In the southwest of the Chaotic Star Sea, an immense island shaped like a giant clam and covered in pale golden sand came into view amid a vast expanse of blue-green waves. Wharves lined its shores, masts rose like a forest, and spirit boats and treasure ships of every kind bustled in and out. Streaks of flight light crisscrossed the sky without pause, while a clamor of voices swept over the sea alongside its pungent brine and a jumble of spiritual energy. This was Golden Sand Island, the southwestern waters' famous free port, a place beyond anyone's jurisdiction.
A barely perceptible streak of watery light quietly dissipated dozens of li from the island, revealing a middle-aged cultivator in an ordinary blue robe, his face sallow and his cultivation maintained at foundation establishment late stage. It was Han Li in disguise. Rather than fly straight onto the island, he took out a moderately worn spirit boat and sailed leisurely toward the harbor. A core formation stage cultivator already counted as a regional expert in the Chaotic Star Sea; attracting too much attention would only hamper his covert activities.
After paying spirit stones and receiving a temporary wooden identity token, Han Li stepped onto Golden Sand Island. Unlike orderly Tianxing City, dragons and fish mingled here. The streets were narrow and crowded, the shop signs on either side weathered, and cries of hawkers and heated arguments rang out incessantly. Cultivators wore all manner of strange attire, and many exuded a ferocious aura. He could even faintly sense a few concealed traces of demonic and ghostly energy. The air seethed with unchecked vitality and restless danger lurking on every side.
With a clear purpose in mind, Han Li first found a medium-sized inn, the Sea-Tide Lodge, and took a room. After setting up