If time could be slowed a thousandfold, one would see that the bronze arms of the Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator, raised in defense against the oncoming golden light, had already begun to crack upon impact. Then, under the full force of the Golden Light Shuttle, they instantly shattered into bronze fragments.
Scattered among the fragments were patches of a semi-solid, mysterious substance.
Boom!
The golden light flashed.
The Golden Light Shuttle slammed into the plaza, its unleashed power erupting in a blinding golden light that sent Han Yi flying through the air. He had been desperately clinging to his position, his mana reserves completely depleted and his Sea of Consciousness nearly drained of divine sense.
When he finally managed to stagger to his feet dozens of meters away and focused his gaze, his pupils constricted in horror, his face pale with dread.
The Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator, his chest pierced clean through, stood upright. His shattered chest writhed slightly as the semi-solid substance among the scattered fragments drew all the shards together, suspending them in mid-air before converging toward the gaping wound.
The arms, shattered into bloody fragments by the Golden Light Shuttle, were no different.
In less than ten breaths, the Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator had completely regenerated.
"This is impossible!" Han Yi exclaimed, his face twisting in disbelief as his voice cracked.
The scene before him reduced all his efforts to ashes.
The Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator was immortal.
What the hell kind of game is this?!
For the first time, a sliver of despair pierced Han Yi's heart.
"Wait, no, something's wrong."
"Why haven't I received a failure notification?"
Just then, the fully restored Yellow Turban Guard strode toward the ancient bronze gates of the manor. It transformed into a wisp of Spirit Light, which merged into the gate and vanished.
Then, the majestic voice boomed once more.
"Congratulations on passing the trial."
"You have become the Lord of Immortal Manor Number 10,009."
"You may now choose to withdraw from the Immortal Court or embark upon the Immortal Path."
"Warning: As a Lord of the Immortal Manor with a low Cultivation Realm, your chances of survival on the Immortal Path are only one in a quintillionth of a quintillionth."
The voice in his mind made Han Yi's expression darken further.
One in a quadrillion quadrillion quadrillion? That's a death sentence!
What choice do I have? Only a fool would step onto that cursed Immortal Path—it sounds fraught with peril.
Desperate to escape, Han Yi didn't hesitate. He silently recited in his mind:
"Choose to withdraw from the Immortal Court."
Though he had no idea what the Immortal Court was, he simply followed the instructions. Once he escaped this hellhole, none of it would matter to him.
The moment he finished speaking, a black token materialized from the void, instantly conjuring a crimson gateway of light. After a moment's hesitation, Han Yi decided to trust it and prepared to step through.
But he felt a sudden resistance.
He immediately understood: this was a communication token, the black token before him, and it was required for passage.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the token and stepped through again. This time, there was no obstruction.
The familiar sensation of spatial distortion returned, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by a sudden burst of light.
Looking around, he saw a bright moon illuminating verdant Spirit Fields.
In a flash, Han Yi knew exactly where he had arrived.
The Luo Clan Spirit Field, just as it had been three years prior.
Han Yi turned to look behind him. The faint crimson glow had rapidly shrunk into a tiny point of light and dissipated.
He opened his palm. A black token lay silently there, showing no trace of its miraculous origins. It was as if the past three years had been nothing more than a dream—a perilous yet fantastical dream.
But Han Yi knew that everything he had experienced in that mysterious realm had been real. The Proficiency Panel never lied.
Lifespan: 38/135
Cultivation Realm: Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement (8/100)
He had spent over three years: nearly half a month of initial trials, two and a half years of cultivation, three months stabilizing his foundation, and half a year refining the Golden Light Shuttle.
In exchange, he had become the Lord of the Immortal Manor in that mysterious realm and advanced his cultivation realm. By any measure, Han Yi hadn't lost anything; he had gained immensely.
However, he had no desire to walk that perilous tightrope again. He could advance his cultivation just as easily in the outside world, and the purpose of that inexplicably bestowed title of Lord of the Immortal Manor remained unclear.
Mystery and the unknown often spelled trouble.
And Han Yi feared nothing more than trouble.
Han Yi had originally intended to discard the black token, but his hand paused mid-swing. After a moment's thought, he tucked it away.
Then, he swiftly vanished from the spot, found a secluded place, and sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate his breathing. By dawn, he had slipped out of the Spirit Field, bypassed Daofu City entirely, and was hurrying toward Tong City.
To his surprise, he encountered Zhao Li, the cold-blooded youth from the Heaven's Will Sect, again along the way. This time, however, Zhao Li appeared disheveled, his usual icy demeanor shattered. He was fleeing for his life.
Han Yi immediately turned to leave. He wanted nothing to do with Zhao Li's troubles.
"Fellow Daoist Han, please wait!" Zhao Li called out. "Robber Cultivators are pursuing me! I urgently need your help to eliminate them!"
"Before my Master descended the mountain, he warned me of an impending tribulation that would ultimately turn into good fortune. He said this fortune would come from meeting a cultivator with a lower Cultivation Realm but greater strength than my own. This prophecy must be about you, Fellow Daoist Han!"
Hearing this, Han Yi quickened his pace. I wouldn't believe him even if he swore on every punctuation mark!
Just then, another group of Robber Cultivators emerged from ahead, surrounding Han Yi and mistaking him for Zhao Li's accomplice. Activating their Magic Artifacts, they conjured massive, razor-sharp wind blades that tore through space and hurtled toward him.
Without a second thought, Han Yi raised his hand and struck with his sword.
Even as the sonic boom erupted, the Chengying Sword flashed, cleaving through the wind blades and bisecting a cauldron-shaped Magic Artifact suspended in mid-air, along with the cultivator operating it.
Chengying returned to its sheath, and Han Yi moved like the wind. At that moment, his Light Body Technique, perfected at 99/100, officially broke through to the next level:
Light Body Technique (Peak Mastery 1/100)
With his Peak Mastery Light Body Technique, Han Yi's single stride spanned two hundred meters.
In the blink of an eye, his seemingly slow steps carried him a dozen strides, instantly leaving behind both Zhao Li of the Heaven's Will Sect and the Robber Cultivators surrounding him.
This time, Han Yi truly felt that the direct route from Daofu City to Tong City was ill-fated for him.
He had no choice but to take a slightly longer route. After the detour, his journey proceeded smoothly, and he finally arrived in Tong City.
Upon reaching Tong City, he located the Profound Fire Pill Shop, revealed his Inner Sect Disciple status, inquired about the Immortal Ship's schedule, paid the fare, boarded the ship, and set sail without further incident.
Ten days later, Han Yi gazed at the Profound Pill Mountain Range looming before him, his heart stirred with a complex mix of emotions.
This was the longest he had ever been away from the Profound Pill Sect.
He had initially planned for a two-month trip down the mountain, but it had unexpectedly stretched into over three years.
So much had transpired during Han Yi's absence: the Luo Clan Spirit Field incident, Luo Yunzhou's death, ambushes by robber cultivators, a mysterious realm, Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivators, the Lord of the Immortal Manor...
Han Yi refocused his thoughts on the challenges that lay ahead.
According to the Sect's New Policy, Inner Sect disciples were required to participate in three Combat Arena matches annually, a requirement he had yet to fulfill. Combat Merit Points were assessed every three years, and those with fewer than ten points would be demoted to the Outer Peaks—another requirement he had not met.
Having been away from the Sect for over three years, Han Yi assumed his courtyard had likely been confiscated.
But none of that mattered. He had now reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement. Based on his assessment of his own strength, killing Eighth Layer cultivators would be as easy as slaughtering chickens or dogs. Against Ninth Layer cultivators, he could dispatch them effortlessly, provided they weren't at their peak. Even facing Peak Qi Refinement experts, he could hold his own, though the outcome remained uncertain.
As for Legendary Qi Refining cultivators like Han Xuxiao, who could withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment experts, Han Yi admitted he was slightly inferior. But even if defeated, he could retreat with composure.
In essence, within the Qi Refining Stage, Han Yi feared no one. Unleashing his full power, securing a spot within the top thirty of the Earth Ranking should be no problem.
These top thirty contenders were not the same Profound Pill Sect disciples from a decade ago. They were formidable Peak Qi Refinement cultivators who had honed their combat prowess through trials like the Demon Cave, battles with the Blood God Sect, and the Cave Heaven Trial.