Profound Immortal Pavilion, fourth floor.
Liu Ruyan handed Han Yi a gilded invitation card. When he opened it, he found the card made of an unknown material, warm to the touch.
The message was simple: Heaven's Will Sect disciple Han Yi was invited to the Heavenly Secrets Grand Feast at Star River Garden, issued by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
Han Yi frowned slightly as he examined the card.
"The Heavenly Secrets Grand Feast..." he murmured. "First, how did the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion know I was here? More specifically, how did they know it was Han Yi of the Heaven's Will Sect, rather than Han Yi of the Profound Pill Sect?"
Liu Ruyan smiled and pointed to the invitation card. "This was Uncle-Master Qin's arrangement."
"Oh?" Han Yi looked up at her.
Liu Ruyan hailed from Black Tortoise Peak. After reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she had been stationed in the Great Qian Immortal Capital, returning to the Profound Pill Sect only during the Profound Pill Death Tribulation. Han Yi had seen her once in the Elder Council Hall.
As a female cultivator, Liu Ruyan's appearance was unremarkable, merely average. However, Han Yi sensed a powerful aura of a capable woman about her—one ideally suited for administrative roles. The sect's leadership had clearly recognized her potential and placed her in a fitting position.
Noticing Han Yi's confusion, Liu Ruyan said, "Junior Brother Han, please be patient and let me explain."
"Two years ago, at the Great Qian Emperor's birthday celebration, Junior Brother Han attended as a disciple of the Heaven's Will Sect and received the Emperor's favor. The name Han Yi of the Heaven's Will Sect became widely known."
"However, few people are aware of Han Yi of the Profound Pill Sect. Uncle-Master Qin registered your name with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion precisely to give you an opportunity to formally establish your true identity."
"At the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly, you will enter as a disciple of the Heaven's Will Sect but depart as an Elder of the Profound Pill Sect. This will sever your ties with the Heaven's Will Sect, which can only benefit you without any drawbacks."
"Moreover, this explanation will also serve as excellent publicity for our Profound Immortal Pavilion, enhancing our reputation and achieving multiple goals simultaneously. It's a win-win situation."
Han Yi's brow remained furrowed. "Is Uncle-Master Qin still at the pavilion?"
Liu Ruyan shook her head. "Uncle-Master Qin left over three months ago. I've been managing the pavilion ever since."
"Recently, a mysterious force has been targeting the Profound Immortal Pavilion. Although there haven't been any disturbances, sales of medicinal pills and magic artifacts have been unusually low. I received intelligence from the Black Market that multiple factions are planning to attack us."
As she spoke, a fleeting but fierce murderous intent flashed in Liu Ruyan's eyes, sharp as a needle. It vanished in an instant, but Han Yi's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
This Senior Sister manages the vast Profound Immortal Pavilion, likely the largest branch in Great Qian. She must have more than a few tricks up her sleeve.
"Junior Brother Han, the Profound Immortal Pavilion is facing difficulties and urgently needs your help to suppress the troublemakers and sound the alarm."
"You see..."
With Liu Ruyan pleading so earnestly, Han Yi couldn't refuse, especially since it was also Qin Wuxian's request.
He had been in Great Qian for a year, during which Qin Wuxian had kept his promise not to disturb him. After hearing Liu Ruyan's explanation, declining to help now would be unreasonable.
"Very well, Senior Sister Liu, rest assured. I will attend the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly."
Liu Ruyan's expression brightened instantly. She summoned Han Yi to sit, served him Immortal tea, and Han Yi's eyes flickered—it was still Immortal's Drunkenness, a high-quality tea used by both Zhou Su and Shangguan Yun.
This tea was purchased by the Sect, not Liu Ruyan's personal stash.
Han Yi didn't stand on ceremony, gulping down several cups. As Liu Ruyan refilled his cup, she explained the details of the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly. Han Yi asked probing questions, and Liu Ruyan answered them all without hesitation.
After a while, Han Yi departed, but not before snatching a large pot of Immortal's Drunkenness, making Liu Ruyan's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
Leaving the Profound Immortal Pavilion, Han Yi returned to the rear courtyard of his residence. This time, instead of secluding himself to advance his cultivation realm, he began practicing the Wind Wall Technique.
During his year in Qian Capital, Han Yi dedicated half his time to advancing his cultivation realm and the other half to honing his skills, particularly the Wind Wall Technique, Fire Shield Technique, and Li Fire Sword Manual.
In his meditation chamber, countless minute wind formations, barely perceptible to the eye, swirled before Han Yi. These formations began to coalesce, and within moments, they merged into a massive, towering wind wall.
The transformation from wind formations to a wind wall exemplified how quantitative change could lead to qualitative transformation. As more wind formations merged, the wind wall's volume expanded exponentially.
Once the wind wall reached a critical mass, Han Yi mentally commanded it to compress inward, squeezing relentlessly until it reached its limit.
This process of compression was nothing new; it had been a constant feature of his Wind Wall Technique training. He had lost count of how many cycles of compression he had endured.
Suddenly, the overcompressed wind wall shuddered violently, as if shattering some invisible barrier. Its compression speed surged exponentially, condensing in an instant into a wind shield barely over two meters tall.
Most crucially, this wind shield was no longer translucent like its predecessors. For the first time, it possessed a distinct color: a pale cyan hue.
This pale cyan wind shield no longer appeared ethereal and diffuse. Instead, it seemed to possess genuine substance, resembling a solid, pale cyan shield.
Han Yi's heart surged with joy.
This phenomenon had occurred once before, shortly after his breakthrough with the Fire Shield Technique.
Its meaning was crystal clear.
Han Yi glanced at the pale crimson Proficiency Panel before him, where several new changes had appeared.
Name: Han Yi
Lifespan: 61/260
Cultivation Realm: Late Foundation Establishment (17/100)
Cultivation Technique: Great Sun Divine Gang (Proficiency 78/100)
Skills:
Sword Control Technique (Return to Simplicity 19/100)
Light Body Technique (Return to Simplicity 14/100)
Fire Shield Technique (Return to Simplicity 9/100)
Wind Wall Technique (Return to Simplicity 1/100)
Spirit Void Finger (Peak Perfection 78/100)
Ninefold Soul Tower (Peak Perfection 96/100)
Li Fire Sword Manual (Peak Perfection 79/100)
"Excellent! The Wind Wall Technique has finally reached the Return to Simplicity stage!"
Han Yi Xin's heart surged with joy.
This had been his plan. For the past year, he had dedicated eighty percent of his time to cultivating these two defensive spells. The Fire Shield Technique had progressed to 97/100 and broke through in just two months. The Wind Wall Technique lagged slightly behind, but after a year of dedicated effort, it too had finally ascended to a new level.
With a thought, Han Yi Xin channeled his mana into the pale cyan wind shield floating before him, slowly condensing a second layer: a fiery red shield imbued with the Fire Attribute.
However...
The shield formed by the Fire Shield Technique was now vastly different from its previous iteration. Fully materialized, it appeared visually identical to a genuine Magic Artifact.
The pale cyan artifact and the fiery red artifact began to draw closer.
Bang!
The moment they touched, both shields trembled violently, dissolving into scattered Spirit Energy. A sudden gale erupted within the meditation chamber, swirling sparks of fire.
Han Yi Xin gently pressed his palm downward, suppressing the chaotic wind and fire, which gradually dissipated.
"This won't work. Now that the shields have fully materialized, they're too stable to fuse properly."
"What should I do?"
Han Yi frowned.
Previously, the shields conjured by the Fire Shield Technique and Wind Wall Technique had been semi-ethereal, easily stackable layer upon layer.
But now, both spells had reached the Return to Simplicity realm, and the shields formed from his mana had materialized into solid entities.
Continuing to layer them would still work, of course, but the defensive power would remain fragmented, far inferior to the strength of a unified shield.
Of course, this was merely Han Yi's hypothesis, but based on his calculations, it had over a fifty percent chance of success.
Suddenly, Han Yi's eyes lit up with inspiration.
He extended one hand and conjured a misty Fire Shield Technique. At this stage, the shield was still unformed, existing as a cloud of fiery mist.
Then, with his other hand, he began casting the Wind Wall Technique. Similarly, instead of immediately forming a shield, the wind materialized as the initial configuration of a wind formation.
Next, using his divine sense, he guided an infinitesimally fine wind formation into the fiery mist, his powerful divine sense constantly monitoring the mist's stability.
A single wind formation posed no problem.
Han Yi continued to guide additional wind formations into the fire mist, gradually permeating the fiery cloud.
As more wind formations were added, the fire mist began to destabilize. However, under Han Yi's Divine Sense control, the unstable mist gradually stabilized once more.
"It's working!" Han Yi thought, his heart leaping with joy. He continued the fusion process, layer upon layer, until the wind formations, now capable of coalescing into a wind wall, were dismantled and completely integrated into the fire mist.
By this point, the fire mist had expanded, but its volume had not quite doubled, exceeding its original size by slightly more than half. This indicated that a portion of the wind formations and fire mist had genuinely fused. Han Yi's Divine Sense confirmed this observation.
"Now comes the crucial step."
Han Yi gradually amplified both his Mana and Divine Sense, exerting dual pressure that deepened the fusion between the wind formations and the fire mist.
As the pressure intensified, the fiery red fire mist began to change color. It gradually darkened, eventually transitioning into a faint black hue. With the reduction in volume, this pale blackness began to spread across the protective shield.
Until it was completely black.
The next moment...
Bang!
The black shield suddenly exploded, unleashing a violent surge of Spirit Energy that sent Han Yi flying. The blast erupted in all directions, collapsing buildings and sending shockwaves soaring into the sky, alerting other cultivators in the encampment.
"Haha! Success! I finally did it!"
Amidst the collapsed building, a figure soared skyward on his sword, erupting in wild laughter.
"It's Elder Han!"
"I heard he's an ascetic cultivator."
"I've been here for almost half a year and haven't seen him once."
"Could Elder Han have suffered a cultivation deviation and gone mad?"
"Shush! Elder Han is a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. How could he possibly suffer a cultivation deviation?"
"Still, this does look a lot like cultivation deviation..."
"Elder Han is the strongest combatant in our sect besides the Supreme Elder. We can't afford for anything to happen to him!"
Within the sect, Inner and Outer Sect disciples brought from the Profound Pill Sect watched Han Yi's skyward ascent and maniacal laughter with growing concern. They worried that their sect's most powerful elder had gone insane from his cultivation.
Han Yi flicked out a cleansing talisman, a low-grade First-Tier Spirit Talisman—the lowest of the low. He occasionally visited the sect's Profound Immortal Pavilion to stock up on practical talismans, hoarding both First-Tier and Second-Tier ones for emergencies.
As the talisman landed on him, the fine black stains from his explosive experiment instantly vanished, leaving him refreshed and renewed.
He ceased his descent, summoned his Immortal Boat, and set course for the Seventh Layer Immortal Court.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was a unique sect. Unlike most, its headquarters wasn't located outside the Qian Capital, but within the city itself.
The Star River Garden, within the Fourth Layer Immortal Court of the Great Qian Immortal Capital, served as the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's headquarters.
The Great Qian Immortal Capital's geographical divisions, established under its New Policy, mirrored those of the Shu Capital—or rather, the former drew inspiration from the latter, whose history far predated Qian's.
Apart from its outer districts, the Great Qian Immortal Capital comprised nine layers of Immortal Courts within the Immortal City. The Ninth to Fourth Layers were subdivided into avenues, districts, streets, and wards, similar to the Shu Capital.
However, within the Fourth Layer Immortal Court of the Qian Capital, there existed a special regional designation: the Garden.
The Star River Garden, Eternal Joy Garden, Longevity Garden, Heavenly Mansion Garden... each "Garden" was a self-contained and exclusive domain.
For example, two years prior, when the Great Qian Emperor celebrated his two-thousandth birthday, the Eternal Joy Garden in the Fourth Layer Immortal Court hosted the visiting Nascent Soul Great Sects who attended the grand festivities.
Another instance: the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the only sect based within the Qian Capital, maintained its headquarters within the Star River Garden.
Han Yi boarded an Immortal Boat, heading not directly to the Seventh Layer Immortal Court, but to Ding'an Ward in the Eighth Heaven Immortal Court, where the Flying Immortal Pavilion maintained an outpost.
Having learned from past experiences, Han Yi first used a Disguise Technique to alter his appearance before disembarking, transforming his features into those of his former self from Earth. He suppressed his aura to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage and presented his Myriad Immortals Token.
The Tower Master of the Flying Immortal Pavilion outpost recognized the token's authenticity at a glance. His face became respectful as he arranged for Han Yi to board the next Immortal Boat.
Two hours later, an Immortal Boat departed from Ding'an Ward in the Eighth Heaven Immortal Court, bound for Star River Garden in the Fourth Layer Immortal Court.
"Fellow Daoist, are you also heading to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion for the Heavenly Secrets Grand Feast?"
As Han Yi settled into a meditative posture aboard the Immortal Boat, a figure approached him. Opening his eyes, Han Yi saw a middle-aged cultivator. Using his Qi Observation Technique, he sensed the man's aura was at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage.
However, since Han Yi himself was disguised, others might be as well, making aura readings unreliable.
"Oh, are you attending as well, Fellow Daoist?" Han Yi asked, his expression shifting slightly.
The middle-aged cultivator, Dou Yu from Luo Xia Mountain in Taiyi Workshop of the Eighth Heaven Immortal Court, smiled, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, I presume you're here to try your luck at joining the retinue of one of the Heaven's Chosen?"
Luo Xia Mountain was an Immortal Mountain where Rogue Cultivators gathered, located within Taiyi Workshop in the Eighth Heaven Immortal Court.
Han Yi's gaze flickered. "Join the retinue of a Heaven's Chosen?"
Dou Yu raised an eyebrow. "You're unaware?"
"I'd be grateful for an explanation," Han Yi replied sincerely.
He truly didn't know. He had only received an invitation from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to attend the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly. Liu Ruyan had shared her knowledge, but she had never mentioned anything about "joining the retinue of a Heaven's Chosen."
"In that case, allow me to enlighten you," Dou Yu said. "The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion unveils the Qian Dragon List every ten years, the True Person List every century, and the True Monarch Ranking every millennium."
"This time, the Qian Dragon and True Person Lists are being revealed simultaneously. On the day of the announcement, the pavilion invites numerous Golden Core True Persons and Qian Dragon Prodigies to inaugurate the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly. During the assembly, not only will the invited prodigies and True Persons take the stage, but even uninvited cultivators like us will have opportunities to showcase our abilities."
"If you're fortunate enough to catch the eye of a True Person or Heaven's Chosen and be accepted as their disciple, you'll have a golden opportunity to soar to unprecedented heights."
"Even if that doesn't happen, you might still receive some guidance. At the very least, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion offers rewards—Medicinal Pills, Magic Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, and more. Past experience shows they're quite generous."
"Regardless, this Grand Assembly offers us Rogue Cultivators invaluable opportunities. We can broaden our horizons, witness the prowess of the realm's most prodigious cultivators, and rekindle our passion for cultivation."
"However, Fellow Daoist, since you seem unaware of these details, why are you heading to Star River Garden?" Dou Yu's final question carried a hint of genuine bewilderment.
Han Yi remained silent for a moment before replying slowly, "I received an invitation from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to attend the Heavenly Secrets Grand Assembly."
Dou Yu blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, are you jesting?"
"Only two types of cultivators receive invitations to this gathering: Golden Core experts already on the Ranking List or with a high likelihood of joining it in the future, and Foundation Establishment prodigies with similar prospects."
"Which category do you fall into, Fellow Daoist?" Dou Yu's words carried a hint of mockery.
Han Yi didn't mind. He smiled and replied earnestly, "I believe I belong to the second category."
Han Yi genuinely didn't know.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's Qian Dragon Ranking List was a complete mystery to the world until its official unveiling. Only the Pavilion's two True Monarchs were privy to its contents.
He suspected that even if he didn't make the list this time, he would surely qualify next time.
However, Han Yi had little interest in these matters. If he failed to secure a spot on the Qian Dragon Ranking List now, he might well ascend directly to the True Person Ranking List next time.
Within a century, Han Yi was confident he could cultivate to the late-stage Golden Core realm, or even higher.
He remembered Zuo Lie of White Jade Tower mentioning in the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven that the Tower Master had achieved Golden Core in nine years and Nascent Soul in thirty-seven years after forging a First-Grade Immortal Foundation.
Han Yi had also forged a First-Grade Immortal Foundation—a more challenging First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation at that. Even if his innate aptitude slowed his progress somewhat, he was certain he could reach the Golden Core Stage within a decade.
As for how far Han Yi could progress in the Golden Core Stage within a century, and whether he could secure a place on the True Person List, that remained to be seen.
"Hmph," Dou Yu scoffed lightly, turned on his heel, and strode away, unwilling to waste his breath on Han Yi. In his eyes, Han Yi was delusional to even dream of receiving an invitation from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
Han Yi, meanwhile, was somewhat puzzled by Dou Yu's reaction. He shook his head with a smile, unperturbed. He was unusually mild-tempered in such matters, disdaining to engage in petty displays of superiority or play the "wolf in sheep's clothing" game.
If not for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's invitation—and Qin Wuxian's message conveyed through Liu Ruyan—Han Yi might not have even left his secluded residence. He had recently gained new insights into his defensive skills and felt this was the perfect time to focus on refining them.
However, he had promised Qin Wuxian that he would occasionally contribute to the sect's affairs, a commitment he couldn't disregard.
Thus, he had come.
This time, Han Yi traveled aboard the Myriad Immortals Pavilion's massive Immortal Boat, the Qilin. This vessel belonged to the same series as the Kunpeng Immortal Boat he had used during the Demon Slaying Assembly in the Myriad Stars Sea, though the Qilin was a lower-tier model.
The journey from the Eighth Heaven Immortal Court to the Fourth Layer Immortal Court took ten full days aboard the Qilin. Along the way, they stopped at various regions to allow other cultivators to board and disembark.
Ten days later...
The Immortal Boat shuddered and gradually came to a halt.
Their final destination, Star River Garden, had been reached.