Yet, while paying attention to the number of ordinary people, Feng Li also sensed a considerable presence of cultivators around the port. As he thought this, he followed Qu Hun, arriving at a stone cottage beside the port with Gu Dongzhu and Wang Changqing. The cottage was simply furnished—beyond a wooden table and a chair, there sat only an elderly man with a wan complexion, meditating in silence. Upon hearing the sound of their arrival, the cultivator opened his eyes, and a streak of cold light shot forth from them. Feng Li was immediately struck by this—this man appeared to be a Juzhi-level cultivator, and his aura seemed to have weakened compared to his earlier state. The elderly man paid no attention to Gu Dongzhu or Wang Changqing, merely glanced briefly at Feng Li and Qu Hun. When he saw Feng Li’s cultivation level was only at the Qi-level, several stages, he resumed his lazy demeanor. However, Feng Li noticed that the man had looked at Qu Hun a little longer than usual. "What is it that you three have to discuss?" "Please, just speak up already—don't disturb my rest," said this weary voice, with a hint of impatience on his face. Han Li, thanks to his remarkable ability to remember everything he hears, had already learned the local language well enough from Wang Changqing to understand most conversations, even though he still couldn't speak fluently. Yet, lacking any experience in dealing with local cultivators, he remained silent, merely smiling as he watched Gu Dongzhu and the other cultivator negotiate. Gu Dongzhu politely addressed the yellow-faced cultivator as "Master Yang," then stepped close to him, whispered a few words, turned back, pointed at Han Li to explain his identity, and then handed him several spiritual stones. After gently feeling the stones in his hands, Master Yang's expression softened. Then, he reached into his robes and pulled out a solid green jade plaque, and firmly asked Han Li, "What is your name?" "Han Li!" Han Li pronounced his own name with great fluency. As for how the other person transcribed it into characters, he didn't care at all. Yang Xianshi flicked her hand, and a green glow enveloped the jade plaque completely. After a moment, the light faded, revealing two strange symbols on the plaque that Han Li had never seen before. Then, the elderly man with a yellowish face raised his hand, and the plaque was tossed toward Han Li. "This plaque must be kept carefully. Should it be lost, you must promptly retrieve a replacement from me—otherwise, you will be treated as if you had intruded upon the Quai Xing Island without permission. Of course, if you decide to settle here permanently, the plaque will no longer be needed and will be collected by me. As for the corpse you're carrying behind you—well, that one is unnecessary." After delivering these words with a rather formal tone, the immortal simply closed his eyes again and resumed meditating, no longer paying attention to the three of them. Gu Dongzhu naturally stepped out promptly and gracefully. Yet Han Li, having noticed something subtly significant about the elder's true identity, paused to gaze at him once Not long after Han Li had left, the Yang Shen Shi reopened her eyes, murmuring with some confusion: "This corpse is rather unusual. It's clearly a dead body, yet it's radiating qi. Is this a new method of corpse cultivation?" The yellow-faced elder then fell into prolonged contemplation. Some grain plants have rice-like ears, yet their leaves are broad and flat, a deep purple hue, and emit a delicate fragrance. Other vegetable plants resemble cabbage in form, but no cabbage from the southern region reaches half a person's height, and astonishingly, several small blue flowers bloom at the heart of the cabbage heads. In these vegetable fields, several dozen farmworkers are tending to the land in small groups, plowing and planting. A serene and peaceful countryside scene unfolds! Han Li watched with great interest. The animal cart arrived at the gate of the village and came to a halt. Han Li and Qu Hun stepped down first and took in the surroundings. The area is densely planted with dark green cypress trees, and there's also a substantial hill nearby, making the setting both elegant and distinctive. The entire village is enclosed by a sturdy earthen wall, two zhang high and several chi wide, and within, the individual homes are fresh and newly constructed, as though built only recently. "This is the Gu family's estate!" Han Li silently praised himself mentally, but upon closely examining the pine trees surrounding the villa, his expression subtly changed. He was surprised to notice a faint aura of array subtly emanating from the pines—clearly, they had been sealed with a restriction. In Han Li's judgment, though not particularly refined, this array was sufficient to hold back a lower-level cultivator. As he remained puzzled, Gu Dongzhǔ, who had gotten off the vehicle at the same time, smiled politely and said, "Master Han, why don't you take a brief rest in the villa? I'll have my staff prepare a fine, local wine for you!" Han Li glanced casually around the villa grounds before replying with a smile, "Alright, I won't disturb Gu Dongzhǔ's family. I'll just stay at that spot for now. Once matters are settled, I'll find a more permanent residence." With that, he pointed gently toward a certain direction beside him. Gu Dongzhu and Wang Changqing followed the direction indicated by Han Li and saw the solitary hillock, instantly becoming utterly stunned. However, after several enthusiastic invitations went unanswered, they had no choice but to let this somewhat odd immortal master stroll up the hill. They exchanged a helpless glance and then entered the manor. Han Li led Qu Hun up a slope that wasn't particularly narrow, reaching the summit of the hillock, and then looked down at Gu Jiazhuang below. There, Gu Dongzhu was being escorted by a group of men and women into a grand hall at the heart of the manor, after which the crowd naturally dispersed, leaving only a few individuals in more elegant attire to enter the hall. Han Li gave a slight upward curve to his lips and then turned around, promptly attending to his own matters. First, he searched along the midsection of the hill for a relatively flat stretch of ground. Then, with swift movements, he selected a few thicker pine trunks, summoned his tools, and quickly severed them. Soon, half an hour later, a simple wooden cottage appeared on the hillside, complete with wooden tables, chairs, and even a full wooden bed. Over the following month, Han Li lived daily within the cottage, taking pills, drinking herbal remedies, refining his qi, and meditating, steadily restoring his cultivation. During this time, Gu Dongzhu and Wang Changqing visited several times, discussing various challenges they might undertake, before hurrying off again to avoid disrupting Han Li's practice. Yet Gu Dongzhu proved to be a thoughtful host, sending over fresh, exquisite food to the cottage at intervals. Han Li gladly accepted each offering. Among these, several particularly sweet fruits delighted him greatly—clearly native to the island and ones he had never seen before. By the last days of the month, Han Li's cultivation level had unexpectedly returned to the fifth stage of the Qi Realm. This surprised him, yet it also gave him a greater sense of reassurance. According to Gu Dongzhu, the ten households who had hired the immortal masters were not particularly renowned in terms of cultivation level. Most of them were only at the sixth or seventh stage of the Qi Realm, with their opponents selected at random through drawing lots. As long as Han Li's luck wasn't particularly poor, securing victory against his opponents should be no problem. Furthermore, to enhance Han Li's chances, Gu Dongzhu had actively gathered and procured a few valuable artifacts, aiming to strengthen his capabilities. However, upon seeing these items—barely qualifying as upper-tier artifacts—Han Li could only sigh internally, accepting them with a sense of resignation, so that Gu Dongzhu might feel at ease. Just two days after Han Li had regained his fifth-stage cultivation, Gu Dongzhu and Wang Changqing finally came to find him, both appearing visibly anxious. Han Li said nothing, simply following the creature's vehicle as it sped toward a specific location deep within the island. After two hours of swift travel, the beast-carriage deposited them in a city entirely constructed of white stone. At the city gates, there were numerous ordinary guards stationed, carefully monitoring entry. They did not question those leaving, but all arriving visitors were required to present a token resembling Han Li's waistband for inspection. However, when Han Li entered, the guards merely held up a cylindrical object, swaying it gently over his body. Upon seeing a green glow emanate from the cylinder, they immediately bowed respectfully to him, and only checked the tokens of Gu Dongzhǔ and Wang Changqing.