Half a month later, at Tianxing City's harbor, Han Li wore azure robes, his face unremarkable and his aura restrained to the Foundation Establishment late stage. Blending into the bustling crowd, he boarded the Wavebreaker, a medium-sized patrol spirit vessel flying the Star Palace's flag. Thirty zhang long and built entirely from ironwood, the vessel was engraved with simple protective and acceleration formations-the standard equipment for Star Palace deacons dispatched on routine patrols.
More than a dozen cultivators were already aboard, most at the early or middle stages of Foundation Establishment. Their leader was a dark-faced, stern-looking burly man with a long saber strapped to his back. At the peak of the Foundation Establishment late stage, he captained this patrol squad, and his surname was Tie. The other members looked solemn as they checked their magical artifacts and talismans, the atmosphere tense. Han Li presented the patrol token Ling Yuling had given him and introduced himself as the newly appointed Guest Elder "Li Feiyu," here to gain experience. After inspecting the token, Captain Tie merely nodded without saying much and assigned a young cultivator named Lin Yuan to accompany him.
"Senior Li, we'll be patrolling the route through the Black Sand Islands on the outskirts of the Shattered Star Sea. The round trip should take about a month. Along the way, we need to watch for demonic beasts, Space Rifts, and... suspicious cultivators." Lin Yuan looked to be in his early twenties and had reached the peak of Qi Refining. Faced with a senior at the "Foundation Establishment late stage," he was quite respectful as he quietly explained the mission.
Han Li nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the nautical chart. The Black Sand Islands lay at the very edge of the Shattered Star Sea and consisted of dozens of