Chapter 1801: Sea Young Master and the Spirit Vessel

One day later, a streak of green light shot out from the mountain range where the Xu family resided. After circling once, Han Li's figure appeared high in the sky.

He turned his head, cast a faint glance at the mountains below, then a flash of light enveloped him as he sped away again. After a few more flashes, the light vanished without a trace into the distant horizon.

In the days that followed, Han Li began a journey spanning several years through the Tianyuan territory, visiting cities of various sizes. His presence was noted in famous sects and aristocratic families near these cities. Han Li either paid direct visits, engaging in lively discussions with high-level cultivators, or simply observed coldly before quietly departing.

Although he only traveled through one or two tenths of the Tianyuan territory, these few years were enough for Han Li to gain a much deeper understanding of the human race's situation. The number of Body Integration stage cultivators among humans was indeed far from comparable to the Horned Chi Race, or even the Flying Spirit Race. Apart from those Body Integration cultivators residing in Tianyuan City or under the command of the Three Emperors, there were few others hidden within various aristocratic families or sects. As for independent Body Integration rogue cultivators like himself, they were even scarcer among humans.

The Monster Race was rumored to have slightly more, but their numbers weren't significantly different. Even combined, the two races' strength was probably only on par with the medium-tier races he had encountered on Fengyuan Continent. This was also because the region where the human and monster races resided was a relatively remote part of Fengyuan Continent, and there were no strong foreign races appearing there. Otherwise, even with the protection of super formations and Tianyuan City, whether the two races could truly stand firm in the Spirit Realm to this day would be debatable. After all, he understood that many foreign races far stronger than humans and monsters had appeared briefly in the river of time only to disappear.

Consequently, as a Body Integration cultivator, he naturally encountered no danger during his travels. On the contrary, by chance, he intervened to eliminate several evil cultivators, allowing his reputation to gradually spread throughout the Tianyuan Mirror Region. Many small and medium sects and aristocratic families became aware of a new addition to the human race: a seemingly young, yet unfathomably powerful, early Body Integration stage cultivator. Later, even some major powers in the Xuanwu Mirror and Tianling Territory sent people to recruit him. But Han Li naturally rejected them one by one.

And so, five years passed in the blink of an eye...

One day, on the hillside of a beautiful, lush mountain at the border of the Xuanwu Mirror and Tianyuan Territory, three human cultivators, dressed in different attires, were sitting in a stone pavilion, chatting and laughing lively. One wore white scholarly robes, had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and appeared to be a graceful, handsome man in his early thirties. Next to him, a young Taoist priest with a round face wore a yellow Taoist robe and carried a dark, broken wooden sword on his back, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old. The last person had an ordinary face, slightly dark skin, and wore a green long robe, appearing to be a young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four. This young man was Han Li.

At this moment, Han Li's lips were slightly curled, listening with a half-smile as the Taoist opposite him spoke volubly.

"It's not me, Qi Lingzi, bragging," the young Taoist said, "but our Mist Sea View's founding ancestor, from the Mist Sea Sect in the lower realm back then, was truly the number one great sect under heaven, dominating the entire human world and suppressing all monsters from all directions. Grandmaster Xuan Lingzi was even hailed as the foremost cultivator in the world. Now I, Qi Lingzi, have inherited his mantle and preside over Mist Sea View. If you two fellow Taoists were to join our view, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Once the three of us achieve great cultivation, with our combined strength, even if we can't make our view the foremost sect of the human race, dominating one region will certainly be more than enough."

"Haha, Qi Lingzi," the handsome man chuckled, "You've told Han Brother and me that story at least seventeen or eighteen times already on this journey. Your Mist Sea View clearly only has two or three members, including yourself and your Taoist boy, yet you dare to invite me and Han Brother to join. Even if your grandmaster was truly mighty in the human world, in our Spirit Realm, he would only be an ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivator. Otherwise, how could your Mist Sea View be so dilapidated now?" With a flick of his wrist, a green paper fan suddenly appeared in his hand. With a *swish*, it opened and he leisurely fanned himself.

"Pah, pah, Young Master Hai, what do you know!" the young Taoist priest argued, his face flushed. "It's not that our Mist Sea View's cultivation method is flawed. It's because the 'Mist Sea Limitless Grand Method' left by our grandmaster has special requirements for the practitioner's aptitude. When our grandmaster ascended to the Spirit Realm, he just happened to encounter a spatial storm that only occurs once in a millennium. Although he escaped, he was severely injured. After hastily establishing Mist Sea View, he perished. Otherwise, how could our view have been stuck in such a desolate place all this time?"

"I think your grandmaster had foresight, actually," the handsome man named "Young Master Hai" countered. "With the strength of your Mist Sea View, if you had actually occupied some spiritual mountain or ley line, whether your lineage would still exist in the Spirit Realm today would be questionable. Brother Han, what do you say?" He lightly closed his fan and asked Han Li, shaking his head playfully.

"Younger Brother Hai's words certainly have some merit," Han Li said with a slight smile. "However, Fellow Taoist Qi Lingzi's cultivation method is indeed unique and profound; it most likely has certain special requirements for one's aptitude."

"Haha, see?" the young Taoist priest exclaimed, his small eyes narrowing into slits. "Even Brother Han agrees. This proves that our Mist Sea View's inheritance is indeed extraordinary. How about it? As long as you're willing to join our view, I'll immediately pass on the Mist Sea Limitless Grand Method to both of you, brothers," he said with a tempting tone.

Young Master Hai rolled his eyes upon hearing this and replied gruffly: "What I cultivate is the most authentic body refinement technique, and I possess exceptional talent in body refinement; my Vajra Art has already reached the third layer. And you, this abbot, have only just reached Foundation Establishment not long ago. I'm not even sure I couldn't beat you, so what could you possibly teach? If I'm to seek a master, I'd go to those truly renowned great sects. And Brother Han, what you just said was rather vague. What do you mean 'some merit'? What I just said couldn't be wrong. Senior Xuan Lingzi back then probably built Mist Sea View in that secluded mountain gorge to ensure the continuation of his own lineage." As Young Master Hai spoke, he grew somewhat self-satisfied.

Han Li's mouth twitched, and he ultimately gave a wry smile, saying nothing more. These two truly were a pair of eccentrics.

He had met them about a month ago near a small city. At the time, they had offended a local minor sect and were being pursued by several Foundation Establishment cultivators. Such incidents were common among both human and monster races. Han Li was passing by overhead and originally had no intention of interfering. However, with a casual sweep of his divine sense, he discovered that among the two besieged individuals, one, despite possessing excellent spiritual roots, was cultivating a mortal body refinement technique and had already trained the Vajra Art to the third layer at a young age. The other's spiritual roots seemed very inferior, but his cultivation method was remarkably unusual, allowing him to contend with several cultivators of the same stage on his own. Together, they were barely holding their own against the siege of five or six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Han Li's curiosity was piqued. With a thought, he concealed his aura to that of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, then suddenly appeared. With his formidable abilities, even using only Foundation Establishment level cultivation, he easily repelled those cultivators with a mere wave of his hand.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi, having been saved, were naturally extremely grateful to Han Li. After just a few words, they even proposed becoming sworn brothers with him. Han Li's expression at the time was naturally priceless. He quickly found an excuse and declined. However, when the two inquired further and learned that Han Li was also heading to the Xuanwu Mirror to attend the Myriad Treasures Convention, they were immediately overjoyed and enthusiastically insisted on accompanying him. It turned out these two also intended to participate in this grand event of both human and monster races. Han Li was speechless upon hearing this.

The Myriad Treasures Convention was such a grand event that even Body Integration cultivators from both human and monster races, and even figures like the Three Emperors and Seven Demon Kings, might personally attend. Yet these two, whose strength was only around the Foundation Establishment stage, actually planned to cross territories to attend. While it was true that cultivators below Foundation Establishment might appear at the Myriad Treasures Convention, low-level cultivators usually attended as attendants, maids, or disciples. Even the few solo Foundation Establishment cultivators who attended usually resided near the convention's location and only went to broaden their horizons. Yet this Young Master Hai and the young Taoist priest, one carrying a few jars of spirit tea and the other a few pieces of unknown ore, actually planned to cross territories to attend this event. It was truly a bit baffling and amusing.

However, to their credit, the spirit teas Qi Lingzi had were indeed of good quality, barely qualifying as high-grade. And while the ores were clearly not valuable, even Han Li couldn't identify their origin. Han Li was genuinely curious about these two. Since there was still some time until the Myriad Treasures Convention and no need to rush, he quietly agreed. He then took out a high-grade flying carriage spiritual artifact and brought the two directly towards the Xuanwu Mirror.

Along the way, to Han Li's wry amusement, before he could even subtly inquire about their backgrounds, the handsome man calling himself Young Master Hai and the young Taoist priest named Qi Lingzi spilled all their secrets during their bickering. Young Master Hai claimed to come from a very famous body refinement family in a mortal city. Although he possessed excellent spiritual roots, at birth, due to an unfortunate error in judgment by an unscrupulous cultivator, he was mistakenly identified as having no spiritual roots. As a result, he was trained as a body refiner from a young age. However, after he displayed his astonishing talent in body refinement, he coincidentally discovered the existence of his spiritual roots, which naturally felt like a bolt from the blue. Like others, Young Master Hai unhesitatingly stopped his body refinement cultivation, intending to learn immortal cultivation techniques. But the city where he lived was a mortal city with no true immortal cultivation sects. Furthermore, Young Master Hai was somewhat arrogant and looked down on ordinary small immortal cultivation sects. After what he considered 'careful deliberation', he secretly left his family to seek a great immortal cultivation sect elsewhere. On the way, he met the young Taoist priest from Mist Sea View, who was also planning to attend the Myriad Treasures Convention. After some conversation, the two found themselves kindred spirits, feeling as if they had met too late. Encouraged by the other, Young Master Hai not only became sworn friends with him but also set off together to attend the Myriad Treasures Convention. In Qi Lingzi's own words, at the Myriad Treasures Convention, "Spirit Transformation cultivators are everywhere, and Nascent Soul cultivators are like dogs." Just finding any cultivator there to take as a master would be a hundred times better than joining any immortal cultivation sect.