Chapter 609: Entering Jukun Again

"Brother Lu, please speak. I am all ears." Han Li paused, then said with a slight smile.

"It's nothing major. A few days ago, I and several other daoist friends discovered a relic deep in the northern Tianyue Mountains. However, there are many powerful restrictions and other dangers remaining inside, so we each returned to invite some capable people to try again. Brother Li's strength is among the best in our nearby valleys. Would you be interested in joining us to seek some fortune?" Lu Guanzi said with a beaming smile.

Han Li frowned slightly upon hearing this and remained silent for a moment.

Seeing Han Li's expression, Lu Guanzi's smile faded a bit, but he did not urge him.

"Thank you for the invitation, Brother Lu. However, I have some other important matters to attend to recently, so I'm afraid I must decline your kind offer." Han Li said after a moment of silence.

"Oh, since you have other matters, I won't insist." Seeing Han Li's tone, it was clear he had made up his mind. Lu Guanzi felt somewhat regretful but promptly took his leave.

Han Li saw him out of the cave dwelling, then closed the door and returned to the secret chamber, sitting down cross-legged.

In truth, his refusal of Lu Guanzi was not solely due to his focus on the Spirit Refining Art.

As he pondered, he formed hand seals, and a brilliant golden light radiated from his body. The True Word Wheel manifested behind him, with all seven hundred and twenty patterns dim and lusterless.

With the time patterns now all dimmed, his strength had greatly diminished. At such a time, no matter how great the temptation, he would not choose to go out exploring for treasures.

He waved his hand to disperse the golden light and closed his eyes.

A layer of crystalline light appeared on Han Li's brow, flickering gently.

The door to his cave dwelling remained tightly shut and never opened.

Others in Wild Crane Valley saw this and did not come to disturb him.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, over thirty years had gone by.

One day, a streak of light flew from afar and landed before Han Li's cave dwelling. A white-haired old man with disheveled hair emerged from it—it was none other than the Reclucent Immortal.

Before he could even send a voice transmission, the cave door opened from within.

"Brother Reclucent, I apologize for not coming out to greet you..." Han Li said with a smile as he walked out.

"Oh, you! Our caves are so close; what need is there for such formalities?" the Reclucent Immortal said with a laugh.

"Come, let's talk inside." Han Li stepped aside and made a gesture inviting him in.

"No need to enter. I came today only to give you something. Since you've been in seclusion, I had to wait until today to come." The Reclucent Immortal quickly waved his hand and said.

Han Li's brows shot up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that you've found the Xuanzhi Crystal?"

"Such a treasure is not easily seen. I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Brother Li." The Reclucent Immortal said with a helpless smile.

"Oh? If not that, then what is it?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

A white light flashed in the Reclucent Immortal's palm, and he tossed something forward.

Han Li reached out and caught it. It was a palm-sized white jade token, engraved with a pattern resembling a red leaf. To the left of the pattern were several ancient seal-script characters reading "Outer Sect Elder Token."

This token was exactly the outer sect elder token of the "Fire Leaf Sect," the sect to which the Reclucent Immortal now belonged.

Turning the token over, in the center of a ring of small runes were engraved two large characters: "Li Han."

"Brother Reclucent, what is this..." Han Li looked at the white-haired old man and said.

"With this little trinket, you'll be recorded as a registered cultivator of our Fire Leaf Sect from now on, and you'll be able to freely enter and exit the inner city of Jukun. However, it's just a title; don't expect any outer sect elder stipend. Our sect is small and can't afford a Golden Immortal-level outer sect elder." The Reclucent Immortal said half-jokingly.

"Brother Reclucent, you've been thoughtful... Rest assured, since I bear the title of Fire Leaf Sect's outer sect elder, I can't just do nothing. In the future, I'll provide a furnace of True Immortal-level pills every three hundred years. Of course, the materials will have to come from the sect." Han Li cupped his hands slightly and said.

"Brother Li, didn't we come here to seek seclusion and leisure? I gave you this token not to make a deal with you or to trap you in sectarian constraints. So you really don't have to do this..." The Reclucent Immortal's expression turned serious as he said earnestly.

"Refining a furnace of pills is nothing to me as an alchemist; it just takes a bit more effort. But you must have gone to a lot of trouble to get this elder token for me, right?" Han Li waved his hand to interrupt the Reclucent Immortal and said.

Although the Reclucent Immortal claimed he had no conditions, Han Li understood the principle of returning a favor. Moreover, how could he not see the joy hidden in the old man's eyes?

A furnace of True Immortal-level pills every three hundred years might not show much effect in the short term, but what would it be like after accumulating over tens of thousands of years? Though it wouldn't elevate the Fire Leaf Sect to a large sect overnight, it would be enough to widen the gap between it and other sects that were once on par.

Long confined in the cage of the sect, how could one truly return to nature?

In the end, this Reclucent Immortal still couldn't let go of the sect and couldn't forget to plan for it.

In the jurisdiction of Jukun City, all formal personnel changes in various large and medium-sized sects were not only internal matters but also required review and registration at the branch office set up by the Black Mountain Immortal Palace.

Outer sect disciples were not considered formal members. From inner sect disciples to outer sect elders, and from core disciples to inner sect elders, the higher the rank, the stricter the scrutiny.

"I still had some old connections at the Black Mountain Palace, so the registration didn't take much effort," said the Venerable Flame Heat.

"Regardless, I must thank you, Daoist," Han Li said, bowing to him once more.

"Daoist Li, if you continue to be so polite, I might just take back this token," said the Venerable Flame Heat.

"Haha, then I won't stand on ceremony..." Han Li laughed.

After a few more exchanges, the Venerable Flame Heat took his leave and flew away.

Han Li toyed with the jade token in his hand, pondered for a moment, then turned and went back to his cave dwelling.

...

Two months later.

Inside Jukun City, streets and alleys crisscrossed, with rows upon rows of shops and carts pulled by strange beasts visible everywhere. Amidst the bustling crowds and clamor, the scene was one of extreme liveliness.

In the sky, one could also see enormous merchant ferries, following fixed void trajectories, taking off and landing in an orderly fashion at various ports within the city, transporting all kinds of goods.

At the boundary between the inner and outer cities stood a towering wall over a hundred zhang high, patrolled by city-watching cultivators. Four grand gates opened in the east, south, west, and north, each guarded by True Immortal cultivators.

At the north gate of the inner city, the flow of people was relatively sparse. Apart from a few hurried passersby, only about a hundred people remained, forming a long queue, waiting to be inspected by the stationed cultivators before entering the city.

Near the back of the queue, Han Li, clad in a blue robe, was gazing around, scrutinizing the city gate.

Above the entrance of the gate tunnel and on the tunnel walls, arrays of talisman patterns were inscribed. Whenever someone entered the tunnel, a green light would glow, seemingly used to check the cultivator's cultivation level.

Whenever the green light shone, it indicated that the person's cultivation was at least at the early True Immortal stage. As long as their identity was verified and they were confirmed as a registered cultivator of the local sect, they could enter the inner city smoothly.

Han Li followed the crowd, moving slowly forward with the line.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted past everyone, neither queuing nor presenting any identification, disregarding the city-guarding cultivators entirely, and walked straight into the gate tunnel.

As everyone watched in confusion, the talisman patterns on the tunnel walls suddenly blazed with light, emitting a dazzling golden radiance.

"A Taiyi Jade Immortal..."

The surrounding crowd gasped in astonishment, marveling endlessly.

Although Jukun City was the foremost city in the northern part of the Black Mountain Immortal Domain, most of its inhabitants were True Immortals and Golden Immortals. Encounters with Taiyi realm cultivators were rare, and now one had appeared before them.

By the time the crowd came to their senses and tried to get a clear look at the person's face, he had already drifted into the city, his figure vanishing without a trace.

After a brief stir, the queue returned to silence, continuing to move toward the gate.

About half a quarter of an hour later, Han Li arrived before the gate tunnel. The talisman patterns above his head lit up, emitting a brilliant white light.

"A Golden Immortal cultivator..." The middle-aged cultivator guarding the gate looked up and appraised Han Li.

Han Li responded with a smile and handed over the token of the Fire Leaf Sect Elder.

The middle-aged cultivator nodded slightly, took the token, and placed it on a stone platform beside him.

The small talisman array on the stone platform immediately activated, releasing a resplendent glow.

"No issues, please enter, Senior," the middle-aged cultivator said after a moment, returning the jade token.

Han Li took the token, nodded to him, and stepped into the gate tunnel.

As he emerged from the tunnel and set foot in the inner city, he immediately felt the surrounding light grow brighter, and the spiritual energy in the air seemed to become richer.

Han Li looked around and noticed that the ground, walls, and buildings were all inscribed with shallow, peculiar runes, interconnected with one another, seemingly covering every street.

"What a grand undertaking, turning this inner city into something like an immortal sect. No wonder those fellows from Xianyun Mountain, though rarely able to enter, all yearn for this Jukun Inner City," Han Li couldn't help but praise.

With that, he walked along the broad street ahead into the city.

Compared to the lively clamor of the outer city, the inner city was much quieter. There were few pedestrians on the streets, most of them hurrying between one shop and another.

Han Li didn't waste time either. He picked a three-story building that seemed quite sizable among these shops and walked in.

But not long after, the shopkeeper saw him out with an apologetic expression.

According to the shopkeeper, the "Xuanzhi Crystal" was a top-grade spiritual material. In all of Jukun City, there were no more than three shops that might possess it, and even they were unlikely to put it up for sale.

Han Li had anticipated this, so he wasn't too disappointed. He still intended to try his luck elsewhere in the city.