Since he's been exposed, staying hidden here now serves no purpose. Han Li took a deep breath, bearing the brilliant protective aura, and with each hand gripping a piece of magical artifact, stepped out of the stone pavilion. "It's you," said Lu Senior, surprised upon seeing Han Li's face, recognizing him instantly. He had only seen Han Li once before, during a chaotic battle on the small mountain, and now, after several months, he could still recognize him at a glance. This indicated either an exceptional memory or a highly attentive, strategic mind. Regardless of which it was, for Han Li, it was not a favorable sign. In fact, he had already sensed that, in certain aspects, this Lu Senior was quite similar to himself—both possessing a keen sense of strategy and a consistently unyielding demeanor. Above all, that boastful demeanor in public was absolutely no different from Han Li's reserved nature—merely a kind of smoke screen. While Han Li deliberately avoided drawing attention, "Master Lu" intentionally cultivated a sense of underestimation among others to conceal his true intentions. Nevertheless, Han Li believed he lacked the brazenness of his counterpart, nor the cold-heartedness and cruelty. He simply adhered to a balanced, self-sufficient path of moderation throughout his life. As Han Li felt a growing sense of apprehension, "Master Lu" also grew serious, as though he had come to a similar realization. His gaze now radiated a fierce intensity, completely unmasking his lethal aura. Han Li sighed. He had originally intended to elaborate and negotiate, hoping to deflect the situation. But now, observing the gravity of the other's demeanor and recognizing the depth of his strategy, he realized there was no room for further maneuvering. Either he or himself would have to survive—there was no point in wasting words. It was better to strike first. Thinking of this, Han Li said nothing, raised his left hand, and with a steel ring, emitted a strange cry, charging straight toward "Master Lu." Then he brightened his right hand, bringing forth a dark green and black gourd, from which he expelled five or six dark, round balls, following closely behind the steel ring. Having completed these actions, Han Li did not cease. With his now-empty left hand, he made a brief gesture in the air, and instantly several red fire balls materialized. A slight movement of his sleeve gathered these fire balls within it, and then, with a sudden snap, he swung them forcefully toward "Master Lu," murmuring a low "go" as he did so. Immediately, carrying a warm, scorching breeze, the fire balls scattered in four rows, striking Master Lu from various angles. In this series of attacks, Han Li nearly deployed every offensive technique he had previously reserved for use without his new artifact—especially the final move of simultaneously firing multiple instant-activated spells, which he had spent considerable effort learning from Wu Feng, specifically to catch his opponent off guard and strike them down instantly. In fact, if it weren't for his hesitation due to still being unfamiliar with the new artifact and uncertain about its immediate effectiveness, Han Li would have already unleashed all of them without reservation, as the new artifact was significantly more powerful than the old ones. Yet almost as soon as Han Li launched his attacks, "Master Lu" was not idle. He flipped his hands, revealing a long, azure banner about a zhang in length, glowing with a soft azure light, embroidered with a fierce, toothed, clawed green dragon. Only then did "Master Lu" fully observe Han Li's consecutive assaults, and was left stunned, his expression filled with astonishment. To be clear, he had first unveiled his most powerful artifact—the Qingjiao Flag—precisely to establish a decisive strike, much like Han Li, in order to eliminate his rivals by killing them outright. Yet, he had never imagined that, since Han Li's appearance, he had remained silent and immediately launched a fierce assault, displaying an unyielding determination to either defeat or eliminate him. With no choice, "Master Lu" halted his own offensive attack. He held the Qingjiao Flag in his right hand while, with his left, he stroked his waist, withdrawing a yellow scroll from his storage pouch. Gazing at the high-level scroll with a touch of reluctance, he bit his lip and gently tossed it forward, beginning to chant rapidly. At that very moment, Han Li's steel rings, glowing faintly yellow, surged forward and approached within close range of "Master Lu," seemingly poised to strike. Only then did "Master Lu" raise a single finger toward the scroll and shout aloud, "Wind Wall Technique—activate!" The yellow scroll suddenly burst forth with a brilliant white glow, instantly transforming into a powerful white gale several dozen feet high, spanning across in front of "Master Lu," blocking the steel ring's path. With a sharp "puff," the steel ring plunged directly into the gale, only to be immediately blown about, tumbling several times before being forcefully sent back. The arriving spherical flames fared even worse, merely spinning helplessly outside the gale, unable to breach the fierce wind at all. Seeing this, Han Li's face tightened slightly, and he quickly extended his fingers, gently guiding the last few fire balls. They immediately curved in large arcs, maneuvering skillfully to the sides, attempting to circumvent the wind barrier and strike "Master Lu" directly. "Hah! That's quite the plan!" "Master Lu" chuckled, then with a smooth, practiced hand gesture, pointed directly at the center of the gale. Instantly, the wind split cleanly in two, swiftly surging outward once more to intercept the fire balls. Several sharp cracks echoed, and the fire balls could no longer evade—they struck the hurricane directly. The gale trembled slightly, then the fire balls were swallowed whole, vanishing without a trace within its vortex. Han Li felt a deep sense of awe. At that moment, under the control of the elder named Lu, the wind wall closed once again, restoring its original form. "A mere trifling skill, dare to display it so publicly!" the elder laughed with great confidence. "Though I don't know your name or your background, your fate tonight is sealed!" Then, he clasped his hands tightly, grasped the green-jade banner once more, and vigorously waved it back and forth. Han Li grew increasingly tense. The elder's tenacity far exceeded his expectations—such a relentless sequence of attacks had been met with such ease. Although the large banner he waved had shown no visible signs of disturbance yet, the elder's serious demeanor clearly indicated that his counteroffensive was no mere performance. It seemed that without using the "Fu Bao," it would be impossible. Han Li thought coldly. However, at present, lacking the ability to refine the "Fu Bao," he had to secure a certain amount of casting time each time he wished to activate it, in order to effectively drive it to defeat his opponents. Thus, his defenses had to be absolutely solid. Thinking this, Han Li glanced at his opponent again. The green banner held by Lu Senior Brother was gradually glowing brighter, emitting a piercing green light that made the green dragon even more formidable and terrifying—clearly, the opponent's offensive was about to be launched. Han Li no longer hesitated. With a hand gesture, the steel ring flew back, coming to rest several feet above his head and beginning to spin continuously. "Long!" With a light command, the steel ring burst forth with yellow light, rapidly expanding until it reached the size of a table, then stopped growing. "Fall," the steel ring obediently descended, encircling Han Li and slowly rotating to form a massive protective ring. Han Li did not cease his efforts. After withdrawing the gourd, he also summoned the newly acquired shield, enlarging it several times beyond the blue aura and projecting a dark glow before it gently floated before him. Thus, Han Li now had three layers of defense: the outermost was the refined steel ring, the middle layer the Xu Iron Sky-Shield, and the innermost layer the blue aura he had initially deployed.