After descending nearly a thousand zhang, Han Li suddenly brightened, and before him rose a vast hall stretching nearly a thousand zhang in length. About a hundred armored soldiers were hurrying past within the hall, while on the surrounding walls, there were several exits identical to the one he had just passed through, with people constantly entering and exiting. Han Li's face flashed with surprise as he stepped onto the hall floor and instinctively raised his head—only to be startled. The hall, at first glance, appeared to have no ceiling at all; instead, it was a massive cylindrical structure, resembling an enormous hollow tower. The very place where they had just emerged from seemed to be merely a mid-level wall of this tower. Han Li had never seen such a colossal stone tower before and was deeply amazed for quite some time before regaining his composure. The tall, green-eyed man who had been leading him showed no surprise at Han Li's astonishment and made no effort to hurry. It was only when Han Li lowered his head again that the man resumed leading him toward one of the hall's exits. When Han Li reached the hall's exit and glanced toward the distance, his heart suddenly leaped with astonishment. Before him stretched a dense cluster of towering, emerald-colored monoliths, numbering well over a hundred, rising skyward. At the base of each monolith, a series of pavilions and terraces were arranged in close succession, forming an endless array—some reaching thousands of feet in height, others several hundred feet—each structure appearing as if magnified several times over from ordinary buildings. How could Han Li fail to be utterly stunned by this sight? Dai Han led Han Li into the fourth level of this hall. Upon entering, they found themselves in a small antechamber, with six or seven corridors extending in various directions around it. Several cultivators in different attire gathered together in the antechamber, chatting warmly. Han Li quickly scanned the group and immediately recognized that all of them were also cultivators at the same stage—initial stage of Huashen. As soon as Han Li and the bearded man entered, the group noticed them and simultaneously turned their gaze toward them with a sharp movement. "Ah, isn't this Zhu's nephew? And is this new companion as well?" asked an elderly man with white hair and a slightly bluish complexion, smiling warmly. The bearded man had already reached the late stage of Yuan Ying cultivation, so he did not dare to show any lack of respect. "Ah, Master Liu. This cultivator was personally brought in from outside by the Tian Wei official, not one of the cultivators who advanced within this city." The tall man with green eyes, as soon as he entered the hall, immediately lost his composed demeanor, seeming entirely transformed—now unusually courteous, explaining to the elder. Han Li's face briefly expressed surprise. "He came from outside—wasn't he brought here by the Flying Spirit Pavilion?" "From which realm did he originate?" "Hm, how come he's only at the初期 of the Divine Spirit stage? Didn't we expect at least the late Divine Spirit stage for the first-generation ascendants?" ...Upon hearing this, the several Divine Spirit stage cultivators grew visibly agitated, all turning their unusual attention toward Han Li. Han Li smiled slightly, bowed politely to them, saying nothing, yet his own thoughts were filled with murmurs. Could these people be from other lower realms? They didn't quite seem like it. Yet if they were native cultivators of the Spirit Realm, why would they be here at all? The "Hall of Flying Spirits"—that name alone clearly indicated a place directly connected to the ascendants. The tall man with green eyes exchanged a few words with the others, then gave a vague reply before leading Han Li into a corridor and guiding him to a suite composed of several rooms connected together. This ensemble of rooms resembled a small pavilion, featuring dedicated chambers for cultivation, as well as one for preparing elixirs and another for crafting artifacts. Moreover, the rooms were sealed by a unique set of spells, allowing entry and exit only when the room's owner used a special seal token. Han Li was satisfied upon seeing it and nodded immediately. The green-eyed man then listed several local customs and taboos, promptly leaving behind the seal token and excusing himself with a task at hand. This left Han Li with the intention of seizing the opportunity to detain the man and inquire in detail about the city of Tianyuan, now dashed. Now seated in a wooden chair in the living room, back resting against the chair, Han Li gently held the shimmering seal token in his hand, his mind occupied with reflections on everything that had transpired since the lightning storm. According to his original plan, once he successfully weathered this so-called minor celestial calamity, he would naturally choose a secluded, exceptionally potent spiritual location within the spiritual realm to quietly cultivate, first advancing to the Liangxi stage, and then eventually achieving the path of eternal life. Yet he had never imagined that the cultivators ascending to the heavens would carry such "foreign realm energies," making the minor celestial calamity now so terrifying. Even recently, despite having the capability to endure the first two-color lightning calamity, he was absolutely certain he could not withstand the next one. Thus, with little hesitation, he immediately joined the two companions to arrive at this Tianyuan City. However, upon reaching the city, everything here seemed distinctly different from a typical cultivator's city, and he had no idea what might unfold—leaving him feeling utterly uncertain. The only thing he was certain of was that there were quite a few cultivators like himself, who had ascended from the lower realms, within this Tianyuan City. As he continued to think about it, Han Li found himself growing increasingly restless. He silently pondered whether to now go outside and inquire about the affairs of Tianyuan City, and how a cultivator of his rank, having achieved transcendence, would be arranged. Just as Han Li was about to decide to take action, a deep, resonant voice suddenly came from outside the gate's seal: "Master is within the hall, I am Liu Dao, would it be convenient for us to chat a little?" Han Li was momentarily startled upon hearing this, then smiled lightly. It seemed that no action on his part was needed—he had already been approached by someone. "Ah, it's Master Liu who has come! Han Li is truly honored!" Han Li replied, then gently waved his token toward the gate. A surge of silver light erupted, and the gate creaked open on its own. Standing outside was a cultivator with a pale complexion and white hair—exactly the elder he had briefly met in the hall. "Master Liu, I didn't know you were visiting. I hope I haven't caused any inconvenience." The elder smiled warmly, speaking with constant courtesy. "Ah, how could I possibly think otherwise?" Han Li chuckled. "Even if Master Liu hadn't come, I had already planned to pay visits to a few of my friends!" How seasoned Master Han was in matters of human relations—having ascended from a mere mortal through the years of cultivation—there was no one in front of him who could match the current Master Liu. He immediately smiled warmly and said so. With only a few words exchanged, the two felt as though they had been close friends for years. "Just now, Master Zhu mentioned that you were personally brought into the city by the High Commander. Therefore, you must be a cultivator who recently achieved transcendence from the lower realm. Could you tell me which mortal realm in the lower realm you hail from?" Master Liu smoothly shifted the topic and asked. "As for which realm—well, I'm not quite sure how the spiritual realm refers to the various lower realms. So, I'm not entirely certain how to answer. Perhaps, once I've gathered more information on this matter, I'll be able to share it with you," Master Han replied, his eyes flashing with a smile. He would never easily reveal his true origins, for during his time in the human realm, he had been deeply involved in matters closely tied to several prominent figures in the spiritual world. Whether it was the original Tianlan Beast Body or the Tiankui Wolf King as mentioned by Yin Yue, neither of them was someone he could afford to provoke at this stage. "This is simply my oversight," the old man with the willow surname chuckled. "You have only recently arrived in the spiritual realm, so it's natural that you're still unfamiliar with all this. However, first-generation ascended cultivators like yourself—each one possesses extraordinary potential. The proportion of those reaching the Liangxi stage far exceeds that of our own descendants of ascended cultivators or native spiritual realm practitioners. Consequently, they are especially favored and highly valued by the Council of Elders. Most likely, you won't even need any formal assessment—you'll be directly appointed as a member of Qingming Guard." "What exactly do you mean by 'first-generation ascended cultivators'? Could you kindly explain this to me, Brother Liu?" Han Li's expression of curiosity flickered briefly, and he immediately asked, his smile fading. "This is no secret at all—by all means, I The old Li-family elder chuckled and said, "In fact, the so-called first-generation transcendents refer specifically to practitioners like Brother Han—who directly ascended from the Spiritual Realm to our world at the stage of Shen Xu. You all carry a very strong foreign realm essence; even after taking one pill of Mochen Pill annually, it takes three hundred years to fully eliminate it. The direct descendants of such first-generation transcendents will still retain a portion of this foreign essence for several generations. As soon as they advance to the Yuan Ying stage, they will experience dual-color lightning calamities. For instance, myself—being the second-generation direct descendant of a first-generation transcendent—must immediately return to Tianyuan City as soon as I reach the Yuan Ying stage, to take Mochen Pills to suppress the foreign essence, or else I too will meet the same fate. Only after the foreign essence is completely washed out can one freely leave Tianyuan City. Counting from the first-generation transcendents, after about five generations of direct lineage, the descendants will no longer carry any foreign essence and will be indistinguishable from native practitioners." The elder with a green face explained. "Indeed, yet Master Liu has already reached the stage of Divine Spirit cultivation. I would have thought the foreign aura had long since been washed away—how then does it still remain here?" Han Li blinked, suddenly asking. The elder gazed at Han Li, speaking with deep intention. (Second chapter!