Published: August 27, 2025
Chapter 369: The Challenge (Part One)
Han Li sized up the guards. Although there was no spiritual power fluctuation on their bodies, each was agile and seemed to have practiced some rudimentary martial arts.
But what intrigued him the most was the cylindrical tube. These guards, without spiritual power, could still identify immortal cultivators by using it. It truly was a curious thing.
Han Li couldn't help but take a few extra glances at the cylinder.
All this was noticed by Wang Changqing beside him, who smiled and explained to Han Li, "That is a spiritual token. It allows us mortals to recognize the identity of immortal masters!"
"Spiritual token?" Han Li was slightly taken aback by the term but quickly recalled that a palm-sized jade disc was embedded at one end of the cylinder. He nodded lightly without saying anything.
Then, under Han Li’s cold gaze, the beast-drawn carriage rolled along a street paved with white stones, heading towards the city center.
The street was bustling with many pedestrians, continuously coming and going, and the closer they got to the front, the livelier it became.
Most people wore white clothes; even those in other colors wore pale yellows or light greens—there was not a single person dressed in bright or flashy attire.
Among these people, there was a clear social hierarchy. Usually, one or two individuals in fine clothing walked ahead, followed closely by three or four in somewhat shabby garments, evidently servants.
Eventually, because of the overwhelming crowd and beast carriages, Han Li’s group had to slow down to continue moving forward.
After great effort, the beast carriage finally arrived at a massive square in the city center.
The square covered dozens of acres and was truly packed with people—Han Li could see a sea of dark heads as far as the eye could reach.
Additionally, people kept streaming into the square from all directions.
Around the edges of the square were numerous shops, crowded with people. Between the shops were temporary stalls, also packed with people. In the middle, even more people chatted eagerly, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere.
Han Li’s eyes nearly went wide. He roughly estimated that with the density of the crowd, at least tens of thousands were gathered in the square at once.
Naturally, the beast carriage could go no further here.
Owner Gu led the way down from the carriage and, along with Han Li and the others, walked toward a palace-style building on the square’s edge.
The palace was about a dozen zhang tall, significantly taller than the surrounding structures.
A row of guards stood before the huge palace doors, holding gleaming spears to prevent anyone from approaching casually.
"Today is the once-a-month market day on Kui Xing Island," Owner Gu explained while walking forward. "So the number of people in East Stone City is several times higher than usual. Basically, people from more than a dozen towns in the east come here to trade for rare items they can’t get elsewhere."
Han Li smiled faintly and followed him to the palace entrance.
Owner Gu spoke briefly with the guards at the door, who then waved their hands, signaling that they could enter.
Owner Gu quickly beckoned Han Li and Wang Changqing to follow inside.
Once through the doors, it became cooler and quieter. In the corridor just inside, dozens of individuals of notable status were whispering in small groups. When they saw Owner Gu, they all looked over with hostile glances.
At that moment, the purple wooden doors at the corridor’s other end opened, and a young man in white, about twenty years old, stepped out. He had a delicate, clean face and a rather weak appearance.
“You must be Mr. Gu? Everyone else is already here; only the Gu Family is missing. But only cultivators participating in the challenge may enter. Mr. Gu, please wait here for the results,” the youth said politely, giving Han Li a kindly glance.
Han Li quickly scanned the youth’s cultivation base, revealing he was at the fourth or fifth level of the qi refining stage—roughly equal to Han Li himself.