Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

Han Yunshu nestled in Li Feiyu's arms, her brows slightly furrowed. She pondered for a long time, but couldn't think of anything more important than her brother Li's plan. Finally, she relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Li Feiyu once again stepped into his master Chang Hao's cave.

This time, he changed his story.

"Master, Yun Shu won't be going. I'll go to the Blood Forbidden Land alone. Is that alright?" Li Feiyu got straight to the point.

"Sure my foot!" Chang Hao nearly crushed his teacup, glaring at his stubborn disciple, his anger flaring. "You brat, relying on your talent and comprehension, you insist on wading into this mess? That's a place where you risk your life for your future! You're a true spiritual root, a future core disciple of the sect, do you think we need your few Foundation Establishment Pills? The risks far outweigh the rewards, what are you after?"

Li Feiyu's expression remained unchanged, but his tone was unusually firm: "This disciple's path is special, requiring certain items in the forbidden area to temper my foundation. This matter concerns the upper limit of this disciple's future achievements, and I must fight for it. I beg Master to grant my request."

Seeing his stubbornness, Chang Hao paced back and forth in the cave a few times in anger, finally waving his hand helplessly: "The sect's disciple quotas have already been decided and submitted! Unless someone voluntarily gives up their spot, there is absolutely no possibility of changing it at the last minute! That's the rule!"

A glint flashed in Li Feiyu's eyes, and he immediately bowed: "Disciple understands! Thank you for your guidance, Master!" He understood the unspoken meaning—as long as "someone" gave up, he would have a chance to step in.

Leaving the cave, Li Feiyu secretly rejoiced that he hadn't disguised both of them as having Heavenly Spiritual Roots. If they truly had dual Heavenly Spiritual Roots, Huadaowu would probably have watched them like the apple of their eye, and wouldn't have let them leave easily, let alone the Crimson Forbidden Land.

For someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, the meager gains from the forbidden area are indeed insignificant compared to the potential risks.

Without delay, he immediately left Huadaowu and flew to Cheqi Kingdom on his weapon.

Xiangyuan City is the closest city to the Huadaowu territory where cultivators gather. Although it is not as large as Huangfeng Valley Market, it is still lined with shops and cultivators come and go in an endless stream.

Li Feiyu sold all the cultivation resources he had accumulated over the past year, which he had hardly used, and got several thousand spirit stones in return, which made him much more financially secure.

He first found a reputable weapon-refining workshop in the city and made a strange request: to customize a box that was not a magical artifact, but the materials had to be of the highest quality, the shape had to be simple and grand, and it had to look like a container for some kind of ancient treasure. It also had to have a simple self-destruct restriction inside.

If forcibly opened or hacked using specific methods, the contents inside will be immediately burned.

The workshop owner was taken aback; such a request was indeed rare. But the customer is always right, and besides, Li Feiyu was generous, and the prepayment was enough to make him overlook this oddity. After some haggling, the order was finalized, and it would take more than a month to complete.

Li Feiyu wasn't in a hurry. He rented a quiet courtyard in Xiangyuan City and stayed there. While waiting, he spent a lot of time in several shops selling books in the city, focusing on books on formations.

Although he wasn't a master of formations in his previous life, his understanding was profound, allowing him to draw inferences from one instance to another. He possessed an understanding of formation principles that surpassed that of ordinary cultivators in this world. He was trying to find a shortcut that could replace the limitation of "late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation." After perusing numerous ancient texts, his eyes gradually began to light up.

"Interesting... Many principles of formations from the real world are reproduced in this world, and it seems that the requirements for the quality of spiritual materials are not so strict?" Li Feiyu pondered. "Perhaps it's because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the real world itself contains countless variations, and formations place more emphasis on the connection between 'intention' and 'reason,' so the requirements for the 'quality' of the carrier are not as dependent on high-grade spiritual materials as the spiritual energy system of this world..."

This discovery greatly encouraged him. Some ideas that had been shelved due to the difficulty in finding materials seemed to have a chance of being realized.

Taking into account the characteristics of this realm's formation, he began a frantic process of deduction and design.

Half a month later, Li Feiyu, carrying a list, once again swept through the markets of Xiangyuan City. Thanks to Cheqi Kingdom's proximity to Yuanwu Kingdom, the flow of materials was relatively abundant, and with his ample spirit stones, he actually managed to gather almost everything he needed. Although some were slightly inferior substitutes, the core elements were all there.

"The materials are all ready. I need to get back and test the formation to see if it works... Also, I should pick up that martial art I haven't used in a long time and practice it again." Li Feiyu pondered. That martial art wasn't a primary combat technique, but it had some special uses that might be surprisingly effective in the forbidden area.

With the January deadline approaching, Li Feiyu went to the workshop to pick up the goods. The custom-made golden box was completed. It was made primarily of "gilded ironwood" with a small amount of "meteorite sand," giving it a restrained dark gold luster under the light. The surface was engraved with ancient cloud and thunder patterns, and the edges were edged with mithril, exuding an extraordinary sense of antiquity. The internal self-destruct seal also met the requirements; although not complicated, it was sufficiently concealed.

After Li Feiyu finished inspecting the goods and paid the remaining balance, he was about to leave the workshop when he almost bumped into someone at the door.

The newcomer was a young man with a delicate face, dressed in the attire of an inner disciple of the Huadaowu Sect.

He was somewhat thin, and when he walked... his posture was quite strange, with his waist twisting much more than that of an ordinary man, carrying a deliberate sense of femininity.

The disciple looked up and saw Li Feiyu, especially noticing that he was also dressed in Huadaowu attire, with a handsome face, upright posture, and a strong masculine aura. A strange light flashed in his effeminate eyes, and he put on an overly enthusiastic smile: "Oh dear, this senior brother looks unfamiliar. Are you also a fellow disciple of Huadaowu? Greetings." His voice also carried a hint of affectation.

Li Feiyu frowned almost imperceptibly, already having guessed what was going on. He nodded slightly, as if to acknowledge the situation.

At that moment, the workshop worker delivered a pink ribbon-shaped magical artifact that Han Tianya had ordered.

Han Tianya accepted the gift, but his gaze remained fixed on Li Feiyu. His smile grew even brighter: "Senior brother, you're here to pick up goods too? What a coincidence. It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. How about I, Han Tianya, treat you to a few drinks at 'Drunken Immortal Abode' in the city, so we can catch up on our fellow disciples?" As he spoke, his eyes darted around, his flirtatious glances almost undisguised.

Li Feiyu felt a chill run down her spine, but her eyes lit up when she heard the name "Han Tianya".

The Crimson Forbidden Land, the disciple of the Blade-Transforming Pavilion, Han Tianya... There seems to be such a character in the original work, whose reputation doesn't seem to be very good, but he is indeed on the list of forbidden areas!

He suppressed the unease in his heart and went straight to the point, his tone calm yet undeniably authoritative: "Junior Brother Han, you have the qualifications for the Blood Forbidden Land trial, right?"

Han Tianya was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously: "Yes, Senior Brother asked about this..."

"Give me your spot." Li Feiyu interrupted him. "You can make any reasonable requests, such as spirit stone compensation or anything else."

Han Tianya's smile froze instantly, then slowly faded, the softness in his eyes turning into a cold sharpness and a hint of offended embarrassment.

He sized Li Feiyu up and down, his tone turning sinister: "Senior Brother Li... what arrogance! The qualification for the Crimson Forbidden Zone is related to the opportunity to establish your foundation; it's not something you can just give up so easily. Are you trying to forcibly seize a fellow disciple's opportunity?"

"It's a deal," Li Feiyu corrected. "If you're unwilling, that's fine too. But since I've made the offer, there has to be a result." His tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable pressure.

Han Tianya's expression shifted. He believed his cultivation was not weak and his methods were ruthless enough, so how could he be coerced like this? Moreover, he had long been interested in Li Feiyu's "tough" appearance. Being so directly belittled and demanded by the other party only stirred up the obsession and ruthlessness in his bones.

"Heh..." Han Tianya chuckled softly, his voice growing increasingly shrill. "Since Senior Brother is so confident, why don't we follow the sect rules and have a 'spar' on the arena? If Senior Brother wins, the matter of the spot isn't entirely unnecessarily unresolved. If Senior Brother loses..." He licked his lips, a lewd and malicious glint in his eyes, "then you'll have to grant me a 'small' request, how about it?"

Looking at his unsettling expression, Li Feiyu sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Alright."

"Three days from now, at the sect's martial arts arena, at 9:00 AM. See you there."

"It's a deal." Li Feiyu said no more, picked up the newly acquired golden box, turned and left, leaving Han Tianya standing there, watching his tall back, his eyes filled with anger, interest and a cold, determined light.