"You're absolutely right," said Han Li calmly, "though I have no intention of relinquishing my concubine." Then, without further words, he extended his consciousness outward, and a surge of impressive aura erupted forth, while something suddenly shot toward the other side. "Excellent!" Nan Long Marquis didn't flinch—he even roared in response. Simultaneously extending his own consciousness, two nearly visible intangible forces collided and exploded in the empty space between them. A powerful gale immediately surged outward, spreading in all directions. Lü Luo, watching from below, could not help but gasp, his face filled with disbelief. "Can the young lord's divine awareness manifest into a tangible form? Can he possibly overcome his opponent?" Upon hearing this, Mu Peilin, though not fully grasping the meaning, couldn't help but ask. "I don't know either. By normal standards, the ability of divine awareness to manifest is a technique mastered by cultivators at the mid-Stage of Yuan Ying, thanks to their exceptionally strong awareness. Brother Han has already demonstrated this ability—does it mean his primary cultivation method emphasizes awareness development? That must be it. Only then does it make sense." Lü Luo initially answered Mu Peilin's questions, but then began murmuring to himself. "Then, the young lord surely has a fighting chance!" Mu Peilin, undeterred by Lü Luo's somewhat disorganized words, asked with genuine hope. "That's hard to say. Even among cultivators of the same Yuan Ying stage, there are differences in strength." Nanlong Hou had already reached the mid Yuan婴 stage three centuries ago. Though he still remains at this level now, there's no doubt he has nearly reached the peak of the mid-stage, just one step away from the later stage. If Brother Han is to surpass this old master, it will be no easy task!" Lu Luo said, his expression uncertain. Upon hearing this, the faint hope that had just begun to rise in Mu Peilin's heart instantly turned cold. At that very moment, however, the explosions in the sky grew increasingly dense. The swirling gusts of wind eventually formed a massive white vortex, completely engulfing the two of them. This prompted Lu Luo to emit another soft exclamation. "Indeed! I can hardly believe it—Brother Han has not fallen behind at all," Lu Luo said, his face displaying a look of genuine surprise. Upon hearing this, Mu Peilin was overjoyed and moved her lips to ask another question. Suddenly, a brilliant white flash erupted in the sky, followed by a clear, resonant thunderclap. The previously hazy aura burst apart, and a violent gale surged outward in all directions. At a distance of several dozen zhang below, Mu Peilin and the others saw the fierce white wind rushing toward them and immediately grew alarmed. "Unfortunate!" Lu Luo roared, darting forward to shield Mu Peilin, while simultaneously drawing his hands across, forming a blue protective barrier that encompassed both of them. In the meantime, the swift gale had already reached the barrier. As a series of creaking sounds echoed continuously, the thick barrier wall met the wind and instantly seemed to be struck by heavy blows, sinking several inches deep as the wind passed over it. Fortunately, the gale only scattered across the barrier, with most of the wind gliding smoothly along its sides. The indented wall quickly regained its original form. Then, Lu Luo's blue glow flashed once, and he withdrew the protective barrier. The group of golden-armored soldiers of Nanlong Marquis, standing not far away, maintained their disciplined formation and raised their golden spears as the gale breeze swept past—immediately casting a vast expanse of golden light above them, as if a massive golden shield had enveloped them, including the central beast-carriage. Yet even thus, as the white, wild wind surged through, the golden light only held for a brief moment before shattering and being swept away by the residual gust. The warrior women cried out in agony, clutching their heads, their faces growing pale with terror, and gradually bleeding from their eyes, ears, and mouths. Only the two court-dressed female cultivators seated on the beast-carriage remained unharmed, protected by the carriage's defensive spell. Yet both of them looked pale and utterly startled. Upon witnessing this scene, Mu Peilin drew in a sharp breath, her gaze fixed on the now-reappearing Han Li in the sky, her expression stunned. At that moment, a cold exhalation came from Nanlong Marquis in the heavens. A cluster of golden light descended from the heavens, but burst mid-air, scattering into countless golden streaks that enveloped his subordinates. Wherever the golden streaks passed, those who had been clutching their heads in agonized cries instantly ceased their wails and steadied themselves, one by one. Though still visibly shaken, they now appeared unharmed. Nanlong Hou, who had taken action to heal them, gazed at Han Li across the way, whose expression remained calm and composed. A look of deep astonishment crossed his face, as though he still doubted that Han Li, through sheer spiritual awareness, could truly match him in prowess. After all, although Nanlong Hou had deployed nearly all of his spiritual awareness, he had used up most of it. Yet Han Li had met the challenge with such ease—clearly possessing ample reserves of his own. It was even possible that Han Li's spiritual awareness surpassed his. As Nanlong Hou's growing sense of underestimation stirred within him, hesitating in his thoughts, Han Li suddenly smiled warmly at him. "Let us conclude this contest here," Han Li said lightly. "If we continue, I fear I shall indeed be unable to sustain it." "Ha! Han, you are too modest. Beyond the cultivation technique, your spiritual awareness is certainly no less than mine. This competition shall therefore stand as is. Otherwise, we might truly damage our harmony." South Long Marquis only slightly pondered, and with that, his expression relaxed as he spoke. Han Li smiled silently, though inwardly he sighed. It seemed that even among the immortal cultivators, at the Yuan Ying stage, strength still spoke the loudest. At the very least, this South Long Marquis, though not fully convinced that Han Li could match him in actual combat in terms of cultivation level and abilities, had clearly grown somewhat cautious after their exchange—no longer willing to treat him with undue lightness. Moreover, the Marquis's strong spiritual awareness precisely matched Han Li's own needs, making him even more reliant on the latter. "Since you are not far behind me in spiritual awareness, I shall gladly share with you the true reason behind this competition. As you suspected, were it not for my own purposes, I would not have insisted on having you engage in such a test of spiritual awareness." However, this matter is of great significance and would be inconvenient to mention clearly here. There is a map contained within this jade scroll. On the fourth day of the fair, the guest may gather at the marked location on the map. The Marquis will introduce several other guests to the Daoist friend, and will also share a great fortune with the guest. The Marquis of Nan Long offered a strange, enigmatic smile to Han Li, and as his lips parted, a clear segment of confidential words reached Han Li's ears. Then, with a single hand motion toward his storage pouch, a small jade scroll appeared in his hand. He raised it and shot it forward, the scroll transforming into a beam of white light, with no hesitation in revealing the presence of Lu Luo and others below. Han Li was momentarily startled, immediately raised his hand to catch the scroll, then glanced at the Marquis several times before placing it back into his storage pouch, showing no immediate intention to examine it. To the Marquis of Nan Long, this behavior was not only unannoying but actually delightful—he burst into hearty laughter. As he did so, a radiant glow emanated from his body, and within moments, he transformed into a massive sphere of light, which then descended The golden light on the beast-carriage flared once more, and all the warriors wielding spears gathered around it, swiftly fleeing toward Tianshan City, with drums and music resuming from within the carriage. To Lu Luo, who stood nearby, the southern lord of Lang, the elder merely waved a greeting and then walked off without further words. Perhaps other Yuan-Ci cultivators would be deeply displeased, greatly resentful. But Lu, the senior monk of Luoyun Sect, who well understood the host’s eccentric nature, only smiled gently. At that moment, Han Li descended lightly. "Master, are you all right?" Upon seeing Han Li return, Mu Peilin, who had just regained her composure, blushed slightly and asked with a warm, earnest gaze, her clear, lake-like eyes fixed on him. Though her "master" had only held his ground against the southern lord for a brief moment, the commanding presence he had just displayed stirred a subtle stir within her heart. She now felt that staying near Han Li was not merely a good choice, but actually comforting and reassuring. "Fine, just a little drain on my awareness." Han Li spoke calmly on the surface, yet his heart stirred at the sudden concern this woman now showed toward him. "Brother, you've been hiding your true feelings so well. Bai has been worried about you all this time," remarked Lu Luo, who had been staring at Han Li with admiration for a while, now beaming with delight. The subtle distance that had once existed between them was now completely gone. "Brother has never hidden anything from either of us—only that we never asked. Now, let's go. The stir caused by the fluctuations in our spiritual awareness might draw attention from many other cultivators." Han Li said with a gentle expression. "Indeed, if other cultivators notice us, it could become quite troublesome. Let's hurry to Qian Tian City!" This time, Lu Luo agreed without hesitation.