"It's him?" The haughty face of the cultivator before him overlapped with the mad-looking youth in his memory.
Li Fan was momentarily stunned.
"He actually didn't die? Not only did he escape the world-ending calamity of Mo Sha, but he even seems to have found another stroke of fortune in Yuandao Province?
"Such karmic luck..."
Li Fan's interest in this Han Yi was instantly piqued.
Looking closely, Han Yi looked completely different from the scruffy youth in tattered clothes from back then.
Today, Han Yi wore a purple-and-gold robe shimmering with faint luster, clearly no ordinary garment.
On his left thumb was a jade archer's ring that possessed not only storage space, but also traces of array fluctuations.
At first glance, he gave the impression of someone extraordinary—evidently wealthy or noble.
His cultivation was also impressive.
Thirteen years ago, he had not even broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Now, just like Li Fan, he was already at the Golden Core stage.
"Interesting." Li Fan's eyes flickered, a faint smile surfacing at the corners of his mouth.
Under the gaze of the crowd, a beam of silver radiance shone from the surface of the Heavenly Profound Mirror in the center of the hall, illuminating the purple wooden box in Han Yi's hands.
A moment later, the purple wooden box vanished.
On the ranking board of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the characters shifted slightly.
The top of the list had shockingly become: "Han Yi, Tiandu Feathering Pill. Extends lifespan by 806 years."
The cultivators in the hall instantly erupted into an uproar.
"It's actually real? The kid wasn't talking big?"
"For a mere Golden Core cultivator, isn't his luck a bit too absurd? To actually find a treasure that extends lifespan by eight hundred years? I'm truly green with envy!"
"Tiandu Feathering... where does that name sound familiar?"
"The fallen Immortal Venerable Blue Feather of Yuandao Province—wasn't the cultivation method he practiced the Tiandu Feathering Technique? I heard that in Yuandao Province, people are currently fighting tooth and nail over that true Dao Integration technique, and quite a few cultivators have fallen. I wonder what connection this Tiandu Feathering Pill has to Immortal Venerable Blue Feather."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, the gazes fixed on Han Yi brimming with varied meanings.
Yet facing the intense stares of many cultivators whose cultivation far exceeded his own, Han Yi remained poised and composed throughout, without changing expression.
He even gave an easy, elegant bow toward the gathered cultivators and said with a smile, "Thank you for your generosity, everyone! Barring any surprises, the top spot in this bounty belongs to me."
At these words, the expressions of the cultivators present turned rather sour.
Han Yi could not have cared less. Producing a folding fan from somewhere, he snapped it open with a crisp swoosh.
Leisurely fanning himself, he found an empty seat, sat down, and waited for the final results.
Han Yi's abrupt arrival made the atmosphere in Tianji Courtyard's grand hall noticeably subdued.
It was no longer as lively with discussion as before.
First and second place were almost entirely set in stone.
Although third place might still change hands, interest was clearly far lower than before.
Extraordinary as the techniques deduced by the Yanfa Jade might be, third place could only deduce up to the Nascent Soul realm.
Compared to Soul Formation or Dao Integration techniques, it simply could not be mentioned in the same breath.
After nearly half a day, two or three more cultivators arrived at the hall one after another.
Glancing at the rankings on the Heavenly Profound Mirror, they realized there was no hope of competing for the top three.
Nevertheless, for the sake of the double compensation promised by Heavenly Venerable Jicheng, these cultivators still presented their treasures one by one.
Seeing that the time was about right, Li Fan retrieved a Rebirth Longevity Fruit from his storage ring and placed it before the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Radiance flashed, and the ranking board of the Heavenly Profound Mirror updated once more:
"Xiao Fan, Rebirth Longevity Fruit. Extends lifespan by 300 years."
Li Fan's sudden emergence caused a ripple through the somewhat stifling hall.
One cultivator abruptly shot to his feet, eyes bloodshot, glaring fixedly at Li Fan as if Li Fan were his mortal enemy.
"Brother Wan! Calm down, calm down!"
It turned out this man was Wan Yu, the original second place.
The appearances of Han Yi and Li Fan had instantly knocked him out of the top three, stripping him of the chance to use the Yanfa Jade.
Li Fan's gaze merely lingered on him for an instant before disregarding him entirely.
Under the watchful eyes of the cultivators, Li Fan walked slowly over to Han Yi's side and sat down nearby.
Han Yi sized Li Fan up, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.
Still, he said nothing at this time, merely cupping his hands toward Li Fan with a smile.
Li Fan gave a slight nod, then closed his eyes to rest his mind.
After another half-cup of tea's time, numerical countdown digits began appearing on the surface of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
The deadline for the bounty was fast approaching.
Right at this final moment, a figure dressed as a scholar came dashing in as the final entrant.
He halted beneath the Heavenly Profound Mirror, looking up with narrowed eyes.
His reaction that followed was quite intriguing: first, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he shook his head, wearing an expression of deep regret.
Sweeping his eyes across the room, he locked directly onto Han Yi.
Emulating Li Fan, he also found a seat near Han Yi and sat down.
Han Yi could not help chuckling. "Interesting!"
Yet the motion of his fan grew noticeably brisker.
The Heavenly Profound Mirror's countdown slowly reached zero.
On the mirror's ranking board, only the top three lines ultimately remained.
A blue-robed cultivator suddenly appeared in the hall at that moment.
He announced in a clear voice, "Han Yi, Ximen Yue, Xiao Fan—please follow me, the three of you.
"The rest of you may remain here; someone will be assigned shortly to verify and distribute your compensation."
Hearing this, Han Yi took the lead without hesitation, standing up and striding at the very front.
When Li Fan rose, he made an inviting gesture toward the second-place Ximen Yue.
Ximen Yue hesitated for a moment, murmured his thanks, and followed behind Han Yi.
Li Fan walked last among the three.
Under the envious gazes of the gathered cultivators, the three followed the blue-robed cultivator out of the hall, turned right, and went deeper inside.
Passing through over a dozen doorways, they eventually arrived at a small courtyard where a massive tree stood in the middle.
The great tree seemed to have once grown lush and verdant, its spreading branches nearly covering the sky above the entire courtyard.
Yet now, having suffered some unknown upheaval, all of its leaves had fallen.
Even along its main trunk, patches of withered yellow had surfaced.
Beneath the tree stood a white-haired elder.
His body was slightly hunched as he stroked the dying tree before him, which was likewise nearing its end.
His back looked somewhat desolate.
"Greetings, Immortal Venerable!"
Seeing this, how could Li Fan and the other two fail to recognize the elder's identity?
They hurriedly bowed in unison.
Han Yi also reined in the arrogance on his face, turning reserved and respectful.
Immortal Venerable Jicheng turned slowly around. Looking at the three young men, a trace of reminiscence and melancholy flashed in his eyes.
"You three... have done very well."
Immortal Venerable Jicheng spoke slowly, enunciating each word.
"To tell the truth, the potency of the longevity treasures you submitted far exceeded my original expectations.
"Thanks to you, I can finally stand up once more and move about.
"To make a few more arrangements for my affairs after death."
Immortal Venerable Jicheng spoke very slowly, a faint aura of death clinging to his face.
"Does the Immortal Venerable mean you have already consumed all of these longevity treasures?"
"Then why...?"
At this moment, Ximen Yue could not help asking.
Chapter 332