"Truly没想到, after barely a hundred years, Yuan Miss has reached the Ji Dan stage—what a wonderful achievement!" Just as the black-robed beauty was growing increasingly irritated, Han Li suddenly smiled and said, "What do you mean, Yuan Miss? You've mistaken me. My family name is Ru." The black-robed woman's embarrassment, which had been instantly triggered when Han Li first called her "Yuan Miss," vanished completely, and instead, she looked visibly startled, firmly denying it. This unexpected turn completely surprised Han Li, who now gazed at the woman with a slightly uncertain expression in her eyes. At that moment, the beautiful woman's face had turned pale, one hand resting on her side pouch, her eyes wide open, clearly conveying a sense of defiance. The atmosphere had suddenly become tense. All of this stemmed from Han Li's simple, ordinary utterance of "Yuan Miss." Han Li still maintained a warm smile, yet felt genuinely puzzled. As for Zi Ling, the Immortal Princess, the scene before her was even more unexpected. She hardly needed to think, naturally stepping halfway toward Han Li, making her stance unmistakable. Whether in terms of strength or familiarity, Han Li was her obvious choice. "It seems there's some misunderstanding here! Yuan, I'm sure you don't recall me. After all, we only met once back then, and it was quite some time ago." Han Li spoke calmly and deliberately. "Over a hundred years ago? Just a brief meeting?" Hearing this, the black-robed beauty's expression softened slightly, though her eyes still held a hint of caution, and a touch of bewilderment. The atmosphere had noticeably eased. Yet, after staring intently at Han Li for a while, she still expressed deep suspicion: "I must say, you still seem rather unfamiliar. I simply can't recall having seen you before. Could it be that you've deliberately been misleading me?" "As she spoke, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes, and a subtle sense of hostility began to emerge. Han Li found himself both amused and embarrassed. 'Back over a hundred years ago, did you visit the Tiandu Street market of Kuixing Island?' he asked directly, cutting through the small talk. 'The Tiandu Street of Kuixing Island? Yes, I did visit several times. Did you meet me there?' The black-robed woman was momentarily startled, then nodded after a brief recollection. She then circled her gaze over Han Li's face, her expression thoughtful. At this moment, something seemed to come back to her. 'Indeed, you were with another beautiful Daoist friend at the time. We happened to meet you and Qu Shishu just outside the market.' When mentioning Qu Hun, Han Li subtly glanced at Zilin, the young lady, who was well aware that Qu Hun was her own avatar. Indeed, upon hearing Han Li refer to Qu Hun as her senior teacher, Zilin's face took on a half-smiling, half-ambiguous expression. Though she didn't know the exact circumstances at the time, she could guess that Han Li must have played a clever double act. She couldn't help but feel a quiet chuckle. Of course, she wouldn't have casually mentioned this matter. As for the visit to Qu Hun, Lady Zilin had already been puzzled. Why hadn't Han Li brought this duplicate with him? It was surely a great asset! "With what you've just said, I suddenly feel as though I've seen this scene before. Might it be that you were the other person standing at the entrance of Tiandu Street, together with the Qu elder, who is in the late Foundation stage?" The black-robed woman blinked her beautiful eyes several times, then suddenly had it all clear. Her expression then turned utterly astonished. Han Li sighed with a wry smile. "Miss Yuan finally remembered. It seems that I didn't leave a very strong impression on you back then!" Han Li said with a light chuckle. Hearing this, the black-robed lady blushed deeply, yet having recognized that Han Li was not the person she had expected, she relaxed completely and felt somewhat embarrassed, saying: "Master Han, please don't mind! At that time, Master truly—." As she spoke, she found herself unable to continue. But Han Li chuckled and interjected smoothly: "Perhaps it's because my cultivation and appearance are rather ordinary, making it difficult for the two ladies to take me seriously!" He said this with composed ease, showing no sign of displeasure. "Master Han has truly made me feel honored!" Seeing Han Li's composed demeanor, the black-robed lady felt reassured. After all, Han Li now possessed considerable prowess, and she had some fear that he might still be holding onto grievances from that day. With her法宝's vital energy now greatly diminished, she was even more reluctant to offend him. With these thoughts in mind, she smiled gracefully and added: "I must also congratulate you! Though we haven't seen each other for over a hundred years, haven't you also progressed from the Qi Condensation stage to the Ji Dan stage?" "How profound his magical prowess is—enough to even eliminate a ghost of King-level evil!" Hearing this woman's somewhat friendly words, Han Li shook his head in disbelief. His own cultivation had progressed from Qi Stage to Condensation Stage, and even at that point, he had already achieved the foundation-level attainment. Without the practice of the "Three-Transformations and Restoration of Primordial Energy Technique," he would never have reached the Condensation Stage. As for this woman, however, she had genuinely advanced from Qi Stage all the way to her current level. When Han Li first recognized the identity of the black-robed woman, he was genuinely astonished. Either she possessed exceptional innate talent far beyond the ordinary, or she had experienced some extraordinary fortune over the past hundred years—otherwise, a typical cultivator simply could not have progressed so swiftly. Han Li silently pondered this. Although he had carefully observed her, as both of them were at the initial Condensation Stage, he could not discern her root quality, as her internal magical energy effectively obscured his ability to perceive it. Han Li smiled slightly, just about to say something more, when Zilin, the young lady beside him, gently furrowed her brows and said: "Thinking thus, Han Li didn't mention the unusual expression the young lady had shown earlier. Gazing around at the ghost mist, he calmly addressed the two women: "Both of you, let's move on. This place isn't suitable for long stays. Should any more powerful ghost creatures appear, we'll be in trouble." Hearing this, Han Li nodded in quiet agreement. Yuan Yao, the dark-robed woman, also showed no objections. Immediately, the three of them settled on a direction and broke through the ghost mist, departing. ...This was a garden-like setting, with vast patches of strange, unnamed flowers and herbs, and seven or eight finely carved jade pavilions. Inside, scattered among the pavilions, stood or sat about twenty or thirty cultivators. Most of these cultivators either had pale faces or were streaked with blood, as though they had fought hard to reach this place. Yet their faces were filled with unmistakable excitement. Even some cultivators had gathered together, whispering softly to one another. The Master of Extreme Yin and the other Yuan-Ying stage cultivators, including Wan Tianming, were also present, though they were seated in two separate jade pavilions, each quietly meditating. Unintentionally or by design, the two white-robed elders from the Star Palace had settled themselves in a quiet spot between the two groups, sitting cross-legged with an expressionless demeanor, completely still—like statues. Beyond the garden, stretching over a hundred zhang, dense black ghost mist rolled continuously, enveloping the entire area so completely that it seemed as though one were in two entirely different worlds. Suddenly, the mist at one location parted on its own, and a young male cultivator stepped out calmly. He was young, with a refined appearance, dressed in a green robe. Most astonishingly, he showed no signs of any unusual condition whatsoever—his expression was serene and composed, as if he had never experienced any conflict or struggle at all, and simply arrived here. This odd situation immediately caught the astonishment of the nearby cultivators, who now gazed at the man with a mixture of complex expressions. At that moment, the elder Master Jiyin's closed eyes suddenly opened, but upon glancing at the young cultivator, a fleeting expression of disappointment passed over his face before he closed his eyes once again. He showed absolutely no concern for this young man! Yet when the young man saw Master Jiyin, an unintentional tinge of resentment flashed across his face, which quickly faded, and he then strode in with steady resolve. He did not enter the pavilion to sit among the others, but instead found a quiet corner, stood there with his hands behind his back, and surveyed the other cultivators with a cool, detached gaze. When he failed to spot Han Li's figure, a slight furrow formed between his otherwise refined brows, but soon smoothed out, and he resumed his composed expression. Yet at this very moment, without anyone else being aware, a deep, resonant male voice suddenly echoed through the young cultivator's mind. "Wait a moment—your assistant isn't here? Has he been devoured by some other spectral beings? Hah! It seems your choice of person isn't very impressive, is it?" The voice spoke lazily. "Stop talking! Don't speak freely within my body—remember, there are quite a few Yuan-Stage cultivators here. If even a couple have exceptionally strong consciousness, your mere voice might very well be detected!" The young cultivator grew increasingly annoyed, speaking firmly and directly through his spiritual awareness.