Thus, these two, though not particularly bold, proved quite alert—willing to take longer routes and deliberately avoiding remote, perilous areas—so that they encountered no serious dangers along the way. It was only in a small town encountered before meeting Han Li that they inadvertently offended a local, modest cultivation family, which led to a series of troubles, resulting in several peers of their own level pursuing and hunting them down. Had it not been for Han Li’s timely arrival, they might indeed have faced serious difficulties. In the eyes of Hai Daxiao and Qi Lingzi, this "brother Han" they met en route has proven genuinely enigmatic. Not only does he possess cultivation prowess just one step away from the Jindan stage, but he also carries several truly remarkable and seemingly extraordinary artifacts. Moreover, his insights on cultivation techniques, even when casually offered, proved deeply beneficial—so much so that neither Hai Daxiao nor Qi Lingzi could ever hope to match them. When Hai Daxiao first received Han Li’s guidance on body cultivation, he was genuinely stunned, staring in astonishment for a long time. After all, it was quite rare for a cultivator to have such a deep understanding of body cultivation techniques. As a result, Han Li and his companion both sensed an ever-deepening air of profound mystery about him. Fortunately, both Hai Shao and Qi Lingzi were naturally outgoing and easy-going, making it easy for them to maintain a warm, familiar rapport. Even though they knew Han Li was no ordinary cultivator, they continued to address him simply as "Brother Han," showing genuine enthusiasm. Had it not been for Han Li's relatively modest cultivation level, they might have immediately felt compelled to formally offer him the title of disciple. Indeed, although Qi Lingzi, the young Taoist, constantly emphasized his ambition to promote the grand vision of Wugai Pavilion, his straightforward demeanor already hinted at his intention to seek a new master at the Great Treasure Gathering. He showed absolutely no attachment to the current title of "Master" of Wugai Pavilion. Yet, despite this, the spirit child repeatedly invited Han Li and Hai, the young noble, to join the Wei Hai Academy along the way, as if jokingly determined to savor the taste of being an academy master before seeking another master. Naturally, this provoked a series of scolding remarks from Hai, while Han Li could only sigh and smile helplessly. Thus, after flying together for nearly a month, Han Li arrived at this mountain peak just a short distance from Xuan Wu Realm, where they intended to rest briefly before continuing their journey. The spirit child had once again enthusiastically praised the Wei Hai Academy, repeating the very same invitation that had been delivered so many times before, which left Hai resolute in his refusal. Though Han Li appeared to be lightly chuckling, a subtle blue glow flickered deep within his eyes, and he kept a steady, barely perceptible gaze fixed on Hai. Suddenly, a faint, unusual flush of crimson appeared on Hai's face, only to vanish within a single breath. "There it is!" "Han Li silently exclaimed in his mind, instantly sending out a strand of spiritual awareness to swiftly scan through the body of the sea youth. "Ha ha, I'm not exaggerating! With my wind-element spiritual root, securing a disciple under a cultivator who has reached the Stage of Transformation and Immortality is no difficult feat. Once my divine arts mature, I'll certainly..." The sea youth grew enthusiastic, elaborating on his envisioned life of comfort and prosperity after attaining mastery of his cultivation techniques and eventually becoming a senior cultivator of Yuan-Yin and Transformation rank. Naturally, he was unaware that the very wind-element spiritual root he had taken great pride in had mysteriously vanished. At present, any cultivator examining his internal spiritual roots would simply declare him an ordinary physical cultivator with no spiritual root at all. Han Li's eyes darted with urgency, his mind filled with astonishment. Indeed, just as before, the youth's lightning-element spiritual root had disappeared once again. If his memory served him correctly, the spiritual root would reappear after one full day and night. This very scene had already unfolded before his very eyes exactly ten days earlier. It's truly strange! He had never heard of any kind of spiritual root that could vanish so quickly. If that were the case, wouldn't it mean that during the period when the root disappeared, even someone possessing immense power would be unable to activate their techniques or mobilize their inner spiritual energy? A faint expression of surprise flickered on Han Li's face, and he murmured to himself in quiet contemplation. "Brother Han, what are you staring at? Your complexion seems a bit off. Why don't you try another cup of our mist-sea observatory's spiritual tea? And how about bringing out a few more of your spiritual fruits? I remember the last time we tasted them—the flavor was truly unforgettable!" The spirit of the artifact sensed Han Li's subtle changes and, upon noticing them, quickly turned his eyes and chuckled warmly. "Indeed, Brother Qi Lingzi is right—the spiritual fruits you presented last time were absolutely exquisite!" Upon hearing Qi Lingzi's words, Hai the Young immediately perked up, ceased his lofty talk, and fixed his gaze on Han Li with eager eyes. "I knew you two would still be thinking about the spiritual fruits I presented to you last time. This isn't me being stingy at all—indeed, the 'Concentrated Pearl Fruits' are not only delicious and unique, but also contain a refined and substantial spiritual energy. If consumed in excess, they might harm your meridians. How about this: I'll bring out six more, and each of you takes two." When the two guests suddenly turned their attention to his fruits, despite the initial muscle tremors on his face, he managed to clear his throat and said, then gave a gentle shake of his sleeve, revealing a pristine, jade-like plate placed upon the stone table. Six fruit-sized, smooth and round, emerald-green orbs glowed softly within it. "No worries at all—two fruits each would be quite satisfactory. It's rather curious, isn't it? After having eaten three of your fruits last time, my cultivation progress, which had previously stagnated, has recently begun to advance again. If this is indeed the case, then kindly tell me where I might find these Concentrated Pearl Fruits for sale—I'd like to purchase some as well." No further elixirs or meditation practices would be needed—just every three to five days, consume two or three immortal fruits, and your cultivation would steadily advance. The spirit of the vessel beamed with delight and said so, gazing at the fruits arranged in the tray. Yet, before he had finished speaking, a shadow flickered, and suddenly two of the fruits were gone. The spirit of the vessel blinked in surprise, then upon closer inspection, noticed that Hai, the young noble, had both hands busy—grasping one fruit and biting into it with both sides of his mouth. "Such a ruthless harvesting of the natural treasures!" the spirit of the vessel shook his head in amazement. Meanwhile, Hai, the young noble, merely rolled his eyes, completely ignoring the spirit's expressions of regret, and felt a refreshing delight, exclaiming with satisfaction. Han Li remained silent, yet a quiet smile formed in his heart. He wondered whether either of them realized that each fruit was worth over a thousand spirit stones and yet still enjoyed them so freely. After all, this spirit of the vessel was no ordinary being. Han Li shifted his gaze, then narrowed his eyes, observing the young Taoist more closely. The young Daoist's spiritual root was indeed ordinary, possessing the standard triple elemental attributes. However, after careful observation over these days, a hidden orb of bean-sized magnitude was discovered within his dantian, encased in a luminous aura. This subtle discovery was only possible due to Han Li's superior spiritual awareness—otherwise, even a being seven to eight stages above the artifact's spirit would have been unable to detect such an object within the young Daoist's body. When Han Li, puzzled, gently touched the orb with his spiritual awareness and subtly penetrated it without drawing attention, he sensed a powerful, expansive seal. "A heritage artifact!" As soon as Han Li identified this object, he immediately understood its nature. Some cultivators, to prevent the accidental interruption of their lineage, employ special techniques to seal their accumulated knowledge and teachings into a designated heritage artifact, which is then implanted into their descendants or disciples. Such artifacts are typically set with specific activation conditions; if those conditions are not met, they remain concealed within the body of the heir, unseen. Generally, once a cultivator reaches a certain level of attainment, they automatically inherit various secret techniques and cultivation methods contained within the inherited artifacts. Of course, if the inheritor's lifespan comes to an end, one can employ a special technique to extract the artifact and transfer it into another cultivator's body. However, if an outsider uses physical force to remove the artifact, the inheritor typically explodes along with it, resulting in total annihilation. This method of crafting inherited artifacts has always been rare and difficult to master, making it a particularly uncommon form of inherited secret technique. Now, it has manifested in Qi Lingzi's case, which has left Han Li somewhat surprised. It seems that the founding master of the "Mist Sea Academy" indeed possesses notable qualities, far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator who has achieved flight and transcendence. Nevertheless, with Han Li's several great abilities, he naturally no longer finds himself particularly interested in the cultivation methods of others. After a moment of mild astonishment, his attention shifted fully to the handsome young man, Hai Dashi. What kind of strange root can vanish entirely? This truly stirred his rare sense of curiosity. After the spirit of the artifact produced a set of tea ware, brewed several cups of fragrant spiritual tea for Han Li and the others to sample, and then finished off the remaining spiritual fruits, the three did not linger any longer at the spot. Han Li once again summoned his flying chariot, taking the two with him, and they swiftly vanished into a sphere of white light, heading toward the Xu Wu Realm. The Xu Wu Realm differed notably from the Tian Yuan and Tian Ling Realms! While the number of cultivators within it was somewhat less than in those two realms, the sheer volume of human body-builders far surpassed that of the other two. The people were also remarkably bold—even the elderly and young children dared to wield weapons and fight directly against wild beasts in the open fields. However, there were few large human cities in the Xu Wu Realm, most instead existing as small towns or fortified hillside settlements scattered across the vast region. Moreover, as the realm was the one directly bordering the Seven Beast Lands, both the scale of the beast surges and the frequency of encounters with lower-tier beast creatures were far greater than in the other two realms. Occasionally, high-ranking transformed beast creatures sneak into the Xuanwu Realm, carrying out unorthodox deeds. Thus, the Xuanwu Realm is the most turbulent of the three realms, growing increasingly chaotic the closer it is to the territories of the beast clans bordering it. Jiuxian Mountain—a vast spiritual mountain directly situated at the junction between the Fox Clan lands and the Xuanwu Realm—is an exception to this disorder. The mountain comprises nine peaks, boasting rare, premium spiritual veins within its body, as well as several specialty spiritual herbs beneficial to both humans and beasts. Moreover, due to its rugged terrain and unique geographical location, Jiuxian Mountain is jointly controlled by elite forces from both human and beast clans. Even the most courageous individuals from either clan dare not easily provoke disputes in its vicinity. In recent years, the defenses around Jiuxian Mountain have grown increasingly stringent, with both human and beast clans dispatching large numbers of troops to purge and expel several well-known, less reputable mid- and small-sized factions. In just a few years or so, this mountain has already taken on the appearance of a thriving haven within the Xuanwu Realm. At this very moment, the Great Gathering of Ten Thousand Treasures—a once-a-thousand-years event between the human and spirit clans—is being convened here.