As these symbols continued to spin, the entire disc likewise flickered and rotated of its own accord. Countless runes appeared and vanished within it, one after another, in a dazzling display that left the eyes unable to keep up.
At the same time, the azure ancient mirror emitted waves of humming sound. Swirling streams of azure light drifted across its surface, and something faintly stirred within — appearing and disappearing — yet never quite resolving into clarity.
Han Li's expression was exceptionally solemn. His unblinking gaze remained fixed on the various strange phenomena unfolding inside the disc, as if he were silently performing calculations in his mind.
After a full half-hour — after the enormous disc had flickered and rotated through who knew how many revolutions — a sharp gleam flashed in Han Li's pupils, and he suddenly let out a low shout: "Found it!"
His arm moved, and he pointed a single finger toward the sky. An invisible wave of force instantly blanketed the void for miles around.
A muffled boom rang out.
The enormous disc shuddered. The majority of the rune markings vanished in a flash, leaving behind only a sparse dozen or so symbols. They formed a strange, intricate pattern that radiated soft white light from its center.
Han Li stared carefully at the pattern for a few moments, then shifted his gaze to the azure ancient mirror before him.
Upon that treasure, strand after strand of luminous haze swirled and shifted. The images on its smooth surface gradually transformed from blurry to clear.
When the ancient mirror let out a long, resonant cry, a massive map appeared within it — unmistakably real.
And at a certain point beyond the map's edges, an extraordinarily brilliant point of light pulsed and flickered, seeming to resonate with the pattern on the enormous disc from afar.
Han Li stared at it for a moment, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Senior Han, have you found the entrance to the Small Spirit Realm?" Zhu Guo'er, who had been waiting until now, finally couldn't hold back and asked.
"I suppose I've found it, and also not truly found it. I can only say there's a general lead," Han Li replied after a long pause, giving a slight shake of his head.
"Senior, what you mean is…?" Zhu Guo'er blinked her big eyes, wearing a thoroughly confused expression.
"It's simple. The current entrance connecting the Small Spirit Realm to the Spirit Realm isn't on our Wind Element Continent at all — it should be on one of the other two continents," Han Li said slowly.
"Other continents? Senior, do you mean the Thunder Continent or the Blood Sky?" Zhu Guo'er was stunned for a moment, then instinctively pressed further.
"That's still unclear. This altar's calculation range only covers the Wind Element Continent. To determine the true entrance to the Small Spirit Realm, I'm afraid we'll first need to find an altar on another continent and recalculate from scratch," Han Li replied thoughtfully.
"In that case, we'll need to visit another continent after all." Upon hearing this, Zhu Guo'er couldn't help but let her face fall.
"Most likely. Fortunately, once the Small Spirit Realm's spatial entrance is confirmed, it won't easily shift for at least several hundred years. We should still have plenty of time to handle this. It's just that our entry into the Small Spirit Realm will have to be postponed a bit further." Han Li let out a soft sigh, looking rather resigned.
Fortunately, with his current level of cultivation, he could practically roam the entire Spirit Realm at will. Going to another continent would only cost him some extra time — beyond that, there was nothing to worry about.
Moreover, the promise he had made to Ice Spirit Fairy's avatar still weighed on his heart. It seemed he could take care of that at the same time.
Han Li's mind worked with incredible speed. In the span of a single thought, he had mapped out the entire itinerary in crystal-clear detail.
And so, paying no more attention to the dejected Zhu Guo'er, he flicked his sleeve. A sheet of golden radiance swept up the ancient mirror and stowed it away. Then, with one hand raised, he sent a rapid succession of hand seals into the patterns etched upon the altar.
Tremendous rumbling shook the area once more. The various lights on the altar abruptly contracted and vanished, and the patterns on the uppermost tier returned to stillness in an instant.
The enormous disc of light in the void, no longer sustained by the altar's power, gradually scattered and dissipated amid its flickering.
In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, every last strange phenomenon on the altar had vanished without a trace.
The altar had returned to its original, dilapidated appearance!
A layer of golden light swept across Han Li's body once more, and he disappeared from the spot along with Zhu Guo'er, leaving not a trace behind.
In the very next instant, the two of them reappeared beside Silver Moon at the base of the altar as the spatial disturbance settled.
"Brother Han, how did it go?" Silver Moon fixed her beautiful eyes on him and asked.
"Not too good — but I wouldn't call it too bad either." Han Li gave a wry smile, then told Silver Moon about the results of his calculation.
After listening, Silver Moon's gaze shifted slightly, and she suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "Indeed, as you said, this result isn't too bad at all. While we didn't immediately obtain the entrance to the Small Spirit Realm, at the very least it confirms that the method Bao told us is truly viable. From here, we simply need to visit another continent within a set time frame, locate an identical Sinan Altar, and we'll be able to pinpoint the entrance without fail."