With Han Li's initial cultivation level, combined with his consistent display of deference up until now, this sudden assertion was enough to cause even a composed purple-robed man to glance with a touch of surprise. Upon hearing this, the man with a furrowed brow saw a brief flicker of anger pass over his face. "Brave indeed! I've never encountered someone with lower cultivation than mine who dares speak to me thus—never in the past three centuries. Then, at the Spirit Land contest in three days' time, we needn't hold back at all." He spoke with sharp intensity. "Then, I shall be eager to witness your prowess. As for me, I shall now be on my way," Han Li replied lightly, bowing slightly to the purple-robed man before drifting gracefully away from the second floor. Watching Han Li's retreating figure, the man with the furrowed brow remained motionless, his expression as calm as still water. ...Not long afterward, in the otherwise deserted expanse of sky near Yu Que Pavilion, the figures of the golden-bodied man and the man with the furrowed brow appeared, engaged in a private conversation through telepathic communication. "Wang brother, what's your real purpose in striving for that piece of spiritual land? You couldn't quite explain it earlier, but now it's time to share some details with me," the fat brother said, smiling pleasantly as if completely harmless. "How is it that Jin friend has any connection with this man?" The man with a furrowed brow grew slightly serious, his tone becoming less patient. "How could I possibly be related to him? But perhaps you haven't heard—this man is a just-arrived immortal cultivator who has recently come to Tianyuan City," Jin, the plump man, said, as if gently awakening the other. "An immortal cultivator! What's so special about that? Our Tianyuan City sees one or two such cultivators join every two or three years. Does Jin brother really think I'm not up to par against a novice cultivator? I wonder why this man dares to speak so boldly—perhaps he's grown accustomed to ruling and dominating in the lower realms, and still sees himself as someone of great significance even here, in the spiritual world." The man with the furrowed brow's expression shifted, but after a brief pause, he merely scoffed with a relaxed air. "Hah! Naturally, this man's cultivation level is far from impressive. Even with the divine abilities of Wang friend, I wouldn't dare to claim that he could easily defeat him. Even if this man were a stage-one Chuan Shen cultivator, Yet the flying-climbing cultivators within the city were quite protective of their own. You could just give them a good reprimand—preferably without truly harming their lives. Otherwise, even with Master Ming's backing, once the others found out, a good deal of turmoil would surely arise. "The golden-bodied man spoke with genuine concern. "This person has been so impertinent. I shall naturally give him a thorough scolding. As to whether or not I'll take his life in the course of the battle—without regard for mercy—that will only become clear when the time comes." The man with a furrowed brow flashed a glint of cold resolve in his eyes, yet spoke calmly and lightly. "Since Brother Wang has expressed such a view, I find myself at a loss to object further. Three days from now, I myself will have to fight off another four of them. I still don't know whether I'll succeed or not." The golden-bodied man adopted a look of deep concern and worry. "Brother Jin, your words are indeed modest. I've heard that recently you've obtained an ancient relic of no ordinary nature, possessing truly miraculous effects, whose power rivals even that of ordinary spiritual treasures." The man with the fur Jin Fat was startled at this, but quickly regained his composure. "I didn't expect Wang brother to know about this as well. Indeed, a few days ago, I did acquire a precious artifact—though claiming its power surpasses that of spiritual treasures may be somewhat exaggerated. It merely offers remarkable protective effects." Jin Fat shook his head vigorously. "Really?" The man with a furrowed brow gave a half-smiling, half-uncertain expression. After a while of exchanging guarded remarks, Jin Fat faded into a streak of red light and departed. Watching the streak vanish into the horizon, Wang brother suddenly grew stern, emitting a low, sharp exhalation. "Hmph! He wanted to provoke me, to create a lasting rivalry with the immortals who have ascended. What a well-calculated move!" He seemed to be speaking to himself. "Jin Fat knows quite a bit about you and has already begun to suspect you. From now on, you should proceed with greater caution. While he's not a serious threat, his grandfather is truly a problem—someone I'd rather avoid." Suddenly, a man's voice echoed above the man with a furrowed brow. Then, a flash of brilliance revealed a jade-green dragon, about a foot long, shimmering like an emerald, materializing there. "Master, please rest assured. As soon as we secure the spiritual land, I will immediately seal the entire area. Unless he truly knows what he's doing, there's nothing we can do." Upon seeing the emerald dragon, the man with the furrowed brow immediately bowed and spoke with great respect. "Hmm. I'm reasonably confident in your abilities. But this is a matter of great importance—had I not been at a crucial stage of refining my spiritual artifact, I wouldn't have sent only a partial presence. I hope you won't let me down." The emerald dragon nodded, speaking with a seasoned air. "I will certainly not let my master down," the man with the furrowed brow assured, nearly patting his chest, yet then hesitated and asked: "Though, is the information truly accurate? The spiritual energy there seems quite weak—it seems unlikely to be his final resting place." "Of course, I can't be certain that the news is absolutely true. But given his status, even a slight possibility is enough to warrant our investigation. As long as it's true, we'll secure his legacy treasures and cultivation techniques—not only will our master's journey through the trial of destiny be secure, but your advancement to the Liangxu stage is also very likely. In the competition three days from now, you must succeed—you cannot fail. Should the opponent prove particularly challenging, don't hesitate to strike him down outright. Even if complications arise later, they will pale in comparison to the value of his legacy treasures." The voice of the Jade Dragon grew cold. "Disciple, I understand." The man with a furrowed brow was momentarily struck, yet quickly affirmed. "However, all the flying-into-the-heavens cultivators are adept at combat, so we can't be overly cautious. Though this individual is only at the Hua Shen initial stage, to be safe, I'll temporarily lend you my 'Thousand-Souls Bell.' With three days of temporary cultivation and ritual preparation, you'll be able to command this treasure effectively." Then everything would be certain." After a moment's thoughtful pause, the Jade Dragon opened its mouth and expelled a cluster of dark qi, within which floated a small black bell, about an inch in size, its surface wrapped in swirling black mist and inscribed with dense rows of incantations and symbols. Upon hearing the Dragon's words, the man was overjoyed, expressing his gratitude and thanks repeatedly, then shook his sleeve slightly, and a wave of azure light surged forth, instantly drawing the bell into the folds of his sleeve. The Jade Dragon then issued a few more commands from a lofty position before transforming into a shimmering green light and entering the other sleeve of the man with a furrowed brow. Only then did the man turn around and surge forward, radiating a blue glow, shooting off in a different direction. Han Li naturally had no knowledge of these events and was even more surprised to learn that someone had truly intended to harm him. After leaving the Jade Pavilion Hall, he did not immediately return to the Flying Spirit Hall, but instead followed the map's directions, flying through the city for half a day, finally observing the city from high above, far beyond ten thousand miles, his brows furrowed as he pondered deeply. To be precise, the city is more accurately known as the City of the Deep Realm, which belongs to the Deep Nation. The entire area it encompasses is nearly equivalent to that of a small nation within the Human Realm. However, the actual city itself is not particularly large—it consists merely of a few tens of thousands of square li, enclosed within massive city walls. This urban area is shaped like a stepped terrace, with city walls extending both in front and behind, while the sides are shrouded in thick mist generated by immense celestial arrays. Even true spiritual beings find it difficult to breach this mist. The city's walls, in contrast to those of the wild, are narrow—only a few hundred li in width—and rise thousands of li high, each wall inscribed with magical array symbols, towering like colossal, awe-inspiring fortresses. Beyond this stretch of imposing walls, numerous guards from both human and spirit races patrol the surrounding regions day and night, continuously activating various sealing and array spells without interruption. Behind the walls, a permanent force of over a million human and spirit soldiers remains stationed in the towering spires, stationed year after year. Such rigorous defensive measures have ensured that Tianyuan City has never been successfully attacked by foreign tribes since its founding. In contrast, the western wall of the trapezoidal city district is far less imposing and grand, yet stretches for thousands of li. Numerous human and spirit-people clans regularly pass through and enter and exit, seeking adventure in the wild realms or trading goods in Tianyuan City. As a result, the city district thrives remarkably. Beyond the true Tianyuan City lies a vast expanse of continuous mountain ranges, interspersed with small human villages. However, there is absolutely no second city of cultivators. These human villages not only supply Tianyuan City with essential daily necessities but also continuously provide a steady stream of lower-level cultivators and body-builders. Certainly, within the designated territory allocated to the immortal beast race, there are countless herds and lower-tier immortal beasts, providing a steady supply of lower-level reinforcements to the Tianyuan City's immortal and human populations. Although the human and immortal races have been compelled to collaborate in order to establish a strong foothold in the spiritual realm, jointly dispatching representatives to garrison Tianyuan City, they remain distinct. To prevent conflicts between the two races within the city, the entire city is divided in half by a vast luminous screen, with each race managing one side. Beyond the city limits, an invisible, unmarked boundary also separates the two, with each race occupying its respective half. The only place where the human and immortal races can truly coexist is the Elder Tower at the very center of the city. This tower is not only significantly broader than other towers, but also serves as the ultimate combat force of Tianyuan City—where over a dozen senior elders, each at the Consolidated Stage of cultivation, gather to deliberate and jointly make decisions. Thus, in the eyes of all residents of Tianyuan City, this tower remains profoundly mysterious. (First chapter update!