Han Xuanji was well aware that now that he had ascended the Five Elements Altar, the outside world had likely already learned of this news.
At the summit of the heavenly ladder, there was interference from power at the Saint Realm level, preventing some information from reaching Han Xuanji. However, once he left, he likely wouldn't be able to keep a low profile anymore.
By then, not only would some people from the Five Elements Tower come to question him, but the Hun Family would likely also start paying close attention to this matter.
However, it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Han Xuanji also understood that being too low-key would put pressure on Hun Qianling and Hun Qianxue, and he couldn't be that selfish.
Showing his Aptitude appropriately might be better.
"Then I will impose on Brother Xiao."
Han Xuanji nodded in agreement and replied.
The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth curled up slightly, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Brother Han, come with me."
He turned and led the way. When passing a certain shadow, his footsteps paused imperceptibly, then he continued forward as if nothing had happened.
Han Xuanji followed behind him, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings inadvertently.
It appeared as though there was no one nearby.
But Han Xuanji knew in his heart that as a Divine Son of the Saint Dynasty, it was impossible for Xiao Yan to travel without guards. The person protecting him in the dark was likely always nearby; it was just that with his current cultivation, he couldn't detect them.
"Since I cannot detect them, I will just pretend I don't know."
Han Xuanji withdrew his gaze, his expression remaining normal, but he felt a bit more vigilant in his heart. This was the reason he did not want to Cultivate here; he dared not expose too much in front of such a powerful person.
And befriending Xiao Yan was also an extra safeguard.
During the days Xiao Yan stayed in Qianhun City, even if he exposed his Aptitude, not only would the Hun Family be able to protect him, but if he sought help from Xiao Yan, the other party would likely not refuse.
The two slowly walked toward another path at the summit of the heavenly ladder and arrived before a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard was not large but was arranged very elegantly. In the courtyard, there was a pond with water so clear that one could see the bottom. A few koi swam leisurely, and by the pond, there were a few unknown spiritual plants, emitting a faint fragrance.
"This place was built by those who successfully cleared the heavenly ladder in the past. It is said that in the past, there were prodigies who reached the summit at the same time and, appreciating each other's talents, came here to discuss the Dao."
Xiao Yan pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped aside to let Han Xuanji enter first.
Han Xuanji stepped into the courtyard, looked around, and nodded with satisfaction:
"A good place. Thank you for leading the way, Brother Xiao."
"You are welcome."
Xiao Yan led him into the courtyard, and they took their respective seats.
The two began to chat again, the topic gradually extending from the Dao of Five Elements to broader insights on cultivation.
While conversing with Xiao Yan, Han Xuanji divided his attention and secretly called out to the System.
Xiao Yan had immense potential; he was the person with the highest Aptitude Han Xuanji had encountered since arriving at the Eternal Continent. He wondered how many eternal points it would take to simulate the other party.
"System, how many eternal points are required to simulate Xiao Yan?"
In his mind, the System's prompt sounded quickly.
[Simulation Target: "Xiao Yan (Divine Son of the Great Sheng Saint Dynasty, Awakener of the Saint King Bloodline)", requires: 150,000 eternal points.]
150,000!
Han Xuanji's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm.
This number was ridiculously large.
He had been in the Eternal Continent for so long, and despite his hard work in accumulating points, he had only saved over a thousand eternal points, and he had already spent most of them.
Yet simulating Xiao Yan once required 150,000 points.
"However... this also indirectly indicates this person's potential."
Han Xuanji pondered inwardly.
In fact, after the System upgraded, he had also tried simulating other people.
He discovered that the consumption of the simulation function far exceeded that of the Sign In function.
For direct descendants of the Hun Family like Hun Hao and Hun Qianling, who had good Aptitude, simulating them required several thousand eternal points.
And Xiao Yan... required 150,000 points.
From this, Han Xuanji could easily deduce Xiao Yan's future potential.
He felt that the other party was at least a top-tier powerhouse at the Saint Realm, and it was even possible for him to challenge higher Realms.
"However, it's no wonder the simulation cost is so high."
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
The Eternal Continent was not like the Immortal Realm; the rules of this Origin space-time were terrifyingly stable.
Not to mention predicting the future, even peering into the past through the rules of space-time was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Cultivators of the Dao of Space-Time could basically only rely on spatial abilities in the early and Middle Stages.
Eternal Dao Lords who comprehended the Dao of Space-Time could perform small-scale spatial teleportation, Eternal True Lords could use spatial slash attacks, and only after reaching Eternal True God could one tear through space to perform long-distance travel.
As for time... that was a Domain that only top-tier existences at the Eternal Saint Realm were qualified to touch.
Precisely because of this, the System's ability to "simulate the future" appeared especially precious in the Eternal Continent.
And especially expensive.
150,000 points to simulate Xiao Yan once seemed like an astronomical price, but in reality, it was reasonable.
After all, predicting the complete destiny trajectory of a Prodigy who would highly likely achieve the Saint Realm in the future was inherently a Heaven-Defying act.
"Better not think about it for now."
Han Xuanji suppressed the thoughts in his heart and refocused his attention on the conversation with Xiao Yan.
Rather than aiming too high, it was better to be down-to-earth, Cultivate the Five Elements Dao Laws before him first, and then plan for the next Sign In location.
"Brother Han?"
Xiao Yan's voice came, carrying a hint of confusion.
Han Xuanji snapped back to reality, realizing he had just been distracted.
He smiled apologetically:
"Apologies, I just remembered something and got distracted."
Xiao Yan did not pursue the matter, just saying indifferently:
"It's fine, let's continue."
...
On the other side.
Hun Family, Thousand Soul Hall.
Hun Qianxue was sitting upright on the main seat, holding a communication Jade Slip that had just been delivered.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a meaningful smile.
"Interesting..."
He read the message in the Jade Slip again, confirmed he hadn't misread it, and finally couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
"This kid is truly not simple."
Hun Qianxue stood up, paced a few steps in the hall with his hands behind his back, then suddenly quickened his pace and walked out of the hall.
"Qianling truly did not lie to me!"
These days, he had also borne considerable pressure regarding the rumors about Han Xuanji. Although it wouldn't shake his position as Patriarch, it had certainly affected his prestige.
A moment later, Hun Qianxue arrived at Hun Qianling's Immortal Cave. At this time, Hun Qianling was cultivating in her Immortal Cave, her expression calm, though occasionally a trace of imperceptible fatigue would flash between her brows.
Ever since Han Xuanji went to the Five Elements Tower, she had been waiting for news while cultivating.
Although she didn't say it, she was actually a bit worried in her heart.
She was very clear about the difficulty of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder. In recent years, many prodigies from the Hun Family had tried to clear it, and the best result was only eight hundred levels.
Although Han Xuanji was an S-Rank Prodigy, whether he could clear it was still an unknown.