On Little Lingxu Peak, this courtyard was much larger than the one in Mengshan City.
Especially the backyard, it was immense, spanning several hundred squares, and planted with various fruit and tea trees.
There were also several quiet rooms in the courtyard, but on normal days, Han Yi only cultivated in the one adorned with the Sword Immortal Painting, seldom visiting the others.
Han Yi first inspected the courtyard inside and out, primarily to confirm its safety.
After all, he had been away for a year, and since there had been no master to activate the courtyard's defensive array, it was possible for someone to have sneaked in.
As for the enforcers from the Law Enforcement Hall whose job it was to check if the idle courtyards were occupied, they hardly had the time to tend to such matters.
Of course, if there really were dispatched disciples who were unwilling to descend the mountain, thinking that no one would discover them, and secretly lurked in the idle courtyards, that would be another matter. If reported or discovered, they would have their sect membership revoked, their cultivation nullified, and be expelled from the mountain.
This was a Sect rule: only take what is given to you. If something isn't yours and you take it without permission, you'd face severe consequences.
Han Yi had always been one to follow the rules.
After checking the safety of the courtyard, he did not start a closed-door cultivation or enhance his progress bar as he did in Mengshan City.
Instead, he did something unusual and left the courtyard.
The courtyards of the Xuandan Sect didn't require an array plate for control, unlike those in Mengshan City.
Here, in the heart of the courtyard, one would input mana into the central hub to claim ownership. Once recognized as the courtyard's master, they could control the defensive array within the courtyard with just a thought, as long as they were inside it.
Of course, such control was limited to basic functions such as activating, deactivating, or half-activating the protective measures.
But the array linked to the Spirit Vein of Little Lingxu Peak, and the starting point was much higher. Even basic functions could withstand attacks from Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.
After leaving the courtyard, Han Yi headed straight for Zheng Hai's dwelling.
Zheng Hai's place was not on Little Lingxu Peak, but on the neighboring Little Pan Stone Peak.
On Little Pan Stone Peak, Han Yi knocked for quite some time, but nobody answered, leading him to deduce either Zheng Hai was at a critical juncture of cultivation or pill refining and couldn't leave, or he was not there and had gone out for some reason.
"Nevermind, I'll share the good news of my reintegration with him in a couple of days. Then, I'll invite Zheng Hai to the Drunken Immortal Tower to celebrate."
Han Yi felt a tinge of regret about not being able to visit Drunken Immortal Tower today.
Drunken Immortal Tower was a renowned tavern situated on the outer peaks.
The beverages served there were infused with rich Spirit Energy and concocted from precious Spirit Pills and elixirs, making them incredibly expensive. Ever since joining the sect, Han Yi had heard of it and even seen it, but never dared to enter.
This time, however, he returned to the Sect feeling elated, his pockets filled with money, and it seemed fitting to celebrate with friends.
"Oh, and there's Senior Brother Guan Di."
Thinking of Guan Di reminded Han Yi of the regrettable incident with Guan Sheng in Mengshan City, causing him to hesitate.
A moment later, he decided to find Guan Di and clarify the situation.
It was a knot in his heart that he had to untie.
Guan Di too had lived on Little Pan Stone Peak, but after advancing to the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, he moved to Little Dragon Whisker Peak, which ranked in the top three among the outer peaks.
Upon reaching the sixth level, Guan Di was given an opportunity to serve on Vermilion Bird Peak, which was a much-coveted duty offering lots of benefits, as well as a chance to broaden connections and earn favors, something many sixth-level outer peak disciples vied for.
Descending from Little Pan Stone Peak, Han Yi promptly made his way up to Little Dragon Whisker Peak.
This time, his trip was not in vain; Guan Di was indeed present in his courtyard, not having ventured out.
"Senior Brother Guan Di, I've passed the reintegration exam," Han Yi said succinctly, radiating joy as he shared his good news.
No matter what, it was Guan Di who had helped him find a way and arranged for his posting to Mengshan City. Regardless of the incident with Jiang De, Han Yi bore no doubts in his heart about Guan Di.
Upon hearing this, a stunned expression crossed Guan Di's face, quickly replaced by a smile.
"Congratulations, Han," he said.
After exchanging pleasantries, Guan Di pulled out a letter: "By the way, Han, I was meaning to look for you when you came to me. Just the other day, my uncle wrote saying that you left without a word and failed to keep in touch. I wonder, could there be some misunderstanding?"
Upon hearing this, Han Yi felt somewhat ashamed.
After the incident with Jiang De, he had indeed harbored suspicions about Guan Sheng's intentions, despite having no evidence to support them and despite Guan Sheng having shown him considerable kindness on the surface.
Now, with Guan Sheng confronting him about the breach of agreement, Han Yi found it difficult to object.
"Guan Brother, here's the situation."
"Originally, Guan Sheng Brother entrusted me with a task, but I happened to be at a critical juncture in my pill refining insights, which interfered with Guan Sheng Brother's affairs."
"After I came out of seclusion, I was too ashamed to face Guan Sheng Brother directly, so I could only leave without saying goodbye."
"By the way, these are the pills as per our agreement that I need to return to Uncle Guan Sheng, and also, this is my apology."
"This is all I have, please help me deliver it to Guan Sheng Brother."
Han Yi took out three bottles of the exorcise evil spirits pills he had previously refined, calculating based on his successful refining rate of fifteen percent.
Moreover, he didn't split the yields eighty-twenty, he gave everything to Guan Sheng.
Then, he took out three bottles of Nurturing Qi Pills, which, of course, were also of average quality.
He didn't dare to take out the standard quality pills yet, fearing they would attract unwanted attention.
Guan Di frowned as he picked up the exorcise evil spirits pills and Nurturing Qi Pills, examined them, and then his brow relaxed.
"You're not half bad, kid. The quality of these few bottles of pills, I can't even guarantee I'd be able to get them so easily."
"With such an improvement in your pill refining skills, no wonder you were able to pass the return to the sect examination so quickly."
"And you've reached the third level of Qi Cultivation, no, judging by your aura, you shouldn't be far from the fourth level."
"Who would have thought that an external mission of one year would improve both your pill refining and cultivation so much. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you've been reborn."
"Alright, I'll pass on the pills. We're all family, there's no need for disputes, and even if there are minor conflicts, they don't merit much concern. I'll convey your message to Uncle Guan."
Seeing Guan Di accept the pills gave Han Yi a sigh of relief.
With this, he had resolved a significant part of the issue; for the rest, he could make further amends when he became stronger and had the opportunity.
At the end, Guan Di stopped Han Yi just as he was about to leave.
"There's one more thing, Han. Do you want to move to Little Dragon Whisker Peak? With your current, transformative pill refining skills, if you moved there, you could definitely occupy a much better courtyard. Besides, the peak masters would surely take good care of you."
Han Yi politely declined, and though Guan Di felt regret, he couldn't insist and had to let it go.
Upon returning to Little Lingxu Peak and activating the courtyard's array, Han Yi began to cultivate.
His goal this time was clear.
The fourth level of Qi Cultivation.
He was only a step away from this realm.
Moreover, having entrusted the pills to Guan Di had settled one of his concerns in Mengshan City, lightening his mental burden and making his mindset further approach perfection.
Also, he had previously rented the cultivation room on Little Lingxu Peak for ten days, and although he hadn't deliberately pushed forward, his mana had now reached 94/100 progress.
As the saying goes, everything was ready, except for the final strike.
Inside the quiet room of the courtyard,
Han Yi took out all the remaining Spirit Stones, Nurturing Qi Pills, and exorcise evil spirits pills.
He first consumed four exorcise evil spirits pills and, feeling that wasn't secure enough, ate two more.
Next, he activated the spirit energy of the surrounding Spirit Stones.
Suddenly, in the sealed quiet room, the Spirit Energy surged, and its density quickly approached that of a Third-stage Spirit Vein.
Such extravagance was unimaginable for other outer sect disciples.
But for Han Yi, all the Spirit Stones were intended for breakthroughs; if not now, then when? The waste seemed trivial in pursuit of his goal.
Boom!
The surging Spirit Energy flushed into his body, compressing, coalescing, and merging into his mana.
He continued to press forward towards transformation.
Unaware to Han Yi, who was secluded on Little Lingxu Peak working towards his breakthrough, was that days later, thousands of miles away in Mengshan City, Guan Sheng received Guan Di's letter and items.
After reading the letter and looking at the pills laid out on the table,
Guan Sheng fell into a long silence.