Lingjun City, on the main street.
A palanquin carried by eight was followed by a huge wedding procession, the sound of drums and gongs filled the air, creating an impressive presence as they headed toward The Li Manor.
Before long, after the wedding procession successfully picked up the bride, they began their return to the Han Mansion.
The ten-mile bridal procession was filled with auspicious joy; it was like a golden dragon robed in red, extending all the way to the Han Mansion.
"It seems that Elder Han of the Han Family has taken another concubine!"
"I heard that this time the concubine is the third miss from The Li Manor, a beauty unequaled, the number one beauty of our Lingjun City."
"Elder Han certainly is lucky to marry such a stunning beauty at nearly two hundred years old, truly making us envious."
"Elder Han is a powerful figure, a mere stomp of his foot could make Lingjun City shake thrice, he's not someone that commoners like us can compare with."
Many passersby on the streets started whispering to each other upon seeing this grand occasion.
At this moment, both inside and outside the Han Mansion, there was an atmosphere of happiness; the guests were brimming with joy, totally immersed in the festive air.
The Han Mansion had become the most bustling place in the entire city.
Ordinary people didn't know, but those who were well-informed within Lingjun City, who didn't know that this was Elder Han's first time taking a concubine after his breakthrough into the Pihai Realm?
The Pihai Realm, that's the realm of the truly powerful!
Even within the larger cities, one could dominate a territory, not to mention the small Lingjun City.
The most powerful in Lingjun City used to only be at the Ninth Grade of the Innate Realm, but after Elder Han's breakthrough, he instantly became the strongest in Lingjun City.
Although Elder Han was close to the end of his lifespan when he made the breakthrough, a breakthrough was still a breakthrough, and the gap between the Pihai Realm and those below it is immense.
Elder Han alone could easily sweep through the entirety of Lingjun City.
Therefore, for Elder Han's concubine-taking this time, all the large forces of Lingjun City came to offer their congratulations, presenting various precious gifts, all to form a good relationship with the Han Family.
The common people of Lingjun City were also very happy, because every time Elder Han took a concubine, he would hold a grand feast for three days and nights, allowing the people of Lingjun City to eat and drink for free.
This was often the best meal that many poor people would have all year round, so naturally, they were very happy and full of praise for Elder Han.
Some families even started to worship Elder Han, praying for him to take more concubines each year.
The Han Mansion occupied a vast area of three to four square miles, but at this moment, it was overcrowded, and everyone present had an extraordinary status.
They were either the high-ranking members of various powers, direct lineage, or wealthy merchants and influential figures of Lingjun City, even the city lord came in person to congratulate.
One could say that the gathering was filled with profound scholars and that there were no ordinary folk among the comers and goers.
The young and beautiful girls of Lingjun City were also mostly gathered here, following by the sides of the guests.
"Father, The Li Family is one of the three major families in our Lingjun City, is it necessary to let our treasured daughter become a concubine to Elder Han?"
In one corner of the mansion, a well-dressed young man quietly asked a middle-aged man, his face showing some discontent.
The middle-aged man glanced at him, saying coldly, "Put away those little thoughts of yours; the Han Family is not one we can afford to offend."
The third miss of the Li Family, Li Mingmeng, was known as the number one beauty of Lingjun City and had many suitors, with his eldest son being one of them.
After glaring fiercely at his son, he then turned to a young girl beside him, speaking softly, "Xiaowen, you must perform well later; if Elder Han takes notice of you, our Zhang Family will soar to great heights."
"You shouldn't feel uneasy about anything; although Elder Han is nearly two hundred years old, his lifespan has greatly increased after breaking through to the Pihai Realm, and his appearance has even reverted to his youth, being as handsome as ever—an exceptionally good-looking man."
Conversations like this were occurring in every corner of the Han Mansion.
This was also the reason why they brought beautiful young girls to the Han Family.
The recent breakthrough of the Han Family's ancestor into the Pihai Realm meant that for the next hundred years, Lingjun City would be led by the Han Family. To form good relations, or even marital ties with the Han Family, would indeed bring about prosperity.
After all, that was a Pihai Realm powerhouse!
With a Pihai Realm powerhouse firmly in place, the future of Lingjun City would become several times more prosperous, bringing immense benefits.
Inside the main hall of the Han Mansion,
Han Li sat in the seat of honor, a faint smile gracing his face as he listened to the congratulations from his descendants and guests.
At this moment, his mood was quite good, even exhilarating.
After nearly forty years of perseverance, he had finally broken through to the Pihai Realm, which had been a huge relief to him. Now, at last, he had enough longevity.
As for marrying the number one beauty of Lingjun City as a concubine, that was just a bonus.
"I've finally seen it through," Han Li thought, feeling particularly pleased.
More than a hundred years ago, when he arrived in this world, he was merely a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth.
His family wasn't well-off; his only claim to fame was his talent.
In this world, if you want to cultivate, you must have talent, which is innate and nearly impossible to improve later in life.
Without talent, one would live out their life as a mundane, ordinary person.
But those with talent could embark on the path of cultivation, growing stronger by degrees, and eventually achieving longevity, freedom, and ease.
Of course, talent also has its grades, a total of ten, from unranked to Ninth Grade, Eighth Grade... to First Grade.
An unranked talent could at most cultivate to the True Qi Realm, which is the third Big Realm. Starting from Ninth Grade talent, one has a chance to break through to the Innate Realm, and the better the talent, the easier it is to break through.
Only by cultivating to the Innate Realm does one truly transcend the ordinary and significantly increase their lifespan, up to two hundred years.
Body Forging Realm, Rebirth Realm, and True Qi Realm do not increase lifespan; it remains the same as that of an ordinary person, only their strength differs.
The better the talent, the faster the cultivation speed and the greater the chance of reaching higher and deeper realms; those with poor talent cultivate slowly, and the further they go, the slower it becomes. Achieving high realms requires either sufficient cultivation resources or continuous fortuitous opportunities.
Han Li's talent was Eighth Grade, which was quite outstanding in his county.
Unwilling to settle for mediocrity and not wanting to join any minor sects, he left Lingjun City, and even Fengyang Manor, venturing into the vast Leizhou in search of cultivation opportunities.
Eventually, after enduring great hardships, he barely passed the entrance test of a major sect in Leizhou and was accepted into it.
Initially a registered disciple, Han Li diligently cultivated, achieving full mastery in Body Forging in three years, Rebirth Realm in nine years, and the peak of True Qi Realm in twenty years.
After that, he spent another three years comprehending the essence of heaven and earth and condensing an Innate True Qi seed, finally breaking through to the Innate Realm.
That is to say, he started cultivating at sixteen and took a total of thirty-five years to break through to the Innate Realm.
This was only possible because of his Eighth Grade talent, which allowed him to break through just as he reached the midpoint of his lifespan. For Ninth Grade talent, it would take at least sixty years to have a chance.
If he had First Grade talent, advancing to the Innate Realm from the beginning of his cultivation could have taken at most one year.
Once reaching the Innate Realm, one transcends the ordinary and becomes an "Immortal" in the eyes of common people, living up to two hundred years.
The Innate Realm holds a high status in the mortal world. In a county city, one could become a local powerhouse, and even in a manor city, they would thrive like a fish in water.
Upon reaching the Innate Realm, one is automatically promoted to the status of Foreign Disciple.
With increased cultivation resources, Han Li continued to practice diligently, reaching the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Innate Realm by the age of one hundred and twenty.
Based on Han Li's talent, it was expected that he could break through to the Pihai Realm around the age of one hundred and fifty, but unfortunately, there were setbacks along the way.