In the Shadow of Han Li

At some point, a rumor began circulating again in Whale Fall City:

"The seal on Divine Essence Mountain has been broken, the legacy of the Divine Essence Old Demon has reappeared in the world, and the Divine Essence Condensation will finally choose its master."

The reason it's described as "circulating again" is because this kind of rumor tends to resurface every few decades. It has been circulated countless times since the Divine Essence Old Demon passed away on Divine Essence Mountain.

A few decades is the time it takes for a new generation of cultivators to grow up from scratch.

In other words, whenever a new batch of cultivators grows up and becomes capable of researching the legend of the Divine Essence Old Demon from various sources and learning about the legacy seal on Divine Essence Mountain, the rumor starts circulating again in Whale Fall City, Dragon Whale Island, and the Tianlan Sea Region.

The most interesting part is that every time this rumor resurfaces, it causes the entire Tianlan Sea Region to boil with excitement. This excitement leads countless young cultivators to eagerly rush off to try and break the seal on Divine Essence Mountain.

So when does their excitement finally subside?

Usually, it's when they've gone through countless hardships only to discover that breaking the seal on Divine Essence Mountain truly does require seven celestial pills.

So why does every resurgence of this rumor cause the entire Tianlan Sea Region to boil with excitement?

On the surface, it's because the legacy of the Divine Essence Old Demon and the Divine Essence Condensation are truly enticing.

Nowadays, slightly older cultivators aren't surprised by the phenomenon of this rumor circulating again in the streets.

The only thing that might be considered strange is that this wave of rumors has come a bit earlier than usual.

Because the last wave of secrets about Divine Essence Mountain had just passed ten years ago.

Of course, cultivators have always been tireless when it comes to these kinds of things.

The cultivators in Whale Fall City say things like "Divine Essence Mountain? The legacy of the Divine Essence Old Demon? I went there ten years ago, there's no damn legacy", "It's starting again? That crappy legacy, that damned Divine Essence Condensation, it needs celestial pills, seven of them! Who the hell cares?", "The killing has started again, who knows how many people will die this time", "There's a good show to watch now". While saying these things, they gather their cultivation friends, find a large ship to go to Divine Essence Mountain together, and set off again with a group of inexperienced young men.

On the vast sea, there's a large wooden ship with white sails called "Shark Slayer" floating along. Although its sails aren't raised, it's moving at an incredibly fast speed, comparable to the speed of an ordinary cultivator... because it's not mainly propelled by waves and wind, it's a cultivator's ship.

On the deck, Tie Ruonan, who was wandering aimlessly, suddenly noticed a familiar-looking man standing by the railing. The aura of his silhouette seemed familiar to her, and she wondered if he was one of the men she had slept with but hadn't paid.

The journey at sea was long and boring, and she had been wanting to find a man to play chess with for a while. But this mission was important, and they were at sea, so she didn't want to waste too much energy getting to know a new man.

So if there was a familiar man who could help her relax, that would be perfect.

She didn't think too much about it and walked straight to the man's side.

Standing beside this man and looking at the sea for a while, Tie Ruonan noticed that he had an inherent aura of melancholy and loneliness, which quite attracted her. So she found it strange that she couldn't remember his name, given how special he seemed.

She looked at the man beside her carefully again and was sure she hadn't met him before.

"Young master..." her affected voice made even herself nauseated. She smiled and asked, "May I know your name?"

The man turned his deep eyes towards her and smiled, with a bit of a gentlemanly air. He answered softly, "Greetings, miss. I am Han Li."

This refined aura made Tie Ruonan's heart itch, making her want to hug the man in front of her tightly and squeeze him into her body.

"Oh, my name is Tie Ruonan, I'm the captain of the first escort team of the Island Lord's Mansion in Whale Fall City," the robust and powerful Tie Ruonan said coquettishly. "Have you heard of me, young master?"

"So it's Captain Tie in person!" The man who called himself Han Li immediately bowed to Tie Ruonan, "Captain Tie's unparalleled combat power and illustrious reputation are truly well-known to me!"

Tie Ruonan covered her mouth and smiled lightly, saying shyly, "It's just an empty reputation, not worth mentioning."

"How could it be an empty reputation?" Han Li's eyes lit up, as if full of admiration, "I heard just a few days ago that Captain Tie single-handedly slew a Ying Yu. A Ying Yu, a fourth-grade beast, how terrifying is that? Yet Captain Tie easily slew it. Such combat power is beyond my imagination."

This person admires me, it seems very promising!

Tie Ruonan raised her hand and patted Han Li's shoulder, smiling, "Actually, you could also..."

"How could I possibly?!" Han Li hurriedly shook his head and sighed, "My foundation is weak, and cultivation has been difficult for me since childhood. I've been on the path of cultivation for twenty years, yet I'm still only at the first level."

"So this time I had no choice but to go to Divine Essence Mountain, hoping to obtain the Divine Essence Condensation to compensate for my weak foundation. But Divine Essence Mountain is fraught with danger, one wrong move and I could lose my life. That's why I'm worried."

So he's a delicate beauty. Tie Ruonan's tiger-like eyes looked at Han Li with affection, shaking her head, "If you're going to seek the Divine Essence Condensation... this concubine suggests you leave early. Divine Essence Mountain is indeed very dangerous."

"Captain Tie?!" But Han Li seemed to suddenly think of something, his eyes brightened, and he grabbed Tie Ruonan's hand, asking eagerly, "You're from the Island Lord's Mansion, you must be well-informed. Do you have any inside information about this trip to Divine Essence Mountain? Will the Divine Essence Condensation appear this time?"

With her hand being held, feeling the warmth of Han Li's palm, Tie Ruonan's whole body itched, so she hesitated.

After a while, she still shook her head and said, "How could there be any inside information? Isn't it always like this?"

But as she spoke, seeing Han Li's hopeful eyes, she couldn't bear it and lowered her head, "However, I do have a map of Divine Essence Mountain in my room. If you're interested, you can come with me to take a look."

Han Li was overjoyed and said, "Captain Tie, you have such a treasure? Please, show me quickly!"

Tie Ruonan was also delighted. Her tiger-like eyes looked at Han Li with a spring-like glow, then she took Han Li's hand and led the way with her head down.

As she walked, she said coquettishly, "That map was given to me by the Island Lord, it's absolutely confidential. We can only look at it in the room, and it's best if we cover ourselves with a blanket..."

Han Li... or rather Qin Ran, stood by the railing, watching Tie Ruonan pretending to be a woman, walking in front, holding a transparent water person, all the way into the cabin.

He watched this scene expressionlessly, while thoughts constantly shifted in his deep eyes. "Even Tie Ruonan has come..." he analyzed, "Could it be that the force behind this event is the Island Lord, not Mr. Zhai?"

The sudden rise of this Divine Essence Mountain event, and its appearance just as he was beginning to plot for the Divine Essence Condensation, seemed odd.

To say this was a coincidence, a trend, or a pattern, he wouldn't believe it for a moment. He knew there must be a driving force behind it.

This driving force wasn't himself.

He had originally suspected Mr. Zhai the most, as Mr. Zhai was the only one who knew he would be seeking the Divine Essence Condensation, but now it seemed it could also be the Island Lord, or other forces unknown to him.

Qin Ran never believed in coincidences. He didn't believe that other forces just happened to have plans that he stumbled upon.

He was more inclined to believe that this was Mr. Zhai's handiwork. And then Mr. Zhai had influenced the Island Lord...

Thinking of Mr. Zhai's deep and elegant appearance, reading books, playing chess, tasting tea, burning incense, Qin Ran couldn't help but smile coldly, and then his figure slowly disappeared from the railing.

Alchemists who can live comfortably enough in the cultivation world are, without exception, individuals with minds as deep as sea trenches.

Some say that every cultivator in the cultivation world needs pills, so the status of an excellent alchemist is bound to be incredibly high, loved and respected by everyone, and a honored guest wherever they go. They would be cherished like treasures by others.

But...

Has anyone considered that the more excellent an alchemist is, the weaker their actual combat power tends to be? Human energy has its limits, and the further an alchemist goes on the path of alchemy, the less they progress on the path of combat power.

So, what is it like for an excellent alchemist to walk in the cultivation world? It's like a three-year-old child carrying a gold brick through a bustling market.

Some might ask, can't they use the gold brick in their arms to hire cultivators?

In a cultivation world where even blood brothers might backstab each other, and parents might refine their own children into spirit tools, what kind of person would an alchemist be willing to employ?

Of course, it's not to say that some alchemists can't find suitable companions or be protected by sects, but such people are few and far between.

Therefore, for an exceptional alchemist to thrive in the cultivation world, they must have methods to compensate for their lack of combat power.

And the simplest way to make up for combat power is through one's own intelligence.

Basically, every independent alchemist wandering the cultivation world is a cunning old fox.

When Tie Ruonan discovered that she had been following a water clone and returned to the deck, she didn't see that detestable man by the railing. She furiously searched the deck once more but still couldn't find him.

When she returned to her room, she found that someone had ransacked it. Her map was missing.

Tie Ruonan was beyond furious.

Her face was as cold as water, her teeth clenched, but the fire in her eyes was about to burst forth. She stood at the doorway, her hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on her skin. A battle blade flickered in and out of existence in her hand, murderous intent surging throughout the entire ship...

She didn't shout or scream, nor did she become hysterical. She just knew very clearly that the next time she saw that man called Han Li, she would personally chop him into pieces!!!

Everyone can try it soon.】

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