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Chapter 1928 Going their separate ways
At the entrance to Tainan Valley, shrouded in mountain mist, Su Ning suddenly raised his hand to stop everyone in their tracks.

He flicked a wisp of blue light from his fingertip, creating a soundproof barrier around the four of them.

Although the Ascension Ceremony has not yet begun, the market town here still exists.

“Remember, from here on out, every word you utter could lead to your death.” Su Ning’s voice was as cold as ice. “The gray-robed cultivator who followed us for thirty miles yesterday, I found his body in the mountain stream this morning.”

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly.

He was completely unaware that he was being followed!
"The storage bag was turned inside out, and the right index finger is broken, probably from the interrogation," Li Feiyu suddenly said, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes. "The methods of the cultivation world are no different from those of the martial arts world."

Su Ning gave him an approving look: "Not bad! So from now on, we'll openly split up. Junior Brother Han will be in charge of purchasing the pill ingredients, Junior Brother Li will gather information, and Zhang Tie will pretend to be a body cultivator's bodyguard."

He then took out three jade talismans, saying, "If you encounter danger, crush them and I will sense it immediately."

Han Li took the jade talisman and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Su, what about you?"

"I'm going to take care of some personal matters." Su Ning's lips curled up slightly.

His right hand casually brushed across his waist, where the outline of a bronze token was vaguely visible.

The market in Tainan was more lively than I had imagined.

Han Li lowered his bamboo hat, carefully avoiding several arguing cultivators.

The fireball ignited in one of their hands sent a chill down Han Li's spine...

The power of this instant-cast spell was enough to obliterate him completely.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar." A clear female voice came from beside me.

Han Li turned his head and saw a girl wearing a pale yellow dress with five or six talisman pens of different shapes hanging from her waist.

"I'm new here," Han Li said, deliberately making his voice hoarse. "And you are...?"

"Han Yunzhi, a rogue cultivator from Tainan Valley." The girl smiled and handed over a talisman. "If you have any pills to sell, you might consider our stall."

Han Li's heart skipped a beat.

He did bring some pills made from spiritual herbs that had been ripened using the Palm Heaven Bottle, but how did the girl know that?
As if sensing his doubt, Han Yunzhi pointed to his sleeve: "There is a faint medicinal fragrance in your sleeve, fellow Daoist. It should be a high-quality Qi-nourishing pill. With the Ascension Conference approaching, such pills are in high demand but not available."

Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, but remained secretly on guard.

This girl has such keen observation skills; she is definitely not an ordinary merchant.

So Han Li used pills to exchange with Han Yunzhi for fragments of a magical artifact that could conceal items, which was just right to cover up the Palm Heaven Bottle.

However, since there weren't many cultivators here, neither the cultivator surnamed Lu nor Chen Qiaoqian appeared, and Han Li didn't encounter any trouble.

Han Yunzhi then caught up with Han Li and exchanged pills with him using the talisman brush Jin Zhu, which could draw talismans.

Then Han Li and the others quietly listened to the rogue cultivators discussing the basics of cultivation, and became certain that the token Su Ning obtained from Jin Guang Shangren was the Ascension Token.

Han Li felt even more grateful to Su Ning, so he willingly provided Su Ning, Li Feiyu, and Zhang Tie with pills and elixirs.

……

Half a day later, Han Li met Li Feiyu at a secluded tea stall.

Li Feiyu pulled out a small compass from his sleeve: "An interesting thing. It can measure the spiritual energy fluctuations within a radius of three miles."

"How many spirit stones?"

“I didn’t spend any money.” Li Feiyu sneered. “I got it from some idiot who tried to follow me.”

Han Li frowned: "Won't this cause trouble?"

"Don't worry, that guy should still be unconscious in the ravine." Li Feiyu suddenly lowered his voice. "But Senior Brother Su, I just saw him and Master Qingyan go into the private room."

Qingyan Zhenren?

Han Li recalled the rumors circulating that this person was a Foundation Establishment stage expert!
At dusk, the four met at the agreed-upon cave.

Zhang Tie excitedly showed off his newly acquired wrist guard: "Forged from Xuan Iron, it can withstand a spell from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator!"

"I've changed to this." Han Li took out the fragment of the magical artifact that could conceal one's aura and carefully covered the Palm Heaven Bottle with it.

The green light on the bottle disappeared instantly, and even the fluctuations of spiritual energy were completely concealed.

Suning's eyes lit up: "Great stuff!"

He then took out three handwritten booklets, “The complete Changchun Gong, which is just right for our current stage of practice.”

Han Li noticed dark red marks on the edges of the pages, like...

Bloodstains?
Before he could ask any more questions, Li Feiyu had already laid out a map: "I've found out some important information—the Ascension Tournament is divided into two types: testing spiritual roots and arena battles."

All eyes fell on the storage bag at Han Li's waist.

Han Li's heart tightened, but he still took out the bronze token.

The front of the token features the words "Ascension to Immortality" written in a flamboyant style, while the back bears a menacing sword mark.

"Master Jin Guang's token?!" Li Feiyu, now aware of the token's importance, began to breathe rapidly.

"Put it away! Don't flaunt your wealth." Su Ning said to Han Li with a nonchalant air.

"Yes, Senior Brother."

In the dead of night, Han Li quietly took out the Palm Heaven Bottle.

Under the moonlight, the drop of spiritual liquid inside the bottle had already solidified.

He carefully dripped the elixir onto a night-blooming jasmine plant, and the herb grew and blossomed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It's truly amazing." Su Ning's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Han Li tensed up, but Su Ning was just sitting cross-legged at the cave entrance, with her back to him: "Don't worry, I didn't see your technique. It's just that the fragrance of the medicine has suddenly become much stronger."

Han Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly handed over a small bottle: "Using the talisman brush and cinnabar I exchanged today, I tried to refine some Qingling Powder."

Suning took it and sniffed it, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes: "The purity is very high, 30% better than what's on the market."

He looked at Han Li meaningfully, "It seems that Junior Brother Han is exceptionally talented in the art of alchemy."

……

The next day, Han Li encountered Han Yunzhi again in the market. "Senior brother, we meet again."

"..."

The distant pavilion suddenly shook violently!
Explosions and screams could be heard outside.

"They've started fighting again." Han Yunzhi continued to count the talismans in front of the stall, seemingly unfazed. "Recently, there have been a lot of rogue cultivators trying to snatch Ascension Tokens."

Han Li's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked at Su Ning outside the door.

He stood quietly on the street corner, and no one dared to approach him within three feet.

A burly man tried to squeeze past him, but when he was about half a zhang away, his expression suddenly changed and he staggered backward.

"Senior brother, your companion... is not simple." Han Yunzhi said thoughtfully.

Han Li immediately changed the subject: "Here's a copy of 'The Complete Book of Talismans' and twenty blank talisman sheets, and this bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills for you."

"it is good."

When I left the Talisman Pavilion, there were already several charred corpses on the street.

Su Ning slid a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Han Li: "Write this down."

The jade slip records the spells and weaknesses used by each side in the chaotic battle!
Han Li was shocked to discover that Su Ning had completed such a detailed observation and analysis amidst that chaos.

"Remember how these people died." Su Ning's voice was icy. "In the world of cultivation, weakness is the original sin."

"..."

……

After Su Ning and his companions had settled into Tai Nan Valley, the once-in-a-decade Ascension Ceremony began.

A seven-colored rainbow spans the sky in the central square of Tainan Valley.

The banners of the seven major sects fluttered in the breeze formed by spiritual energy, and under each banner stood a Foundation Establishment stage deacon who commanded the respect of the rogue cultivators.

Han Li stood in the testing team, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Ascension Token in his sleeve. The cool touch reminded him of what Su Ning had said last night.

"Remember, no matter what the test results are, don't show your true emotions." Under the moonlight, Su Ning's eyes gleamed with a light that Han Li couldn't decipher. "The most dangerous thing in the cultivation world isn't demonic beasts, it's the human heart."

"Next!"

Han Li came to his senses and placed his palm on the spirit-testing tablet.

The monument was immediately illuminated by yellow, blue, red, and cyan light, which intertwined to form a chaotic glow.

"Four spiritual roots: wood, water, fire, and earth; pseudo-spiritual roots." The Huangfeng Valley disciple in charge of recording didn't even look up. "Unqualified."

A few snickers came from behind.

Han Li stepped aside with a calm expression, but his gaze secretly followed Su Ning, who was testing another team.

When Su Ning's hand touched the spirit-testing stele, five beams of light of different colors shot into the sky, forming a hazy gray mist at the top of the stele.

"Five elemental roots: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth? Even worse than four elemental roots!" someone exclaimed.

"Quiet!" A clear, cold female voice suddenly rang out from the high platform. Han Li looked up and saw a white figure standing amidst the rainbow light.

The veil concealed her face, but a single glance from her eyes, as cold as stars, silenced the entire room.

High monk.

The danger posed by the other party automatically surfaced in Han Li's mind.

He noticed that Su Ning's gaze lingered on the Core Formation female cultivator for a moment, and a faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"A mutated wood spirit root!" A sudden burst of cheers interrupted Han Li's thoughts.

On the spirit-testing stele where Li Feiyu was located, a beam of emerald light shot straight into the sky, and natural leaf-shaped patterns appeared on the stele.

The deacons of the seven major sects stood up simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with greed.

In the end, Li Feiyu chose Huangfeng Valley, which offered the best terms, and gave Han Li a wink before leaving—to proceed according to plan.

"Junior Brother Han." Su Ning appeared beside him at some point, his voice extremely low, "Take the Ascension Token and go to Yellow Maple Valley."

Han Li hesitated: "Senior Brother Su, this token should have been yours."

“I have my own plans.” Su Ning pressed down on his shoulder with astonishing force. “Remember, exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills immediately after entering the valley.”

Before Han Li could ask any further questions, Su Ning had already strode towards the arena registration area.

The place was filled with disciples from various cultivation families, all dressed in fine clothes, their eyes filled with contempt as they looked at Su Ning, this "pseudo-spiritual root waste."

"Name? Spiritual root attribute?" the registering disciple asked lazily.

"Su Ning, five spiritual roots." As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted all around.

A young man wearing the Yu family insignia sneered, "This kind of talent dares to compete in the arena? He probably can't even beat my spirit beast!"

Su Ning seemed not to hear, and calmly added, "I choose the life-or-death battle."

The entire room fell silent.

The Battle of Life and Death – the most brutal mode of the arena, where both skill and life are determined.

The first match was against a member of the Shi family at the eleventh level of Qi Refining.

The moment the opponent unleashed his flying sword, Su Ning's figure vanished into a blur.

The Seven Mysteries Sect's lightness skill, "Treading Snow Without a Trace," was incredibly fast with the aid of spiritual power. By the time everyone came to their senses, Su Ning's fingertip was already three inches from the man's throat.

"Admit defeat?"

The opponent in the second match learned their lesson and activated a defensive talisman right from the start.

However, Su Ning's fingers were like a sword, and the first move of the "Azure Yuan Sword Technique," "Azure Light Appears Suddenly," pierced through three layers of light shields, leaving a bloody hole in the opponent's right shoulder.

The third game...

The fourth match...

When Suning stood in front of his fifth opponent, covered in blood, the mockery in the stands had long since turned into awe.

This cultivator with five spiritual roots actually combined the most basic martial arts techniques with spiritual power to create a terrifying fighting style.

"Monster..." Han Li heard someone trembling as they commented from below the arena.

His clenched fists were covered in cold sweat, and he suddenly understood why Su Ning insisted on fighting in the ring...

This is a declaration to everyone that even with inferior talent, he has the strength to crush geniuses!

The seventh and final battle was against the Lu family's prodigy, who had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

The moment the opponent unleashed their natal magic weapon, the "Frosty Jade Ruler," the entire arena was covered in frost.

"You've already earned your pride by forcing me to use the Jade Ruler," the young man surnamed Lu sneered. "Unfortunately, this is where it ends..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Ning suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood into his palm.

Seven strange runes emerged from the blood mist; they were none other than the final move of the Seven Absolute Sword Manual, "Seven Star Soul Lock"!
This was a martial art for ordinary people, but he used his spiritual power to unleash its sinister power.

Seven blood-red lines coiled around the cold jade ruler like venomous snakes, instantly dimming the magical artifact's spiritual light.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Ning closed in and delivered a simple, unadorned straight punch to his opponent's dantian...

However, these were the basic moves of "Elephant Armor Kung Fu" taught to him by Zhang Tie.

"Pfft!" The young man surnamed Lu coughed up blood and flew off the stage.

Amidst the uproar, the Foundation Establishment deacon of Huangfeng Valley finally stood up: "The winner of the arena match is Su Ning!"

Which sect do you want to join?

"Yellow Maple Valley".

"This is a temporary identity token for Huangfeng Valley. Keep it safe." Elder Wu of Huangfeng Valley handed a jade token to Su Ning, gave him a meaningful look, and explained, "The holder of this token may bring two servants. You..."

"I am all alone."

"it is good."

……

Han Li caught a glimpse of Su Ning receiving treatment not far away. Although Su Ning was covered in wounds, his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Li Feiyu walked over and patted Han Li on the shoulder: "Han Li, I'll be waiting for you in the valley."

After saying that, he gave Su Ning a meaningful look, "Senior Brother Su, don't forget our agreement."

That night, the four of them secretly gathered in the ancient pine forest outside Tainan Valley.

Zhang Tie carried a bulging bundle: "Senior Brother Han's pills sold for three hundred spirit stones, and they're all here."

"Divide it into three portions." Su Ning was using her spiritual power to expel the remaining cold poison from her body. "Junior Brother Han and Junior Brother Li will need spirit stones after they join the sect, and Zhang Tie will also need capital to stay in the market."

Han Li suddenly handed over a jade bottle: "This was just made from the spiritual herbs I received today. It can alleviate damage to your meridians."

Under the moonlight, the four silently divided the valuables.

No one mentioned that they would be going their separate ways tomorrow, but an inexplicable sense of gloom filled the air.

“Oh, right,” Li Feiyu suddenly remembered something, “during today’s test, that Senior Nangong seemed to pay special attention to us.”

Su Ning paused almost imperceptibly as he wiped the sword's edge: "The thoughts of a Core Formation cultivator are beyond our comprehension."

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting came from the woods.

The four of them cautiously concealed themselves, only to see three rogue cultivators besieging a young man in brocade robes.

Han Li recognized Wan Xiaoshan, whom he had seen during the daytime test. It was said that Wan Xiaoshan came from a small cultivation family.

"Hand over the storage bag!" the scarred leader sneered. "Anyway, your Wan family has already fallen into decline..."

Wan Xiaoshan suddenly crushed a talisman, and a dazzling burst of lightning forced the enemy back.

He turned and ran away, but as he passed a pine tree, a spike protruding from the ground pierced his chest!

"Fool, you should have used Earth Release: Earth Escape Technique earlier." The scarred man smugly stepped forward to retrieve his storage bag, when suddenly he felt a chill in his throat...

A dagger as thin as a cicada's wing was already at his neck.

"Fellow Daoist, spare me..." The pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt. Li Feiyu's blade was too fast; there wasn't even time for blood to seep out.

The other two rogue cultivators tried to escape, but their feet were entangled by vines that suddenly sprouted from the ground.

Han Li emerged from the shadows, three poisonous caltrops floating in his palm...

This is a concealed weapon he improved using his newly learned object manipulation technique.

"Leave them alive for questioning..." Before Han Li could finish speaking, two sword energies pierced through the foreheads of the two men.

Su Ning sheathed his sword, but his gaze was terrifyingly cold: "No need."

The four then quickly dispersed the battlefield, acquiring three storage bags and three low-level magic artifacts, before silently burying Wan Xiaoshan.

Han Li noticed that the boy clutched half a jade pendant until his death, with the words "gift from my loving mother" engraved on it.

"That's how it is in the world of cultivation." Su Ning's voice was exceptionally clear in the darkness. "It's either eat people or be eaten."

At dawn the next day, the flying boat from Yellow Maple Valley slowly ascended into the air carrying the new disciples.

Han Li stood on the ship's railing, looking down at the increasingly smaller Tainan Valley.

Zhang Tie's figure was long gone, but he knew that the honest man would be waiting at the agreed place.

Su Ning arranged for him to sell the pills and common herbs provided by Han Li in the Tainan Valley Market, which would serve as a source of income for the four of them in the future.

The moment the flying boat pierced through the clouds, Han Li's heart was filled with surging passion.

He glanced at Li Feiyu, who was chatting and laughing with other disciples at the bow of the flying boat, then looked at the unfathomable Su Ning beside him, and for the first time truly felt...

This path to immortality is far more dangerous than imagined.

And their story has only just begun.

……