"Indeed, Master Sun and Master Mo have enjoyed a friendship with the Fu family spanning over a century, and they are certain to arrive as scheduled. Their rising status within the Magic Flame Sect is closely tied to our strong support of their endeavors. Moreover, we have married our two most distinguished daughters to them as concubines—how could they possibly fail to come?" A senior elder with fine eyebrows and a brocade robe, standing beside the middle-aged man with a pale face, spoke with equal courtesy. Although our Fu family has grown prosperous and strong over the years, we have inevitably offended countless clans and smaller sects. Yet the two families most hostile to us—Qin and Hu—might be plotting something against us. "It's unlikely to be either of these two!" said the elder of the Fu family, shaking her head coldly. But after frowning, she hesitated and added, "Still, if both families unite—or if they join forces with other rival sects—and launch a sudden assault at this moment, they could indeed deal a severe blow to our Fu family. After all, in the past, to please the Mo Yan Sect, we Fu family did eliminate a significant number of senior cultivators who had been steadfast in resisting the demonic forces. Now, with the Qin and Hu families forced to abandon their ancestral foundations and hide in obscurity, harboring deep resentment toward us, it's not impossible that they would take such action." The elder's expression grew as dark and still as water. "Then, what is your elder's intention?" "The elder in the brocade robe asked cautiously. 'Loose outside, tight inside! All watch posts now have double the personnel they previously had. The fortress defense array will remain active throughout the day, never stopping for a moment. Especially those unnamed independent cultivators—we must assign extra personnel to keep a close watch on them.' At that moment, the senior of the Fu family suddenly arched his head back and closed his eyes, yet his mouth remained perfectly composed, issuing a series of clear commands without a single pause. 'Yes, grandson, I'll arrange it right away!' The middle-aged man with a pale face immediately took the orders and departed. The other younger Fu family members remaining in the side hall noticed that the senior's mood had grown uneasy, and each one stood motionless, holding their breath. 'Tianyun, fetch your uncle out and have him load the Iron-Back Sacred Beast into the spirit-animal satchel. Have him join me at the birthday celebration. Only he can command our family's sacred guardian beast.' The senior of the Fu family suddenly added. 'What? Didn't the elder say earlier that your uncle is currently at a crucial stage in his cultivation, and that we should not disturb him during this birthday celebration?' "He heard this and could not help but exclaim. 'Hmph! It used to be then—now it is now. Though we Daoists cannot truly achieve the ideal of avoiding misfortune and foreseeing events, we often experience subtle intuitions that prove remarkably accurate. To be safe, we must remain vigilant. It is better that I am overly cautious and misread the signs, than that our Fu family truly faces a great calamity or suffers any real misfortune.' The elder coldly remarked. 'Yes, I will immediately summon my third uncle to come out of seclusion.' Seeing that the Fu family's patriarch was about to become angry, the dressed-in-velvet elder was startled and responded with polite deference, then hurried off as well. After that, the patriarch still did not feel at ease and issued several more instructions before finally feeling reassured. In his mind, with so many contingency plans in place, even if something did happen, the family would be well prepared. … Three days later, outside the purple mist of Zǐ Dào Mountain, on an open hillside, a gathering of independent cultivators had assembled—numbering no less than twenty or thirty." They pointed and gestured at the purple mist, whispering among themselves about various things. Han Li, standing alone among the cultivators, silently observed the surroundings, appearing much like a typical solitary, independent cultivator. It was truly surprising to Han Li that there were so many foundation-level independent cultivators within the Yuanwu Kingdom—certainly far more than he had expected. The ones who had come to celebrate the elder patriarch of the Fu family were merely a small fraction of that number. Back in the ancient Yue Kingdom, outside of the seven major sects, there had been very few foundation-level independent cultivators. Though the Yuanwu Kingdom was larger than Yue, it was likely not much different. In just over a century, such a transformation had occurred, giving Han Li a profound sense of the shifting tides of time and change. He found it quite remarkable. Han Li did not know that, prior to the great conflict between the Zheng and Mo sects, most foundation-level pills had been held firmly by the major sects and families, making it difficult for independent cultivators to achieve foundation-level attainment. However, with the upheavals of a century ago, many sects and families had become deeply involved. The incidents of entire families and lineages being wiped out, their inheritances and ancestral flames extinguished, have occurred with remarkable frequency. As a result, a large number of foundational pills have circulated amid the chaos. While most have been acquired by other sects and immortal families, a significant portion have fallen into the hands of fortunate independent practitioners. This has led to a sharp surge in the number of foundational-stage independent practitioners across the nations over the past hundred years, forming a considerable force—some even, by chance, achieving the golden elixir stage during this period. Nevertheless, whether in the orthodox or the demonic realms, or within the Celestial Dao Alliance, the strategy has consistently been to absorb these independent practitioners whenever possible, and to suppress them when absorption is not feasible. Consequently, although the number of high-level independent practitioners has grown dramatically, they have remained fragmented and have not yet coalesced into a unified power. While Han Li was quietly pondering this situation, suddenly seven or eight streaks of red light shot from the heavens, revealing a group of male and female cultivators dressed in crimson robes upon the light's dissipation. Leading the group were two Jin Dan cultivators. One had a face streaked with white hair and a gourd at his waist, while the other appeared ordinary in appearance but possessed piercing eyes that radiated cold brilliance. Each of them was accompanied by a beautiful female cultivator, like a blooming flower, and behind them trailed four disciples of Jian Ji level, resembling their junior followers. "Those are members of the Mo Yan Sect," the scattered cultivators on the slope murmured as they saw them, growing increasingly agitated, with some even whispering in awe. "These are Sun and Mo, the two senior cultivators specifically in charge of external affairs at Mo Yan Sect. The two female cultivators beside them are the renowned Fu Family Twin Beauties—reports say they have already been appointed as concubines to these two elders." A more informed cultivator whispered this to a nearby companion in a hushed tone, clearly anxious not to be overheard by the Mo Yan Sect's representatives. With his keen awareness, Han Li naturally heard every word clearly. He glanced at the two Jin Dan cultivators of Mo Yan Sect with growing interest, then swept his gaze over the female cultivators beside them. Indeed, two exceptionally graceful and charming women. The magelight gate cultivators paid these independent practitioners no attention. One of their disciples, without a word, stepped forward to the mist, raised his hand, and sent a transmission scroll into the fog before returning to the back of the two Jin Dan cultivators. A moment later, the purple mist surged and spontaneously parted, revealing a clear path. Several Fu family reception disciples welcomed them with respectful gestures. Han Li took this opportunity to gaze intently at the Fu family disciples before calmly shifting his gaze. At that moment, a group of magelight gate cultivators entered the mist, after which the mist closed once again. Over the following one or two hours, several late arrivals from other families and smaller sects continued to arrive at the slope, each being welcomed and escorted in by the Fu family personnel. After waiting for a long time, finally a middle-aged manager, visibly apologetic, stepped out from the mist. "Apologies to all of you for keeping you waiting so long," he said. This was not the Fu family showing any discrimination toward their fellow cultivators, but rather that the Fu family's estate was limited in space, and it would have been difficult to accommodate too many cultivators at once. That's why they could only invite their friends in on the day of the birthday celebration. Please rest assured—any fellow cultivators who come to honor our elder with genuine sincerity will be treated equally within the estate. The banquet has already been prepared in the main hall; please follow behind and join us as we enter together." The steward was exceptionally eloquent, and with just a few words, he had largely smoothed out the dissatisfaction among the independent cultivators. Thus, after exchanging glances with one another, the independent cultivators said little and followed the middle-aged steward into the mist. Han Li walked quietly at the very end of the crowd, yet a short while later, he suddenly vanished without a trace. Neither the cultivators leading the way nor the Fu family disciples monitoring the array noticed any anomaly—seeming as though he had never entered at all. Several Foundation-stage cultivators from the Fu family stood within a magnificent hall, warmly greeting arriving guests and making sure each one felt thoroughly welcomed and not overlooked. The guests numbered well over two hundred—some had just arrived today, while others had come as early as four or five days prior to the Fu family's stronghold. Now that the Fu family elder’s birthday had arrived, they had gathered together, patiently awaiting the elder’s appearance. Given the Fu family’s rising prominence in Yuanwu Kingdom, guests from smaller clans and independent cultivators praised their achievements continuously. Even representatives from slightly larger families and cultivator sects, though perhaps less familiar, smiled warmly and engaged in lively conversations with the Fu family cultivators.