Chapter 141

Upon seeing this "Flight Talisman," the black-haired man and the stall owner both showed surprise, and their gaze toward Han Li became much more serious—after all, someone who possessed a high-grade talisman could hardly be an ordinary person.

"Fine, I'll trade!" The black-haired man was straightforward; how could one pass up a deal so clearly in one's favor?

"But before that, I'd like to test your claim that this fragment doesn't hinder the object beneath it from absorbing spiritual energy from outside. If true, I'll exchange immediately. If false, I won't risk losing value for this item!" Han Li said calmly.

The black-haired man initially froze at Han Li's words, but after understanding their meaning, he laughed.

"Every word I said about this item is true. Feel free to test it!" the black-haired man said with full confidence.

Han Li, hearing this, made no pretense—he pulled a vessel shaped like a wine cup from his body, placed it on the ground, then draped the "cloth" over it. When the cup vanished beneath the cloth, Han Li extended a finger, condensing a tiny white speck of spiritual energy at its tip, and gently pressed it downward. The light speck slowly disappeared, as if swallowed whole.

Seeing this, Han Li's face broke into a smile. He lightly grasped the "cloth," lifting it into his hand—the wine cup reappeared, and inside it floated the very light speck that had vanished moments before.

"Excellent! Your words were indeed true. I'll take this artifact fragment—the Flight Talisman is yours!" Han Li slipped the "cloth" into his sleeve and tucked it away, then bowed to the black-haired man.

"Good! You're a man of action!" The black-haired man beamed, bent down, seized the Flight Talisman, and examined it repeatedly, turning it over and over until he confirmed it was genuine, then smiled warmly.

Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing, turning to push through the crowd—but before he had taken more than a few steps, a chorus of murmurs rose from behind him.

"This guy's an idiot! He traded a high-grade talisman for such a useless scrap!"

"Exactly! This fragment's so tiny—what use could it possibly have? This exchange is worthless!"

"Don't say that—he might have some hidden use for it!"

…

Hearing these remarks, Han Li silently sneered. "How could these cultivators know how vital this item is to me?"

"Brother, wait up! Hold on a moment!" Han Li hadn't gone far when a voice suddenly called from behind, followed by hurried footsteps approaching.

Han Li was startled—was he being called? He turned around involuntarily.

There, not far off, a man was sprinting toward him, drenched in sweat, still shouting as he ran—it was the round-faced youth who had nearly caused a major incident.

Han Li blinked, curious, and stopped in place. He wondered what this eccentric fellow could possibly want, chasing him so desperately.

"Brother! I finally caught up with you!" The youth panted heavily as he reached him.

"Brother, what do you want?" Han Li glanced at him, puzzled.

"Take this! It's my thanks for your help!" Without another word, the youth shoved a small booklet into Han Li's hand and then shyly ran off.

Han Li paused in surprise, then smiled. It was unexpected to find such a simple-hearted cultivator. He didn't chase after him, but instead looked down at the object in his hand.

The booklet was titled "Qingxi's Notes"—it didn't resemble a cultivation technique. Han Li, mildly intrigued, flipped through a few pages.

It was a miscellaneous record compiled by a former cultivator from Yue State, "Qingxi True Person," who disliked cultivation and preferred wandering, documenting obscure legends and tales he had heard—some pages even contained vividly drawn illustrations. Though Han Li read only a little, he became quite interested and tucked the booklet into his robe.

Afterward, Han Li encountered nothing else remarkable and, finding the market dull, returned to his lodging. In his room, he lay on his bed and carefully examined "Qingxi's Notes."

The book recounted events either from Qingxi's own experiences or from hearsay, but all were strange, bizarre, and rare tales—even some secrets never disclosed by cultivation families, unknown how Qingxi had learned them.

Han Li read with great interest, but when he turned to the last few pages, he saw seven distinct emblem-like patterns, and beneath them, a few lines of text:

"Shengxian Token," crafted by the Seven Great Sects of Yue State. Awarded by each cultivation sect to cultivation families who rendered great service. Whoever carries the token and approaches the issuing sect gains the same status as the final victor of the Shengxian Assembly: granted a Foundation Establishment Pill and admission into the sect. Yet this token has always remained within cultivation families, inaccessible to ordinary cultivators; thus, its appearance here is merely an artist's rendering based on rumor.

Finally, Qingxi True Person added, in smaller script: This token may be transferred or traded among cultivation families, and its origins stretch back to ancient times—thus, the issuing sects recognize the token, not the bearer! Whoever carries it may ascend in one step—a truly reverse-heavenly artifact for low-level cultivators!

After reading the text and studying the seven illustrations, Han Li felt his mouth go dry and his heart pound violently.

When Han Li first heard the term "Shengxian Assembly," he had vaguely connected it to the strange token he'd obtained from the dwarf—the token bore the characters "Shengxian" on one side, making him suspect some link between the two.

But later, after hearing others describe the Shengxian Assembly in detail, he heard not a single mention of the Shengxian Token, so he dismissed it as coincidence and forgot about it. Yet now, in this chance-acquired booklet, he had learned its origin and true purpose—and its power was immense!

Han Li grew more excited by the thought, frantically rummaging through his belongings to retrieve the dark, grimy token, then urgently comparing it to the illustrations to find the matching one.

"This Shengxian Token was issued by Huang Feng Valley!" Han Li murmured, stroking the token.

"But how did such a valuable item fall into the hands of Jin Guang True Person, a lowly cultivator?" Han Li, now calmer, grew puzzled.

In fact, the dwarf had indeed been the original owner of this token.

In the past, Qin Ye Ridge was home not only to the Ye family but also to the Qin family, whose renown rivaled the Ye family's. The two families, bound by marriage, had maintained decent relations.

This Shengxian Token had been passed down through generations of the Qin family. They never used it, for they could never find a cultivation prodigy worthy of it—so they preferred to preserve it rather than waste such a treasure.

But after many generations, the Qin family's male line dwindled, and they gradually declined. Meanwhile, the Ye family flourished, growing ever stronger—until the cultivation world knew only of the Ye family of Qin Ye Ridge, and had forgotten the Qin family entirely.

By the time of Jin Guang True Person, the Qin family had only him left as its sole male heir—and his talent was abysmal, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment. With such a vast disparity in strength between the two families, and their marital ties long faded, the Ye family finally turned their eyes to the Qin family's ancestral treasures—and the Shengxian Token was their prime target.

Though Jin Guang True Person had no cultivation talent, his ability to read people was sharp, and his cowardice profound. When the Ye family began plotting, the dwarf, warned in advance, fled immediately with the Shengxian Token and the talisman bearing the small sword. The remaining treasures, sealed by barriers, he could not retrieve in time, so he reluctantly abandoned them to the Ye family.

Thus, Jin Guang True Person fled for over a decade, hiding in a remote monastery in the barbarian lands, using his shallow magic to beg for food and drink, living in careless ease. Over time, his desire to use the Shengxian Token faded—he reasoned that even if he took a Foundation Establishment Pill, he could never reach Foundation Establishment. Why then endure the hardship of becoming a lowly disciple in a great sect?

Thus, during the siege of Qi Xuan Sect, this Shengxian Token fell into Han Li's hands.

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