The Ascension Token

The black-clad man and the stall owner both stirred at the sight of the “Flying Talisman.” Their gazes toward Han Li grew considerably more respectful—after all, a man who possessed a high-grade talisman was hardly likely to be mediocre.

“Fine, I’ll trade!” The black-clad man was quite decisive. How could he pass up a deal so clearly in his favor?

“But before that, I’d like to test something you said earlier—that this fragment doesn’t hinder whatever it covers from absorbing spiritual energy from the outside. If it’s true, I’ll exchange immediately. If not, I can’t afford to make a losing trade.” Han Li spoke unhurriedly.

The black-clad man was taken aback for a moment, but once he understood the request, he laughed.

“I spoke nothing but the truth about this item’s properties. Test it as you please!” he said with complete confidence.

Han Li did not stand on ceremony. He produced a cup-like object from his person and set it on the ground. Then he picked up the “cloth” and draped it over the cup. Once the cup had vanished from sight, he extended a single finger, gathering a pea-sized white ball of spiritual energy at its tip, and gently pressed it downward. The ball of light vanished bit by bit, as if it had been swallowed whole.

Seeing this, delight flickered across Han Li’s face. He lightly grasped the “cloth” and lifted it. The cup reappeared, and within it floated the ball of light that had just disappeared.

“Not bad! What you said is true. I’ll take this treasure fragment, and the Flying Talisman is yours.” Han Li tucked the “cloth” into his sleeve, then cupped his fist toward the black-clad man.

“Good! You’re a straightforward man.” Delighted, the black-clad man bent down and retrieved the Flying Talisman. He turned it over and over, inspecting it several times, and only when he was certain it was genuine did he break into a broad smile.

Han Li gave a faint smile and said nothing more. He turned and pushed his way out of the crowd. But he had only taken a few steps before he heard a flurry of discussion rising behind him.

“What a fool! Trading a high-grade talisman for something so useless!”

“Exactly. That fragment is tiny—what use could it possibly be? This trade simply isn’t worth it!”

“Don’t say that. Maybe he has some other use for it…”

…

Han Li caught these remarks and sneered coldly to himself. How could these cultivators possibly understand this item’s importance to me?

“Brother, wait! Please, wait for me!” Before Han Li had gone far, a voice suddenly called out from behind, followed by hurried footsteps approaching.

Somewhat surprised, Han Li turned his head. Not far away, a man was rushing toward him, drenched in sweat and shouting as he ran—it was the round-faced young man who had nearly caused a disaster earlier.

Han Li blinked, curious, and stopped in place. He wondered what this lively character could possibly want, that he’d chase him so desperately.

“Brother! I finally caught up!” the young man gasped, panting heavily.

“Is something the matter, friend?” Han Li asked, eyeing him with some puzzlement.

“Take this! It’s my thanks for helping me out earlier.” Without another word, the young man thrust a small booklet into Han Li’s hands, then, with a bashful look, turned and ran off.

Han Li was taken aback, but then he smiled faintly. It was unexpected to find such an innocent soul among cultivators. He didn’t give chase. Instead, he lowered his head to examine what he’d been given.

Qingxi’s Written Records—that was the name of the booklet. It didn’t look like a cultivation manual. Intrigued, Han Li flipped through a few pages.

It turned out to be a collection of miscellaneous records compiled by a senior cultivator from the Yue Kingdom, a certain “Qingxi True Man,” who cared little for cultivation and preferred to wander far and wide. He had meticulously recorded the secret tales and legends he had come across. Some pages even included vivid illustrations of the events described. Though Han Li had only skimmed a few pages, he found himself quite interested and tucked the booklet into his robes.

After that, nothing else of particular note happened at the market. Finding it dull, Han Li returned to his lodgings. Once inside his room, he lay down on the bed and began to read through Qingxi’s Written Records in detail.

The record covered all sorts of matters. Some were the True Man’s personal experiences; others were hearsay. But every one of them was bizarre, unusual, and rarely heard of. A few even touched on secrets that immortal families had never divulged to outsiders. It was unclear how the True Man had come by such information.

Han Li was thoroughly absorbed. But when he turned to the last few pages, his eyes landed on the illustrations of seven different tokens, each with a distinct pattern. At the very bottom of the page was a line of text:

“Ascension Token: Crafted by the seven great immortal sects of the Yue Kingdom. Awarded to immortal families that have rendered extraordinary service. Anyone bearing this token to the sect that issued it will receive the same treatment as the final victors of the Ascension Assembly. They will be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill and the right to join the sect. However, this token has always circulated exclusively within the immortal families, and ordinary cultivators have no chance to see one. Hence, these illustrations have been drawn based solely on rumor.”

At the end, the True Man had added a note in smaller characters: “This token may be transferred or traded between immortal families. The issuing sects are very old, and they honor the token, not the bearer. Whoever holds one need only present it to ascend in a single step. For a low-level cultivator, it is the ultimate heaven-defying treasure.”

Han Li finished reading the explanation. He looked at the seven illustrations again. His throat went dry. His heart pounded violently.

When he had first heard the phrase “Ascension Assembly,” he had dimly associated it with the strange token he had obtained from the dwarf. One side of that token was engraved with the two characters “Ascension” (升仙). He had wondered if there might be a connection between the two.

But later, when others had explained the Ascension Assembly in detail, they had never once mentioned an “Ascension Token.” Believing it to be a mere coincidence, he had pushed the matter to the back of his mind. Now, entirely by accident, he had stumbled upon the true origin and purpose of that token from this little booklet! And its value was far greater than he had imagined!

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. Hurriedly, he fished the dark, nondescript token out of his robes and eagerly compared its pattern to the illustrations on the page.

“Yellow Maple Valley! This Ascension Token was issued by Yellow Maple Valley!” Han Li murmured, stroking the token in his hand.

“But how did a piece of such value end up in the hands of a cultivator as minor as the Brilliant Gold Elder?” he wondered, once he had calmed down.

The strange truth was that the dwarf really had been the token’s original owner.

In years past, the now-famous Qin-Ye Ridge had been home not only to the Ye Clan but also to another immortal family of no lesser renown, the Qin Clan. The two clans were bound by marriage and had always gotten along well.

This Ascension Token was a heirloom passed down through generations of the Qin Clan. The reason it had never been used was that the clan had never produced a cultivator of such extraordinary talent as to be worthy of it. They had preferred to pass it on rather than squander such a treasure.

But as the generations passed, the Qin Clan’s male line grew thinner, and the family gradually declined. The Ye Clan, on the other hand, grew more prosperous and powerful by the day. In the end, all the cultivators in the region knew only of the Ye Clan at Qin-Ye Ridge. The Qin Clan was all but forgotten.

By the time of the Brilliant Gold Elder, the Qin Clan had only one male heir left: the dwarf himself. And his aptitude was so abysmal that he had no hope whatsoever of reaching Foundation Establishment. The disparity in strength between the two clans was absolute. Their old marriage ties were a thing of the distant past. So the Ye Clan finally set its sights on the Qin Clan’s heirloom treasures—and the Ascension Token was the one they wanted most.

Now, the Brilliant Gold Elder might have been a poor cultivator, but he was no fool when it came to reading people. And he was a coward. So as soon as the Ye Clan began to make their move, the dwarf, having caught wind of it in advance, grabbed the Ascension Token and the rune-inscribed talisman and fled. The remaining treasures were sealed behind a barrier he couldn’t breach in time, so he had no choice but to abandon them to the Ye Clan.

And so the Brilliant Gold Elder went on the run for more than a decade. He eventually settled in a Taoist temple deep in the barbarian lands, living off his meager magical skills by fooling the locals. As time passed, his desire to use the Ascension Token faded. He knew, even with a Foundation Establishment Pill, that he could never reach Foundation Establishment. So why would he go to one of the great immortal sects just to suffer as a low-level disciple?

And that was how, during the siege of the Seven Mysteries Sect, this Ascension Token had fallen so cheaply into Han Li’s hands.