At this point, the two of them grew solemn, paused their conversation, and accelerated their pace. Han Li did not follow immediately. This was indeed too conspicuous. He subtly wrapped a strand of his consciousness around the slender man, then coldly watched as the two figures flew a distance before finally stepping out of the shadows and appearing calmly, following at a relaxed pace. Compared to Han Li, their speed was surprisingly slow. It took them over an hour to reach the fourth level of the Sacred Mountain, where they entered side by side into a rather ordinary residence. Shortly thereafter, Han Li's figure appeared above the courtyard. The surroundings seemed peaceful, with only a few similarly styled courtyards nearby and a small grove of green bamboo adding a touch of elegance. Han Li gazed at the courtyard, a spark of keenness flashing in his eyes. Though this manor may seem unimpressive, a small "Flowing Stream Array" has been set up outside. While it won't effectively deter determined intruders, it still offers a modest early warning. Yet, even against someone like Han Li, or a typical Jin Dan cultivator with a basic understanding of array techniques, the array proves entirely ineffective. Han Li is fully confident he can enter undetected by the outer defenses. And so he does—exactly as planned. With a simple hand gesture, he channels his spells, his form blurs momentarily, and then vanishes into a shimmering green light. Otherwise, a regular concealment technique would suffice. Han Li stood motionless at the center of the courtyard, his awareness gradually spreading out from him, fully enveloping the entire courtyard. Then, a subtle expression of surprise passed over his face as he turned and fixed his gaze on a pavilion to the left. He clearly sensed that all the other rooms were empty, yet within this modest pavilion, seven cultivators were present simultaneously. The lean young man and the middle-aged man with a dark face were among them. Among the seven, two were women—one a well-dressed woman with a pleasing appearance, and the other a plain young woman. However, the one with the highest cultivation level was a well-dressed man with bright eyes and a prominent hooked nose. Aside from the somewhat unpleasing nose, his features were quite refined and his bearing dignified. He was at the late Foundation Stage, having already entered the Pre-Dan stage and was now ready to begin preparing for the formation of his Dan Pill. The others were mostly at the early to mid-stage of foundational cultivation. This was quite normal—certainly the minimum requirement to journey to the stellar sea. However, it seemed they had just discussed something important. Everyone now wore solemn, silent expressions, and the entire chamber remained utterly still, with not a single person speaking. Han Li did not rush. He simply stood there patiently, waiting. He believed that the subsequent conversation among them would surely provide him with useful insights, upon which he could then make his next move. Indeed, after a while—just a cup of tea's time—the middle-aged woman finally grew restless and spoke up. "Yi brother, Huang has just returned with word. The other party insists on five spirit stones per person before they will allow us to proceed to the stellar sea. Shall we officially fulfill our mission by formally transmitting us, or shall we privately pay the spirit stones and quietly send us off? It's up to you to decide. After all, once the great conflict begins, even if they wish to let us go, they may not have the time." The woman's voice sounded a bit agitated. "Lady Liu, from the way you're speaking, it seems you're quite willing to part with this amount of spiritual stones. But have you considered that, though your family is well-off, you might not even find this sum significant? As for us, despite pouring everything we have into it, we still can't manage to gather these stones. Surely, you don't intend to go alone, do you?" A white-faced cultivator sitting beside a young woman frowned, speaking with a tone that carried slight displeasure. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman frowned as well, responding with equal dissatisfaction: "When did I say I intended to go alone? I'm not even asking Easy Brother—this is precisely what I'm doing. Brother Easy has extensive experience and is the most advanced among us in cultivation level. Surely, he can provide us with a thorough analysis of the advantages and disadvantages involved." "Enough, both of you. Lady Liu won't be going alone. The Outer Star Sea isn't something a Foundation Stage cultivator can navigate on their own. Only by having all of us travel together can we hope to survive there." If things go well, we can slay some spiritual beasts and concoct some spiritual pills that will greatly enhance everyone's cultivation. Therefore, the Outer Star Sea is definitely a destination we must visit. However, we don't necessarily need to complete any missions or defeat fellow cultivators of the same stage. During the great battle, even Condensation-stage cultivators cannot guarantee their own safety, let alone us, the lower-tier cultivators. Moreover, I'm somewhat concerned that the senior management of the Star Palace might change their minds at the last minute. "Finally," the well-dressed young man spoke coldly. "Isn't that strange? The Star Palace has never seemed to break its word before. Yi, aren't you overthinking it?" The speaker was a solid-looking young man, though not particularly old, who carried an air of maturity. "It's not very likely, but not impossible. Right now, the Star Palace is no longer the sole dominant force. If the Star Palace truly deems this battle perilous, it will surely come up with any number of measures. Changing its mind wouldn't be surprising at all. After all, these powerful factions—hmm!" The finely-dressed Han gentleman drew in his breath, scoffed with a look of utter familiarity toward these factions, as if he deeply understood their dynamics. Upon hearing this, the room fell once again into quiet, everyone lost in thought. "Therefore, in my opinion, the most prudent course of action is to spend some spiritual stones to secure our lives. If we truly engage in the battle, it's very likely that we'll all be wiped out. Even if a few of us manage to survive, once we reach the alien sea, we'll be isolated and utterly defenseless—still destined for certain doom." The Han gentleman spoke slowly and deliberately. "But how many spiritual stones are we talking about?" "Once our lives are gone, what use are the stones? Moreover, merely slaughtering a few high-tier beasts in the alien sea would easily offset our losses. What's most urgent right now is to get us transported there." The dark-faced middle-aged man, visibly distressed, wanted to add more, but was cut off abruptly by the Han gentleman's stern expression. The dark-faced cultivator, clearly intimidated by the man's demeanor, stammered a few words before finally falling silent after being so sharply reprimanded. "As for the others who are short on spiritual stones, we'll see what we can manage—just take what we have and see if they can make some adjustments. If that still doesn't work, we'll borrow from anyone among us who still has surplus stones. Then, once we arrive at the outer star sea, we'll repay them in full, including interest." It was clear that the well-dressed man commanded genuine respect among them—his simple few words had already settled the matter on his own. After a glance exchanged among the other six, though not everyone was fully convinced, they all reluctantly agreed. The elder, seeing their expressions, smiled with satisfaction and then turned to the lean man, speaking firmly, "Zhang, I'll need you to make another trip tomorrow. Please see if you can reduce the number of spiritual stones required. If that's not possible, then agree to their terms. But we must depart by the day after tomorrow—no more delays. We must be gone before the great battle begins." The lean man nodded vigorously and promptly agreed. Below, the people inside the hall began discussing various specific details in a lively, bustling manner. Standing outside, Han Li listened intently to every word, his lips curling into a quiet, enigmatic smile. A flash of green light, and suddenly, he was gone—completely vanished from the courtyard. The lean man's excitement vanished as soon as he entered the courtyard, and after glancing around, his expression suddenly turned somber, as if troubled. Only then did he knock and enter. Han Li frowned slightly, his brow furrowed with thoughtful concern. "Is there something...?" he murmured, resting his hand on his chin and lost in thought.