Han Li flew with full concentration. Without a word, he first retrieved the array scroll entrusted to him by Qi Yunxiao, then immersed his mind into it, carefully studying the methods of operating the array of magical instruments. Han Li intended to set aside all other matters and first establish the protective array for his dwelling. After all, the combat area of those several individuals was too close, leaving him feeling uneasy. The arrangement of the Inverted Five Elements Array was remarkably simple and clear. By accurately placing the array flags and plates, inserting and burying them at their designated positions, and arranging several spirit stones into a small array pattern, embedding them at the array's focal points, sufficient spiritual energy would be supplied to the entire structure. Immediately, the grand array would begin to function. With only a basic understanding of simple control techniques, the array's master could use the main array flag held in hand to activate various array configurations, thereby trapping and dazzling the enemy. Han Li arranged the artifacts as required—inserting some and burying others deep—then, with a deep breath, embedded several mid-tier spiritual stones. These were half of his entire stock of spiritual stones, and he had been quite pained by the sacrifice. Yet, to ensure the array's full power, he had no choice but to make this concession. Although, if he brought in some older, more seasoned medicinal herbs, he could easily exchange them for a large quantity of spiritual stones at the market stalls. Still, such a move would raise the risk of discovery—of being caught and questioned. Should he not proceed with caution, he might one day find himself the very one besieged, just as he had just witnessed today. Han Li thought this over with a sense of resignation. He tested the array's operation, and it appeared to be working well. However, the precise defensive strength against external threats would only be truly assessed upon an actual invasion. Yet, simply the fact that the array now fully encompassed the area around his estate—covering dozens of mu of land—without any visible signs from the outside—was already a strong return on his investment, and Han Li found it most worthwhile. Han Li, now at ease, returned to his bedroom and began to ponder his cultivation matters. To have any realistic chance of accidentally reaching the Ji Dan stage, one would need a superb cultivation technique, exceptional innate potential, and extraordinary fortune—all of which must align, to have even a slim chance. In comparison, the difficulty of achieving the Ji Ji stage seems trivial. After all, with good innate potential and just a few Ji Ji pills, the likelihood of successfully establishing the foundation is quite high. Yet, even with all these favorable conditions, the number of cultivators who actually succeed in reaching the Ji Dan stage remains scarce. Thus, whenever a Ji Dan cultivator appears, the entire sect or clan typically holds a grand celebration, marking the occasion with great fanfare, and the news quickly spreads throughout the local cultivation community. The Yan Yue Sect has become the foremost immortal sect of the Yue state not only because it boasts over a thousand foundation-stage disciples—far surpassing other sects—but also because its condensed-stage cultivators significantly outnumber those of the other sects, with more than a dozen, enabling it to proudly stand above the other six. Han Li knew that, despite his mediocre cultivation aptitude, he would undoubtedly fall short of the other foundation-stage disciples. To date, he had only obtained a rather unimpressive "Qingyuan Sword Technique," which he was absolutely unable to fully master. Opportunities for such breakthroughs remained elusive, dependent solely on personal fortune. Thus, at present, it seemed that everything appeared unfavorable for Han Li. Yet, after careful analysis, Han Li concluded that although his cultivation aptitude was exceptionally poor, his possession of a mysterious vial capable of accelerating the maturation of medicinal herbs—enabling him to begin refining pills—was a valuable asset that could effectively compensate for his shortcomings. As for opportunities, which were beyond human control, he need not concern himself with them. The only way he currently has to increase his chances of successfully achieving Dan Stage is to find a suitable upper-tier cultivation technique tailored to his own needs. As soon as this thought arose, the first person that came to his mind was his convenient master, Li Hua Yuan. Since Li Hua Yuan has formally accepted him as a registered disciple, wouldn't it be appropriate for him to now pass on some cultivation techniques? After all, having himself achieved Dan Stage, he might be able to offer some guidance on selecting the right technique. With this in mind, Han Li decided to return to Huangfeng Valley early the next morning to inquire about his master's dwelling, so as to seek instruction. It's likely that Li Hua Yuan is still unaware of Han Li's successful foundation stage achievement. Indeed, it's quite amusing—since Li Hua Yuan took him under his wing, he has never summoned him once, treating him as if he were a mere name on a list for years, which has left Han Li deeply dissatisfied. Of course, when he was feeling down, Han Li wouldn't have dared to go find the master himself—risking the impression that he was being rather ill-mannered. Now that he had successfully reached the Foundation Stage, he truly had to go find this master! To his utter embarrassment, as a disciple, he still found himself completely confused, having to ask others for information. After a moment of self-mocking, Han Li settled into a slow, weary smile and drifted off to sleep on the stone bed. Taking several swift steps, he dashed out of the bedroom and headed straight for the outer courtyard. As soon as he saw the dense stream of light arrows and pillars of light raining down upon the outer area, and the array of mechanical automata spanning the entire sky, Han Li was so startled that he nearly bit his tongue. What on earth was going on? He had deliberately stayed hands-off yesterday, fearing to draw attention and cause trouble. Yet now, back at his residence, they were suddenly showing up—so eager and determined, as if there were no misunderstanding at all. Could it be that when he had taken off yesterday, someone had tampered with the situation and been following him all along? When Han Li was most in peril, his mind suddenly became remarkably clear, and a series of strategies swiftly came to him. "Listen up, everyone inside! We still insist on having the people we're after delivered to us. As long as you hand them over, we promise to leave your estate undisturbed! Why should you, Lord, go out of your way to suffer the misfortunes of our thousand bamboo sect members and bear the brunt of the storm?" "Perhaps, upon witnessing their fierce assault, the invincible sealing techniques of the Inverted Five Elements Array completely neutralized their efforts—no effect at all. A man's voice rose from the sky, that of the Yellow Dragon. Upon hearing this, Han Li turned to look. He saw a massive green bamboo raft floating in the air, where the number of puppets was greatest. On it stood six or seven individuals dressed in varied attire, with the Yellow Dragon at the forefront—the one who had just spoken. Behind him, besides the couple Han Li had previously seen, there were four slender men who looked exactly alike, a rare occurrence indeed—four identical twin brothers! Clearly, reinforcements from the Thousand Bamboo Sect had arrived. When Han Li heard that he was to surrender someone, he was momentarily stunned, and with growing confusion, turned his gaze toward the heart of the Inverted Five Elements Array. There, near the entrance of the cave, he saw a person lying face down, motionless, their life uncertain." Seeing this man, Han Li's long-standing doubts were finally resolved, yet he felt even more exasperated! Why had Lin Senior Brother chosen to wander around so aimlessly, instead of simply heading to a more convenient location? He had ended up inadvertently entering Han Li's domain, bringing such a significant disturbance—how could he possibly handle this? Nevertheless, upon witnessing the immense power of the fragmented array, which had successfully repelled such a violent assault, Han Li felt much more at ease, no longer as panicked as he had been at the beginning. After furrowing his brow, Han Li held up a banner of the array, separated the array's structure, and walked toward Lin Senior Brother. When Han Li used both hands to flip Lin Senior Brother over, turning him around so that he could examine his face closely, his expression immediately turned grim—he could hardly utter a word! For what could one possibly say to a corpse? At that moment, Lin Senior Brother's face was blackened, blood seeping from all seven orifices, and he had been dead for some time already. Han Li sighed, hesitated, and then reached out to feel inside the man's chest. Could they find the storage bag that the other person was using as a puppet? Currently, Han Li is deeply interested in this strategy of outmaneuvering the underdog. However, just as Han Li's hand lifted the corner of his robe, a glowing green orb suddenly shot out from within the other person's embrace and sped straight toward Han Li's face—like a meteor—leaving Han Li startled, exclaiming "Oh!" and staggering backward. Yet, as the orb seemed about to make contact with his face, Han Li's right hand flashed with a bright white light and swiftly reached back, catching the green orb firmly in his grasp. The orb squeaked and moaned in distress. "Brother, please forgive me! I too have been wronged by my enemies and forced into this position! As long as you allow me to go free, Lin will surely offer you something of great value!" Suddenly, Han Li heard his senior brother's plea and heard him promise a substantial reward. "You were trying to take over my body, weren't you?" Han Li didn't press for any substantial compensation, but instead spoke with a serious expression. "This... is indeed true! Yet I've merely been momentarily distracted. I will certainly make up for the discomfort my brother has endured. I hope you'll forgive me, and not take it personally, Brother Lin!" A somewhat embarrassed voice from Brother Lin came through, offering repeated apologies.