"I see. I have heard of Daoist Master Myriad Bone in the past. I heard that he was also a vagrant cultivator, but he founded the White Bone Sect around 10,000 years ago, and he seems to have lofty aspirations," Han Li replied.
"Come to think of it, the White Bone Sect is quite a powerful sect that can rank among the top 10 sects of our Xuanwu Region, and it's a testament to Senior Myriad Bone's powers that he was able to achieve this in such a short time. By the way, Senior Myriad Bone is currently residing on the top floor of the Immortal Welcome Place; you can inform the manager of this Immortal Welcome Palace of which floor you'd like to stay on, Senior," the man said in a respectful manner.
As they were speaking, the four Lightning Guards had already guided Han Li to the entrance of the white jade palace, where there were several azure-armored guards standing in a stoic manner.
The leader of the Lightning Guards hurriedly jumped off his giant wolf steed, then approached one of the azure-armored guards before pointing at Han Li while whispering something.
The cold expression on the azure-armored guard's face instantly changed, and after carefully inspecting Han Li for a brief moment, he immediately extended a bow toward Han Li before quickly rushing into the palace.
The man returned to Han Li's side, and said, "Senior Han, I have to go back on patrol duty now, so I won't be able to stay here any longer. The manager of the Immortal Welcome Palace will come out to greet you in person soon. We'll be taking our leave now."
The four Lightning Guards extended parting bows toward Han Li as their leader spoke.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to stop them, and he waved a hand to grant the Lightning Guards their leave.
Almost as soon as the four Lightning Guards rose up into the air and departed on their giant wolf steeds, two people emerged from within the palace.
One of them was none other than the azure-armored guard who had just rushed into the palace, and he was accompanied by a white-robed elderly man. The elderly man had his eyes slightly narrowed, and he was a mid-Spatial Tempering cultivator.
"You must be Senior Han. My name is Zong Mian; please forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner," the elderly said as he extended a respectful bow from afar.
"No need to be so polite, Fellow Daoist Zong. I'm rather weary from my journey, so it would be best if you could organize a place for me to stay right away," Han Li replied in a calm voice as he appraised the elderly man.
"Rest assured, Senior, everything has already been prepared, and you can move in right away. Senior Myriad Bone has taken the top floor, and the first floor is a public hall, but the other eight levels are all vacant, and you can choose whichever one you like," Zong Mian said with a smile.
"I'll take the fifth floor, then. It's not too high and not too low; just right for me," Han Li decided after a brief pause for thought.
"I'll take you to the fifth floor right away, Senior. If there's anything you're displeased with, I'll make adjustments right away," the elderly man said in a fawning manner.
Han Li nodded with an indifferent look on his face, and he was led into the hall on the first level of the Immortal Welcome Palace.
The entire hall was several thousand feet in size, and the walls and ground were all shimmering with light. There were white fist-sized phosphorescent beads embedded into their surfaces, illuminating the entire hall and making it resemble an immortal paradise.
There were some white jade tables and chairs placed around the hall, and they were littered throughout the corners.
At the center of the hall was a faint silver teleportation formation that appeared to be around 70 to 80 feet in size.
The elderly man strode directly into the formation, and Han Li followed along in an expressionless manner.
Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi exchanged a glance, and they also entered the formation. Even though this was the first time the two of them were using a teleportation formation, they weren't afraid or uneasy at all.
The elderly man cast an incantation seal onto the teleportation formation, and a buzzing sound immediately rang out.
He then flipped a hand over to produce an intricate silver badge, and Han Li cast an errant glance toward it to discover that one side of the badge was filled with complex runes, while the other side of the badge had the number "5" engraved upon it in faint golden text.
Zong Mian gently waved the badge through the air, and a burst of silver light flew forth before vanishing into the formation underfoot.
In the next instant, silver light swirled throughout the entire formation, and the four of them disappeared in unison.
Young Master and Qi Lingzi had both closed their eyes, but they were still instantly struck by a sense of vertigo, and when they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing on an open-air platform.
There was a garden around them with several winding paths meandering through it, and the garden was filled with unidentifiable exotic flowers and plants. On the other side was a green pond that was several acres in size, within which a series of five-colored spirit fish that were around a foot in length each were swimming in an energetic manner.
A gentle breeze blew forth, sending bursts of abundant spiritual Qi sweeping toward them.
Young Master Hai faltered momentarily before a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he raised his head to cast his gaze upward to discover a blue sky up above with several white clouds drifting lazily.
However, the suns that should've also been present in the air were nowhere to be seen; they had been replaced by a massive white ball of light that was hovering in mid-air, releasing a gentle white light.
Young Master Hai was completely flabbergasted by this sight, and Qi Lingzi was also struggling to pick his jaw up from the ground.
Right at this moment, Han Li's voice suddenly sounded in both their ears. "Stop looking. Everything up there has been manifested by a restriction; you won't be able to see how it works at your current cultivation bases."
Only then did they return to their senses from their enraptured state, only to discover that Han Li had already emerged from the formation, and was standing over 100 feet away, appraising them with a faint smile.
Zong Mian was standing further away, and he was also looking at the two of them with an amused smile.
Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi blushed slightly, and they hurriedly emerged from the formation in an embarrassed manner.
However, the two of them were still filled with excitement, and they were constantly looking around as they followed along behind Han Li.
After following a path for a while, a large green hall appeared up ahead. It wasn't particularly massive, but it had been extremely intricately constructed, as evidenced by the meticulous patterns carved on its surface.
On either side of the hall was a separate courtyard, and a smaller side hall. These buildings were clearly there for the cultivator's entourage to inhabit.
They were all surrounded by lush green bamboo plants, and there were a few pavilions that were visible through the bamboo poles, presenting a mesmerizing sight to behold.
Who could've imagined that this paradise would only be a single level of this massive palace?
Han Li stood near the hall and looked around before asking in a seemingly casual manner, "Is every level in the Immortal Welcome Palace set up like this?"
"Hehe, of course not. Every single level of the Immortal Welcome Palace is set up differently to cater to different preferences. If you don't like this level, I can take you to another level, Senior Han," Zong Mian replied.
"There's no need for that; I'm quite pleased with this level," Han Li said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
"In that case, please keep this restriction badge safe, Senior. The restriction on each level is different, and only one badge was refined for each level, so I'll have to ask you to return this badge to me at the conclusion of the convention, Senior," the elderly man said with a smile as he passed the silver badge over to Han Li with both hands.
Han Li accepted the badge before nodding in response, and the elderly man departed after taking his leave.
Thus, Han Li's trio was left to their own devices.
"You two can live here during the duration of the convention. You can choose any one of the courtyards to stay in. I need to rest, so if there's anything that needs to be discussed, leave it until tomorrow," Han Li instructed.
"Yes, Senior!" Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi replied in a respectful manner.
The two of them then rushed toward the cluster of buildings beside the hall with unadulterated excitement on their faces, and Han Li could hear the sound of them bickering and fooling around in the distance.
Han Li shook his head and strode toward the main hall. He found a quiet room in the hall and began to meditate to rest.
The next morning, Han Li was still meditating on his futon with azure spiritual light flashing over his body when his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately opened his eyes.
In the next instant, a ball of white flames phased directly through the wooden door of his room, then reached him in a flash.
Han Li's eyes flashed as he reached out with a finger and gently tapped the ball of white flames.
The ball of flames exploded amid a dull thump, vanishing into countless specks of light. At the same time, a voice suddenly rang out within the room.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han, I am Myriad Bone. I heard that you moved into the Immortal Welcome Palace yesterday. If you don't mind, please pay me a visit on the top floor."
The voice was quite an elderly one, and it concluded after that brief message.
"Daoist Master Myriad Bone, eh?" Han Li stroked his chin with a contemplative look on his face.
Moments later, he rose to his feet before emerging from the room. When Han Li appeared outside the hall, he was immediately greeted by the sight of Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi.
The two of them seemed to have been here for a while, and they were conversing with one another in a corner.
As soon as Han Li emerged, the two of them immediately stepped forward before extending deep respectful bows.
"No need for formalities. What are you two doing here? Why aren't you resting?" Han Li asked with an indifferent wave of his hand.
"You're going to the markets outside today, right, Senior Han? The two of us naturally have to accompany you at all times," Qi Lingzi said with a wide grin.
"Indeed, we may not be able to serve any important roles, but if there are any errands that you need run, the two of us will be more than willing to provide our services," Young Master Hai chimed in.
"Hehe, who told you I'm going to the markets today?" Han Li chuckled.
Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were disappointed to hear this. "Then..."
"I know you two want to go to the markets to broaden your horizons, but there's virtually no chance that those markets will be selling anything that I need, so I won't be visiting them under normal circumstances. But then again, there are a lot of high-grade cultivators gathered here, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take you two to the markets to see the sights. I have to visit Daoist Master Myriad Bone, so I won't be able to take you there; I'll just use my badge to get you two out of the palace, and you can return at night," Han Li said in a calm manner.
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