Chapter 128

"Brother, which sect are you from?" The boy, having finished gazing at the mist before him, seemed to remember something and turned to ask.

During his casual chat with the boy, Han Li had learned that beyond the various immortal sects and cultivation families, there were also many cultivators who practiced alone.

These so-called lone cultivators were mostly descendants of fallen cultivation families, or ordinary people like Han Li who had accidentally acquired certain cultivation techniques and entered the immortal world on their own, or heirs of small sects on the verge of extinction. Most of these lone cultivators had low cultivation bases, usually stuck at the Qi Refining stage, and were generally looked down upon by cultivation families—much like wealthy commoners despised impoverished, ruined households.

"I'm not from any family—I've always cultivated on my own!" Han Li thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. After all, pretending to belong to another family was too easy to expose.

"You're a lone cultivator!" The boy was surprised, but his face showed no trace of disdain; instead, he looked delighted.

He excitedly circled Han Li once, examining him as if he were some rare curiosity.

"Didn't you just say cultivation families look down on lone cultivators? Why are you so happy?" Han Li asked, startled.

"They're them, don't lump us Wan family in with other cultivation families! Our family has always been friendly with lone cultivators!" The boy sneered proudly. Clearly, he took great pride in his family's ways.

"Our Wan ancestors were originally lone cultivators themselves, but later lucked into joining an immortal sect and became official disciples of the Great Sword Gate—that's how our Wan family came to be. So our family's ancestral code has always forbidden discrimination against lone cultivators." The boy grinned.

"It's not just our Wan family—some other families also had lone cultivators among their ancestors, so they hold no ill will toward them either. But these families are too few among all cultivation families, which is why people say cultivation families look down on lone cultivators." The boy shook his head, speaking with a self-satisfied air.

"I see! Then I must be quite lucky—I met someone like you, little brother, on my very first try." Han Li understood the boy's words, and his earlier wariness toward the boy, now that he knew Han Li was a lone cultivator, eased somewhat.

"But brother, you've asked so many questions about things everyone in the immortal world knows—aren't you a newcomer just out of the mountains?" The boy's eyes flickered, and suddenly he seemed to have grown clever, speaking with a tone of sudden realization.

Han Li smiled faintly, patted the boy's shoulder, and said apologetically, "I didn't mean to deceive you, little brother—I've only just entered the immortal world and was a bit cautious."

"No problem, I don't mind! But big brother, you should tell me your name now. And from now on, just call me Xiao Shan." Wan Xiao Shan clearly had a naturally outgoing personality, speaking with complete nonchalance.

"Heh! I'm Han Li, and I've only just entered the immortal world—I hope you'll look out for me, little brother!" Han Li's fondness for Wan Xiao Shan deepened, and his tone grew much more amiable.

"No problem! Big brother Han, ask me anything you don't understand—heehee! Who'd have thought I, Wan Xiao Shan, would actually get to teach someone else?" Wan Xiao Shan spoke with great self-importance.

"I'll certainly ask you for advice, little Shan. But shouldn't we enter the valley now?" Han Li pointed to the sky and smiled slightly.

"Oh no! I nearly forgot the main purpose!" Wan Xiao Shan glanced up at the sky where Han Li pointed and immediately began flustered shouting.

The boy fumbled in his robes for a long while before finally pulling out a talisman.

He waved it in his hand, muttered a few low incantations, then tossed it into the air—it turned into a streak of fire and vanished into the mist.

"Big brother Han, wait a moment—this Voice-Transmission Talisman will reach the valley soon, and those inside will open the formation to welcome us." The boy noticed Han Li staring at where the fire had disappeared and explained.

"Oh." Han Li nodded, understanding.

"Big brother, you must have brought plenty of items to trade, right? Tell me what you've got—I'd love to hear! Don't be shy—I'll go first!"

"I've got a set of low-grade blank talismans, two low-grade Invisibility Talismans, two low-grade Earth-Dart Talismans, one mid-grade Chain Lightning Talisman, a dozen low-grade Ice Bullet Talismans, one piece of iron mother, one bottle of low-grade cinnabar, a bundle of whiskers from a three-tailed beast-cat, and medicinal herbs…" Wan Xiao Shan, completely oblivious to Han Li's stunned silence, rattled off a long list while counting on his fingers.

"Alright, now it's your turn, Big Brother! Hey, why are you so pale? You…?" The boy blinked, confused, staring at Han Li.

"Do you have to bring items to enter the Tainan Valley?" Han Li's face was grim.

"No such rule exists!" Wan Xiao Shan answered bluntly.

Hearing this, Han Li's expression immediately improved.

"But if you're coming to the Tainan Valley now, you're clearly here for the Tainan Small Gathering—who wouldn't bring something? It's a trading fair held once every five years, specifically for our Lanzhou juniors! Especially this year, the Immortal Ascension Assembly will be held in our Lanzhou a month from now, so even more people will come here to attend the Tainan Small Gathering. Big brother, you're not here because you heard about the Tainan Small Gathering?" The boy spoke rapidly, staring at Han Li with disbelief.

Han Li gave a bitter smile.

"Little brother, I truly didn't know there was a Tainan Small Gathering here—I only heard this place had other cultivators living here, so I came hoping to make some connections. I never prepared anything special." Han Li spread his hands helplessly.

"Oh, I see! That's too bad—Big Brother Han will miss this golden opportunity. Opportunities to obtain the materials you lack don't come often." Wan Xiao Shan looked deeply regretful, sighing repeatedly for Han Li.

"Still, I can't say I have absolutely nothing to trade—I still have two talismans, at least." Han Li thought bitterly to himself.

Suddenly, the thick mist before Han Li and the boy began to churn, then split open as if sliced by a blade, revealing a narrow path wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The other end of the path stretched far into the distance, seemingly endless.

"Alright, let's go!" The boy grinned at Han Li, made a silly face, and dashed eagerly into the path, vanishing from sight.

Han Li, however, studied the path coldly for a moment before stepping forward steadily, calm and unhurried.

The path appeared long, but after only a short while, they reached its end.

As Han Li stepped out of the path's mouth, his vision suddenly brightened—a green valley filled with strange flowers and rare herbs appeared before him. The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only the slope he had entered through, now sealed by mist, as its sole exit.

The entire area was vast, covering over a hundred mu, and at its center stood a cluster of palatial pavilions with carved railings and jade steps, where people dressed in strange robes came and went.

In front of the pavilions lay a broad square paved with blue bricks, where many people had set up small stalls along the edges, like street vendors. Occasionally, one or two people would push through the crowd to glance at a stall or whisper a question—but Han Li saw few actual transactions take place.

Seeing this, Han Li took a deep breath. This was the immortal world—everyone here was a cultivator. Seeing so many cultivators at once still left him slightly dazed.

Han Li shook his head lightly to clear it. He reminded himself constantly: he had entered a world beyond imagination, where anyone here could easily kill him—he must be cautious and keep a low profile.

Thinking this, Han Li glanced back at the path now completely vanished behind him, then stepped forward into the square.

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