd. However, he had barely walked a few steps before he heard numerous discussions erupting from behind him.

"That guy's a fool! Trading a high-tier talisman for such a useless item!"

"Exactly! This fragment is so small, what significant use could it have? It's not worth it at all!"

"Don't say that; maybe he has some special use for it."

Han Li scoffed inwardly at their comments. "How could these cultivators know the importance of this item to me?"

"Brother, wait! Hold on!" Han Li hadn't gone far when a voice suddenly called out from behind, followed by hurried footsteps approaching him.

Han Li was somewhat surprised. Was someone calling him? He couldn't help but turn his head.

Not far away, he saw a person running towards him, profusely sweating and shouting as he ran. It was the round-faced youth who had almost caused a major incident earlier.

Han Li blinked, curious, and stopped in place. He wondered what this eccentric fellow wanted so desperately that he would chase after him like this.

"Brother, I finally caught up!" the youth said, panting, as he reached Han Li.

"Is there something you need, Brother?" Han Li glanced at him, perplexed.

"Here, this is for you! It's my thanks for helping me out of that difficult situation," the youth said without preamble, handing a small booklet into Han Li's hand before shyly running off.

Han Li was momentarily surprised, but then he smiled. It was truly unexpected to encounter such a simple and honest cultivator. He didn't chase after the youth but instead lowered his gaze to the item in his hand.

The booklet was titled *Records of Azure Stream*. It didn't seem to be a cultivation manual. Han Li, slightly interested, flipped through a few pages.

It turned out to be a miscellaneous record compiled by a senior cultivator from Yue State named "True Person Azure Stream." This person, who disliked cultivation and preferred to wander, meticulously documented various secret anecdotes and legends he had encountered. Some pages even featured vivid illustrations. Although Han Li didn't read much, he found the book quite interesting and tucked it into his robe.

Afterwards, Han Li didn't encounter anything particularly noteworthy and, feeling somewhat bored, returned to his residence. In his room, he lay on his bed and began to thoroughly read *Records of Azure Stream*.

The book contained accounts, some from True Person Azure Stream's own experiences, others merely hearsay, but all were strange, bizarre, and rare. Some even included secret information that was never divulged by cultivation families. Han Li wondered how True Person Azure Stream had managed to acquire such knowledge.

Han Li read with great interest, but when he reached the final few pages, he saw seven different patterns, resembling tokens. Below the illustrations were several lines of text:

"'Ascension Tokens,' crafted by the seven major immortal sects of Yue State. These are awarded by various cultivation sects to cultivation families who have performed great services. Anyone holding a token and presenting it to the issuing sect will receive the same treatment as the final victor of an Ascension Assembly! They will be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill and entrance qualification. However, these items have always circulated only within cultivation families, making them unseen by ordinary cultivators. Therefore, these depictions are based solely on rumored shapes."

Finally, True Person Azure Stream added a note in smaller font: "These tokens can be transferred and traded among cultivation families. The issuance dates can be traced back to ancient times, so the issuing cultivation sects recognize the token, not the person! Anyone holding a token can achieve instant ascension, making it a heaven-defying item for low-level cultivators!"

After reading the text and examining the seven illustrations, Han Li felt his mouth dry, and his heart began to pound fiercely.

Earlier, when Han Li first heard the words "Ascension Assembly," he had vaguely associated it with the strange token he acquired from the dwarf. One side of that token was also engraved with "Ascension," making Han Li wonder if there was some connection between the two.

However, after hearing others discuss the Ascension Assembly in detail without any mention of an "Ascension Token," he had dismissed it as mere coincidence and put it out of his mind. He never expected to discover the origin and true purpose of this item in this unintentionally acquired booklet! And the function of this Ascension Token was so significant!

The more Han Li thought about it, the more excited he became. He quickly rummaged through his belongings, found the blackened token, and eagerly matched it against the illustrations, identifying the one with a similar pattern.

"Yellow Maple Valley," Han Li murmured, tracing the token with his finger. "This Ascension Token was issued by Yellow Maple Valley!"

However, once he calmed down, Han Li became puzzled. "How did such a precious item end up in the hands of a low-level cultivator like True Person Jinguang?"

In truth, the dwarf was indeed the original owner of this token!

As it happened, the now famous Qin-Ye Ridge was once home to two prominent cultivation families: the Ye family and the Qin family, whose prestige was no less than the Ye family's. Being related by marriage, the two families generally got along well.

This particular Ascension Token had been passed down through generations of the Qin family. They hadn't used it because they had never found a cultivation prodigy worthy of its use! They preferred to keep it in the family rather than waste such a treasure on an undeserving individual.

However, after many generations, the Qin family gradually declined due to a dwindling number of male descendants. In contrast, the Ye family prospered and flourished, to the point where cultivators only knew of the Ye family at Qin-Ye Ridge and nothing of the Qin family.

By True Person Jinguang's generation, only he remained as a male descendant of the Qin family, and his cultivation aptitude was exceptionally poor, making Foundation Establishment an impossible dream. With such a vast disparity in strength between the Qin and Ye families, and their marital ties long since a thing of the past, the Ye family finally set their sights on several unique treasures passed down through the Qin family. The Ascension Token was a must-have for them!

Though True Person Jinguang's cultivation aptitude was lacking, he was remarkably skilled at reading people and was as timid as a mouse. Therefore, just as the Ye family was about to make their move, the dwarf, having caught wind of their intentions, quickly absconded with the Ascension Token and the talisman depicting a small sword, fleeing without a trace. As for the remaining treasures, sealed by a barrier, True Person Jinguang couldn't retrieve them immediately and had to reluctantly abandon them to the Ye family.

True Person Jinguang spent over a decade in hiding, living in a Taoist temple in the barbarian lands, relying on his meager spiritual powers to scam food and drink, leading a rather carefree life. As time went on, his desire to use the Ascension Token gradually faded. He knew that even if he consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill, he wouldn't be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. If that were the case, why bother becoming a low-level disciple in a major cultivation sect and enduring hardship?

And so, during the subsequent attack on the Seven Mysteries Sect, this Ascension Token conveniently fell into Han Li's possession.