One day later, a streak of azure light shot forth from the mountain range where Xu's family resided. After a spiral, he turned around, briefly glanced at the mountain range below with a calm expression, and then, as his light-form began to surge, shot off once more. After several flashes, the light-form vanished without a trace at the horizon. Over the following days, Han Li began a prolonged journey across various cities—large and small—within the Tianyuan Realm. In the vicinity of these cities, renowned sects and noble families successively noticed his presence. Han Li either visited them directly, engaging in lively discussions with senior cultivators, or simply observed them quietly before departing without a word. Though his journey covered only a fraction of the Tianyuan Realm, within just a few years, he gained a profound understanding of the human realm's current state. Indeed, the number of Consolidated Cultivators among humans remained far behind that of the Jiaochi and Feilin clans. Besides the combined cultivators gathered by Tianyuan City and the Three Emperors, there are only a few such cultivators hidden within other noble families' sects. As for fully independent combined cultivators like him, such as those among the human race, they are exceedingly rare. Among the elven race, it seems there are slightly more, though the numbers aren't vastly different. Together, the two races likely possess a strength comparable to that of average ethnic groups seen on Fengyuan Continent. This is because the human and elven realms are located in more remote regions of Fengyuan Continent, where strong neighboring ethnic groups have historically been scarce. Otherwise, even with the presence of grand cultivation arrays and Tianyuan City's protection, it remains uncertain whether the two races could have endured to the present day. Indeed, according to his knowledge, many ethnic groups stronger than the human and elven races have also faded away over time. Thus, as a combined-stage cultivator, he encountered no danger whatsoever during his travels, and by fortunate coincidence, he even eliminated several evil cultivators, gradually spreading his reputation throughout the Tianyuan Mirror. Many smaller sects and noble families became aware of a new young cultivator among the human races—handsome in appearance, yet with profound cultivation power at the initial combined stage. Eventually, even some major powers within the Wenshu and Tianling realms sent representatives to recruit him. Yet he consistently declined each offer. Thus, five years passed swiftly. One day, on the slopes of a beautiful, lush mountain situated at the border of the Wenshu and Tianyuan realms, three human cultivators dressed in distinct attire sat in a stone pavilion, chatting and laughing with ease. One of them wore a white scholarly robe, had elegant brows and a refined face, and appeared to be in his thirties—yet carried the grace of a distinguished, handsome young man. A young Taoist with a round face, wearing a yellow Taoist robe and carrying behind him a dark, weathered wooden sword, looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. The last figure had an ordinary appearance, with slightly darker skin and dressed in a deep blue robe, a young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four. This young man was Han Li. Once our three of us have attained supreme mastery in cultivation, together we will certainly be able to dominate our region—though perhaps not achieve the status of the foremost sect among the human clans. When the Master ascended to the spiritual realm, he unexpectedly encountered a spatial storm of rare occurrence—lasting a millennium. Though he managed to break free, he was severely injured. He swiftly founded the Mist Sea Temple and then passed away shortly thereafter. Otherwise, the Temple might have remained stuck in a remote, lifeless corner of the world. The young Taoist flushed with embarrassment, defending himself. "I'd say your Master showed remarkable foresight. With the strength of your Mist Sea Temple, if it truly secured a sacred mountain or a vital energy vein, it's even uncertain whether your lineage would still exist in the spiritual realm today. Brother Han, don't you agree?" The handsome young man, known as "Sea Young," gently closed his fan and asked with a thoughtful tilt of his head. "Your words certainly hold merit, Sea Brother. However, Master Qi Ling's cultivation method is indeed unique and profound, and likely requires certain specific qualities in the cultivator." Han Li smiled slightly. "Haha, look—even Brother Han agrees with that." Explain how our Gu Hai Guan's lineage is truly distinct. How about this—once you join our temple, I will immediately impart the Gu Hai Wuxi technique to both of you." Upon hearing this, the young Daoist narrowed his eyes into a thin slit and spoke in an enticing tone. The Sea-Young Noble, however, flipped his eyes and replied with impatience, "My lord has been practicing the most authentic body-attuning cultivation method, with exceptional natural talent, and has already reached the third level of the Jading Sectual Technique. You, as the abbot, haven't even just completed your foundational stage—how could you possibly defeat me? If I wish to bow, I shall seek out genuine renowned sects and great families. As for you, Brother Han, your earlier statement was vague. What do you mean by 'some merit'? I didn't make a single mistake in what I just said. Indeed, the late Master Xuanling chose to build our Gu Hai Guan in such a remote mountain valley precisely with the aim of preserving and ensuring the continuity of our own lineage." As he spoke, the Sea-Young Noble grew increasingly self-assured. Han Li's lips twitched, and in the end, he only managed a苦笑, saying nothing more. The two before him truly were a pair of lively delights. He had first met them in a small town located just ahead of the one where Yue Xu resided. At that time, they had just offended a minor sect in the area and were being pursued by several cultivators at the Foundation Stage. Such incidents were utterly commonplace among both humans and immortals. Han Li had originally passed by overhead, with no intention of intervening. Yet, upon a mere mental sweep, he noticed something remarkable: one of the two, though possessing an exceptional spiritual root, was practicing a mundane physical cultivation technique typical of ordinary humans, and had already reached the third level of the Jinguo Sect at such a young age. The other, though seemingly blessed with a rather mediocre spiritual root, had a unique cultivation method that enabled him to single-handedly hold his own against several peers of the same stage. Together, they managed to hold their own against five or six Foundation-level cultivators. Han Li felt a touch of curiosity. With a subtle mental effort, he masked his aura to the peak level of a Foundation Stage cultivator and then stepped into view. With his divine abilities, even if he used only the same amount of Foundation Stage energy, he could easily cause the several Foundation Stage cultivators to retreat merely by a simple gesture. The sea prince and the artifact spirit naturally expressed their deepest gratitude toward Han Li, and after a few words of conversation, they unexpectedly decided to become sworn brothers to him. Han Li's face naturally lit up with embarrassment, and he quickly found an excuse to decline. However, upon further inquiry, when they learned that Han Li also intended to attend the Ten-Thousand-宝 Gathering in the Xuanwu Realm, they immediately grew enthusiastic and insisted on accompanying him. It turned out that both of them had also planned to attend this grand gathering of human and spirit beings. Upon hearing this, Han Li found himself at a loss for words. How grand was the Ten-Thousand-宝 Gathering! Even senior cultivators who had achieved the Consolidation Stage, or even the Three Emperors and Seven Spirit Kings, might personally attend. These two were barely at the Foundation Stage, yet they had already planned to travel across the realm to attend the gathering. While the Ten-Thousand-宝 Gathering wasn't entirely devoid of Foundation-level cultivators, such lower-tier practitioners usually appeared as attendants, maids, or offspring of disciples. Even when a few independent Foundation-level cultivators came, they were typically those residing nearby the region where the gathering took place, merely seeking a chance to broaden their horizons. Yet these two—Sea's young lord carrying several jars of spiritual tea, and the young Taoist scholar with a few unidentifiable mineral stones—had clearly resolved to journey across the realm. It was truly a source of both amazement and gentle amusement. Indeed, the spiritual teas brought by the latter were of genuinely fine quality, meriting at least upper-tier status. Though the mineral stones were clearly not particularly valuable, the young lord himself could not recall having ever mentioned them before. Han Li found their situation quite intriguing, and since there was still some time until the Ten-Thousand-宝 Gathering, he deemed no urgency in hastening their journey. Thus, he quietly agreed to their plans. Thus, he retrieved a high-rank flying vehicle relic and set off directly toward the Xuandu Realm with the two of them. On the way, to his amusement, he found himself unable to subtly inquire about the two's origins and backgrounds—before he could even begin to ask, the young man who had introduced himself as the Sea Heir, and the young Taoist named Qi Lingzi, had spontaneously and fully revealed all their histories during a heated argument. According to the Sea Heir, he hailed from a renowned physical cultivation family in a regular human city. Though he possessed an exceptional spiritual root from birth, he had been mistakenly assessed as lacking one due to an oversight by an indifferent cultivator—by sheer chance, he had been classified as a body cultivator instead. From an early age, he was thus raised and trained as such. However, when he began to demonstrate his extraordinary physical cultivation talents, another fortunate coincidence revealed the presence of his true spiritual root—leaving him utterly stunned, as if struck by five thunderbolts. This young sea prince, like others, immediately paused his body cultivation and decided to pursue the art of immortality. However, his city was a mundane one, lacking any true immortal sects, and moreover, he was somewhat proud—so much so that even ordinary small sects found him unimpressive. After what he claimed was a thorough deliberation, he quietly left his family to seek out a great immortal sect elsewhere. On his journey, he encountered a young Taoist from the Wugai Pavilion, who was heading to attend the Grand Gathering of Treasures. After a few conversations, they discovered a strong mutual affinity, as if they had been long-separated friends. Inspired by the young Taoist, the sea prince not only pledged him as a brother-in-arms but also decided to join him in attending the Grand Gathering of Treasures. As the器灵子 himself put it, at the Grand Gathering of Treasures, "even the cultivators at the stage of Spiritual Transformation are scattered everywhere, while those at the Yuan Ying stage are considered mere dogs"—so much so that simply finding a cultivator to become a disciple was far superior to joining any immortal sect.