"The time has come. Set up the formation — open the cauldron!" the gray-haired Elder Feng declared loudly without a moment's hesitation.
At his command, more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators shot out from behind Han Li and the others. Two of them flickered forward and arrived at either side of the enormous crimson cauldron. The rest soared up above it, then pulled gleaming blue formation plates from their waist pouches and raised them high overhead.
With a muffled *whoosh*, a shimmering blue barrier of light materialized over the platform.
The barrier was enormous, large enough to envelop fully half the platform beneath its glow.
The two middle-aged cultivators who had reached the cauldron saw the barrier take shape and immediately began forming hand seals without a word. They thrust their palms forward, and several streaks of spiritual light struck the gently trembling cauldron lid.
Amid a flash of five-colored radiance, a low hum resonated outward, and the lid began to rise slowly, as though it weighed a thousand jin.
The jade-faced young man who had been kneeling before the cauldron shot to his feet, eyes locked onto the vessel without so much as a blink.
Suddenly, a sphere of white light burst from within the cauldron, transforming into a blinding beam that streaked straight up toward the heavens.
Without an instant's hesitation, the young man transformed into a streak of yellow light and gave chase.
Moments later, the white light streaked toward the barrier wall and slammed into it, but the blue shield merely trembled slightly before settling back as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, the yellow streak behind it caught up in an instant. Its radiance condensed and the young man's figure materialized, his hand reaching out to seize the white light. But the white light was remarkably nimble — it made a sharp turn and shot downward instead. The young man's face darkened, and he transformed once more into a brilliant streak in pursuit.
In an instant, within the vast barrier, a white sphere and a yellow sphere chased one another relentlessly, like a shooting star pursuing the moon.
Below, several hundred Foundation Establishment disciples stared up at the spectacle with wide eyes. The Nascent Soul old monsters, on the other hand, stood about looking calm and composed, with the occasional murmur passing between them.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and watched the whole thing with a lazy, half-lidded gaze.
Clearly, this Hundred Creations Sect disciple had yet to refine any treasure to serve as his natal artifact. He was relying purely on a top-grade flying artifact to chase down the prize, which naturally left him at more than a slight disadvantage in speed.
But it didn't matter. The Qiankun Pagoda might look fast right now, but the spiritual power contained within it was depleting rapidly. In at most half a quarter of an hour, its speed would drop drastically. By then, the young man would be able to snatch the treasure with ease. This had probably all been orchestrated by Old Monster Lie Huo and the others. Otherwise, if the treasure had been caught the moment it appeared, the whole master-recognition ceremony would seem rather too much of a joke.
At this thought, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly.
Though the white light ahead was blindingly bright, he channeled just a trace of his Clear Bright Spirit Eye and could see the treasure inside with perfect clarity.
The object appeared to be a small, flawless white pagoda, roughly three inches tall and exquisitely crafted. Beyond that, he truly couldn't discern anything particularly special about it.
"Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think of this Hundred Creations Sect disciple? Is there any chance he'll advance to the Nascent Soul stage?" A pleasant female voice came from behind Han Li.
Han Li was momentarily startled and slowly turned around. The female cultivator named Ming Xin had at some point appeared behind him, and was smiling at him with a reserved elegance: "Much as Fellow Daoist Liehuo, I don't see much chance in this matter. However, if the Hundred Creations Sect could procure some spiritual medicines, this disciple should have a fair shot at forming a Nascent Soul." Han Li swept his gaze across the woman's jade-like features, his expression unchanged as he spoke.
"But then again, no matter how exceptional this person's aptitude may be, he's hardly a match for you, Brother Han. It would be impossible for him to cultivate any of your earth-shaking divine abilities. I hear that two ancient demons appeared in the Devilfall Valley altogether, and you dealt with one of them all by yourself. On that alone alone, your power must already rival the Three Great Cultivators." The woman gave Han Li a gentle smile, a strange glimmer flickering in her eyes.
Hearing these words, Han Li muttered a few things inwardly, but on the surface he replied: "Fellow Daoist Ming Xin flatters me. Without the assistance of other fellow Daoists at my side, how could I possibly have been a match for that ancient demon? And in the end, it wasn't I who finished it off — that demon simply didn't have my luck and perished in the engulfment of a spatial rift."
"Brother Han is too modest. Then this concubine won't press the matter further. But surely the rumor that you once escaped from the hands of a Mulan Divine Master unscathed, and even slew an Elder of a Great Jin demonic sect, cannot be mere gossip! I hear that this Great Jin demonic cultivator had reached the peak of mid-stage Nascent Soul. Is this true or not?" The young woman raised a slender, pale hand and gracefully brushed aside the hair falling over her forehead, half-smiling as she brought up the matter — and to his surprise, a touch of seductive charm surfaced in her expression.
Han Li's eyes flickered. Between the swaying of her silk sleeves, a fragrance reminiscent of both orchid and chrysanthemum wafted toward him, filling his senses with a refreshing delight. He suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward this woman, and found himself wanting to answer her question.
"Seduction technique? No — that's not it. Her eyes are clear and bright, with none of the telltale signs of an active charm art. It seems to be something strange about that fragrance she carries."
Before he had formed his Nascent Soul, Han Li had encountered more than a few female cultivators skilled in seduction arts. In the span of a single instant, he had already detected his own abnormality and the woman's imperceptibly subtle movements. Yet the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from her remained perfectly calm, as though everything were caused by that fragrance alone.
"Fellow Daoist Ming Xin certainly knows a great deal. Those two occasions were nothing more than my own dumb luck. Hardly worth mentioning. But as for your own affairs, Fellow Daoist Ming Xin, I have heard my two senior brothers speak of them. I'm told that the Hundred Yang Spring Art you cultivate possesses incredible power — capable of defeating enemies invisibly." Han Li let out a soft laugh and said to the woman with deep meaning in his eyes.
"What? Fellow Daoist Cheng also knows of the Hundred Yang Spring Art's power?" Ming Xin's expression shifted slightly, her smile freezing for an instant. As far as she knew, while many were aware of the Hundred Yang Spring Art she cultivated, due to her specific physique, those who could actually practice it were rare as phoenix feathers. Thus, very few people truly understood the technique's real capabilities.