Hai Yuetian's eyes were practically glowing as he listened intently to Han Li's every word. He finally understood why he had been misdiagnosed at birth to possess no spiritual root, and he asked, "Master, your explanation is very clear about why a recessive spiritual root would make it difficult for one to cultivate, but why is it that there are only a few attributes of recessive spiritual roots that are held in high regard?"
"I see you've pinpointed the most important part of this right away. The darkness-attribute spiritual root doesn't apply to you; this type of spiritual root is even rarer than your recessive lightning spiritual root, and there's only been one recorded case of it. As for your recessive lightning spiritual root, it'll make it several times more difficult for you to cultivate your magic power than it is for normal cultivators, but once you attain the Dao of lightning, you'll be one of the very few types of people in this world who can assist others in transcending their lightning tribulations," Han Li replied.
"He'll be able to help others transcend their lightning tribulations?!" Qi Lingzi exclaimed before even Hai Yuetian could say anything.
As a cultivator himself, he was naturally more aware of the impact of Han Li's words than Hai Yuetian was as a body refinement warrior.
"Indeed. Hence, even though those with recessive lightning spiritual roots are very difficult to nurture, most sects would still do their best to nurture such a prospect as long as there's even the slightest sliver of an opportunity that they could become a high-grade cultivator in the future. However, if there's simply no potential at all for the host to get to such a level, then even someone with the rarer recessive darkness spiritual root would be discarded as a lost cause. I decided to accept you as my disciple as your physique and spiritual root are very suitable for inheriting my path of simultaneous cultivation.
"Even during the period of time where your spiritual root goes into its recessive state, you can cultivate some body refinement techniques, so you won't be wasting your time. On top of that, I also have some lightning cultivation arts that you can use. If you manage to become a high-grade cultivator in the future, you'll be able to assist me while I transcend my future tribulations, and you could even be the difference between success and failure for me." Han Li revealed his own selfish motives without any attempt at deception.
"If I truly can become a high-grade cultivator someday, I'll definitely do everything in my power to assist you in your tribulation transcendence, Master," Hai Yuetian immediately said with a respectful bow.
"Hehe, there's no need for you to be overly concerned about that for now; I'm not exactly pinning all of my hopes on this. Many years would have already passed before you become ready to assist me in my tribulation transcendence, so I wouldn't be overly reliant on something so unpredictable. The main reason I've decided to take you two as my disciples is because I'm quite fond of your personalities and values. However, don't think that I'll forget about how you two called me Brother Han for the entire journey to this place," Han Li chuckled.
Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi could only offer awkward smiles in response.
"Alright, it's about time we left. I'm quite interested in meeting some of the Body Integration Stage fellow daoists that I've yet to encounter, and we've also heard that there could be foreign beings coming to attend this convention, so that'll be quite interesting as well. I wonder which foreign race would go to the trouble of sending someone here from afar," Han Li said in a serious manner as his smile faded.
"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi hurriedly answered, and Han Li nodded before leading the two of them out of the hall.
After exiting the Immortal Welcome Palace, they could see spiritual light flashing in the distant sky. Groups of armored warriors were patrolling the air at low altitudes, and there were also humanoid figures further away in the distance. However, as soon as they reached within five kilometers of the Immortal Welcome Palace, they would be held back by the nearby guards.
It was clear that Nine Immortal Mountain was now accessible to the public.
Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to send forth a burst of azure light, which swept up his two in-name disciples before he rose up into the air.
There was a flight restriction order on Nine Immortal Mountain, but it naturally didn't apply to Body Integration cultivators like Han Li.
After determining that Han Li had flown out of the Immortal Welcome Palace, all of the patrolling guards merely turned a blind eye to his blatant violation of the flight restriction order.
Thus, Han Li's trio flew toward the Flying Immortal Peak as a streak of azure light. From their vantage point up above, they could clearly see that there were hordes of human and demonic beings down below.
It wasn't exactly packed to the rafters, but there was nowhere one could look without seeing a human or demon. In particular, the buildings that were venues for the convention had been surrounded by beings from both races, and the population density only increased closer to the Flying Immortal Peak.
Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi looked on with excitement in their eyes, but Han Li had attended many of these types of conventions, so the novelty had long since worn out for him.
After briefly inspecting the situation down below, he moved on in an indifferent manner and reached the Flying Immortal Peak after about seven or eight more minutes of flight.
Not only were there far more patrolling guards in this area, some Lightning Guards on giant wolf steeds had also begun to appear in the air.
When Han Li was a few kilometers away from the Flying Immortal Peak, he was finally intercepted by several Lightning Guards.
"Please forgive us for the intrusion, Senior, but we are bound by duty to check your invitation slip." The guards were led by a tall and broad elderly man, and he remained on his wolf steed, but cupped his fist in a respectful salute.
Han Li glanced at the Lightning Guards before sweeping a sleeve through the air to send a streak of golden light flying toward them.
The elderly man raised a hand to catch the golden light, and it was none other than Han Li's golden invitation slip.
He was clearly only a body refinement warrior, but he was somehow able to glean the information hidden within the invitation slip with just a cursory touch. "Apologies for my rudeness, Senior Han. Are you here to participate in the auction? If so, I would be honored to guide you to the Myriad Treasure Hall."
"Sure, lead the way, then," Han Li replied with a nod.
The elderly man immediately waved a hand toward his companions, instructing them to continue patrolling the area while he flew toward the Flying Immortal Peak on his flying wolf steed.
The Flying Immortal Peak had a virtually vertical terrain that was extremely precarious, and there was no path leading up to the pinnacle from the foot of the mountain.
If a mortal were to attempt to climb it, they would struggle to make any progress at all, let alone build any constructions on the peak. However, this was a simple task for cultivators.
A vast sea of clouds had been conjured up both halfway up the mountain, as well as the pinnacle of the peak, and they were connected by five-colored bridges, each of which was over 1,000 feet in length, and the Myriad Treasure Hall was situated within the sea of clouds at the pinnacle of the mountain.
From afar, Han Li could see a series of pavilions and buildings within the white clouds, as well as hints of greenery. The sounds of flowing water and cheerful chirping could also be heard, and it resembled an immortal paradise.
He had already heard about how beautiful this Flying Immortal Peak was, but it was still quite an awe-inspiring experience to be seeing it for himself.
Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi were completely entranced by this glorious sight. Aside from Han Li's trio, there were other cultivators who were also converging from all directions, but those people weren't able to fly directly toward the peak without any inhibitions. Most of them arrived at the foot of the mountain before being transported up the mountain by flying carriages, then making their way into the sea of clouds along the five-colored bridges.
Body Integration cultivators like Han Li were few and far in between, and they would only make fleeting appearances before vanishing into the sea of clouds in a flash.
Han Li was guided into the air above a certain palace before descending near a certain secluded entrance.
There were a dozen or so guards and several servants waiting at the entrance, and there was a middle-aged man in a set of brocade robes standing before them, conversing with a woman in a black dress with a fawning smile on his face.
Han Li could only see the tall and slender profile of the woman in black from behind, and she was giving off an indescribable air of authority, indicating that she seemed to be quite an important figure.
Behind her stood another woman in purple who appeared to be around 17 to 18 years of age. She had an oval face, and gave off a graceful and refined disposition.
She wasn't extremely beautiful, but there was a rare refreshing air about her that was very alluring nonetheless.
The nearby guards and servants were clearly aware that these two were very important figures, but they still couldn't help but steal furtive glances at the woman in purple.
The woman in purple paid no heed to this scrutiny and listened to the conversation between the woman in black and the middle-aged man with a sweet smile on her face.
Han Li's gaze lingered momentarily on the woman in purple before moving onto the middle-aged man and the woman in black, upon which a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
In the next instant, he descended with Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi near the entrance amid a flash of azure light.
In doing so, they naturally attracted the attention of everyone at the entrance, and they all cast their eyes toward Han Li's trio. Only then did Han Li get a clear glimpse of the woman in black, and she discovered that she was quite a regal beauty with slender brows and well-shaped eyes, as well as a thin nose and petite lips.
However, she faltered momentarily at the sight of Han Li before turning to the woman in purple with a peculiar look on her face.
Meanwhile, a hint of elation flashed through the eyes of the woman in purple, but she immediately hid her emotions thereafter.
The brocade-robed man swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li, upon which a perplexed look appeared on his face. However, a thought then immediately occurred to him, and he smiled, as he said, "I don't think I've seen you before, Fellow Daoist. Could you be the new Body Integration cultivator, Fellow Daoist Han Li?"
This man was also an early-Body Integration cultivator, so Han Li immediately cupped his fist in a salute. "I am indeed Han Li. May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist?"
"Hehe, I'm the deputy city lord of Xuan Wu City, Peng Jue, I'm also the human supervisor for this convention. It truly is very much worthy of celebration that our human race is able to welcome another Body Integration cultivator," Peng Jue said in a polite manner.
