It’s him? The arrogant face of the cultivator before him overlapped with the memory of that wild, disheveled youth.

Li Fan was momentarily stunned.

He didn’t die? Not only did he survive the world-ending calamity of Ink Death, but it seems he also encountered some other opportunity in Yuandao Province?

This kind of providence...

Li Fan’s interest in this Han Yi was immediately piqued.

A closer look revealed how far he had come from his former self. The tattered clothes and wild hair were long gone. The present Han Yi now wore robes of purple and gold, with a subtle, shimmering light flowing across the fabric—clearly no ordinary garment.

On his left thumb sat a green jade ring. It served as a storage artifact, but one could also detect faint array fluctuations emanating from it.

He gave off, at a glance, the unmistakable air of someone of wealth or standing.

His own cultivation was also impressive. Thirteen years ago, he hadn’t even broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm. Now, he had reached the Golden Core realm like Li Fan.

Interesting. Li Fan’s gaze flickered, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a beam of silver light shot from the Tianxuan Mirror at the center of the hall, illuminating the purple wooden box in Han Yi’s hand.

Moments later, the purple box vanished. The rankings displayed by the Tianxuan Mirror changed slightly.

At the top of the list, it now clearly read: “Han Yi, Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill. Lifespan Extension: 806 years.”

The hall erupted in an uproar.

“It’s actually real? The kid wasn’t boasting?”

“A random Golden Core cultivator’s luck is this good? He actually found a treasure that extends life by eight hundred years? What is this unfairness?”

“Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation... that name sounds familiar somehow.”

“Wasn’t the cultivation technique practiced by the now-fallen Lan Yu Immortal Venerable from Yuandao Province called the Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Technique? I heard that in Yuandao Province, they’re fighting tooth and nail over that Dao Unity-level technique, and quite a few cultivators have already fallen. I wonder what connection this Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill has with Immortal Venerable Lan Yu.”

The room buzzed with conversation, and the looks directed at Han Yi were many and varied.

Yet, faced with the scrutiny of numerous cultivators whose cultivation far surpassed his own, Han Yi remained perfectly composed, his expression unchanged.

He even swept a graceful bow towards the crowd and said with a smile, “My thanks for yielding, everyone! Barring any surprises, the first prize will be mine.”

His words caused the expressions of those present to darken considerably. Han Yi, however, seemed not to care in the slightest. He produced a folding fan from somewhere, flicking it open with a snap. Fanning himself leisurely, he found a seat and settled in to wait for the final results.

Han Yi’s sudden appearance cast a palpable pall over the atmosphere in the Garrison Command hall, and the lively discussions from before died down.

First and second place were practically decided. While the third place might still change hands, it clearly didn’t command the same level of attention.

Though the techniques derived by the Derivation Jade were extraordinary, third place only guaranteed a technique up to the Nascent Soul realm. It was in no way comparable to Spirit Transformation, let alone Dao Unity-level techniques.

A short while later, two or three more cultivators trickled into the hall. After glancing at the rankings on the Tianxuan Mirror, they knew competing for the top three spots was hopeless. Still, lured by the price-doubling reward promised by Immortal Venerable Jicheng, they 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 Tianxuan Mirror. A flash of light later, the Mirror updated the rankings once more.

“Xiao Fan, Rebirth Longevity Fruit. Lifespan Extension: 300 years.”

The results stirred a ripple in the somewhat oppressive hall.

One cultivator even shot to his feet, eyes bloodshot, glaring at Li Fan as if they shared some irreconcilable, blood-deep enmity.

"Brother Wan! Calm yourself, calm down!"

This man was the original second-place holder, Wan Yu.

The appearance of Han Yi and Li Fan had instantly knocked him out of the top three, costing him the chance to use the Derivation Jade.

Li Fan's gaze merely brushed over him before dismissing him entirely.

With the assembled cultivators all watching, Li Fan made his way unhurriedly to the area near Han Yi's seat and sat down, leaning back with ease.

Han Yi studied Li Fan, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

For now, however, he said nothing, simply offering Li Fan a slight cupped-fist salute and a faint smile.

Li Fan gave a slight nod in return, then closed his eyes to rest.

Another half-cup of tea's time passed, and a numerical countdown began to materialize on the Tianxuan Mirror.

The deadline for the bounty was nearly upon them.

At this final moment, a figure dressed as a scholar rushed in, making a last-minute entrance.

He halted beneath the Tianxuan Mirror, tilting his head back and squinting.

His reaction was rather interesting. First, he let out a long sigh of relief. Then he shook his head, wearing an expression of profound regret.

His gaze swept the room and immediately locked onto Han Yi.

Mimicking Li Fan, he found a seat near Han Yi and sat down.

Han Yi couldn't help but snort a laugh. "Interesting!"

Yet his fanning motion grew noticeably more rapid.

The countdown on the Tianxuan Mirror slowly ticked down to zero.

On its surface, only the top three lines of the ranking list remained.

A blue-robed cultivator suddenly appeared in the hall.

He announced clearly, "Han Yi, Ximen Yue, Xiao Fan. The three of you, please come with me."

"The remaining cultivators are to wait here. Specialists will be along shortly to verify and distribute your rewards."

Upon hearing this, Han Yi stood and strode to the forefront as if it were his rightful place.

After Li Fan rose, he made a gesture of “after you” to the second-place holder, Ximen Yue.

Ximen Yue hesitated a moment, offered a soft word of thanks, and followed Han Yi out.

Li Fan took up the rear of the trio.

Under the intensely envious gazes of the other cultivators, the three of them followed the blue-robed cultivator out of the hall, turned right, and proceeded deep into the building.

Passing through more than a dozen doors, they finally arrived at a small courtyard where a great tree grew in its center.

This tree must have once been exceedingly lush, its branches stretching out to blanket the entire sky of the courtyard.

But now, it had suffered some unknown calamity. All its leaves had fallen. Even the main trunk was mottled with patches of withered yellow.

Beneath the tree stood a white-haired, elderly man. His frame was somewhat stooped as he gently stroked the bark of the dying tree before him.

His silhouette seemed lonely, desolate.

Seeing this, Li Fan and the other two immediately understood the old man's identity and hurriedly bowed in unison.

"We pay our respects to the Immortal Venerable!"

Even Han Yi shed the arrogance from his face, becoming restrained and respectful.

Immortal Venerable Jicheng slowly turned around. Looking at the three young people, a flicker of nostalgia and a trace of sorrow passed through his eyes.

"You... have done well."

Immortal Venerable Jicheng spoke slowly, each word deliberate and heavy.

"To be honest, the potency of the life-extending treasures you submitted this time far exceeded my original expectations.

"Thanks to you, I can stand once more and move about a little, at least for now.

"With this, I can make... a few more arrangements for what comes after."

Immortal Venerable Jicheng spoke very slowly, and a faint aura of death seemed to cling to his face.

At this moment, Ximen Yue could not help but ask, "Immortal Venerable, are you saying you have already consumed all of these life-extending treasures?

“Then...”