The Endless Sky Saintess didn't wish to provoke a powerful enemy over a simple misunderstanding and offered a concession.
"A condition?" Han Li coldly glanced at the woman with a blank expression.
The Saintess raised her head and calmly proposed, "If Fellow Daoist Li is willing, I can compensate you with a sum of spirit stones as an apology."
"Hehe... not spirit stones." Han Li coldly laughed and suddenly grabbed the bundle on his back.
His sudden movements captured the attention of the nearby cultivators.
Han Li simply shook the bundle open for a sheathed saber to fall onto the ground. As soon as it appeared, a series of cries sounded out and it sparkled with golden light. From these traits, one could immediately tell it was an extremely rare treasure.
It suddenly made sense to the others why Han Li would be furious at having his bundle forcefully opened as it would reveal his beloved treasure to nosy outsiders.
When the Saintess saw the sword, a trace of astonishment was betrayed from her eyes. She released her spiritual sense in disbelief and examined the saber for a long while before finding that there was nothing strange about it, not even the slightest trace of an illusion.
When Ge Tianhao and his fellow sect members saw the saber, they exchanged a glance with one another, all of them feeling somewhat embarrassed. As a result of this matter, they had nearly committed a grave error. Fortunately, this conflicted hadn't escalated and caused an unfair grudge to be held against his sect.
The old Daoist Wu Bi and the Buddhist monk watched this with a silent smile, obviously distancing themselves from the affair.
The Saintess sighed and a trace of disappointment appeared on her face. With an apologetic tone, she said, "It appears I've been mistaken. If you have any conditions, I will strive my hardest to fulfill them to your satisfaction."
Han Li looked at her and his eyes focused on an ornament she hung at her waist. "I already have enough spirit stones. How about you hand over that jade pendant?"
"This?" She looked at pendant with complete bewilderment.
Since she wore it on her body, it was no ordinary ornament. It was an exquisite butterfly-shaped jade ornament that was a rare support-type magic tool, and had an effect of focusing one's mind. However, this item was only precious to Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators. To a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, its effects would be negligible. The Saintess only valued this treasure as it was a possession she kept throughout her life.
'What reason could he possibly want the jade pendant?' She fiddled with the jade pendant with a hesitant expression.
Han Li's eyes flickered and he readily suggested, "What, does Fellow Daoist Lin hate to part with it? Then, let's change it. How about that pearl hairpin?"
The Saintess raised her brow and suddenly came to a decision, tossing the jade pendant over to Han Li. "Of course you can have it, it's only a trifling magic tool. I was simply being a bit sentimental."
Han Li caught the ornament and felt a warm sensation. He nodded with satisfaction and made it disappeared with a flip of his hand.
Afterwards, he beckoned to the golden saber and it flew into his hand with a hum. A grey cloth leaped out from his sleeve and quickly covered it back into a bundle. With it now placed on his back, he turned around and made his way to the market entrance.
When the others saw his cold demeanor, they couldn't help but look at each other in dismay.
As Han Li was about to leave, the Saintess suddenly thought of something and asked, "We still don't know of your esteemed name. Could you give it to us?"
"I am a vagrant cultivator from overseas — Li Feiyu!" Without slowing his footsteps, he indifferently shouted as he walked away.
"Li Feiyu? Brother Ge, have you ever heard of such a fierce cultivator from overseas? I know many people, but none as heartless as him." The Saintess stared at Han Li's back and a cold glint flickered from her eyes. While she couldn't place it, she wasn't able to dispel her doubts about the bundle and still felt uneasy.
Ge Tianhao's expression turned unsightly due to her words and said, "Lady Lin's question is quite difficult for me to answer. Although the cultivators overseas technically belong to the Great Jin's cultivation world, they are quite independent and few of them ever set foot on this mainland. Additionally, their circumstances are greatly varied. Countless vagrant eccentrics and factions of all sizes exist, not to mention the many grand cultivators that have yet to reveal their abilities. Of course, the three famous overseas Immortals are a different story as they have already risen to fame."
The Saintess frowned knowing that she wouldn't be able to track him down and could only leave the name of "Li Feiyu" in the back of her mind.
...
Han Li left the market in a blur and appeared in a nearby street bustling with mortals.
As he walked, he faintly smiled and spoke through voice transmission, "Senior, you have me in admiration. I didn't think that you could use spiritual sense to deceive so many Nascent Soul cultivators! Even I couldn't sense the slightest oddity about your miraculous transformation."
Monarch Soul Divergence indifferently replied, "It wasn't much. After you finish cultivating the last three layers of the Great Development Technique, you could have other cultivators dance in your palm. If I were even more skilled in illusion techniques, killing low-grade enemies without touching them would prove an easy task."
With much newfound respect, Han Li sighed, "Of course. The first four layers are already so fearsome. If I manage to cultivate the technique to completion, my spiritual sense would reach unimaginable heights. It is a pity that I don't have the time to refine the last four layers of the technique even though Senior has given them to me."
Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled, "Although your spiritual roots are poor, you have a high aptitude for cultivating my technique. With the addition of other soul nurturing arts and fantastic items to aid you, your understanding of the Great Development Technique may exceed even mine during my prime."
"I hope that will be the case. However, there is something that puzzles me. Why did Senior have me take the Saintess' ornament?"
Monarch Soul Divergence snorted and asked, "Do you think the Endless Sky Saintess will easily allow you to run free now that she's come to the Great Jin?"
Han Li sighed with helplessness and said, "She'll most likely scour the Great Jin to find me since I took away the Soaring Tribe's holy beast incarnation and seized that strange cauldron as well. It also seems she has joined together with the Yin Sifting Sect, and they'll likely prove to be quite a problem later on."
Monarch Soul Divergence slowly said, "For that reason, I had you take something from her body. In the past, I had learned the refinement technique for a detection pearl. By using their scent, you'll be able to detect their presence from fifty kilometers away. In the future, you'll be able to detect her and will be able to sense her approximate location. This way, you'll be prepared for any of her attacks. However, in about a year, it will completely lose effect as the item fades with time. That should be more than enough for you to avoid her while you stay in the Jin Capital."
"So it was like that. Thank you for your consideration, Senior." Han Li hastily replied with joy.
"I wasn't thinking about you," Monarch Soul Divergence indifferently said, "I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you before you helped me refine my puppet body."
Han Li faintly smiled and said nothing else. He made a sudden change of direction and walked into a nearby alley, making a few turns before arriving in a secluded and abandoned courtyard.
There, he came to a sudden stop and his expression turned sullen. He then slowly turned around and glared at an area that appeared to be empty. A cold glint shined from his eyes. "Why have you been following me?"
"Fellow Daoist Li is worthy of his cultivation. You were able to see through the Ghost Shadow Technique that I've strenuously trained. There is no need for you to worry. I have no hostile intentions." A chuckle sounded out and in a flash of green light, a silhouette made an appearance.
Han Li examined this person with narrowed eyes.
This eccentric was a shriveled old man with a crafty appearance and an early-Nascent Soul cultivation. His sly face betrayed his thoughts.
A hostile expression appeared on Han Li's face and he solemnly said, "You still haven't answered my question. Don't you know it is offensive to follow a fellow cultivators? I could kill you here, and no one would find out."
The small old man chuckled and calmly said, "I've only come to find Fellow Daoist Li with the sincere thoughts of an exchange, there is no need for you to be so fearsome. Rest assured, you will certainly benefit from it."