Chapter 155: Departure
"What do you mean by that?" Han Li asked.
"According to my knowledge, the Blaze Dragon Dao keeps a very close eye on its cultivation arts, and they're only made available to inner sect disciples and elders. In order to enter the inner sect, you'll require a recommendation from an inner sect elder.
“Otherwise, even as a True Immortal, you'll only be accepted as an outer sect guest elder, and only after an extremely extensive probation period will you have a sliver of an opportunity to enter the inner sect," the projection explained.
"It sounds like you know someone that can put in a recommendation for me," Han Li said as he raised an eyebrow.
"To tell you the truth, that's not something I can do for you. However, I know of a way that'll allow you to obtain an inner sect token of one of the elders at the Blaze Dragon Dao. With that token, you'll be able to directly enter the Blaze Dragon Dao's inner sect," the projection said.
A smile appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, and he prompted, "In that case, I'm all ears. This piece of information is definitely worthy of the reward I'm offering."
"I once took on a mission from our Transient Guild, requiring me to help the clan of one of the Blaze Dragon Dao's inner sect elders resolve a major problem, and the reward for completing the mission is an inner sect token left behind by that elder. I can pass this mission onto you," the projection said.
"Given how valuable the reward is, I'm assuming the mission won't be very easy to complete, right?" Han Li asked.
"The mission debriefing didn't actually reveal exactly what needs to be done. It only states that this mission can only be completed by someone with a True Immortal Stage cultivation base at the very minimum. As for the exact details of the mission, you'll have to go to the clan in question to find out," the projection replied.
"Is there a time limit on when the mission must be completed?" Han Li asked.
"No. Anyone that takes on the mission will receive a jade slip, and as long as the jade slip hasn't broken on its own, that means that the mission is still in effect," the projection .
Han Li paused for a moment to contemplate the situation, then decided, "Alright, I'll take on the mission. Please give me the jade slip, Fellow Daoist."
Han Li then raised a hand to release a blue storage pouch, which flew through the air and into the azure array plate.
At the same time, a white jade slip also slowly flew out of the array plate.
Han Li caught the jade slip, then inspected it briefly before injecting his spiritual sense into it.
The jade slip contained the mission debriefing, as well as a map of the Ancient Cloud Continent.
However, upon closer inspection, Han Li discovered that the map was severely lacking in detail, with only the area near the Bell Toll Mountain Range displayed, while almost everything else was left blank.
After examining the storage pouch sent over by Han Li, the figure said, "This is a tracking map. Once you reach the general vicinity of the Bell Toll Mountain Range on the Ancient Cloud Continent, the shortest path to the destination will be revealed to the holder of the jade slip."
"I see. You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist," Han Li replied with a nod.
The figure cupped their fist in a salute toward Han Li, then quickly vanished on the spot, and the array plate that was hovering above the sea also disappeared.
Han Li stowed his mask away, then flew back toward Black Wind Island as a streak of azure light.
Several days later.
The residual hype of the centenary auction still hadn't died down yet, so the entire Black Wind Island was still as lively and bustling as ever. Many of the shops in Black Wind City were seizing this opportunity to do everything they could to attract more customers through their doors.
The streets in the city were packed with people and carriages, and there were also many figures flying through the air to access the hovering buildings up above.
A unremarkable-looking azure-robed young man was making his way along a wide street toward the center of the city, and beside him was another young man with a dark complexion. They were none other than Han Li and Mu Xue.
"Senior Liu, I've always felt like you're not an ordinary cultivator, but I didn't think you would actually be able to secure a teleportation spot from the Heavenly Star Pagoda," Mu Xue said as he turned to Han Li with a wide smile, and Han Li also smiled in response, but offered no explanation.
Mu Xue didn't speak any further about this subject upon seeing this. Despite the fact that Han Li had always displayed a mild and amiable personality, he still harbored a great deal of awe and veneration toward this unfathomable senior, and of course, he longed to reach this level himself someday.
Looking at the throngs of people making their way through the streets, Han Li suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about leaving Black Wind Island to see the outside world?"
Mu Xue faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied in a slightly dejected manner, "Black Wind Island is already the most prosperous place in the entire Black Wind Sea. If an itinerant cultivator like myself were to go anywhere else, I would struggle just to survive."
"The world is a vast place that encompasses far more than just the Black Wind Sea. You have decent cultivation aptitude, you're just missing some resources," Han Li said with a smile.
"You're far too kind, Senior Liu. I can only hope to encounter more clients like yourself and save up some more spirit stones. Perhaps I'll be able to advance a little further on the path of cultivation then," Mu Xue replied with a self-deprecating smile.
Mu Xue reminded Han Li very much of his younger self, and thinking back to when he first embarked on the path of cultivation, his aptitude had been far inferior to Mu Xue's. If it weren't for the Heaven Controlling Vial, perhaps he wouldn't have even made it to the Spirit Realm.
A reminiscent look appeared in his eyes as he was guided by Mu Xue to the Heavenly Star Pagoda.
Around an hour later, the two of them arrived at the end of the main street leading to the center of the city, and a white stone plaza that was over 10,000 feet in size had appeared up ahead.
There were only a few people on the plaza, and all of them were hurriedly making their way toward a cylindrical stone pagoda at the very center of the plaza.
Han Li looked up to find that the stone pagoda was over 1,000 feet tall, and the entire structure was of a pristine white color. There were countless lines of different depths and shapes on its surface, forming some type of special array patterns.
"That's the Heavenly Star Pagoda up ahead, Senior Liu. This is where we'll have to part ways," Mu Xue said in a respectful voice as he extended a deep bow toward Han Li.
By the time he stood up straight again, Han Li was already nowhere to be seen, and a forlorn look flashed through his eyes.
Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in his heart.
"Do not excessively belittle yourself, Mu Xue. The spirit stones and that cultivation art in the storage pouch are my parting gifts to you. Work hard in your cultivation, and there's definitely a chance that you could make a name for yourself someday."
Mu Xue faltered slightly upon hearing this, then laid a hand onto his own waist to find that a storage pouch had appeared there without his detection.
He immediately began looking around, and he spotted Han Li near the Heavenly Star Pagoda.
Looking at Han Li from afar, a surge of warmth instantly welled up in his heart, and he extended another deep bow, remaining in a bowed position for a long time.
Meanwhile, Han Li continued to make his way directly toward the pagoda without looking back at Mu Xue.
The pagoda didn't have any visible entrances, and just as a befuddled look appeared on Han Li's face, a burst of spiritual power fluctuations suddenly surged forth, following which an object flew out of his sleeve amid a flash of light.
It was the black badge that had been given to him by Lu Jun, and it flew into the pagoda before vanishing without a trace.
Immediately thereafter, a burst of spatial fluctuations swept over Han Li, and he also vanished on the spot, reappearing inside the pagoda a second later.
He looked around to find that the interior of the pagoda was completely hollow, much like a giant upside-down cup.
There were countless array runes inscribed onto the walls around him, as well as spirit stones of an exceptional quality embedded onto the wall at the points where the runes intersected.
There were also circles of ring-shaped array patterns engraved onto the ground underfoot, giving off faint spatial fluctuations.
At this moment, there were around 30 to 40 other people in the pagoda, and there were both humans and beings of other races among them. However, the one common trait that they all shared was a formidable aura.
Han Li's gaze roamed over the people around him, and as his gaze fell upon a woman in a long red dress, he couldn't help but look at her for a moment longer.
The woman possessed breathtaking beauty, and her fiery red dress perfectly accentuated the gorgeous curves of her exceptional figure.
Her facial features were extremely intricate, but her brows and eyes were a little long and narrow, giving off a cold aura that presented a stark contrast with her alluring body, but it was somehow still a perfectly harmonious combination.
Many of the people in the pagoda were also casting furtive glances her way, some with hints of lust in their eyes, but one dared to step out of line.
Even though Han Li's gaze had also lingered momentarily on her, that wasn't due to any physical attraction that he felt. Instead, it was because he couldn't sense the woman's cultivation base at all, thereby evoking a sense of wariness within him.
The woman paid no heed to all of the glances cast her way, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she pondered something in silence.
All of a sudden, she seemed to have detected something, and she turned to take a glance at Han Li, but at this point, his gaze was already elsewhere.
Right at this moment, an elderly voice suddenly rang out. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, fellow daoists. It's time for the teleportation to commence. Simply carry your badge in your hand and you'll be able to enter the array."
Han Li turned to find that the gray-robed elderly man that had been seated on one side of the array had risen to his feet, and a circular array plate had appeared in his hand.
With a sweep of his sleeve, dozens of streaks of blue light shot forth, and each of them flew toward one of the people in the pagoda with unerring accuracy.
Han Li made a beckoning motion with one hand to draw the approaching streak of blue light into his grasp, upon which he discovered that it was a profound talisman with around a dozen silver runes inscribed in beveled silver text flashing on its surface.
Everyone else caught their talismans as well, then proceeded to make their way toward the circular array engraved onto the ground.
Han Li stepped into the array along with everyone else, and after everyone had piled into the array, the elderly man made a hand seal with one hand, then firmly pressed his palm down onto the array plate while chanting a fast incantation.
A loud buzzing sound rang out as all of the runes on the walls of the pagoda began to glow brightly, as did all of the spirit stones embedded onto the walls, and all of the spiritual power contained within the spirit stones surged forth in a frenzy.
The array patterns underfoot began to radiate dazzling white light, which swallowed up everyone in an instant.
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