A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1601-Chapter 1800)

No matter how he looked at this Eccentric Xu, he was completely identical to a normal human being, and there were no characteristics that revealed which race he was from.

"It's no surprise that you weren't able to identify me, Brother Han. After all, us Cloud beings have always been extremely proficient in concealment and disguise techniques, and even beings with higher cultivation bases than us wouldn't be able to glean our true forms if we insist on hiding them. It's just that I'm a bit of an anomaly in my race in that I cultivate an extremely Yang-oriented fire-attribute cultivation art, so my proficiency in disguise techniques is rather lacking compared to my brethren of the same cultivation base. As such, some of the fellow Daoists who have lived on this mountain for a long time are aware of what kind of being I am," Eccentric Xu chuckled.

"The Cloud Race? Isn't that the race with the smallest population among the Heavenly Cloud Races, yet still ranks among the top three of the 13 races?" Han Li was quite surprised to hear this.

He had indeed heard of this Cloud Race, and he knew that it was one of the mysterious of the 13 Heavenly Cloud Races.

"Hehe, looks like you know quite a lot about our Cloud Race, Brother Han. Our Cloud Race and the Crystal Race are the two races with the smallest populations among the 13 races. However, in contrast with the Crystal Race, us Cloud beings are all quite powerful, which is why we were able to stake a claim among the top three races," Eccentric Xu said in a rather proud manner.

"My apologies for my ignorance; this is my first time meeting a being from your Cloud Race," Han Li sighed.

"There's no need to apologize. Our Cloud Race doesn't have a big population, but there are many of us here in Cloud City; it's just that very few of us appear as our true identities. Perhaps you've even met some being whom you thought were from other races, but were actually just Cloud beings in disguise," Eccentric Xu said in a meaningful voice.

Han Li was rather speechless upon hearing this.

Eccentric Xu then put away his smug expression as he adopted a slightly solemn look, and continued, "However, even though our Cloud Race is known for our proficiency in disguise and concealment techniques, the real reason why we were able to claim a spot among the top three of the 13 Heavenly Cloud Races is due to another natural ability of ours. I'm sure you've heard of it, right?"

"Are you referring to Bonded Cloud Beasts?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. Bonded Cloud Beasts are creatures that lay somewhere in between the realms of spirit beasts and avatars. Only after cultivating our own Cloud Beast can beings like us truly become Cloud beings," Eccentric Xu said in a slow voice.

"I've heard some rumors about the Bonded Cloud Beasts of the Cloud Race. It's said that after cultivating a Cloud Beast, it would be the equivalent of an avatar with the exact same abilities as the Cloud being that had cultivated it. During times of peril, Cloud beings can even combine as one with their Cloud Beasts to form legendary Cloud Beast Giant Spirits. In doing so, not only would a Cloud being's powers be significantly enhanced, they'd even be able to unleash some powerful abilities that would've been beyond their capabilities otherwise. Could it be that you wanted to speak to me about something related to your Bonded Cloud Beast?" Han Li asked as he stroked his chin.

"You are truly a wise man, Fellow Daoist Han. I do indeed wish to speak with you about a Cloud Beast, but not my own. Instead, it's about my junior's Bonded Cloud Beast," Eccentric Xue explained as he pointed to the young boy behind him.





Chapter 1671: Exchange


"Oh? Would you be able to elaborate further on that, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li cast his gaze toward the young boy with a slightly surprised look in his eyes.

"Of course I can. Truth be told, I don't have many direct lineal descendants, and Xiang'er is the only junior of mine that is worth nurturing in my eyes. I don't mean to boast, but my junior's knack for cultivation is quite outstanding, even in the context of the entire Cloud Race. He should be able to become an upper race being in less than a century." From the benevolence in Eccentric Xu's eyes as he looked at the young boy, it was quite apparent that he held the boy in extremely high regard.

"You're far too kind, Great Grandfather; I only have ordinary aptitude that's nothing to boast about," the young boy hurried said in a shy manner.

"Haha, you've already reached this cultivation base below 20 years of age; your aptitude is even far superior to mine, so what's there to be modest about?" Eccentric Xu laughed heartily in response.

"Your junior does indeed possess astonishing talent," Han Li also chimed in with a smile.

The young boy could only remain silent with an embarrassed blush on his face.

Eccentric Xu's delighted expression then faded as he said in a heavy voice, "Generally speaking, this junior of mine could well rise to even greater heights than me in the future, but unfortunately, there's an inherent flaw in his body that makes his future cultivation full of doubts and uncertainty."

Han Li's eyes flashed upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything in reply as he knew that an explanation was definitely coming.

As expected, after a brief pause, Eccentric Xu continued, "He possesses outstanding aptitude, but some issues have arisen in his cultivation of his Bonded Cloud Beast. It should've been cultivated long ago, but he's stuck at the final steps and unable to truly manifest it. According to past experience, it's naturally best for one to cultivate their Bonded Cloud Beast as early as possible. Otherwise, his powers and future cultivation base progression could be hampered. This is why I've decided to come to you, Fellow Daoist Han."

"I'm not sure I understand what the connection is," Han Li said in a perplexed manner.

"This is indeed rather complex. To put it simply, I unintentionally discovered that the world's origin Qi that I'd gathered from the phenomenon a few days ago can assist my junior in manifesting his Bonded Cloud Beast. However, I'd already used up most of the world's origin Qi I'd gathered last time, and the remaining amount isn't enough for him to use. As such, I can only come to you in the hopes that you could perhaps replicate that phenomenon." Eccentric Xu finally disclosed the purpose of his visit.

"If the world's origin Qi is useful to your junior, then I'm sure you can gather some yourself with ease; why do you need to come and find me?" Han Li asked in a calm manner.

"I've already conducted several experiments and found that normal world's origin Qi is completely ineffective in aiding my junior to manifest his Bonded Cloud Beast. As such, the world's origin Qi gathered by the phenomenon that you conjured up must be special somehow, and contains something that is beyond my scope of comprehension. Perhaps only that special thing will be able to help Xiang'er," Eccentric Xu replied in a rather gloomy manner.

"I see." A thoughtful expression appeared on Han Li's face.

He was naturally well aware that the so-called phenomenon that had taken place a few days ago was created by the dissipation of the true Kirin essence particle, so it was no surprise that this world's origin Qi gathered was different from normal. However, it really was quite a surprise to him that this special type of the world's origin Qi was beneficial to Cloud beings in manifesting their Bonded Cloud Beasts.

"I came here in the hopes that you can conjure up the same world's origin Qi as last time. If you can do that, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely for your efforts," Eccentric Xu said with a hopeful expression on his face.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that this is not something that I can accomplish easily," Han Li replied in a hesitant manner.