Before taking the elixir, Han Li meditated for several days within the sealed chamber, adjusting his body's true energy and vital essence to their optimal states. He then carefully dripped a few drops into his mouth, promptly closed the bottle, and closed his eyes, waiting for the elixir's effects to take hold. Soon, the meridians in his body began to heat up, and his true energy surged like boiling water, rushing swiftly through the channels. Startled, Han Li quickly reached for a packet of an unknown elixir from his body, poured it into his mouth without hesitation, and began to focus on refining the Qingyuan Sword Technique to break through his current limitations. When the seventh layer of the sword technique was fully perfected—that would be the day Han Li achieved his Dan stage. Of course, prior to this, he had already used his divine awareness to instruct Qu Hun, his neighbor, to take the "Heavenly Fire Elixir" and other accompanying elixirs as well. Qu Hu's "Blood-Refined Divine Light" is a swift, magical cultivation technique—normally, it's impossible to achieve a golden elixir stage. However, with the "Blood-Condensed Five Elements Pill," the situation has changed entirely. Thus, Qu Hu's golden elixir formation differs significantly from Han Li's. Instead of relying on a specific technique to condense his golden elixir, Qu Hu sequentially consumed the "Blood-Condensed Five Elements Pill," directly refining the pill's energy to form his own powerful elixir. In comparison, Qu Hu's path to golden elixir formation is considerably simpler than Han Li's. As a result, after issuing specific instructions, Han Li simply set Qu Hu aside in the adjacent room, no longer paying close attention. Although Han Li himself faced uncertain prospects in achieving his golden elixir this time, he still decided to make a serious attempt—failure, at least, would provide valuable experience for future efforts. With this thought in mind, Han Li gradually turned off all external sensory awareness, fully immersing himself in the rigorous cultivation process. At this point, the passage of time outside no longer held any significance for him. Day after day, time flowed on. Spring fades, winter comes... Four years later, Haiyuan Island remains as chaotic as ever. The harbor and the only city on the island are in a gentle state of excitement, for this is the season when numerous Haiyuan creatures surface to mate. Many junior cultivators rush in and out, eager to capture these rare beasts, which are otherwise hard to find. The cultivators are delighted with their spiritual stones, and the merchants are equally pleased, continuously purchasing the creatures. Yet by midday, at a remote, secluded mountain deep within the island, a scene unfolds that leaves nearby cultivators in stunned silence. The once clear, azure sky suddenly turns turbulent! A vast expanse of dark, dense clouds has descended upon the mountain, and silver lightning crackles with thunderous roars, dancing wildly like a furious serpent. At the same time, celestial qi from all directions began to rotate and resonate around the wild mountain, forming a massive vortex several miles in diameter beneath the black clouds, drawing in and completely absorbing the qi within a radius of several dozen miles, leaving the independent cultivators stunned and amazed. Without hesitation, they stepped out of their respective cultivation pavilions and rushed toward the wild mountain where the phenomenon had occurred. Even the most humble cultivators now understood clearly that such a remarkable celestial display was a sign of a senior cultivator nearing the peak of Jin Dan stage—something only expected when a cultivator achieved near-mastery of the Jin Dan stage. The Sea of Turbulent Stars would now have one more cultivator at the Jie Dan level! Yet, it was astonishing that someone could achieve Jie Dan cultivation in such a place so deficient in qi—this far exceeded the expectations of the independent cultivators. Full of admiration and wonder, they naturally wanted to see what was happening. If they could establish a connection with this accomplished master, or even become his disciple, what a splendid opportunity that would be! Yet before these individuals reached the site, the distant spiritual vortex seemed to have absorbed sufficient spiritual energy, and after a clear, resonant phoenix call, it completely dissolved. Amid the turbulent spirit currents, faint hues of five colors shimmered, radiating an exceptionally beautiful glow. Then, the clouds parted, the lightning faded, and everything returned to normal—once again a serene, sunny day. At that moment, the independent practitioners had just arrived near the wilderness mountain, but had not yet approached it closely when a strangely piercing voice echoed in their ears. "Any who dare to approach this mountain without permission, shall be slain!" The statement was utterly cold and devoid of emotion, causing the faces of several lower-level cultivators to pale. Without hesitation, they all stopped in place, exchanging bewildered glances. Clearly, this newly successful cultivator, having just attained the Dan stage, did not appreciate being disturbed. After a brief moment of mutual observation, they naturally turned around and silently retreated, unwilling to make a futile attempt. But soon after, news of a cultivator successfully achieving Dan-stage cultivation on Haiduan Island spread rapidly. Many other cultivators on the island who had previously been unaware of this event were left stunned for a long time. How could it be that a cultivator would choose to attain Dan-stage cultivation specifically on Haiduan Island? Immediately, numerous new abodes were established by lower-level cultivators around the once-desolate mountain. Though warned by the newly achieved Dan-stage cultivator, these independent practitioners, each harboring their own intentions, dared not approach the mountain too closely. Yet they all hoped that by staying nearby and continuing their cultivation, they might one day have the chance to meet this accomplished master. As a result, the area saw a surge in activity and popularity. Yet no one knew that within one of the mountain's abodes, the space had already been abandoned—its true Dan-stage cultivator was now flying thousands of miles away in the high heavens. Accompanying him was a calm young man—none other than Han Li, who had not yet achieved Dan-stage cultivation. Han Li glanced at the seated Qu Hun by his side. Though his face remained unchanged, a sense of satisfaction stirred within him. In fact, a year ago, he had already stopped his seclusion. After three years of consuming elixirs and practicing qi cultivation through meditation, he had to admit that this time, his attempt to form a true Dan was utterly hopeless—there was not even a single trace of condensed true energy. So he simply ceased his cultivation and focused entirely on supporting Qu Hun's Dan formation. As a result, under the strong assistance of numerous elixirs, Qu Hun truly lived up to Han Li's expectations, and recently, during the convergence of the Dragon and the Tiger, finally succeeded in forming a powerful Dan. The process was so smooth that even Han Li himself was somewhat surprised. Overjoyed, Han Li dismissed the visiting cultivators who had been observing. Then, he immediately abandoned this dwelling, secretly taking Qu Hun and fleeing from the Sea Orangutan Island. Now he intends to return to Xiao Huan Island to check whether his ancestral dwelling still exists. He believes that after four years, even if the others remain patient, no cultivator at the Dan stage could possibly still be monitoring Xiao Huan Island. If everything remains intact, he will naturally carry away the rare creatures from the estate and depart far away, completely leaving behind the Southwestern Sea region. The Star Sea is so vast that, with Qu Hu's Ji Dan stage cultivation, it's impossible for him not to have a place to stand. Although Qu Hu cannot use the "Green煌 Sword" due to the mismatch in his spiritual root, he can still manage the ancient elder's artifact, the "Hun Yuan Basin," to a certain extent! Even if he cannot fully refine this artifact to unleash its full potential, he now has a weapon that allows him to stand a fair chance against other Ji Dan cultivators. Moreover, he has entrusted both the golden small sword artifact and the golden skull artifact he previously obtained to Qu Hu, keeping only the small knife artifact for himself. With Qu Hu's Ji Dan cultivation, activating these artifacts requires only a brief surge of spiritual energy and can be deployed instantly to attack opponents, effectively compensating for the limitations of his weapon. With these thoughts in mind, Han Li fully powered up his Shen Feng Boat, transforming into a beam of white light, and headed toward Kuai Xin Island. ... One month later, Han Li and Qu Hu appeared in the sky above Xiao Huan Island. Han Li scanned the surroundings of Xiao Huan Island with his spiritual awareness and found no other cultivators present. Only then did he calmly activate his artifact and proceed from the dock onto the island, heading toward the mountain peak where his dwelling was located. Though still some distance from the two mountain peaks, Han Li’s spiritual awareness had already surveyed both peaks in advance. The formation had indeed remained exactly as it was when Han Li first emerged four years ago, showing no signs of change. After a brief glance, Han Li promptly entered the inner sanctuary without hesitation. He naturally paid no attention to the false sanctuary on the dwarf mountain peak, instead entering the true sanctuary through the underground passage. Then he strode directly toward the sealed chambers housing the rare insects. Yet, as he approached the chambers, he opened his mouth in astonishment, his eyes wide with surprise at what he saw.