Han Li had now arrived at a general merchandise shop near Cunjin Pavilion, where he purchased a local map of the sea region and intelligence on the presence of monsters. After calmly stepping out of the shop and finding a quiet spot, he quickly glanced over the materials. Immediately, Han Li's brows furrowed. The areas marked as hazardous near Qi Yuan Island seemed far too numerous! Were these all frequent haunts of high-level monsters? As for the renowned Sea Deep, it was actually not far away—Han Li would be able to see it after flying south at full speed for about half a month. Yet, the sheer size of the Sea Deep was astonishing! Stretching over millions of li in width, and according to the records, the depth of this sea region was unmeasurable, with no one having yet fully explored its exact depth. After reviewing the materials, Han Li promptly stored the information on the jade scroll and stood in place, his expression serious as he pondered deeply. It wasn't long before Han Li lifted his head again, his face returning to its usual composure. Then he didn't go any further within Black Stone City, but simply stepped out without hesitation. As soon as he stepped outside the small city, Han Li instantly ascended into a streak of azure light, breaking through the air. The Qiyuan Island was not very large—it was merely a medium-sized island. As Xu Yun had mentioned, aside from Black Stone City, there were no other cities on the island. The rest of the land was utterly desolate, with not even a single village to be found. It seemed that the island's other regions also had restrictions preventing ordinary people and cultivators from settling there—though the reason remained unknown. Han Li soon flew out of the island, raising his head above the sea to observe the sky and determine his direction, then took off toward the north. For him now, the most important matter was to find a less frequented island and establish a new dwelling there. Naturally, the area near the Sea Deep was already densely populated with cultivators' abodes. He didn't want to get caught in the crowd and draw attention. Therefore, he deliberately headed away from the Sea Deep. The waters near Qi Yuan Island featured few large islands, most of which were already occupied by cultivators and ordinary people. Han Li spent only a brief moment on these islands before simply gliding past them, as he had anticipated. Indeed, the northern waters were sparsely populated by cultivators. After flying for over ten days, he rarely encountered other cultivators. Those of lower ranks would immediately cautiously retreat upon seeing Han Li's incandescent trail, while those of higher ranks maintained an intense sense of vigilance, their faces filled with alertness. The incidents of killing and seizing treasures here were no different from those on other beast-islands. Han Li himself took extra precautions. Two more days passed, and by then, not a single trace of other cultivators remained. Only then did Han Li alter his course and head westward. According to the sea map, there should be several medium-sized islands in that western region, each endowed with smaller spiritual veins. Due to inferior spirit veins, their distance from the Qiyuan Island, or other safety concerns, few cultivators have chosen to reside on these islands. As for commoners, they only settle on islands near Qiyuan Island, where safety is assured. Han Li, of course, didn't care much about such conditions—he simply intended to explore and see if there was any island that appealed to him. …After half a month, Han Li stood above a small island, only fifty to sixty miles in size, his mind focused on the landscape below. This was the fourth uninhabited, spirit-vein-endowed wilderness island he had discovered so far. Though modest in size, the island featured an exceptionally complex environment—ranging from barren, treeless plains, to dense forests of unknown trees, lush green meadows dotted with vibrant flowers, and scattered mountain ranges. With his divine awareness thoroughly scanning the entire island, Han Li found no trace of any cultivator having once lived there. This was not due to the island's inferior spirit veins—other cultivators simply found it unimpressive. On the contrary, although the spiritual vein of this island is relatively small, it provides a surprisingly abundant supply of spiritual energy. While not among the top-tier veins, it ranks solidly in the upper-middle range. The reason no cultivators have yet settled on the island lies entirely in the extraordinary nature of its surrounding environment. This is precisely what Han Li finds most appealing about the island. The island is nestled within a vast expanse of white sea mist, which does not form naturally but instead emanates from several powerful currents and whirlpools nearby. Even more remarkable is that the white mist spreads only outward around the island, leaving the area above the island completely untouched. When Han Li first encountered this scene, he was deeply astonished. It wasn't until he broke through the surface waters and descended beneath the island that he fully understood what was happening. Beneath the island's bedrock, there are countless hollows, each as thick as a human finger, densely packed. Thousands of slender silvery fish continuously enter and exit these openings. At first glance, these fish appear no different from ordinary small fish. But when Han Li used his spiritual energy to envelop his hands and casually grasped one of the small fish before him for closer inspection, he found that these fish had not a single scale—instead, their entire bodies were covered in sharp, silvery bone spines. If an ordinary person reached out to touch them, they would surely be covered in blood. "Sea-swallow fish!" As soon as Han Li saw this, the name instantly came to mind. Though the name sounds amusing, these fish are actually a gregarious type of first-tier junior mythical beast. Besides making their bone spines as hard as iron, they also enjoy rising to the surface of the sea, inhaling and exhaling water to release a mist that they play with. They are often seen near various islands. Yet, in this very vicinity, there are so many "Sea-swallow fish" that their mist is dense enough to completely obscure an entire island—a rare occurrence indeed. Even Han Li himself had never noticed this island before, had it not been for encountering a fourth-tier mythical beast, the "Silver-Winged Bird," along the way. Inspired by the sight, he had pursued the beast into the misty sea, where he finally discovered the island hidden within A mere passing glance, completely overlooked! From a distance, this small patch of sea mist was no unusual sight—it was one of the most common occurrences on the sea, countless and utterly ordinary. After circling the island several times, Han Li quickly made up his mind to establish his abode here. What other island could be more suitable for such seclusion? The island's spiritual veins ran along a compact mountain range only ten or twenty li long and thirty to forty zhang high, with only a few small mountain peaks scattered throughout. Given its modest height, Han Li naturally could not build his dwelling halfway up the mountainside. Instead, he chose a narrow, concave valley at the base of the range and began clearing rock and stone right there. With his current cultivation level, constructing a dwelling identical in structure to his previous ones required no effort at all. Within just half a day, the overall outline of the dwelling was clearly established. Han Li had no intention of further refining his dwelling; instead, he first used several sets of array tools he had crafted to enclose both the dwelling and the mountain range, then activated a series of sealing spells to create a seamless illusion. From a distance, the mountain range seemed to vanish entirely, replaced by a lush green forest seamlessly connected to the nearby natural woods—without a single flaw. Yet, Han Li still held his chin in the air, gazing downward for a long while, remaining unconvinced. Should someone else happen to fly into the sea mist just like him, these seals might not be sufficient to conceal the truth from a highly skilled cultivator. After a moment of quiet contemplation, a plan suddenly formed in his mind. Without further hesitation, Han Li returned to his newly constructed dwelling, briefly organized the materials on his person, and then proceeded to a private chamber to begin crafting items. Seven or eight days later, when Han Li emerged once again from the dwelling, he now held an additional dozen or so sets of identical array tools. These array discs appeared simple and unremarkable, far from representing any particularly sophisticated array techniques. But after Han Li had set up a series of magical arrays at various locations across the island, activated them one by one, and as a result, vast streams of mist surged forth from these arrays, instantly filling the entire island with a thick, swirling fog. Soon afterward, the mist generated by the arrays blended seamlessly with the sea mist surrounding the island's perimeter, completely concealing it from view. Now, anyone entering would find it difficult to detect the island's presence unless they flew at low altitude. After surveying the surroundings in the air, Han Li finally felt at ease. Although activating so many arrays consumed a considerable amount of spiritual stones, he no longer cared—he was now willing to spend generously to eliminate any potential threats. Han Li re-emerged as a streak of emerald light, descending toward the island. Below, he would now begin to properly renovate his dwelling, establish insect chambers, and cultivate spiritual herbs. Two days later, Han Li found himself inside a stone chamber, holding the pale yellow jade scroll bestowed upon him by the Cunjin Pavilion. With his spiritual awareness focused and attentive, he carefully studied the contents within. His expression was deeply serious. His demeanor shifted, as if stirred by something significant. His divine awareness had already drawn out the jade scroll, yet he then fell into deeper contemplation. After a while, he stood up and walked back and forth several times within the stone chamber, his expression growing ever more solemn. Suddenly, he reached into his storage sack and produced a white jade box. Han Li gazed at it for a moment before slowly opening the lid, revealing several small round beads of five different colors.