Chapter 878 The Envelope and the Bottle

"Eh!"

The white-robed man looked at Han Li's current appearance, his eyes flickering with strange light as he let out a soft exclamation.

Hearing this sound, Han Li immediately recovered from the ecstasy of his breakthrough. His body flickered, and the next moment he crossed a distance of over ten zhang, appearing before the white-robed man.

Seeing this, the white-robed man's expression did not change; he merely gazed at Han Li without a word.

"Thank you for your care, allowing me to cultivate a bit longer in the Star Pool. How many more Xuan Points should I pay?" Han Li glanced at the hourglass beside the white-robed man and cupped his fist in salute.

Although he had been in cultivation just now, his perception of the outside world had not been interrupted, and he felt quite grateful for the white-robed man's actions.

"No need. Fellow Daoist Li only exceeded the time limit by half a quarter of an hour, so there's no need for additional payment. However, I have a question I hope you can answer." The white-robed man waved his hand dismissively, then suddenly changed the subject.

"Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist. I will tell you everything I know." Han Li was slightly startled, then smiled.

"The technique you cultivate, Fellow Daoist Li, is extremely extraordinary. May I ask its name?" The white-robed man's eyes seemed to flash with eagerness.

"The Featherflight Ascension Art." Han Li hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

He had already mentioned the name of this technique to Gu Qianxun, so there was nothing to hide.

"Featherflight Ascension Art! Featherflight to ascend to immortality—truly a fine name. With your great progress in cultivation, Fellow Daoist Li, you will surely shine brilliantly in the Xuan Dou Arena, living up to the name 'Phantom' even more." The white-robed man smiled slightly and nodded in praise.

"You flatter me. In the Xuan Dou Arena, life and death hang by a thread; today we know not what tomorrow brings. I train hard only to gain a few more chances of survival in the arena. These empty titles are but fleeting clouds, not worth mentioning." Han Li gave a bitter laugh.

"Though the Xuan Dou Arena is precarious, at least it offers fair combat. The outside world may seem free, but is it not also fraught with treacherous hearts? One misstep, and you fall, losing ten thousand years of cultivation in an instant." The white-robed man shook his head.

"Well said. I was being overly sentimental. In cultivation, we go against the heavens; why should it matter whether we are outside or in this Xuan Dou Arena?" Han Li laughed heartily.

After chatting a few more words with the white-robed man, Han Li took his leave.

The white-robed man watched Han Li leave, seeming to mutter something to himself, then quickly sat down cross-legged again.

...

Leaving the Star Pool, Han Li walked down the corridor along which he had come, feeling his body as light as a feather compared to when he arrived, as if he could float away at any moment.

He moved his feet, and his whole body lifted off the ground, floating like a tuft of willow catkin, seemingly unaffected by gravity.

Han Li's heart stirred. He stepped on the void, and with a soft "pop" of air, his body shot forward.

Just as he was about to crash into the stone wall ahead, he spun around, stepped on the void again, and his body shot backward.

A childlike playfulness arose in Han Li. He found a novel toy, stepping on the void repeatedly, dancing through the corridor like a nimble swallow.

After playing for a good while, he stopped, his face still beaming with a smile.

The Featherflight Ascension Art actually allowed him to fly off the ground. This ability was nothing special outside, but in the Jilin Sky Realm, it was extremely practical.

With this ability, whether in battle or other matters, everything would be much more convenient.

Han Li composed himself and soon returned to his residence, intending to sit down and rest for a while.

Although he had opened that Xuan aperture and greatly advanced his physical cultivation, his spiritual power had been heavily consumed after such a long period of cultivation. He was quite tired now and just wanted to sleep for three days straight.

Just as he was about to lie down, his gaze suddenly caught something, and he looked at the stone table in the room.

On the originally empty table now lay an envelope, and beside it was a small red bottle a few inches in size. Through the translucent walls, he could vaguely see some dark red liquid inside.

Han Li's heart tightened. He turned his head sharply to look at the door.

The door showed nothing unusual; the newly purchased Tianxing Shell on it was intact, emitting a starlight that covered the door, with no signs of damage.

But his expression turned somewhat grim.

Someone had actually managed to bypass the Tianxing Shell and sneak into his room, seemingly leaving no clues behind.

Han Li's drowsiness vanished instantly. He walked to the table, examined the envelope and the small bottle with his spiritual sense for a good while, and finding nothing wrong, picked up the envelope and opened it.

Inside the envelope was a piece of light purple paper with a line of tiny characters written on it.

Han Li's eyes swept over it, and his expression immediately changed drastically. His body flickered, and he appeared beside the stone door, listening to the sounds outside.

After a moment, his expression relaxed, and he turned back to the stone table, glancing at the purple paper again.

It read: "The Green Ram City Lord covets the true spirit bloodline within you and seeks to possess it. He will soon make his move. If you do not wish to fall into his hands, drink what is in the bottle; it may save your life."

Han Li stared at the line of characters, his face shifting between gloom and uncertainty, remaining silent.

Who had sent this envelope and bottle? Could it be the Crab Daoist?

He quickly shook his head. The method used to infiltrate his room this time was different from the previous secret gift of the aperture-closing technique; it was much more sophisticated and should not have been the work of the same person.

Moreover, if it were the Crab Daoist, for such an important matter, he would have left a mark to avoid misunderstanding.

If not the Crab Daoist, then who? And was the content of the paper true or false? Or was someone trying to use this to disturb his mind? What was the purpose of disturbing his mind?

In an instant, countless questions flooded Han Li's mind, and he found it difficult to concentrate.

He immediately sensed something was wrong, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind.

Rather than investigating who had sneaked in and left the envelope and bottle, the urgent task now was to confirm whether the content of the paper was true.

As this thought crossed his mind, the figure of Chen Yang involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Recalling the encounter with this man, it seemed that when he first saw Han Li's true spirit bloodline, he had indeed shown a hint of strange expression.

But what use did the Green Ram City Lord have for a true spirit bloodline? Was it just to enhance combat power?

Han Li was silent for a moment, then picked up the red bottle and examined it closely.

Inside the bottle was some dark red liquid that looked like blood but had no bloody smell, instead emitting a strange aura.

Han Li racked his brains but could not identify what it was. He put away the envelope and the red bottle, turned and left the room, soon arriving at Chen Lin's residence.

But Chen Lin seemed not to be inside. He knocked for a long time but got no response.

Han Li frowned slightly. After a moment's thought, he turned and went to the door of Du Long's residence, raising his hand to knock.

"Fellow Daoist Li, is something the matter?" Du Long opened the door and saw Han Li, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Nothing major. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Fellow Daoist Du Long." Han Li said calmly.

Du Long let out an "oh" and invited Han Li into the room, brewing two cups of tea.

"Fellow Daoist Du Long, do you know about true spirit bloodlines?" Han Li did not drink the tea and went straight to the point.

"True spirit bloodlines? Of course I do. True spirits are a kind of peculiar beast born from heaven and earth, far more powerful than ordinary beasts. Those with true spirit bloodlines can use some of the abilities of those true spirits, and each has extraordinary potential. Unfortunately, there are very few true spirits in our Holy Domain, and very few clansmen possess true spirit bloodlines. I've heard there are more in the Immortal Domain. Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist Li?" Du Long was slightly taken aback and looked at Han Li strangely, but still answered.

"Nothing much. I recently heard about true spirit bloodlines and became curious. Unfortunately, my knowledge is shallow, so I came to consult you, Fellow Daoist Du Long." Han Li smiled.

After several years of acquaintance, he had come to understand some of Du Long's character: sharp-eyed, steady in handling matters, a capable man, whose only weakness was a love for showing off and being flattered.

"True spirit bloodlines are indeed a rare and precious thing, especially for us body cultivators." Du Long showed a smile and nodded.

"How so?" Han Li's gaze sharpened.

"Those with true spirit bloodlines generally have much stronger physiques than ordinary people. After using the true spirit bloodline transformation, their physical power can increase by leaps and bounds. But that's not all. The power of a true spirit bloodline has another wonderful use, known to very few." Du Long said with a mysterious expression at the end.

"Oh? What use is that? Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Du Long." Han Li's heart trembled, but he asked calmly.

"I heard this by chance. The power of a true spirit bloodline can assist in opening Xuan apertures." Du Long lowered his voice.

"Really?" Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this.

"I only heard it from others; I haven't seen it myself. There are too few people with true spirit bloodlines in our Holy Domain, and having the bloodline alone is not enough; one also needs a corresponding technique to activate the true spirit bloodline's power." Du Long shrugged.

"I see. Thank you for clarifying my doubts, Fellow Daoist Du Long. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Han Li's eyes flickered, and he immediately stood up to leave.

Without waiting for Du Long to see him off, he turned and walked out.

Du Long was a bit stunned, then shook his head, not paying much attention.

After leaving Du Long's room, Han Li immediately headed back to his own residence, his expression somewhat complicated.

He hadn't expected the power of a true spirit bloodline to have such an effect; no wonder his speed in opening Xuan apertures was far faster than others.

If the true spirit bloodline had such a wonderful use, it made perfect sense for the Green Ram City Lord to covet the bloodline within him.

But if the Green Ram City Lord truly coveted the true spirit bloodline in his body, why hadn't he taken it when he captured Han Li, instead throwing him into the Xuan Dou Arena?