Moments later, Han Yi ascended Azure Dragon Peak and approached his courtyard.
To his surprise, the courtyard still belonged to him. Activating his divine sense, he opened the gate and stepped inside.
The courtyard looked exactly as it had over three years ago.
Who could have intervened to preserve my courtyard? Han Yi wondered.
His first thought naturally turned to Yuan Shun, Sect Leader of the Profound Pill Sect. Yuan Shun had sought him out several times before and likely suspected Han Yi was concealing his true strength, though he had never exposed him.
His second thought was Bai Wanqing, Luo Yunzhou's Master. She must have learned of Luo Yunzhou's death in Daofu City. Since Luo Yunzhou had left the mountain with Han Yi, Bai Wanqing might have investigated Han Yi's disappearance and intervened to preserve his courtyard. While this possibility seemed remote, it couldn't be entirely dismissed.
The third possibility was some unforeseen change in the Earth Ranking, such as a policy shift.
Regardless, Han Yi was relieved to find his courtyard still intact.
After tidying up briefly, he placed the black Immortal Manor Token in a jade box and concealed it in a secluded corner of the courtyard's meditation chamber before heading to Azure Dragon Palace.
Both reason and sentiment compelled Han Yi to visit Bai Wanqing immediately.
The second time he saw her, Bai Wanqing was as breathtaking as ever. Her eyes sparkled with vitality, her silver hair was coiled into an elegant bun, and her facial features were utterly stunning.
This time, however, she stood at the railing of a hall in the Azure Dragon Palace, gazing out at the sea of clouds. During their initial meeting, Bai Wanqing had remained seated.
Han Yi stole a glance at her. Bai Wanqing was slightly shorter than Chu Jinmo, probably around 1.68 meters tall. Her fitted dark robes accentuated a figure as striking as her face, perhaps even more so than Yan Ru's.
"I learned of Yunzhou's death three years ago," Bai Wanqing said, her voice tinged with sorrow. She had nearly ten disciples, each sharing a genuine master-disciple bond with her. By the broader definition of Dao Companion, this relationship included masters and disciples, making her grief over Luo Yunzhou's passing inevitable.
"But where have you been for the past three years?" Bai Wanqing asked casually, without turning her head.
Han Yi bowed respectfully. "This disciple was trapped within a Formation Arts array for over three years. I only recently broke through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, allowing me to escape."
Han Yi didn't reveal the full extent of his mysterious experience, simply stating that he had been trapped in a Formation Arts array.
Bai Wanqing nodded. When Luo Yunzhou's soul lamp in the Profound Pill Sect had extinguished, signaling his death, she had traveled to Daofu City to investigate. However, she discovered that Han Yi had vanished, and even with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, she couldn't trace him. Returning to the Sect, she inquired about the location of the soul lamps for Inner Sect Disciples. Upon learning that Han Yi's lamp remained lit, she surmised that he might have either encountered an Immortal Opportunity or become trapped somewhere.
Regardless, Han Yi was still alive.
"May I ask, Elder Bai," Han Yi inquired, "did you personally ensure my courtyard was preserved?"
Bai Wanqing nodded. "While the Sect has implemented new policies, we still maintain the courtyards of disciples who have gone missing or face potential danger, as long as their soul lamps remain lit."
As expected, Han Yi thought, his suspicions confirmed.
He clasped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Elder Bai."
Bai Wanqing waved dismissively. "I merely reported your status. I took no real action, so there's no need for thanks."
"By the way," she added, "your cultivation progress is impressive. The Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings have undergone significant changes in recent years, with many fascinating new developments. You should pay close attention when you have the time."
"Exclusive secluded cultivation is not advisable," his master said. "Go now."
Han Yi thanked him and withdrew from Azure Dragon Palace, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Even Bai Wanqing was closely following the changes in the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings. It seemed he had truly missed a great deal during his three years of seclusion.
Intrigued, he made his way to Combat Peak.
When he arrived, Han Yi almost didn't recognize the place.
Combat Peak was no longer the same as it had been three years ago. Its area had more than tripled in size—moving mountains was child's play for cultivators. Instead of the single Combat Arena that had once stood atop the peak, there were now three, arranged in a triangular formation.
Three matches were underway in the Combat Arenas.
Below the arenas, hundreds of cultivators watched and learned.
Surrounding the arenas was a dense cluster of buildings and pavilions, housing everything from Profound Fire and Profound Immortal Pill Shops to the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild, whose signboard hung prominently on one of the pavilions.
At the entrance to Combat Peak stood three towering plaques:
Heavenly Ranking
Earth Ranking
Human Ranking
Heavenly Ranking
First Place: Azure Dragon Peak, Fire Phoenix Daoist
Second Place: Vermilion Bird Peak, Lin Ya
Heavenly Ranking: 39th Place, Azure Dragon Peak, Bai Wanqing.
!
Heavenly Ranking: 69th Place, Golden Court Peak, You Wu.
Han Yi studied the Heavenly Ranking, noting that it listed only the rank, Inner Peak affiliation, and name of each cultivator, without any further details.
The ranking comprised eighty-three individuals, likely encompassing all Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators within the Profound Pill Sect.
He was particularly struck by You Wu, the cultivator who had challenged numerous Peak Qi Refining Stage cultivators single-handedly over three years prior. Now, having advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage and securing 69th place on the Heavenly Ranking, his progress was truly remarkable.
"This ranking is remarkably clear," Han Yi mused. "All the Elders are listed here. Fire Phoenix Daoist, the number one on the Heavenly Ranking, is a legendary figure."
Next, he turned to the second ranking, the Earth Ranking.
Unlike the Heavenly Ranking, the Earth Ranking only listed the top three hundred Inner Sect disciples.
Among the top one hundred, there was only one cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, with the rest at the Ninth Layer or higher. The top three hundred included thirteen cultivators at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement.
Han Yi spotted a familiar name at 28th place: He Fengdi. Further down, at 278th place, he found Yan Ru's name.
Finally, he examined the Human Ranking, which also listed the top three hundred cultivators. Several familiar names appeared here, but Zheng Hai's name was conspicuously absent.
After reviewing the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings, Han Yi approached the Combat Arenas. Of the three arenas, only two were currently occupied by combatants. In the third, an Outer Sect disciple in a gray robe sat cross-legged, awaiting a challenger.
Compared to three years ago, Combat Peak had undergone a complete transformation, living up to its description as being "completely renewed."
Han Yi watched two duels: one between two cultivators at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, and another between two at the Sixth Layer. Both left him impressed.
The duels had undergone a complete metamorphosis compared to those from years past.
"This fire of the New Policy burns relentlessly, growing stronger with time," Han Yi mused.
"Still, this fire has little to do with me."
Shaking his head, Han Yi turned and descended the peak. The Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings—a key component of the New Policy—he summarized with the single word "competition."
So far, this intensified competition hadn't affected him in the slightest.
Having witnessed the dramatically transformed Combat Peak, Han Yi returned to Azure Dragon Peak. Stepping into his courtyard, he retrieved over a dozen Storage Pouches.
Six of them belonged to cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. He decided to postpone removing their divine sense restrictions to avoid wasting time. These included four from the Twelve Tribulation Cultivators outside Daofu City, one from the Spirit-Body Dual Cultivator wielding a halberd at Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, and Liu Heng's Storage Pouch, which he had obtained from the Luo Clan Spirit Field in Daofu City.
The remaining pouches belonged to Eighth Layer Qi Refinement cultivators. These included one he had acquired years ago in Heavenfall City, three from the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, and eight more from the Twelve Tribulation Cultivators he had recently defeated.