The intense, reverent look the young girl gave him as she departed—was exactly the same as the one he had first seen when he witnessed Li Huayuan commanding the great dragon. Reflecting on this, Han Li found the girl quite interesting. With a gentle smile, he vanished silently from the tree, reappearing within the high walls of the estate. At that moment, Han Li had not only employed the "Invisibility Technique"—a spell capable of concealing himself from ordinary people—but also activated the "Breath Regulation Technique," a foundational cultivation method accessible only to established cultivators. This enabled him to glide swiftly through the estate's servants and maids, appearing as if transparent, leaving no trace of his passage. Shortly thereafter, he entered the inner quarters of the estate, quietly hiding behind a secluded corridor pillar, observing everything around him with a calm, detached gaze. Not long after, when a rather attractive maid passed by from nearby, Han Li suddenly flicked his finger, and a ball of yellow light the size of a fist shot out from his hand, striking precisely the maid's head. The maid swayed slightly and seemed about to fall backward and collapse. But before she actually hit the ground, Han Li had already leapt out, caught her, and returned her to the corner behind a pillar. With remarkable ease, Han Li supported the maid's soft, limp body, aligning her so she faced him directly. Then, he opened his mouth and expelled a stream of clear spiritual energy that landed directly on her closed eyes. Immediately, the maid's eyelids fluttered a few times, and then slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she began to stir awake, she found herself gazing into a pair of golden-yellow eyes, coldly fixed upon her. Startled, she tried to struggle and shout, but suddenly, the strangely intense eyes burst forth with a strong yellow glow, piercing straight into her eyes. Instantly, the young attendant felt as though the world had spun and turned, everything seeming to turn golden. Then, her head tilted slightly, and she lost consciousness. Han Li glanced at the young attendant who had just fainted again, sighed softly, and withdrew his hand to gently wipe the sweat from his face. Though the use of this "Control of the Spirit Technique" had only lasted a brief moment, it had drained him profoundly—his spirit felt utterly exhausted. It was no wonder this spell was ranked among the ten lesser-used techniques for Foundation Stage cultivators. While the technique allowed the recipient to obey the caster completely for a certain period of time, like a slave, its limitations were indeed overwhelming. Very few cultivators actually mastered this spell. First of all, it only worked on ordinary humans. It had no effect whatsoever on cultivators. Even if there was a significant difference in their cultivation levels, as long as a flow of spiritual energy circulated through the recipient's mind, the spell's effect would be easily neutralized. Secondly, this spell requires the practitioner not only to be a foundation-stage cultivator but also to possess a divine awareness far beyond the ordinary. Most foundation-stage cultivators simply do not meet these qualifications. With these two restrictions in place, the number of cultivators showing genuine interest in mastering this spell is truly scarce. Yet for Han Li, all of this poses no difficulty at all. Han Li had long been concerned about the limited number of foundation-stage spells he himself possessed. Upon seeing the recorded formula for this spell at Tianzhi Pavilion, he had taken a keen interest and carefully noted it down. After returning to his cave residence and beginning to practice it, he found the spell flowed effortlessly—without any resistance—surprising him greatly. Now, when he applies this spell to the young maid, it proves a complete success. Han Li first carefully surveyed the surroundings before extending his finger and gently flicking it. Instantly, a small orb of milky-white light surged from his fingertip and settled gently upon the maid’s forehead, where it seamlessly merged and vanished. The young maid woke up and immediately sat up, staring straight at Han Li with wide eyes, saying nothing. "Where did the head steward come from? When did he join the royal estate? What places does he usually visit? And who outside the estate does he frequently interact with?" Han Li asked her a series of rapid questions. He had chosen this maid—she had been sent by Xin Wang at the start of the banquet to find the young prince—so it was clear she held a relatively high status among the servants, which would make her information more reliable. "Which head steward are you referring to?" the maid replied without any expression. "Does the estate have several head stews?" Han Li was slightly taken aback. "There is the Wang Steward who oversees all general affairs, the Li Steward who handles procurement, and the Zhai Steward who manages the inner estate." The maid continued, speaking without any emotion. "Which steward was in charge of welcoming guests at the main gate today?" Han Li furrowed his brows and asked softly. "That's the most powerful of the royal overseers." "I'm talking about him!" Han Li asked anxiously. He had no idea how long this spell would hold the other's mind in place, so he wanted to finish asking his most important questions as soon as possible. Otherwise, once this young maid woke up, he'd have to go through much more trouble. According to the older servants in the palace, the Overseer Wang has been a close companion to the Prince since childhood, having served under the Prince for nearly sixty years. Aside from attending the Prince once a month to the imperial court, he rarely leaves the palace grounds and seldom interacts with anyone outside the royal household—his only contacts are the Prince's close friends. As for his relationship with the young Prince, however, it's rather unusual. As told by the young Prince's nursemaid, when he was under ten years old, he was notoriously temperamental and had a strained relationship with Overseer Wang. In fact, there was once a public incident where the young Prince gave the Overseer Wang a good slap. But after the age of ten, the young prince suddenly underwent a remarkable transformation—his demeanor became refined and courteous, and he showed especially great respect to the Grand Steward, even treating him as a junior. This made the Prince deeply delighted, who often remarked that "there must be a divine protector overseeing this situation!" The maid spoke this with the utmost calmness. Han Li listened without changing his expression, though a quiet smile of contempt stirred within him. Although the Grand Steward seemed entirely ordinary at first glance, Han Li was certain from the young prince's unusual behavior that there must be an unspoken connection between them. Indeed, two individuals capable of posing a serious threat—even to a Foundation Stage cultivator—could hardly be considered ordinary mortals. As for their exact mysterious background, Han Li had no intention of probing further. As long as they were not from the magical path, whether they were good or evil, or harbored hidden intentions, would not matter to him. He preferred to keep matters simple—anything beyond what was necessary, he certainly did not want to complicate. And through this series of questions just now, Han Li now has a good sense that the other party has no connection with the Six Sects of the Magic Path. After all, the inconsistencies of the young prince have been going on for much longer than recently. If the Magic Path people had indeed begun setting up this scheme as far back as over a decade ago, Han Li would truly have no words. Thinking of this, Han Li then spoke again, issuing a command: "Where does Wu the Immortal Master reside? Please guide me ahead." "Understood, Master!" The young maid was very obedient, rising immediately and walking off. Han Li, meanwhile, remained concealed, quietly following behind her. With the maid's guidance, Han Li passed through seven or eight large courtyards and arrived at a quieter courtyard. At this point, the maid stopped. "Tap! Tap!" Han Li suddenly lightly tapped his glowing palms against the maid's back twice, then flashed into position behind one of the large trees to the side. "Huh! Isn't this the residence of the old immortal? Then why am I here?" The young maid blinked vigorously and suddenly cried out, her earlier confusion completely gone. "Who's making such a fuss outside? Didn't I instruct that no one should disturb my meditation?" came the displeased voice from a room within the courtyard. Hearing this, the maid grew pale, her face turning white as a sheet, and without pausing to think about why she had ended up here, she hurried off. The door creaked open with a soft "click." The elderly monk, with snow-white hair, stepped out, looking like a true immortal. Yet, upon seeing the courtyard empty of any figures, he frowned in puzzlement. "What's going on! I clearly heard voices—thought the Prince had come again—and had to hastily conclude my practice. But where has he gone?" Standing around, he surveyed the courtyard before finally returning to the room with a sigh of frustration. But when he closed the door and turned back to face the room, he was instantly stunned! Standing by the eight-arrangement table inside, Han Li was smiling warmly at the old monk, silent and clearly showing great interest in him. "Who are you?" the old monk asked, his face pale with alarm. He raised his hand almost reflexively, and a fiery red ball of flame floated gently in his palm. "If I were you, I wouldn't have just lunged at me," Han Li said, calmly smiling as though completely unbothered by the flame—(heh, double monthly tickets, right!)