“With Fellow Daoist Bai Li here, those cultivators are bound to have come all this way for nothing,” Han Wuyou swept his gaze around and said with a smile.

“You can’t say that for sure. Apart from the Cloud Water Talisman, there must be other opportunities within the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace,” Sikong Yi remained calm, staring straight at the increasingly spectacular phenomenon in the sky.

“No matter how great the opportunity, it can’t compare to the Cloud Water Atlas,” Han Wuyou shook his head.

Sikong Yi was a bit surprised, “Why do you say that?”

“Heh, people are only focused on the 100,000 contribution points, blinded by it. They’ve overlooked the true opportunity,” Han Wuyou smiled faintly.

“What’s the most important thing in cultivation? Background! Connections!” He repeated.

“In my view, the true value of the Cloud Water Atlas lies in the chance to establish a connection with the senior who issued the mission.”

“To be able to offer a reward of 100,000 contribution points so casually, this person must be at least at the Soul Transformation stage. Even just having a conversation with him would be hugely different for an ordinary cultivator,” Han Wuyou explained softly.

“If one could obtain a stable way to contact him, it could completely change their fate.”

Sikong Yi, hearing this, seemed lost in thought.

After a while, he nodded slowly.

While the three of them were chatting, a blue light swept across the Congyun Sea, signaling the official opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.

Sikong Yi, Bai Li Chen, and Han Wuyou followed the crowd of cultivators and flew inside.

After overcoming several obstacles, they passed the test set by the Qin Hall without much trouble.

However, during their journey deeper inside, for some unknown reason, the three of them caught the attention of another group of cultivators.

In the ensuing chaos, they ended up fighting.

The opponents were numerous and overall stronger.

In the end, Han Wuyou fell under their siege, dying with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Sikong Yi, relying on the powerful life-saving abilities of the “Stealing the Sky and Changing the Sun Technique,” managed to survive by a stroke of luck.

Barely escaping, he headed towards the location of the Taiyi Hall, feeling utterly cold inside.

“Such is the unpredictability of life. Someone like Fellow Daoist Han, with such promising prospects, died so inexplicably here.”

Recalling Han Wuyou’s confident demeanor from not long ago, Sikong Yi felt a sense of loss.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Sikong Yi had already regarded him as a close friend.

Alas, the heavens are jealous of outstanding talents!

Sikong Yi subconsciously touched a storage ring in his hand.

It was something he had snatched from Han Wuyou’s body when he saw him beheaded.

Han Wuyou was indeed wealthy, as the ring was filled with various formation diagrams and magical artifacts.

There were also about 10,000 spirit stones worth of contribution points, and most importantly, dozens of communication talismans.

“Connections, background…”

Sikong Yi kept repeating these words in his mind as the sadness in his eyes gradually faded.

“Fellow Daoist Han, rest assured. I will live well on your behalf!”

With Han Wuyou’s death as a sacrifice, the subsequent events unfolded much more smoothly.

After passing the Insect Daoist’s test and enduring the excruciating pain of being pierced by ten thousand swords, Sikong Yi reached the square in front of the Taiyi Hall.

At that moment, there was only silence around him; he was the only one present.

Suppressing his excitement, Sikong Yi controlled his doppelganger and activated the “Sea-Stabilizing Divine Sword.”

“Direct disciple of the 165th generation of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Bai Li Chen, requests an audience with Patriarch Taiyi!”

He shouted loudly.

The ground trembled, and he finally succeeded in tricking the half-conscious tortoise-snake monster into giving him the Cloud Water Atlas.

After requesting to be teleported out of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Sikong Yi maintained a composed expression and headed straight for the Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

With a series of narrow escapes, he successfully returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.

The Clone, Bai Li Chen, chose to submit the mission.

“Unable to verify the authenticity of the ‘Cloud Water Atlas,’ please wait.”

The Tianxuan Mirror’s response made Sikong Yi’s heart skip a beat.

“Even the Tianxuan Mirror can’t verify it? Besides the miniature landscape, what else is the Cloud Water Atlas used for?” Sikong Yi didn’t have time to ponder further, as the next message from the Tianxuan Mirror shook him to his core.

“The task issuer… requests to visit your space. Do you accept?”

“It’s here! It’s happening!” Sikong Yi was stunned for a moment, then his heart started pounding violently.

His blood boiled, and Han Wuyou’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“The real opportunity is in connections!”

His mind raced with countless thoughts.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sikong Yi said in a low voice, “I accept.”

Moments later, an elderly man with graying hair and a kind face appeared before him.

Sikong Yi bent over respectfully, nervously handing over the seven-colored model with trembling hands.

The elder took the Cloud Water Atlas, observing it closely, and sighed deeply.

His cloudy eyes kept shifting, as if recalling something.

“What is the current state of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace?” he asked.

Sikong Yi swallowed, stammering as he answered.

The elder, seemingly unbothered by Sikong Yi’s nervousness, occasionally nodded as he listened to the description.

After Sikong Yi finished speaking, the space within the Tianxuan Mirror fell into a long silence once more.

Looking at the still, contemplative elder before him, Han Wuyou’s words echoed again in Sikong Yi’s mind.

“In today’s cultivation world, mere bravery and combat prowess are useless. You need background, you need connections!”

His heart beat faster and faster until he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Summoning his courage, he asked, “Senior, is there anything else I can do to serve you?”

The Heavenly Doctor looked up, glancing at Sikong Yi.

Sikong Yi felt as if his heart was suddenly gripped tightly, halting its beat.

His entire body seemed to freeze, his mind ceasing to function.

He didn’t know how long it took before he heard a soft laugh from the other party: “Very well, I do have one more task for you.”

“Go to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace again and place this item there.”

As he spoke, the elder took out a small white jade statue and handed it to Sikong Yi.

Hearing this, Sikong Yi was ecstatic inside.

But he dared not show any excitement on his face, carefully taking the statue.

Upon closer inspection, the white jade statue didn’t seem to have anything special, except that it looked exactly like the elder before him.

“I will not fail your trust, Senior!” Sikong Yi took the statue and said solemnly.

“As for the reward…” The elder stared at Sikong Yi for a while before speaking slowly, “Another 100,000 contribution points will do!”

With that, Sikong Yi received a notification of 200,000 contribution points being credited to his account.

Sikong Yi’s mind went blank.

It was only long after the elder’s figure had disappeared from the Tianxuan Mirror that he regained his thoughts.

“Just a simple errand, and another 100,000 contribution points!”

“This senior is probably far beyond the Soul Transformation stage!”

“Opportunity, true opportunity!”

“If I relied solely on myself, who knows how long it would take to accumulate 100,000 contribution points! Now, a few words from an influential figure, and they’re mine for the taking.”

“Fellow Daoist Han didn’t deceive me!”

With his heart surging, Sikong Yi seemed to glimpse a bright future ahead and couldn’t help but let out a long, loud laugh.

After calming down, he didn’t dare neglect the old man’s instructions. He immediately headed back to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.

The statue in his storage ring emitted a burst of white light, flying straight into the sky.

It dissolved and disappeared.

With the task completed, Sikong Yi exhaled a long breath of relief and quietly left, seeing no one around.

Shortly after, outside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, a hidden figure slowly appeared.

It was Li Fan.

“Heavenly Doctor…”

“Hmph!”

Watching Sikong Yi’s departing figure, he sneered inwardly.