"You brat, what are you muttering about over there? You've been standing there for so long, are you coming in or not?" Li Chenfeng leaned against the wall, squinting at Han Yi with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Startled by his own muttering, Han Yi reluctantly handed over a storage ring.

"Two thousand low-grade spirit stones, all inside," Han Yi said with a pained expression.

"Alright, follow me." Li Chenfeng, who had witnessed contributions worth tens of millions, was already unimpressed by mere contributions in the thousands.

Still, even small gains are gains, Li Chenfeng thought as he pocketed the storage ring and led Han Yi to the presence of the Foundation Establishment Master.

Upon seeing the venerable master, who radiated a celestial and scholarly aura as he lectured, Han Yi's face lit up with excitement.

He dared not disturb the master, carefully finding a seat and attentively listening to the lecture. Though some of the content was difficult to understand, Han Yi remained focused, not daring to miss a single word.

After a long discourse, Han Yi, like the other students, closed his eyes and began to attempt his Foundation Establishment.

Unbeknownst to the people on the island, the moment Han Yi stepped foot on the island, a gaze from across the majority of the Congyun Sea landed on him.

"Daoist Han, I've been waiting for you for quite some time."

Using a Heavenly perspective locked on Li Chenfeng, Li Fan watched Han Yi, who sat cross-legged with closed eyes, with great interest.

"Has he accumulated this much?"

"After breaking through the Foundation Establishment stage, will he control his fate, not leaving it to the heavens?"

Li Fan pondered over the meaning of Han Yi's words and recalled the strange moments in his past life, where Han Yi's fortune sometimes soared beyond comprehension, and at other times, was mediocre.

A bold hypothesis began to form in Li Fan's mind.

"Could it be that Han Yi can control his own fortune? Moreover, after reaching Foundation Establishment, his control over luck will undergo a qualitative transformation?"

In that instant, Li Fan recalled his connection with the Heavenly Fate Mystical Bird from his past life.

"Could it be this similar? Interesting!"

Fixing his gaze tightly on Han Yi, Li Fan saw that in Han Yi's Dantian, a black feather was slowly taking shape.

"This is…"

No matter how Li Fan looked at it, that feather was almost identical to the one that had once grown on his own body—the feather of the Heavenly Fate Mystical Bird.

"Even his Foundation Establishment treasure is the same. It seems there's no doubt about it—this really is connected to the Heavenly Fate Mystical Bird."

Li Fan felt a slight tremor in his heart.

If his previous guess was correct, the founder of the Empire was Xu Ke, and the Saint Master was none other than the Azure Luan bird from those times.

What puzzled Li Fan, however, was that in Li Chenfeng's memories, there had been no trace of the Mystic Black Bird in the Empire.

In theory, the Heavenly Fate Mystical Bird had a much closer connection to Xu Ke than the Azure Luan bird that had appeared out of nowhere. So why had the Black Bird, which should have been Xu Ke's companion spirit beast, disappeared?

If Li Fan could uncover the source of Han Yi's strange abilities, he might also learn the fate of the Mystic Black Bird from those years ago.

…

As time slowly passed, just as the Heavenly Fate Mystic Bird "Feather" in Han Yi's dantian was about to fully form—

"Hahaha! I did it!"

A cultivator sitting beside Han Yi suddenly stood up and shouted excitedly.

Han Yi, deep in concentration, was distracted. The black feather in his mindscape began to scatter again.

He furrowed his brows.

Just as he calmed his mind and was about to attempt forming his foundation once more—

Another cultivator succeeded in forming his foundation. His aura surged, and he let out a long howl.

"Today, I realize who I truly am! Thank you, Master!" The man laughed heartily, bowed to the Foundation Establishment Master, and flew away with pride.

Han Yi's brows knitted even tighter as his foundation crumbled a bit further.

"After ten years of hardship, I have finally succeeded. From this day forward, the heavens and the earth may be vast, but I, Nangong Qian, shall tread upon them freely." A scholar-like cultivator recited a poem before departing gracefully.

Inside Han Yi’s dantian, the image of the black feather from the Mystic Black Bird shattered completely.

"Enough is enough!"

In a burst of anger, Han Yi spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, leaping to his feet and glaring around.

But to his dismay, he realized he was now the only one left in the courtyard.

The Foundation Establishment Master looked at him with pity and offered comfort: "Young man, don't be discouraged. Although you failed this time, I can see you're very close to success."

"I'm certain you'll achieve Foundation Establishment next time."

Hearing this, Han Yi was overwhelmed with emotion and spat out another mouthful of blood.

The master kindly handed him a pill. "The path of cultivation cannot be forced. I suggest you go home and recuperate."

"Next time, I'll only charge you a thousand contribution points."

Han Yi opened his mouth but said nothing.

Though his heart was full of reluctance, he couldn't argue with the powerful Foundation Establishment Master.

Swallowing the pill, Han Yi staggered out of the courtyard and flew away from the Foundation Establishment Island.

"He's truly out of luck, that Han Yi."

"It seems it's not yet time for his reversal of fortune."

Li Fan's eyes flashed as he quietly left Ten Thousand Immortal Island, heading straight for Han Yi, who had been locked onto by his Formless Killing Intent.

Li Fan had made up his mind to use the Soul Searching Spell on Han Yi, to discover what secrets were hidden within him.

After leaving the Foundation Establishment Island, Han Yi seemed severely shaken.

Without direction or goal, he flew aimlessly.

When he finally came to his senses, he found himself in an unfamiliar sea region.

"Damn it, just one tiny bit more…"

"This cursed heaven!"

With no one around, Han Yi pointed angrily at the sky, venting his frustration.

At that moment, the calm surface of the sea suddenly surged with enormous waves.

It was as though something was rising from the depths of the ocean.

Han Yi stared at the water with a strange expression.

After looking around for a moment, he dove into the water.

He continued to descend, deeper and deeper into the ocean.

Eventually, he discovered the source of the disturbance—a massive hole had appeared in the ruins at the seabed.

Countless gallons of seawater were being sucked into the hole, forming a gigantic whirlpool.

Han Yi gazed at the whirlpool, his expression shifting.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he was about to plunge headfirst into it.

But at that very moment—

"Insect Binding!"

A faint voice echoed in his ears.

Han Yi was horrified to find that he had completely lost control of his body, unable to move even a muscle!

A shadowy figure appeared slowly behind him, exuding a dangerous aura that made Han Yi's heart sink.

Just as the figure was about to place a hand on Han Yi's head—

Suddenly, several golden lights shot down from the surface of the water, not aimed at Han Yi, but at the shadow before him!

The golden lights were incredibly powerful, forcing the shadow to dodge.

"Master Li, we've been searching for you everywhere!"

Four black-clad cultivators, their forms concealed, appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the two.