Night.
The starry sky was brilliant, with endless starlight spilling over the Endless Sea, a gift to the Demon Beasts in the sea.
For human Cultivators, unless a corresponding Cultivation Technique allowed it, they could not refine the essence of the sun, moon, and stars.
Inside the guest room.
"Han Li, what were you jabbering about with them?"
Although Li Feiyu knew some important plot points regarding time nodes, he wasn't very clear on the specifics.
Han Li smiled and explained, "This sea area is called the Chaotic Star Sea, located in the southwest corner. However, this is the Inner Sea, the domain of humans, while in the far distance is the Outer Star Sea, which is the domain of Demon Beasts."
"The sea has given birth to countless Demon Beasts. Precisely because there are Endless Sea Demon Beasts that cannot be killed, Demon Beasts are considered one of the three great natural disasters of the Chaotic Star Sea."
"Hmm, I still remember that. The other two great disasters are Sky Wind and Ghost Mist, right?"
Just as Li Feiyu thought, Han Li also introduced the other two disasters.
"This place is not like Tiannan, which has a vast continent. Human habitations are all islands, and each island is a situation where Mortals and Cultivators coexist, with complex intertwining interests."
"Therefore, those Mortals weren't surprised when they saw us; they were just filled with reverence."
Li Feiyu nodded, "So, where do we go next?"
"There are three large islands in this nearby sea area: Kui Star Island, Tail Star Island, and Sangxing Island. The owner of this ship, Master Gu, is a prominent figure from Kui Star Island, and the one who understands the language of the Cultivators here is named Wang Changqing."
"So, we're going to Kui Star Island?"
"What else?"
Li Feiyu sighed, "It's not a problem to be unfamiliar with the place, but the worst is when the language is also incomprehensible; it's terribly troublesome."
"Han Li, stay up all night with me these next few days and teach me the ancient language here."
"We can skip the Mortal language for now, but as Cultivators, we will inevitably interact with other Cultivators, so communication is essential."
Han Li nodded, agreeing.
Although the ancient language was obscure, fortunately, Li Feiyu's Divine Sense was strong. After a few days, he had memorized most of the characters, words, and their corresponding pronunciations.
All that remained was to combine them and practice frequently.
Half a month later.
Looking at the massive dock they had never seen before, both Li Feiyu and Han Li were slightly surprised.
There were already six or seven enormous ships like Master Gu's lined up at the dock, and countless smaller boats.
The constant flow of people gave Li Feiyu the illusion of being back on Blue Star.
The crowd was like a sea, bustling and noisy.
Besides a large number of Mortals, there were also many Immortal Cultivators at the port, but they seemed to be patrolling, maintaining order here.
According to the island's rules, Immortal Cultivators entering the island must register for a plaque; otherwise, if discovered, they would be treated as criminals and immediately hunted down.
This was understandable, as Immortal Cultivators possessed great Divine Abilities. If a conflict truly erupted, they could destroy a large area of buildings and kill many Mortals in a short time.
Such things were strictly forbidden in Tiannan, and the same applied here.
"What is your name?"
"Li Feiyu."
"Han Li."
The Yellow Face old man carved the Jade Plaque and admonished, "You must keep the Jade Plaque safe. If it is lost, you need to come to me to reapply for it promptly, otherwise you will be charged with illegally entering Kui Star Island. However, if you plan to settle here in the future, you won't need it, and the Jade Plaque will be reclaimed."
After leaving, Li Feiyu and his companions first followed Master Gu to his manor to temporarily settle down.
In order to have Master Gu act as a guarantor for them as foreign Immortal Cultivators, Han Li could only agree to participate in the competition for the market opening qualification on his behalf.
Otherwise, the Spiritual Qi lands of Kui Star Island would have nothing to do with them, these foreign Immortal Cultivators.
As for who would actually compete, that would depend on the situation.
Han Li did not want to live with Master Gu and his family, so he and Li Feiyu opened up two small wooden houses on a nearby hill, about dozens of meters apart.
Han Li practiced Qi refining and meditated daily, frantically consuming Medicinal Pills, striving to restore his cultivation in the shortest possible time.
Master Gu would send people to deliver fresh fruits every few days, very enthusiastically. If Han Li and his companions hadn't been afraid of being disturbed, he probably would have done so every day.
Both of them did not refuse, accepting happily. And surprisingly, the fruits here were excellent, with flavors they had never tasted in Tiannan.
"Senior Brother Li, Master Gu said that most of the Immortal Cultivators invited by the participants on the island are around the sixth or seventh layer of the Qi Refining stage. Are you interested?"
"Yes, I am. I'll just go up there, my body will tremble, and they'll all surrender. That scene would probably be very interesting."
Han Li's mouth twitched slightly, "Then I'll leave it to you."
This past month, Li Feiyu had been cultivating, while also taking time to learn the local language, and researching methods for hatching Spirit Beast eggs.
Each type of Spirit Beast had its specific hatching environment, and it was best in a place with abundant Spiritual Qi.
He had done his homework and planned to start hatching various Spirit Beasts and Spirit Beasts once he settled on the island.
Now, Han Li's cultivation had recovered to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage. Facing those at the sixth or seventh layer of the Qi Refining stage, unless the opponent was too abnormal, defeating them would not be a problem.
On this day, Master Gu and Wang Changqing came to invite Li Feiyu and Han Li to the island's city to participate in the competition for merchant qualifications.
At the city sect, there were Mortal guards, who held a Jade Plaque called a Spirit Disk, which could identify whether an incoming person was an Immortal Cultivator.
Although the two were curious, they didn't pay too much attention, thinking it was just some local specialties or trinkets.
Every region, after years of development, would form its unique culture.
The city was very prosperous, with the vast majority being Mortals. Soon, the beast carriage they were riding arrived at the center of the city square, which was already packed with people.
They got out of the carriage and walked into a grand hall, which was noticeably taller than the other buildings.
Entering the hall, there were people in groups of three to five, looking at Master Gu with considerable hostility, presumably the other prominent families also participating in this competition for the great island's merchant qualifications.
At this moment, a purple wooden door opened at the other end of the corridor, and a white-clothed youth of about twenty years old, fair-skinned and scholarly-looking, walked out.
"Is that Master Gu? Everyone else has already arrived; only your Gu Family is left."
Master Gu offered a slight apology.
"Only Immortal Cultivators can enter inside, so Master Gu, please wait outside."
Han Li and Li Feiyu followed the youth through the wooden door. The youth smiled and introduced, "My surname is Wen, Wen Qiang. How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"You both look very unfamiliar to me. Could it be that you are newly arrived Cultivators on the island?"
Li Feiyu said, "We indeed just arrived. My name is Li Feiyu, and this is my Junior Brother, Han Li."
They walked and chatted, and soon arrived at a circular hall where there were over thirty Cultivators with various expressions.
An old man with an immortal demeanor scanned the crowd, "Since everyone has arrived, then…"
He paused, then looked at Li Feiyu in surprise and said, "Are you a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator also here to join in the fun with these little ones?"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh ~
A commotion erupted. All the Immortal Cultivators present looked at Li Feiyu and Han Li, their faces filled with disbelief.
What kind of joke was this? To make them compete with a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator?
Were they looking for death?!
Li Feiyu grinned, "Is that not allowed? Your entrance didn't say only Qi Refining stage Cultivators are permitted to enter?"
The old man was dumbfounded, his expression extremely peculiar.
Where did this guy come from?