"Young master, are you leaving already?" the Heavenly Dao Brush asked, noticing Li Xuan looking towards the direction of the Xuanyuan Sect.
Li Xuan nodded slightly. "It's time to go. I hope they are doing well."
"Now that the seal here is broken and the restrictions from Yun Qi are lifted, it shouldn't take long for this canyon continent to return to the True Martial Continent. And with the cultivation techniques you've given them, the Xuanyuan Sect should be able to establish itself on the True Martial Continent," the Heavenly Dao Brush said.
"All things begin and end; this concept of '缘' (yuan, or fate/connection) is truly hard to define," Li Xuan mused. With a thought, he put the Heavenly Dao Brush into the Suppressing Prison. Then, with a wave of his hand, a spatial portal appeared.
Li Xuan stepped into it, and the moment his figure vanished, the portal closed, returning to its original state.
Meanwhile, within the Xuanyuan Sect, Li Qingzhu sensed something and looked up at the sky. A young child, no older than eight or nine, put away his wooden sword and approached Li Qingzhu.
"Senior Sister, are you missing our junior brother?" the child asked, tilting his head.
Li Qingzhu blinked, then smiled and patted the child's head. "Cang Li, practice your sword well."
"Yes, Senior Sister!" Cang Li nodded with determination and went to the side to continue his practice.
Watching Cang Li train, Li Qingzhu smiled with satisfaction, then looked up at the sky and murmured, "Junior brother, will we ever meet again?"
...
On the Huayang Continent, in a remote desert region in the east and west.
One day, a black dot rapidly appeared in the sky, and a powerful aura instantly spread out.
As the black dot descended quickly, a man's figure appeared above the desert.
This man was Li Xuan, who had left the canyon continent.
"Little Brush, you say this is the Huayang Continent?" Li Xuan asked, looking at the endless white sand stretching as far as the eye could see.
The Heavenly Dao Brush replied, "After you leave this desert, you should reach Ancient Bronze City. You can gather some useful information there."
Li Xuan nodded. "In that case, let's head to Ancient Bronze City first."
As he spoke, Li Xuan moved and headed southeast.
"Did you hear? Apparently, a 'Hai Zi' has appeared in the desert. If we can find one, it would be enough for us to cultivate for a hundred years!"
As Li Xuan sat down in a teahouse, he overheard three people at a nearby table discussing. Li Xuan's heart stirred, and he picked up his teacup to listen.
"Let's not even think about it. City Lord Wu Xue has already taken his men to the desert. That Hai Zi is likely already in City Lord Wu Xue's grasp," a grey-robed man sitting next to the first speaker said with a wry smile.
"The desert is vast; even City Lord Wu Xue might not be able to pinpoint where the Hai Zi appeared. If the three of us go in and try our luck, we might stumble upon it. Even if we can't take it all, we can sell it for a good price," the black-robed man who spoke first said.
"I agree. Maybe our luck is good, and the Hai Zi will just appear right in front of us," the yellow-robed man among the three said, his eyes lighting up. He then looked at the other two.
"If that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" the black-robed man said, standing up.
The grey-robed and yellow-robed men also stood up, clearly preparing to head to the desert.
Li Xuan pondered for a moment, then stood up and followed the three men out of the teahouse.
"Who are you? How dare you trail us!" As Li Xuan turned into an alley, the three men who had left earlier suddenly reappeared, surrounding Li Xuan.
"You actually discovered me?" Li Xuan was surprised.
These three men were only at the Broken Spirit realm, yet they had discovered Li Xuan's tracking so quickly.
"Boy, do you think you're some kind of powerhouse? Quickly tell us, what are your intentions in tailing us?" the black-robed man said with a cold snort, shouting at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan smiled wryly. With a thought, the pressure of the Life Body realm radiated towards the three men.
Thud!
In an instant, the three men were forced to their knees by Li Xuan's pressure. Their faces paled in shock. They had clearly not expected that the man before them, who showed no spiritual energy fluctuations, possessed such terrifying strength.
"Senior, please forgive us. We had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please, be merciful and spare us."
The black-robed man now understood that the man before them was beyond their ability to resist. He bowed to Li Xuan, his face full of fear.
"It's not impossible to spare you. However, I am curious about this 'Hai Zi' you mentioned. What exactly is it?" Li Xuan smiled slightly, waved his hand, and the pressure disappeared. He then looked at the black-robed man, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Replying to Senior, the Hai Zi is a spiritual item unique to the desert. In the black market, a palm-sized Hai Zi can fetch five thousand high-grade spirit stones for cultivation."
"Yesterday, some sea harvesters returned from the desert and sold quite a few Hai Zi, which is how we noticed. Senior, I've told you everything I know. Please spare the three of us." the black-robed man quickly said.
Li Xuan was surprised. A palm-sized piece could sell for such a high price. It was no wonder these three men were so interested in the Hai Zi.
"I see. One more question, how did you detect me?" Li Xuan asked again after some thought.
After all, Li Xuan's strength far surpassed these three men, yet he was discovered so quickly. Li Xuan was a bit curious.
"Replying to Senior, I have been very sensitive to气息 (xi qi, or aura/presence) since childhood. So, I detected you following us," the black-robed man replied earnestly.
Li Xuan let out a wry smile. Some people were naturally born with extremely sensitive perception; it was normal. He nodded. "I understand. Alright, you three may go."
"Thank you, Senior. Thank you, Senior," the black-robed man said with a surprised expression, bowing to Li Xuan. He then glanced at the grey-robed and yellow-robed men and they swiftly shot off in the direction of the desert.
In an instant, the three of them disappeared from Li Xuan's sight.
"It's so valuable; it might have other uses. I should go and see what this Hai Zi is."
As he finished speaking, Li Xuan's body flashed with spiritual light, and he flew towards the desert.
...
Within the desert, at a deep pit.
About fifteen minutes after Li Xuan left, over twenty figures appeared rapidly at the location where Li Xuan had collected the Hai Zi.
"Strange, this Hai Zi cave only produced such a small amount of Hai Zi?" an elder in blue robes said, looking at the blue crystals below with surprise. He then turned his gaze to the man in the large red and purple robe who was leading them.
"It seems someone was here before us and found this Hai Zi cave," the man in the large red and purple robe said slowly, a hint of coldness in his tone.
"These damn sea harvesters, don't they know that the ten caves in this desert are forbidden areas of our Ancient Bronze City?" the elder in blue robes said, a trace of anger flashing across his face.
"Over the years, these sea harvesters have continuously tested our Ancient Bronze City's limits. If we don't impose some restrictions, these sea harvesters will think our Ancient Bronze City is weak."
"City Lord, in my opinion, this matter cannot be let go," an old man in grey robes on the right side of the man in the large red and purple robe said slowly after the elder in blue robes finished speaking.
The man in the large red and purple robe pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Find the sea harvester who collected the Hai Zi from this place. I want all the sea harvesters in Ancient Bronze City to know the bottom line of my Wu Xue in Ancient Bronze City!"
"We obey the City Lord's command!" As Wu Xue spoke, the more than twenty people behind him bowed in unison.
Li Xuan, who had returned to Ancient Bronze City, had just taken a sip of tea when he suddenly sneezed.
"Huh? Is someone talking about me?"