The sight of the Flight Talisman drew an immediate reaction from both the black-clothed man and the stall owner. Their gazes toward Han Li grew noticeably more respectful—anyone carrying a high-grade talisman was not to be dismissed lightly.
"Done—I'll make the trade!" The black-clothed man was decisive. A deal this lopsided in his favor demanded no hesitation.
"Before we proceed, however, I'd like to verify one claim you made earlier." Han Li's tone remained unhurried. "You stated that this fragment does not prevent the concealed object from drawing in ambient spiritual energy. If that's true, I'll trade immediately. If it proves false, I'm afraid I cannot afford to make a losing bargain."
The black-clothed man started in surprise at Han Li's words, then broke into a grin.
"Everything I said about this item's properties is the absolute truth. By all means, test it yourself." Confidence rang in every syllable.
Han Li produced a cup-shaped vessel from within his robes and set it upon the ground. He then draped the cloth over it, and the cup vanished from sight. With a flick of his finger, he condensed a tiny sphere of white spiritual energy at his fingertip and let it drift downward. The sphere shrank and disappeared, as though something beneath the cloth had swallowed it whole.
A smile of satisfaction crossed Han Li's face. He lifted the cloth, and the cup reappeared—inside it, the white sphere of spiritual energy floated gently as before.
"Excellent. Your claim holds true. I'll take the fragment, and the Flight Talisman is yours." Han Li tucked the cloth into his sleeve and offered the black-clothed man a clasped-fist salute.
"Deal! A straightforward trade." The black-clothed man seized the talisman with undisguised delight, turning it over several times to verify its authenticity before allowing a broad, satisfied smile to settle onto his features.
Han Li returned a faint smile, offered no further comment, and turned to push through the crowd. He had not gone more than a few steps before a chorus of murmured discussion erupted behind him.
"That fellow's a fool! Trading a high-grade talisman for a useless trinket?"
"Exactly—how much use can a fragment that tiny possibly serve? What a terrible bargain!"
"Don't be so sure. Perhaps he has some clever use for it that we don't know about..."
Han Li heard every word and allowed himself a few quiet, cold laughs. "These cultivators could never understand what this item means to me."
"Brother—wait! Please, wait for me!" Before Han Li had gone far, a voice called from behind, accompanied by the patter of hurried footsteps drawing closer.
Han Li glanced back with mild surprise. Was someone actually calling to him?
Not far behind, the round-faced young man was sprinting toward him, drenched in sweat, his mouth still forming words even as he ran.
The man was the very same youth who had nearly caused the entire confrontation in the first place.
Han Li blinked, curiosity piqued, and came to a halt. He wanted to know what could possibly drive this unlikely character to chase after him with such desperate energy.
"Brother—at last, I've caught up!" The youth arrived breathless, bent double and gasping.
"Something I can help you with?" Han Li regarded him with a quizzical expression.
"Here—take this. It's a small token of thanks for rescuing me from that mess." Without another word, the young man thrust a slim booklet into Han Li's hands, then retreated with a shy, almost embarrassed smile and disappeared into the crowd.
Han Li was briefly stunned, then smiled quietly to himself. It was genuinely unexpected to find someone so unaffected and straightforward among the cultivation world. He made no move to follow the youth but instead looked down at the item in his hand.
The title on the cover read *Records of Green Stream*. The name suggested something informal rather than a manual of technique. Han Li found himself curious enough to flip through a few pages.
The book was the private record of Master Qingxi, a cultivator from the Kingdom of Yue who had little interest in rigorous cultivation and a great love of wandering. He had taken it upon himself to compile detailed accounts of the oddities, legends, and whispered rumors he had encountered throughout his travels—each entry accompanied, in many cases, by vivid illustrations. Though Han Li had only skimmed the opening pages, the material intrigued him enough to slip the booklet into his inner robe for later reading.
Upon returning to his quarters, Han Li settled onto his bed and began reading the *Records of Green Stream* in earnest.
The accounts ranged from events Master Qingxi had personally witnessed to tales passed along by word of mouth. Every entry was strange, unusual, or extraordinary in its own right. Some recounted secrets jealously guarded within cultivation families and never shared with outsiders—how Master Qingxi had obtained them was a mystery in itself.
Han Li read with rapt attention. Then, upon reaching the final pages, his gaze locked onto seven illustrations of token-like objects, each bearing a distinct design. Below them ran several lines of text:
*"Ascension Token—crafted by the seven great cultivation sects of the Kingdom of Yue. Bestowed upon cultivation families in recognition of extraordinary merit. Any bearer who presents the Token to the sect that issued it is granted the same treatment as the final champion of the Ascension Assembly—receiving a Foundation Establishment Pill and full entry into the sect. The Tokens have historically circulated exclusively among cultivation families and remain unknown to ordinary cultivators. The illustrations here are reconstructions based on hearsay descriptions."*
At the bottom, in smaller characters, Master Qingxi had added a final note:
*"These Tokens may be freely transferred or traded between cultivation families. Some have been in circulation for generations, and the issuing sects honor the Token regardless of the bearer's identity. Any cultivator who presents one may ascend to the sect in a single step—they are among the most extraordinary opportunities available to low-level cultivators, a true reversal of heaven's decree."*
Han Li finished the description, then turned back to the seven illustrations. His mouth went dry and his heart hammered wildly.
From the moment he had first heard the words "Ascension Assembly," a half-formed thought had surfaced in his mind—the strange, dark token he had obtained from the dwarf cultivator. One face of that token bore the characters for "Ascension," and he had wondered whether it might bear some connection to the assembly. But when he had later heard others discuss the Ascension Assembly in detail, no mention of the Ascension Token had been made, and he had dismissed the coincidence as insignificant.
Now, quite by accident, this slim booklet had revealed the token's true origin and its astonishing purpose—and its power was far greater than he had imagined.
As excitement surged through him, Han Li retrieved the dark, unremarkable-looking token from his robes and compared it against the illustrations. His eyes found the matching design.
"Yellow Maple Valley." His fingers traced the token's surface as he whispered the words. "This Ascension Token was issued by Yellow Maple Valley."
"But if this is so valuable, how did it end up in the hands of someone as insignificant as Golden Light Master?"
In truth, the dwarf cultivator had been the token's rightful owner all along.
The Qin-Ye Ridge had once been home to not only the Ye Family but also the Qin Family, a clan of equal renown. The two families had been connected by marriage and maintained a cordial relationship.
The Ascension Token had been passed down through the Qin Family for generations. They had never used it because they had never found a family member talented enough to justify such a precious gift. Rather than squander it on an unworthy successor, they had chosen to preserve it and wait.
But over the years, the Qin Family's male line dwindled and the clan fell into decline, while the Ye Family flourished and expanded. Eventually, the broader cultivation world knew only of the Ye Family on Qin-Ye Ridge, and the Qin name faded into obscurity.
By the time Golden Light Master came of age, he was the sole surviving male of the Qin bloodline—and his aptitude was abysmal. Foundation Establishment was utterly beyond his reach. The vast disparity in strength between the two families, compounded by the fact that the marriage bond had long since faded, emboldened the Ye Family. They set their sights on the Qin Family's treasured heirlooms, and the Ascension Token was the prize they coveted above all others.
Golden Light Master may have been a poor cultivator, but he possessed a keen eye for danger and a rat's instinct for self-preservation. When he caught wind of the Ye Family's plans before they made their move, the dwarf gathered the Ascension Token and a talisman inscribed with a small sword, and fled. The remaining treasures were sealed behind barriers he could not breach in time, and with great reluctance he abandoned them to the Ye Family.
Golden Light Master had been on the run for over a decade, hiding in a remote Daoist temple within the lands of the barbarian tribes, scraping by on his meager cultivation by performing simple spiritual tricks for food and shelter. As the years passed, his initial ambition to use the Ascension Token had faded considerably. Even if he consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill, he reasoned, he would never reach the Foundation Establishment stage—so why suffer as a low-ranking disciple in some great sect?
And so, during the later siege upon the Sect of Seven Mysteries, this invaluable Ascension Token had fallen into Han Li's hands.
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**Glossary**
| Term | Meaning | |------|---------| | Ascension Token | A medallion issued by the seven great sects, granting the bearer a Foundation Establishment Pill and sect entry | | Ascension Assembly | The major competition whose champions receive Foundation Establishment Pills | | Yellow Maple Valley | One of the seven great cultivation sects of the Kingdom of Yue | | Foundation Establishment Pill | A rare elixir that enables a cultivator to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage | | Foundation Establishment Stage | The second major realm of cultivation, marking a cultivator's true entry into the immortal path | | Golden Light Master | The dwarf cultivator from whom Han Li obtained the token | | Sect of Seven Mysteries | Han Li's original sect, located in the Kingdom of Yue | | Qin-Ye Ridge | A region once shared by two powerful cultivation families |